Lines In The Sand

Your Boulevardier is not a fan of graffiti. Yes, he supposes some graffiti can be art, but much more of it seems to be vandalism and a sort of silent conflict; one group tags a structure, declaring it their territory; another tags the same structure more aggressively, which in their mind revokes the first group's claim; and on and on. Nobody wins, and the owner of the structure loses.

While Your Boulevardier feels strongly about this, he also has to acknowledge a certain appreciation for one form of tagging that seem to have a more benign intention. Specifically, along a walk on Somerset Avenue the other day he noticed two patterns stenciled on the ground. One is of an angel, the other a seahorse. (Because of technical problems, only one is pictured here; the other will be added soon.)


Your Boulevardier suspects that the two were done by different persons, because the styles are so different: the seahorse is solid and chunky, while the angel is stenciled in reverse and has an airy feel to it. (The techniques are appropriate to the subject matter, he thinks.) Yet the black paint used is the same, so perhaps the same individual painted both. One can't know, but if they were created by two people, they do not seem in conflict with one another.

While it's always best to walk looking up -- for safety, and for appreciation of these fine spring days -- Your Boulevardier may cast his eyes downward from time to time over the next few weeks to look for more examples of sidewalk graffiti.

Goings and Comings and Goings

Your Boulevardier notes that Worthington Photography has vacated its spot in the building it shared with the Ice Creamery on Castro Valley Boulevard, and moved a block west to the corner of Chester Street. In its place, signs indicate that the I Love Stained Glass Shoppe will take up residence; it's not known (by Your Boulevardier, that is) whether their shop(pe) on Grand Avenue in Hayward will close, of if this will be an extension of that business. And while Your Boulevardier is a fan of I Love Stained Glass Shoppe -- he gave the late Madame Boulevardier's stained glass tools and materials to the shop when she died -- he is not completely certain that stained glass and ice cream are a good mix. It remains to be seen.

Around the corner on Redwood Road, the Hollywood Video/Game Crazy store is closing. Two sign-waving barkers were noted earlier today on Redwood Road, attempting to draw shoppers to the going out of business sale. Your Boulevardier has never been a patron, but is saddened to see any business close.

Considering the difficult times, Your Boulevardier has been surprised that more Castro Valley businesses -- and, in particular, its restaurants -- have not failed or consolidated in the last two years. It's hoped that, as the economy improves, conditions will pick up for everyone.

Coupe de Grace

Your Boulevardier is an habitue of the Village Barber Shop, but he acknowledges that there are many other places in the City of Lite to get one's hair done. One, on Redwood Road near Trader Joe's, sports this charming hand-painted sign.



The stark blue-black-orange color scheme, while unusual, works well for the sign, in Your Boulevardier's opinion. And the images themselves have an endearing retro style; perhaps they are an homage to Roy Lichtenstein. The upper haircut might be a portrait of movie idol George Chakiris, while the lower image could be a subtle appeal to the Mad Men crowd.

The building itself is, if Your Boulevardier recalls correctly, the former office of a Castro Valley real estate agent named Jem Angus. He was Your Boulevardier's first employer, paying this garçon a half-cent each to hang his advertising flyers on Castro Valley doorknobs. Perhaps that is when the love of walking our neighborhoods was first cultivated.

Light Up The Valley

Your Boulevardier and Mon Petit Chou caught a showing of the High Voltage Christmas last Sunday night. (He intended to write about it sooner, but various delights and pressures of the season have filled the days since.)

The synchronized light-and-music show, first launched in 2004 by teenager Jeff Stevens, is at 18199 Carmel Drive in Castro Valley. Showtimes are 7:00, 7:30, and 8:00 p.m. A new feature this year is projected cartoons, along with family photos and videos, on the garage door.

Your Boulevardier doesn't know how true this story is, so he posts it only as hearsay: A FOB -- a person who lives in the neighborhood of the High Voltage Christmas -- says that Mr. Stevens is away at college this year and was not planning to create a holiday display. Fortunately gentle pressure from friends and neighbors caused him to relent. (It's also interesting to note that Mr. Stevens is studying Civil Engineering, not Electrical.) Readers who can confirm or correct the veracity of this tale are encouraged to do so in the comments.

Whatever the story, the efforts are magnificent and well worth a trip. The synchronization and cleverness of the display are wonderful, the scale is impressive, and the spirit is heartwarming. Mr. Stevens personally supervises each show and is available to answer questions before and after.

A tip of the beret, and a merry Christmas to all.

