Birthday party

We went up to the North Coast for some birthday celebratin' this weekend.  It was so sunny and warm on the deck of our rental but super windy at the beach.  We ate some fancy cheeses, drank mojitos and stopped at a handful of beaches.  You know, the usual.

Self timer high five in Mendocino (3,2,1, AWWW MAN!)

Point Arena.

Mendocino waves

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse.  

There is a gift shop housed in here now and you have to pay 5$ to look in the gift shop.  Lame.

Noisy visitor

On the way home from a day visit in Fort Bragg we stopped in at a bar called Beacon Light by the Sea that a friend recommended.  I didn't take any photos because I was too afraid.  The bar is only open Fridays and Saturdays from 5-11pm and you can tell that it's open by a bright red flashing light at the top of a hill in Elk, CA.  The drive up the hill was really dark and the parking lot was filled with emergency vehicles and run down trucks.  I wanted to leave but sucked it up because it wasn't my birthday.

We went inside and there was a HUGE great Dane snoozing at the entrance.  We'd heard that the owner makes fun of people who order lame drinks but he seemed happy to have new visitors to talk to and didn't say anything when we ordered cheap beers.  He told us he was born on the property 71 years ago and worked as a firefighter and is a self taught vet.  He told us stories of deer, dogs and men that he fixed and that all the work he did was top notch because he sterilized his instruments with the autoclave in the back room.  He also claimed to have a dentist chair back there.

He didn't stop telling stories the whole time!  His 4 exes (wives and girlfriends) are all on the property and he later told us that nobody messes with him because he has an excavator that goes so deep that nobody would ever find the person again.  Made me wonder if his ex ladies were actually alive. The NY Times reviewed it as a place to go in Mendocino.

It was late and really dark when we went but the owner said the view was great during the day.  We'll have to go back! 

Windy Gualala

Have you been to the Sea Ranch Chapel?  I heard about it a few weeks ago when a featured instagrammer had a photo of it.  We've been going to the North Coast twice a year for 2 years and I'd never seen it, even though it's on the main highway.  Sea Ranch is that fancy place where all the houses are built to blend into the landscape.  We've driven through some of the streets and the houses are all huge and amazing with large windows looking out to the ocean.  Dreamy.

This chapel was designed by James Hubbell and is made mostly with local redwood and stone.  The roof is cedar and copper and that cool spire is made of bronze.  I think it was completed in 1985. You can rent it out too.  Wouldn't this be a cute place for a small relaxed wedding?

Sea Ranch Chapel

Teak entrance doors with stained glass

Tiny chapel

One of my favourite things about going to this part of the coast is that we have no cell reception so there are no distractions.  Pay phones are hard to come by too.

Webby

This was at a corner store on the way home where I tried this dry lavender soda.  I liked it.  V thought is tasted like a cleaning product.  Kind of pricey for a soda but nice for a treat.  I have this soda stream at home and I mainly drink soda water with lemon.  I wonder if there is a lavender syrup out there.   They must. I'll have to look it up.

Timber Cove totem

Happy birthday V!