Pole Watcher
This week AMP – Alameda Municipal Power (aka Alameda Power and Telecom; aka Bureau of Electricity depending on how long you lived in Alameda) – replaced a pole on my main walking route so I had a curbside seat to watch the process. It took a whole day and involved many steps and gadgets to do the job. Check out this video that condensed the entire process to about two minutes.
While the workers were accessible, I asked the main guy about a metal column that I have seen around some telephone poles. I had been asking everyone what they were, but nobody could give me an answer. He said that they were shims to help keep the pole straight. You can see what one looks like in the video when they finally pull the pull out of the ground.
I want to give Scott Piehler credit for letting me know that CalTrans has finally started to remove the old green signal poles along Encinal Avenue. I couldn’t get down there to see the actual removal, but I did do an afternoon walk to check it out afterwards.
There is now a dedicated left turn signal for those wanting to turn left from Encinal Avenue onto Grand Street. The coolest addition is the equipment to activate the crosswalk signals: you now can push or wave at the button!
My human companion brought our great stove project to a conclusion when the scrap metal guy came by and picked up the old stove. It was the final chapter for the stove, and my human companion got a little melancholy over the whole event.
Finally, I am happy to report that we visited Encinal Nursery to pick up some vegetable plants to start growing some produce for the Alameda Food Bank.
These plants are supplementing the seedlings he bought from the Alameda Backyard Growers. These folks are a great resource for things gardening. They also maintain little seed libraries where you can pick up free seeds to germinate on your own. Click to find the seed library locations.
My human companion is not too good at weeding the backyard so there was a lot of prep work that needed to be done before we could start planting. Here’s hoping for a good crop of tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini to distribute to those in need.
Gardening tips always welcome!
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.
