2011 May 04 - Rivers Edge Cafe

2011 May 04 - Rivers Edge Cafe
Isleton, CA

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Today we are headed to a real late brunch in Isleton. We will be eating at the Rivers Edge Cafe which is not open for business. In fact it has not been open for two years. The owner took a civilian position with DOD Department of the Army. His work place is not within commute distance of Isleton. They have to keep an apartment near his work place but their permanent home is still above the restaurant in Isleton. The plan is to work a couple of more years until he qualifies for retirement benefits, then they may open the restaurant again.

The restaurant and home once housed a Chinese Market and the market owner's family lived upstairs.
Lil, the wife and cook heading across Main Street to greet mom


Lee is the brother who is the full time resident in Isleton


Walking into the building

I used to drive mom and dad here almost every Thursday since about 2003. Then just mom after dad passed away in August of 2007.
We even celebrated dad's 93rd birthday here in July of 2006 - photo by Skid Robinson

Now here is Clay greeting mom. In the background is the Mah Jong lady, a retired pharmacist who grew up in Isleton - went to UOP and worked and lived in Oakland until her retirement. She moved back to Isleton to take care of her ailing elderly mother and stayed on after her mother passed away a bit over a year ago. She now is a docent for the walking tours of Isleton.

Basically the restaurant has become the over sized dining room and game room when Lil and/or Clay are on vacation.

Mom's usual breakfast, two basted eggs and bacon with potatoes and toast.


But Lil has prepared French Toast as well as a platter of link sausage and orange slices and strawberries.
Everyone else has the chive scrambled eggs

And one of the other guests is a friend from the East Bay.

And Lee is eating good since he does not have to eat his own cooking.

This is what my plate looked like before I started to eat.
Of course I also added sausages and French Toast later

Lil does not eat much, probably what keeps her so thin.
Lil having a toasted bagel with cream cheese

A couple from near Fairfield had heard that Clay and Lil were back for a while and dropped in.

They only have coffee as they had already eaten lunch.

Lil preparing dessert in the kitchen.

After dessert and shooting the breeze for a good long time we head on back home.

A photo of Main Street Isleton looking north or east. Most likely northeast as it parallels the river which bends a bit.

Now we are ready to head back to Stockton but first a quick stop about two blocks away and a block to the right. This is the church that was originally built as a Japanese Buddhist Church, but which was looted and left in shambles during the Internment of WW II. Of the almost one thousand Japanese that populated Isleton prior to 1942 only a few returned after the war.
It is being used as a Church of God currently

We head back to Stockton via Ryde and Walnut Grove and along Walnut Grove-Thornton Road to I-5.

Mom's name tag is now on her Bayside Landing door.

Here she is unlocking her door.

The last fully visible window in this photo on the ground floor is mom's window.

~end
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