Second to The Last Day(s) of Vacation and Home Sweet Home 2012

It was a long long longer than expected (for me) ride from Ashland, Oregon to Mendocino, California.

You can tell by the windy switchback roads over hill and dale, mountains, and lakes, forests and glens before reaching any civilization at all. We finally stopped in a tiny place called Willow Creek for lunch. I got to draw people eating, which you know I am accustomed to doing.

Later we got to a small CITY, Arcada, and DH went off to a music store looking for a special kind of guitar pick and I went across the street to a place where they made super good organic ice cream.

I had chocolate orange chip and it was every bit as good as that sounds.

They had art on the walls; and someone had built this wonderful wooden artsy glider with four giraffes at each corner with a table in the middle. A man with his little girl offered me to join them, but I declined wanting to look at the art and savor my ice cream sitting still.

 Meanwhile, back on the road again, we continued to drive through stunningly beautiful scenery, finally driving through Fort Bragg where we were married, and past the place where we'd rescued Henry V. We drove on to Mendocino and got to our Inn by dinner time. Just time to plunk our things down and walk over to Frankie's for a falafel plate for me and a tamale for him, listen to live music, and then go back to our place, light a fire and put our feet up after a very long day in the car.

  We loved our stay in Mendocino even if it was too, too brief. We know we will return.

The nexxt morning we checked out some favorite places in Fort Bragg before heading down the coast, but because it was Sunday everything we liked was closed. We waved to the court house where we were married.

Then we drove down the coast watching rocks and waves, beauty that only the coast of California can give you for miles and miles and miles unending...Stopping in Gualala for a bite to eat for lunch...then further down till we hit Bodega Bay. Got out at the Tides Inn to buy clam chowder and sour dough bread to take home for dinner.

Got home too late to pick up Henry. Sorry Henry. It took him a few days to either forgive us or forget, but he's fine now. We got him first thing in the morning. DH did. I stayed home to do loads of wash and meld back into real time after the best ten day vacation we've had in a while.

Home Sweet Home