It's the Little Things I'll Miss the Most

As we are coming to a close on our time in Berkeley I've been thinking a lot about the things I'll miss about California.  So for fun I thought I'd share them with you.

1.  Lollipop Guy - Even though I only saw him once he definitely made a lasting impact.  Early one morning while on a walk with Baby Chang (I'm pretty sure we were picking up donuts) I hear a man yelling from across the street "Hey Lollipop lady, Lollipop lady!".  I turned to look and he exclaims "yeah you, you're the Lollipop Lady.  I want to put you on a stick and lick you all day!"

2.  TV Homeless lady - On one of my first mornings in Berkeley I saw a woman who I swear all TV homeless people are based upon.  As she made her way to me she was having a conversation with her imaginary cohorts.  She very loudly declared "no I WILL pay full price!"  I'm not sure what she is paying full price for but I hope it's worth it...

3.  Pumpkin Curry - It has been quite sometime since I've been able to enjoy Green Curry from the Thai restaurant near work due to the spiciness.  Berkeley has come to the rescue with luscious Pumpkin Curry.  It is a red curry with large chunks of pumpkin and coconut milk in the sauce.  I still needed a very large glass of milk to cut the spice but I will be dreaming about Pumpkin Curry.

4.  C.R.E.A.M. - This is a cookie/ice cream shop where they will make you an ice cream sandwich with warm cookies right from the oven and delicious homemade ice cream.  A plain cookie will set you back $.65 while a whole cookie sandwich will run you $2.00.  It actually stands for Cookies Rule Everything Around Me.  Enough Said!

5.  What's My Name Guy - Sitting outside of C.R.E.A.M. is a very large man who sits on a bench screaming "WHAT'S MY NAME?" to anyone that passes by.  In response to his own question he screams an answer that is somewhere between the roar of a bear and the Arghh of a pirate.  He follows that with "Yeah that's my name"  He can be heard four blocks away.

6.  There aren't many places that you can drive an hour and a half (or less)and see just about anything you want.  A few we enjoyed:  Santa Cruz boardwalk, Wine Country, Point Reyes National Seashore, Sacramento (the capitol).  While you drive that 90 minutes you could possibly see a 20 - 25 degree temperature change....

Though I'm not sure the sign on the back of my car will ever read "California or Bust" it has been a great month and I wouldn't mind visiting again soon!