Come gather inside let there be peace for today at home, in the world. Happy Thanksgiving! Sabine
All posts filed under: Left Coast Travel
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 […]
A Stroll through Old Town Olympia
We’ve visited Olympia several times. The people are friendly, the city easy to navigate, and if you stay in, or near Old Town, everything is within easy walking distance. Some of our favorite things to there are looking at the many incredible murals, grab […]
California Road Trip 2018 … Hiking Howarth Park
One morning during my visit to Santa Rosa I met my friend Trish for breakfast at the East West Restaurant across from Howarth Park. I remember when they were located at the corner of Sonoma Avenue and Farmers Lane. The menu hasn’t changed much since […]
California Road Trip 2018 … “Good Grief Charlie Brown”, Part 2
Snoopy’s Home Ice has a bit of an alpine chalet look. The flower boxes remind me of Europe! The area around the entrance. Come on in! Welcome to Santa Rosa! Welcome to Snoopy’s Home Ice! I spent many an afternoon watching our boys learn to […]
California Road Trip 2018 … “Good Grief Charlie Brown” Part 1
Do you remember when most of us used to get a newspaper delivered in the driveway? Some mornings the paper would be wet because it had landed right in the sprinklers. The Sunday paper always contained lots of add inserts and a multi-page color comic […]
California Road Trip 2018 … On the Wing in Bodega Bay
graceful great egret coasting on a summer breeze briny shallows below. Bodega Bay, Bodega Head, Doran Beach and numerous hiking trails in the area make for great bird watching! Especially if you can make it out there during the week when there’s not as much traffic. […]
California Road Trip 2018 … Getting there!
On my way to California this July, I spent the first night in Ashland. This small town is about halfway point between Portland and Santa Rosa. The entire distance is around 650 miles, one way. While it’s possible to drive it all in one day, […]
Happy Friday from scenic Bodega Head!
During all the years we lived in Sonoma County, California, I rarely missed stopping off at Bodega Head, anytime we went to nearby Doran Beach. I still love this spot and still stop here every time I come back to Sonoma County. Bodega Head is […]
Zunday Zen … Bluebirds at Sunset
“Want to look for bluebirds at sunset?” How could I resist? Meandering along a trail, through endless meadows … Golden Hour’s magic in plain sight. Just behind the bend, a Townsend’s Solitaire appears. Quietly, we approach. Off he goes … and so do we … […]
Zunday Zen … A Tale of Two Cities
Just pause and ponder the world’s in disarray. Peace begins at home. The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project in downtown Olympia, Washington State. This project was created in memory of Rachel Corrie, a young woman from Olympia. She was crushed to death in 2003 by […]
Zunday Zen … Fair Winds and Following Seas
Boston Harbor shrouded in mist, early morning silence. Moored boats, sleepy town mirrored perfectly in The Sound. Before the noisy day begins. A couple of weeks ago we zipped up to Olympia, WA for a couple of days. Early Sunday morning we drove down a winding […]
A Stroll through Downtown Bellingham, Washington
We did a number of short road trips last summer. One of the places we explored was Bellingham, Washington. It’s about halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border. There were lots of city parks, a board game pub, colorful murals, donuts with enough sugar to […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden, Part 4
There were a few families with younger kids strolling through the Oregon Garden on Christmas morning. I sure hope they were able to visit the Children’s Garden area while there. It’s a fun spot to check out. The butterfly bench, the hobbit hole, the giant […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden, Part 3
Imagine my surprise, when on Christmas morning I discovered The Secret Garden in a hidden corner of the Oregon Garden. When the trail forked, we stayed to the left. Just past a stand of cotton woods a heavy gate blocked the path. I peeked over […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden … Part 2
Christmas at the Oregon Garden was cold and foggy, it was icy at times, and then we got a perfect dusting of powdery snow on the morning of our departure. But before we drove off, I dashed out into the garden one last time to […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden, Part One
After a bit too much holiday drama last year, the Zendog and I decided to do something different for Christmas this year. So we did! We headed to the Oregon Garden in Silverton. This charming small town is just about an hour southeast of Portland […]
Happy Friday! From the Halfway Point!
A couple of weeks ago I took a wrong turn while looking for the Oregon Garden. Silverton is a small town, and getting lost there seems almost impossible. I found a place to make a u-turn, and as I headed back towards downtown, I saw […]
