It was 40 years ago when those two naifs hooked up with each other. We had planned a quiet celebration for our anniversary, but our children had other ideas. "You have to do something," they said. "Why don't you come out here and we'll celebrate?" When they offered to throw in some time at a romantic B&B we decided that we couldn't refuse.
So, shortly before the Big Day we arrived in California and set out for Jenner, an alleged town on the Sonoma coast near the mouth of the Russian River. We took the long way there, stopping off for a bit at Point Reyes for a bit of birding. Near the visitors' center, we were treated to a Song Sparrow singing repeatedly from an exposed perch. We were able to snap a great picture of the bird.
Although this is certainly not a rarity — indeed, we heard them all the time — it is hard to get a good photo. Most of the time, they skulk around in the depths of the reeds. This male liked this territory for one very good reason: the food supply.
After that, we drove toward the coast, checking out likely spots along the way, but not finding much worth stopping for. We stopped at the visitors center in Bodega Bay, where we learned a greal about Hitchcock's movie The Birds, which was filmed there. That movie, by the way, was made in 1963. Apparently, not a lot has happend in Bodega Bay since. The birds are still there, though. It is one of the prime locations in California, and certainly the best on the Sonoma Coast. We spent several hours exploring the area, getting a chance to study many species that we seldom see in Texas, such as three different species of loons.
Finally, it was time to check in at the B&B. Jenner, as it turned out, consisted mostly of a convenience store and a couple of restaurants. We had a neat cabin overlooking the Russian River complete with some champagne and treats waiting for us, and fireplace that worked, even for us. Most fires we start produce lots of smoke and not much else.
After sharing breakfast with "Henrietta," a friendly gull who has probably spent more time at the cabin than we have, we set off to explore the area. We found Bodega Bay stimulating, but a bit windy and cold for our liking. We did get a couple of nice photos,
such as a strikingly handsome Brewer's Blackbird,
and a young Herring Gull who needed a lesson in what kind of food to eat. If you want to know what became of the starfish, read the entire account.
After a couple of days of exploring the restaurants in the area, a surprisingly diverse selection, we drove back to civilization along the Russian River. We passed through some a small redwood forest with rustic dwellings, before hitting an astonishing gated community in the middle of nowhere. That was the clue that we were near the freeway and the tidy city of Santa Rosa. We broke off for an exploration of some parks in the city, promising to give them more time later, then hit the freeway and sped back to El Cerrito.
It was still a day early, but we had an anniversary dinner anyway at Lalimes, a fancy restaurant in Berkeley.
It was a wonderful trip.