I felt much better in the morning, when I exited Santa Cruz on Thursday, April 2nd, 2013. I was grateful to be alive! Funny how pain can be almost forgotten when it is gone. That is why we women have more than one child. Honestly, you think you will not survive the labor and delivery--surely your body will explode in one bloody mess, with your insides now on the outsides! But, somehow, we let go of that pain once its over.
That’s why I have 3 children.
Well, ok. Not the only reason why I have 3 children...
Anyway. About 12 miles up the road, at Davenport, I stopped at the Whale City Cafe. Davenport is a tiny town of no more than 400, but seems to be a popular little hub. The Cafe was fantastic---incredible, home baked pastries; creative sandwiches, soups, and salads; and a variety of bevy. They have live music on the weekends and the staff at the counter are friendly and welcoming. I ordered a carrot muffin and a coffee. It was organic coffee and about the best cup I’d had at a cafe or coffee shop since I left on this trip. The muffin lasted all day---chocked full of shredded carrots and chopped apples and very little sugar. I walked across the “1” to look at the ocean for a minute and drink my coffee. Among the parked cars, I noted a man sitting on his lawn chair playing the guitar. I decided to get over myself and my “closet shyness”, so I just walked over and asked if he would mind if I listened to him. This was my best decision all day! His name is Will Jacobsen and man, oh man, can he play those strings! He has 4 guitars and plays them all. He showed them to me, but he only played the one he had out already. He played a song of his own, a blues tune by Doc Watson, and 2 Neil Young songs. He explained that one of the songs was actually written by a friend of his. Will taught guitar at the college level for about 6 years. He has played for about 28 years, with a 15 year hiatus in the middle. He plays for the Whale City Cafe on some weekends. Will looks like a man who lives out of his car. His vehicle is an older car--don’t ask me what---and it was packed tight with guitars, clothes, and a bike. His shoes are “air-conditioned”, his clothing dirty, his blonde-gray hair unkempt. But his eyes are a brilliant blue and he is articulate and engaging. He said he still works as a hydroelectric engineer and explained what he designs or does as a consultant---something like addresses problems related to reducing the coefficient of friction blah blah blah. I think it must be something like figuring out how to improve efficiency of water flow to generate more power with less energy consumption. How does that sound? Anyway, he says he doesn’t own a computer cuz he’s a math whiz and does it all in his head.
Well, I didn’t know if he was for real or not, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he was a fascinating, bright man who responded generously to my questions. He finds joy in doing what he loves---which is playing the guitar and doing math. He said he would play for me all day if I like, but I had to get back on the trike and make it to Half Moon Bay before dark.
This was a 52 mile ride through the coast and cutting in through Pescadero and ag country. Half Moon Bay was shrouded in mist but a beautiful and welcome sight. Next day was a shorter ride. While I was headed for San Francisco, I was going to stop in Pacifica, a scant 15 mile ride.
Dan Mount, a friend for many months and a resident in San Francisco, had offered me his couch and had planned on showing me his town. I also have a lovely niece who lives there--Samantha. So I was confident that a great time would be had. I did not want to maneuver through the streets of SF, so Dan came and picked me and HD up and I unloaded some stuff in his living room, while HD remained in his cargo van. I contacted Samantha and she surprised me with the company of another niece, Lisa, who lives about 50 miles north in Santa Rosa. I walked down to Haight Street, at the corner of Stanyan and Haight, right across from the Golden Gate Park. I met both of them there and the three of us strolled back uphill, which is called Lower Haight (???), while we caught up with each others’ news. We stopped at the India Oven and Lisa, who is learned about all things Indian, ordered several courses for us to share, all vegetarian. I was glad for the return walk to Stanyan and Haight.
Samantha has been working for a temp agency and has been working for about 10 months for Google on the phones. This gig is almost up as it was a limited time job, so she will be looking for the next place of employment soon. Her talent, and it is a great one, is ART. She can paint and draw and has a keen eye for angles and shadows. She also loves the “retro” thing, especially those 1970’s music bands and clothing styles. She has even run an online vintage shop of her own. She is our only blue-eyed blonde in the family and we all adore her unique appearance as well as her considerable art skills. Apparently, she gets the skills from both sides of her family as my mother was quite the artist in her youth and I believe that her grandmother from her father’s side was also talented. Her own mother, my sister Shannon, is also quite artistic. I have mentioned her in a previous blog.
So Samantha will be looking for a job soon. But her love is art and design and style and vintage anything.
She lives in Oakland and I hadn’t realized that she did not have a car. I was reluctant to maneuver Henry David through San Francisco streets to get to Oakland---crazy hills, crazy traffic. I was happy to stay put next to the Golden Gate Park and get around on my own feet and the local transit. HD remained parked in the van. The sad part of this decision was that I only saw Samantha that Friday night. She worked the next two days and I left on Monday morning. At least we had that one night and I am grateful for that.
It was fun to hear the two cousins compare notes about growing up together as they are close to the same age. They are different in many ways but both of them are the babies of their families. I am too. That was immediate connection.
I came home in the dark and chatted with Dan briefly before I snuggled into a soft blanky and a pillow on the couch. I slept fitfully but awakened to a wonderful weekend of fun in SF. Dan was the perfect gentleman and the perfect host. Ah, San Francisco!
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