Engagement Trip to Bodega!

This weekend your mom and I took a wonderful trip to northern California, the biggest highlight of which was me asking her to marry me and her saying yes! It was a fantastic time in a gorgeous part of the State, as we checked out a bunch of awesome local places, saw some more of the coast, and met some fascinating people who call these places home.

On the way, we stopped at the Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma so I could try some specialty beers from a great California microbrewery. They had a beautiful patio and we started our trip off right by enjoying some delicious food, and I nabbed some souvenirs.

The next stop was in Sebastopol, the home of your mom's favorite drink, Ace Perry Cider. We met the owner of the place, a hilarious Englishman named Jeffrey. He gave us a tour of the brewery and we ended up sampling every variety of cider they had. We also met a local here, George, who raises horses and tipped us off to a definite winner at the next Fresno Fair. 

Jeffrey's bar in his little cider pub was actually constructed and imported from his home in England! 

For dinner and a couple more drinks, we stopped at the Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol. It was a really cozy place to hang our for the evening, and we met some more locals, Bob and Linda, who years ago left everything behind in Fresno to move to this gorgeous area. I talked a lot with Bob about what went into that decision, because it's something your mom and I have thought about as well.

Originally, we weren't supposed to leave until Saturday, but your mom got Friday off at the last minute, so we figured we should just hit the road! The first night we had to find a place to stay, and we easily found this cute hotel in nearby Occidental, a very cute little town that was really hopping with nightlife when we first rolled in.

Saturday morning we woke up in Occidental and hit up a local cafe for breakfast. Your mom ordered this croissant sandwich and took an extra minute to chop up her eggs like this, just like her mom used to make for her when she was a little girl.

Driving through the area, we stopped in Freestone briefly to check out the antique shops and grab a snack at the Wildflour Bread Company. This place was teeming with weekend shoppers grabbing some awesome baked goods while they lasted (this place only stays open as long as they've still got bread to sell). We settled on a really tasty scone from the diverse menu.

Around lunchtime, we had made it to Bodega Bay, and we had a small bite to eat at the Tides Wharf, a cafe, bar, and diner which was made famous after it was used as a location in the filming of The Birds, a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller from the 1960's.

We walked around Bodega Bay for a bit, enjoying the unusually sunny day. The couple times we'd driven through the area before, it has always been very gray and foggy, so it was great to see everything lit up and warm.

We arrived at our room in Bodega a bit later, and we were thrilled to find the wood-burning fireplace! 

The villa was situated on a 60-acre parcel of land with some neat grounds to explore. We enjoyed a bit of rest in the hammock which was practically buried underneath a bunch of foliage.

Dinner that night would take us back to Bodega Bay, at The Duck Club. We enjoyed a great meal with a great view of the bay as the sun was setting.

Your mom looked absolutely stunning that evening.  

After dinner, we grabbed ice cream bars on the way back to the room, lit a fire in the fireplace, and snuggled up in our robes to take it in. Curled up with your mom, I told her how confident I was in the two of us and the life we've built thus far. I told her how excited I was at all the prospects of our future together. I told her that I didn't think she'd ever be a "ball and chain," but instead a pair of wings to make my life all the more richer because of her involvement in it, and me in hers. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes!

The ring is really beautiful, and it looks amazing on your mom's finger. I love seeing it and being reminded of everything we share. 

The next morning, we headed up north to see some coastline we'd never checked out before. Outside of Jenner, we stopped at this guy's smoked salmon cart, which ended up being basically like fish jerky (interesting, to say the least!), and he regaled us with funny stories from his life in this area. He's been selling this stuff for 40 years! Interestingly, another older man stopped while we were there to say he'd been driving past this guy for over 30 years and never stopped until today. He bought some jerky, shook the guy's hand, and sped off, just like that.

The Highway 1 winds up the hills until you're above the fog enshrouding the ocean below. 

We took the advice of the guy selling the fish jerky to stop at Stump Beach in Salt Point State Park. It was pretty secluded which made for a nice little stay on the warm sands.

In Stewart's Point, a bit further north, we stopped at the General Merchandise store, inside of which was this photo of how it looked back when it was established in 1858. Aside from a fresher coat of paint, it looked a lot like this today! Inside was a cute elderly couple running the grocery store and a deli. The store had a lot of old Americana inside and some old-fashioned freezers and coolers which looked like originals! It was a blast to have lunch in this flashback of a place.

After making it back to the villa, we walked around a bit more to see the horse stables. Scampering around the pens were these two very friendly and playful kittens, brothers in the same litter. Of course we had to play with them a bit. The ginger-colored kitten had a fascination with licking your mom's toes!

Your mom grew up in the ranch lifestyle, so I always notice how she lights up when around settings like this. 

Our last stop on the trip was Santa Rosa, a bigger city in the area with some cool shops. Your mom found a wonderful souvenir in this old portfolio edition of one of her favorite Jane Austen novels, Pride and Prejudice. It made for a nice birthday present for your mom, as today she turned 23.