As promised, here is a recap of the exciting adventures I enjoyed with Paul & Craig in California last month.
Paul took time off work to show me around… in his ‘baby’. She was a very comfortable ride 🙂
First stop, Armstrong Woods – a redwood forest just 3 miles up the road. Very peaceful and beautiful. Except for the two mosquitoes that dined on my arm….
A giant tree stump with markers showing it’s age – was around long before the Aztecs in 1300.
We stopped at the beach (it was a bit chilly)…
And saw beautiful wildflowers on the hillside…
Paused to marvel at the misty trees…
We stopped in Bodega Bay to get up close and personal with stars of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Tippy Hedron wasn’t there that day to sign autographs, but someone recorded her July 4th visit. Enjoy.
Drove past many vineyards (it was Sonoma County, after all).  Sometimes I wish I liked wine.
We stopped by Powell’s Sweet Shop in Windsor where Craig gave me run of the candy store – anything I wanted. I highly recommend the Amaretto Truffles.
Sometimes I wish I didn’t like chocolate.
I was well fed.
Very well fed.
I gained over 5 lbs, but it was worth it.
Paul fixed several gourmet meals. My offering was a turkey havarti sandwich on sourdough (delicious, but not gourmet!).
And Craig treated me to the best ribs I’ve ever had. I also loved sharing in the traditional Sunday cheese/cracker and prociutto lunch. Yum.
We played a little Cribbage.
Craig and I tortured Paul by making him sit through the entire movie Avatar. We all agreed we want our gardens to glow like that at night.
Paul (the best blogger ever) worked on his blog.
We planted a few flowers, watched a little Design Star and RuPaul’s Drag Race, and all in all had a lovely time.
Thanks, guys, for being such gracious and entertaining hosts. It was so fun to spend time with you! Now, when are you coming to the northwest?
Sounds like a really great time and a nice visit was enjoyed by all. 🙂 It’s things like that which make life so fun, I think.
OK. A few posts ago I was going to post about how I thought comparing my blog to yours was like comparing “Joanie loves Chachi” to “Happy Days”. A bad spin off. I might do it next.
Your pictures and their placement are flawless, your phrasing and story-telling are amazing. And then there is the content. I’ve got some work to do. Thanks for the post. It looks like a lovely place to live. Oh wait, it is.
Thanks, Paul. After re-reading it today, I realized I forgot to include our little stop in Vacation Wonderland. I guess that means it will get its own entry.
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole visit with you! This post makes me really appreciate all over again where we live. I agree with Paul, you are an absolutely amazing photographer. Must be nice to have a second profession you could fall back on. You are truly that good. Thanks for showing everyone our neck of the woods in all it’s splendor.
LOVE this thread. You were where I hung out for years (like 20 years) before we left Cali! Brought back memories. Took the kids to Armstrong Woods all the time. Did you drive up the Mt. in AW to the pond? Bodega Bay – love it, but it can bet cold! Gurneville – summer memories of canoeing down the river. Sounds like a fun trip. I’m glad you got to experience my neck of the woods!
Gorgeous pictures Alli. Those misty trees were amazing…I do believe you were spoiled rotten, beautiful house, wonderful dinners, perfect hosts! I still want to see more pictures…
What a fun time and beautiful place! (And you do have a very nice ride, Paul). We’ll have to make a trip out to see you sometime.
Thanks for updating us on your California trip!! The pictures are beautiful… looks like an incredibly fun vacation. The food itself would be enough reason to go on a vacation. Very gourmet.
Those misty trees are beautiful.
Beautiful place and wonderful hosts, sounds like a perfect trip. I love how it looks like those seagulls are checking out the framed art. 🙂
Thanks for sharing a little of your wonderful trip with us. I can see you had such a terrific time. The food looks and sounds delicious, great places to visit and wonderful friends. You are an amazing photographer. The misty trees should show up on a post card or calendar.