misty mendocino

Back in late March, we drove about 3.5 hours north of San Francisco to spend a long weekend in the seaside town of Mendocino. Perched on some very dramatic cliffs, the Mendocino area is a Hollywood favorite; several movies and TV shows have been filmed here, from Dying Young and Overboard to Murder She Wrote (we even saw Angela Lansbury’s ‘house’).

The town couldn’t be a more perfect spot. The Victorian architecture, walkable streets, delicious restaurants and cute inns combine with the often-gray, moody, rainy weather to create a British-like village atmosphere. It’s also super green and lush, and wineries and redwoods are only a short drive away.

We stayed at the fabulous MacCallum House Inn (thank you Travelzoo for the deal), whose cozy, slightly old-fashioned rooms are comfy and inviting. The best part, though, is the inn’s amazing breakfast, which is included with a room.

On the way back to SF, we took the long way, down Highway 1 along the Pacific Coast. As we moved further south, the clouds broke away a bit to offer a glimpse of precious sunshine.



Photos, starting from top: MacCallum House Inn; view of the currently gloomy bay from our attic suite; interior of our attic suite; tiny stove for heat!; cute, Victorian-style details on the nightstand; gorgeous, lush landscaping on the inn’s grounds; Victorian homes (Angela Lansbury’s character’s ‘house’ is on the right); the prettiest post office I’ve ever seen; the town’s dramatic headlands, where the waves come crashing in; a little bit of blue sky, right before it’s time to leave; the drive south along Highway 1; two cows inexplicably hanging out right on the side of the very busy highway; hot chocolate break at Cafe Aquatica in Jenner; the sun finally comes out along the coast 

springtime!

One of my favorite SF neighborhoods, Russian Hill, is in full bloom. The secret spots and tucked-away staircases are once again lined with flowers and rainforest-like greenery.

deep, soft, white

At the risk of overloading this blog with photos of snow, here are a few more from a couple of weeks ago. Snow was such a rare occurrence this year at Lake Tahoe, I felt I had to document every flake. This particular weekend topped them all, when the snow was so deep, my entire ski pole was almost hidden. It was glorious skiing for the first time all year.

The snow was almost all the way up to the top of my ski pole.

soaking at 8,200 feet

While I do miss my beloved Colorado ski resorts, one thing Vail does not have is a pool and hot tub at the top of the mountain. Squaw Valley does, and that’s how we spent last Saturday. The conditions were too icy to ski, but the sun was out and the hot tub was warm. Beautiful!

the boat house

Last weekend was Seb’s annual work ski trip, and similar to last year’s trip, we were lucky enough to stay in a gorgeous Lake Tahoe home. This time, however, instead of a hillside perch with outstanding lake views, we enjoyed a perfect location right on the water. The Boat House, as the 5,000-square-foot home is called, was, in a word, amazing, mainly for its awesome multi-tier deck, luxuriously cozy features and private dock. While I was hoping for bright sun and a clear sky to give the lake a deep blue sparkle (the morning started off with a small break in the clouds), it snowed consistently all weekend, making the air so dense and gray that we couldn’t even see the other side of the lake at times. I wasn’t complaining.


Above: The Boat House in Sunnyside, California. Below, from left to right: a snow-covered deck; a mini fireplace in the kitchen…brilliant; a shiny black Aga that came with a 10-page instruction manual – love it!; a color-coded bookcase in the living room; waking up to a hint of blue sky (it didn’t last long); the snow rolls back in, obscuring the
view of the lake. 

let it snow

We finally got our winter wonderland at Lake Tahoe, just in time for my brother’s visit from Vail. It snowed for about three days straight and dumped about 5 feet of snow. Hurray! The bridge across the Truckee River that leads to our house looked quite magical, and when the sun finally came out, the views of the lake from the top of Squaw Valley were pretty great, too.

scenes from squaw

A sunny day at Squaw Valley last month: views from the tram and après on the mountain.

 

cold weather and no casinos: is this vegas?

I spent three days in Las Vegas last month for work, and was not prepared for the cold temperatures. Sure I’d heard that it gets cold at night in the desert, but I didn’t really believe I’d be walking around Las Vegas in a fleece, hat and gloves. But that I did. It was mostly meetings and presentations, but I did manage a few moments of fun and relaxation, and I had a nice stay at the fairly new Trump Hotel, a tucked-away, sky-high hotel by the Fashion Show Mall, across the street from the Wynn. The Trump’s best feature? No casino. It was blissful. 



Left to right from the top: The welcome sign; my first time at the casino-free Trump Hotel; the Trump’s shimmering lobby; a quick break by the (nearly empty) pool after lunch; a Strip bus ride with Elvis; the King put on a pretty good show, I have to say; the parasols hanging from the ceiling at one of my favorite Vegas bars – Parasol Down Bar at the Wynn; the pool and light show at the Wynn; the view of Vegas from the Stratosphere

finally!

A few weeks ago we finally got what we’d been praying for since December 1st. Snow! It was a true winter wonderland…for about a week…before it all melted and the sky dried up again. We all enjoyed it while we could, including our mascot and favorite dog, Kai.

2012 so far…

Happy belated new year from SF! Not much going on but work and praying for snow. A random selection of photos from New Year’s Eve and the 18 days since (from my phone – excuse the not-so-great quality)…


From the top: a beautiful sunny New Year’s Eve day in San Francisco!; happy 2012; our NYE party was a “hats and mustaches” fiesta – Seb really mastered the look; my mustache ticked less on my glass; New Year’s Eve with our friend Jon; New Year’s Eve concert at the Fillmore – Trombone Shorty (a fabulous musician from New Orleans); grilling hot dogs and veggies on the fire pit at Lake Tahoe; a gigantic pine cone found on a Tahoe hike; Dine About Town party at City View at the Metron; glistening view of Yerba Buena Park and downtown