A Visit in Muir Woods National Monument

On another cold and rainy day in Sonoma, we talked about driving to the Redwoods National Partk, but because it was 5 hours away from Kris' we decided instead to visit the smaller version of the redwoods - Muir Woods National Monument - only about 50 miles away.  Although the day was grey and cloudy the experience was beautiful and serene and provided the opportunity for a long walk along the stream.

Winchester Mansion a Fun Saturday Mystery Trip

Another rainy Saturday in Sonoma and neither of us wanted to hang around Kris' apartment for 12-15 hours so we decided to drive 90 miles to visit the Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Jose.  We signed up for the guided tour and spent the next 1.5 hours in 110 of the mansion's 160 rooms, 24 of which are restored with Victorian era furniture (not Sarah Winchester's but furniture from that period).  Bizarre features in the home included doors and window opening onto blank walls, a staircase from the floor to the ceiling, a door opening outward to an 8-foot drop and amazingly beautiful stained glass windows.  No one knows why this childless widow did some of the things she did with the incredible amount of money she had from the sale of Winchester rifles or why she kept carpenters busy 24 hours a day for 38 years, but for those reasons the house is interestingly quirky!!!

The emotionally troubled 4'6" woman, who suffered from grief, depression and rheumatoid arthritis for most of her life, is said to have spent millions of dollars continually building the house which would eventually cover six acres of her estate ... and which, was seriously damaged in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.  After her death, the house was deemed "valueless" but eventually sold at auction to the only bidder - a California real estate mogul - for just $138,000.

Seems the laugh is on all those who never imagined it would become a popular tourist attraction in downtown San Jose where tickets sell for $32 - $44 each.

It was a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday.

Snoopy, China Camp ... and a Little Flooding in the Kitchen

It was another wet and rainy day, so after the carpet cleaner finished at Kris' we hopped in the car and drove back to Santa Rosa to see the Charles M. Schulz Museum and with a couple of hours to spare before we had to be to Erin's volleyball game, we drove to China Camp State Park.  Only one resident  left where there used to be 500 people living and shrimp fishing here on the California coast.  Not much still there, but interesting just the same.

The Schulz museum is also interesting ... and fun!  Who hasn't, in their lifetime, enjoyed "Peanuts" art and humor? Seems Sparky never really liked the name given to his comic strip ... the "little red-headed girl" is believed to be the girl Sparky dated in college, but who married someone else ... and, Michael says one of Sparky's daughters - a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lives in Park City, served a mission, has 9 children ... and recently went back to BYU to complete her bachelor's degree.

But the fun didn't end there! Tylre, Jaeson and Memo came for dinner.  After they left, I put the dishes in the sink to soak overnight.  Not sure which of us left the water running, but we woke this morning at about 5 a.m. with ankle deep water in the kitchen ... and about that same amount in the apartment below us.  Not the best way to make an impression on the neighbors!

Children's Museum with Memo

Tylre and Jaeson had the day off and it was pouring down rain so we decided to take Memo to the Children's Museum in Santa Rosa where we could play indoors.  We missed having Grandma Kris with us, but we had a fun time watching our little 3-year-old "great" explore this fun new Sonoma County destination.

Oakland Temple: Closed for Maintenance

Another long day in Sonoma where it has been pouring down rain for more than two weeks - 14 days in a row!  Today we decided to drive the 50 miles to Oakland to attend the temple. After more than an hour trying to maneuver the traffic and find the temple when we had never been there before, we pulled into the parking lot ... and there were no cars!  Seems the temple was closed for maintenance until February 1.  I hope we at least get points for trying.

Browsing Bodega Bay

After four years of drought, "El Nino" was long overdue in California, although since we got here on January 1, it has done nothing but rain.  Today, knowing we couldn't do anything outside, we decided to drive the 40 miles to Bodega Bay.  Along the way, we were pleasantly surprised by the stark contrast between the millions of acres of brown hillsides when we were in California in June ... and today when those same rolling hills are lush and green.  I took these pictures for myself, just because I was entranced.

New Year Walkabout in Sonoma

Our 2016 began with a trip to visit Kris and Erin in Sonoma.  While they were off doing their thing, we did a walkabout around Sonoma.  Before we set our itinerary, we did an internet search for the "things to see and do in Sonoma."  Once we got past the countless wine tasting and/or brewery options, we found lots of interesting early California history in this area. Most of these pictures were taken at the home of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, an early California military commander, politician, and rancher.