Suburban Delights

Here's what I love about living in Petaluma. It's a big shift from life in the big city. 1. Driveway. Two car parking, no waiting. 2. Leaving your car unlocked in the driveway 3. Warm and sunny 30 miles north of SF, and 14 miles from the Pacific. It can be 30 degrees different between Petaluma and San Francisco. 4. Garage - we sit in it, watch the kid jump on a stomp rocket, and drink a beer with the neighbors. Next stop: beer fridge for the garage 5. Public outdoor pools, 2 of em, 5 bucks pop, 2 for the short one 6. Cows - you can smell the grassy cow dung in the evening breezes, and two miles out of town they dot the lovely rolling landscape. My favorite are the shaggy Scottish ones. 7. Parking. It's everywhere. It's insane. 8. Backyard. We've got tomatoes, basil, peppers, cucumbers, fava beans, and squash. And green beans. We've also taken over the alley behind the yard, where the teenagers from the high school down the street occasionally leave soda bottles full of piss. Ahh, youth. 9. Soccer field. For teaching the 7-year-old how to trap and pass, when he really just wants to do a "big boom." 10. Quiet. Even out on bike rides around town, the decibel level doesn't get close to the trucks and horns of SF's streets. And then I go back to my little apartment in San Francisco and ride bikes to Beach Chalet for drinks. And on the way home stop at the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit and stumble on the Friday night celebration of the designer's work, with a turnout that included loads of french sailor striped shirts and men wearing makeup and lace-up vests. The women show of their cleavage and giant hair. A good time was had by all. And the exhibit was freaky -- the mannequins had video projects on their faces; Jean-Paul "spoke" to you in his sailor sweater, replaying an interview, and his lips moved. The mannequins cut their eyes at you and smiled. There is much to love about San Francisco. Now I need to get back to the laundry, which I dry outside, and trim the roses.