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May 20, 2017 by tomdalzell

Weathervanes

1736 Rose

1736 Rose

Weathervanes are not without function, especially in communities where farming or sailing are important.  That said, anymore they are generally decorative.  The most common motif is the cockerel. Cock is the short form of cockerel.  Think – rooster.  Think – a male gallinaceous bird.

In this post, that is the only cock that you will see.  Here I feature weathervanes that are not roosters.  Maybe I’ll do a whole post of rooster weathervanes.  Good idea?

I know – weather vanes are not unique to Berkeley, or even all that prominent in Berkeley. But – I find them quirky and they definitely are material culture.  And, as we know, my opinion on this is all that matters.

For the non-roosters, here are a bunch. Not all.  Not almost all.  A bunch:

168 Southhampton

168 Southampton

This very well might be my favorite weathervane in Berkeley.  The allusion is obvious:

fiddler-on-the-roof-logo

 

After I published this post, Phyllis Rothman sent me a photo of her weathervane.

1729 Madera

1729 Madera

A squid!!!! Phyllis explained that a friend of the former owner made it. It is really good, no?

678 Grizzly Peak

678 Grizzly Peak

670 Spruce

670 Spruce

667 Spruce

667 Spruce

635 Santa Rosa

635 Santa Rosa

374 Vassar

374 Vassar

374 Vassar

374 Vassar

825 Marin

825 Marin

825 Marin

825 Marin

825 Marin

825 Marin

916 Euclid

916 Euclid

958 Poppy Lane

958 Poppy Lane

972 Euclid

972 Euclid

1318 Talbot

1318 Talbot

1542 Grant

1542 Grant

1819 Thousand Oaks.  Photo: Colleen Neff

1819 Thousand Oaks. Photo: Colleen Neff

1903 Curtis

1903 Curtis

2001 Francisco

2001 Francisco

2239 Dwight

2239 Dwight

2442 Cedar

2442 Cedar

Great photos!  Decorative!

My friend laughed when he got to the pelican on Euclid.  He went to his living quarters and returned in not very long with this postcard:

Pelican postcard

His aunt sent him this postcard from Florida in 1963.  I don’t know where his aunt lined up in the family drama that engulfed him and his father.

I can’t think of “weathervane” without thinking of “weatherman” which leads me to think of “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”

bob-dylan-subterranean-homesick-blues-cbs-4

And that, of course, makes me think of the Weathermen and the Weather Underground.  I just read Arthur Eckstein’s Bad Moon Rising.  I never knew a Weatherman and they weren’t my cup of tea, but boy this is a great book.

My friend met Eckstein recently.  He was in Berkeley.  My friend had a high opinion of Eckstein based on their encounter.  I value my friend’s opinion.  Eckstein apparently had a high opinion of my friend, based on the inscription in the book that he gave my friend.

Okay – Days of Rage and The Whole World’s Watching and Prairie Fire and all that – but what about the post?

Original

 

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One Response to Weathervanes

  1. Norm G says:
    May 24, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    Great weathervane post, Tom! Loved it! Thanks for helping us keep up with Quirky B.

    Reply

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