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Three Generations at Doran Beach! |
We're continuing to enjoy our time at Bodega Bay. We've settled into a nice routine of daily beach walks, hot tubbing, reading, mostly cooking our own meals instead of eating out and me getting beat in Scrabble. One other thing we really enjoy are the changing views. All we have to do is sit here and watch out the numerous large windows. Before our eyes we're treated to the tide rolling in and out, the fog blanketing everything and then lifting, the sun popping out and then going away, the wind blowing followed by calm, all the while the temperatures remain cool to occasionally a bit on the chilly side.
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From the balcony of our house......high tide, sunny and calm but subject to change! |
Over the Father's Day weekend we were able to enjoy some time with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma Joy. Although the weather wasn't very cooperative we did get in a little beach time as well as time to simply enjoy being together. Every time Emma Joy sees us it seems as if in her mind she's thinking, "oh no, they're still here". She sits and stares at us looking like she's wondering why we have suddenly infiltrated their family bubble. She seems to like us just fine as long as we don't try to hold her. As tempting as it is to just pick her up, we don't want to traumatize her, so we mostly just smile and talk to her from several feet away. I guess it's "social distancing". Temptation does get the best of us on occasion and we pick her up from behind. We're usually good for about 10-15 seconds until she turns around and realizes it's not Sarah, Joey or James holding her. She quickly voices her displeasure and reasserts that she's running the show. On a walk back from the beach she fell asleep in Joey's arms so Beth and I both had a chance to hold her for an extended period of time which was awesome. James, on the other hand, keeps both of us on our toes, busy and laughing.
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James making sure we stay on the path |
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Two beauties and one beast on Father's Day |
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James flying high with his dad on Father's Day |
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Just before the secret handoff to MiMi |
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Shhhhhhhh! She doesn't realize it's not mom, dad or James holding her. |
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I was telling James about the time I wrestled a grizzly bear. |
It was a great time being together. The only thing missing was one special person.... Ben. He was in the middle of creating a campground full of "happy campers" back in Pennsylvania. We did enjoy visiting with him by FaceTime Sunday night which wasn't nearly as good as it would have been to have had him with us. However, as always the call was very special.
We're enjoying the house, and amenities that are within walking distance, so much that we rarely venture out in the car. We've had a couple of nice drives along the coast and checked a couple of other items off our list.
Although we wanted to watch The Bird's before visiting it (my technical skills still haven't convinced the DVD player to talk to the TV), we did make the short (4 mile) drive to Bodega to see the Potter Schoolhouse. This was a filming location for one of the most memorable scenes from the 1963 horror movie classic. The building was originally built in 1873 and over the years it has been a school, community center, inn, restaurant, guesthouse and is now a private residence. Although we haven't been able to watch the whole movie we did YouTube the scene. I've attached a link below.
The Birds School Scene
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Potters Schoolhouse. In the movie it is "Bodega School". No attacking birds on the day we stopped by to take a peek. |
There are a few amusing things about the scene. First, the teacher, played by Tippi Hedren, was smoking on the playground while the kids are having their music lesson. Second, the kids seemed safe and secure inside the school, why take them outside and have them make a run for it? Third, If you notice, they run downhill towards the water. The house is about four miles inland, making it a very long and dangerous run! Really great film editing, especially considering the movie is close to 60 years old.
We also made a very scenic drive over to Healdsburg for a frozen treat at Amy's Wicked Slush. We wanted to try this place during our last visit, but unfortunately it's closed on Monday's. Of course, Monday just so happened to be the day we chose to head that direction last time. The drive took us from the coast into "wine country" with miles and miles of well manicured green vineyards. The grapes are on the vine and will be harvested beginning in late August and continuing until October.
The drive was simple and pleasant and the reward of an Amy's Wicked Slush made it even better. I chose the traditional Root Beer Split (half root beer slush and half vanilla frozen yogurt), Beth opted for the more exotic Very Berry Split (half strawberry lemonade slush and half blueberry frozen yogurt). We were both pleased with our choices and enjoyed them while visiting for a few minutes with Amy, the proud owner.
Amy's Wicked Slush
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A refreshing treat at Amy's Wicked Slush. When we left Bodega Bay the weather was cloudy and 58 degrees. 30 miles away in Healdsburg it was sunny and 85.........perfect slush weather! |
Although we still have over a week left at Bodega Bay, our time here is going by quickly. There are a few more visits planned with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma Joy. Who knows, by the time we go to leave she may even be letting us hold her while she's awake. The visits will be fun even if they're minus one!
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I've posted a lot of sunset pictures from Anna Maria Island and places we've traveled around the globe. These were taken from our balcony a few nights ago. I couldn't decide which ones to use so here's all of them. It was an amazing show! |