JulieNachtwey.Blog

Aalto and his proud parents Jackie and Alex

 Once upon a time a lovely couple moved into a house in Berkeley which I had the pleasure of selling to them. Moving into their new home was even more exciting because they were expecting their first child!  It was an honor that my husband and I were invited to their son’s first birthday party. In Korean tradition, a child’s first birthday, called the Doljanchi, is an important milestone meant to bless the child with a prosperous future.

The Birthday Boy

Aalto looked cute in his dapper King’s outfit, a traditional Korean Jacket and hat from his grandparents.   

The Korean Spread

The cake said "first birthday" in Korean

Young Aalto celebrated with adoring parents and friends. The traditional Korean food and birthday cake were from Koreana Plaza in Oakland, a local Korean supermarket.

The highlight of the party was a Korean ritual in which the child is placed in front of a table with foods and six objects, each with a special significance.  He is then urged to pick up an object from the table.  It’s believed that what a child in Korea chooses may reveal his destiny. 

 Here is the order in which Aalto made his selections:

Rice = Wealth

Yarn = Long Life

Squash Racquet = Athleticism

Red Dates = Fertility

Calligraphy Pen/Books = Scholar

 Paints = Artistic

 Aalto’s mother Jackie disclosed: “I did this when I turned one, and reportedly went straight for the books!”  She is now a successful physician.

It makes you wonder…

What would you choose if you could do it all over again?

Home is Where the Heart Is

Diana Meckfessel has a new home.  And the home has undergone a facelift – again! 
The former kitchen designer purchased the property last fall.  She opened up the living room and integrated it into a spacious new kitchen and dining area.  An open floor plan lends itself to her love of cooking and entertaining. In the process, Diana incorporated the sun room and moved the fireplace.  Upstairs, she redid the bathroom, added laundry facilities and connected the master bedroom to a small bedroom, to be used as a dressing room.  The house now feels spacious, light and graceful by anyone’s standards.  In the spring she plans to enhance the already lovely gardens.  The general contractor Diana worked with  and recommends highly is Tom Ratcliff  ttratcliff@yahoo.com  who happens to be the grandson of the famous architect Walter Ratcliff.

This house in The Claremont neighborhood was designed by James Plachek in 1910.  At this point in time, it’s hard to tell exactly what  happened to the place.  Diana’s house was literally one with the house next door!  Both houses are sections of the large manor house that was subdivided in 1949.  The huge entry hall and front staircase were torn out and the walls closed up on both sides.  This created exterior space, separating the (now) two houses, where there once had been one. How creative!

Diana’s new home is adjacent to the historic stone pillars marking the main entrance to The Claremont neighborhood, at the intersection of Claremont and The Uplands.  These handsome stone structures were designed in 1905 by John Galen Howard and were landmarked in by the City of Berkeley in 1984.  Many of the architect-designed houses in the area have been featured in numerous books, articles and house tours, including the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assn  http://www.berkeleyheritage.com/