Road Dogs U.S.: A Weekend in San Francisco/Mendocino

We had an amazing time in SFO....aside from the horrible experience of flying these days. We had to fly from Orlando to Atlanta, make a quick dash to our connecting flight and continue to SFO. The flights were PACKED--not a seat to be had. So, my strategy of reserving the aisle and window left me giving up my window for a middle seat. I did load up the iPad with podcasts and audiobooks for John--so he was relatively quiet on the flights.
Steph met us at the airport and we got to drive back to her house in their new Nissan Leaf--an all electric car. Very cool--and very comforable. She did explain that they have something called "range anxiety"....the dashboard gives you an estimate of how many miles are left before you need to recharge....but the actual miles remaining can vary based on what kind of driving you're doing...if you go up a hill, the number of miles available drops.

We got to their new house and it was gorgeous. You walk up the front stairs and when you come into the foyer--the first thing you see is a full wall of windows overlooking the city of SFO and the Golden Gate Bridge. It was stunning!

On the other wall- you have a view of the bay and Alcatraz. We got the full tour---- the ground level is the garage (a real + in the city--and a requirement if you have an all electric car). There was also a huge playroom for the boys (complete with guinea pig cage with Oreo and Chocolate), a guest bedroom with ensuite and a mini-kitchen for guests. They had a gorgeous snack basket for us--fresh fruit, munchies..... The second floor is the kitchen/dining room/great room and living room (with gorgeous salt water fish tank). One floor up is the master bedroom and the boy’s room. Then on the top level is Steph's office and a media room--with a huge attached deck with hot tub.

Jim made a great dinner for the 6 of us...the boys were there for the evening. It was so wonderful to spend time with William and George.

"Seaweed"
We met Seaweed, their Siamese--who, of course, wanted nothing more that to have me pet her (I'm seriously allergic to Siamese, so she had to be content with sitting on the table and staring at me....as if daring me to pet her). We had a very early night....a 4 hour time difference made us a bit jet-lagged...
The next morning, Steph had to take William to a school event, so Jim took us to his business showroom (Restoration Timber) that gets reclaimed wood from old barns, has it processed and sells it for flooring and cabinetry.
A few hours later, Bob and Camille came by to pick us up for the trip north to Mendocino. It was a four hour drive on twisty, turny roads....gorgeous scenery--California redwoods---to get to this little village (made famous by the Grateful Dead and the Sir Douglas Qunitet song, Mendocino).It's an adorable little town right on the coast with gorgeous views of the ocean and filled with hippies, eco-wineries, and self-absorbed California tourists. Outside of tourism, the major revenue producer is marijuana! Of course, California allows medical marijuana...but according to Bob, almost everyone has their own crop.
We got the tour of the town--only about 6 blocks long--and checked into our lovely inn. It was lovely. When I went online for reservations, they were having an online special (must be their slow season---just after the fall and before Thanksgiving)...so they were offering any room in the inn for $199. We got a $400/night room for a mere $199.

The view from the Inn

We stayed in the "Barn"-- a huge room with stone fireplace, stocked with kindling and firewood, sauna and jacuzzi tub in the bathroom and our own private hot tub on the deck. So much fun to just be decadent for two days and nights.

Our Room --in "The Barn"
We got to see Bob and Camilles new 'cottage'. They spend half their time on the boat in the SFO harbor and half time in Mendocino. The cottage is lovely--so homey and warm---an eat-in kitchen, living room, bathroom and two bedrooms. They put in gorgeous distressed oak flooring throughout the cottage.

Camille has a real shoe fetish...she loves designer shoes. I had to show John her HUGE collections--shoes stacked in every closet--just so he'd stop giving me a hard time about all of my shoes...as if!!

Mendocino was lovely--we took a walk to the lighthouse on the coast on Saturday morning, hit Bob's favorite pub (they allow dogs---in the restaurant---where their little Chloe is a regular).

The lovely "Chloe"
On Sunday, we left our gorgeous room and headed back to SFO with Steph and Jim. We took a detour and stopped to see their Sonoma house. The little town is filled with wonderful stores...blocks upon block of very cool places. There are wineries EVERYWHERE---it's like Napa Valley, but less touristy. And, their house---it's going to be beautiful. I wish we could have seen the before--when they bought it, Steph called it a McMansion--and it was filled with Tuscan style furniture. Well, they decided to completely renovate it--so right now, the entire house is in shrink wrap while they complete the work. They're hoping it will be done in June.... The main house is huge---it's going to have a huge stone fireplace, gourmet kitchen, a widows walk to take in the views.

Inside the Main House
Outside is an Olympic size pool, an outdoor kitchen, a playhouse for the boys and an adorable guest cottage. It is so beautiful.