If we had a dime for every time we've heard someone say there's nothing to do in Oakley, we'd have enough cash to retire and suddenly have time to enjoy all the local activities we have already discovered.

We suggest you print out a copy of this page so that the next time your kids, spouse or friends whine about being bored in this town you can hand it to them and challenge them to try one of these suggestions.

1 Take a walk on the Marsh Creek trail and take in the sounds of nature and serenity of the Delta.

2 Sail a boat on the Delta.

3 Have a picnic lunch at O'Hara Park.

4 Take in a Sunday pancake breakfast at the Redmen-Pocahontas Hall.

5 Pretend you are a ship captain. Park outside the Shurgard Storage building on a foggy night and imagine their lighthouse beacon is guiding you safely to harbor.

6 Check out a book from the Oakley library.

7 Plant a garden — Oakley's sandy soil is great for tomatoes, grapes and almonds.

8 Root for the home team at a Freedom High School sporting event.

9 Work out in the gym at the YMCA.

10 Rent a hot new movie from Video Cinema.

11 Tour the model homes at a new subdivision.

12 Go grocery shopping at Raley's, Albertsons or Centromart.

13 Volunteer for an assignment at the Oakley Almond Festival.

14 Watch the sun set over Mount Diablo on a cloudless summer evening.

15 Attend an Oakley City Council meeting just for the sheer fun of it.

16 Attend an Oakley Chamber of Commerce mixer.

17 Run for the school board.

18 Drop your hook off the pier at the Oakley-Antioch Regional Shoreline.

19 Treat yourself to frozen yogurt or coffee at Yogurt Island.

20 Check into a third-floor room at the Comfort Suites for a unique rooftop view of McDonald's and the ARCO station. Pop the top on a Diet Pepsi while you luxuriate in the spa.

21 Ride a bike on the bike lanes along Cypress Road.

22 Play on the swings at Vintage Park.

23 Play a set of tennis on the courts at Crockett Park.

24 Attempt a left turn off O'Hara Avenue onto Main Street during rush hour.

25 Attempt a left turn off Del'Antico Avenue onto Main Street at ANY hour.

26 Pick your own strawberries from the lot at the corner of Live Oak Avenue and Highway 4.

27 Watch workers harvest the grapes during August and September.

28 Fly a kite when the afternoon breeze kicks in off the Delta.

29 Buy the best-tasting pistachios from Blumen Ranch on O'Hara Avenue.

30 Enjoy "lousy food and warm beer" at the Buzz Inn. (That's their slogan, not ours!)

31 Stick your head out the window and shout real loud, "Thank God this isn't Antioch!"

32 Go photocopy something at The UPS Store.

33 Feed the ducks at Big Break Marina.

34 Participate in a recreation sports league.

35 Check out the current size of the scrap iron pile at Delta Scrap and Salvage.

36 Send a letter at the Oakley Post Office.

37 Introduce yourself to a neighbor you've never met and make a new friend.

38 Check for new slogans on the lighted sign outside the Oakley Chiropractic Clinic.

39 Sing carols at the annual Christmas tree lighting.

40 Nominate an unsung local hero for Citizen of the Year.

41Count how many different species of insects you can see within your own back yard.

