BONSAI AND SUISEKI IN THE GARDENS AT LAKE MERRITT, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Bonsai Maple in the Gardens at Lake Merritt, Oakland CA.

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took the photos in this post in March 2026, unless otherwise credited.

The Gardens at Lake Merritt, Northwest Gate.

During a visit to The Gardens at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, my favorite of the many themed gardens* within was the Bonsai Garden, especially because I learned about suiseki, a formal Japanese art new to me.

Bonsai Garden gate.

The Bonsai Garden entrance gate was designed and built by Hiroshi Sakaguchi, a craftsman in the ancient Japanese art of joinery woodworking, which uses no glue, nails or screws. Men in Sakaguchi’s family have practiced this tradition for over 600 years.

Bonsai.

Inside the walled garden, some regular-size trees provided leafy shade and others were in full bloom. The bonsai trees included diverse examples such as cedar, filbert, redwood, and several different maple species.

Bonsai maple.

But given the sun angle, my two favorite photos happen to be of Japanese mountain maple (Acer palmatum, above and at the top of this post).

Flowering plants in bonsai pots were on display. In the above photo, a metal sculpture of an ant of monstrous proportions is on guard duty.

A small, open shelter housed examples of suiseki, natural stones evocative of landscapes or other images. I have seen such in Japanese, Chinese or Korean art displays, but I didn’t know how widespread and sophisticated the Japanese art of stone appreciation is. In the following days, I read about the many esthetic criteria that guide the selection of stones: not only their shape, but also picky aspects of their surface, color, and other characteristics. More preferences include minimizing alterations and keeping wooden bases simple.

Rabbit.

Suiseki artist Hiroshi Suzuki found “Rabbit” in Northern California.

Winter in the High Mountains.

Suiseki artist Brent Meran found “Winter in the High Mountains” on the Eel River in Northern California.

Outside of the Bonsai Garden, some areas were charmingly disheveled. Others looked well maintained.

Alpine Rock Garden.

The tidy Alpine Rock Garden included a landscaped mound in the middle, surrounded by a dozen concrete planters, each one roughly the size of a coffee table. Rocks and plant arrangements suggested miniature mountain or desert views rather successfully.

Lake Merritt. Photo courtesy of A. Do.

From the gardens northwest entrance gate, walking across the gardens and out through the south gate leads to the shore of Lake Merritt, which became the nation's first formally declared wildlife refuge in 1870. A paved path goes 3.4 miles (~5.5 km) around the lake, with views of wild birds and small islands against the urban background. I liked spending half a weekend day visiting the area for the first time!

Footnote:

* Areas within The Gardens at Lake Merritt:

- Alameda County Master Garden

- Alameda County Master Trial Garden

- Air Bee N' Bee

- Alpine Rock Garden

- Bay Friendly Garden

- Bonsai Garden

- Dahlia Garden

- Entry Garden

- Firescape Garden

- Fukuoka Sister City Garden

- General Pollinator Garden

- Japanese Garden

- Lu's Garden

- Mediterranean Garden

- Merritt College Community Garden

- Merritt College Horticulture Community Gardens

- Palmettum

- Rhododendron Garden

- Riparian Garden

- Rose Garden

- Sensory Garden

- Succulent Garden

- Sun Dial Garden

- Toddler Garden

- Understory Garden

- Urban Edible Gardens

- Vireya & Begonia Garden

MANET/MORISOT EXHIBIT at the Legion of Honor Art Museum, San Francisco, CA

Portrait of Berthe Morisot Reclining, by Edouard Manet, 1873

Note: This post describes my visit to the exhibit of the paintings of Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco that ended March 1, 2026. Manet and Morisot is currently on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art (March 29—July 5, 2026).

On my recent visit to the Legion of Honor Art Museum in San Francisco I saw the excellent Manet and Morisot exhibit featuring the friendship and artistic connections between these two French artists. It brought back memories of my 19th Century Art History classes when I was a student. In this exhibit, I learned that not only were Morisot and Manet close friends and influenced one another as painters, but that she became his sister-in-law when she married his brother Eugene. She was also one of Manet's models. 

The Balcony, by Manet. Morisot is the seated figure on the left.

The exhibit filled four rooms at the Legion of Honor, the first room focusing on the early years of Manet and Morisot’s friendship. Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), was nine years younger than Edouard Manet (1832-1883), and met him when she was still an art student. (He was already famous for his bold painting style that marked the beginning of the modern era.) While she posed for him in his studio, it was an opportunity for her to observe how Manet worked, learn from him and for their friendship to develop. 

Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets, by Edouard Manet, 1872.

Perhaps Manet’s most famous portrait of Morisot depicts her with a bouquet of violets. The figure, with her piercing eyes, tall hat, and unruly hair, is painted boldly in black. You have to look closely to find the tiny violets fastened to her dress.

