IN THE TANK … Neil, on the Cities-in-Spain Streets, writes to say that he “can’t help but notice that the Massive East Area Tank has recently been ‘decorated’ with random splotches of a color I can only describe as diaper-daub brown.” … with all due respect to the content of diapers, of course … “Is this the ‘art’ we paid $75,000 for?” he asks … can’t be, Neil … I’m sure it’s the result of some sort of weird chemical process set in motion by the late June rain … “Can we get a refund?” … based on the last budget meeting, I don’t think the city is going to be in the business of refunds any time soon …

“By the way, have you noticed that the city put in another, smaller tank along Chiles, near the base of the Dave Pelz bicycle overcrossing?” … I thought that was just a reserve tank for the soda machine at McDonald’s … “I call this one the Lesser South Davis Tank. I’m sure when the LSD tank comes online, City Council meetings will be much improved. Oh wait, maybe it already is online.” … I think you’re on to something, my friend …

WEATHER OR NOT … Chris at call.net writes to say “I picked up my Enterprise Wednesday afternoon and checked page B-8 to see how much rain fell on my grandkids’ heads on Tuesday.” … a record-setting deluge, to be sure … “I was amazed to find the total at 0.00 inches. Did the weather service take down their gauge for the season or am I living in a wet microclimate in the Hobbit Village?” … actually, it’s a conspiracy between the full-time Weather Editor at the Enterprise, Wendy Daze, and both the Davis Downtown Business Association and the Davis Chamber of Commerce … the agreement calls for the Weather Page to always report the high temperature as 78 degrees, sunny skies, a light breeze and absolutely not a cloud in the sky …

O TANNENBAUM … Diane on the Bird Streets has taken the early lead in the First Christmas Tree in the Gutter contest after spotting a “dry and highly brittle Christmas tree in the gutter in the 2800 block of Sycamore.” … are you sure this wasn’t a dry and highly brittle sycamore tree on Christmas Lane, Diane? … “If anyone with a magnifying glass or even presbyopic eyeglasses got close, it would have burst into flames. Just thought you should know.” … your entry has been presented to the Large Judging Body for consideration, Diane … check back in December to see where you stand …

DOUBTING THOMAS … my friend Glen wants to know if I have “any idea what happens if Woodland is able to pull off a successful protest, but we don’t. Do we generously pick up their portion of the tab for this water project?” … sounds to me like the neighborly thing to do …

OCEAN-GOING BAGS OFF CALIFORNIA COAST … Val, a Davis native if there ever was one, notes that “my son and I were scuba diving off Monastery Beach in Carmel, minding our own business, about 40 feet below the surface, when what should drift by my mask amidst the bull kelp and eel grass but a discarded plastic bag.” … I’m not sure I want to hear this story, Val …

“I grabbed the offending piece of flotsam and quickly examined it for clues to its provenance.” … wow, this guy even talks like a Davisite … “Nugget? Safeway? Bel Air? The Grocery Outlet?” … the suspense is killing me … “Alas, it was just a discarded white plastic bag. Could’ve come from anywhere, but the culprit was more than likely a messy beachgoer than a Davis shopper.” … environmental star that he is, I’m sure Val brought the offending bag to the surface for proper disposal …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected] Comment on this column at www.davisenterprise.com

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