My time in the Bay Area was too short, so many folks that I didn’t have time to see. On Wednesday I headed north to see some friends I hadn’t seen in fifteen years. I stopped in Marin County and met a friend for a very early lunch (we first tried to order before the lunch service started at 11) at the all-organic eatery in the Strawberry shopping center in Tiburon.

Arugula with fennel, avocado, macadamia nuts, and mixed citrus.

Dino kale salad with almonds, quinoa salad, avocado, carrots, and black rice.

Chico sat beside me at our outdoor table, ignoring the server, but not the two Irish Setters on their way to the pet shop. Ending dog-aggression, still a work in progress.

I headed north to Garberville, then east to my friends Wa and Ma’s house. They have lived in the same spot for about 25 years, and are pretty settled in. Lots of talking, not much picture taking.

Here’s the view from the composting toilet.

And some of Ma’s beautiful and very special California poppies with Chico’s foot.

On the way back to town the next morning I stopped in the middle of the road to take this picture of the very busy garden center in the middle of nowhere. Those white bags are 6 x 6 x 6 foot sacks of soil or fertilizer. We can be pretty sure this is Prop 215 related.

My next destination was Camptonville, in the gold country where Jimbo lives. We’ve known each other since we were both in our teens, and he’s kind of like a little brother to me.

I stopped at the store on the way, and  couldn’t resist this weird soda. The label pleased me more than the taste.

By the time we arrived at Jimbo’s it was time for dinner,

which included this salad with a local, just-picked, arugula and spinach base, olives, kumquats, avocado, fenugreek sprouts, green onions, and broccoli rabe flowerettes,

and an early night. Jimbo is a terrific cook and in coming posts there will be more pictures of some of what he fed me.