Once I'm settled and acclimated in Utah, I'll blog what I miss about California. 😉
We have lived in Patterson for over 7 years now, we have added a child to our family, been through a few pets, made life long friends, disconnected from friends, I lost myself, found myself, volunteered, entertained, became a part of a wonderful group of exceptional women whom it's hard to imagine not having around at arm's reach, started new practices, and learned the true meaning of self love (later post).
Our time here has left a deep mark on the timeline of our life.
Besides the obvious, like missing friends, family, and memories, here are a few random things I have thoughtfully realized I will miss, in no particular order.
1. The produce guy at Save Mart. The first guy was great and made Donald Duck noises at the kids, he transferred and I thought Save Mart would never be the same. The current produce dude though, he's just great. He's nice, he's friendly, he's attractive in an unfamiliar way, he's down to earth, and he makes you feel like his job, and my consumerism is all tied into the workings of "community". The pharmacy guy is hella cool too, but the produce guy just makes you feel good about small talk at the market (let's use that word more, shall we? Market, it just sounds so quaint). Plus he saved all those boxes for me, so he's a badass in my book.
2. I will miss Domasco's, the restaurant inside the hotel. I've had countless breakfasts with my bosom buddy, random meals there with other friends, and a delicious, tipsy dinner with three of my closest girls during our "50 Shades of Food" days. The food is fresh and full of quality. The coffee is actually good, they have a decent selection of tea, and you feel like you have stepped out of Patterson and are in some hole in the wall in the city. Oh, and there sausage is THE best. It's a perfectly brown, crumbly little patty. They also have amazing pancakes. The most recent waitress really was the cherry on top. She made you feel like an old friend and said the funniest shit! She's great.
3. Running into Amber Silva and Mona Chapparo at Walmart. It's just nice, you know? You run to Walmart because there is almost always a reason to and you know people who work there so there is almost always a friendly face and some chit chat, maybe a hug too. It's comforting.
4. Frank Raines Park. If you head west of the 5 and take the first right, you can take a scenic drive (absolutly beautiful) through the winding hills. I believe it is about 17 miles to the OHV park, camping area, super cool playground, and Adobe Springs ( this will be #5!). All it takes is 45 minutes to an hour and you can get away in nature. You can spend the day, the weekend, the week, and enjoy the beautiful views on the way there. Despite the beauty, I have to be honest, I get pretty nervous on the drive, but that's me and my nerves.
5. Adobe Springs! This is a complete gem! If you take the drive to Frank Raines just a tad further you will come to Adobe Springs. You can fill up containers of spring water at no cost. It's often referred to as "magic water". It's full of magnesium and comes straight from the spring. It has 110 mg of magnesium per liter, where tap water has an average (in the US) of 3 mg per liter. Now that's magic! You feel like you are on some special adventure, driving up the hill to a little spicket for your magic water. Like a secret garden of sorts. Here is a LINK to a Youtube video I found about the spring. The guy is actually coming from San Jose, so your drive from Patterson woudln't be as long. I'd say about an hour with all the twists and turns. He is full of information. It's also a lot of fun for the kids.
5. Adobe Springs! This is a complete gem! If you take the drive to Frank Raines just a tad further you will come to Adobe Springs. You can fill up containers of spring water at no cost. It's often referred to as "magic water". It's full of magnesium and comes straight from the spring. It has 110 mg of magnesium per liter, where tap water has an average (in the US) of 3 mg per liter. Now that's magic! You feel like you are on some special adventure, driving up the hill to a little spicket for your magic water. Like a secret garden of sorts. Here is a LINK to a Youtube video I found about the spring. The guy is actually coming from San Jose, so your drive from Patterson woudln't be as long. I'd say about an hour with all the twists and turns. He is full of information. It's also a lot of fun for the kids.
6. Stewart and Jaspers. How convenient is it to have a little wine tasting bar right in town? I've had several evenings there meeting up with the crew for a wine flight. Once we rode our bikes there. We weren't quite able to ride them back home, but how cute is it to ride your bike to go wine tasting? You can sit and snack on different flavored almonds while you sip different types of wine. It's a small wine and gift shop with a wine bar and a few tables. Small, quiet (until you get towards the end of your flight), quaint, and only a bike ride away.
7. Rickey's Taqueria. It's not the best Mexian food ever, but it's good. The atmosphere is family friendly and kids eat free on Wednesday so yup, I'm going to miss that. Rickey himself is usually there and he's a super friendly guy. Also the horchata is delicious, better than the taco truck by far.
8. The three week winter school break. I sometimes have mixed feelings about this one. There I times I feel that two weeks would be sufficient and that last week may throw me over the edge, but it's become a treat to have the kids out of school for three weeks over the holidays. It gives us more freedom to visit family and friends and even to stick around home longer and just come down from the holiday madness.
9. Palm trees. The long lines of palm trees on some of Patteron's streets. They are strong and well kept, and I didn't notice many palms in Utah. It's so "California".
10. Last but not least, the orchards. I will miss driving through the lush almond and apricot orchards in thier uniform rows and watching them go through all of their stages. I always feel a little sad when I see them at the end of thier season, chopped own and laying on their side, like an orchard graveyard.
