A Bank of Trees

Several days ago, Your Boulevardier noticed an unusual group of trees next to the Chase Bank on Castro Valley Boulevard. He snapped this photo, which is not very good; a close inspection (click the photo for a better view) shows that 14 small tree trunks all blend into the same petite canopy of foliage. It's eccentric landscaping, and he was surprised to see it by a staid bank building. He's giving it the coveted "garden art" tag, even though he doubts it's an intentional act of topiary.


P.S. Your Boulevardier got caught in today's brief hailstorm during his afternoon walk today. It was not unwelcome or unpleasant, but it was certainly unexpected.

Tuesday Tiptoe Through the Town

Mon Petit Chou was kind enough to make the trip to the City of Lite this last Tuesday to do her reading while Your Boulevardier worked at his desk. A stopping point arrived at around 11:00 a.m., and a walk downtown and an early lunch was proposed and accepted. Your Boulevardier's standard route to Castro Village was taken, but new eyes were applied to the familiar scenes. One of the images that caught those new eyes was of this magnolia campbelii putting on a fabulous show against the wall of T-Kane Karate.



The early-springlike weather has encouraged many other trees around Castro Valley to blossom as well; rain is predicted for this weekend, and Your Boulevardier is curious whether the precipitation will interfere with pollination.

Lunch was found at Swiss Delices. Two different sandwiches (chicken curry, and mozzarella and tomato) were procured, and each was cut in half so both diners got a little variety. The sandwiches were excellent -- the bread particularly so -- and the shop's staff volunteered two small bites of pastry for dessert, which were gratefully accepted and enthusiastically consumed.

In all, it was a perfect day for a walk and a lovely time. As aforementioned, inclement weather is forecast, so Your Boulevardier encourages readers to enjoy the sunshine while you can.

The Nesting Instinct

With New Year's Eve falling on a Thursday, it's likely that many Castro Valleyans -- at least those with means -- have blown the burg and are settled in elsewhere for what amounts to a four-day weekend. Others are staying close to home, of course. Some of us -- Your Boulevardier falls into this third category -- find ourselves flitting about like overwintering birds between leafless trees, rather than settling into one spot for an extended period. While cozying into a nest may be appealing, circumstances prevent it.



The inviting small bird nest seen here is in one of the Chinese Pistache trees on the Castro Valley Boulevard side of the Safeway parking lot. For now it is vacant, but one can imagine that with the return of warmer weather -- and some leaf cover -- it will be reoccupied by some LBB. (Confused? See the third definition.) The aerie is much smaller than the photo seems to indicate; nothing is in the picture to provide viewers with a sense of scale. For the record, it's no more than 2 inches wide. That's the Sunflower restaurant in the background.

Sighting this nest the other day served as a reminder that now is a good time for bird aficionados to check trees for nests. Big nests high in deciduous trees are easy to spot in winter, and smaller nests near eye level can be mentally tagged for future checking when spring returns.

However readers are spending the first few days of 2010 -- whether nesting or flying about -- Your Boulevardier wishes you a happy new year.

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.

Fall is Flushed Away

Your Boulevardier snapped this photo of autumn leaves a few days ago -- before the big storms came in and swept away all reminders of fall, and told us in Castro Valley, in no uncertain terms, that winter is here.


Sure, the calendar may say that we still have a handful of days until the change officially hits. But the bare trees, overcast skies, and bitter cold -- especially in the mornings -- makes it clear that the deepest, darkest season is upon us.

Other reminders can be seen all over town. The reds, golds, and greens of the holiday have supplanted summer's yellows, oranges, and blues in shop windows. Furry Ugg Boots are footwear of choice, preferred over flip-flops and sneakers. Decorative lights along rooflines twinkle -- or don't, in the case of the LED variety that are now arrayed on Chez Boulevardier. Warming soups and coffee drinks have replaced cooling salads, smoothies, fro-yo and ice cream as the foods of choice.

Speaking of warm beverages, the Chabot Cinema will mark the season with an 11:30 p.m. showing of the Frank Capra classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," this Friday, December 18. Your Boulevardier hopes to be there, though he is not sure that the offer -- free hot chocolate with a large popcorn -- is good combination. Still, the $5 admission can't be beat.

