Nickname: The Golden State

Capitol: Sacramento

We had a drink in the San Francisco establishment Vesuvio with Holly’s cousin Brad and his girlfriend Linda. The place was a regular hangout of Jack Kerouac and other famous Beat poets.

In 1947, Castroville crowned its first Artichoke Queen. The Artichoke Capital of the World unknowingly bestowed that honor on a woman who would become Marilyn Monroe!

Our friend Eric, who lives in Venice Beach, relies on his in-line skates to get around. He has friends who don’t realize he’s really not that tall because he wears them so much.

Arcata hosts a kinetic sculpture race every Memorial Day weekend. Most everyone finished, but we were sad to hear that the Purple People Popcorn Popper cracked in half during the last push across the Ferndale Slough.