Minnesota Gives Up

Your Boulevardier snapped this photo a few weeks ago of the billboard that stood guard at the west end of Castro Valley Boulevard.



Minnesota tried to kick California when it was down. But clearly its plans failed, because now there's a Corona Beer advertisement in its place.

Independent Coffee on Center Street

In line at Trader Joe's the other day, Your Boulevardier spotted a woman wearing a sweatshirt reading "Coffee Cup Cafe, Castro Valley, California." Having never heard of the establishment, he inquired and learned that it is an independent coffee place at the corner of Center Street and Heyer Avenue. Last Friday he decided to check it out.

It's a cozy, friendly place with an amiable, chatty staff. The coffee is from Peerless -- perhaps not a gourmet roaster, but perfectly acceptable to Your Boulevardier. (He partakes only of brewed coffee, so he cannot comment on the quality of more complicated coffee drinks.) Most of the baked goods are prepared on site each morning; Your Boulevardier had a small, delicate chocolate croissant. The place also has a light lunch menu.

The comings and goings were observed for an hour or so. An ebbing stream of what appeared to be regulars mostly purchased beverages for takeout, though a few folks settled in at the dozen or so small tables. (A few outdoor tables were also available for warmer days.) A TV tuned to a morning news program played in one corner; promptly at 9:00 a.m. the television was switched off and soft jazz music was played. A batch of toys in another corner attracted youngsters, and a few shelves of books -- for borrowing and reading, it is assumed -- sat by the register.

The site is close to three schools -- Creekside and Canyon Middle Schools and Vannoy Elementary -- so the neighborhood traffic in the area is considerable. The proprietor of the shop said she had experienced some problems with school kids and now limits them in the shop to three at a time. The proprietor also shared that the shop had been in business for four years, but had lost some momentum when the exterior of the building was remodeled. Both interior and exterior are quite charming now.

Your Boulevardier will be sure to stop in again when his walks take him to this corner of town.

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.

MAC Swings For The Fences

The Castro Valley Forum reports that the town's Municipal Advisory Council is looking into the tall fences that surround Castro Valley's public schools. Your Boulevardier finds himself ahead of the curve on this issue, having examined the issue last May. The post generated a bit of back-and-forth among both of the readers of this blog, which provided some diversion.

It remains the opinion of Your Boulevardier that these fences are unsightly and forbidding, which is not a positive image to portray at a school.

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.

That Ought to Keep the Kids in School

Construction continues on the security fence surrounding Creekside Middle School. The chain-link portion on Paradise Knolls is complete, and its tall zinc-clad poles and mesh gleam. Heavy, rectangular black posts now line the Center Street frontage, awaiting some sort of connectors; judging by the height of the posts and their color and construction, Your Boulevardier suspects that an eight- to ten-foot-tall wrought-iron-style barrier is on its way.

One wonders if there isn't a better use for the CVUSD's capital improvement budget. Your Boulevardier cannot claim to be a student of the district's finances or a close scrutinizer of its operations, so he will not judge. He will just wonder.

One is reminded of the new roadsigns going up along Interstate 580 through Ashland, San Leandro, and Oakland, just west of Castro Valley. Soeur de Boulevardier first noticed and mentioned that these monumental new signposts seem to be replacing perfectly adequate existing signage. One sometimes wishes that the dollars had been spent on the road surface, rather than on the directional placards that dangle above it.