TTM #2

Quiet month for Through The Mail. Only got four back for the month of July, but very happy for the ones that I got. Mostly up-and-comers in the NASCAR:

Jeffrey Earnhardt (Dale Sr.'s Grandson) sent three signed photos

A close-up of one

Trevor Bayne-2011 Daytona 500 Champion

Nationwide Driver Austin Dillon

And I got one baseball back:

1990 Upper Deck Ron Hassey

Hoping that August is better, but anything I get is good.

Hayward Farmers Market Saturday

As I am trying to eat better and try become healthier (I am in shape-round is a shape-lol). I have started to try to hit the local Farmers Market on Saturday's. Get a little fruit, some vegi's and whatever else that looks good there:

Yum, fresh organic bread

MMMM. cherry tomatoes, $1.50 a pound

 A couple things I enjoy about Farmer's Markets are the price-much better than the store, being able to ask the people who grew it about the product and keeping things local-which does a couple things, it keeps local people employed, is better on the environment.

Plutos-A hybrid of plums and apricots and good

All the cucumbers you can eat

 Another I like about Farmers Markets is being able to try things that you may not have seen before or have heard of:

Luffas

Fuzzy Squash

As I get more into Farmers Markets, I am really looking forward to hitting other ones and seeing what delights that they have to offer.

Need Some Clothes Daddy-O

The Front of Vintage Alley in Downtown Hayward

The other day the kiddos went to a movie in Downtown Hayward and since nothing at the movie house was really appealing to me, I decided to skip seeing anything. So, I had about two hours to kill and was going to head down to the library and read since there really not much to do in Downtown Hayward.

As I was walking to library from the parking lot, I saw this place called Vintage Alley. It looked cool and decided to head in. What I found was a great place for classic/rockabilly clothes.

This caught my eye as I walked in

First thing, I need to tell you is that I have no sense of fashion. So, I may not be the best one to judge a store that sells clothes but I know what I like and this place has some really cool clothes. Also, I like the  classic and retro looks they have for both guys and dolls:

Love the hats

Love this shirt

This skirt looks nice

And they have some cool accessories

Another thing that is cool about the place it has a salon inside the store also:

The Vintage Alley Salon

So, I guess I need to head back to Vintage and update my closet with some classic/retro clothes.

Gardening in the City

As I was headed to the Friends of the SF Library book sale on Wednesday, I was walking and saw this. I thought it was cool as it this little piece of land in the middle of downtown San Francisco, near the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and across the street from City Hall.

A garden in the shadow of San Francisco City Hall

This land did not have a building on it or was not a parking lot, but was being used as a garden for the community. I think it is very cool and a very worthwhile thing to do. They are just really getting started, but you can see it is going to be a special place:

Got to love them bees

Flowers growing

People working. (I took this pic before I knew that I had to walk around the block to get in)

Some of the garden

I know that they are just getting everything started, hopefully I can make a return trip and see more greenery. I think that we need to use our open space in the cities like this. It beats putting another building on it.

It is Wednesday...it means books

I love nice sun splashed summer days and I love books. Every Wednesday the San Francisco has a book sale sponsored by the Friends of the San Francisco Library on the steps of the Main Library. I love books and always on the hunt for more. Even though I have enough books, I love the hunt of looking for books I do not have at cheap prices.

The Friends Library sale is great. All books/CD's/DVD's/VHS tapes are buck. Not a bad deal.

Another reason I like going is the characters that head over there. There are sometimes some interesting people that are there.

People getting books

The booksale in front of the Library

Hunting for the right book

Got to love them books

Book hunters on the steps of the Main Library with City Hall in the background

But one guy was really getting his book on and if you touched his pile he would really let you know:

Looking to add to his pile and checking out his stash

His Stash

But after spending an hour going through all the books for sale under blue skies I only found two that I bought:

My books

Can't wait for the next one for more hunting and Happy Hunting to all those who love books

1989 Pro Set Announcer Set-Why Did I?

I was walking in the Mall yesterday and was looking around. Normally, I avoid Malls like plague but with kiddos you sort of have to. Anyway, I went in to this store that is a geek store which I have blogged about Hot Toys II and asked a question "Did they have the 1989 Pro Set Announcer Set?" I guess I was looking up Bob Costas on the computer for some reason earlier in the day. This is how my baby brain works and the guy said he did. Well, it was only four bucks so I got it. I remember trying to collect this set back in the day and I have it again and I am a happy camper:

Some of the great voices (from clockwise  top left): Chris Berman, Al Michaels, Dick Enberg,  James Brown, John Saunders

From top left: Brent Musburger, Verne Lundquist, Dick Stockton and Bob Costas

Some departed voices: Bill Walsh, Pete Axthelm, Jack Buck, Hank Stram, Will McDonough, Merlin Olsen

But of course it did include a voice who is sitting in a jail cell and will be for a long time as he should be:

For four bucks I am a very happy camper, saw it on Ebay for $14.95. Guess I made out.

Oddities TV Show-San Francisco

The Front of Love to Death-The store of Oddities-San Francisco

When I was going to Amoeba Records, the other day the bus dropped me off (In San Francisco, public transportation is the only way I travel) on Haight right in front of the store Loved to Death which is profiled on the Science Channel show Oddities San Francisco.

Their sign promoting the show

I guess that they were proud that they were on the show. I went inside with my trusty little camera to take a couple of shots and then I saw it: A huge sign that said "No photographs allowed". It seemed like there was a sign every three feet about not taking pictures inside the store and since there was nobody in there but the people who work in the store-I decided not to chance it. When I asked "They said that I could look at pics on their website, so the only pics I took were from the street:

A coffin inside the window display

A skull inside a window display

The inside of the store from the street

A Trip to Amoeba Music

The front of Amoeba Music in San Francisco

One of my favorite places to explore and visit is Amoeba Music in San Francisco. I know there is one on Telegraph in Berkeley, but I have always liked the one in the Haight in San Francisco. I guess it is a little less cramped and it seems to better organized.

Inside of  Amoeba  Music

The info desk

When I go I block off a minimum of about three hours of time as I love to walk around and browse. When I go I bring my list of things that are on my wish list. Of course, they have a lot of one of a kind items and a lot of cool novelty items.

I love this

I also love their listening stations where you can look up songs, albums and artists:

One of Amoeba's Listening Stations

I love to go there and just browse around. I always start in the DVD section looking for cool, used (cheap) stuff. Then I head over to the bargain CD's (or we just want to get rid of this stuff) for a huge look see, then over to the used CD's and finally to the records. I browse around and certain things either catch my eye or come into my head.

I already own this album, but love it

My main man.

And of course, you find things there that you would have never would find anywhere else:

I did not buy this

OOH, I almost bought this.

Got to Love It

But this time at Amoeba, I ended up only buying a couple of things:

Hill Street Blues Season One DVD and The Big 80's Soundtrack from VH1