Author Archive
March 4, 2017 by tomdalzell
The Innocence of Tree Houses
Treehouses lend themselves to art and illustration, especially art in the realism school of Norman Rockwell. Collected here – by our friend Gabby of course – are magazine and book illustrations that exemplify the glorification of idyllic American youth and tree houses. There is of course Tarzan: And prominently the Swiss Family Robinson. The movie […]
February 25, 2017 by tomdalzell
DIY Quirk – Ohmega Salvage
The gate to Ohmega Salvage at 2403 San Pablo is dominated by two huge Leslie Safarik joyous women ceramic statues which were formerly owned by Danielle Steel, and an early 1950s Jeep Willy’s wagon. And a peace sign. Berkeley! Ohmega Salvage came into being in ,1974 in the Flight Bar at the San Francisco International […]
February 20, 2017 by tomdalzell
Field Trip – Emeryville Bulwinkle
It’s Presidents’ Day – a holiday – time for a field trip. Rather than the exotic locations we usually visit, this field trip is only a few miles, to Emeryville. Before the Big Development of Emeryville, it was industrial and funky. Yes, there was quirk, but not much. Mostly the driftwood art in the mudflats. […]
February 18, 2017 by tomdalzell
Wish Trees
Write a wish and hang it from a tree. Or stand by the tree and make a wish. Kalpavriksha is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in Hindu mythology, found in Sanskrit literature from the earliest sources. Yoko Ono has written of wish trees in her native Japan: “As a child in Japan, I used to go to […]
February 11, 2017 by tomdalzell
The Village
The Village on Telegraph at Blake is magic. Throw in its history and the stories and faces of its businesses – even more magic. The Village is an indoor mall in what began life in 1945 as Harry Doten’s auto dealership at 2556 Telegraph. Doten owned and ran University Motors at C.J.’s Old Garage one […]
February 4, 2017 by tomdalzell
Games of Berkeley
For 19 years, Games of Berkeley lived at 2151 Shattuck (at Center). It calls itself the Bay Area’s “oldest tabletop game store.” It started on Addison Street in 1980 and moved to Shattuck near University, before moving into its corner location on Shattuck and Center in 1997. This is Erik Bigglestone, owner/manager. Every iota of Games of […]
January 28, 2017 by tomdalzell
Cloyne Court Doors
We have been here before, at Cloyne. I first visited in August. In December I made a second visit to Cloyne Court and visited the second and third floors. I have shown you some first-floor Cloyne Court doors. There were so many great doors on the second and third floors that I have culled from the […]
January 21, 2017 by tomdalzell
Cloyne Court Murals – Second and Third Floors
A few months ago I posted photos of the murals on the ground floor of Cloyne Court, a housing coop on Ridge, which we first visited on an August afternoon. A refresher course on Cloyne: Daniella Thompson has written about the history of Cloyne Court – designed by John Galen Howard as a hotel, built in […]
January 16, 2017 by tomdalzell
Field Trip – Thunder Mountain – Imlay, Nevada
Holiday means field trip! I’m not sure I’d suggest this as a destination, but if you are driving between Reno and Winnemucca, this stop in Imlay, a tiny census-designated place, is a MUST-SEE for members of the Quirky Berkeley tribe. It is a five-acre compound on the south side of the interstate. Exit 145. GO! […]
January 14, 2017 by tomdalzell