A Giant Of A Hodgepodge

I'm in the middle of recapping our trip up the California and Oregon coasts and if you'd like to follow along you'll find those posts here (Post 1), here (Post 2) and here (Post 3). I'll be back at it with Thursday's post, but today it's Wednesday and Wednesdays are all about the Hodgepodge.

If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post. Be sure to leave a comment for the blogger linking before you because comments make the blog world go round. Here we go-

  

1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn't have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?

I generally answer the questions on Tuesday morning, so while it is Halloween not a lot has happened here yet. And likely won't because a) hubs and I both feel like we've got sinus infections and b) I'm contemplating staying in my pajamas all day and c) our driveway is long and there aren't a lot of young children in the neighborhood. A neighbor did tell me we will get some trick-or-treaters and I do have candy to hand out. The weather is great so I might be surprised by how many visitors we get. Also am I the only one who buys a big bag of candy, but has a moment of panic on the actual day and then runs out and buys two more? 

Last night hubs and I looked at each other and said, 'Wow we didn't even buy a pumpkin this year.' We didn't go to any Halloween parties this year either, but that's okay because I lack the creative costume gene and am happy to skip the stress that comes with trying to figure something out. I purposely bought hubs favorite candy, not mine so I would not be tempted to eat all the leftovers.  

Bring on November and my favorite holiday of the year-Thanksgiving! 

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate

For life to fall into some sort of semi-predictable rhythm. I'm beginning to think no rhythm is our rhythm but maybe that's what keeps us young?

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.

Maybe more athletic? While there's always room for improvement I think I'm pretty comfortable with my level of friendliness-bravery-creativity. I am clumsy though, and a little more athleticism would be nice. 

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourself-er or do you hire someone? What was the last paint job completed at your house? What room most needs painting now? How do you feel about wallpaper?

Hubs can paint and has painted various rooms in various houses we've owned, but no more. Now we hire a professional and if you can find a good painter they're worth the money. We're particular about edges and corners. 

We've been in our new house almost a year now, so everything is freshly painted. It's time for the painter to come back and touch up a few places, but nothing needs a complete re-do right now. Our painter here is fantastic and also fantastically busy which is what happens when you're good at what you do. 

Wallpaper-eh. I prefer painted walls, and we're strictly painted in this house. I can handle wallpaper in small doses, maybe a powder room or an accent wall, but I prefer paint.

5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October?

Our slow meander up the California and Oregon coast, the beauty of creation all around us from the mighty Pacific to the towering trees, and time with my grandson which is rare and precious. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

"...No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe." ~John Steinbeck

Eureka! (Post #3)

You can read Days 1 and 2 of our trip up the Northern California/Oregon coast here and here. 

Day 3-Mendocino to Eureka California, 160 miles

We got on the road early Monday morning because we wanted to see Glass Beach at sunrise and also because we were still on East Coast time. Mostly though it was because we wanted to see Glass Beach at sunrise. If you're on Pinterest you've likely seen a photo or a hundred of Glass Beach and it's definitely worth visiting if you're traveling this way. 

I had a wide range of outerwear packed for this trip including a light fleece, a heavy fleece, a light hooded rain jacket, and a warm hooded waterproof jacket as well as gloves, headband, and scarf. I wore everything except the light rain jacket and on this particular morning was happy I had my warm coat. 

The pictures you see on Pinterest make it seem like the colored sea glass is everywhere, and I guess it is, but you do have to hunt for it.  

The beach itself is gorgeous and rocky and the ocean wild. We could not get enough of the crashing Pacific on this trip. The coastline reminds us of New England with its jagged rocks and rough surf, not to mention chilly temps. So pretty! 

We grabbed breakfast in Fort Bragg (the town where Glass Beach sits) in a small but really cute little cafe called Eggheads. This was another favorite of ours, mostly because our server was adorable, but also because the cafe has a Wizard of Oz theme and when you ask where the restroom is located they hand you a giant key and tell you to go out back and follow the yellow brick road. Hubs had Eggs Benedict with a hollandaise made from lime, tequila, and cilantro and it was so good! The portions were large and really hearty, so we skipped lunch this day and never missed it. 

I normally keep my blog photos sized large, but this next bit needs supersizing-

We drove back along the coast until we reached The Avenue of the Giants which is for sure a don't miss stop for anyone driving north. Avenue of the Giants is 31 miles of absolute staggering beauty. Honestly the California Redwoods must be seen to be believed. Words and pictures cannot adequately capture the grandeur and magnificence of these ancient giant trees. 

But of course I'm still gonna try.

There's a map posted at the route's entrance which Josh had suggested we photograph (also available in the visitor's center), and it indicates marked stops along the way. I think we managed to hit them all and possibly a couple that were not on any map. 

That's the beauty of a road trip. You pass something interesting or particularly beautiful that makes you want to take a closer look, so you pull the car over and do just that. We had planned to spend part of Monday and all of Tuesday in the Redwoods which gave us plenty of time to really see and enjoy them. 

You need time here.

You feel small here.

Your soul sings here. 

You wonder for a second if the person who penned How Great Thou Art was standing in the middle of a California Redwood forest. 

He wasn't but you hum it anyway because how great Thou art. 

We made a couple more stops on our continued route up the coast ending the day in Eureka at a Best Western that had a great shower and a person in the next room who watched their television very, very loudly all.night.long. Whyyyyy? 

We had dinner in old town Eureka at a restaurant called Cafe Waterfront which was at one time saloon downstairs, brothel upstairs. I like buildings with interesting stories and this one has retained it's original architecture too so very pretty. The food was good and our waiter was a nice young man who explained the booming 'plant' growth in this part of the country. ahem.  

Actually hubs managed to get his entire life story over the course of dinner being served which is partly why I love him. He's never met a stranger, introduces himself and shakes hands with waiters around the world, and is truly interested in hearing their stories. This trait served us so well on a later stop and I'll write about that here soon. 

Also, there will be more tree pictures because y'all!...the California Redwoods are < insert all the synonyms for amazing here >.