abigail414's diaryland diary
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Almost Heaven
I'm back from my vacation in Sonoma county. I spent a lot of time doing this on the deck of a lovely cottage, enjoying the privacy, the woods, the sun - who knew that nude yoga would be so fun? Who knew that going on vacation �by my self� would be the best? Well, Lola and Nelly, my two faithful dogs came along, so I was never actually alone. I had a fabulous time, ate healthy meals that I cooked myself (!?), imbibed fantastic local wine, and inhaled deeply of the eden-like ambience of the Russian River valley.
Temperatures in the Guerneville area were in the 60�s to the 80�s, always comfortable, always a slight breeze, just as if ordered up from some heavenly weathermaker. (Palm Springs was 115 degrees and a humid hell, according to friends). It is warmer on the Sonoma valley floor, up to 88 degrees, whereas the coast stays in the low 60's. I was right in-between. The mornings were mildly cloudy due to the ocean influence, but cleared up by noon.
How lovely to do �not much� in such a beautiful setting, the cabin nestled into a ravine with a tiny babbling brook, surrounded by redwoods, on a dead end, off the beaten path. Every day I slept until I was done, read, wrote, stared off into space and contemplated all the changes over the last year and the changes to come. I also lounged in the sun, did yoga, soaked in the hot tub, and occasionally walked down to the river with Nelly (while Lola preferred to simply sleep all day).
The cabin was old, but clean and lovingly updated. It had a natural beamed ceiling in the main room, latch windows that opened out, soft leather couches, antiques, exquisite touches like lapis blue tile in the bath and kitchen, a large bedroom with two walls of old-fashioned windows, an outdoor and an indoor shower (the latter with a glass wall facing redwoods), rubbed pine plank floors, great stereo system, a cook's kitchen, turbocharged hot tub, and deck bigger than the house. (Note: According to the guest book, Sir Elton John stayed there once.)
I made myself leave (never by noon, however) to have a few excursions. Nelly and I went to Armstrong Woods, a local redwood preserve, and hiked around. There was a 1,300 year old tree over 300 feet high, reminding me that I am just passing through. We had a small adventure with some border collies protecting their horses, meandered along a stream, and ended up on a high ridge overlooking miles and miles of redwoods (I left my real camera at home, so the photos here are from the net or my cell phone). Since, I did have cell phone service on a mountaintop, I phoned mom and said hi.
Grapevines dot the hillsides, are in hidden patches among oaks and maples, and cover the northwestern Sonoma valley floor. Korbel (champagne) is grown just outside of Guerneville in Rio Nido. Grapevines make me inordinately happy. I'm not sure what that is - perhaps because they are tied down in a cohesive row, but are utterly spontaneous in their growth within the row, and make a lovely product. Or maybe it is a past life thing, or just fond memories of working with winegrape growers 20+ years ago, or they're just real pretty, or I like wine. Whatever the reason, they bring me joy.
I paid my respects to the ocean, and Nelly frolicked around Bodega Bay with a big male dog who kept her in line. She takes after her auntie Raven that way, both in not taking much guff from other dogs, and in loving to run around in the water. Every time I visit the ocean, I remember how much I like watching it, knowing there is something so much bigger than myself, and teeming with complexity underneath.
I indulged in a unique spa experience at Osmosis in Freestone, (which I just found out was named one of the top 10 day spas in the U.S. -even though it is truly in the middle of nowhere, it is only about an hour from San Francisco). It is modeled after Japanese baths, complete with a huge formal meditation garden, tea room/garden, and enzyme baths.
These �baths� are in reality fermenting compost piles of cedar, rice bran, and plant enzymes and reach 135 degrees. Yes, I was composted for about 20-30 minutes, then massaged, then bought little Buddha charms for the dogs. (No I did not smell funny or sprout shrubbery.)
And, I made a couple trips to neighboring Sebastopol (15 min away), the town I'd like to live in someday. I took in a yoga class where headstands were considered warm-ups (!), but it was good. I love the diversity of people there (well, not that diverse, Republicans are pretty scarce), the energy, the topography (hills/trees/valley all at once), and the vibrancy of the community - seems like something is always happening there. This photo is from a carribean fest, where you could don your own wings and dance around, and is being held in the plaza across from the Whole Foods (in a town of 7,800).
On the last day I visited four veterinary clinics under the auspices of buying prescription food for Lola - it worked well, people spoke to me freely and yes she did need the food. Two of them looked like good places to work. I also found out there is a big demand for relief vets. Maybe living in Palm Springs 8 months in winter and here 4 months in summer? I sense the germ of a plan. I feel obliged to stay at my current place for at least a year. But damn I love it in western Sonoma.
There is something about the light, the trees, the hills, the breezes, the mix of urban chic and rural endeavors that calls to me. I feel more at home there than anywhere, and, at this point in life I feel a need to put down roots and make a home for myself, a community to belong to. Plus, 'local' recreation includes canoeing on the river, hiking in the woods, riding horses on the beach, visiting wineries, or attending a multitude of cultural events � this time I just wanted to cocoon in a lovely setting, but next time . . . .
OK, so there were a few small problems. Getting ready on my own was an ordeal � including finding out my car insurance had lapsed and that my roof racks didn�t come in. The former delayed my trip, and the latter made it clear I didn�t have room for a passenger (Oola was initially contemplating coming along). The first night I managed to lock myself out of the cottage and the dogs in, so stumbled around the forest in the dark until I ended up at the back door of a neighbor's house down the hill, and we got the rental management company to bail me out. The 'town' of Guerneville was a bit of a dissapointment, they get flooded by the river regularly and seemed pretty run down - both the buildings and the citizens - until the weekend, when it was flooded with tourists. (Then I got some pretty funky finds at the weekend flea market.) And, who knew that the Russian River area was a major gay destination?! I went from one gay town to another, making me wonder if perhaps I was a gay man in disguise.
Yes, there were times it would have been nice to have human company, but they were rare. After years of vacations with my ex, I wanted to have my own schedule and activities and emotions and see what that felt like � I can�t remember a more relaxing trip, ever. (Even the 8-9 hour drive was more relaxing b/c I wasn�t white knuckling his tailgating). It was, however, a very romantic cottage and has been the site of many honeymoons. It made me nostalgic for being in love, and may have helped jumpstart that dormant part of my psyche back into action . . . hmmn, he looks nice.
On the home front, my cats were well tended by a veterinary tech from work, who used my place as her own retreat from her boyfriend and roommates. It is all relative. She loved my condo and my kitties and wants to come back to visit them. Mamakitty was lobbying for a new home -she really doesn�t like Nelly and has a history of moving on to new digs (that's how I got her, she left the neighbors when she got pregnant). I have the next couple days to get re-oriented, unpack, and then back to work to pay for all this!!
P.S. For those unfamiliar with the area in reference, the following map should be helpful.
1:46 p.m. - 2006-07-03
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