I'm a senior citizen with two grown sons and a delightful, 19 year-old grand-daughter who is majoring in City Planning.

I've lived in Oakland since 1968; spend a lot of time in my garden fighting a losing battle against crab grass and oxalis; have been a neighborhood activist for nearly 25 years; and until recently published a monthly neighborhood newsletter, the Splash Pad News which is still providing monthly updates.

When I first started posting photos on Flickr, one of my main goals was to help counter all the negative press directed our way by helping to document Oakland's incredible vitality, its ethnic diversity and the natural beauty that surrounds us. More recently, I've been documenting local protests; also my year-round garden; and when, I can - venturing far afield. In younger days, I was using a Nikon D90 which I've abandoned in favor of phones which are much lighter and compact.