This was one great day. I left Santa Cruz around 9:15 after sleeping in. Got to Stockton just before 11:30 where I was meeting one of my former students, Jeannie Lawley. She used to go by Jean, but said she prefers Jeannie. We talked for a couple hours and had a good ole time. She’s 40 now and has lived quite a life. We’re talking about writing a book about her life. It is an interesting one. She got a good laugh out of my telling her about my friend in Fall River.

I got to the motel in Angel’s Camp and there was a couple sitting outside their room talking. I started talking to them and they invited me to bring out a chair and join them. The man was originally from Stockton and worked for the Sheriff’s Department. He was shocked to find out I’d taught at Franklin, Edison, and Stagg. His wife used to manage the resort that my Uncle Francis and Aunt Jenny used to run. She’d met my uncle. The guy new Doug Wilhoit and Gene Bisanio and a few others people I knew. They now live in Oregon. They asked me to join them for dinner and it was surprising all that we had to talk about.

The girl who waited on us had a number of tattoos and I asked her why she got them. She said some, she got some when she was down, because for some reason, which she didn’t know, they made her feel better. She said some were for good times she wanted to remember like a special trip to someplace. I asked her if she thought we would get different answers from different people, and she said she thought so. I think she’s right.

Tomorrow I’m going to Brett Harte High to see if I can get a couple teachers to have students read my book. I decided to take the first page as a tickler to get them interested. It has the name of the town, the talk of the war, and the Jumping Frog in it. If that doesn’t get them, I don’t know what will.

I’m going to do the same at Mark Twain Elementary. This should be my approach from now on. The first page is an attention grabber and will probably be enough to get people interested. I probably should create a cover letter also with my phone number.

Tomorrow evening I’m going out to dinner with a teacher I taught with in Stockton. She now teachers at Columbia Community College. She’s a great friend. I believe she and her husband have read by book, so I’m anxious to hear what they have to say.

Guess that’s it for tonight. I’m inspired by Stephen’s new PasquiniFamily Blog.