I hope you all had a stupendous New Years.

One of the many beaches where we stuck our toes in the sand on a foggy grey morning.
The way the waves were crashing into these rocks and sending ocean spray flying- not only was the air perfumed with salty goodness, but the visuals were absolutely stunning.

We sat for a while watching the tide flow in and out from in between this rock gully.

Interesting looking erosion on this seaside rock. Apparently it has an interesting smell, as well!

5’ in front of the picnic bench where we sat sipping our coffee, this was going on:

Oh, joyful way to wake up on a lazy morning!

One of the state parks we visited had this placard about how it used to be a butter and cheese mecca. Sounds like my kinda family empire

We took a tour to see Elephant Seals!

An Alpha asserts his dominance.

They looked like big sea slugs just lying around! We were about 25ft from them at all times. Moving around at a surprisingly fast clip, we saw them undulating like big eels.

Slapping sand over themselves to stay warm and ward off bugs

A little further away, we saw a mother seal give birth, and a swarm of gulls descended to eat the placenta. There was also a very brave coyote skirting around hoping to get some placenta and dead seal pups.

Nerd vs Elephant Seal

This is Ano Nuevo Island. It used to be a Peninsula, but has since eroded into an island. Also, this house was built in the 1920s from redwood planks. It has been abandoned since 1950, but still stands true despite being zero maintenance and constant beatings from ocean waves and winds. A testament to the strong redwood boards and old-style craftsmanship. It is also entirely inhabited by seals, sea lions and gulls! Humans do not set foot on the island.

An Alpha and his “harem.” Bow chica wow wow….


This guy found a spot all to himself! Must be an exiled beta.

We whiled away an afternoon noshing cheeses (and cheeses, and cheeses) at a goat farm

Hadley Farms hosts ornate gourmet, locally grown dinners in the goat farm in this charming old barn. We’d love to come back for one, although at $150 per ticket (for a 5-hour “experience”) they are a tad beyond our current budget.

Hullo, ladies

Hadley Goat Farm

Our stowaway! We did not drink champagne on the balcony at midnight (we were erm… in bed!) nor did we utilize the outdoor hottub, but E and I have avowed to return and take full advantage soon.

We cozied up with a bottle of this

Oh hey! You’re eating brie on a rosemary olive oil rustic loaf? I’d like some if you’re feeling kind.

CJ + couch + corg

Oh, hello there! Our co-habitant, Ivy in all her glory.

Canine and swine bond over their love of carrots! Linus was *very* scared of Ivy. He was curious, and went up to smell her, but then was skittish and backed away whenever she would stick her nose through the fence. Ivy was SUPER friendly- very personable!! She was such a sweet girl and completely charmed us for the days we stayed with her. The pig makes a hard case against eating bacon.

Sniff, sniff. You guys got anymore carrots out there?

We happened upon this pumpkin field of sheep. I wish I had a polarizer, because this photo does not do the colors we saw justice! Think very bright greens with striking oranges.

Wouldn’t be a complete trip without a burger and a beer!

2009, aka the year I saw a river otter in the wild, is winding down.  Also winding down is my current 24-hour shift.  Off for a pre-dentist and otherwise boring errands-day snooze.