Observing Memorial Day
With Memorial Day fast approaching, I thought I would get a jump on the day and pay a visit to Veterans Memorial Park located on Bay Farm Island at the foot of the bridge on Veterans Court.
The park has a large grass area surrounded by plaques recognizing those Alamedans who lost their lives defending our country. I hope you will please take a moment to remember these individuals and their families.
The City also owns the Veterans Memorial Building located at 2203 Central Avenue. This building features an auditorium and is the home of the Underground Teen Center. The Teen Center is a drop-in program open to sixth to twelfth graders which provides a place to socialize with friends and participate in active, fun, and enriching activities with ARPD supervision.
This past week I noticed a lot of USA markings on the asphalt at the intersection of Central Avenue and Grand Street. Judging by the size of the area and the many marks on the road, this could be a major project. When I refer to USA markings, I am not referring to the American flag, but rather the locations of underground utilities, which must be located before any digging can occur.
You see, in this case USA does not stand for United States of America. It refers to the Underground Survey Alert where each utility visits the location and marks their respective lines using a color-coded system. Yellow indicates a gas line, blue means there is a water line, and white is used to mark the perimeter of the excavation area. Anyone who plans to dig should call 811 to request a survey.
In other construction-related events, the Columbia Electric folks were at the corner of Willow Street and Encinal Avenue activating the new signals and removing the green poles used by the old traffic system. My guess is you will find the crew at Walnut Steet next, getting that intersection switched over next week.
The tree folks were busy this week trimming the street trees along Central Avenue and removing the dead sections of the limbs. Watching these guys in the bucket lift reminded me of an old-fashioned kids amusement ride.
On Park Street, the City re-striped the road to add in bike lanes in each direction. Look out for the green lanes located at the intersections. However, unless you are an experienced cyclist and won the Tour de France, you might want to wait for drivers to understand that they cannot double park and block the bike lane, which then forces the cyclist into the auto traffic lane. It’s going to be a 💩💩 show, requiring some education courtesy of the Alameda Police Department to make this area functional.
And, speaking of construction, I am excited to report that the Great Deck Project has finally begun at my house. The Day #1 photo shows the “ledger board” being attached to the house, and Day #2 shows the posts and main support beam being positioned.
With all this construction going on, my human companion has been motivated to work in the backyard clearing the weeds and planting this year’s vegetable crop. Unfortunately, it has also brought out the worst case of obsessive-compulsive disorder that I have ever seen.
A couple of years ago, he had a huge acacia tree removed, and ever since, these little shoots have popped up all over the backyard. In his quest to remove all traces of the tree, he digs out every shoot by following it back to the root—which can be 40’ away from the trunk. OK, I get it. I would also be irritated by seeing these things popping up all over the yard month after month.
What is scary is that he not only digs down to where the shoot is connected to a main lateral root,—which can be up to 24” down—but I have seen him dig for an hour straight in a sweaty frenzy, obsessed with removing any vestige of the lateral root, which also branches out. This past week, he was planting a tomato plant and hit one of these roots. Two hours later, he emerged from the trench filthy dirty, and held the section of root up in the air and let out a primal scream signaling his conquest over the tree. I left the backyard and waited for the C.A.R.E. team to show up.
On Friday, I finally got the chance to see the new futuristic Tesla Cybertruck that has been sighted around town. My good friend Barbara tipped me off that there was one parked in the 1600 block of Clinton Avenue, but I could never find it. It has that “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” Star Wars vibe to it. One will set you back $130K before taxes, insurance, and DMV fees.
I am not sure what was going on at The Sycamore in the 1800 block of Central Avenue, but there were four condos for sale simultaneously. Talk about a comparison shopping opportunity.
I will end this week’s report with an image of a beautiful orange lily I found in the yard at the intersection of Alameda Avenue and Willow Street.
Look for more updates on the Great Deck Project in next week’s report. I hope you have a great long weekend.
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.