Village Happenings

This coming weekend (November 21-22), FOB (Friend of Boulevardier) Fleurette Sevin will be one of several artists demonstrating their skills, selling their wares, and supporting music education in Castro Valley schools at Aran's Art Studio.

Fleurette fuses glass into colorful creations, such as holiday-themed the bottle stopper shown below. She also takes custom orders. Other artists will be demonstrating ceramics. There will be a raffle, kids' projects, and live music. (Your Boulevardier hopes to join in the music-making on Saturday.)

The event is from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days. Please do plan to attend, and to make a purchase.

Four Castro Valley Murals

Your Boulevardier spent some time over the weekend walking in San Francisco's Mission District and was swept away by the many stunning murals in the neighborhood. Then he realized: though they're not as eclectic, Castro Valley has a few murals of its own. Four are documented here; can you name others? Please click on the photos for larger images.


This mural is on the side of the former Valley Truck, 2625 Castro Valley Boulevard. The place is now a Budget Rent-A-Truck location (Your Boulevardier misses Valley Truck's giant tire sign), and the rental agency has chosen to mar the mural with its drop box and signage. Still, it's a fun mural and very appropriate for the business that formerly resided here.


This natural - perhaps hyper-natural - scene is on the garage door at Castro Valley Companion Animal Hospital, 2509 Lessley Avenue. (It's the same place that has the whimsical three-dimensional sign.)


Another veterinarian's office - this time Boulevard Pet Hospital, 3489 Castro Valley Blvd. - has a fetching collection of animals painted all over its building. The menagerie seems to expand each time Your Boulevardier walks by. (This is where both Chat du Boulevardier and the Trusty BoulevarDog received their care; at times, Your Boulevardier hopes to see their images immortalized too.)


A scene that could easily be at Lake Chabot is actually painted on the wall of Blenzers, 20668 Rustic Drive in Castro Village. Your Boulevardier is surprised that more people don't sit under the eaves at these tables on warm days, but the awnings at Starbucks seem to be more popular.

Photogenic Lake Chabot

Lake Chabot is, as Castro Valleyans know, a remarkable resource very close to town. Your Boulevardier enjoys kayaking on the lake - he's seen one of the lake's elusive bald eagles - and can recall taking Red Cross canoeing lessons there as a youth. The lake's cirumnavigating trails have provided many hours of jogging and hiking fun, picnickers mob the place on sunny days, and fisherpeople flock to its waters.

It's also a wonderfully photogenic spot, and local photographer (and Friend of Your Boulevardier) Terry Vanderheiden will lead a photo walk at the lake on Saturday, July 18 starting at 7:30 a.m. The event is free, but one must pre-register at the World Wide Photo Walk website.

Readers who attend and take pictures are invited to send a link to Your Boulevardier, so that others can see your work.

Star-Spangled, Eardrum-Splitting Banner

Your Boulevardier has learned, through his youthful associate Neveu de Boulevardier, that a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner sung at Castro Valley High School in 2008 made it to a TIME Magazine's "10 Worst" list.

View the crazy video and read the article here.

Consolation may be found in the fact that the young singer is in good company: the now-secretary of state, several professional musicians, and a police officer are also represented in the complete list.

Bridge to Somewhere

The Castro Valley Library continues to hurtle (not "hurdle," sorry) headlong toward completion. A few weeks ago, a pedestrian bridge across Castro Valley Creek was installed; Your Boulevardier recently took a look.

The bed of the bridge was made from a railroad flatcar, and according to news reports its fanciful rail was designed by a pair of San Francisco artists. The railing will reportedly continue as a fence along the creek,



At first glance, the position of the bridge did not make sense to Your Boulevardier. After all, couldn't pedestrians simply keep walking on Norbridge Avenue to get to the library? Then he remembered that the library's entrance is to the rear of the building -- that is, the side away from Norbridge -- and there isn't a driveway on the west side of the building. So the bridge will let walkers from BART or Redwood Road avoid traversing all the way around the building to get to the doors.

(Remember, readers can always click on a photo for a larger view.)

The Upcoming Jenny Lin Concert

One wishes the Jenny Lin Foundation, and the loss it represents, did not need to exist. But the sad event that led to the creation of the foundation is very real, and the good that the family has made of this tragedy is no less real.

One of Your Boulevardier's favorite projects of the Foundation is its summer youth music program. A free summer band, orchestra, and choir give our musical young people a chance to meet new people, have fun in a safe environment, and improve their artistic skills. A good friend of Your Boulevardier is conducting the orchestra.

