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Santa Rosa, California When I was 6, I had two favorite comic strips. Family Circle reminded me of my own family of 6, but Peanuts was my most favorite. What child could resist the images of Snoopy and the rest?
Two weeks ago, Don and I visited Santa Rosa, the sweet town where Charles Schulz lived the last few decades of his life. I had some fun celebrating with my favorite Peanuts characters. Railroad Square Don and I wandered from our hotel in Santa Rosa's historic Railroad Square.
We came upon a few memorable characters in the park and along the downtown sidewalks. Ice Arena Before leaving town, Don and I made a stop at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena.  We remembered coming to the ice rink nearly 35 years ago, hoping to catch a glimpse of Charles Schulz, ice skating. Warm Puppy Cafe Although the famous cartoon artist skated at the rink regularly, we didn't see him on our visit years ago.  This time, there was no hope of a sneak peek, but we saw lots of Snoopys ... in the Warm Puppy Cafe, with views of hockey players on ice! Hot Cocoa It was 10 am and chilly when we visited.
I could have used a cup of coffee, but I chose hot chocolate in honor of my 6-year-old self. Abbey Road We left the cafe and noticed the "Abbey Road" image painted on the walkway.  A gracious employee noticed us studying the flat, painted images and insisted we pose for a photo. What a playful way to end our Peanuts adventure. Sad Update 5 days after writing this post, I woke to the news of wildfires in California. The friends we had stayed with earlier, in the hills of northeastern Santa Rosa, lost their home. Charles Schulz's widow was evacuated and lost the home she and Charles once shared. It's been almost a week and 2 dozen fires are still destroying homes and habitats.
Now, I look at this whimsical photo that I've been using as a Facebook profile pic for 2 weeks and I feel extra sad. So many, many people have lost homes, pets, heirlooms and even loved ones.There are a lot of people out there who are in need of mental health support, these days. And certainly all of us could use the comfort of a warm puppy!
2 Comments
kristi
10/16/2017 06:57:18 am
I visited this museum and city and loved it. I wished I spent more time. We found out our friends had to evacuate, but they so far their house is still okay. It's all very sad. I loved this gem of a city.
Beth
10/16/2017 03:05:59 pm
Kristi, I thought of you when we were there. I knew you'd been to the museum and you'd liked Santa Rosa. It really is a wonderful town and there's something so sweet and comforting about the Schulz/Peanuts connection. It sounds like they're getting some control over the fires now. It's been so terribly sad. Leave a Reply. |
Sixty
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