My hometown mechanic

I dropped by my hometown garage last night on the way to dinner. My car had been making some noises, and Maria had already warned me my CV boots were cracked.

Sure enough, the axle was bad. And of course, I was overdue for an oil change.

I wanted to go to San Francisco today to have dinner with my son, and I asked Maria if she kept urgent care appointments open for people, like Kaiser does.

She said yes, but they were all booked. Then she said--as she always does--maybe she could get it done by noon if I brought the car in at 7 am. I said, "Sure!"

Then I remember that I had a meeting this morning from 7 to 9 am--a meeting I needed to drive to. She thought a moment and then said, "No problem. Leave your car here tonight, take my car and bring it back after your meeting," and tossed me the keys to her brand new custom-painted Scion.

Maria likes to walk to work, anyway. She says.

Would YOUR mechanic give you her OWN car to drive while she fixes your car? I think not.

Back when Out West Garage first came to Petaluma, I wrote an article about Maria. She's one of the things I like about living in Petaluma.