Sunday, April 17, 2016

Home territory, around Petaluma.....

For the last couple of weeks we've been at our "home" base at the Petaluma Elks Lodge.  This is our "go to" place for visiting family and sightseeing around the Bay Area.  The sites are situated in a parking lot style and go for $25 per night.  It's recommended that reservations be made.

Nearby is Shollenberger Park, a beautiful bird sanctuary with a great trail system for much-needed walks and jogs.  With all the recent rains, the lake is now full of water.  The park also borders the Petaluma river which flows through downtown.

Shollenberger trail along the Petaluma River...

We had a wonderful surprise visit from our Canadian friends, Dan & Heather.  We first met them in Anza Borrego over a year ago, then again last summer when we visited them at their Sushwap home in British Columbia. We took them over to meet our Petaluma family, Norm, Wendy, Christina, and of course, Annie the Lab.  Norm fixed delicious smoked chickens served with a fresh green salad. The next day we showed them around Petaluma and had lunch at Dempsey's.  Later Heather fixed a scrumptious dinner of shrimp and pineapple on the barbie.  The next morning before they hit the road heading north to BC, Heather insisted on fixing us all a delicious breakfast of eggs Benedict. Eating was definitely the theme of each day!

Heather, Dan and Howard in Anza Borrego

One of the good things about our location is easy access to special sightseeing venues.  We needed a getaway and decided to drive over to the Pt. Reyes National Seashore on a beautiful spring day.

A beautiful sight from on top...

Blooming ice plant and drift wood along the beach...

That's a lot of steps!

So now to bring us current~~We've decided to break up our stay in Petaluma with a series of side trips to favorite locations.  Pismo Beach was an easy day's drive so here we are at the North Beach State Park campground.  We hope to stay 2 weeks.  Good friend Edna lives nearby and there are lots of good restaurants and wineries for our dining and sipping pleasure.  Plus there's a beach, perfect for Howard's jogging and my walking toward the pier and into town.

Posing amongst the Eucalyptus....

Walking along the beach towards town...

Heron fishing!

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