From “The Scratching Post”:A memorable meal

By Ken Marks

[Originally posted on The Scratching Post, April 28, 2021. Republished here by permission of the author.]

I’m vaccinated, Linda is vaccinated, and it’s spring — time for a wildflower excursion. But maybe not. We’re in a drought; California is bleached out. So I turned to my main spring resource, the California Wildflower Tipline on Facebook. It features lovely splashes of color that excite wild cravings – “I want that picture, too!” I was cautiously hopeful, and there it was, a post showing carpets of wildflowers near the American River, on the outskirts of Sacramento. Wonderful, because I could also visit with my cousin Steve and his lovely wife, Gretchen. They live in Sacramento. I found a place to stay within 20 minutes of their house, and we were off.
    The drive from San Jose to Sacramento doesn’t get dicey until you’re ready to enter Sacramento. There you’ll find a maze of highway signs that has baffled Google Maps. The signs show Highway 50 branching east out of Interstate 80 as you approach Sacramento. Google Maps disagrees. They show Intrastate 80 as the eastern branch. Frantically, I looked for the invisible Intrastate 80 sign. Nearly an hour later, we arrived at our lodgings.
    Our “hotel” – a very generous a word – was “SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western.” It consists of a lobby and adjoining restaurant in front of two rows of cell blocks ... er, rooms. The facade is dreary and unwelcoming. No shrubs or flowers separate the blacktop from the lobby. I wouldn’t call it ugly, just a couple of clicks above shabby. Inside, the receptionist sat behind a plate of clear plastic. She seemed safe from our exhalations. We got our room keys and a few vague words about its location. When we opened the door, Linda saw it was a hollow steel plate, which I found consoling. If an axe wielder were to strike our door, he’d be foiled long enough for help to arrive.

[Read the whole thing on The Scratching Post.]

Copyright © 2021 by Ken Marks Ken Marks was a contributing editor with Paul Clark & Tom Lowe when “Moristotle” became “Moristotle & Co.” A brilliant photographer, witty conversationalist, and elegant writer, Ken contributed photographs, essays, and commentaries from mid-2008 through 2012. Late in 2013, Ken birthed the blog The Scratching Post. He also posts albums of his photos on Flickr.