Author Archive
January 1, 2016 by tomdalzell
Northeast Berkeley Walk
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December 26, 2015 by tomdalzell
The Best of Quirky Berkeley 2015 (TWTYTW)
In my childhood, television was something of a family affair. We sat down and watched shows together, dictated in large part by the taste of my parents. We watched the “Jackie Gleason Show,” “Hogan’s Heroes,” and “The Wild Wild West.” And, for the two years that it was on, we watched “That Was The […]
December 19, 2015 by tomdalzell
Michael Parayno’s Rustic Quirk at 1733 Sacramento
Michael Parayno has been a force for creativity and quirk in Berkeley for years Let’s start with the birdhouses that you see across Sacramento from North Berkeley BART. He makes birdhouses from distressed recycled wood, metals, and local driftwood. A great pyramid of them rises in front of his house. They are for sale. He […]
December 19, 2015 by tomdalzell
Gabby’s Sex Sells Christmas Record Albums
My friend is going for simple and uncluttered with his Danish modern furniture and decor, this after years of comforting chaos. He is less likely to hold onto things that Gabby sends him, but he still looks forward to the cartons arriving unannounced, such as this carton of record album covers that mix Christmas […]
December 19, 2015 by tomdalzell
Jackie Gleason and I
In the 1960s, my family’s television set was in the basement rec room. On Saturday nights we trooped downstairs as a family to watch Jackie Gleason. My father was a huge Jackie Gleason fan. In his heavy days, my father looked something like Jackie Gleason. My sister and I loved everything about the show. The […]
December 19, 2015 by tomdalzell
Wide Country
Stoney Burke was not the only rodeo cowboy show on television, and not even the only rodeo cowboy show on television at the time of Stoney Burke. There was also Wide Country, on NBC during the 1962-1963 season. I never was a fan of westerns. Bonanza, Rawhide, Gunsmoke – they all just left me cold. Sure, my family […]
December 13, 2015 by tomdalzell
Stoney Burke – Guest Post by Ted Friedman
No,not that Stoney Burke, the rodeo rider who was competing for the Golden Buckle played by Jack Lord on the short-lived ABC series. Not that one. This one. The street performer whose stage is often near Sather Gate. Who streams online. I reprint here as a guest post for Quirky Berkeley Ted Friedman’s recent article on […]
December 13, 2015 by tomdalzell
Mayerson & Tinker: The Best in Berkeley
My quest and this blog are about Berkeley. The photos here are from a house with a Berkeley zip oode. That is the truth. It may not be the whole truth, but it is the truth and nothing but the truth. No need to cross-examine on this point. So we will proceed with it. […]
December 5, 2015 by tomdalzell
Dick and Beany Wezelman’s Africa Art and African Mud Hut
Shattuck Avenue can be confusing when you get to Rose Street going north. What used to be Shattuck turns into Henry which turns into Sutter which goes through an old trolley tunnel and turns into Solano. Where Henry starts, Shattuck continues north as a two-lane residential street. I was told when I first came […]
December 5, 2015 by tomdalzell