Sally Ooms's Blog

I broke my painting wrist and decided to keep painting with my “wrong” hand (non-dominant) hand.  The results became the theme of the gallery re-opening event and my birthday party.  Art + Friends new and old + fried chicken and local craft beer made for a great birthday party! See all of the photos on the Gallery Website.  … Continue reading Wrong Hand Art = A good time! →

The town of Marysville, CA, north of Sacramento, hosts a parade each year honoring the Bok Kai Temple and the Chinese-American descendants of people who came to the town in the 1880s. Seminar-goers from the Temples and Museums Conference got to watch the parade down the main street, a spectacle that included their beloved and … Continue reading Parade / Bomb Day Honor Chinese →

Friends of Marysville (California) Bok Kai Temple spearheaded a “Temples and Museums: Managing and Interpreting Historic Cultural Assets,” conference March 12 and 13. The Chinese American Museum of Chicago put on the event. I attended as a member of the Brannan Island-Isleton Historical Society board and learned that we in Isleton are lucky to have … Continue reading Northern California Rich in Chinese Temples →

I packed my four layers of clothing and new sub-zero rated snow boots—all from the San Francisco REI sale—and headed to Alaska. I have been to Alaska four times now, but this was the first in winter. I was told that to volunteer for the Iditarod I would need to bring a base layer, a … Continue reading Iditarod Volunteering Doggone Cool →

–For Immediate Release— Locke, CA — The management association responsible for the maintenance and historical preservation of the Delta town of Locke, California, has won a nearly five- year lawsuit over resident Martha Esch and co-defendant Dona LeBlanc, and will be able to reclaim a historic building in the town for preservation purposes. The Lock … Continue reading Historic Town Wins Lawsuit; Preservation Now May Continue in Chinese Delta Town →

Not counting families and young people, approximately 1,000 individuals are outside in the elements every night in Sacramento. That means 36 percent of the homeless population cannot find shelter due to the woeful lack of shelter beds in the city. Five city codes criminalize standing, sitting and resting in public places; three criminalize camping and … Continue reading Throwing Homeless People in Jail Not a Solution →

Guilin was the beginning of our Li River experience. Chinese travelers packed our plane from Shanghai to this small city of about 1 million in Southeast China. I had read that Chinese people were traveling as tourists in their own country in increasing number. This was nice to see. Everyone seemed in a good mood. … Continue reading Guilin a Good Forward to Li River Trip →

My last day in China, the guide who came to take me to the airport was not the same person who had seen me off to Mongolia 10 days before.  Mr. Wong was again my driver, a friendly non-English speaker who had the smug air of a Chinese gangster one might see in a movie … Continue reading Shanghai, a Colorless Entry to China →

It’s the first evening of summer, the end of a long, fairly hot day, but the community garden is a welcoming spot. Families, couples and single folks are strolling in for the third in a series of cooking classes at the tables in back of Oak Park Sol Community Garden on Broadway. Tyler Wescott, a … Continue reading Oak Park Sol Community →

           My printer asked me, “How grand was your grand opening?” (for F and Main Gallery at 36 Main Street in Isleton, CA). Well, it’s hard to be modest because last Saturday’s event really was pretty grand. The photos and paintings all looked great: art work from Greg Crawford, Keith Palmer, James Motlow and me. … Continue reading A Good Time Had By All – F and Main Gallery →