Living LARGE by thinking small
We have rented a cottage
walking distance
to downtown St Helena in the
Napa Valley
It's sweet and it's teeny
Less is more
less house = less maintenance=more free time
A narrow staircase leads up to our lofty little bedroom
Without the BIG house responsibilities
we have been inspired to take road trips , explore and discover...
we have been inspired to take road trips , explore and discover...
 | ||
| A perfect way to begin the day is breakfast in neighboring Sonoma at The Fremont Diner
  or why not bread pudding ?  ...and the Tamales- YUM ! for breakfast or lunch  towards the Pacific Ocean vineyards give way to old barns and poultry sheds that dotted the landscape before wine became a cash crop  Small towns   ...and just down the road |
INVERNESS
on Tomales Bay
the quaint community where
summer homes are handed down
from one generation to the next
A "two horse" town
one grocery store and Vladimir's, the local bar
it even boasts a yacht club
Here there is every intention to keep things
small because size does matter
... but I can't imagine that the Inverness
post office will be here much longer
A great overnight destination is Nick's Cove in Marshall
where small individual
cottages hang over the water's edge.
Small is beautiful
In-room massages are available
after a day of hiking, fishing, kayaking , cycling
or even after doing not much of anything
The restaurant serves delicious local farm
fresh products
and of course
the famous oysters of Tomales Bay
Visit the oyster beds and
see how they are cultivated
Continue north along the coast road
and you will pass THE HERITAGE HOUSE
a once divine retreat in Little River,
made famous by the 1978 movie
SAME TIME NEXT YEAR
Sadly the inn appears to be closed and ramshackle
a sign of the times
but rumor has it that it has been bought
and will reopen summer of 2012
Let's hope
ELLEN BURSTYN - ALAN ALDA
star in the 1978 comedy
A couple of strangers meet at the inn and become lovers,
returning once a year for their romantic tryst
Rent the movie -
it's worth watching even if you have seen it before
Great writing -Great acting
If you were not even born in 1978 watching
it will give you a window into a past era
The village of
Mendocino on Bodega Bay
is the quintessential small town
A Hollywood favorite
for filming anything featuring a small, quaint seaside locale
either east or west coast - so suspend your disbelief
Shingles weathered by the salty wet air
An old lighthouse leads to safe harbor
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
The thriller was filmed in Mendocino
1963
Starring
TIPPIE HEDREN
(AKA mother of actress Melanie Griffith)
ROD TAYLOR
Hitchcock referred to THE BIRDS
as the most terrifying movie he had ever made.
You may never look at a sea gull the same way again
ANGELA LANSBURY
in
MURDER SHE WROTE
also filmed in Mendocino
The hit television series supposedly unfolding in
a fishing village in Maine ran for twelve seasons
1984-1996
Onward to the land of the GIANTS
Folk hero, Paul Bunyan and Babe his blue ox
A lumberjack of epic proportions
In 1850 there were 2 million acres of Redwood forest in California
Today there is less then 5% left of that old growth.
Image-Crossroads Lumber
Reclaimed redwood barn siding
used for planking an exposed ceiling
Redwoods can live to be 2000 years old giving them
plenty of time to become columnar giants
The Giant Redwoods
Redwood trees thrive along the California coast
which is often shrouded in fog.
They absorb 30% of their required moisture through their foliage
and the condensation of fog that drips to their roots.
A fallen Redwood 12 feet in diameter hosts
all kinds of symbiotic ferns and mosses
Tree trunks so broad that a full size SUV can drive through them
The tallest recorded Redwood is 379 feet tall-
taller then Big Ben in London
Thinking BIG we confront the dilema
Which way to go next?
Day trips could become more then simple overnights
Prepare to be surprised.
Happy trails
Rela
How inspiring and what a fabulous journal/journey! I want to get in the car and follow your lead!
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