Everything happens on J Street (Happy Trails For Us: My Reluctant Blog)

As many of you know, we are spending the week in Sacramento, visiting our new grandson (and his parents); I have been helping my daughter during the day while David is working at his company's office in El Dorado Hills east of here. And nice for him, he has been commuting with our son, who lives near his sister (actually Matt was here first, having gone to UC Davis in 1998, and settling in the area after graduating), and works in the direction of David's office.

While we have made many trips to this area since Matt came north, most of them have been weekend trips, and I will confess that when David is driving I tend not to pay total attention to where I am. Only now, as we spend longer periods, and this week in particular, since I am doing some driving of my own, am I really becoming aware of my surroundings in Sacramento.

Lately we have been "in residence" at the Courtyard by Marriott - it is close to the kids' neighborhood and very comfortable. When I knew we would be here for a week, I took a look at VRBO (a year ago I looked and found nothing there for this capitol city location) and was pleasantly surprised to find this lovely garden apartment http://www.vrbo.com/179279, which is just a few blocks from both of the children, as our daughter found an apartment walking distance from her brother's house.

So this week, while going from our place to Sarah's, and over to Matt's house, going to the market, stopping for coffee, all those normal things, I have decided that everything in our Sacramento world is happening right here on J Street. Now J is one of the streets in Sacramento that runs from downtown throught midtown, into this east Sac neighborhood, and to be honest, I don't know where it ends up - maybe I should look at a map. Sarah and her husband Matt live right on J street, Matt and Emily are one block off J, our garden place is two blocks off it as well.

The other morning, walking over to Sarah's, I took this picture of spring tulips on a gray day in front of the church on the corner of J and 39th:

Immediately after snapping the picture, the skies opened and I walked the rest of the way in a downpour.

On this part of J, I walk past a church, a hospital, both Peets and Starbucks coffeehouses; there are several neighborhood restaurants, chain and otherwise - yesterday I picked up lunch from a Thai place snuggled next to a Subway and a tacqueria; across the street is a Czech-Italian cafe and a Chinese restaurant. There are nail salons and a hairdresser. On Matt and Emily's corner of J and Dolores there is a great soft yogurt store, one that gets so much traffic that their street has now gone to permit parking.

If I go a bit farther down J, I find the Safeway; yesterday Sarah and I took the baby for a short drive down J (well, down M because J does become oneway shortly past her place) to the bridal store where her bridesmaid dresses for two upcoming weddings are on hold for her. It's at J and 20th. And last night David and I met up with moderator emeritus Chris and husband Frank at a nice Mexican restaurant in mid-town; yep, it was at J and 28th.

The other day, when the sun was finally out in the mid-morning, we took the baby for a walk down J and across several blocks to McKinley Park to return library books to the branch in the park. The ducks and geese were also happy to be out in the sunshine:

Sac%20ducks%202.jpg

On the way home we stopped at a tacqueria at yes, J and Alhambra, and had soft tacos back at home for lunch. I really have felt that everything is happening right here on J street for us this week; I am sure we will be back for some more J street exploring in the months to come.