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Pete and Amanda Docter moved to Richmond with Pixar, where Pete started working at age 21, Pixar’s 10th employee. They bought the “old Stairley place” in Point Richmond, fixed it up and lived there, almost across the street from Pixar, until Pixar moved to Emeryville. The Docter family were fixtures at Hidden City for years, and Pete even put Hidden City in the film Monsters, Inc.

I don’t think Pete ever missed a morning walking up to Nichol Knob with his dog alongside and his son Nicholas on his shoulders.

Sunday night, Pete accepted the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, Pixar’s “Up.” Pete had racked up a half-dozen Oscar nominations in his career, including for his screenplay work on 2008's "WALL-E" and for making 2001's "Monsters, Inc." but Sunday the Oscar was finally his.

Despite only two hours sleep the night before, Pete and Amanda had friends and neighbors over last night, and we had a chance to help celebrate with them, including an opportunity to hold the actual Oscar.

Ironically, we attended a local Oscar Party on Sunday night, a fundraiser for the Point Richmond Business Association, in Pixar’s former digs, hosted by a successful and expanding Richmond technology business, Vertigo Software.

Left to right, Pete Docter, Shirley Butt with Pete’s Oscar, The “Envelope” and Pete and Amanda at home.