Loooooooooong post ahead!
(Making this public rather than f-locked. Just a heads-up for commenting reasons.)
I'm back and had an awesome time...only to come back to chaos (of course). But never mind that - I rested and feel a bit better. I'll have more on that in about ten days...
As for the chaos - it's more my friend's and family's chaos, but it's never ending, isn't it? *sigh* Honestly, I can't take care of the world. I want to be there for everyone, but I also need to learn to say, "No. No. No." How's that? :P
Also, my family not only have poor or inappropriate boundaries, often they have none. But Sean, my cousin, did relatively well and I'm grateful.
Anyway, aside from still finding the odd cedar bit in obscure places, it was really refreshing. I don't care for saunas because I always feel like I can't breathe in the hot air, and while this had a little of that (I wouldn't want to visit in summer), they keep you cool by constantly applying cloths in specific areas around your head. I enjoyed brushing off in the open in the nude, too, until I spied the apartment building through the not-quite-budded nearby tree. Ah well.
And the photos don't do it justice - the gardens have all grown in and are well-established, and it's super tranquil, restful. The front desk people could use some training, but that's a different matter.
The B&B's photos also didn't do it justice, but I much preferred the second room (with the claw-foot tub) than the first, and watched the moon rise from bed Saturday night. Also, people - if you put tubs, jacuzzi's, etc. in your places, PLEASE put in handrails! Many, many handrails!
Okay, I'm not hail and hearty, and I'm rolly-polly with a bad knee, but if you provide me bath salts and a place to soak, I need freakin' handrails! It's all well and good to have a soothing respite but if I have to struggle for eons to get out once I'm done, it completely goes against the initial purpose. I was like a beached whale flopping around, trying to get some leverage! It was rough there for a few minutes. *snorts* The tub was easier than the jacuzzi, but they should take into account older folks might stay there and provide hand rails! Something!
...or maybe it's just me...
And of course, I couldn't resist looking around and thinking, "Hmm...if I had this place I could really make it fabulous." VERY disrespectful, as it was tastefully and simply done, cozy, and had a lot of charm the way it is. But I could improve upon it. Still, I'd go back any time, and if I ever get a crew of you around we're going to book the entire place (four rooms), read, play Scrabble, go to the spa, walk all over the place, perhaps taste a wine or two (although that's not of the highest appeal) and have a generally good time. M'kay?
On to the other delights - a drive to Bodega Bay, which is WAY cuter than I remember, and not at all crowded; had a terrific seafood lunch of grilled red snapper in a lobster cream sauce (*looks at cranberryink*), saffron rice and asparagus, and bread pudding for desert. Drove up and down Highway 1 - and really, this is one of the more gorgeous stretches of that phenomenal highway. Never been? It's the penultimate northern California experience, and contains some of the most beautiful coastal scenery known to human kind. Plus, quail and other coastal beasties for viewing.
The fog kept hovering nearby, so the light would vacillate between a brilliant blue, and a shimmering silvery-gray sparkling off the water (kind of like this). Gorgeous. And everyone was very kind. I bought a kite - haven't had one for years, but had a collection with my college boyfriend (guess they went with him - can't recall), and we used to fly them all the time. Didn't get to this time, but will.
The rolling hills inland were lovely, of course, but familiar and a bit melancholy for me, too. We used to have a beach property not far away, and had to sell it when my grandfather started to have increasing medical costs. It was a property that was supposed to house our four generations when I was little, and I have vivid loving memories of many times there.
When we'd drive there - through Petaluma - my grandfather would call out, "Oh, look - sheep!" And we'd say, "No, Grampa! Those are cows!" in shock and surprise at his error (we were about 4, or 5). Then he'd say, "Oh, right - those are Jerseys," and we'd say, still in surprise, "No, Grampa - those are Holsteins!" To this day I still remember the different types of cattle in the area because of all he taught us. Which in no way comes in handy, but is an absolutely fantastic memory to treasure.
...Okay, I can impress the occasional rancher, but that's about it.
So, while waiting for the spa, I took the B&B proprietress' suggestion and stopped at the garden place across the street. Amazingly wonderful place. It's still winter, and he - the owner - lets his garden go all natural. The place was in a delicious state of decay, like something out of a gothic novel (he even has a few caryatid from the original San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts! Long interesting story of how he came by them). In about a month the place will be in riotous color - everything had little buds or shoots, like they were waking up from some deep, enchanted slumber. I can't even describe this place because if you saw it you'd probably think it was a total mess, but if you're a natural gardener, you'd get it.
He told me if I ever wanted to just get away from the city some Saturday I could come up, he'd put out the hammock, and I could lay there all day, recuperating. I hope to take him up on that (do go off, people - he's gay).
There's more - and no, I didn't take photos - but it'll have to wait for some other time. I couldn't get it together to do the photographic thing as I was there to simply experience, not document, you know? Hopefully the above description will suffice, and if you want to know more you'll come out and visit so I can take you there!
