Sea Ranch

Work in Progress

Travels

• February '26 - Monette - Gainsleys and Wongs
• January '25 - Monette - Gainsleys
• April '24 - Monette - Wongs; Gainsleys
• January/March/May 2023 - NOT
• July 2022 - Monette - Gainsleys; Coffins and Maynards
• February 2022 - Monette - Tomasins; Larkins
• June 2021 - Waveside; Father's Day - Drew had a separate house.
• May 2021 - Sea Haven - Wongs
• January 2021 - NOT
• October 2020 - Deerfield - Gainsleys
• August 2020 - Sculpture Point {36592 Sculpture Point Drive} - Tomasins; Jack, Morgan, Lee, Drew & Shannon
• January 2020 - Graham View
• January 2019 - Seascape {366 Wild Moor Reach} - Sanborns
• January 2018 - Kyuka - Sanborns
• February 2017 - Galleons Reach - Sanborns
• September 2016 - Kyuka and Vista Del Mar - 20th Wedding Anniversary - Larkins, Gainsleys, Sanborns, Renterias, Janie and Liz
• February 2016 - Serenity - Sanborns
• February 2014 - Crestview - Sanborns
• January 2013 - Living Roof - Janie
• ?????? 2011 - Arch Rock - Sharon and Janie
• January 2011 - Crestview - Jack
• September 2008 - {Carol's House} - Sharon, Mary, Janie and Pippen
• November 2003 - Sharon, Janie and Jeana
• August 2002 - Jack
• July 1999 - with Drew, Morgan and Jack
• November 1998 - Thanksgiving - with Jack
• January 1998 - Sharon pregnant
• June 1995

Davis Ranch [Lee Overnight - Day 1]

Sunday morning, Sharon and I made a pilgrimage to Davis Ranch to get fall decorations. We have gone there for a car load of stuff 16 of the last 18 years [2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020]. We didn't go to Davis Ranch in 2016 when the fall dinner party was held at Sea Ranch or in 2017 due to our fall trip to New Engl@nd. One of my favorite pictures from those trips is here.

This year, we had Lee with us!

2019 Sea Ranch - Day 1

For the fifth time in six years ['18, '17, '16 and '14], we are spending a weekend in January or February at Sea Ranch with the Sanborns. This also marks the seventh time in nine years [2013 and 2011] that we have spent a long weekend at Sea Ranch in the winter.

The Sanborns rolled up to our house in Carmichael a little after 8:00 am. We loaded up Phil's truck and were on the road just before 8:30 am.

As a change of pace, we decided to go to the coast through the Anderson Valley. This added more than an hour to the trip, but gave us a chance to explore some new wineries. Our first stop was Pennyroyal Farm. We did a wine tasting paired with a small cheese tasting.

We continued up Highway 128 and stopped at Toulouse Vineyards. I enjoyed both of the stops. They were much more causal and relaxed than wine tasting in Napa. Both places were very friendly.

From there, it was about another hour and a half to Gualala. We rolled into town about 3:40 pm and picked up the key.

The four of us are spending three nights at Seascape. We have never stayed at this house before. It is located at the end of Wild Boor Reach. This is probably the closest we have ever stayed to the ocean. As a separate project, I need to make a map of all the houses that we have stayed in Sea Ranch!

After getting the truck unpacked, Sharon and I took a two mile walk along the bluffs. I love the trails along the bluffs.

We finished the night with a late dinner. Marlene made a great lasagna. Somewhat uncharacteristically, everyone crashed very early...

2018 Sea Ranch Day 1

For the fourth time in five years ['17, '16 and '14], we are spending a weekend in January or February at Sea Ranch with the Sanborns. This also marks the fifth time in seven years [2013 and 2011] that we have spent a long weekend at Sea Ranch in the winter.

The Sanborns rolled up to our house in Carmichael a little before 9:00 am. We loaded up Phil's truck and were on the road just before 9:30 am.

When Jack, Sharon and I were in San Francisco last summer, we had a bottle of MacPhail Pinot Noir for dinner. We liked it and I researched where they were located. It turned out that they had a tasting room in Sebastopol. I made a reservation for noon. Their tasting lounge is in an area called the Barlow. We got there about 11:30 am; the traffic was very light. We wandered around the area a little before heading to the tasting room.

We had the tasting room to ourselves. After the tasting, we had some sandwiches for lunch in MacPhail Tasting Lounge Soil Room.

After a quick stop in Bodega Bay for some crab and smoked salmon, we headed north to Sea Ranch. The traffic continued to be very light. We rolled in Gualala just after 3:00 pm. We are staying the next three nights at the Kyuka House. This is one of the two houses that we rented in September of 2016 for the anniversary trip.

Sharon and I went for a two mile walk along the bluffs before dinner. I have always loved sunsets on the ocean at Sea Ranch.

Sharon made chicken cordon bleu and green beans for dinner. After dinner, the Sanborns hit the hot tub. Beat from a long week of traveling with a couple of early mornings, I fell asleep on the couch in the media room and was done for the night...

2017 Sea Ranch Day 1

For the third time in four years [2016 and 2014], we are spending a weekend in February at Sea Ranch with the Sanborns. This also marks the fifth time in seven years [2013 and 2011] that we have spent a weekend at Sea Ranch in January or February.

The Sanborns met us at our house about 8:15 am. We loaded their truck and were on the road before 8:45 am. I had made reservations for a wine tasting at Donum Estate at 10:30 am. Sharon's friend Noel had brought a bottle of Donum to dinner. I remembered him talking about the winery and thought it would be nice to explore a new place.

We had a very intimate tasting. Afterwards, with it raining hard, they let us use the room to have lunch. Sharon had made New 0rleans style Muffulettas sandwiches for lunch.

