Ardenwood historic farm, Berkeley, January 2013

We had a lovely weekend in Berkeley where we went to a couple new places.

Cafe Tibet:  In grad school we regularly ate at the local Tibetan restaurant run by a cousin of the Dali Lama.  Somehow we haven’t found a local Tibetan restaurant, so it was nice to try some again.  The food was all good and a little later in the evening it was packed.

CREAM:  Holy cow this place is a good idea.  An ice cream sandwich hand made with freshly baked cookies.  For $2!!!  Wait in the line, it is worth it.

Shattuck Cinemas:  I have been looking for a local movie theater that serves food and drink while you watch a movie and this is pretty close.  We were in the 21+ theater which has super comfy loveseats.  The Yelp reviews agree-cozy seating and some independent films make this a find.

The next day we visit the Ardenwood Historic Farm with our friend Bunny.  Where I grew up, the idea that school kids would take a field trip to a farm is laughable.  Enough families still farm that even if you aren’t on the farm, your relatives or friends are, so why would that be a field trip?  But in a population dense area like Silicon Valley, very few kids live or work on farms so a historic farm is a regional park.  On the visit we see a few farm animals (peacocks are farm animals?), old  buildings, historic tractors, the main house (nice stained glass), and the train station. 

Best story about the place is that the railroad company wanted to run their tracks through the property, but the owner didn't want that and hired guards to keep it from happening.  One night when he was away from from the farm the railroad company bribed all the guards with whiskey and laid the tracks in one night!

Then we check out the monarchs, which is the main reason I wanted to see the farm in the winter.  Monarchs have a crazy migration pattern that involves overwintering in Eucalyptus trees in groups.  They go back to the same place every year and while the largest groups are out near the coast, the Ardenwood butterflies are so close and easy to get to there is no reason not to see them.  Seeing so many of them at once, monarchs are creepycute.  But the farm also has a caterpillar/chrysalis exhibit so you can see them up close.  Whatever park you choose, make sure they have some naturalists on site.  At Ardenwood they set up viewing spots so that you don’t need your own pair of great binoculars or high end camera.

Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont CA, January 2013

We want to visit more of our local parks so E-, Bunny, and I  went to check out an East Bay classic, Coyote Hills Regional Park.  It is at the east base of the Dunbarton bridge-totally easy to get to, still has cell coverage and while not packed, is clearly a common outing for families and bike packs.

Coyote Hills is right on the edge of the bay and before we got there we were like, hills?  At the edge of the bay?  Yup.  Hills.  Right on the edge of the bay.  There is actually marshland inland from the hills that are more in line with what I was expecting.  

But we were drawn to the hills which are covered with interesting looking rocks.  We go up and down a couple of the hills and check out the interesting geology.  

This is also a good place for bird spotting and biking.  There is a bayside trail that is busy with walkers and bikers because it is well paved and has such a nice view of the bay.  

If you choose this area to hike, recognize that the hiking map does not have topography and parts of the trail are very steep!

Get a Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Completely poorly timed post-yeah!

Getting a live Xmas tree:  I like the look and smell of a live tree but it doesn’t always happen since it is more work and more expensive.  This year I found a system I really like.  The Pacifica Land Trust is trying to get rid of Monterey Pines from specific ocean side hills where it is considered an invasive species.  For one day they invite the public to come and hike the trail and cut their own Charlie Brown tree.  These are not farmed trees, so they are not perfectly shaped.  Ours had a large hole on one side and looked completely wind blown from one side.  But you can’t tell at night with the lights on!

During the hike we saw some amazing fungus, had a great view of the ocean, and when the fog blew in we didn’t see the ocean.

Part of the holidays were in the cabin in the mountains with picture perfect snow.

But back at home my fava beans had sprouted,

and my Christmas cactus bloomed.

Mendocino coast-best beaches, November 2012

The northern coast of California is wild, lonely and beautiful.  There are a few spots where people have grouped together to form towns dedicated to tourists-like the Mendocino coast-perfect for a romantic weekend getaway.  On the way up we stop to see our beautiful bridge.

E- and I stayed at the Fensalden Inn, a B&B run by a family.  Chris served us breakfast and information-he is the perfect B&B host.  More than just some pastries for breakfast-we tried both the potato and spinach pie and the Dutch babies, shown below.

I had never heard of them, but think popover dough in a shoe shape that perfectly holds sauces and compotes-yum for sure. 

They also serve fruit with sorbet/ice cream for breakfast-now that is vacation!

We were staying in the Hawthorne suite, which holds some of Chris' family heirlooms.

Like Nathanial Hawthorne's writing desk and first editions-how cool is that.

I didn't have an itinerary, so we asked Chris for suggestions, followed it to a T, and got a really great introduction to the area.   

First, there is a spot the locals go to for weddings that gives an amazing view of the ocean while remaining sheltered by cypress.

And in fact there were rose petals all over the ground.  I won't reveal the secret of where it is-you will have to go ask Chris :)

We also saw a couple banana slugs-I love these guys-you know you are near the coast if you are seeing banana slugs.

We visited the Mendocino botanical gardens.  I would not even have thought to drop by, but it is a cultivated garden and local natives AND it is on the ocean edge.

Lots of different types of flowers are in bloom.

The fungi are not specifically cultivated, but I find them as interesting as flowers.  These are along the Fern trail-which gave me the feel of Muir Woods-highly recommended.

There is a kids area with cool stuff to play on.

Something different is blooming each month, this time it was dalhias.

And out past the vegetable garden you get the ocean views.

They have some fun art in the garden, much of it for sale.  The spider is simple but effective.  Perhaps too effective to want to bring home.

Next up we visited some of the beaches.

Glass beach, which is really better at low tide so you can see the shiny glass 'stones'

MacKerricher is as close to a postcard beach as we saw.  Almost no driftwood, seaweed, or sand flies.  And the river flows into the sea here, providing a less scary place to play than the ocean edge.

The opposite is Navarro beach-wild crashing waves, great to look at, but don't get caught in the rising tide!

 And the cool seaweed knot is covered in sandflies.  

No trip to a coast is complete without a lighthouse, the closest is the Point Cabillo Lighthouse.  The docent was fun and informative and pointed out that you can actually rent the Head Light Keepers house and nearby cottages.   Sounds perfect for a family group.

With only a weekend stay we hardly got to try many of the restaurants, but we went to two of the most popular.  Ole's Whale Watch Bar, part of the Little River Inn and Restaurant and Albion River Inn.  

Dinner at Ole's Wale Watch Bar was our favorite.  Beef and pork sliders with just the right amount of sauce and pickle, nice fish tacos and super thin red onion 'rings'.  They were all great, but the best part about the bar was Sue the bartender and her perfect margarita.  She chatted with the locals and made the visitors feel like locals.

The Little River Inn dinner was all about atmosphere.  You want to get there to see the sunset, but then if you are facing the sunset you are blinded by it.  I happily ended up with the guy at the table in front of me blocking the center of the sun.  The food and service was good enough-they clearly try to make it the nicest experience possible.

Finally, driving home takes you home through the Russian River Valley and the gorgeous grapevines, much of it turning fall colors.