We find depictions of mermaids (no mermen!) in our yards, porches, sidewalks and restaurants. Our species’ fascination with aquatic humanoids dates back thousands of years, unabated if less literal today. In Berkeley, we come by our fascination honestly.
No wonder! More photos from my aggregation of Berkeley mermaids, showing here the residential mermaids:
On Jan. 9, 1493, Christopher Columbus made this entry in his ship log about three mermaids that he had seen rising high from the sea: “They were not as beautiful as they are painted, although to some extent they have a human appearance in the face.” He also noted that he had seen similar creatures off the coast of West Africa. We can add Berkeley to the list.
Tom Dalzell, a labor lawyer, created a website, Quirky Berkeley, to share all the whimsical objects he has captured with his iPhone. The site now has more than 8,600 photographs of quirky objects around town as well as posts where the 30-year resident muses on what it all means.
A longer and more idiosyncratic version of this post may be found at Quirky Berkeley.
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