A Safe? On Highway 280? Mark your calendar: Saturday, November 18, 2017 is the next Adopt-A-Highway Litter Pickup on Highway 280. JUST THE FACTS: Date: Saturday, October 14, 2017. Location: Highway 280 NB between Meridian Avenue and Saratoga Avenue Time: About 3 hours – 9:15 AM -12:15 PM. Participants: 7 volunteers. Sabine and I were joined by veteran volunteers Pam, Charley, Crista, Diana, and newcomer Marissa. What we collected: 25 total bags, three of which were recyclable aluminum cans, glass bottles and plastic bottles. Any cash? $21.50 cents. First-timer Marissa found a $20 bill (woohoo!); Crista found a $1 bills, Sabine found .49 in change, and Pam found a penny. By the way, in the 12+ years we’ve been picking up trash on our section we have found almost $2,000 in cash ($1,911.21, to be precise). Oddities along with the trash (http://www.louitucker.com/Trash/TrashathonPics.html) ▸ Packaging for a dildo. ▸ A safe (details below). ▸ Most of a box of staples. ▸ The Secret of the Runes game in its plastic case. ▸ A green purse, empty, but in good condition. Crista said she could use it. ▸ A carrying case for an IBM Thinkpad. It’s in good enough condition to donate. ▸ An adorable Teddy bear wearing pink pajamas. Crista’s going to give her a new home. ▸ A paperback book – Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts. It will go in our Little Free Library. ▸ A key with an tag reading “Dixie and Harley Stanley.” I’m placing bets this key was lost by a dog-walker. What do you think? ▸ A suitcase that, alas, did not contain bundles of unmarked bills. We opened it and found only a couple of pairs of men’s socks. ▸ A Dora-The-Explorer light-weight quilt and bottom sheet. Both are in good condition, so we will wash and donate them. ▸ A small bundle of business cards for a dog trainer with an address in Woodside. The card says the trainer “speaks canine as a second language.” ▸ A still-valid Alabama drivers license. I did an internet search, located the driver (an attorney in Birmingham) and have emailed him to see if he wants me to mail the license to him. First - a big thank you to Kristin who bought our after-pickup lunch at Coco’s this month. Kristin contacted me in 2016 after she read about our Adopt-A-Highway team. She can’t join us on the Saturdays when we go out on the highway, but wanted to contribute in some fashion. All of our supplies are provided by CalTrans, so there was nothing she could pay for – except lunch! She sends a check every now and then and pays for lunch for the volunteers. THANK YOU, Kristin! Our efforts have paid off in odd ways over the years. Here’s the story of this pay-off. Sabine and I were out on a late-afternoon stroll around our neighborhood on Friday and walked past a garage sale. As we walked among the tables, the homeowner looked at me, evidently recognized me from somewhere, and asked my name. When I told her, she exclaimed, “You’re the Litter Lady! I love your trash reports!” She went on to explain that two years ago, inspired by our efforts, she adopted a section of The Alameda between Stockton Avenue and Singletary Avenue. She goes out a couple of times a month and picks up litter. I wish I’d thought to get her name. Anyway - if you’re reading this email report – thank you for what you do for our community. And now, about that safe in the list of odd items we’ve found (there is a photo in the webpage if you want to see what it looks like). Crista found it as she was cleaning the off-ramp from 280 SB to Meridian NB. There on the side of the road, propped up against the light pole, was a safe on a big metal pole. It was far too heavy for any of us to pick up. We couldn’t even budge it! We couldn’t figure out how to open it either. Perhaps it was stolen and, when the thieves couldn’t open it, they dumped it the side of the road. I took a photo and reported it to the CHP. If you drive along the off-ramp from 280 SB to Meridian NB, you should be able to spot it until the CHP comes by to retrieve it. I hope nobody sprains his/her back trying to move it! REMINDER: THE NEXT TRASH PICKUP WILL BE SATURDAY, November 18, 2017. Dates in the future: December 9 and January 20, 2018. Feel free to pass these reports along to friends and invite them to join the clean-up brigade next month! We are always looking for new volunteers. Loui
Want to get involved? Email me at loui@louitucker.com if you'd like to join a work crew.
http://www.louitucker.com/IndexTrash.html