Author Archive
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Garden Gnomes of Berkeley
When we think of garden gnomes, isn’t our first thought of the traveling gnome prank popularized in the 2001 French movie Amelie that we saw at the Albany Twin theater on lower Solano (yes, in Albany – not Berkeley)? Or perhaps we think of the gnome infestations in Harry Potter and the de-gnoming of the garden, about as […]
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Free Speech 2.0
We are approaching the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement. We were the epicenter. Ground Zero. The heart of the storm. You probably know the basics. If not, read this essay or browse through this website And by all means no matter how much you know, spend a minute and listen to Mario Savio’s Most Famous […]
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Coming Attractions
Next up on the blog – the mostly benches but occasional other sitting devices that we place on the street outside our homes for those passing by to sit on. They’re all over. Not sure I have seen this anywhere else. Good benches put there by good neighbors.
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Cars and Trucks – Hippie Buses and Vans
In the beginning was Greyhound. Almost gone now. A fixture though in the 1960s and 1970s, a way we got places. Simon and Garfunkel sang about Greyhound. Buses were major actors in the civil rights movement. In 1955, black leaders in Montgomery, Alabama launched what would be a protracted – and successful – boycott […]
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Cars and Trucks – Art Cars #1
Art cars are not a Berkeley-only art form, but as acts of personal artistic expression, they fit. There are many images of art cars in Berkeley to be found on the web, especially among photos taken during the “How Berkeley Can You Be?” parades. I don’t mind using photos from the web to augment what I […]
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Blogs/Albums
Peace Train Berkeley Part One – History, Walls, Big Signs Major Quirky #1: 1175 Arch Buddhism Miscellaneous Quirky #1 Mail Boxes 1 – Animals Gone 1 – 1733 Sacramento – Rustic Birdland Garden Gnomes of Berkeley Major Quirky #2: Ron’s Berkeley Muffler Peace Train Berkeley Part Two – Flags Unfurled and Flying Quirky Through Windows […]
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Bear Quirk
If we are talking about bears, I guess that we have to expect the obligatory references to “The Bare Necessities” in Jungle Book, or for the more sophisticated “Teddy Bear Picnic” (and what better version could we hope for than the 1934 recording by Henry Hall and His Orchestra?). Okay. Obligatory references are done. Obvious: […]
August 10, 2013 by tomdalzell
Apartment House Names
My father’s mother lived in an apartment on Montgomery Avenue in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was called Concord Arms. There was a doorman, an elevator, smells of cooking and mothballs and wool carpeting, comfortable lobbies. I was fascinated. I still have an occasional dream that takes place in the upstairs lobbies. In my original conceptualization of […]
May 9, 2013 by tomdalzell