Red Friday

Your Boulevardier was up early on Friday morning for a yoga class, and later in the day walked the City of Lite. Things were generally quiet on both occasions, perhaps to the displeasure of retailers. There was no waiting to see Santa in Castro Village at around 1:00 p.m., but the line for coffee at Peet's practically stretched out the door.

Although the Man in Red was under-occupied, the Trees in Red -- these spotted in the parking lot behind Round Table Pizza on Redwood Road -- were busy working their magic.



An hour or two later in the day, a pocket storm blew through bringing high winds, torrential rain, and thunder, all followed by a double rainbow. Quite the weather episode.

No Exotic Bugs at Chez Boulevardier

Your Boulevardier noted earlier a pleasant encounter with a representative of the Pest Detection & Eradication division of the Alameda County Community Development Agency's Agriculture / Weights and Measures Department. (Now there's a mouthful.)

Yesterday a small pink slip was found under the doormat at Chez Boulevardier. The traps have been removed, and "no exotic insect pests were found at this time."

While Your Boulevardier is generally a fan of the exotic, he realizes that exotic insect pests do not merit for his favor. He is glad that none were found, and appreciates the professionalism and enthusiasm of the county worker who set the traps.

Eyes on the Prize

On his morning walk yesterday, Your Boulevardier noticed this pair of odd little trees on the north side of Castro Village Bowl.



With a little bit of imagination, one can picture the building as a gigantic creature and the two poofs of yellow and green foliage as eyes.

Bugging Out in Castro Valley

Some days, Your Boulevardier goes out looking for items. And some days, the items come to Your Boulevardier.

The latter happened today. An 8:30 a.m. knock at the door revealed a uniformed man from the Alameda County Community Development Agency Agriculture/Weights and Measures Department. The friendly, talkative fellow asked to hang three traps on trees on the grounds of Chez Boulevardier. The traps are meant to capture Mediterranean Fruit Flies, Oriental Fruit Flies, and Melon Fruit Flies, according to the sheet the fellow left behind, though he also spoke about the Light Brown Apple Moth.

The young man would have talked for hours about his insect prey if Your Boulevardier would have let him. His enthusiasm for his work, and his generally friendly demeanor, were charming.

The traps will be checked regularly over the next few weeks. It's unclear whether Your Boulevardier will learn about the results of the trapping, but if he does he will post the information here.

Purple Haze

Along with various palm trees, the jacaranda is, in the mind of Your Boulevardier, the signature tree of Southern California. Its clouds of purple flowers provide a layer of gentle color over the southland's lovelier byways. The tree, it seems, can thrive in Castro Valley, too; this example was spotted yesterday on Redwood Road, south of Highway 580.

The Apartment Formerly Known As The Pines

Your Boulevardier noticed that the sole pine tree in front of The Pines Apartments on Wisteria Street is dead. Time for a name change?

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?

Budding Spring

Your Boulevardier walked to the Hayward Japanese Garden (which, one believes, is technically in Castro Valley) this morning. The garden was transformed in an instant late last year, when the giant pine tree that dominated it was toppled in a storm.

It's a surprisingly different place now without the massive tree -- Your Boulevardier used to call it "The World's Largest Bonsai" -- but the garden is still an island of serenity in a sometimes-chaotic world. And because the neighboring senior center is at present closed for renovations, parking is easy and plentiful (should one not care to walk to the garden).

At this time of year the tightly pruned maples are starting to leaf out. The colors and shapes are dramatic and different than any other time of the year. While the good weather is with us, Your Boulevardier recommends a visit. (Alas, our canine amis are not welcome, which at present, sadly, is not an issue for Your Boulevardier.)

If one can't go, a lovely collection of photographs by one James Phillips can be found here.

The Trusty BoulevarDog is Back!

The Trusty BoulevarDog, accompanied by Your Boulevardier, walked all the way to Castro Valley Boulevard and back today, a distance of about 2 miles. A stop at the Post Office was made, and a social call was paid to the Boulevard Pet Hospital. She did pause for a breather in the sun at Starbucks while Your Boulevardier checked email on the wireless Internet connection.

Those who were out today know that we are in a spate of unusual weather. By the appearance of things, today should have been cold: the sun was low, the skies were blue and clear, and the trees were barren. But, in fact, a warm wind gusted from the east, making the air quite temperate. Your Boulevardier began the walk wearing a light jacket and long-sleeved shirt, and shed a layer by the stroll's end. A blue-grey Volkswagen Beetle cruised the Boulevard with its convertible top down. Roofers working on the Citibank building took advantage of the dryness. And perhaps most emblematic of the day, a couple was encountered on the walk: she wearing a light-blue parka, he a t-shirt and short pants.

