California: With a Dream in Our Heart

By Tony Mussari

We crossed the Arizona desert at record speed.  At times, our Prius reached speeds of 80 miles per hour.  It just happens that way. You get so caught up in the natural beauty that is everywhere, you find yourself driving faster than you ever imagined you would. The crosswinds notwithstanding, the car averaged 44 miles per gallon of gas.

Then it happened.  The sign to the right read: Entering Pacific Time Zone. Before we knew it, we were in California.

We made a mandatory stop at an inspection station, and a pleasant state employee checked the oranges Kitch brought from Pennsylvania,  With a broad smile on his face, he said: “They’re fine. You brought them home.”

Once we crossed over the bridge, the lyrics to Dionne Warwick’s 1968classic, Do You know the Way to San Jose? reverberated in our minds. At one point, Kitch was humming and I was singing:

Do you know the way to San Jose?

I’ve been away so long. I may go wrong
and lose my way.
Do you know the way to San Jose?
I’m going back to find some peace of
mind in San Jose.

L.A. is a great big freeway.
Put a hundred down and buy a car.
In a week, maybe two, they’ll make you a star
Weeks turn into years. How quick they pass
And all the stars that never were
Are parking cars and pumping gas:

It was a joyful moment.  We made it to California.  The first part of our goal was reached.  We were in California, and everything was good.  Well almost everything.  The road was horrible. It was bumpy and badly in need of resurfacing.  For some reason that surprised us even more than the speed and mindless lane changing that we would soon experience.

Californians drive very fast, and they rarely use their turn signals. Some drivers snake in and out of traffic crossing lanes with the precision of a lynx. It’s both artfully done and downright dangerous.  It’s one part of the culture of the road that takes a while to adjust to.

Our first stop was a visit with our neighbor Marge Janosik, her daughter Sally, her son-in-law, Sean and their daughter, Rachel.

This past summer, Rachel and Sally were frequent visitors to Windsor Park. Rachel loves to feed the fish, and we enjoy her company. To her, we are Mr. Tony and Miss Kitch, and we like it that way.  Charming youngsters like Rachel have special privileges. They know it, and we celebrate it.  Our wonderful visit with Rachel, her grandmother and her parents set the tone for the next five days.

Mark Bailey is one of our very favorite people. Mark has been a student, a colleague and very special friend of ours for many years. He went to California during the recession. Today he is the technical director at Passages Malibu. Although he is 3,000 miles away, he remains a constant in our life and our work.
Our reunion was heartfelt and memorable on many different levels. For two days, we enjoyed the pleasure of Mark’s company, and we reveled in his success.

Among the high points of our visit to this part of California was a Face of America location shoot with Jack and JoAnn Rushton. Jack and his wife, JoAnn, are two of the most inspiring and courageous people we have met on our journey. They personify everything that America is on its best day

Breakfast in Toluca Lake with Tiesha Brunson was another special moment.  Tiesha has been an important part of our life since her freshman year in college. Then she was student. Today she is a dear friend who is the director of promotions for a number of programs broadcast by ABC. Our breakfast at Paty’s was deliciously joyful. We created a year of special memories as we laughed, talked and shared stories about our lives.

A chance meeting with the manager of Paty’s, a genuine service-oriented person, Sharon Mustaller, resulted in an unexpected but interesting Face of America opportunity.

Seven hours later, we were in San Francisco having dinner with another former student and friend, Kate Williams Vessey. Kate and her husband live in a beautiful apartment eight floors above Page Street.  From their balcony, you can see some wonderful scenes of the city. Kate cooked a delicious Italian dinner complete with a wonderful salad.

With warm hugs and heartfelt goodbyes, we left San Francisco. Our next stop would be Moraga, California.

Some times you find the Face of America in the accomplishments of former students and the warm embrace of a child.

There’s a line in Dionne Warwick’s song that speaks to everything Kitch and I are feeling as we start the third week of our journey:  With a dream in your heart, you’re never alone.

Until the next time, we hope that all of your stories have happy endings.

Please keep us in your prayers and always know of our gratitude for your help, kindness and support.

Please provide feedback to:
tmussari@gmail.com