Hope you all had a good weekend. :)
I'm back and had an awesome time...only to come back to chaos (of course). But never mind that - I rested and feel a bit better. I'll have more on that in about ten days...
As for the chaos - it's more my friend's and family's chaos, but it's never ending, isn't it? *sigh* Honestly, I can't take care of the world. I want to be there for everyone, but I also need to learn to say, "No. No. No." How's that? :P
Also, my family not only have poor or inappropriate boundaries, often they have none. But Sean, my cousin, did relatively well and I'm grateful.
Anyway, aside from still finding the odd cedar bit in obscure places, it was really refreshing. I don't care for saunas because I always feel like I can't breathe in the hot air, and while this had a little of that (I wouldn't want to visit in summer), they keep you cool by constantly applying cloths in specific areas around your head. I enjoyed brushing off in the open in the nude, too, until I spied the apartment building through the not-quite-budded nearby tree. Ah well.
And the photos don't do it justice - the gardens have all grown in and are well-established, and it's super tranquil, restful. The front desk people could use some training, but that's a different matter.
The B&B's photos also didn't do it justice, but I much preferred the second room (with the claw-foot tub) than the first, and watched the moon rise from bed Saturday night. Also, people - if you put tubs, jacuzzi's, etc. in your places, PLEASE put in handrails! Many, many handrails!
Okay, I'm not hail and hearty, and I'm rolly-polly with a bad knee, but if you provide me bath salts and a place to soak, I need freakin' handrails! It's all well and good to have a soothing respite but if I have to struggle for eons to get out once I'm done, it completely goes against the initial purpose. I was like a beached whale flopping around, trying to get some leverage! It was rough there for a few minutes. *snorts* The tub was easier than the jacuzzi, but they should take into account older folks might stay there and provide hand rails! Something!
...or maybe it's just me...
And of course, I couldn't resist looking around and thinking, "Hmm...if I had this place I could really make it fabulous." VERY disrespectful, as it was tastefully and simply done, cozy, and had a lot of charm the way it is. But I could improve upon it. Still, I'd go back any time, and if I ever get a crew of you around we're going to book the entire place (four rooms), read, play Scrabble, go to the spa, walk all over the place, perhaps taste a wine or two (although that's not of the highest appeal) and have a generally good time. M'kay?
On to the other delights - a drive to Bodega Bay, which is WAY cuter than I remember, and not at all crowded; had a terrific seafood lunch of grilled red snapper in a lobster cream sauce (*looks at cranberryink*), saffron rice and asparagus, and bread pudding for desert. Drove up and down Highway 1 - and really, this is one of the more gorgeous stretches of that phenomenal highway. Never been? It's the penultimate northern California experience, and contains some of the most beautiful coastal scenery known to human kind. Plus, quail and other coastal beasties for viewing.
The fog kept hovering nearby, so the light would vacillate between a brilliant blue, and a shimmering silvery-gray sparkling off the water (kind of like this). Gorgeous. And everyone was very kind. I bought a kite - haven't had one for years, but had a collection with my college boyfriend (guess they went with him - can't recall), and we used to fly them all the time. Didn't get to this time, but will.
The rolling hills inland were lovely, of course, but familiar and a bit melancholy for me, too. We used to have a beach property not far away, and had to sell it when my grandfather started to have increasing medical costs. It was a property that was supposed to house our four generations when I was little, and I have vivid loving memories of many times there.
When we'd drive there - through Petaluma - my grandfather would call out, "Oh, look - sheep!" And we'd say, "No, Grampa! Those are cows!" in shock and surprise at his error (we were about 4, or 5). Then he'd say, "Oh, right - those are Jerseys," and we'd say, still in surprise, "No, Grampa - those are Holsteins!" To this day I still remember the different types of cattle in the area because of all he taught us. Which in no way comes in handy, but is an absolutely fantastic memory to treasure.
...Okay, I can impress the occasional rancher, but that's about it.
So, while waiting for the spa, I took the B&B proprietress' suggestion and stopped at the garden place across the street. Amazingly wonderful place. It's still winter, and he - the owner - lets his garden go all natural. The place was in a delicious state of decay, like something out of a gothic novel (he even has a few caryatid from the original San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts! Long interesting story of how he came by them). In about a month the place will be in riotous color - everything had little buds or shoots, like they were waking up from some deep, enchanted slumber. I can't even describe this place because if you saw it you'd probably think it was a total mess, but if you're a natural gardener, you'd get it.
He told me if I ever wanted to just get away from the city some Saturday I could come up, he'd put out the hammock, and I could lay there all day, recuperating. I hope to take him up on that (do go off, people - he's gay).
There's more - and no, I didn't take photos - but it'll have to wait for some other time. I couldn't get it together to do the photographic thing as I was there to simply experience, not document, you know? Hopefully the above description will suffice, and if you want to know more you'll come out and visit so I can take you there!
Hope you all had a good weekend. :)