Rustic Rudolph Relinquishes Reign

Every holiday season, TSG cruises down to check out the multi-house string of ramshackle giant reindeer on Glen Erie Drive.

The bizarrely huge 'deer and the requisite oversized Santa/sleigh rig (visible way in the background) are a touchstone of Xmastime in the neighborhood.  Something you sort of count on, like maybe the swallows returning to Capistrano every year.

This year TSG was shocked to see a major "upgrade" -- the old school reindeer have been replaced with what appear to be some kind of pre-fab cut-out looking things. Progress? Maybe, but in our opinion the old ones had a funky charm that can't be matched by the new cookie-cutter version.  The new ones are probably a bit more kid-friendly, though...those big brown monsters could be kind of scary looking to an unsuspecting youngster.

One Good JibJab Deserves Another

MVTF Redux (aka TANKS-Giving Weekend 2013)

We recently discovered that the collection of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation was being transferred to the Collings Foundation (the guys who tour their WWII era bombers around the country, selling rides to people like TSG).

That means that the largest privately-owned collection of tanks, half-tracks, armored personnel carriers and the like will soon be heading back east. Most of the more than 200 vehicles will be sold at auction, the rest will anchor a new museum in Stow, MA. An end of a era in the Bay Area--we'll never see the likes of this magnificent local attraction again.

 So, to pay our last respects, we made the trip up to Portola Valley this weekend to get in a last look.

Choice of backing track for today's slideshow inspired by the final scenes of one of our favorite movies, The Matador (and what's with the stuttering audio on these uploads...can't seem to find a fix...Grrr!).


UPDATE: Due to copywrite issues (we think), TSG had to re-post the video slideshow sans music backing track. Rats.

New video link: http://youtu.be/HQaGz_GbaXY