Although not quite as glamorous as Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Fifth Avenue, NYC, King’s Road in London, or the Champs Elysees, First Street, Benicia, has its own particular charm. With the fires at bay, stunning crystalline skies above, and rain in the forecast, we celebrate our good fortune.
A party was in the works under the Pacific Pizza Pavilion. A crowd was gathered under the lattice roof adorned with blue and yellow balloons as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” blasted from the speakers. It was Benicia High School’s Senior Party, the night before the Panther’s final football game. Large cardboard boxes were lined up, each filled with Panther merch, a football, sweatshirt, and energy bars. Parents and kids were mixing it up and having a good time. They later lost the game but now share the League championship.
My sister and I were enjoying pizza margarita at the Union Hotel the day before Halloween when two women and their dogs sat down at the next table. One dog was dressed like a lady bug with a polka dotted, red velvet shell and gossamer wings strapped to her back; the other a circus clown sporting a red bowler hat, a flashy, rainbow colored net skirt and ruff, and a box of real popcorn on her flank. Shortly, a family of four sauntered by — mother bear all brown and fuzzy from head to toe, the father channeling Darth Vader, and their two kids. What do you get when you cross a bear with Darth Vader — evidently a kid wearing a Nike jogging suit. Meanwhile back at the ranch, librarian Patrice was dressed like a cowgirl. When she walked out from behind the counter I cracked up. She appeared to be riding a bearded horse that looked like Pinocchio without the nose. Her fake legs, adorned in stripped leggings, were wrapped around the horse’s midsection. A horse is a horse of course, of course, but evidently there are exceptions.
The tree trimming on First Street last week was a well-choreographed dance. Must have been four or five trucks — one with a bucket on a crane that raised the trimmer up two or three stories, a grinder to eat the felled branches, and a safety crew in hardhats placing orange cones on the sidewalks to protect passers by. Was surprised to see a young woman high up in a bucket being coached by a fellow on the ground. “Straight up! Watch the street light. Slower! Look out for the overhang! Good job!!” Talk about multi tasking. Once she has maneuvered the bucket where she wanted it, she pulled out a hand saw and leaned out, gingerly severing each branch. What courage and skill. Flashed for a moment on Julia Butterfly Hill who lived in the 1500-year-old redwood named Luna for two years back in the late 1990s. Luna is still thriving having survived lumberers and an almost fatal chainsaw attack. Girls in trees rock!
Jim Phelan was in front of the Vet’s Hall Thursday waving his large American flag while giving a thumbs up to passing cars. “I started doing this 17 years ago during the Iraq War when there was a crowd in the park protesting the US invasion. One of the protesters was turning all of the flags upside down and a vet in the protest group thought it disrespectful. That’s when I got about 20 vets out here to counter their demonstration.” As I walked away he was getting lots of honks. Imagine that these days post January 6, he’s getting as many honks from the old anti-war contingent as he is from those on the right side of the street. Who are the patriots now?
Finally met Elmer the French bulldog aka “The Mayor of First Street” who is entering his dotage. He traverses First Street with a tiny wagon supporting his nether regions. Years ago Elmer ruptured a disc and during surgery some nerves were accidentally severed. “ His ideal weight is 22 pounds, but these days he’s weighing in at 43. His cart makes him really fast,” said his mother Reed Robbins. “You should see his wheels spin on Marina Green.” Go Elmer!
Gallery 621 had their grand opening and Holiday show Saturday in their spacious new digs above Olsen Realty. The place was buzzing. Larger works by Gallery artists are showcased in the primary space. Dozens of identical sized square paintings and collages line the walls of the second room in a broad mix of styles which are priced to attract beginning collectors. The consignment room offers jewelry, handcrafted note cards, and works by non-Gallery artists. Their Holiday Sale lasts until the first of the year.
With Halloween in the rearview mirror and Thanksgiving almost here, a flurry of holiday activities are returning after a two-year hiatus. Benicia’s traditional Christmas tree lighting and Holiday Open House is December 3, followed by the annual Christmas Parade and Holiday Market on December 11. Time to pull out your fake fur coats and down parkas and with any luck your rain boots. May this be the year that we say “buh bye” to the drought.
Sarah Beserra is an artist, collector, Dharma practitioner, and former lobbyist.
Letters From Benicia 