Down in the Valley of Silicon

       Mayor went down into the heart of the tech world last week.   San Jose, the former city of fruits and vegetables, now the undisputed center of the tech universe.   It's is interesting to walk around the "new" downtown and at the same time, recall from memory the images of the old downtown, now long gone.  The transformation began about 30 years ago, when computers were shrinking in size, thanks to the silicon chip and its transistor load.  Soon the PC would be introduced and the Apple Mac would soon follow it.
     We had occasion to visit a couple of local wineries.   The Gugliemo Bros. Winery in Morgan Hill was the scene of a testimonial dinner put on by the Santa Clara County Sister County Commission.  They took the occasion to award their Medici medal to Professor Duilio Peruzzi, professor emeritus of geography from San Jose State.   Over 100 family and friends helped celebrate.  Many former students and department members attended.   Many of the former students recalled fondly, their experiences with the professor in Italy in the '70's and '80's.   Mr. Gugliemo presented Dr. Peruzzi with a magnum of their signature wine.
      Friday and Saturday were devoted to San Jose State alumni activities, with a focus on the Saturday afternoon football game at Spartan Stadium.  The Wolfpack from U. Nevada, LV were in town for the match up.   The day was hot, hot, hot, including the entire weekend.  
     At the heart of downtown San Jose, a 2 day running event featured a half marathon, a 10K race, and a 5K race.   Lots of folks showed up to participate.  A good time was had by all.