Post-Holiday Blues ... and Reds

On his walk today Your Boulevardier noticed several broken windows on Castro Valley Boulevard. Specifically, a window at Crush Comics was boarded up, and a window and two glass doors at Direct Sales were secured with plywood or tape and awaiting repair. It's a shame to think that holiday revels in Castro Valley got so out of hand that vandalism was the result, but it so appears. Do readers have any more information about these happenings?

By way of contrast, nature was having none of the human-caused havoc. The morning skies were clear and cold, and the few remaining leaves and berries on deciduous plants were calling for attention, as evidenced by these fruits appearing on a shrub on Redwood Road.



The clear winter weather just begs for long, objective-free walking, in the opinion of Yours Truly. It (the weather, that is) is not supposed to last; off-and-on rain is predicted for the rest of the week. Your Boulevardier has professional work to catch up on, and so, in a way, he hopes the inclement weather comes; it will force him to stay at his desk and complete the projects before the New Year arrives.

And The Heavens Opened

Your Boulevardier went for a long walk this morning, and was caught mostly unprepared for the light rain that fell. He did capture this scene, which -- if one were religiously inclined -- would likely be quite inspiring. It's hard to see in this photo, but the rainbow terminates right at the three crosses of Neighborhood Church.



Upon returning home he checked the rain gauge at Chez Boulevardier. After Tuesday's deluge, the rainfall total -- that is, from Tuesday evening through today -- was just 0.07".

Look Up! It's the Space Station!

Your Boulevardier slipped his copy of Close Encounters of the Third Kind into the DVD player last night and enjoyed a reunion with an old favorite movie. Those who have seen it know: it's a langorously paced film, completely happy to present long, almost static images of people staring at something they've never seen before.

And the fact is, few of us have ever seen a spaceship. But, for the next few days, you have an opportunity. The International Space Station's orbit is causing it to appear quite readily to those of us on Earth. The NASA website has a database application you can use to check for particular times, but here's a link to the results.

Tonight, for example, the ISS will be visible a little after nine and a little before eleven.

This post, admittedly, has almost nothing to do with Castro Valley. However, Your Boulevardier knows that one of the readers is a space scientist, so that's the justification he is using.

Zeppelin over Castro Valley

The Airship Ventures Zeppelin Eureka was flying over Castro Valley today. Your Boulevardier snapped this poor photo from the back deck of Chez Boulevardier.


Also in the air this weekend: the Liberty Belle, a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress. Your Boulevardier shot this video of the Liberty Belle on a previous visit to the Bay Area.


It's a beautiful clear spring day, so Your Boulevardier recommends that you step away from the computer, go outside, and look up.