Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda for December 11, 2022.
Before starting this week’s report, I wanted to provide you with a little background holiday music you can enjoy while reading what’s going on in Alameda. It’s inspired by one of the yard displays that had an inflatable snowman.
It’s Frosty the Snowman, and it’s sung by a guy with kind of a funny voice named Jimmy Durante.

There are lots of holiday displays going up all around the island with the dominant displays being of the inflatable variety. My favorite non-inflatable Christmas image this week was the hooptie truck with the wreath on the grille.
I stopped by one of my go-to houses to check them out. The full display was too big to fit into one picture, so I picked Santa Claus driving the Polar Express train. Across the street, the wiener dog on the snowboard was one of my favorites.
I got to go to South Shore Shopping Center one night this past week to check out their holiday decorations. In addition to the decorations, there are lots of places to shop and eat. I recommend going at night when everything is lit up and sparkly.
My human companion even found a holiday Snoopy getting ready for the shelf and brought out a picture for me to see. The Safeway folks don’t consider me a service dog even though I provide a very valuable service to the community.
All of the staff here at the BEV are very civic minded and try to serve the public interest when we can. This week’s PSA’s involve pedestrian safety and saving residents some money.
Over the past month, I have noticed that the pedestrian crossing sign starts flashing a few seconds before the signal turns from red to green, which is great because it gives us canines and our human companions a chance to clearly get into the intersection, increasing our visibility.
I also have seen many drivers start to drive forward thinking that the light had also changed. Not so. I realize that drivers have been programmed to start pulling into the intersection when the pedestrian crossing sign was activated because the green light was synced with it. Hopefully, drivers will get retrained quickly. In the meantime, canines beware.
Next, if you are looking for a parking location in front of the historic Alameda High School, you should check out the one space that does not have a meter.
Most of you know that I put a lot of miles on these paws to bring you readers the sights I come across on my daily walks around Alameda. During these adventures, I find some very cool stuff people leave on the sidewalk to repurpose.
Last week, I offered some of the items I have brought back to the house from my walks for repurposing. Last week was the six limited edition jet black champagne flute glasses from the 1993 Park Street Fair. Thank you Kelly Lux for purchasing all six.
This time, you can purchase—via a donation to Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS)—three very rare Victoria Station beer mugs. These are truly a collector’s item since there are very few in existence. You can own all three for a $30 donation to the FAAS Starfish Fund for Emergency Vet Services. I also still have a brand new in-the-original-box sushi maker available for a $10 donation to FAAS.
In order to purchase any of these items, you must email your request to my human companion at [email protected]. He will confirm availability and send along directions on how to donate. Do not try to purchase by commenting on this post. There is no way for me to keep up with the requests.
I was planning on offering succulents for sale this week, but I couldn’t get photos taken because of the rain. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate, and I can get the pictures ready for next week’s report.
Still enjoying my Advent calendar treats. This is Mouf wishing you all a sane holiday experience.
Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda
Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/. All photos by Jeff Cambra.