Mendocino

Here are some of my favorite moments from “Mendo” county.

• Dancing in the kitchen: Paula and I must have rocked out for at least an hour while the boys watched a movie.  The neighbors walked by and couldn’t help but stare…
• Go outside?  Not us! The house we rented had a massive yard with an expansive view of the coast, trees to climb and a big deck… but did they want to play outside?  No… the walk-in closet in their bedroom was too much fun!  (Think fort)  I guess they’ve had enough outside time on this trip…
• Are we almost there? Hiking to a 30 ft waterfall in Russian Gulch State Park.  Jake kept asking if we were there and saying he was tired, yet he was running out front of us all.  The boys climbed around the waterfall and held races to the top of the opposite bank.  Good thing I packed a snack!
• Blackberry pie: We picked blackberries during our hike in Russian Gulch State Park and made a pie the old-fashioned way (from scratch).  Delicious!
• Cold showers: One thing you look forward to when getting a break from camping is a real bathroom… but we had no hot water!  Paula had to wash her hair in the sink it was so cold in the shower.  (We had a guy come out, but he didn’t fix it.  We’re still waiting to hear back from the vacation rental place… staying in Spendocino ain’t cheap, and you expect all the plumbing to work right!)  OK, there was a hot tub, so don’t have too much pity on us.
• Making dinner in a kitchen: Maybe the reason Paula and I danced in the kitchen so much was, well, because we were in a real kitchen (but then again, maybe not 😉 ) .  I love camp food – but I also love cooking in a real kitchen.  We made 2 great dinners… local caught red snapper fish tacos one night, and basil and yellow bell pepper pesto with shrimp on whole-wheat linguine (Harvest Market has great sea food and produce).  We did have ice cream out one day at great place called Frankies (their pizza looked tasty too, but we were just having a snack).

Elk Cove in Mendocino County - one of many postcard-like views along the coast.

The "Dolphin House" - we became quite fond of the house just below the cottage we rented... for it's view, the character of the building, and the little dolphin that juts out from the left end.

The secret deck of the Dolphin House: While we were nosing around, we discovered a hidden deck on the property of the Dolphin House... not bad, huh?

Paula and Nate dancing: OK, so I wasn't the only one Paula danced with...

Watching the sun set from deck of our cottage.

Are we almost there? Hiking to a waterfall in Russian Gulch State Park

Redwood house: Jake and I take a seat inside an old redwood stump.

We made it! Nate and Jake atop the waterfall.

Obligatory family shot at the waterfall

A view of Russian Gulch State Park from the west.

Blackberries! Not sure which was the most fun... picking the berries, making the pie, or eating it.

Jake enjoys strawberry ice cream at Frankie's in Mendocino.