Late last month I did a post showcasing a couple of photos I took from my front yard in the Belwood neighborhood of Los Gatos that featured the moon seemingly slung between two palm trees.

A couple of days ago, our daughter exclaimed that we needed to come to the window to see the morning sky. It was not quite 7am and it was positively ablaze. Same palm trees, totally different but equally amazing scene.

These photos are not retouched except for one thing. My flash (accidentally) went off and caused the stop sign at the lower right side of one of the photos to be illuminated in an otherwise pitch black section of the image. I've cloned out the stop sign .... But the sky is untouched. Amazing and true!

Today the typically pleasant, normal September weather returned to Los Gatos after several gloomy and unseasonably cold days took hold of us. It was too nice to stay indoors so in the late afternoon, I grabbed the leash and asked our aging black lab, Bella, if she wanted to go for a walk.

She limps now, but moves fast at the sound of food or the promise of a walk. We were out the door quickly.

After a stroll down Bacigalupi Drive, greeting neighbors and other dog walkers and pedestrians, we returned home to a really beautiful site. The moon was just about full and it was almost exactly between two palm trees straight ahead of me.

Getting Bella inside, I grabbed my Canon Power Shot out of my car and brought it outside, only to find the rechargeable batteries had died.

Got new ones off the charger and snapped a few shots. They didn't look good in the tiny little window of the camera and I was afraid that the impact would be lost. I took about a half dozen shots and then the batteries died again. Grrr. But I got what I needed.

It wasn't until I uploaded the pics to my computer that I could see if this would work or not. I think it does come across - though still not as breathtaking as when I saw it "live" today.

Here I think the moon looks so much like a ping pong ball suspended between two palmy paddles.

Another beautiful evening here in Los Gatos.

Intro to the prettiest corner of Silicon Valley: 
Blog Entry: "Why Los Gatos?"  
One-minute slide show of Los Gatos

College and Main: A Photo Tour

Unmistakeably Los Gatos, the intersection of College and Main has both recognizeable design elements, such as the two-story "cats" which are the town's signature images, and also classic older architecture blended with new construction in a tasteful manner. The latter is a hallmark of the town's high value on character and history.

The Penthouse Apartments is the view to your left, with the two story image of Leo and Leona, the cat sculptures which are synonomous with Los Gatos itself. This four story building is the gateway of St. Joseph's Hill, home to beautiful houses, an entrance to a hiking park and open space preserve (St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve), The Holy Names Sister's convent, retreat center and retirement home, and also, accross the street and up a long driveway, Sacred Heart, the California Jesuit's (Society of Jesus')  headquarters & retirement home  (and one time novitiate, founded in 1888) and the wonderful Testarossa Vineyards Tasting Room, located on Jesuit land. 

Just as there's a lot going on "up the hill", there's a lot going on at this intersection too!  (It is a three-way stop sign intersection and I must advise you to be very careful of cyclists - sometimes they are not as careful of all the activity as we might want them to be and I have seen many near-accidents here.)  We have a saying in Los Gatos, which is that if you have cash, you won't starve: there are a lot of restaurants here. One of my favorites is Tapestry, which is across the street from the Penthouse Apartments on College Avenue. The food is an ecclectic mix of fresh California style cuisine. The servers are friendly and there's usually no trouble parking nearby, as they have a shared lot plus street parking.

In the same little quad as Tapestry is the ancient Soda Works Building, which now houses a cigar shop.

Right next to Tapestry lies a little sandwich shop that I tried twice recently and really love: Caffe Siena. It is Italian-style with many delicious imported specialty foods and great entrees. It's also a great place to people-watch! The building itself is newer but just outside lies a lovely old stone wall that begs to be photographed.

On the other side of Main is one of my favorite dinner spots, I Gatti (not pictured), which is Italian for "The Cats".  If you are getting the impression that Los Gatos has a number of places with an Italian flair, you're right. But there are many other types of food too: Romanian, Thai, Viet Namese, Japanese, Mexican, American - and these are just the ones on the top of my head!

Testarossa Vineyards is a popular destination for people heading up the hill. It's quite scenic, starting with the long trek up the winding driveway, and then at the top there are beautiful valley views.  The tasting room itself is extremely inviting - it's spacious, comfortable, and nicely laid out. But best of all, the wine is truly delicious and the folks who work there are both knowledgeable and friendly. There are no pretentious airs, just genuine helpfulness and useful information. I'm always proud to bring our out-of-town visitors to the old novitiate for a little tasting.  It is a wonderful way to wrap up an afternoon of strolling and shopping - a calm oasis just steps from the business of this bustling town.  And perhaps one of the reasons I like it so much is that like much of Los Gatos, it is a classic mix of things to do...and places simply to relax and be.

Photographs by Mary Pope-Handy,
Los Gatos & Silicon Valley (San Jose area) Residential Real Estate Specialist and
Realtor, CRS, ABR, SRES, ASP, CNHS, RECS, E-Pro,
Intero Real Estate Services, 518 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, CA 95030
www.PopeHandy.com

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