Holiday in CA

As I mentioned in the last post, the day after Christmas, B, one of her brothers and his wife, went on holiday.  I was hoping for a little warmer climate, but I wasn't the one that was choosing the site- although, I didn't want to spend 5 grand to go get a sunburn either.  The spot: northern California, in a little place called Irish Beach (around the Mendocino area).

It was beautiful, very relaxing (so relaxing I almost slipped into a coma). I will paste a few shots here.

This a panoramic shot from the deck of the home in which we were staying.  There was quite a steep hill down below, but there was a road not far away that we walked/drove down to the beach.  The waves relentlessly battered the shore day and night- what an awesome sound.  Although, I'm glad we were sleeping on the other side of the house else they would have kept we awake all night.

We arrived late at night, the day we arrived at our coastal getaway.  When I got up the next morning, I spied a couple of very rare visitors at the house across the road.... the illusive dearbird.

The next two shots are views as going down the road to the beach.

 There were ginormous mounds of kelp that would wash up on the shore which scattered the beach in all directions.  We were secretly hoping to find a body tangled up inside, a victim of some spy vs. spy action... sick!

 B's bro and his blushing bride.

 Awe!

 A lot of these shots are so Goonie-esk.  I've got to go watch that now...

 As the waves retreated, they would make some of the most spectacular designs.

 Man against the sea...  let me tell you, I was just a few feet from falling into the sea.  It was a one foot wide cliff.  It gave me the heebee geebees, but dang, what a shot!  This is the spot where we saw sea lions and whales spouting- cool!  It was such an amazing coast line.  So many different rock formations, cliffs, and wildlife.

 We were surprised that there were hummingbirds still hanging around here.  Well, the flowers are still growing, so why wouldn't they?  They are so fun to watch- quick little boogers and so dang cute!

"When the ebbing tide retreats along the rocky shoreline.  It leaves a trail of tidal pools in a short-lived galaxy.  Each microcosmic planet a complete society.  A simple kind mirror to reflect upon our own.  All the busy little creatures chasing out their destinies.  Living in their pools they soon forget about the sea..." Natural Science cpt

 Just had to put her feet in the water... because it was there.  How do you get a brain-freeze when you wade in cold water?   Hmmmmm...

This was a shot of old mill we saw on our drive through the Napa Valley.  We were amazed at the endless miles and miles of grape fields that stretched out through this beautiful country.  There were so many wineries, it was unbelievable.  And they all had taste-testing available- I doubt they had any "unleaded" varieties.

 

This little flyer caught my eye as I walked back from the beach one day.  It just so happened that we were going to be in town for the big crab fest- sweet!  It was quite pricey, but it was all about the experience, right?  This place we were in, really didn't seem like California, more like Oregon... with Oregonites.  We went to this feed and it was in some little town hall (a grange- Google it- interesting). So we go in to pay and we ask if they take credit cards.  They looked at us like we were growing two heads.  We went to the local grocery store and bought a few things and got cash back.

It was an all-you-can-eat affair... I like that!  All the crab, shrimp scampi, fish chowda and salad that you could stuff down your gullet. I of course skipped right over the rabbit food and went straight for the sea fare.  I pounded down so many crab, I almost walked out sideways!  So good.

As with all good things, they must come to an end- sad.  You know, I don't ever think I could get tired of watching as the "wheel in the sky" sinks slowly into the never-ending barrage of waves of the beautiful Pacific.  The sound is amazing- I don't want to go home to my  high-teens, low-20 deg environment... oh well. Oh, I forgot to mention that several nights, we hopped into the hot tub and soaked in the starlight and drank deeply from the ever-sweet Milky Way.  I enjoyed watching Orion track the ever-evasive Taurus across the expanse of space.  

When I gaze upon Space- that final frontier, I always get pensive... at least, it makes me think a lot  :)  How does God do it?  I don't know, but I want to find out so I can put a few worlds together myself.  I don't know, but it will be hard to rival the beauty that He's made for us.  Sometimes, it's the simple things in life...