American Graffiti (8 August)

The above painting isn't actually a graffiti, but is hanging on the wall of a favorite place of mine in San Anselmo, California. Emil and I stopped there for coffee and cake during a brief bicycle ride this afternoon ... it was sort of a little nostalgic trip around Marin, but more about that later.

Our day began with breakfast at Mels Diner in Placerville. I didn't realize that Mels became quite noted as one of their restaurants was chosen as the site for filming "American Graffiti", one of my favorite movies. Two actors who became very famous after their starts in this film were Richard Dreyfuss and Harrison Ford! The plot tells the story of teenagers celebrating their graduation from high school and facing the decisions for their future. It follows their adventures on this one evening and weaves them together with humor, drama and great originality: a classic. Although the action takes place in 1962, several years before my own graduation, it still brings to mind the times and tribulations of those teenage years.

Jukebox: a kind of record player  at each booth

After breakfast we drove from Placerville at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas down to Marin County on the edge of San Francisco Bay. Again, the smoke from the several fires still plaguing California made the views hazy and was a continual reminder of the misfortune of those who have lost their homes, and even their lives, in this worst fire of Californian history. Trump has been quoted as blaming the strict environmental laws of the state, and the fact that water is being diverted from the mountains into the Pacific Ocean instead of being used to fight the fires...?? Well, at least Congress has granted financial aid to those affected by the catastrophe.

We arrived at our motel in San Rafael around noon and decided to spend the afternoon taking a nostalgic cycling trip through the Larkspur-San Anselmo area. We parked near a school where I remember going to with Dad to watch him and Susan squaredance. We then took my favorite route along the slough into San Anselmo and made a coffee stop at the place where I used to go every afternoon to correct homework, while teaching at Dominican College in 2001. After that we cycled back through Larkspur, foregoing the climb up Skylark (where Dad lived until he moved to Scotts Valley at 92) and continued up the Corte Madera grade to the János curve, where 7 years ago Emil received the momentous news that our second grandson had just been born! After celebrating this memorable event with a "selfie" we rode on up to the summit, but deterred by the heavy traffic returned to our car. We spent a nostaligic evening, dining at the Left Bank in Larkspur, where we had often taken Dad when visiting. He is ever present here in Marin and in our thoughts and memories!

The Left Bank in Larkspur