The Surf is Calling ~ April 15-16, 2014

Off to Stinson Beach for few days to stay at my cousin's cottage. Pat's grandmother Edna and my grandmother Hazel were sisters. Her mom and dad, Walt and Glenna, built the place in 1943. We came to relax and to do some yard work. Spring in Sonoma and Marin Counties is an event to be experienced. The drive down Hwy 1 is spectacular: hillsides are electric green with splashes of purple, orange, blue, white and yellow. 

It's 74 and clear when we arrive, not a hint of wind or fog. This is unusual for April on the coast, or should I say used to be unusual. First things first we unload Pearl and get settled: cooler, sleeping bags, pillows, garden tools, clothes, shoe bag, camera, book bag and emergency gear. We do tend to over pack, but Pearl the Expedition is a hardy beast and never complains. Rod is the perennial Boy Scout and his credo is be prepared for anything. I chide him about it, but there will come a day when it may prove to be a life saver. 

We spent about 5 hours on yard projects and then took a late afternoon walk up the beach towards Bolinas to watch the pelicans. There has been a school of bait fish hanging out just beyond the surf line and scores of brown pelicans have been falling out of the sky like rocks looking to "fill the bill". Keeping them company was a gaggle of harbor seals looking to get in on the action. We started making up sound effects as they hit the water.

Popos for dinner, read until lights out, and drifted off the sound of the surf. We're up at dawn to make coffee and wander out on the bluff to sit and watch the full moon heading towards in the horizon. 

A light breakfast and then back to work: Rod in the garden and me in the kitchen. Pat's friends and family often visit and leave behind food stuffs for others. Pat gave me license to purge the premises and I found some serious winners: freezer 2005, refrigerator 2006, cupboard 1996 (soup buried behind some cookbooks). After a shower we head up to Bolinas for lunch and a visit to the always eclectic Bolinas Book Exchange. 

The special of the day at the Coast Cafe was grilled focaccia bread with pesto, grilled vegetables, thinly sliced carrots and tomatoes. A serious winner along with dining on a shaded patio! 

Coast Cafe Patio

Along the short walk to Bolinas Beach

Back to the house for some reading on the bluff. For a special evening treat we watched the Giants game. Romo slayed a dragon in the 9th with a strike out. We haven't had a TV for a month and I'm glad to report no withdrawals or other ill effects. Once again we drift off to the sound of the surf.