From there, we rolled towards Gualala. We picked up the key in town about 3:00 pm. We are spending three nights at Galleons Reach.

After getting settled in, Sharon and I went for a walk. The rain actually stopped for a while. We walked to the point in front of Sea Ranch Lodge and back. In total, we covered about 2.9 miles. I had never walked out on the point in front of the lodge. I discovered two Sea Ranch historical markers (Kenkoku Maru grounding on Black Point Beach and Black Point Settlement/Bihler Landing) that I had never seen before.

The four of us spent some time in the hot tub before dinner. Unfortunately, the hot tub stopped working and never worked again over the course of the weekend.

For dinner, we had lasagna that Marlene made. We finished the night playing Texas Holdup poker. We also brought a Cinque Terre puzzle that we started...

2014 Sea Ranch Day 1

The plan for the holiday weekend is to spend a few days at Sea Ranch with Phil and Marlene. This will be the third out of the last four years [2013, 2011] that we have spent a winter weekend at Sea Ranch. After some indecision about which vehicle to take, we ended up loading everything into Phil's truck. With golf bags, ice chests and luggage for the four of us, it was quite a load.

Leaving the house a little after 10 am, we made a stop at the Bouchaine Vineyard for lunch. From there, we made stops in Bodega Bay for some smoked salmon and Jenner for gas. We rolled into The Sea Ranch about 3:15 pm, just over five hours with three stops. We are staying at the Crestview house that we rented in 2011.

After getting settled into the house, we took a long hike to the south. We went to the Walk on Beach and back. It still irks me that there is a long bypass around the bluffs just north of the Walk on Beach.

We used the hot tub and then played a couple of games of pool. When we were here three years ago with Jack, we never used the game room with the pool table.

Sharon made a lasagna last weekend. By the time we got the lasagna cooked, it was a late dinner.

We finished the night watching a little of the Winter Olympics before crashing.

2013 Sea Ranch Day 4

As I told Sharon and Janie over the course of the weekend, I probably got more relaxed and unwound during this long holiday than any trip in recent memory.

Up fairly early, both Sharon and I went for runs to the south. It was very cold and breezy. Running a little over five miles, I could never get warmed up.

After a breakfast of omelettes, we packed up the cars. The check-out time was 11:00 am and we rolled away from the house about 10:58 am. Although the location was perfect, Sharon was not completely happy with the house [lots and lots of unfinished wood on the inside]. As a result, I am pretty sure that we will never stay here again.

I made a quick stop at Saint Teresa of Avila Church [California Historical Landmark #820] in Bodega and then met Sharon and Janie for lunch in Sonoma. We had lunch at Della Santina's, an Italian Trattoria.

After lunch, we made a quick stop at Bouchaine Vineyards. Both Sharon and Janie are wine club members there. By the time, Sharon and I rolled up to the house it was almost 6 pm. It was a great long weekend.

2013 Sea Ranch Day 3

The plan for the day got a little off track. As Sharon and I were working to make waffles for breakfast, we couldn't get the stove to work. Eventually, we realized that the propane tank for the house was empty. Sharon ended up calling the owners and they scheduled a propane delivery for later in the morning. Unfortunately, all of this running amok compressed the morning. I had hoped to go to Mass, but we ran out of time.

I went out for another long run along the bluffs. Heading north, I covered almost 6.7 miles. The weather was great; it was warmer than Saturday morning.


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We spent the afternoon watching the 49ers NFC Championship game against the Falcons, lounging in the jacuzzi, and enjoying the view of the ocean. After the 49er game was over, Sharon and I hiked the 4.5 miles to the Sea Ranch Lodge. We explored the coast along the way.

Janie drove to the lodge and met us there. We had hors d'oeuvre and a couple of drinks while watching the sunset. After the sun went down, I also got a chance to watch the last quarter of the Patriots versus Ravens AFC Championship.

Back at the house, we had a late dinner of leftovers. Sharon and I watched About A Boy and finished the night with late dip in the jacuzzi.

2013 Sea Ranch Day 2

One of the things that I enjoy about Sea Ranch is that you get a little bit of a sunrise on the ocean in the winter as well as sunset. The coast runs southeast to northwest rather than south to north. Up early, I sat with a cup of coffee and enjoyed the sunrise.

I took for off for a long morning run. I ran from The Living Roof to the Sea Ranch Lodge and back; a total of 8.5 miles. I pushed hard to the lodge. In the years that we have been here, I have never run the last mile or two along the bluffs near the lodge.


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Back at the house, Sharon, Janie and I headed into Gualala. We wandered around the town and did some shopping. We had a drink in the bar at the Shoreline Restaurant and watched the waves break over the sand dunes into the river.

We spend the afternoon relaxing around the house and enjoying the jacuzzi.

Janie's friend Carol came over for dinner. Carol lives at Sea Ranch. We finished the evening barbecuing a couple of steaks and having a late dinner.

2013 Sea Ranch Day 1

In the late afternoon, I headed towards Sea Ranch. Sharon, Janie and I will be spending the MLK weekend at the Living Roof House celebrating Sharon and my birthdays. We spent the long weekend holiday weekend at a different house at Sea Ranch in 2O11.

Sharon and Janie had gone over earlier in the day. Jack was also originally going, but he was selected to attend a Jesuit Leadership Summit at the Los Gatos Retreat House; more on that in a future post. I had forgotten how long it takes to get there. Even with only hitting a little traffic on Highway 101 North between 37 and Petaluma, it took three hours and 40 minutes on no stops...

After unwinding a bit, we had a great late dinner of lasagna that Sharon made. We finished a late night watching an odd movie: Magic Mike.