Staycations

International and long-distance domestic travel has become increasingly difficult for us as Rick’s Parkinson’s Disease advances, so we have resorted to mini “staycations.” There is so much to see right here. We live in Sonoma County, California, one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Thousands of people flock here each year to see the sights. Oenophiles, sommeliers, and wine aficionados come from around the world to tour and enjoy the tasting rooms of (literally) hundreds of wineries. Remember the movie “Bottle Shock.” Yep! Napa-Sonoma wines are the best in the world. Even the French say so!

All that is lost on us because Rick and I don’t imbibe. But there are plenty of other things to see close by. Rick’s parents lived in Jenner for years and we’ve driven River Road and Highway One many times – and still love it. That one drive takes us past vineyards with mustard flowers and daisies growing between rows, magnificent redwoods towering on both sides of the road as the Russian River meanders its way to the Pacific. A side jaunt in Guerneville (once called Stump Town) takes you out to Armstrong Woods where the giants rise to the heavens. At the end of River Road is a bridge across the river and the Pacific Coast highway south along sheer cliffs, rocky coastline with fascinating tide pools, coves, long stretches of white sand beaches, rolling dunes, and plenty of pull-outs and trails. We can’t hike or walk on the beach anymore, but we can sit in the car with the window down, drink hot coffee and munch on a bear claw while we listen to the pounding surf. Further south is Bodega Bay, famous for “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock and the road through the green farmlands into Bodega where “The Birds” schoolhouse sits on the hill.

There are always other backroads to drive. Literary giants, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London lived here. London’s Happy House, farm and the remains of his magnificent Wolf House are now a state park. (Did you know Jack London received six hundred rejection letters in his career? That should encourage all the writers out there to persist!)

Even when we aren’t up to spending a couple of hours in a car, there is always the backyard abutting green space. We’re on the flood plain. When the rains come pouring down, the water runs off into the Laguna that flows into the Russian River. It’s a pastureland with ancient, gnarled oaks with gangs of turkeys roaming about, and gaggles of geese and braces of ducks flying overhead.

And there are big towns like Santa Rosa (boasting a Charles Schultz Museum) and Petaluma with its antique shops and river waterfront as well as smaller ones like Occidental, Freestone, and Forestville to explore.

Sometimes it’s just taking a trip around the neighborhood, Rick driving his scooter while I walk Ranger. When we get tired, we can come home, microwave buttered popcorn, and watch a good movie or take a longer “trip” by watching “Aerial America” or “Aerial Africa”.

Life is good when we look for the blessings God has given us. Life is what we make of it.