It was around 11 AM. From the train station, I walked down 2nd St to C St and made a beeline to the Farmer’s Market. California is world famous for its agriculture. There isn’t any kind of grain, fruit, or vegetable that doesn’t grow in this state, and considering the numerous vendors here that morning from local farms, the abundance is quite evident. Most everything offered is organic and fresh picked. At $3.20 a pound, it was hard to say “No” to a couple of pounds of Bing cherries. I also bought a pint of blueberries for $2.75 and a pint of Santa Maria strawberries for $3.50. I spent the next hour and half sitting on a park bench gorging myself.
The park was filled with people spread out on the lawn with blankets and picnic baskets. I observed a father helping his small daughter get a kite up into the air. Other children were running around in a game of tag. Dogs were chasing after Frisbees and balls. Several small groups of people were engaged in simple conversation. And the music from the live bands playing at the market made it feel more like you were at a festival, a celebration of joining together with family, friends, and even complete strangers. This is a community that likes to hang out together, its people very friendly and helpful.
Liz met up with me shortly after. She asked me if I had had anything in mind for lunch. Considering that I was quite stuffed as it was, I said anything light would be fine with me. She bought a bag of pumpkin bolani bread and a small tub of orange lentil sandwich spread. We headed off to the Arboretum on campus and shared a quiet lunch on one the benches. Later that evening we drove to Sacramento to meet up with her mother for dinner.
Graduation was Sunday morning at 9. I arrived at The Pavilion at 7:30 AM to make sure I got a good seat within viewing distance of the stage. Considering the cavernous size of the facility, which is used mostly for athletic events, getting good pictures proved a real challenge for my digital camera. The lighting and distance made it impossible to get a clear picture of my daughter as she sat with her class waiting for the commencement to begin.
Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef gave the Welcome speech, which did not seem very encouraging. He congratulated the students on their hard work and significant achievement, but then apologized that many of them might not be able to find jobs because of the suffering economy.
Article comments
1 - Joanne Huspek
I had much of the same thoughts as my son graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory in May.
Time marches on, doesn't it?
2 - klondikekitty
Nice nostalgic article, Mr. Cunningham, but the thing that struck me the most was the descriptive passages of the town of Davis and the college campus which gave the impression you had never been there before . . . Your daughter has been a student at this college for the last four years, and you never visited her ONCE during the entire time??
3 - S L Cunningham
Yes, it does. Congratulations on your son's graduation.