Los Altos Hills Archives - until suburbia!

Uncover a Hidden Villa

May 17, 2019October 27, 2023Silvia

All these road signs pointing me in the direction of Hidden Villa lets me question their name choice. Seeing multiple groups of school children confirms it, this isn’t a hidden gem, but a gem nonetheless.

Kids feeding chickens at Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills.

Teaching children about farm living, letting them touch sheep and feed chickens is an invaluable resource in our Silicon Valley lives. Above the town of Los Altos Hills, Hidden Villa is a full functioning organic farm. You might get your CSA box from Hidden Villa.

Sign saying: Welcome to the Educational Garden, Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills.

One of the little people highlights is the educational garden. For those able they can crawl in through a tunnel, the grown ups need to enter through the gate. I liked their colorful signs naming the plants we were looking at.

At the sheep’s pen a cute moment was when a group of children was entering. One of the preschoolers held his nose. “I’m dying!” he complained. A grandmother looking lady replied: “You are not dying!” Bill their friendly guide, who I am sure heard this all before, assure them that this is all normal on a farm.

Over the summer Hidden Villa is busy with summer campers. Check out their website if you are interested.

Bunny Creek sign post for hikers at Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills.

Hiking for every level is available on the grounds. By downloading the Easy2Hike app you can experience the ‘Living History Tour’ explaining a bit more on the historical side of Hidden Villa.

Please either bring $10 in cash for parking or pay online.

Have you ever been to Hidden Villa?

Rebekah Bowman's photography at KCI gallery, Los Altos Hills

Get a Glimpse of the Cuban School of Ballet

February 15, 2019October 27, 2023Silvia

Did you know that the Cubans are as serious about ballet as they are about baseball? In fact the school is so successful that kids come from all over Latin America.

Rebekah Bowman, a Mexican-American photographer from Berkeley, went on and off to Cuba the last six years and captured the intensity of the young dancers. You can see her work at the KCI Gallery at Foothill College. Until March 21st, 2019, nineteen images are shown in the gallery. Ballet images are perfect for the round space with the handrails on both sides. If you want you could probably re-enact the poses.

I found the choice of the black and brown photos printed on bamboo paper represented the fragility of the Cuban surroundings and helped the objects to shine. And shine they do, in strikingly perfect poses, all muscles. Bowman also managed to capture the playful sides of her objects. I imagined joyful, dancing teenagers. Hard working, but also developing into adulthood.

You can own the prints, prices are $500 for the small prints and $800 for the larger ones.

Wednesday, February 27th, 2019 the Foothill College will show Horizontes (2 pm – 3 pm, Room 4006 KCI), a documentary about two dancers of the National Cuban Ballet.

Wednesday, March 6th, 2019 there will be a Gallery Talk with professor Ron Herman (12 pm – 1 pm, KCI Gallery).

KCI Gallery hours are Monday – Thursday 8 am – 7 pm, Friday 8 am – 5:30 pm and Saturday 8:30 am – 4 pm. To get to the KCI Gallery you should use the parking lot #4, parking is $3.

Have you heard about the Cuban School of Ballet?

Chaos, Sterling Haidt, ‘Abstraction & Connection’, at the Los Altos Hills City Hall

Connect with Digital Art

November 16, 2018October 27, 2023Silvia

Sterling Haidt a Los Altos resident is the artist of the current exhibit ‘Abstraction & Connection’ at the Los Altos Hills City Hall. During opening hours you can discover Sterling’s unique view and his techniques used in capturing images. His goal is to evoke a feeling from the imagery and the materials used.

I liked his piece called Swirl, a “macrophotograph of transmitted light through marbleized glass”, which has interesting colors and invoked in me a feeling of playful chaos. In Haidt’s words: ”My art is about connection, not cognition.” As a retired eye surgeon turned digital artist, his artwork often include medical images, fonts, or mathematical patterns.

Most of the images are near the common area. This felt odd to me for the smell of food didn’t align with the artwork of flowers. The view on the other hand, a window looking out on some redwoods, re-connects the visitor with nature.

On November 30th, 2018, from 10 am – 12 pm, you can glimpse behind the scene into Sterling Haidt’s inspiration. This event is free and open to the public.

If you are interested in digital modern art, you should consider this event.

Do you like digital art?

Chat with an Artist – Silicon Valley Open Studios

May 4, 2018January 31, 2025Silvia

3 weekends

360+ artists

28 cities

150+ locations

These are the impressive statistics for the Silicon Valley Open Studios in the first three weekends in May 2018.

Each weekend is dedicated to an area in Silicon Valley. Nonetheless, some artist’s work can be seen in multiple locations. The best place to start this adventure is by downloading the directory or checking out their website and consulting the map. You might also find the directory at a newspaper vending machine in the area.

Once you are on the road look for sandwich boards with arrows and “open studio”. This makes for a fun treasure hunt before you get to the treasure!

Chatting with the artist is encouraged. After all, the motto for the Open Studios is Connecting artists to the arts enthusiast. So, please ask questions, be enthusiastic, and buy a piece of art.

2018 Open Studio Dates – 11am to 5pm

WEEKEND 1: Northern Area – May 5th – 6th

Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, Stanford, South San Francisco, and Woodside

WEEKEND 2: Central Area – May 12th – 13th

East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Stanford, Sunnyvale.

WEEKEND 3: Southern Area/Pacific Coast – May 19th – 20th

Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, San Jose, and Saratoga, El Granada, Half Moon Bay, Miramar, Montara, Moss Beach, and Pacifica

Have you in previous years explored the Silicon Valley Open Studios?

Los Altos Hills pathways map and flyer for the 16th pathways run

Find the Path to Run, Los Altos Hills Pathways Run/Walk

May 12, 2017February 1, 2025Silvia

This Saturday (5/13/17) is the 16th Annual Los Altos Hills Pathways Run/Walk. It’s a 5K, 10K or 1M Fun Run.

This year’s motto is ‘Color my run’ and if you participate you will get a t-shirt to color in your way and a coloring book. The event starts at the Westwind Community Barn and runs through the Byrne Preserve, a hilly and challenging endeavor.

If you prefer to explore Los Altos Hills pathways without a crowd challenge I advise you to get the pathways map from the Los Altos town hall ($4). This pathways system is quite unique in it’s vastness and it is used by school children, walkers, horseback riders and bicyclists alike. So, please observe the 3 Cs – common sense, courtesy and communication and enjoy your path.

Do you know of any hidden pathways in the Bay Area?

Be Bamboozled, Foothill College Bamboo Garden

October 21, 2016February 2, 2025Silvia

No, it doesn’t have to do with alcohol. I just thought it would be a fun new word for this cool hidden garden.

The Foothill College bamboo garden is with over 70 species one of the largest gardens for bamboos in the United States. You can find it below the Japanese Cultural Center on the Los Altos Hills campus. It is only 2 acre, but because of the layout with hidden pathways, it appears much larger.

This is an amazing place to escape and find some quiet time.

Thanks to Gerhard Bock’s blog you can look up the diffferent varieties on his site: http://www.succulentsandmore.com/2012/05/foothill-college-bamboo-garden-part-1.html

http://www.succulentsandmore.com/2012/05/foothill-college-bamboo-garden-part-2.html

The Azumaya, a Japanese garden pavilion was fenced off when I was there. But hopefully they will open it up again, since it seems a great gathering place for the students and visitors.

Have you been bamboozled lately?