First Easter Egg Hunt

Ryan had his first egg hunt this past weekend at Mendocino. He insisted on eating them all....

Mendocino-Anderson Valley-Healdsburg

This past weekend while on Ryan’s spring break, we made an impromptu vacation up to Mendocino coast. Ever since Ryan was born, our accommodation choices have been somewhat limited. There was no exception this time. I was disappointed to be turned down by many Bed and Breakfast due to the fact children under 15 are discouraged…. However, I was glad that we were referred to Stanford inn by the Sea – a child/pet friendly peaceful resort. The inn has got a beautiful ground with horses, llamas and an organic vegetable garden. Their renowned organic vegetable restaurant, Raven served the best veggie breakfast I ever tasted. While Ryan was having a great time mingling with dogs in the breakfast lounge area, we enjoyed the stunning ocean view and fresh seasonal produce every morning during our stay.





On the way to the coast, we drove through Anderson Valley and visited an organic apple farm in the area and was blown away by this charming old-fashioned farm. All the organic handmade juice, vinegar, jams and chutneys are nicely displayed on the shelf. The purchases are made on the honor system that you jot down your items on the notebook and get changes from the cash box. It turned out it’s a three-generation family operations with grandparents overseeing the farm, teaching the weekend cooking class, son managing a country boutique hotel in Boonville and daughter running a local stylish garden tool and houseware shop. I love the beautiful scenery that Anderson Valley has to offer but what appeals to me the most is their down-to-earth and authentic country living style.








We ended our trip with a stop to Healdsburg. We had the Easter Sunday brunch at Barndiva, lured to its modern barn structure and outdoor dining atmosphere. We stumbled across it and its adjacent gallery - Artists and farmers on our last visit to town. But their food turned out to be a total disappointment. Although it seemed like quite a popular spot for Sunday brunch, I guess people came here to enjoy more of their ambiance than the food....

Bouquets to Art 2008 II

(continued)

The floral designers were under strict guidelines intended to protect the fine art from buggy, sluggy and cruddy elements sometimes found in floral containers and branches. Prohibited materials include some wooden objects, driftwood, dried wood, feathers, silks, wool and fruits. Dried plants and vines are discouraged. Despite the rules, there was still a wide range of styles, and floral materials used in the design.

Bouquets to Art 2008 I

We visited the De Young museum for Bouquets to Art over the weekend. It was such a visual feast for me. There were 150 stunning floral arrangements to interpret museum's collections from paintings, ancient vessels to sculptures. Some arrangements were more literal translation of their inspirational art pieces; some were designed to harmonize and complement the arts. I wonder how I could miss such an event in the past. But I know going forward this will definitely be added to my annual must-go list...

I heart....

I came across Mizue Hirano's website the other night and totally fell in love with her work - the gentle and fluid watercolor with pastel colors. They're just the right images for the spring season.

Wandering Heart II

I was so thrilled to find out that Pia has featured my submission to the wandering heart project on her blog. Thanks for her wonderful words too!!!

Update (3.14.08): My three images have made the first round of selection along with some gorgeous pictures from others. Pia has announced the final deadline for the project to be June 15, 2008. There are still plenty of time; go hunting!!!