Our town is a sea of yellow blossoms poking their heads out of every square inch of soil. I always have to stop and think – mustard or oxalis? “Oxalis has the clover leaves remember?” Oxymoron, oxycodone, oxycilis whatever you call it its ubiquitous, omnipresent, and all over the place.
Walking to drop off my ballot at City Hall not much action on the Street until I got to the area around the Senior Center where cars were streaming in and out of the lot. Poll worker volunteer Kathy Kerridge said the voters had been pretty steady all morning. Twenty four hours later, the ballot measures had all passed with fiscal relief in sight. Whew!
On my way back from Raley’s Saturday, pulled over in front of Washington House where a river of green balloons climbed a post. Although it wasn’t quite March 17, Benicia Main Street’s St. Patrick’s Day Beer Crawl was in the works. Would-be beer connoisseurs formed a line at the railroad station waiting to get their passes. Some of the beer offerings sounded exotic if not a bit intimidating: Floors on First/Spotless Carpet Cleaning featured “Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.” Twin Oaks Real Estate served “Belching Beaver Peanut Butter,” and ResCom Properties “Deschutes Brewery Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA.” Whatever happened to Bud Light?
Lovely, flowery, ruffly long dresses and hats caught my eye at the pop-up market under the eaves of the Washington House. What an upper! One booth decorated in lavender vines sold stickers, key chains, and lanyards. The purveyors were a sight for sore eyes. Jade was in the pink — navy and pink pleated plaid skirt paired with pale pink tights, a blush pink cardigan with a crocheted scarf draped over the shoulders, lacy white socks, and a crocheted pussy hat. Co-manager of the booth was wearing one-of- a kind crocheted cactus earrings complete with tiny pot, and a barrel cactus with a big, pink blossom on top. Adryanas Bakehouse offerings were almost two gorgeous to eat — pastel pink, blue, green, and yellow oval-shaped cookies wrapped in a clear cellophane cylinders. Other merchants offered crystals, handcrafted jewelry, and oversized, heart-shaped Talavera cups and saucers from Puebla.
The Majestic Theater continues to spark interest, controversy and questions. One can only hope for a revival, but no plans are in the works. Recently, there was an elderly fellow chipping paint off of the facade behind scaffolding which has been in place for months. “What are your plans?” I asked. “Preparing the building for painting,” he responded. “What colors?” “The building will be a pale pink, with turquoise and blue trim and a pinky, purple color around the windows,” he replied. It will be pretty when it’s finished. A theater fit for Barbie land but without the entertainment.
Finally was able to make it to Pocket Monkey which is open weekends, as owner Jay Brome is on the road all week seeking treasures for his roomy, new space at 560 First St. What a delightful surprise! There are five or six rooms each devoted to a specific type of merch. The overall theme is vintage Hawaiian shirts for men but there is so much more — a separate room for women’s attire and a room devoted entirely to jackets and shirts from band tours. Spotted a Marvin Gaye black jacket from his 1983 tour. “What was your favorite concert? Jay asked me. “ Tina Turner, of course, at the Oakland Coliseum.,” I blurted. ”I was there,” Jay said. “The 1985 Private Dancer World Tour. Here’s a shirt from her crew.” He pulled out a bright pink number. “I dry clean or launder every item in the shop before I sell it,” he said. “I hate that musty smell that you get in so many vintage shops.” Amen.
In another room was an old album of “The Graduate” soundtrack. On the cover was Dustin Hoffman gazing at Mrs. Robinson’s black hosiery-clad leg. There are fancy cowboy boots, old movie posters and Life magazines, a candy apple red pinstriped surfboard, hats and caps, scarves, vintage Hawaiian tourist souvenirs, coconut, stuffed, and wooden monkeys in every nook and cranny, tapes, eight-tracks, and an old Pan Am bag. As you enter the women’s clothing room you’re greeted by a huge poster-sized photo of Liberace, his blinding white teeth overpowering a red sequined dinner jacket and his autograph.
We’ll miss Zeppelin Comics across the street from St. Paul’s. It closed its doors last month when owners Natasha and Dan Curtis retired and put the shop up for sale. Zeppelin is where I first learned about anime and manga. For those who do not hang with the cognoscenti, they are comics (manga) or animated movies (anime) from Japan, often in black and white. “Why do the characters have such huge eyes?” you might ask. According to one account, one of the manga pioneers was influenced by Walt Disney, specifically his characters Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Jazz Age heartthrob Betty Boop was also an inspiration. You can show greater and more diverse emotions with big eyes, it was believed. Note the coy gleam in Betty’s eyes as she flutters her lashes and utters “Boop oop a doop.”
The Bee Gees old song “Staying’ Alive” is stuck in my head. “Uh, uh, uh, uh, stayin’ alive, staying alive. Uh, uh uh, uh, stayin’ alive, staying ALIVE!! It was playing when I walked by Rainbow Man ice cream shop. Sometimes I just stand outside on the sidewalk and listen to the great old rock ’n roll they broadcast, bustin’ a move and craving a hot fudge sundae. I’m lactose intolerant, gluten free and mostly fat intolerant — in food not in people. Fortunately, am very tolerant of Tates Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’re on sale now at Raley’s — for $4.99, regularly $6.49.
On Sunday, I saw an elderly gentleman vigorously pushing a stroller down First Street. You rarely see that – grandmother, mothers and fathers, yes, but grandfathers by their lonesome, not so much. The baby had huge ears and sad eyes and looked very much like a cocker spaniel Wait! It WAS a cocker spaniel. Dear Abby used to have a polite thing to say when you expect to see a “cute” baby and the baby is cutely challenged. You can say, “You must be very proud.” Or better yet, “She/he looks just like you.”
Letters From Benicia 