Scarlett Letters

Sunday morning we rose to meet davidlevine, kateyule, Amanda and her husband Brad for breakfast at David's. It was a clearly a local joint, the place everyone goes to for brekkies, the wait staff familiar and friendly to the patrons. Breakfast was basic and hearty--eggs, more eggs, pancakes, and eggs. For me, it was exactly the way to start the day, in good company with the kind of breakfast I really enjoy when I travel.

We parted company at that point, with David, Kate, Amanda and Brad hitting the road back to parts north. Jeremy and I met Elizabeth at the place where she was having brunch with the bridal party. We saw Shannon and Mark there and arranged for dinner that evening. Then three of us hit the road for some sightseeing.

Our first stop was Mendocino Chocolate Company in Fort Bragg. We each purchased some treats, used the nearby cash machine and then continued on.

We headed south to Mendocino proper, which turned out to be this adorable little tourist town perched on a bluff overlooking the sea. Our main goal there was to get some knitting needles for Elizabeth, but we ended up poking around the shops. Predictably, she came away with not just needles but yarn as well. At the same shop, I bought some buttons for a button bracelet project I'd like to do. The gardens around the shops were beautiful, with all sorts of native plants that bloomed with flowers we'd never seen before. We stopped at a jewelry shop called Silver & Stone, where E purchased a very chic pendant, a trio of what I think were glass ovals each progressively smaller than the one above, really lovely. As an early holiday gift to me, she chipped in for a gorgeous pair of earrings featuring carved abalone which I wore for the rest of the weekend.

We strolled about town a bit more, admiring the view of the rocky shore and the crashing waves, the eccentric sculpture above the bank called "Time and the Maiden," and the sweetness of the small shops and cottages along the streets.

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We headed back toward Fort Bragg and made two stops along the way. The first was at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. Jeremy was inspired by the gardens we saw in town and is plotting his gardening at his new place, so we poked around the nursery on the grounds for ideas. Lovely plants, and I would have purchased one or two if there hadn't been a flight between there and home. Our second stop was the Sea Glass Museum, where we learned about the different kinds of sea glass and its source. The pictures on the web site make the place look much bigger than it is; it's really a tiny house split up into three or four rooms of exhibits with a lot of samples and some history, as well as a gift and book shop. There, we acquired a map of the glass beaches around town and planned for some beach combing.

As it turned out, beach combing required our navigating a path around some construction, and then scrambling down some pretty steep bluffs to get to the shoreline. Jeremy was the only one really dressed for any kind of scrambling or climbing, so he took a totebag, scrambled down the bluff, and retrieved a bag full of treasures that we picked through for souvenirs. There will be art and jewelry making this weekend if I can help it.

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It rapidly became clear to my companions--because apparently it's rarely clear to me--that I was sugar crashing. We found a restaurant with a coastal view and stopped for wine and a salad. Afterwards, more beachcombing, this time at the mouth of the Noyo River, resulted in Elizabeth finding a three-pound hunk of beach jade nearly the size of a brick. Veiny and gorgeous and richly green, it's a real treasure.

We went back to the hotel so I could change for dinner and so that Jeremy could stretch out for a bit, and then we headed out to meet Mark and Shannon. We were also joined by Mark's mother and his friend Mike who had acted as DJ for the party. Dinner was sushi of all kinds, and it was a delight to be able to sit with a small group including the bride and groom and just catch up a bit. Mike was pleasant and engaging, Mark's mother very lovely. At the end of the meal, Jeremy arranged for a knife and plates so that he could meticulously carve up each of eight truffles that he, Elizabeth and I had collectively purchased, and share them among the group. It was a mini-chocolate tasting and a great ending to the meal.

The day ended with another soak in the hotel's hot tub, and then it was to bed in preparation for the trip back to Oakland.

For the drive back the next day, we took a slightly different route which took us along more windy, twisty-turny roads, but this time through farm land and redwood forest. We listened to compilations of mash-ups, sang and talked, and got me to the airport with plenty of time to spare before my flight. I met Elizabeth only about 5 minutes after arrival. We sat in one of the airport restaurants and caught up, and ended up being able to sit together on the flight home.

I don't think I could have asked for a better trip, all in all. It was wonderful to see Mark and Shannon married after all this time, and great to be able the share the adventure in such good company. I've been home now a day and a half and my head's still not really back in the game of daily life yet. I suspect it won't be for a day or two more. The cold and the rain are working hard to ground me back in Seattle, but the sunshine and the emotional journey this weekend keep pulling me back to northern California. My head may stay there for a while yet.