Yet Another Tree Photo

This fiery Liquidambar was captured on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 in Carlos Bee Park on Grove Way.

More Fall Color

The Trusty BoulevarDog seemed eager for a longer walk this morning, and Your Boulevardier was more than happy to oblige. Rudy's was visited, along with the bank and the post office and Peet's. The sun was out, the air was crisp and cool, and our town was quiet and peaceful. Two photos of fall color were captured; the first depicts an ornamental pear near the CHP Office, and the second shows some Japanese Maples and a birch tree along the odd little chunk of Lake Chabot Road south of I-580. (Apologies that Your Boulevardier does not have time at this moment to search out links for the specific trees.)

The Color of Autumn

One of the gripes one hears from transplants to California -- and to the state's coastal areas, in particular -- is that they miss the seasons. (The flipside of that argument comes from Mere de Boulevardier, who swore when she left the midwest over half a century ago that she would never gaze upon snow again -- and, it is believed, has made good on that promise.)

It is admitted that there are no websites to announce the peak moment at which fall color will appear in Castro Valley, but appear it does nonetheless. And, on the day before Thanksgiving, the leaves and sidewalks along Castro Valley Boulevard were quite lovely. The trees pictured below, by the way, are Chinese Pistaches (please forgive the "Texas Superstar" link, but Your Boulevardier liked the photos). Other trees that provide splendid autumn displays in the mild-winter Bay Area include liquidambar and ginkgo biloba. (Spelling fixed; a tip of the beret to The Pedant.)



Readers are invited to call out other impressive autumn leaves around town in the comments.

Welcome Visitors

Your Boulevardier received a flattering email that he will reproduce here in its entirety.

To Our Boulevardier,

I recently discovered your blog entirely by chance through a Google search (interestingly, a Google search for "Castro Valley falafel" hits your July 2007 posting). I love your blog -- thank you for writing it!!

I thought of you and your blog when I heard an interesting inverview on the "Living on Earth" radio program on public radio. Will Self talks about the allure of exploring a city on foot and discovering things one ordinarily wouldn't experience in a car or other means -- much like you do in your blog.

Brief quote:
"So there's this marvelous sense that one gets of being cut off from the mass of humanity in this very, very simple, very self-directed way. You don't need any equipment. You don't need any fancy accessories. You can just get out of your chair and do it and you're instantly exploring in that way. You're finding out new things about your environment."

If you're interested, you can listen to the 9-minute interview or read the transcript (here).

Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Jim

You have our gratitude, Jim. Your Boulevardier welcomes such praise, and is happy to hear about -- and post links to -- interesting resources on the Internet for those interested in walking about.

Alas, not enough walking about has been done by Your Boulevardier of late. Work pressures have, unfortunately, coincided with the current spate of fine spring weather. The trees are blossoming (the apricot at Chez Boulevardier is loaded and lovely), to the bane of those with allergies but to the delight of those of us who are visually oriented. One wishes he had time to spend nosing about. Soon, it is hoped.

Nesting Instinct

It's an ideal time of year to get out of doors and look up. The deciduous trees in town are leafless, making any nests they host (vacant, for the most part) much more visible. Your Boulevardier noted dozens of nests, ranging from tiny hummingbird cups to large aeries for big birds unknown, all around Castro Valley on a walk this morning. When the trees leaf out these nests will disappear into the foliage, but spotting them now can give viewers a clue as to where to look for birds come spring and summer.

In a related note, on a kayak outing to Lake Chabot yesterday Your Boulevardier noted one heron staking out a residence high in the rookery tree near the lake's northeast corner. This is always a good birdwatching show later on in the spring and summer. Subsequent reports will be posted.

Birdland in Castro Valley?

Your Boulevardier has been chained to his desk -- fortunately these days, not literally -- but today he did venture forth briefly to walk with the Trusty BoulevarDog to the post office and Trader Joe's.

The Chinese Pistache trees along the Boulevard near Redwood Road are about to burst into fall color. Their seed pods are already ripening to a torrid fuschia, and on Tuesday afternoon around dusk the trees were loaded with tiny singing birds, eating their fill.