2026 The Sea Ranch - Day #6

Over the years, we have had very good luck with the weather at The Sea Ranch in January and February. Only once, in February of 2017, did we get a day of steady rain.

Today turned out to be another exception. It rained very hard all day. I think that it rained a lot hardier than it did in 2017. The weather app showed a precipitation total of 2.5 inches.

After a lazy breakfast, Sharon and I drove in Gualala. We did some shopping at the Surf Market. We checked out a couple of spots for dinner.

In the early afternoon, we watched a couple of Youtube videos about how to play Mahjong. We played three games. Holly, Van and I each won one game. [Note to self], I need to order a Mahjong reference card.

In the late afternoon, I did a 10 minute Peloton bodyweight workout and a 13 minute Peloton Strength+ bodyweight workout that I designed. Afterwards, I took advantage of the hot tub.

Ten years ago, I would have probably tried to go for a run in the rain. With my knee still stiff from slipping on Friday and it raining buckets, I just couldn't talk myself into going out. Van actually hiked to the Lodge and back earlier in the day; he got soaked...

After getting cleaned up, we headed to Cove Azul in Gualala. We ate lunch there once before with the Sanborns in 2014. I had crab cakes, while Sharon had salmon fish and chips.

The four of us finished the night watching MSNow's comments about the State of the Union Address.

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

July 2022 Sea Ranch - Day #1

Sharon and I rolled from Carmichael about 8:15 am. We met the Gainsleys at Donum Estates for a tasting. Although it feels longer, we have been wine club members at Donum since 2017. The four of us did an experience tasting that includes a walk around the property.


We stopped for lunch in Bodega Bay. Sharon and I brought sandwiches that we picked up at Whole Foods. We shopped for oysters and smoked salmon at the Tides Wharf Fish Market.

We rolled in Gualala just before 3 pm to pick up the key. We are spending eight nights at Monette. We stayed in the same house in February.

After unloading and settling into the house, the four of us walked to the Sea Ranch Lodge and had a drink at the bar. It was very windy on the walk back to the house. Sharon has always talked about how windy it is at Sea Ranch in the summer.

For dinner, Kevin barbecued oysters and steaks. Donna baked a couple of potatoes and Sharon made a salad. We finished the night in the hot tub. When we were here in February, Sharon never went into the hot tub...

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!

2021 Father’s Day Weekend - Sea Ranch - Day 6

After spending the Mother's Day weekend at Sea Ranch, we are heading back for Father's Day. Rolling from the house just after 8 am, we dropped Tiber at Best Friends. Sharon made a 11 am reservation for lunch at Lynmar Estate Winery. We have been there twice before for tastings [2016 with Sanborns, 2014 Frame Family Function].


Lunch started with organic popcorn [seasoned with rose & garden borage salt, estate extra-virgin olive oil]. It included a Fattoush Salad [romaine lettuce, english cucumber, pickled graden radish, toasted house-made pita croutons, local goat feta, sumac & oregano dressing]. This was paired with a 2017 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay. The entree was gently roasted breast of organic chicken marinated in portugese spices [purple & sweet potato rosti with fermented garlic, grilled spring vegetables, castelvetrano green olive tapenade & bliss lemon aioli]. This was paired with a 2018 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Dessert was cookies & cream [orange blossom & tahitian vanilla bean panna cotta with candied citrus tapioca center].

Part of the back story for the weekend is that Drew rented a house at Sea Ranch for the next ten days. When he told us, we turned around and rented another house for the Father's Day weekend. We rolled up to his VRBO about 2:30 pm. We explore the property and hung out with Drew. Morgan and Lee eventually got there.

From there, we headed into Gualala to pick up the key to the place that we are staying. We are spending four nights at Waveside.

After getting settled into the house, Sharon, Jack and I walked north about a mile along the bluffs and back. Sharon made her tranditional first night at Sea Ranch lasanga for dinner.

The three of us finished the night trying to watch Inglourious Basterds. I didn't realize that it was going to have subtitles. I fell asleep a couple of times. We gave up about 2/3s of the way through and crashed about 10:30 pm. I am going to have to go back and watch it from the beginning again.

2017 Sea Ranch Day 4

When we got up on Monday morning, there was no power. Phil said that he thought that the power had been off since about 4 am. With it raining even harder than Sunday, we made a decision to pack up and head out early.

As an aside, I was amazed how wet the whole area was. It is the first time I have seen waterfalls flowing off the bluffs.

We rolled from the house about 9:45 am. Although we talked about heading home through the Anderson Valley, after we dropped the key in Gualala, we headed south down Highway 1. We tried to stop in Jenner for lunch, but the restaurant wasn't open until noon. We ended up having lunch at the Tides Bay View Restaurant in Bodega Bay.

From Bodega Bay, we headed towards Sonona. We had to detour around a section of Valley Ford Road that was closed due to flooding. We planned to stop at Schug, but it was closed. We ended up stopping at Anaba Wines.

Heading east, Highway 121 was closed due to flooding. We had to detour north towards Sonoma before heading home. Although it was raining cats and dogs, the traffic was pretty light on the way back to Sacramento. We rolled up to the house in Carmichael about 5:40 pm.

Texting with my sister, she said that power was restored to the Sea Ranch where we were staying until 3:30 pm!

2017 Sea Ranch Day 3

Over the years, we have been very lucky with the weather at Sea Ranch. Last fall, Sharon spent weeks fretting about the weather ahead of the fall dinner party. Unfortunately, our luck ran out on Sunday. It rained steadily all day.

Phil and I drove into town early to get a couple of things for breakfast. I ended up making pecan waffles.

We spent most of the morning working on the Cinque Terre puzzle. I had bought the puzzle because I was worried that the weather might turn nasty.

In the middle of the day, Phil went out for a bike ride in the rain, while Sharon and I ran along the bluffs north from the house. I ended up running a little more than 6 miles in the steady rain. I ran north to the houses that we stayed in last fall. On my way back, I stopped very briefly and talked to my sister who was staying at a house down the street. Although we invited them over later in the day, we never connected during the weekend.

We had a late dinner at the Black Point Grill at the Sea Ranch Lodge. Sharon and I both a great special of sea bass caught locally in Point Arena.

Phil, Sharon and I stayed up pretty late working on the puzzle.

2017 Sea Ranch Day 2

Our original plan for the weekend was to plan on golf on Sunday. With the weather looking iffy for Sunday, we decided to play on Saturday. After breakfast, Marlene, Sharon and I drove down to the Sea Ranch Links Golf Course to make sure that they were open. We couldn't raise them on the phone; it turned out that their phones were out.

We headed back to the course about 10:15 am. After hitting a few range balls, we headed out on the course about 11 am. Recovering from knee surgery, Phil rode, but didn't play. It was not a good day. Although I started out solidly, my game quickly went to hell. It is probably the worst that I feel like I have played in ten years.

Although it wasn't raining, the course was a wet sloppy mess. We were frankly surprised that they let us on the course at all. The conditions didn't help my game...

Sharon stopped playing after about 13 holes. It was just too wet and muddy. Marlene and I soldiered on and finished out the day. It took us about five hours.

After golf, we headed into town to the store. We got some steaks and potatoes to barbecue for dinner.

After dinner, we worked on the Cinque Terre puzzle for a while and then watched Hell or High Water. This is one of the nine movies nominated for the 2017 Best Picture Oscar. Sharon and I have now seen eight of the nine best picture nominees.

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...