The Case of the Missing Dill
With the greatest holiday of the entire year rapidly approaching, I was starting to get anxious about what to be for Halloween. I set a pretty high bar for coming up with something that is unusual, creative, not too scary, and affordable. After a day of walking Alameda streets, getting my evening meal, and taking that last bladder-emptying walk of the day, I let HC join me on the king-size bed for a little streaming activity before sprawling out diagonally for a good night’s sleep.
I am a big Sherlock Bones fan and could not put down the Squirrel of the Baskervilles once I started reading it. What an amazing canine. My HC really enjoys the Sherlock Holmes case studies.
So, it was only natural that we would start watching Elementary—a modern day culturally updated adaptation of the Conon Doyle sleuth that is currently running on Amazon Prime. I love the fact that the Dr. Watson character is a young Asian woman portrayed by Lucy Liu. It is interesting how great minds (well at least one canine mind) think alike, because we both simultaneously came up with our costumes for this year . . . well sort of. He thought he would be Holmes, and I would be Watson. NOT! Look for Sherlock Bones and HC Watson to haunt the streets of Alameda on Halloween night.
We even have our first crime to solve. This past week someone or something entered our backyard and munched on all the dill plants. No tracks were anywhere to be found and the only thing out of place was one of the pots that was tipped over. I am thinking drones. With all the dill gone, so much for the homemade Tzatziki dip to go on the house made falafel I had planned.
Earlier this year, I responded to a request for 💩 from the folks at Animal Biome in Oakland and after a rigorous screening procedure I made it into the program. I am now 💩ing for science and helping those folks to “improve the lifespan and quality of life of companion animals.” Did you know that “more than half of cats and dogs will suffer from a microbiome-related health condition at some point in their lives?” Animal Biome is still looking for cat and dog “contributors” if you want to contact them.
This week, I continued my search for Halloween decorations and stopped by the funeral procession on Paru Street at San Antonio Avenue to be sure there was a fresh corpse in the hearse and that all the band members returned.
I knew it was way too early to see what was happening at Tom and Giselle’s house on Nason Street at Buena Vista Avenue but I was interested in seeing how the new installation was going. It was hard to get a feel for what this pair has in mind for this year so I will be periodically doing a walk-by to let you know the progress.
This tightrope-walking umbrella-holding skeleton may be new to the scene—or I just missed it earlier—but I thought it was cute.
Of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to include the Dachshund “Happy Hallowiener!” inflatable over on Encinal Avenue near Grand Street.
If you know of a Halloween display I should be checking out, please email the street address to my HC at [email protected]. I am motivated to cover the entire city and bring my readers the most comprehensive guide to Alameda Halloween displays.
Boo!
💀🎃👿👹👺🤡
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 and videos by Jeff Cambra.