42 Say hello to Santa Claus and get a free candy cane and orange when the Oakley firefighters pay their annual visit.

43 Perform an Internet search under "Oakley, California" and check out all the local home pages.

44 Pick up a copy of a local newspaper and catch up on the latest happenings.

45 Join a local club or organization.

46 Visit Continente Packing Co. and buy a nut gift basket for yourself or a friend.

47 Participate in the Lions Club's annual Easter egg hunt.

48 Look for wildflowers along the highway during the spring. Oakley has great poppies and lupines.

49 Find a dark lot and go star-gazing on a cloudless night.

50 Get on stage for a Karaoke performance of your favorite tunes at Melody Lounge.

51 Watch a sporting event on the big screen TV at Mountain Mike's Pizza.

52 Plunk rocks into Marsh Creek.

53 Take in the historic buildings on a walk through downtown.

54 Get involved with a church group.

55 Mow your lawn.

56 What, no lawn? Pull your weeds.

57 Hunt for antiques in one of the shops in Old Town on Main Street.

58 Enjoy the carnival or circus when they are in town.

59 Drop in on Cutino's Feed and Supply and start up a conversation with a longtime rancher.

60 Check out the ongoing gas price war at the Highway 4/Bridgehead Road intersection

61 Romp in the playground at McDonald's or Carl's Jr. while grabbing an inexpensive meal.

62 Take a pre-dawn jog down Empire Avenue on a peaceful Sunday morning.

63 Watch an East Diablo Youth Soccer League game.

64 Hire a Freedom High School senior to perform volunteer work for school credit.

65 Have a back yard family barbecue that relies on Oakley-grown produce.

66 Buy a Christmas tree, Halloween pumpkin or Valentine's Day bouquet from a roadside stand.

67 Take part in the Oakley Almond Parade or watch it in September.

68 Watch trains from the Vintage Parkway overpass.

69 Eat soapas en carnes and watch the pageantry of the Oakley Holy Ghost Parade in July.

70 Ride a Tri Delta Transit bus from one end of town to the other.

71 Watch local programming on Comcast community access cable Channel 24.

72 Look for useful tools, odds and ends at Bonanza Industrial Supply.

73 Aim a telescope or pair of binoculars at Mount Diablo and see what unusual features you can spot.

74 Watch or listen to fireworks on Independence Day or New Year's Eve.

75 Ride a horse at Star B Ranch.

76 Find someone with old copies of Oakley Almond Festival program guides and read about the legend of Ben Toasted.

77 Open a map of Oakley and explore every street named after a winery or a type of wine...

78 ...Now count how many streets are named for trees or meadows...

79 ...Now see how many actual wineries, trees and meadows still exist in Oakley.

80 Befriend a local senior who needs assistance by calling the Delta Community Service Center at 925-634-8275.

81 Play bingo at Flor do Oakley Hall.

82 Drive around town during the holidays and look at Christmas light displays.

83 Find a new pet or window shop for one at Dennis's Pet Center.

84 Stand on the vacant lot across from Centromart on Main Street and imagine how cool it will be when the new City Hall is eventually built there.

85 Bring a large load of laundry over to Old Wash House and play some video games while you wait.

86 Sign up for a Y-Winners sports program through the YMCA.

87 Stand on your porch at 11 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month and listen to the dulcet tones of the county's emergency warning siren.

88 Stop in at the Oakley fire station and say hello to the guys that keep your house from burning down.

89 Take a walk downtown and see if you can pick out which was the old Oakley Hotel building.

90 Treat yourself to a meal from any of the four Chinese restaurants in town.

91 Surf on over to www.lauritzens.com and enjoy some spectacular views of the Delta via their Harborcam.

92 Check out the used book store on Main Street and find a great classic.

93 Drive around town and check out one of the many holiday craft boutiques.

94 Go to a "Book Buddies" storytelling session at the Oakley Library.

95 Learn about Oakley's roots. Plant an almond tree and see what it was like to be a Sandlapper.

96 Get all your neighbors together and spend some time comparing water and electric bills.

97 Go to an Oakley shopping center and purchase a poppy from one of the Veterans of Foreign Wars groups around Veteran's Day.

98 Take pictures of the open country while it is still around.

99 Beautify your community -- grab a bag and pick up some of the trash along our roadways.

100 Watch the tumbleweeds attack passing cars on a blustery winter day.

101 Start your own list of 101 things that you enjoy about Oakley.

(Adapted from Roni Gehlke's "Our Back Yard" column that originally appeared in the Nov. 12, 1998, edition of the Brentwood News.)