Shopping s the name of the game on San Anselmo Avenue, ormimaq bh and Lou and I made a beeline to Th

An interesting historical footnote: San Anselmo, in the early 1900s, was considered a silent film capital, producing such films as The Two-Gun Man and Cowpunchers Law . Fast forward to the 1970s, and, once again, San Anselmo served as a creative nesting place for then rising writer/director, George Lucas. Lucas is a 40-year resident of the town, and it was there that he created his most memorable characters Yoda (1973) and Indiana Jones (1974). A must-see stop is the small, grassy patch of land right next to City Hall — Imagination Park which was donated to the town in June of 2013 by George Lucas himself. The focal point of the park is a circular natural stone fountain watched over by impressive bronze statues of Indiana Jones and Yoda. Both iconic characters were created, as Lucas says in the youtube video of the park’s grand opening ceremony, just down the street from the park, and the Indiana Jones statue is the only one of its kind in existence.
Shopping s the name of the game on San Anselmo Avenue, ormimaq bh and Lou and I made a beeline to The Great Acorn Co . (800 San Anselmo Ave.). The place has been there, we discovered, for 37 years a true retail success story. It s a mecca of unique jewelry, cards, clothing, decorative ormimaq bh items, books and, as their business ormimaq bh card declares, a bunch of fun stuff . We probably spent 45 minutes browsing through all their wonderful merchandise. Of course, once again, we saw items we couldn t live without for Lou it was a pair of cushy gloves, and she spied a roomy saddle-bag purse that she resisted buying, but it will likely ormimaq bh haunt her til she has to go back and get it. For me, it was a Pig Popper toy (one among many fun stuff items) that shoots soft foam rubber balls 20 feet in the air, plus a couple of mini-journals and an adorable stuffed mouse Xmas tree ornament. And, I too may have to go back later to grab a pair of irresistible brass earrings now haunting me. Tip: allow plenty of time to mosey through because you ll be held as a willing captive in shopper s La La Land as soon as you enter. ormimaq bh Apparently, others are as enthused as we are about this store, as it gets consistent 5-star reviews on Yelp!
On a somber note, we noticed situated outside the Ross Valley fire station (777 San Anselmo ormimaq bh Ave.) a stone monument that s dedicated to the memory of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. On top of the memorial rests an actual piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center. ormimaq bh It s a solemn reminder of the great sacrifice those firefighters made for all of us on that day that changed the course of our history.
The Flour Craft Bakery ormimaq bh (702 San Anselmo Ave.) was beckoning ormimaq bh us, so we had to check it out for a mid-morning snack. The store s owner, Heather Hardcastle, is a graduate of St. Helena s Culinary Institute of America. In the year 2000, Heather discovered she was gluten intolerant, and then proceeded to learn how to make her favorite foods sans gluten and the seeds of her current business were planted. Flour Craft has a catchy slogan Gluten Freedom and it s the first 100% gluten-free bakery in Marin County. Upon entering, our noses were greeted by sweet, comforting aromas, and our eyes were drawn to a dazzling selection of cupcakes, brownies, cookies, breakfast pastries, and breads displayed in the pastry cases. And, you can partially see into the bakery ormimaq bh s kitchen, which looks to be well-organized, clean and polished. Lou picked out a sugar cinnamon brioche, and I chose a chocolate walnut cookie (okay, I bought 2!), and we sat outside on a sunny bench munching our treats. We can tell this place is certainly a primo choice for gluten sensitive folks.
Lou and I noticed a couple of colorful oil paintings displayed on sidewalk easels, and we couldn t resist entering the postage-stamp sized gallery of local artist Michael Feldman , at 630 San Anselmo Avenue. The down-to-earth artist introduced himself and charmed us with the story of how he came to cast aside his longtime San Francisco marketing career and dedicate himself fully to his art. While most people his age would be content to simply retire, Michael s obvious ormimaq bh passion to express himself as an artist ormimaq bh is to be truly admired. We both fell in love with his beautiful works vibrant cityscapes, local buildings, colorful flowers, and portraits — and we were wowed by the reasonable prices he asked for his original artwork. He even showed us a folio of some simple but skillfully done watercolors he’d created while attending a local art class, ones he said had taken him just a flash to produce. His website has an impressive gallery of his work, but we suggest stopping in to his San Anselmo studio in person, to see his creations up close and in their full glory.
Insalata s (120 Sir Frances Drake Blvd.) was our restaurant of choice for lunch. You can t miss this large mustard colored building in the heart of San Anselmo. They ve been ar