Boating, by Edouard Manet

Lake in the Bois de Boulongue (Summer Day), by Berthe Morisot

In the second room of the exhibit we see treatments of similar subjects by the two artists—a woman before a mirror, an outdoor scene in the country, two people in a boat. Unlike Manet, who exhibited at the Paris Salon, the traditional venue for artists to show their work, Morisot exhibited her paintings with the Impressionists. Throughout the exhibit you can see lightness of her touch and complex treatment of color that links her to artists like Monet and Renoir.

Jeanne (Spring), by Edouard Manet.

Summer (Woman Beside a Window), by Berthe Morisot.

The third room of the exhibit is called The Parisiennes, focusing on portraits of women of Paris. On one wall we see the four seasons—portraits of women representing spring, summer, fall, winter. Interestingly, two are by Manet and two by Morisot. Neither painted a full set. These are some of the last paintings Manet did before he died.

Children with a Basin, by Berthe Morisot, 1886.

Like Mary Cassatt, the American painter who worked in France and exhibited with the Impressionists, Berthe Morisot often painted mothers and children. Several of those paintings are in the final room of the exhibit where we see Morisot’s work painted after Manet’s death. The Chinese porcelain basin in the above painting was a wedding gift to Berthe and Eugene from Edouard Manet.

Self Portrait, by Berthe Morisot, 1885.

The last painting in the exhibit is a self-portrait, in which Morisot looks straight out of the canvas, engaging, and perhaps challenging, the viewer to see her as a professional. Although frequently treated more as a footnote in the history of art, this exhibit reveals Morisot’s true talent. And it shows the complexity of her relationship to Manet and how they influenced one another.

The Railway, by Edouard Manet.

Detail of The Railway, by Edouard Manet.

When I go to a museum I always take photos because I never have time enough to read everything and see everything up close. When I look at my photos at home I can visit the exhibit again virtually. The examples here are just a taste. For an excellent overview of the exhibit you can read this review in artnet https://news.artnet.com/art-world/impressionist-masters-manet-morisot-major-museum-show-2644203

Interior,, by Berthe Morisot.

For more about Manet, often called the "Titan of Modern Painting" go to my post of December 16, 2019 about the exhibit at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles of Manet's late works, Manet and Modern Beauty. 

At the Milliners, by Edouard Manet, 1881.

 

GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Tennessee Valley Trail, Marin County, California

The Tennessee Valley Trail is among many in the Marin Headlands. 

A short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge brings you from the city of San Francisco to the hills of Marin County, and to the Marin headlands, which line the passage from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. One of my favorite places to hike in the Marin Headlands is the 1.7-mile Tennessee Valley trail that leads to Tennessee Beach. 

Tennessee Beach.

The beach gets its name from the wreck of the steamship S.S. Tennessee, which ran aground in heavy fog in 1853, with all 550 passengers and crew safely reaching the shore. At low tide you can still see the remains of the ship in the water.

The gravel trail is mostly level.

In late December, I went with my family for a hike on the Tennessee Valley trail. (The trailhead is about a 35-minute drive from our house in Oakland.) It was a beautiful sunny day--welcome after a week of steady rain. Many other people had the same idea, but the trail did not seem crowded despite all the hikers.  (At the trailhead there is a parking area and toilets and picnic tables.)

Boulders composed of sedimentary rock can be seen along the trail.

The trail is wide and mostly level, suitable for families with small children and even strollers, gradually sloping downhill from the parking area to the beach. Dogs, even on leashes, are not allowed, although we did see one man who was taking his cat for a walk. (The cat was eager to explore and did not seem too happy about being restrained on a leash.)

Because of the recent rains, we had to dodge a few puddles.

The rain had made the hills green and lush and we could hear the gurgle of small streams along the path. We did spot a few flowers, but it was a bit early in the season for spring blooms. We kept our eye out for wildlife, but except for two vultures circling on updrafts, we didn’t see much. On an earlier trip to Tennessee Valley we had spotted a doe and her fawn in a field being stalked by a bobcat. It was only when we put the long lens on the camera (we had forgotten our binoculars) that we saw the bobcat perched on a rock on the hillside above the field where the deer were grazing.

Tennessee Valley is part of the huge Golden GateNational Recreation Area, operated by the National Parks, that includes a wide variety of sites ranging from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, to Point Reyes National Seashore to the north and beaches and historic sites to the south of San Francisco. 

A sign in the picnic area near the trailhead tells how close the beautiful hills of Tennessee Valley once were in danger of development, before they became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Thankfully, the project was halted and the beautiful hillsides are now preserved for wildlife and hikers like me.

MARIN COUNTY VACATION: Beautiful California, Guest Post by Tom Scheaffer

Point Reyes Seashore, Marin County, CA.

