Then I took the fast route (highway 101) to Novato, and turned onto Novato Boulevard hoping I wasn't too late to catch her coming the other way. Within a mile I saw her, but she didn't see me. I pulled off onto a side road and called her cell phone, then instructed her to look back. A short way down the road we pulled over and went into Sam's Place, what looked like a solid local establishment and a change from some of the fast food we'd been consuming. The menu included everything from BBQ and oysters to falafel and enchiladas. The food turned out to be disappointing, but we had a really great latte afterwards at the Marin Coffee Roasting Company, a drive-through cafe located in a former gas station.
From there I drove to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center, a local landmark. It's got a great view of the Terra Linda area of San Rafael including a copper-clad building in which I'd once worked as software engineer. I stopped in at the library and was pleased to see a couple of book displays for June 2009, LGBT Pride Month. I spent 30 minutes on the computer, met Kathleen at the Embassy Suites, and we went for a 3 mile ride around the surrounding neighborhood.
When MBW* and I were new, she lived in the East Bay and I lived in Marin. When we tired of driving back and forth over the Richmond Bridge, we moved in together in San Anselmo. We both still love Marin County and it's beautiful open spaces and rolling hills. It is always such a joy to be back there. So after checking into our hotel we went for a ride around the Marin Civic Center lagoon and the surrounding neighborhood.
Our next stop was a Long's Drugs where my doctor had phoned in an antibiotic prescription for my sinus and ear infection. As I waited I was struck by the choice of merchandise next to the pharmacy counter: Vitamin Water and Coors Light. Okay, maybe Coors Light is a healthier choice than regular Coors (is it?) but selling alcohol right next to the pharmacy just doesn't seem right. And selling it side by side with Vitamin Water seems downright weird. Watered-down beer next to overpriced water. Beer with a vitamin chaser. Or maybe a lighter take on a boilermaker? The mind boggles.
Then we had dinner with one of MBW's work friends, her almost-done-with-second-grade son, and a friend who helps take care of him. These women are no slouches. One runs the ICU at a nearby hospital, and the mom just finished police academy. After lots of crunchy fried foods seasoned with great conversation, we headed back to the hotel as the sun set and the fog rolled in over Mt. Tamalpais.* My Beautiful Wife (here's her post on Day 6)
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