Mendocino Coast Holiday

On April 24th, I packed up the car with the dogs and picked Arne up at the BART station for the drive north to the Mendocino coast. This was our first trip with the dogs and a great chance to get away for work for a beautiful coastal Holiday.



Friday Afternoon: The Drive North

A few hours north of San Francisco, the Mendocino coast is a really lovely place. We left the 101 at Petaluma and headed west to the coast and then at Bodega Bay started the super windy ride north. As we past the county line for Mendocino, I had Arne play Willie Nelson's song about the Mendocino county line. We were staying just north of the Mendocino county line at the Mar Vista Cottages.



The cottages were cute, and gave us our own small home with the dogs. There was also a garden for me to pick flowers from.



I made us a nice dinner for our 11 month anniversary.



One of the things I made was a pie. It was super yummy, with apples and blackberries. I did not have regular sugar or flour, but made due with the sugar cubes for coffee and some almond slices I remembered to bring up.



We all went to sleep, with Summer and Bogey on their beds in our room.






Saturday: Beach outing

Early in the morning, I got up and took the dogs on a morning walk to the beach. Exploring our local area.



They were so cute going down the long stairs.


The private beach also had a private waterfall!



Later, after a breakfast of just plucked from the hens eggs (they really do taste better), Arne and I spent some time at the beach.



And looked at our beautiful dogs.



Bogey



Summer



My Summer dog got lots of sand all over herself. Then it was back to the cabin, where Arne made me dinner while I read in a chair.



After dinner he finished off the pie.



The late afternoon activity was egg picking. We met all the chickens.



Fed them a bit.



Then picked eggs!



I was nervous about the chickens, but they were nice.



It was another quiet evening in the cabin with our gas fire and a game of Monopoly.



Sunday: Tide Pools and the Ride Home

Arne got up early on Sunday for a super low tide where he could go check out the Abalone and other sea animals.



More animals.



Good picture in the water.



After sleeping in and another breakfast of fresh eggs, we headed back down the coast. Most beaches do not allow dogs, but some county ones do, like Stillwater Cove.



We enjoyed the windy and flowery area.



And all the rocky outcroppings.



Bogey, of course, was beautiful.



and Arne and I got to explore.



So did Summer.


There were some nice flowers too.



After the beach time we headed back south, stopping off at the Petaluma Street Fair and then going out to the cheese factory.



It was good fresh cheese, and a little park.



After many more hours of driving we were home.

I think we need more trips with the dogs!

Valentine's Weekend in Minnesota

Arne gave me an amazing gift...a valentines weekend in Minnesota. The idea behind this trip was to see Prairie Home Companion live at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Here are some pictures and details on the amazing adventure.

Friday: Heading Out

Friday Morning mom took us down to SFO and while waiting in the NWA Security line, who was 2 people behind us? Garrison Keillor! I noticed the red shoes and Arne noticed the face that is perfect for radio. We boarded the fully packed plane and flew to Minnesota.



Once there, we took a cab to St. Paul and where we were staying - the St. Paul Hotel. It was the perfect hotel for a romantic weekend. After walking around a bit in the cold (it was sunny and in the twenties), we took an afternoon nap before heading over to the Science Museum to see Grand Canyon Adventure, an IMAX movie.



After the movie, on the way back to the hotel (2 blocks), we ran into Cay Hellervick, a local who had some extra box seat tickets to the Celtic Woman concert that was going on at the Ecel Center. For free, we thought why not, and enjoyed a the first half of the lovely concert before heading over to the St. Paul Grill for a great steak dinner and sundae!



Saturday: The Big Day



In the morning, while the sun was out, there was a bit of snow falling...it just sparkled and was the right way to start the day. We headed out to Minneapolis (which is not very close to St. Paul) and after a quick breakfast at SpoonRiver, headed to the Mill Museum. We LOVED the Mill Museum...it was filled with interactive exhibits, we learned about Minnesota's history and about flour. I just had so much fun.







After the Museum, we walked across the Stone Arch Bridge and checked out the waterfall, before going to lunch in an old Minneapolis bar. I had Walleye for lunch. I always thought this was a make believe fish on PHC...but it is real! Then we headed back to St. Paul to get ready for the show.





I loved going to the Fitz, seeing Prairie Home live and just being part of the whole experience. The Valentines show was just so romantic and such fun for us.





After the show we stopped in the Children's Museum to make cookies and play at Clifford the Big Red Dog's party, before going to late dinner at PazzaLuna
. It was the best Valentines ever.





Sunday: Relax and Return



After sleeping in, we headed up to Mickey's for a great breakfast. Then we stumbled upon a Scottish festivel, full of bagpipes and kilts...it was the Scottish Ramble.



After rambling through the Landmark Center, the Schubert Club opened and Arne was able to check out and play lots of old pianos. Very cool.



We then headed to the airport, only to find out our plane was delayed 3 hours due to rain at SFO, so we took that as an opportunity to ride the light rail into downtown Minneapolis for some dinner before the flight home.



All the pictures can be found here: Valentine's Weekend