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Pinnacle Path (Path #37)

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Meet The Paths:
The Story of Pinnacle Path’s Gorgeous Mosaic by Colleen Neff
Berkeley Path Wanderers Association Newsletter -- Summer 2008 -- Vol. 11 No. 2

Few Berkeley homeowners have embraced their neighborhood path as fully and whimsically as Steve Juniper and his late wife Irene did with Pinnacle Path. Located between Regal Road and Poppy Lane in the North Berkeley hills, this gently slopped path is an unexpected delight for all who pass by. Thirteen years ago, to celebrate Irene’s 60th birthday, Steve and her friends and family devised an ingenious, interactive party for her. They planned to create a mosaic of a serpent-like creature on the wall beneath Irene’s prized garden, which borders Poppy Lane.

To prepare for the party Steve covered the bare concrete blocks of the wall running along the lower end of the path with a layer of cement, creating a blank canvas for the abstract mosaic. On top of this he sketched a rough undulating outline. Party goers then spent the afternoon filling in his outline with bits of tile, shells, mirrors, multi-colored fragments of plates and cups, and other interesting found items. By the end of the party, the mosaic ran more than half the length of the 40 foot wall. Steve grouted in the cracks, and the wall remained half finished for many years.

Last year, volunteer artists met two times to finish the fanciful creature with the Junipers’ grandson Jesse, aged 9, joining the effort. The newer, upper end of the mosaic now features a large dragon’s head with a cobalt blue plate for an eye. What the rest of the project looks like is in the eye of the beholder. Some see a mermaid; others see a a large fish and waves of water. Passers-by have great fun pausing by Irene’s wall to inspect all the weird and wonderful bits and pieces that comprise the mosaic. One particularly sweet part is the small section in the middle where mirror shards surround a pink rose and the words “Happy 60th Irene” that are etched into the surface.

Sadly, Irene passed away last spring, but she did get to see the entire mosaic finished, and it serves as a wonderful tribute to her. Her husband Steve remarked that the wall is a great conversation piece for folks walking on the path and that he and Irene always enjoyed the friendly interaction. The wall mosaic is not the only charm of Pinnacle Path, however. Beautiful roses spill over the fence that runs above the wall, and a large lemon tree arches over part of the path.

The sound of the gurgling fountain in Irene’s koi pond adds to the pleasures of Pinnacle Path. Climb the steps of Pinnacle Path and you’ll find more great paths worth exploring. Head to the right at the top of Pinnacle Path and walk a ways to Remillard Park, which features a large rock outcropping that is popular with climbers. From there, you can either continue up the hill on the recently constructed Poppy Path or head into the trees on the very rustic Keeler Path.