The groups begin rehearsing on June 22, 2009 (twice a week) and will perform on Friday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m. at Redwood Chapel. The concet is always impressive, and Your Boulevardier encourages residents to support the program and attend the show.

The Somerset Bear

Your Boulevardier has been spending a good bit of time on Somerset Avenue of late, while doing a project for a friend. It's an interesting street, with many lovely homes, a number of churches (including the very busy Our Lady of Grace), a bus line, and a few interesting businesses, including a dance studio and the wonderful, crowded little Al's Food Market.

There's also this fantastic piece of garden art -- a life-size bear, presumably carved with a chainsaw from the very tree trunk on whose stump he now stands.



Does anybody know the true story of the Somerset Bear?

Wonderful Show at PhotoCentral

Mon ami Kate reminded Your Boulevardier that a show of Bill Owens' photography opens this Friday at PhotoCentral in Hayward. Owens is quite a character and a true original; not only did he make a splash as a photojournalist documenting east bay suburban life the 1960s, but by some accounts he also virtually invented the brewpub in the United States. (Buffalo Bill's in Hayward was founded by Owens in 1983.)

Bill Owens: Five Decades of Photography

A look at the fun, eclectic, unexpected photographic work of a Hayward local and internationally known photographer.

Reception: Friday, April 17, 6:30-9:30 pm
Exhibition Dates: April 17 to June 18, 2009
Gallery Hours: Monday, 5:00-10:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 am-1:00 pm
Saturday 12-3 pm and by appointment



Yes, this is a rather blatant bit of advertising for the Castro Valley Boulevardier. But this will be a terrific, even historic, show -- one not to be missed.

Animal Signs

Your Boulevardier noticed on Sunday that the Castro Valley Companion Animal Hospital on Redwood Road has installed a wonderful new sign. The fellow who installed the sign was engaged in conversation this past Sunday and he told the story.

The sign was created by a sculptor named Doug Stuart who lives in Napa County. The design was agreed upon long ago, and in lieu of the finished three-dimensional sign the design sketch was blown up and installed as a flat sign. Of late the paint on that former sign has been failing; Your Boulevardier photographed it for an item that never ran:



Now that the finished sign is in place, a planter will be built around its base and the thermometer will be calibrated. (On Sunday, the instrument on the south (sunny) side read 90 degrees, while that on the shady side read 70 degrees; the latter was more accurate.) The handsome clock itself is battery powered and automatically corrects itself for daylight savings time, leap seconds, and other temporal anomalies. (Your Boulevardier used this opportunity to learn the difference between Atomic Clocks and Radio Clocks; the clock in this sign is a radio clock.)

CV in Verse

Your Boulevardier does not believe that much serious poetry is written featuring Castro Valley, but he learned about a poem entitled "Cull Canyon" by Rebecca Guyon, a bay area poet now living in France. Locals will recognize the place and the events, and perhaps the emotions. The poem is published at the online poetry journal Strange Machine. Please follow the link to read it.

CV Sanitary District's 2009 Calendar

Your Boulevardier has long cast an admiring eye on the Castro Valley Sanitary District's annual calendar. Arriving in the mail this time of year, it's an efficient bit of communication: a calendar, the district's annual report, and a showcase for the winners of its annual recycled art contest, all in one.

Normally, the latter item -- the contest winners -- are a bit of a letdown. Making art from trash is a great idea, but the execution thereof can easily be disappointing. However, in the 2009 calendar, Your Boulevardier is thoroughly impressed with several of the pieces, including the garbage truck by Luke Luebker, the Shoes by Lucas Chang, and the Crochet Plastic Bag Purse by Merle Gee.

But most marvelous is Café Kimono -- what appears to be a full-sized garment made of used coffee filters by Tami Lundberg. The range of hues and patterns created by the filters is lovely and organic. Ms. Lundberg clearly took a great deal of time to clean and sort the filters by tone and piece together the kimono in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Well done!

Images of the current winners (beautifully photographed by Castro Valley High School students, it should be noted) are not yet posted online. A stack of the calendars is at the post office, should readers be interested in getting a copy.

Super Bowls

Your Boulevardier visited the Wells Fargo Bank on Castro Valley Boulevard today. The banking was uneventful, but other events in the environs were more interesting.

First, at Vella's Locker Room, an autograph-signing event was underway. Your Boulevardier, not being a football fan, did not recognize the athletes offering their John Hancocks, but he did make note of both Raider Santa and Raider Elvis in attendance.

