A Windy Walk

Chimney Rock Trail

I don't know what it's like to live in Inverness year 'round, but when we stay here I always feel slowed down, the days less cluttered, and I sleep better.  All I have to do is glance out the window at Tomales Bay and the rolling hills across the bay, and my shoulders drop.

Yesterday, after a couple of hours of housekeeping--doing laundry, water plants, tidying up--I told Jerry I'd like to see some vista.  How about we drive out Sir Francis Drake Blvd?

So, we drove out through the Seashore to Chimney Rock trail, where we could look at wildflowers and get a view of the white cliffs of Drake's Bay.    It was very windy, but as Jerry said, "If you wait to go to Chimney Rock until it's not windy, you'll never go."

Fabric drying

A list of walks we'd like to take:  Not enough days left to do them all

Rolling surf at North Beach

Swaying sign

Hay at one of the dairy ranches

Calves' nursery

Camera shy

The sweep of Drake's Bay as seen from Chimney Rock parking lot

The historic Lifeboat Station, 1927

Where the lifeboats slid into the water

The end of Chimney Rock trail.  But that didn't stop Jerry from climbing the fence to see the actual Chimney Rock off the tip  (not possible).  I was pulling him back by the sleeve.

Ignored by Jerry

As we headed back, the cows were going home at 3:30

We stopped here to get coffee and a photo of this view:

Chimney Rock is that speck off the  peninsula  where we'd just walked

Alas, this cafe was closed

...perhaps permanently.  Fixtures removed.

We drove on to the Bovine Bakery in Pt. Reyes Station

Too many to choose from

We ate brownies outside at the new West Marin Commons park

Waiting to be planted at the park

Consistent with my belief that life is a patch job

Petaluma: Definitely Better than Bulgaria

Yesterday, as cars were pouring into town, we mixed it up a bit and drove the opposite direction.  I wanted to check out fabrics for a border for my quilt, and Jerry was game if it involved going out to lunch.

So we drove 20 miles to Petaluma, which ought to be called "City of Adorable Cottages."  Lots of charm:

 It was Memorial Day, and a few houses had flags, some bigger than others:

Lunch outdoors

Cobb Salad in a sandwich.  Too big to bite into, so it became a salad for this eater.

I always think this shop looks like it belongs in Santa Fe

Lots of the fabrics were sorted by designer, not color, which I found a little confusing

Stroke of genuis:  husband chairs (he caught up on field notes)

Remarkably vintage-looking for new tea towels

Back in Inverness:  The new fabrics

  A possible dull-green border?  Suggestions welcome

When we got back from Petaluma, we made a run to Tomales Bay State Park, but alas, I forgot my camera. Let's just say that Heart's Desire Beach was very full of large family groups enjoying picnics.  We walked briskly to a nearly deserted beach, Pebble Beach, and enjoyed the quiet and the scenery.

After dinner, we figured out how to stream Netflix on my computer--a happy development because the night before we'd been reduced to Rick Steves' on Bulgaria. (Elisabeth must have gotten this set for pledging to NPR, we decided.)  Bulgaria is not a place you want to go, based on when Rick made this CD.  But we did learn where it was.  News to us.

Counting Wildflowers on a Lazier Day

We took one of our favorite walks yesterday, at Abbott's Lagoon, and it took longer than usual because we counted wildflowers along the way.  In fact, we dallied all day, and it felt good.  Hordes of day-trippers were pouring into the National Seashore, and we pretty much stayed out of their way.

We got an early (for us) start on our hike, after waffles cooked on our beat-up-but-trusty waffle iron, brought from home.

Here's the parking lot at Abbott's Lagoon when we arrived at  at 11 am:

Path winding down to the lagoon

Native Lupine. We counted 36 species of wildflowers.

Hard to see, but this is the flower of poison oak.  Who knew?

 

 

First glimpse of the lagoon

 

Half of this group was staring at a bird near the water, the other at a plant at their feet

Bridge over the lagoon

Beach-goers claim a log

Dune area protected for nesting Snowy Plovers

Mozzarella snacks while sitting on an improvised bench.  Who is that eccentric man?

The parking lot when we left at 1 pm

Eating lunch on the deck, back at the house

Relaxing in the sun with a good read