Sacramento

Larry went to Sam's Hof Brau for over 20 years. It first opened in 1959 in Sacramento.  When we lived here, we went every week or so and HAD to go every time we came back here after we moved away. We always ordered the same thing - corned beef for him, hot pastrami for me,  on rye with potato salad and the best kosher dill pickles in the world. So today, when I got into town, that is where I stopped for a late lunch. There is NO fat on the meat because it is all trimmed off. If you want a turkey sandwich, a big roasted bird is on the counter and they cut the meat off. The pickles are very thin sliced and are in a big oak barrel. And yes it was just like I remembered it tasting last year but I sure missed his company while I ate. I find it important on this trip to do things pretty much like we would have done if we were on the trip together.  Maybe that will change in the future but not for this trip.
I was glad to get to the hotel here in Sac today. I'm tired from driving so much by myself - more so than I expected to be - and want to sleep in the same bed for a few nights before going on to the next place. It was only about a 3 hour drive today and would have been less if I hadn't hit road construction again and spent several miles at stop and creep.
I found the genealogy  information I was looking for at the Library in Modesto. Larry's great-grandfather wrote a letter in July 1868 fronm Paradise City, Stanislaus County in which he talked about it taking 3 days to travel from Benecia (east of San Francisco) to Paradise City via boat and on land.  Today you could do it in 2-3 hours driving max. Paradise City isn't on the map anymore and we were curious as to where it was.  Well, I found out that it was just outside Modesto on the Tuolumne River and only existed for a few years. It was basically built as a shipping port to get goods to San Francisco via water. There was also a mill there for milling the corn that was grown in the area. The town died when the rail road came through Modesto and products were shipped via rail. Dr. O'Neil and another doctor set up a drug store in Paradise City. It must not have done too well because a year later he had moved onto Santa Barbara where he got married and later died. It was an interesting research day... 8-)  I can't wait to tackle the California Historical Library tomorrow that is here in Sacramento.
Gertrude (GPS system)  redemed herself today.  I can get to the HofBrau and I can get to the hotel I'm staying at but I didn't know how to get from one to the other. After I convinced her she wasn't still in Pasadena, she brought me right to the hotel.
If I wasn't feeling guilty enough for leaving Morris at home, I keep getting alerts on my phone about the storms happening in Tucson since I've been gone.  Poor guy HATES thunder and would always snuggle up lose to Larry so he could protect him.  Sorry Morris....  Remember, One Day At A Time...