Second, a visit was made to the Adobe Art Center and the A.B. Morris Gallery for HARD's pottery and art sale. Your Boulevardier bought a lovely green-and-blue bowl thrown and glazed by Steve Olson for Mere de Boulevardier's Christmas gift. Many lovely items were for sale, all handmade by local craftspeople, and the prices were very good. A visit is recommended, but a little Internet research reveals that this sale is only occurring today (Saturday, December 13, 2008).

Third, on the way from Vella to Morris, Your Boulevardier inspected progress on the renovation of the parkland in front of the Adobe Art Center, adjacent to Castro Valley Elementary School. The skate park (by design, on the quarter of the property farthest from the art studios), bocce courts, play structure, and picnic areas are well underway. Entry gates that echo the adobe walls of the art center are in strategic places around the property. Your Boulevardier believes the renovated park will be a welcome addition to the downtown environs.

Wudas Is Right

There are fewer things online that are more pathetic than an abandoned blog. One of those things is a blog with a long hiatus followed by a post reading "Sorry it's been so long since there has been a post."

The Castro Valley Boulevardier falls into the second category.

The usual excuse applies: real life has been busy. Several things have been noted by Your Boulevardier, but he has not taken time to post on them. For example:

• A couple of weekends ago, several of the concrete trash bins on Castro Valley Boulevard were knocked over. They were righted within a day or so.
• Other vandalism seemed to spike as summer drew to a close. The pedestrian overcrossing over Highway 580, frequented by Your Boulevardier, was tagged again, and promptly cleaned up again. Your Boulevardier is pleased that the appropriate authorities are staying vigilant to it.
• Restaurants have come and restaurants have gone. The Indian restaurant in the Village, the Vietnamese place across from Pete's Hardware, and the "Theme Unknown" place by Kragen Auto Parts are among the openings. (Your Boulevardier has not tried any of them.) Closed are Fongs, Peking Village, and Pancho's. Meanwhile, Bangkok 580 fell victim to a takeover robbery.
• The cloudy creek question (the post on which prompted Wudas to remind Your Boulevardier to update the blog) was resolved, and it appears the problem was simply construction erosion upstream. If Your Boulevardier appeared alarmist, he apologizes.
• Your Boulevardier participated in Barefoot Boot Camp at Castro Valley Yoga in the third week of August. The upper body is still complaining, though proud to have made it. It's amazing and heartening to think that a dozen people would be up and exercising at 6:00 a.m. for six consecutive days!
  
• School has opened, and it is pleasing to Your Boulevardier to see children walking to their classes. Still, school zones continue to be dangerous places for pedestrians, what with distracted parents driving their offspring while engaging in telephone conversations, eating breakfast, or attending to their grooming.
  
• For Sale signs, and vacant properties, seem to be appearing more frequently around town, at least in Your Boulevardier's home district of Baywood.
• Your Boulevardier saw a poster for a Green training class co-sponsored by the Castro Valley Sanitary District and the Castro Valley Adult School, upcoming on September 27. More information can be found at the Adult School website (appropriately enough, on Mr. Green's welcome page.)
• A production of Carousel is coming to the Center For The Arts later in September. One can't go wrong with Rogers and Hammerstein.
• Castro Valley product Rachel Maddow is getting a regular MSNBC show. Your Boulevardier does not partake of intense political coverage from any portion of the spectrum, so he has not seen the show; but he knows friends of Maddow's parents, and hears that they are rightfully proud of their daughter.
  

For now, this list of tidbits will have to suffice. Again, Your Boulevardier apologizes for the long drought of new material.

Grace Moon's Doodle 4 Google

Grace Moon, a student at Castro Valley's Canyon Middle School, is the national winner of the Doodle 4 Google contest. 16,000 students entered the contest! Her drawing is on the Google homepage today. Grace wrote of her entry:

My doodle, "Up in the Clouds," expresses a world in the sky. This new world is clean and fresh, and people are social and enlightened. Every person here is treated as family no matter who they are. The bright sun heats this ideal place with warmth, love, and brightens everyone's day.

Congratulations to Grace! If you're reading this post after the fact, you should be able to find her image here.

'Nixon' Off The Schedule?

Your Boulevardier has read a report that Trinity Lyric Opera may not present John Adams' "Nixon in China" this year after all due to a disagreement with the publisher. One hopes that this misunderstanding can be cleared up.