Petaluma

So Petaluma is a pretty amazing place. It has repeatedly been ranked among the top 100 best places to live by various groups. The neighborhoods are all really nice. The downtown area has retained all its original architecture and is a very busy place. In fact, one block downtown was restored with original lampposts and signs specifically so it could continue to be used in period movies. Many movies have been filmed right in town here. They include: American Graffiti (1973), Heroes (1977), Cujo (1983), Explorers (1985), Howard the Duck (1986), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Basic Instinct (1992), Merlin's Shop of Mystic Wonder (1996), Phenomenon (1996), Max, 13 (1997), Inventing the Abbotts (1997), Flubber (1997), Lolita (1997), Videoplasty (1998), Pleasantville (1998), Mumford (1999), The Hamiltons (2005), and Molotov Alva (2007).

The town is only a few miles across, and it turns into farmland immediately without the usual sprawl. One mile from our house is beautiful rolling pasture with scenic curvy roads. It's a road biker's paradise. People still refer to Petaluma as a "cow town." There are a lot of cow and sheep farms. Vineyards are everywhere. Really, everywhere. I'm pretty sure everyone just gets one when they move here. We haven't gotten ours yet.

Here is the weather for this week. It is the same as it has been every week so far. I actually heard a weather person say on the news, "Well, it's gonna be warm today with a high of 68, but we'll be cooling down next week into the mid 60's." So prepare yourself for the cold front I guess.


It is sunny all the time. Even during the day or two we had some rain, the clouds parted for some sun during the day. What a difference it makes to have sun in the winter.

There are farmer's markets year round here. And buying local is easy. We can recycle most everything in a big bin across the parking lot, including plastics 1-7, fabrics like old clothes and rags, and plastic bags. We see the sun set every night over the mountains our apartment faces.

Jay walks to work. We take Blue to the dog park right next to the apartment, and take Anja on the two mile loop around the wetlands. Part of the wetland system is a tidal marsh which rises and falls with the tides due to its direct connection with the bay. Part of the day it is a mud flat, part of the day it is open water. Yesterday I saw a kite dive after something in the grass out there. But Jay wins because he saw an otter on his walk home from work.

And because it's funny, here's Anja playing peek a boo behind her stroller wheel:

Practicing

Anja practicing. And Blue says, "Pay attention to me!"

boxes

We are still partly living out of boxes, but we have all the basics now. Even with all the boxes there is still a lot more room for Anja to play than there was at our last place.


Anja's walking is really progressing quickly. She can walk and stop without falling now, and while carrying large things. She does still crash into things sometimes.


She has adjusted well to the move, and is even on a very regular nap schedule. She has lately been taking two naps a day, each one two hours long! This is the kid who often wouldn't nap at all a few months ago.

Saturday

Today we took a three hour drive north up the coast and saw even more amazing things. We drove through tiny towns in thick mature redwood forest and through this little town on a hillside that overlooks the Russian River where it empties into the ocean. Click on the photo to see notes showing where things are, including harbor seals, which are a first for me.



Anja was walking a lot today. She's always so active. Here she is crawling to her rattley bird toys and birdhouse. Watch her sort through them until she finds the one that has knotted rope feet that she likes to carry in her mouth:

Starting to walk

Anja started taking some independent steps yesterday, and now it's all she wants to do. She's been taking 5 or 6 steps at a time before falling. She really seems to think it's fun.


She is so strong. She tries to climb on everything before we stop her. Here she is jumping like a frog:


She also thought the sound "brrring" was really funny for some reason.

Weekend

How many seals did you see this weekend? We also saw a whale, and pelicans, and redwoods, and Tule Elk. The last seven days have set record highs, but we've enjoyed to 70 degree sunny weather.


The Petaluma area is absolutely amazing. So far Point Reyes National Seashore is my favorite place. It's 18 miles from our place to the entrance, and the twisty, hilly drive through green mountains and pastures would be a worthwhile trip by itself. But the park is breathtaking. It's 20 miles from the entrance to the farthest point, the lighthouse, which has spectacular views. There are also beaches on protected bays, and beaches on the open ocean, and rolling farmland with 150yr old dairy farms, and rocky cliffs.

Here's a photo of the north end of the park. See that pointy rock in the distance? There are people climbing up that rock.


Here is some of the pasture land on the inland part of Point Reyes.


This is Drake's Beach, at the southern end of the park. It's part of a secluded bay so the waves are pretty tame, but big for those of us accustomed to Great Lakes waters. These tall cliffs overlook the beach. If you look closely, you can see Mom and Dad walking near the base of the cliffs. It's also where a few male elephant seals were basking.




This is Point Reyes Beach South. It's on the west side and faces open ocean. The waves are huge and the surf is loud. One guidebook warns to "never turn your back on the ocean" here, because a big wave could come along at any time. This is where we saw a couple of whale spouts, and Jay and I saw the back of one whale crest above the waves.




Anja needs to grow some hair or learn to wear a hat with all the sun out here.


Today we went to John Muir National Monument, a small national park not far from here. We walked a couple of miles through some cool (in temperature) redwood forests. My pictures weren't so great, but here are a couple. Anja managed a short nap in the carrier, which is not as common as it once was. She does best with two naps a day, and a nap in the carrier or the car doesn't seem to be the same as a nap at home like it used to be.


Anja liked the trees.

Point Reyes

Today we are going to Point Reyes for the day. I'm hoping to see some sea lions, and maybe whales if we're lucky. Weather for today is 68 and sunny. Here's a picture taken at sunset in the park behind our place: