Hat Spots

While wandering around the streetcars at the Railway Museum in Rio Vista, I spotted these old signs on a Key System car. The middle one being especially important for my Red Hat Society friends states, "Corn starch rubbed into dirt or spots on your felt hats and brushed off gently will clean your hats like a charm."

Full of What?

I almost forgot a couple of things that happened at Big Hat Days. First I realized that I can't help it that I am.... ...then as I was walking down the street and saw those people out there who help you change your voter registration I realized that there are some things I can change. So I did. Ooooo Big Brother might never speak to me again.

Cruisin Red Car

Well well well... this is a bit of an upgrade from that red 1964 Ford Fairlane in my last post isn't it? Last weekend as I was driving down the freeway with my friend to Big Hat Days, I was thinking how cool is this? We had such a blast cruisin around town. Naw, it really isn't mine. Just wishful thinkin.

The First Car

I seem to be a bit reminiscent of old times lately and have been digging through some old photos. Here’s the first car photo. I bought the 1964 Ford Fairlane in 1968 for $800. Then I had to take out a loan to buy new tires. By the time I drove it from Michigan to our new home in California, the paint wore off the rusted parts. Not a problem in those flower child hippy days; I simply covered all the holes with colorful flowers until I could earn enough for a new paint job. If only all its other problems were so easy to resolve. The car was in the shop more than it was in my driveway. Eventually I traded it in for a Pinto. Dumb and dumber?

Small Towns

Ha, Big Brother seems to think I should delete any references that might indicate that our family could possibly have a bad gene pool (see the last entry... I won't I won't I won't delete it).

Here's another one for Big Brother. I think Dad brought us to this place to escape the grasp of those ranting relatives. From what i see in this picture it hasn't changed since we lived there way back when. Last time I visited this place, maybe 20 years ago, I felt I was in some sort of Twilight Zone. I would imagine another visit would trigger the exact same feeling. Makes me wonder what life would be today if I had stayed there. I checked the website for this small town and see some familiar names. Just think, I could be one of them.

Feeling Nutz Is In The Family

Sometimes I feel like I'm going a bit nutz. A couple days ago I went to see Wishful Drinking. It's a one woman show where Carrie Fisher tells it like it is... all the sex, scandals and dysfunction of her movie star upbringing. There are no movie stars in my family but we do have our share of eccentric characters. So here I bare it all... this is where I get the crazy gene...

Several years ago I found an article in the SF Newspaper which described her out on her front porch in her nightgown and detailed her threats to end it all with a bottle carbolic acid. Now I find the secrets are out on the Chronicling America website.

"Starting four days after his marriage, which took place at Eureka, October 20, 1892, Albert A. Camitz, an insurance broker, with offices in the Lick building, has suffered from the jealousy and ungovernable temper of his wife, Dorothea, according to his divorce complaint filed yesterday. Since 1904, when they came to San Francisco, - Mrs. Camitz, according to her husband, would scream at him like a wildwoman, telling him to go to his "beauty" down town and marry her. Mrs. Camitz is accused of running frequently from their home at Sausalito and threatening to drown herself, but Camitz always followed and forced her to return."

Easter Eggs & Sunday Services

A couple of times a year we preacher's kids go to church together. When we were kids Mom used to pass Certs breath mints around about half way through the service. So just to make sure the memory sticks, Big Sister brought the mints...

After the service, Little J found his twin at the Easter Egg hunt...

Comfort Zone

You might wonder why a grown woman would carry around a purple beany bear. To make a long story short - The purple beany bear was only on the market for a short time but a few of us red hatters happened to get ours before it was removed from the shelves. When my friend Micky died last year we confiscated her bear and gave it to her daughter. Somewhere in the mix we determined that the bear was the reincarnation of Micky giving us the opportunity to take her with us on all our red hat adventures. Now we have been doing a lot of traveling with Micky lately and she is getting a bit tired. Last night one of my friends presented her (and her friend)with this bean bag lounge chair and sleeping bag...

I Ate What?

Ethiopian Food... These are only the veggies. They piled all sorts of chicken, lamb and steak between the veggies. It's on injera bread. It comes with rolls of injera bread. The bread is the only utensil you get (although they do promise to bring a fork if you really can't handle it). So, you take the bread, pick up the food, roll it up burrito style and enjoy. Would I go back? You bet!
Ethiopia Restaurant, 2955 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley

Sad News

A dear family friend has passed away...
KEVIN V. McCARTHY SEPT. 17, 1944 - MARCH 17, 2008 Kevin McCarthy passed away peacefully at his home in Castro Valley with family by his side. He is survived by his wife, Karen of 38 years, and children, Patrick and Erin; his father, Joseph McCarthy of Castro Valley; brother and sister-in-law, Joseph and Donna McCarthy of American Canyon; and sister-in-law, Sandra Ellingsworth of San Leandro as well as many other wonderful relatives and friends. His children were his greatest joy. Kevin lived life fully with his love of family, music, and cooking. His musical career began at the age of 14 when he was the youngest member of the Oakland Symphony, then played with Joe Smiell's Band for over 40 years. He was a talented percussionist and lived his passion for music up until his death. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of careers beginning with his first job at the Oakland Tribune, and after graduating from the San Francisco Culinary Academy he opened the First Street Café in Pleasanton, and finally retiring this year from the Fremont School District's payroll department. Throughout his illness he never lost his sense of humor. A memorial mass will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Grace Church, 3433 Somerset Ave., Castro Valley, CA. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.