Author Archive
May 18, 2019 by tomdalzell
Big Birds
Once upon a time I published a post about big birds. That was in October 2013. My standards have changed considerably since then. In this post I polish things up. I omit birds that have gone away. I include birds that have newly arrived on our scene. And I freshen up some photos. While at […]
May 11, 2019 by tomdalzell
Before the Caldecott – The Inter-County Kennedy Tunnel
When the Caldecott Tunnel opened in 1937, it was not the first tunnel to link Contra Costa County with Alameda County. The Caldecott’s predecessor, known variously as the Broadway Tunnel, the Kennedy (L. W. Kennedy, who started work on a tunnel years earlier but got flooded out) Tunnel, and the Inter-County Tunnel, opened in […]
May 4, 2019 by tomdalzell
Elephants 2
After publishing my March post chronicling the artistic presence of elephants in Berkeley, I got many tips for depictions of elephants to include and here I show you the best of the new. Caveat/tease – there will be another post about an absolutely astonishing collection of elephants. I am surprised by the popularity of elephants. I can’t explain it. Could […]
April 27, 2019 by tomdalzell
Ophelia and Drac
A little while ago, Quirky Berkeley Believer Maureen Hanion wrote me about Linda Gallaher-Brown and Steve Napoli. She wrote this: “You might want to check out and talk to my neighbors who live on south side of Virginia in the Queen Ann house between McGee and California. On their porch you will see the mannequin Ophelia and […]
April 20, 2019 by tomdalzell
Chronological Errors 2
In January, I published a post that I called “Chronological Errors,” presenting photos of objects that are no longer commonly used or in some cases even understood. Quirky Berkeley readers have been all over this, suggesting other errors that I might want to bring to you. Sure, why not? Let’s start with police telephones, as shown […]
April 16, 2019 by tomdalzell
Northeast Berkeley Walk – Stanford Alumni, April 14, 2019
On Sunday, April 14th, I led a walk of 25 Stanford alumni. We followed the northeast Berkeley trail. Karen Koman organized the walk. The group was great. The weather was perfect. The walk was great. Karen really set the tone. Good job Stanford alums.
April 13, 2019 by tomdalzell
Eugene Tssui in Hillsborough (Not Berkeley)
I have posted about Eugene Tssui, once in 2013 on this the Quirky Berkeley website and twice on Berkeleyside in 2015, first on the exterior of the Mathews Street “fish house” and then once on its interior. He is an extrordinariily creative and energetic polymath. He is best known for his non-rectilinear architecture. One piece of news from Tssui is […]
April 12, 2019 by tomdalzell
BAHA 2019 Spring House Tour & Garden Reception – May 5
Sponsored by The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association 1 pm to 5 pm Tickets: $40-$50 This event and this organization win the highest possible praise from Quirky Berkeley. Go if you can! Open on the tour will be gracious and elegant houses designed by major architects such as Ernest Coxhead; Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr.; William E. […]
April 10, 2019 by tomdalzell
My Mother’s 100th Birthday
My mother’s 100th birthday was last week. She was born on April 3, 1919, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Her father, Jean Baptiste Beck, was an Alsatian musicologist. After earning his doctorate at Strasbourg, narrowly avoiding a duel, leading an orchestra in a cafe-conert in Paris, and founding a Tournee classique performing classical drama in the outskirts of Paris, […]
April 6, 2019 by tomdalzell