Mendocino Crab & Wine Days

If you are looking for an excuse to go to Mendocino next weekend, January 20-22, is it! The Mendocino Crab & Wine Days celebrate everything we love about the North Coast: seafood, mushrooms, good wine, to name a few. See a whole list of activities and events here.

Perspective

Things can look so different, depending on from what direction and under what conditions we look at them – in nature and in life.

Scooner Gulch looking north at high tide

Scooner Gulch looking south at a minus tide

 

Point Arena Light House

Area open to the public south of the light house

We went out to the Point Arena light house on Saturday morning. The air was clear and crisp which made all the colors and shapes come into focus. We did spot a whale spout, probably one of the last gray whales going south to Baja, Mexico. The Mendocino Coast has a way of mesmerizing you any time of the year.

Al is back!

Al in front of the rights at Point Arena Cove

For the 19th year, Al has returned to Point Arena. This Laysan Albatross has become a  local celebrity. He loves to hang out with surfers and attracts birders from around the country. This is a rare place where you can observe a Laysan Albatross from solid ground and don’t have to endure a long boat ride to watch one of these amazing seabirds that have a wing span of up to 80 inches.

I looked at my picture of Al from last year and he looks exactly the same! Do birds not show their age? I wish I could say that for myself.

Al in February 2011

Al in January 2012

Christmas Tree Point Arena Style

Christmas 'Tree' at Point Arena Cove

Happy New Year!

Thank you for staying at Enchanted Meadows! John and I wish you all the best for 2012, especially health and happiness.

Sunburn in December

Anna's Hummingbird perched on top of the persimmon tree

Who would have thought you can get a sunburn from the low-angle winter sun? Well I didn’t, but I did. It was in the low 70s and wonderfully comfortable for shorts and a T-shirt. Maybe it was the warmth of the sun that made the hill buzz with life.  I can’t remember ever seeing that many humming birds competing for the remaining blossoms of the season… and the humming bird feeder. Their energy and sounds were electrifying the air – chirps, songs and the unmistakably-sounding wing vibrations. A Steller Jay perched himself right in front of me on top an old redwood stump pecking noisily at an acorn. The crows were having conversations across the forest, sometimes sounding like humans. Mesmerizing.

Fall

The fire place and hot tub are among the most appreciated features this time a year. Saturday night was cold; we had a fire going all day.  Then on Sunday, it warmed up. We sat in the hot tub with the lightest, softest drizzle that didn’t even show on the surface of the water. It was like a warm embrace of humidity, almost invisible against the wind-still sky and trees.

The garden is resting as well, except for some cabbages I planted in October. Will they make it before it gets really cold?

Biggest Caterpillar I’ve Ever Seen!

A bright green, four-inch long, fat caterpillar was hanging out in the garden. I’ve never seen a caterpillar that big! It was covered with yellow and blue knobs and I wondered what kind of butterfly it would turn into. Turns out it turns into the largest moth in North America with a wing span of 5-6 inches. It’s the Cecropia Moth, Hyalophora cecropia. It is usually found East of the Rocky Mountains and in Southern Canada, so this guy was a little out of place or a Western subspecies. I recall seeing a beautiful specimen of the moth at the house this spring and it was indeed huge!

Anticipation

Our guests don’t seize to blow me away. I have read and heard the most encouraging, emotional and inspiring stories – the marriage proposal on the deck (I still tear up when I think about Patrick and Kristy), the family reunions, the romantic getaways for couples, the reconnection of friends. It is such an honor to connect with you on this level!

And now, here is another first: in anticipation of their trip to Enchanted Meadows, a family who will be celebrating three birthdays is canning  home-made salsa. Here are a couple pictures they shared with me tonight.

It is so wonderful to share the Enchanted Meadows spirit with you!