Whenever visit Sonoma County, California, I stop by Bodega Head and Doran Beach. Most visits I’ll go there several times. The beaches there are simply spectacular! And rarely crowded. During my last visit, as I was driving along Westshore Road toward the town of Bodega Bay, […]
All posts filed under: Left Coast Travel
Oregon’s Nature Nooks: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
View from the garden entrance The Zendog and I finally ventured out to explore the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden here in Portland. It’s located on SE 28th Avenue in the Westmoreland neighborhood. This garden got its start in the 1950 as a test garden and […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden
Can you hear the leaves crunching underfoot? water striders and sunlit autumn afternoons always float my boat. Late October was the perfect time to visit the Oregon Garden for fall colors. Four large brick reflecting pools and and forty brick planters occupy this garden plaza. Each […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden, Part 3
Every time I’m at the Oregon Garden I stop at this sign and then … … head down this narrow path towards the Secret Garden … … only to remember, when I come around the bend, that this is a dead end … The view […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden, Part 2
If you turn right outside the Visitors Center you’ll walk right into the Fuchsia Garden. Dozens of enormous hardy fuchsias grow there on the hillsid . Some are 6 to 7 foot high. Since we haven’t had any frost around the area fuchsias are still in full […]
Autumn Magic at the Oregon Garden, Part 1
Stepping out from the Visitor Center into the Oregon Garden After endless rain all week I awoke to a bright blue sky and sunshine on Monday morning. I decided to enjoy this beautiful day at the Oregon Garden. This Amazing Water Garden was created by […]
California Road Trip 2019 … The Laguna de Santa Rosa Revisited!
Looking north towards the Mayacamas Mountains! I last came here four years ago with my friend Christine. This time, it was hot, dry and slightly breezy. Last winter the area received record rains which created a lot of serious flooding. The Meadow Lark Field Pink grass!!! […]
Exploring the Oregon Coast … Siletz Bay Part 3
A large group of harbor seals hanging out … … along with this Great Blue Heron, who was keeping an eye on everything! Here the heron reminds me a bit of the Road Runner from the old cartoons. Coming in for a landing! After watching […]
Exploring the Oregon Coast … Siletz Bay Part 2
This was new to me! The fishing for crabs this way! This little guy was the lucky one to escape the dinner plate! He, or she, measured half an inch too small to be taken. The crab scampered sideways towards the water’s edge and then […]
Exploring the Oregon Coast … Siletz Bay Part 1
Spending a couple of days at the coast always recharges my batteries! The rhythmic sound of the waves crashing onto the shore is calming. And calm is what I’ve been needing lately. It seems like there is never break from all the bad stuff happening […]
Happy Friday from Downtown Portland!
Check out this view! Gorgeous, isn’t it? Happy Friday from the 30th floor terrace in Downtown Portland! A view of Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Pioneer Courthouse with the Willamette River, SE Portland and the Cascade Range in the background. Mount Hood was hidden behind the clouds. Have […]
California Road Trip 2019 … Hiking Howarth Park … Again!
Santa Rosa’s Howarth Park is popular with many of the locals. The hiking trails around Lake Ralphine connect to Spring Lake, another favorite local spot to enjoy the outdoors. When we lived here, we spent lots of time at both of these parks. Every […]
Zunday Zen … The Magical Redwood Forest
Sequoia sempervirens the world’s tallest, living trees. There’s not much one can say about these incredibly beautiful, long-lived, resilient, fire-resistant and evergreen sky scraping giants! Even on a warm day the air within the forest stays reasonably cool. There’s really nothing else quite like it! […]
Zunday Zen … Monday … Monday!
tranquil Lake Ralphine’s sweet Monday morning magic to start the week right One of my favorite spots to visit in Sonoma County is Howarth Park. it’s located in the southeast part of Santa Rosa, right on Summerfield Road. One of its draws […]
Up Close & Personal … The American Dipper
For Sandi! That same afternoon where I listend to Daniel’s fabulous cello music in Lithia Park, I had another unexpected encounter along one of the walking paths. Strolling south along Ashland Creek, I crossed the creek on one of the wooden bridges. Just past the […]
Meditation in Moment … Earth Day
Phoenix Rising from the Ashes, Sonoma County Fair 2018 Sunday night, October 8, 2017, I went to bed excited because the next morning I was going to leave for my annual road trip to California. I had packed my car and was ready. This trip […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Come gather inside let there be peace for today at home, in the world. Happy Thanksgiving! Sabine
California Road Trip 2018 … Tales of Gravensteins, the West County and a Political Babe
Sonoma County is a unique place. On the westside, Highway 12 and Occidental Road run parallel to each other between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, with peaceful countryside in between the two roads: grassy pastures dotted with gnarly old oaks and grazing cattle, egrets and herons […]
