Image courtesy Sollerphoto (Flickr)

Normally I browse through our local offerings on the Freecycle mailing list just looking at what’s available (if you don’t know Freecycle, you need to learn right now.) Normally there’s things like extra mattresses, spare coffee tables, junk drawer contents and half-used bottles of baby formula offered for free. But in all my days on the listserv, I’ve never seen such a strange offer, and I’m passing the offer on because I silently hope someone can help.

We have a lovely, healthy about 30′ tall redwood tree in our parking strip. A very inappropriate place to have put this tree 15 or more years ago. It has lifted the bricks in the parking strip about a foot–maybe more–and is now lifting the sidewalk, about an inch so far.

It must go. It breaks my heart. I don’t want to cut it down. But clearly, we have to remove it before things get worse.

I know it is a very (very) long shot, but it’s worth a try. Someone with large property, a park, or a nursery might want to have a lovely, healthy, tall redwood badly enough to move it to wherever.

Just hoping.

Doris

If you’re interested in helping Doris find a new home for the redwood tree, please contact me and I will put you in touch.

The Smithsonian Magazine is hosting a Free Museum Day across the nation this Saturday, Sept. 27. And plenty of Bay Area museums are participating, like:

• Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education in San Mateo
• Peninsula Museum of Art in Belmont
• The Exploratorium in San Francisco
• Berkeley Art Center in Berkeley
  
• Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek
• Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos
• Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek

All you have to do is fill out this card for your free admission.

I confess, I didn’t know half of these museums existed until just now, so if the Smithsonian’s sole goal is to expose the public to museums, it already worked.

There’s more on this California list of participating museums, including some heavy-hitters like the J. Paul Getty Museum in L.A. and Mission San Juan Capistrano. Or you can find other museums nationwide that are participating, including (obviously) all the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C.

It’s unfortunate to not see any San Jose city museums participating, but such is life. I know of at least one SJ museum that will be very busy this weekend.

On Monday September 22, people from around the world get together to celebrate a day without cars. With gas prices at an all time high, Carfree Day is the perfect time to leave your car at home and get around your neighborhood and the region by foot, bike, bus, and train or by sharing the ride.

I did not find any events listed for San Jose nor did I find any information on the VTA site saying what a great day to take public transit. Carfree Day is not mentioned on the San Jose Green Vision site. People asleep at the wheel. You and I knew about World Carfree Day, right?