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Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda for July 6, 2025

by Jeff Cambra On In Alameda Life | Comments Disabled

A ‘Muted’ 4th of July

Alameda Post - Mouf sits in front of pink flowers on a building [1]

From an auditory perspective, the 4th of July is anything but muted, and I am sure many of my kinfolk will be freaking out or zonked out on Friday night. However, from a visual and front yard perspective, this week’s walks were lackluster in the Independence Day recognition department. Alameda’s Grand Street mansions had a tradition of showing off that red, white, and blue décor beyond bunting, but this year, I could not even find a patriotic pinwheel.

Alameda Post - a large yard decoration of a patriotic bear [2]

The entire holiday spirit would have been lost if it weren’t for Tucker and his human companion putting out the marching Uncle Sam bear and Charlotte’s massive holiday yard décor which I covered last week.

Alameda Post - large colorful bougainvillea flowers [3]

So, while the streets lacked the red, white, and blue wash one would expect this time of year, the bright magenta flowers of the Bougainvillea variety were prominent in Alameda yards.

The most impressive specimen can be found on Central Avenue in the 1700 block. This beauty is three stories tall.

Alameda Post - magenta flowers and green leaves cover a tree [4]

The winner of the oldest bougainvillea I could find was the one at 1519 Alameda Avenue. Check out the size of the trunk.

Alameda Post - large pink cactus flowers on a cactus in a pot [5]

In keeping with the botanical theme, the cactus on my front porch that usually just sits in the pot and does nothing all year is now in full bloom. Normally, this plant only allows one flower to mature, but for some unknown reason, there are two wonderful flowers this year.

On Sunday morning, I got to go to the base and check out Firebrand bakery. This place has so many delicious pastries, both sweet and savory, along with a large assortment of freshly baked breads. There were little helicopters in the display case, and the salesperson said they were there to prevent flying critters from invading the display.

Alameda Post - an empty hole in the ground in the sidewalk and a photo of a new fancy electronic parking machine [6]

In case you haven’t been to Park Street, there are new pay-for-parking machines. At first, I thought someone had stolen the old-style ones, so I did some investigating and found the new machine. Fortunately for my HC, these replacements take coins. He still has a use for all the pennies he keeps in that big glass bowl by the bed.

Alameda Post - a dog pokes his nose out of a small children's circus tent on the sidewalk [7]

You won’t believe what I found on the street. Someone was giving away a Moroccan desert tent. It was so awesome—and I fit into it perfectly. Unfortunately, HC said it would clash with the other furniture and nixed the idea of taking it home. Did you know that “Moof” is spelled “Mouf “ in Moroccan? No wonder I like a little Ras El Hanot in my afternoon snack.

Alameda Post - Mouf the dog sniffs a Christmas nutcracker [8]

I found a nutcracker on the street, which I thought was a little strange given that there might not be much demand since it’s the middle of summer. Here’s a scary thought: There are only 172 days ’til Christmas. Take a minute to let that sink in.

Alameda Post - a sticker on a car that says, "The best therapists have paws" [9]

In closing out this week’s report, I found a decal on a car that perfectly describes the canine’s greatest contribution to the human condition.

Bear's paws

Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda

Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected] [10]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/ [11]. All photos and videos by Jeff Cambra.