Missing from all of my griping is the kernel of a fun weekend. M., as always, made sure I got to do the thing over which I would surely obsess. In this case, fireworks.
We saw fireworks at the Marin County Fair, pictures of which will be posted tonight, when I can fully access my site. The highlight of the fair for me was watching the gleam of excitement in M.’s eyes as he bore witness to the Hambone Express pig races. The excitement, the pageantry, the breathless anticipation of watching the porcine competitive spirit is unparalleled in the racing world.
The other cool thing about heading to Marin County is experiencing the weather. For anyone not familiar with Northern California climate, it’s pretty funky. San Francisco is pretty much always freezing compared to the surrounding areas, and unlike Back East, temperatures shift suddenly within say only a 50-mile radius.
When we left in the convertible, it was a pleasant 70-80 degrees or so and sunny, perfect top-down and T-shirt weather. As we got closer to SF, we put on windbreakers and the thermometer in my car registered an easy 10 degree drop. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, there was a thick, cool mist, the thermometer read 63 degrees and we had the heat going.
Maybe 15 minutes later with the bridge behind us, passing by Sausolito on the other side, the jackets were off and the thermometer numbers were climbing like a timer. Parking our car in Marin, the thermometer had hit 83, and the sun was beating down relentlessly.
In less than one half hour and 20 miles, there was a shift from the low 60s to the 80s. It’s tough to know what clothes to wear.
But the fireworks were pretty good. And, last night it was a cookout at a friend’s place, who just happens to live across the street from where the city of Santa Clara shoots off it’s display. The scene was completely reminiscent of the annual Braintree fireworks extravaganza with b
ooths and family fun, but not as lily white as Braintree. And the finale was awesome (so bright from so many fireworks at once, that my camera couldn’t handle it).
Life in the California suburbs with M. is becoming my sitcom.