In October, my brother Tom spent a week's vacation with friends in Marin County, California, enjoying the beautiful scenery and fall weather. Marin County is just north of San Francisco--across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is one of my favorite places. Our parents lived in Mill Valley in Marin County for 41 years so it is a place filled with lots of memories. I thank Tom for sharing his photos and report of his visit.

Forest pond on Mount Tamalpais.

I have had a lot of fun and adventures in Marin County these last four days. The first day we went on a really nice hike on the trails that I used to hike on the Mill Valley side. 

Tom. Looking north along the Marin coast from the west side of Mount Tamalpais.

Mount Tamalpais.

The next day we rented E bikes and went all over the west side of the mountain and it was very exciting because they can go up steep hills. 

Tom on the path to the Point Reyes lighthouse.

The next day I went to Point Reyes lighthouse and it was very beautiful. 

Tom, sailing on San Francisco Bay.

And today we went sailing. We left from Sausalito and sailed all the way over to Aquatic Park in San Francisco and then came back near Alcatraz. 

Sailing on San Francisco Bay.

Tomorrow I go to San Francisco where I stay overnight and then I return to San Diego Sunday.

Relaxing with friends in Marin.

WARM SPRINGS FISH HATCHERY, Geyserville, CA: Giving Young Salmon and Steelhead Trout a Head Start

Young steelhead trout at Warm Spring Fish Hatchery.

On a sunny day in late December, I went with my family on a day trip from Oakland to visit the Warm Springs Hatchery, about a ninety-minute drive north of the Bay Area, near Healdsburg. 

Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley.

After leaving the 101 Freeway we made our way along the Dry Creek Valley road past acres of vineyards and small farms until we came to the sign for the Lake Sonoma State Park and Visitor Center.

Visitor Center, Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, also known as the Don Claussen Fish Hatchery.

Every year in late fall, steelhead trout and Coho Salmon begin to arrive at the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, located below the Sonoma Lake dam in the foothills near Geyserville, California. There the fish are counted and measured and sorted. Some are kept for spawning at the hatchery--the fertilized eggs incubated until they hatch and then raised until the young fish are big enough to release.

Life-size cloth models of steelhead trout at the Visitor Center.

We had arranged to meet docent Linda Clapp at the Visitor Center for a personal tour of the hatchery. (The Visitor Center is open every day and the grounds open to the public. You don’t need an appointment.) Linda, had been the park ranger in charge of education for many years, is now retired, and continues to work at the hatchery as a volunteer. She was a fount of information.

Sonoma Lake Dam. The earthen dam was built in 1983 by the Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding of the Dry Creek Valley.

After a brief introduction, Linda took us to an overlook at the base of the Sonoma Lake dam. At the bottom of the dam water rushes out into Dry Creek and eventually reaches the Pacific Ocean. Young steelhead trout and Coho Salmon raised at the hatchery are released in the creek. They follow the creek to the ocean, spend several years at sea, and then return to mate and lay eggs. (They use their sense of smell to find their way home.)

Fish returning to spawn are guided toward a tunnel on the left side of the dam that leads to a fish ladder and channel into the hatchery. We looked over the railing above the fish ladder hoping to see some leaping fish, but didn’t spot any. At the top of the fish ladder is a quiet pond where the fish can rest before continuing to the hatchery. 

Sorting fish in the spawning area.

Fish returning to the hatchery are kept in holding pens before the daily counting. We had timed our visit so that we could watch (from above) hatchery workers processing the fish--identifying each fish by its species, sex, age, and size. At the same time a small sample was taken from each fish for genetic monitoring. While one worker handled the fish, another recorded the data.

Steelhead trout being transferred to a truck for release.

Coho Salmon.

Our next stop was outside, to view the long tanks holding thousands of young fish from the previous year’s spawning. After hatching, the fish stay at the hatchery for about a year before being transferred to the wild. Growing about a half an inch a month, they are about six inches long when they are released. Fencing around the raceways prevents birds and other natural predators from helping themselves to the fish. We spotted egrets, green herons and other birds in the park around the hatchery.

9 month old steelhead trout in aquarium at Visitor Center.

At the end of our tour we explored the excellent Visitor Center, filled with displays about the fish and their part of the natural environment.

View of Lake Sonoma.

Our final excursion was a one mile drive up the road to the Sonoma Lake overlook where we got a spectacular view of the lake and surrounding hills. We’ll have to go back another day to try out the various hiking trails.

On our way home to Oakland we stopped for lunch at the Dry Creek General Store where we got delicious freshly made sandwiches, which we ate at a picnic table outside. Above us dozens of hummingbirds flocked around feeders, sipping the sweet juice. It was the perfect ending to an enjoyable and educational day.