Daffodils are up

Our gardens are alight with color again! Just a heads up.

I don't even mind a light, spring rain in temperate weather, even though it means that our days of being able to stay inside and play games are numbered. Heidi is champing at the bit to start her usual spring round of bird watching and attending endless whale festivals, so I'm taking advantage of our very last days of Parcheesi.

Chunk and his brethren are big jigsaw puzzle fans -- no idea why they find that interesting -- but they know that warm weather is just around the corner so it's time to find that final piece to the 1,500 piece puzzle they bought this winter online, depicting  George Washington crossing the Delaware. Chipmunks love history. Who knew?

Heidi is still pouting because she wanted James Franco for best actor. I told her and told her that everyone knew Colin Firth had it sewn up but she didn't believe me. I think it was more than enough that he hosted the show but she's obsessed with him these days. Come to think of it, next week's whale festivals will be a welcome distraction!

The Whales are Coming!

Well, actually the whales are here, but the annual whale festivals are starting and I can't wait!

Heidi here, in case you couldn't tell. Monique thinks I'm mental to get this excited about whale-watching, but I'm not the only one. Whale-watching is so huge here on the Mendocino Coast that they have designed a whole month's worth of events around it, changing towns each weekend, and every year more people get excited too.

What makes whale-watching in Mendocino unique is how close the whales actually come to our coast, due to the sheltered nature of our coastline, combined with really deep water. Let's be honest, the beaches are no good for swimming for that reason but they are perfect for the world's largest marine mammals.

Some favorite spots for spotting whales from shore include the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, the headlands in front of Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse, and of course, our own ocean-view hot tub, right here at the Inn -- or one of the hot tubs in one of our private homes and cottages -- some of which are right over the Pacific. All of these places -- and more -- are having very special whale-related events starting next week. More on that in future posts or check it out at: mendowhale.com, the official home of Mendocino's whale festivals -- complete with whale sound effects!!!

Enough for now. Monique is nudging me because we are only half way through reviewing all of the films nominated for Best Picture and we like to start watching the Red Carpet pre-show early! Here's a final image to whet your appetite for whales. Happy Oscar Sunday!

Romantic Pet-Friendly Vacation Anyone?

Not to sound like a broken record over here, but I have just discovered yet another mention of our Inn in the media.

This one is on eHow.com, which I thought was for explaining how to do things -- such as get wine stains out of a shirt or put a chipmunk on a diet (OK, maybe I made that one up).

But I really didn't know that they also clarified matters as complex as "Where do we take our dog on a romantic (for us) Mendocino vacation if we also want to stay some place that features adorable and charming miniature donkeys?"

Did I make that last part up? I might have embellished -- a bit -- but can it be a coincidence that our home is suddenly popping up all over the place, right now, when we are becoming so justly famous for our witty and heartfelt blog?

There are no coincidences. That's what Heidi says, and normally I tell her she's being paranoid, but in this case, it's an excellent thing that we are infusing the zeitgeist with our tiny, teeny wonderfulness.

We're not trying to be furry, loveable AND famous -- it's just happening to us.

So deal with it, people.

Dog-friendly Donkeys

We are just getting more and more famous for our dog-loving ways.

Here's yet another write up of our pet-friendly accommodations in the popular press.  This time it's a blog with 500,000 readers called Petside.com on the iVillage network of sites!

Check it out:

Petside.com: Welcome Inn.

That's us! Welcome Inn. Doesn't that sound nice?

This photo is from the Inn's website. It features our "Pooch Parking" area near the front of the farmhouse. It's in our beautiful gardens. Any one would be happy to be parked in this paradise. And when they are done being parked, dogs can run the length of the meadow above our cottage.

 Here's one now!

We've already bragged enough about our private, off-leash beach. Or have we? Naw. It's not possible to say enough things about this gorgeous, pristine, sheltered spot. There are even interesting rock formations.

Let's face it. You can never get enough of the ocean. It calms the nerves. It soothes the soul. It reminds us all of our place in the universe. And dogs love the beach because they can chase waves, dig without being yelled at, eat shellfish remains that the seagulls have rejected, and generally enjoy themselves the way only they know how.

Chess Weather at the Inn

Nothing like a little spring rain to keep the flowers inspired and help me hone my chess game.

Here at the Inn we have a large chessboard, not too far from our cottage, and I keep sharp by playing matches in all weathers. The board is rubber and the pieces are plastic, so it's an all-weather pass time for me.

We recently hosted one of the top high school chess players from the state of Illinois, and we got some photos of him playing a Podengo:

As the world's smallest hunting dogs, Podengos aren't the best chess players. They are too easily distracted by prey -- or really anything they think might be prey. It just shows how patient this really fine chess player is that he's willing to play a match with a Podengo at all.

Here he is taking on an even bigger challenge -- teaching a puppy how to play! M. Remy Martin W. turned out to be interested in snacks but unable to think beyond his next move. Pity.

