Santa Clara University, which no longer plays football, never played Army (as in West Point) in football, but did play a West Coast Army-base team. This poster advertised the contest. By John Murphy Last week I perused the Internet and read about a guy who visited a SoCal thrift store and found a valuable gamingContinue reading “Thrifting my life away”
Author Archives: mainstreetdog
Sunday spooktacular
A hearst driven by a skeleton on your front lawn? Yes, in Smiley Park. By John Murphy September is a transitional month. Summer ends and fall begins. Leaves fall and get crushed underfoot. Like UCLA football. Talk about a dead-man’s party … here’s a stiff in a coffin, showed off by a pair of skeletons.Continue reading “Sunday spooktacular”
Morning rush
A row of palm trees — low-hanging fruit for an amateur photographer. By John Murphy I got four hours of sleep Thursday night, so I feel like a million dollars. Or at least half a mil. I got up, finished writing a story, and watched some news. By 6 a.m. I was on my wayContinue reading “Morning rush”
3 a.m. blues
By John Murphy Have you seen the classic horror film, “The Amityville Horror”? Every morning George Lutz played by James Brolin bolts awake at 3:15 a.m. There is a meaning to this. Several years earlier, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo killed his entire family with a rifle at 3:15 a.m. at their home of 112 Ocean AvenueContinue reading “3 a.m. blues”
Another one bites the dust
The Crescent City Harbor, as seen from the Battery Point Lighthouse. By John Murphy Yesterday I was surprised to learn the Del Norte Triplicate newspaper in Crescent City has closed. The Triplicate was one of California’s oldest small-town papers, founded in 1879. It served the northern-most county in the state. My significant other in theContinue reading “Another one bites the dust”
See you around campus
The University of Redlands campus — as pretty as a postcard. By John Murphy Tuesday before my prep events, I headed to the University of Redlands for a stroll. I did not have our dog Mia, the Maltese Poodle. CalTrans Girl does not allow me to walk her in 97-degree weather. Hard to understand. ButContinue reading “See you around campus”
Orange Blossom tale
Pink flowers grow between remnants of the old Kite-Shaped Track from the early 1900s. The rails were forged in Germany. By John Murphy Monday afternoon I left Highland, crossed the wash, and wound up on Grove Street in Redlands. My goal was to walk a portion of the Orange Blossom Trail. The 7.5-mile trailContinue reading “Orange Blossom tale”
My first day at The Sun
A sweet vintage ride winds its way through the downtown, just like so many did on Sept. 15, 2000 — my first day at the San Bernardino Sun. By John Murphy Monday, Sept. 15 is the 25th anniversary of my first day at the San Bernardino Sun. I know this, because my son Kyle wasContinue reading “My first day at The Sun”
Blast from the past
By John Murphy Last night I tore apart a filing cabinet seeking a document that refused to be found. But I did locate a letter dated July 25, 1995, from one Bill Akers of Aptos, California. I know Akers. He was an OG who sat near me at my first full-time newspaper job in WatsonvilleContinue reading “Blast from the past”
The perfect photo
By John Murphy This photo is AI-generated of course, since I do not have access to Sun photos from 2001. Today is 9-11. Back on Sept. 11, 2001 I was in my second year as the prep editor at the San Bernardino Sun. I was really just a sportswriter, but my predecessor Louis Amestoy thoughtContinue reading “The perfect photo”
Main Street Dog 