What a Difference 7 Years Makes

This weekend marks the 7th anniversary of my move to downtown San Jose.  I remember that weekend 7 years ago well, with all the wonderful friends and family who helped me move and offered words of encouragement (even if forced at times) and tried not show their horror at what I had taken on. Cinco de Mayo celebrations were in full swing and every car, house and person (it seemed) sported a Mexican flag.  There was music and the happy sounds of family gatherings everywhere and the air was filled with wonderful smells of barbeque and home cooking.  My neighbors came over with plates of delicious fresh food to welcome me. Today I spent the day in the Santa Cruz mountains and as I rode back into town I could tell from the helicopters overhead that the immigration reform march must have started.  I headed over to Santa Clara Street and was struck by the different tone and appearance of today's march from the marches in the past.

 Today there were mostly American flags sending a clear message: "We ARE Americans."  The crowd had a focused message "Reform Now!"

This country has shown itself to be capable of great things, enormous generosity, bravery, creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness.  We are big enough and good enough to tackle this issue and make America work for all its people.

Spring Garden Market

One does not usually associate the word ruthless with gardeners but when it comes to the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County spring sale, there is a certain "take no prisoners" attitude.  Serious shoppers arrive very early and wait in line for the gates to open.  Then wait again in a sea of serious shoppers before getting the go-ahead signal.  From there it gets brutal. 

 If you are a person whose ego might be bruised by getting mowed down by an extremely experienced gardener, then this event is not for you.  

The madness lasts about 15 minutes at which point many of the more coveted tomato varieties are gone but the atmosphere is more relaxed and fun and there is still plenty to choose from.  The sale features heirloom tomatoes, peppers, herbs and a variety of vegetables and flowers.  There are also industrial strength tomato cages for sale and (in a separate area) vendors of all gardening related goods.  The sale is extremely well-organized and even provides "plant sitting" for you while you continue shopping.

Or you can just have a family member guard your selections while you continue shopping.

                      

It is best to come to the sale with a game plan. The Master Gardeners website provides you with a list of available plants for "pre-shopping" and then of course you have to check your list to make sure you got everything.

               

Fans Flock to San Jose for NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Is it just me or is it really easy to get caught up in March Madness?  My first awareness of the NCAA championships came when I moved to Champaign, Illinois in 1971 and I have never seen anything like that level of excitement and obsession about basketball since I moved back to California.  But when I got off light rail in downtown San Jose yesterday I picked up on a very heightened adrenalin level.

I heard this group from a block away.  They were incredibly pumped up and irresistibly friendly.

This group had a friendly rivalry going on with a lot of pom-pom pushing.

This group was unanimous in their allegience.

These guys started to rattle off the rankings (I believe they said UNM was 8th, "Nationally."

Non-partisan paper salesman. I hope the NCAA tournament was good for his business as well as other businesses downtown.

Just One More Day to Enjoy Christmas in the Park

Dogs are not allowed in the park but he enjoyed 

circling the park and watching the displays.

He especially liked the mechanical animals...

like Mary's little lamb in 

Harker Academy's display.

Christmas in the Park is celebrating its 30th year in San Jose.  I admit that this festival (which has grown from a cheesy little bunch of Christmas displays to a big, even cheesier carnival with rides and food stands) is hard not to love.

Everything is colorful and fun and they even have snow machines to give California kids a little taste of winter. Local schools, boy scout troops and other organizations decorate the trees. People are invited to vote for their favorite tree.

 There is also Ice Skating Under the Palms until January 18th (tickets must be purchased) and a raffle tomorrow night at 7:00.

San Jose Holiday Parade - The fun never stops in San Jose.

We just barely escaped having rain on our parade (or maybe snow) but that didn't stop 125,000 people from coming out to enjoy the San Jose Holiday Parade.  Who isn't captivated by giant parade balloons?  My favorite was Hello Kitty.

Ocscar was being difficult.

But I also like the marching bands, especially the Marine Corps.

And people/dog watching:

All in all a splendid time.

Turkey Trot

Second Harvest Food Bank Truck - Donating 10 cans got you one of these turkeys:

This is an event that really makes sense.  Go out Thanksgiving morning and get a bunch of exercise, mingle with friends and make a contribution to Second Harvest Food Bank.  Perfect. The Silicon Valley Turkey Trot features races for different levels of competitiveness, a mayor's cup, a costume contest, a firefighters competition and a kids fun run.  The route wound its way through various downtown neighborhoods (all my haunts) and gave people a glimpse of what San Jose has to offer. San Jose was looking its sparkly clean and colorful best. I was so proud.

A chiropractic group formed a spine. Here are the front and back.

This guy got himself a turkey.

Rock and Roll Half Marathon

A friend of mine ran in this race this morning so I decided to roll on over and check it out.  Wow! I had never been to a big race before and I really got caught up in the high energy and excitement of the crowd.  I can see why people run races, it seems exhilarating.  Anyway, somehow in the sea of runners I managed to find my friend (those are his orange shoes) and I got to see my councilman, Sam Licardo, chatting it up with former 49er Roger Craig (who appears to be fit enough to play championship pro ball right now) and I got to see Brandi Chastain who was there to run the race. The Rock and Roll half marathon is special in that it has bandstands set up all along the course with 10 different bands playing. There is also a post-race awards ceremony and concert. Seems like a logistical nightmare to set up but all seemed to be running (ha,ha) smoothly.

Spirit of Japantown - A Festival Just Made for Parasols

Besides the liquid refreshments, the beautiful Japanese sun parasols had to be the biggest sellers yesterday at this very hot and colorful fall festival.  The food was freshly cooked and irresistible, there were talented musicians and artists everywhere you looked and there was even a booth just for bicyclists where anyone who rode their bike to the festival got a prize and was entered in a special raffle.  Yeah for us!

Bark in the Park - A Dog Lover's Paradise

Bark in the Park is the annual carnival for dogs held at William Street Park.  I felt a little guilty attending the event without my dog (I've taken him in the past and he got way over-excited) but I just love watching dogs with their people.  The event includes an Owner/Dog Look Alike contest, herding demonstrations, Silly Dog Tricks and a Canine Costume contest.  A friend of mine said that there was much excitement and chasing about when the sheep escaped during the herding demonstration.  Sorry I missed that.  Bark in the Park is a fundraiser for the Humane Society and other charities.