Is the Podengo helping Remy learn the moves -- or is he just after the treats too? We may never know for sure.

This dog-loving Illinois high school chess wiz wanted to play ME at chess too, but I didn't want to embarrass him. Sure, he's one of the best high school chess players in the Midwest, but I am the ranked #1 hoofed livestock chess champion in California. It wouldn't be a fair fight.

Short Films for Small Donkeys

Heidi and I are big fans of the annual Mendocino Film Festival.

It's only been going on for a few years now, up the road in Mendocino Village, but it's a great opportunity for us to see some pretty amazing films in a fun, intimate setting. Because the Village is so small and adorable (like us!) the Festival fills the town with excitement and people who love movies -- in a good way. There aren't any gift suites or pretentious parties or any of the other nonsense you find at the more mature film festivals.

Saturday, February 19th, the Festival folks are presenting an encore of the popular collection of short films from last year's festival, with screenings at 4, 6, and 8 p.m.

Go to the Mendocino Film Festival's website for more information -- and updates on this year's upcoming festival, June 3rd through 5th.

We do adore a good flick! I'm a huge Tarantino and Scorsese fan and Heidi, predictably, likes pap like the Sound of Music, Singing in the Rain, and the Wizard of Oz.

There's no accounting for taste but at least a selection of short films will give us enough variety so we can both find something to like -- or more likely, argue about.

See you at the movies!

Donkeys Love Baskets

Photo by John Palmer

You know that Heidi is mad for bird-watching and whale-watching and an ace at Parcheesi. She has told you about my obsession with chess and made fun of my love of scrap-booking. But perhaps what you didn't know was that we are also very big fans of Native American artifacts. How could we not be? Surrounded as we are by the same ancient trees as our wild horse ancestors and connected to the earth (due to our reduced stature), of course we feel very close to the beings that lived on our land before us.

The Grace Hudson Museum in nearby Ukiah (our county seat!) has a world famous collection of baskets and more by our native Pomo Indians, but now through February 27th they are also hosting rare and wonderful baskets from the California Indian Heritage Center. This is not to be missed!

Heidi is inquiring if we can be accommodated on the Skunk Train, a wonderfully scenic way to pop over from the Coast, which will take us from Fort Bragg (just 10 miles north) all the way over to Willits, winding all the while through gorgeous scenery, just as it has done for the last 125 years!

From Willits we will just need a quick ride down the 101 to Ukiah. Anyone have a nice big car? Heidi gets carsick. Just a word of warning.

Photo by John Palmer

Spring has Sprung on the Mendocino Coast

 Here we are, in a contemplative mood because of spring's arrival.

Thanks to our continuing warm. balmy weather, spring has come early to our blessed section of the Mendocino Coast.

Wildflowers are one of the great attractions here on the temperate coast.

Because our soil is so lush and our rainfall is generous, we enjoy a colorful display such as you won't find in other parts of California -- or even the world.

Here's a snazzy specimen from our fabulous Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.

Dylan and the Ice Cream Cone

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- our favorite thing about the Gardens is that they are dog-friendly, like us.

Come warmer weather, Cowlick's Ice Cream cafe will be serving dogs (and people) scoops of handmade frozen deliciousness, right in the gardens.

We can't wait.

If there's anything we like better than wildflowers, ocean views, and dogs, it's fresh-made ice cream from honest Mendocino cows.

Pygmies in Little River

Heidi speaking!

Nope -- we aren't the only tiny wonders on this part of the Coast. The Pygmy Forest is a National Landmark inside the wonderful, Van Damme State Park, virtually in our backyard, at the mouth of the Little River.

Here's a photo of people enjoying the tiny trees in the 1970s!

I know I am always asking Monique to be less focused on personal appearances --- but LOOK at that hair! I know it's Mendocino in 1976, but goodness gracious!

This photo doesn't do the Pygmy Forest justice, and not just because of the bad hair. Van Damme is wonderfully varied and lush, with fern-laden glades, deep forest, and a beach. In fact, you can rent a kayak at the beach and tour the area via the coast.

The best way to experience it, though, is via the Fern Canyon Trail.  Follow the link for details but here is what the Park Service website has to say about it:

"Five-finger and bird's-foot, lady and licorice, stamp, sword and deer- these are some of the colorful names of the ferns growing in well-named Fern Canyon. This lush canyon, the heart of Van Damme State Park, is also rich with young redwoods, red alder, big leaf maple and Douglas fir, as well as a tangled understory of wild cucumber and berry bushes."

Isn't that lovely? The essay is uncredited but the passion the writer has for our wonderful eco-system, the only rainforests left on this continent, is really palpable.

If you like Bonsai, you are going to absolutely adore the Pygmy Forest!

More on why Monique needs to stop capping on Chuck in a later post. Monique is back and she's hankering for another round of Parcheesi.



--Heidi out!