I Scream, You Scream

When ever I reminisce about growing up it often includes memories of ice cream. Taking turns churning vanilla ice cream in our old hand crank ice cream maker, carefully adding ice and rock salt to cool the sweet mixture until the mixture it stiffened and taking turns licking the frozen treat from the wooden paddles. Occasional trips to the Hayward Creamery or the Soda Fountain on busy B Street are fondly remembered as are visits to Grandma and Grandpa Kane in Daily City that often included a side trip to Playland at the Beach and an a famous “It’s It” ice cream sandwich. My first taste of Rocky Road ice cream was from O’Connell’s remodeled street car on Castro Valley Blvd. that served home made ice cream and candy to locals as well as to passerby’s traveling the western section of the Lincoln Highway. The L & M Drive In served burgers and milk shakes beginning in the 1940’s across the street from the adobe where I attended kindergarten. Jim and I would solicit coins from Mom whenever we heard the repetitive sound of Pop Goes the Weasel ringing throughout our neighborhood. The Ice Cream truck offered Popsicles, Eskimo Pies, Fudgecicles, 50/50’s, Push-Up’s, Drumsticks and other ice cream treats to the kids of upper Forest Avenue. A&W’s root beer floats were a big hit in our teenage years as were shakes from Chuckles in the Castro Village. Ice Cream shops have come and gone through the years. Cindy scooped ice cream at Loard’s during her highschool years and mom always enjoyed a stop at the Ice Creamery on our Sunday afternoon rides. Leatherby’s was a popular spot in the Hub and who could forget standing on the seat at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour while the entire shop sang Happy Birthday? Fresh Driscoll strawberry’s from nearby fields served over vanilla ice cream was a summer favorite and an egg salad sandwich and a chocolate shake from Fremont’s Cloverdale Creamer was an occasional Saturday lunch treat. A double scoop of Black Forest from the Mendocino Ice Cream Company was worth the long trip and a hot fudge sundae from Ghirardilli Soda Fountain at the Disneyland Resort is still looked forward too as is enjoying ice cream with special lifelong friends at Cowlicks in Fort Bragg. Regardless if it’s savoring a hand scooped ice cream cone on Degnan’s patio in Yosemite or a single scoop in a cup nearby from Niles Ice Cream and Eats, we all scream for ice cream!