Castro Valley Library's Creek Takes Shape

When Your Boulevardier was but un petit garçon, he sang this song in Sunday School:

O who can make a flower? I know I can't -- can you?
O who can make a flower? No one but God, it's true.

However, in recent years man has begun making creeks. Or, more accurately, remaking creeks that, half a century ago, were encased in concrete and buried underneath our roads and lands in misguided attempts at flood control. Such a creek restoration is underway at the site of the new Castro Valley Library on Norbridge Street; Your Boulevardier and the Trusty BoulevarDog had a look this last week.

The creekbed appears to be built up in layers beginning with native soil that is carved and contoured using huge earthmoving equipment. Large boulders are layered in next, one at a time, followed by smaller rocks delivered by frontloader. (Smaller, yes, but still large -- perhaps the size of a human head.) Willow poles, which one assumes are intended to sprout into trees, are inserted deep into the ground along the banks; more soil is added, and then a layer of burlap is applied as the final surface. Your Boulevardier is not a hydrologist, but he assumes that the burlap is meant to hold the soil in place and decompose as plants take root.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the project are the attempts being made to play with the flow of the water. The creek curves gently through its site, of course, but along the outside edge of one of the curves three rooty stumps have been buried into the creek's bank, with their snags of roots jutting into the future flow of water. These can be seen in the second photo, below. (Your Boulevardier wonders what these are supposed to accomplish and would welcome a comment from a knowledgeable reader.) Also visible in the second picture is a dam that blocks the current creek flow so the workers can create the rest of the creek.

One other bit of information about this little bit of creek: the project's estimated $500,000 cost is being paid for by Union City, which is providing the funds in exchange for being permitted to enclose 700 feet of a creek near their BART station into a concrete culvert. A thoughtful letter on the project, written by Castro Valley resident Bruce King, can be read here.

Photo taken from Norbridge Avenue

Photo taken from behind Long's Drugstore. Click either picture for a larger view.

On Technical Glitches

An attempt is being made (as Your Boulevardier would say in his obtuse passive-voice manner) to fix the problems with this site's archives. This post is part of that fix.

UPDATE: The archive links are now fixed, and the full glory of the Castro Valley Boulevardier's prose stylings is now available for your reading pleasure. Thank you to reader E.S. for pointing out the problem, and for blog expert Chuck for advice on fixing it.

The next step will be to put something of value in the "edit me" links to the right. Suggestions are welcome -- feel free to make them in comments to this post.

Midnight Blues

Your Boulevardier, accompanied by his eldest nephew, were among at least 80 persons attending the Friday midnight showing of The Blues Brothers at the Chabot Cinema last night.

The crowd was not only sizable, but lively. Mostly in a good way. There were a few catcalls shouted toward the movie screen, and the sound of at least one aluminum can rolling down among the seats was audible. But attendees were also heard laughing heartily at the jokes (including some of the more nuanced bits), singing along with songs, and speaking choice snippets of dialogue with the screen. Perhaps the most quotable of which is:

Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.

Jake: Hit it.

Your Boulevardier would estimate that the largest part of the crowd consisted of people in their twenties, with young men outnumbering women by about three-to-two. A very small number wore skinny ties, black hats, and sunglasses, as befits the film. In addition to this younger crowd, a dozen or so persons of age, who perhaps remember seeing the film in theatres when it was first released in 1980 (such as Yours Truly) were in attendance, and that group definitely skewed more strongly male. The energy in the crowd that gathered on the sidewalk after the show was palpable, and was likely seeking an outlet. Your Boulevardier had no such inclinations; as he and his nephew walked back to their vehicle, a six-deep line of cars at the Jack in the Box drive-through was noted.

Speaking of vehicles, Your Boulevardier notes that street parking on Castro Valley Boulevard in front of Direct Sales Floors and XO Windows is prohibited from midnight to three a.m. -- precisely when the movie was showing. Still, vehicles parked there did not seem to get tickets. It's assumed and hoped that the Sheriff's Department had more pressing matters to which to attend during those hours.

The film itself -- the physical celluloid -- showed some wear and tear. (As do we all since 1980, it must be said.) And a few memorable bits of dialogue were missing; Your Boulevardier suspects this is because the version shown was the original theatrical release rather than the slightly extended version we are now accustomed to on DVD. (The most notable absence was the scene in which we see Elwood working at, and then resigning from, his job at the spray-can factory; it explains why he has aerosol glue in the Briefcase when it comes time to sabotage the Good Ol' Boys' Winnebago.)

But any complaints Your Boulevardier has are quibbles. It was wonderful to see this movie on the Big Screen again, and this Friday midnight movie was a rousing success, in this writer's opinion. One hopes that the good folks at Cinelux Theatres agree and continue the series.

Chabot Cinema Midnight Movies

Whoever is programming the Friday Midnight Movies at the Chabot Cinema has somehow tapped directly into Your Boulevardier's subconscious. The lineup includes many favorites. Here's the list in its entirety:

The Princess Bride - June 15
The Blues Brothers - June 22
Gremlins - June 29
The Lost Boys - July 6
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - July 13
The Breakfast Club - July 20
Beetlejuice - July 27
The Karate Kid - August 3
Grease - August 10
16 Candles - August 17
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - August 24
Batman (1989) - August 31

Your Boulevardier is thrilled to have the opportunity to see these favorites on the big screen once again.

But truly, Your Boulevardier has a hard time understanding the target market for the Friday Midnight Movies. He assumes, frankly, that it isn't late-thirty- and early-forty-somethings for whom these movies would seem to hit an emotional sweet spot; people in this demographic, Your Boulevardier included, have myriad reasons why staying awake until 2:00 a.m. on a Friday night just isn't practical. Perhaps the late teenagers and early twentysomethings who think nothing of staying up until that hour have a manufactured nostalgia for movies that were made around the time they were born, much like Your Boulevardier's generation enjoyed American Graffiti and Happy Days when we were young.

That said, Your Boulevardier and a nephew will take in Friday's showing of The Blues Brothers. A report on the event (including crowd size, age range, caffeination level, and more) will be provided after the event.