“I wonder what happened to that decrepit pile of a house on E. G St. that looked like it would fall down if you sneezed,” I thought as I cut over to First St. It was a Gothic horror half of the year, fake bricks falling off the collapsing front porch and worse. But in the warmer months, the ruin was almost completely engulfed in periwinkle blue morning glory vines and a sight for sore eyes. The City had taken it over because it couldn’t be torn down — on the historic list —and no one had stepped up to save it. Wait! Is that it? Yes, the addresses matched but wouldn’t have guessed it was the same house in a million years. It’s now a spanking new triplex but in the same style as the original house. I found a video of it —a before and after renovation which is fascinating to watch. Go to Google and type in 157 E. G St., Benicia and scroll down to the Facebook video featuring Andrew Urban of My Urban Home Team. Nice save, and three, new downtown units to boot.
Walked into Fabulous Finds in the Tannery for a blast from the past and was flooded with memories as Tony Bennett sang, “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Wandered into the back room and spied a Betty Crocker Junior Bake Kit just like the one I had in sixth grade. I loved baking tiny cakes for my best friend Ricki and having her over for tea. I reordered that cake mix many times as Ricki and I acquired a taste for little yellow cakes with chocolate fudge frosting. EBay haș one selling for $100 now, minus the cake mix. Just as well. The “Use by” date, if there was one, would have been around 1953.
Stopped by Elisa’s Cottage and found her in a state of amazement repeating, “I can’t believe it,”as she inspected a tiny gold locket. Someone had dropped off a plastic bag full of vintage costume jewelry and Elisa had pulled out the locket. Inside were photos of her niece and nephew as children, one on each side. “How did this even get here?” she said. “How old are the kids now?” I asked “Oh, Don is a father living in Vacaville with twins, and my niece Jennifer lives in Vallejo and has two little boys. It must have been my sister’s who lives in Reno.” I examined the photos and had a Twilight Zone moment.” Rod Serling’s voice announcing, “You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind” as my own mind raced for possible explanations. “Did your sister know the woman with the jewelry? “No!” Could the kids have doppelgängers?? Was it stolen goods? Must get down to the shop and see if Elisa has unraveled the mystery.
Turning the corner of First and B after a light rain, I spied a rainbow over the Marina, its spectrum of colors vibrating brilliantly against a gray sky. Wait! Is that another rainbow next to it? Yes, it was but not as bright, a mirror image struggling to shine through the mist. Was this some kind of a sign? Does it mean that I need more ice cream in my life. As I stood marveling at this phenomena, my neighbor Terry, camera in hand said, “You should have seen it about a half hour ago. The other end of the rainbow was over the water which reflected off of a boat, and then the rainbow light beam shot like a laser across the water and landed on the chest of a white bird standing on the shore.” I looked at Terry’s photo. Sure enough, the egret stood proudly, wearing his elegant coat of many colors. Lucky duck.
Two brother with Campbell’s Soup Kids cherub-like faces skipped by after the rainbow siting. “How cute,” I said to their weary mother. The older kid heard me, turned around and said with a smile, “She hates us.” “I don’t hate you,” said the mom. “I said you cause a ruckus.” “Good save, Mom,” I thought. They were raucous and rambunctious and made a ruckus, as their mother brought up the rear. My dad used to say “pipe down” when we started a ruckus. Not as gentle as “hush now” but nicer than “shut up,” something he would never say.
Parking was scarce around the library but was able to snag the space right in front Saturday to pick up a book. I stopped short as I entered between the metal detectors. A small crowd of people seemed to be looking my way and smiling, expectantly. Did I win something? “Welcome,” said three clean cut teenage boys wearing black “Benicia Reads” tee shirts as the others looked on. I stopped to thank the boys for their sincerity and was impressed with their dedication on a Saturday, no less. Then a fellow from the Kiwanis Club, a sponsor, introduced me to an official in the School District and the head MoHB’s downtown venue whose names I failed to register, unfortunately. Turns out I had shown up at the tale end of the Benicia Reads event, “Stories from Around the World,” which the Library was sponsoring. “Benicia Reads” began in 2019 literacy in school-age children as a partnership between the City, the School District, and sponsoring community organizations. If this event was any indication, it is a big success. Kids of all ages streamed out the door clutching their free books after selecting from a wide range of titles from foreign lands. Go to: beniciaunifiedschooldistrict.org and search for “Benicia Reads” or Instagram to find other events.
The Library was my very first choice to save from budget cuts on the Benicia Resiliency Plan Survey — an investment education, children, and the community all in one resource allocation. Talk about a bang for your buck!
Letters From Benicia 