Grandad George lives in the state of California, in the city of Oakland, near Lake Merritt. Lake Merritt is next to downtown Oakland. It's very beautiful. People sail boats on it and row on it. Sometimes they take a ride on a gondola.

Lake Merritt is surrounded by park and gardens. A lot of people walk or run around the lake. There is a fun playground and a nature center. There is a Japanese garden, a bonsai garden, an herb garden, etc.

There is a bird sanctuary at the lake and many birds. You can see different types of birds including the kind in the picture. There are a very large number of Canadian geese, and in the spring and early summer there are baby goslings.

Children's Fairyland is very near the lake. There are many adventures there. One of my favorites is the train ride. When I went there, the rule was that an adult needed to be with a child to enter. I've only been inside once, but I'd like to go again.

I live near the lake in a small apartment. There is a palm tree just outside my bedroom window. I have a room where I sleep and sometimes dance. I also have a room where I create pages for web sites and and do other things on my computers like send and answer e-mail. I have a teddy bear that you might like to meet.

Not to far away from the lake is my favorite restaurant, the Mimosa. They have very good, very healthy food. I eat there a lot. For lunch I often have a smoothie and an avocado sandwich. For dinner I sometimes have macaroni and cheese. Yummy food.

The Grand Lake Theatre is also close by. It's a very big, very old theatre and really does deserve the name Grand. For a long time after the presidential election the marquee said "This is America. Every vote should be counted." Not too long ago, it just said "IMAGINE".

A little farther away, but still very close, is the Oakland Rose Garden. There are more different kinds of roses there than I can remember. The Garden is very beautiful. Even the names of the roses are wonderful.

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