Adventures in Californialand
It’s only been two days, but we Vaughn’s get around (to the restaurants). Here’s a quick photo journal of my trip to California so far.
Chelsea took me to her favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in San Rafael, Sol Food. We both ordered the Arroz con Picadillo, which was a beef, rice, fried plantain, and beans dish. I really enjoyed trying fried plantain for the first time. It was like a rich, oily chip to scoop up the tasty beef and rice. The limeade was also fantastic, and served in an audaciously large glass jug.
This morning, Chelsea and I went for a jog/walk, the headed out to get lunch at a local-to-Sebastopol café called Peter Lowell’s. Peter Lowell’s is a pescatarian (effectively vegetarian) café, with free wi-fi, and lots of natural sunlight – a big plus. I ordered the fish sandwich, which was Ono, served on Sourdough with Lemon Aioli. To drink, I had the french press coffee.
The coffee was smooth and very tasty. The olives on the side of the sandwich were juicy and salty. Unfortunately, the fish was overcooked and dried out. With too-large of a serving of aioli, this left a soggy sandwich and chewy texture. At least the coffee was good. Oh, and the bread. Stacey would have loved the crunch and dough of the bread.
I had a second cup of the coffee, and enjoyed the service of their free wi-fi, for a bit more.
Chelsea and I then walked around downtown Sebastopol (not an overwhelmingly large challenge). One of the more interesting shops that I had to go into was Incredible Records.
Apparently the owner, Jonathan Lipsin has been a part of the music industry for 40 years. A sign in front of the building reads that there is a movie being made about his life and music history, and it will be played in town January 2010.
Chelsea and I got to meet Jonathan. As with any awesome community-driven icon business, the man himself was there running the register. He was very friendly and after learning of our roots in the Mendocino Coast, he recounted his story of living in a commune on the Navarro River. Totally cool.
Inside, there were original drawings by Jim Morrison of the Doors, signed posters by every famous Rock n’ Roller and Blues guitarist over the past 40 years. It was amazing, and a great experience. Jonathan said that he likes to personally think of it as similar to an old-style trading post. You don’t always get what you came in for. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I couldn’t agree more. Good luck duplicating this “Record Store” Borders.
This evening, I had the fortune of joining up with Grandpa “T” Terry, who came down from Fort Bragg for the evening, and Lily’s Great-Grandma Lilly. We all went out to eat Chinese Food at Gary Chu’s in Santa Rosa.
Corn and Crab Soup
Grandpa with a dumpling
As you can see, the food and the family has been great. And, I’ve only been here one day.
I miss Stacey and Lily tremendously. I got an upwelling of emotion seeing a mom help her little boy walk across the crosswalk today. I wanted to be with my girls. In fact, this is actually the longest duration that Stacey and I have spent apart in six years – the entire time we’ve been together. But, it helps me feel connected to document and share this trip. So, look forward to more updates throughout the week.
Cheers!