Author Archive
August 5, 2014 by tomdalzell
Shingles
Part of what gives Berkeley the feel of Berkeley are the many shingle-sided homes, especially brown shingles. It is a college feel. Which fits. For me, it is also an east coast feel. My maternal grandmother, whom we called Dami, lived in a brown shingle on Radnor Street in Bryn Mawr, across the street […]
August 5, 2014 by tomdalzell
Blow-Up
My friend has watched Blow-Up many, many, many times. He loves the depiction of fashion photography, circa 1965: He loved the scene with the Yardbirds playing in a club – Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Problems with an amplifier! OH NO! Frustration! Jeff Beck smashes his guitar to pieces. This was, of course, a […]
August 5, 2014 by tomdalzell
Quirky Gardens
I do not have a clearly delineated policy statement on what constitutes a quirky garden for the purposes of this blog. The issue has been referred to the Rules Committee. You can see my quandary as I await a definition from the committee. For example, is this quirky? Or is this quirky? Maybe. […]
August 4, 2014 by tomdalzell
He Touched Me
I have a friend who was an altar boy in a Roman Catholic church. He was never molested by a priest. His nickname was briefly “Tater-Tot.” I find that to be a great nickname. This friend flinched when he saw a record album by Greg Kenrick in the Gabby collection of Christian albums entitled He Touched […]
August 4, 2014 by tomdalzell
Fire Hydrants and Traffic Barriers
Soup and sandwich, horse and carriage, love and marriage – and, now – fire hydrants and traffic barriers (and one circle). Starting with fire hydrants, here are four functioning hydrants that have been painted by artists of a quirky persuasion: And while on the subject of fire hydrants, here are three non-functioning hydrants that have […]
August 4, 2014 by tomdalzell
Food – Gone
Sitting around talking about the past in Berkeley, the conversation turns lively when we talk about restaurants that are no longer with us. Their presence helped define us, and in an odd, metaphysical way still does. We remember them, we remember a different time, we remember meals and friends and maybe even what we talked […]
August 3, 2014 by tomdalzell
The Signs of San Pablo Avenue
San Pablo Avenue is our funkiest boulevard. South to North – it is the street, the avenue, the underbelly. For those of us inclined to romanticize urban life, San Pablo is as good as it gets. It is hard to imagine it being gentrified, but – possible. There are a couple stretches that have […]
August 2, 2014 by tomdalzell
Ma (Emptiness)
I use the Japanese term “ma” to describe am image created by the negative, by emptiness. I am told that I am not using the term correctly. I think it is close enough for what I am trying to convey. Ma # 1: Cream of the Crop These photographs show the best negative-space images that […]
August 2, 2014 by tomdalzell
Signs
Signs (No Theme) Signs are material culture. They aren’t the type of material culture that I focus on, but – they are there and I like them. That’s enough. So here are a few that I like. No theme. Just quirky. Signs – Faded Reminders of the Past They peek out from behind fences, in […]
August 2, 2014 by tomdalzell