Of the sea – this was a name for a post that was instant and obvious.  How does that happen, a phrase appearing in the mind, establishing itself as the Right Phrase?  I surely don’t know.

These photos depict artistic depictions of ocean creatures, real and imagined.  Imagined is Oh So Much more fun than real, so let’s start with the imagined – mermaids.  Mermaids have appeared in the folklore of many cultures for many centuries.  They have fascinated us for many years.  I’ll bet that Gabby has mermaid postcards, not that we need to see them.

An early mermaid in folklore was Atagaris, an Assyrian goddess.

Through the ages – Hans Christian Anderson, John William Waterhouse, and Disney.  My oldest daughter Julia was four when the Disney “Little Mermaid” was released.  We went to see it at the Oaks on Solano.

It didn’t end well.  Ursala the Sea Witch terrified her.  “This movie isn’t for kids!” is exactly what she shouted.  She felt betrayed.

Now – the mermaids of Berkeley.

To the depictions of the real, starting with fish:

 

Whales:

Octopi:

And other creatures:

A lobster!  Do you speak Crustacean?

The Happy Clams described themselves as a “Geezer Punk” band that is the “clear favorite in unpopular music.”.  They play at the Missouri Lounge on San Pablo.  Perfect!

And tardigrades.  You know –

Segmented sea animals.  And –

 

The Tsui “fish house” at 2727 Mathews Street.  Which is not a fish but a tardigrade.  With an obvious resemblance:

And then there are murals of the sea and her creatures, at the former aquarium store on Shattuck that is now a medical marijuana dispensary:

At the Willard Pool:

And at the Cedar Market:

This is, I submit, a respectable collection of material culture of the sea.  Some of the photos leave a little to be desired, but – you get the picture, a good dose of sea things.

I went to show the photos to my friend.  He was preoccupied going through a collection of advertisements for Paramount’s “race records” of the 1920s and 1930s.  He stopped, stretched, and went through these photos.  His verdict?

P.S.  Also of the sea – boats.

We have the occasional boat in a driveway.  Mostly kayaks, but the occasional suggestion that we are not in Berkeley:

And a few artistic depictions of boats and ships:

And a couple stunning anchors: