LETTER OF THE WEEK

Recently, me and my wife enjoyed our last dining experience at the

Cannery. Over good food and a bottle of our favorite wine we talked about

many of the memorable experiences we enjoyed during our patronage through

the past 26 years.

For us, the Cannery was a great place to take out-of-town guests and

gather with relatives to celebrate. The water location, inside ambience,

good food and above all, a wonderful staff that always knew, and acted

like, they were truly in the hospitality business and enjoying their

profession.

Two occasions come to mind of particular significance. First, a few

years back just prior to Father’s Day we approached my wife’s father who

was battling cancer and asked where he’d like to spend Father’s Day. His

indication was that he didn’t want to go anywhere, but when we said let’s

go to the Cannery he said “OK.” We sat outside on a warm June morning an

he really enjoyed being with his family, and in an atmosphere that

brought back fond memories. Little did we know at the time that this

would be his last restaurant experience. One week later he was no longer

with us.

A couple of years ago, our Uncle Loren, a South Dakota wheat farmer in

his late 70s, visited and we gathered the family together to celebrate

one of his infrequent California trips. We had a lot of laughs and a

great time together. When the check came Loren insisted on picking up the

tab for the 12 of us who enjoyed dinner. He looked at the check and

rather dryly said, “Sure is more expensive than back home, but I guess

it’s worth it because we had a real good time.”

Restaurants come and go, but few will ever hold the memories that the

Cannery does for us. It was much more than a good place to dine ... it

was a great place to enjoy friends and family.

JOE MYERS

Corona del Mar