Couple O' Consoles

Sears Silverton (circa 1968?)

Capehart (circa 1972?)

State O' The Clams

End Of The Day @ End Of The Pier

 

Merman Photo Shoot

aka: Things you might see under the Pismo Beach Pier at sunset

What Is A Pie Bird?

Seen at the Paso Robles Antique Mall

 Pie Bird in action:

Blackburn pie with a traditional pie bird (Wikipedia)

The Annual Haunted 'Hood Slideshow

 There isn't a whole lot of new stuff out there this time around--readers will recognize more than a few items from years past. The giant skeletons, apparently more available now, don't stand out as much and generic inflatables are having their day.  The main thing though is these folks are keeping the spirit of Halloween alive for trick or treaters and kids of all ages.

Take Me To Your...

 

21 seconds is twice as long as this clip need to be, but I couldn't figure out an elegant way to shorten it without messing up the audio.

Back To Basics For Our Big-Boned Buddy

Readers may (or may not) have been wondering: what's going on with the mega-mascot of Westwood Ave?  How would he dress up for Halloween? Well, wonder no more, here's the current configuration. No costume, just a a big heart illuminated via a battery pack on his hip bone. 

While We're Waiting For The Giant Skeleton Wardrobe Change...

...here are some other large Halloween offerings:

 

 

Skeleton Crews

Willow Glen's outsized fleshless fiend hasn't donned his late-October finery yet, but his boney brethren in the Cambrian 'hood are out in force. We hope to see TSG's favorite giant skeleton sporting his Halloween duds soon.

If You're Feeling A Bit Peckish While Passing Through Montara CA

 Gherkins Sandwich Shop is the place to go

  TSG guarantees you won't go home hungry

A legitimate "two-fisted" BLT

 

 

A Welcome Visitor

Seen out by the pool yesterday.

 Due to the predatory nature of a couple of free-roaming felines, sightings of small critters like this (along with several lizard species, slender salamanders, etc.) have been a rarity of late. The cat owners moved out recently, so hopefully the populations will rebound over time. 

Relics

Coalilnga Drive-In c.1990

Everything Is Just (Jeep) Ducky

 Seen in Yosemite Lakes Thousand Trails Campground 

For those not in the know (including TSG until just recently) "Ducking" a Jeep is a way brand owners compliment other drive's rigs they come across on their travels.

Caught In The Act, Sort Of (Not Really)

We spotted this prowling bobcat just steps away from the Yosemite Welcome Center...a surprising place to be, considering how many people were milling about. He/she was so intent on his/her prey that we were able to get some pretty decent close-ups. Unfortunately we were not using "sport mode" and missed the money shot.

Name The Band, Win A Prize (Of Some Sort)

This zydeco-ish(?) cover of Book Of Love was taped off college radio station KFJC sometime in the 80s. 

So far this has stumped two message boards (both with stellar track records of sussing out such things) and a couple of "Shazam"-type song ID apps. (they can't even name the song). Worth noting: youtube's song-recognizing AI did not throw a copyright flag when I uploaded the clip. 

Good luck! 

Trailer For The New TSG Youtube Channel

For reasons too arcane (and boring) to get into here, we have inaugurated a new, TSG-branded youtube channel. Here's the trailer, which was a lot more work than we anticipated. And, as is always the case when we try to get a little fancy, things didn't turn out quite the way we wanted. Oh well...

Rock Guitars

 

I Like Nike

 A visit to Nike Missile Site SF-88 in the Marin Headlands 

In the old days (c. 2012) the tour allowed visitors to ride up out of the missile magazine with the missile itself. The practice has since been discontinued, probably due to safety/liability issues. Legend has it the missile elevator lift was the inspiration for the trash compactor design in the first Star Wars movie.

TS,G* End O' Summer Report

 *The Skeleton, Giant

 We were sort of expecting a Labor Day theme with maybe a hard hat and some kind of tool belt. It looks more like a salute to firefighters though, which is just as appropriate. Gotta say, that fire hose appendage is a tad suggestive. (Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more)

Memory Can Be A Odd Thing

 Seen at the Mendocino County Museum's ImPRESSED Printmaking Exhibit

Tangentially Related To Recent Posts

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse Gift Shop

It's The Great -̶P̶u̶m̶p̶k̶i̶n̶ White Shark, Charlie Brown

Aqueous Moments Of Zen

Words Of Wisdom(?) @ Kehoe Beach

More Lighthouse Stuff

Approx. 65 miles north of our previous post

 

 

 

How To Repair A Lighthouse

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse has been the subject of previous posts here on TSG. It's a popular stop and scenic photo op on the coast highway between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. 

Back in the day guided tours were offered, with the requisite climb up the spiral staircase to the lantern room with spectacular views up and down the coast.

 

Time and the salt-laden air have taken their toll though, and the lighthouse has been closed to the public for many years. But now the old beacon is getting a $16 million facelift, expected to take two years. TSG is looking to provide updates as the work progresses.

 

The Garfield Indignities

 A message board thread caught our attention today: 

Bumper sticker: This Christian mom HATES Garfield  - what did Garfield do?

Well, apparently nothing. According to the originator, "Years ago I got really high and made a bunch of stupid bumper stickers and put them up online. This one really took off and apparently garnered some serious discourse around what Christian moms have against Garfield. It means nothing, I made it up..."

Anywho, the subject sparked the memory of a late-80s road trip, back in the days when Garfield was everywhere. One of the gang (who had a distaste for pop culture memes in general) really hated Garfield.  He decided to bring a suction cup-equipped Garfield plushie along as the trip's "anti-mascot".  Odie's pal did not fare well on the journey, as you will see in the following photos. 

In the beginning. Little did he know...

Garfield hits the road

Relaxing after dinner

Snow cat

Batter up!

Bath time!

Making friends with a terrible lizard