Photo Friday: Sea Ranch, California


I am a very lucky girl.  I have friends who own a home in Sea Ranch, California, and they allow me to use it on occasion.  I am a very lucky girl!

Sea Ranch is the ultimate in California planned communities.  Snuggled into the hills and rolling to the beaches of Northern California's coastline, the community has strict building guidelines and a high price tag which has severely restricted development.  Accessibility also has kept Sea Ranch small;  it is nearly 4 hours from Sacramento (3.5 from San Francisco) much of which must be driven on Highway 1.  This is not a highway for the faint of heart -- or for those who get carsick.

Architecturally, the town is interesting.  Founded in the 1960s, it was intended to be an environmentally responsible and sustainable community.  Over time, the homes that have been built have trended larger and larger, and the aesthetic has evolved, but as a planned community, it is an interesting place to visit.  My husband, the architect, studied it in graduate school, and we play "Name That Decade" as we wander through the community trying to pin each building to its particular time period.

Many of the homes in Sea Ranch are available for rent (including my friend's home which sleeps 10 people).  The weather can be bracing as the wind whips in over the ocean or the fog descends on the coast.     But when the temperatures in Sacramento soar to 115 degrees... well, Sea Ranch looks like paradise.  Light a fire, cozy up with a book, or take a hike through the redwoods.  The beaches are generally deserted.  The sunsets are spectacular.  And the wild turkeys are fantastic entertainment!

The closest town to Sea Ranch is Gualala -- just north on Highway 1.  Here you will find charming restaurants, fishing licenses, a good little grocery, and a few small shops.  We generally bring a cooler of necessities from home for breakfast and lunch, but we treat ourselves to dinner out most evenings.  That said, we don't always follow our own rules.

Our favorite restaurants include:

  • Trink's Coffee Shop:  free WiFi and good coffee
  • Bones Roadhouse:  really good BBQ (and I grew up in Texas)
  • Upper Crust Pizza:  excellent, freshly made pizza;  order ahead by phone (Tel: 707-884-1324)
  • Meza Grille:  greasy-spoon type breakfasts;  gorgeous view of the ocean

All are located on Highway 1 in Gualala.

Sea Ranch itself has very few eating or shopping options.  However, there are two spots to be noted:
  • Sea Ranch Lodge and Village Store: a good place for cocktails; pricey food with a good view (Tel: 800-732-7262. 707-785-2371). www.searanchlodge.com
  • Two Fish Bakery (in Sea Ranch): fabulous baked goods; open Thursday - Monday (35590 Verdant View. Tel: 707-785-2443)
If you are planning a trip to Northern California, Sea Ranch is a lovely place to stay.

And if you are visiting from DeliciousBaby.com's Photo Friday , welcome!  

Michelangelo Buonarroti: 1475-1564


Today is the anniversary of Michelangelo's death in 1564.  
By January 1564, Michelangelo was dictating his letters because “my hand no longer serves me.” Yet he was still sculpting. He willed his soul to God, his body to the earth, and his possessions to his relatives in a last testament of just three sentences. On February 12, while working on the Rondanini Pietà, he became feverish. He spent hours burning piles of sketches and drawings. Even in his final days, Michelangelo was conscious of his reputation and did not want to leave behind anything he did not deem perfect or worthy. 
On February 15, he sent for Lionardo. His friends gathered. Daniele da Volterra and Tommaso de’ Cavalieri were among the loyal attendants who read to Michelangelo and retold, at his request, the story of Christ’s crucifixion over and over again. Michelangelo lay by the fire, and eventually moved to his bed. He turned to Volterra at one point and pleaded, “O Daniele, I am done for; I am in your keeping. Do not abandon me.” Not only did Volterra stay by Michelangelo’s side to the end, but he assumed his friend’s mantle after his passing, taking on the responsibility of painting clothes and drapes on many of the nudes in The Last Judgment. (His own paintings were often done from Michelangelo’s sketches and pay homage to his teacher and friend.) 
On February 18, 1564, Michelangelo’s doctor wrote to Duke Cosimo in Florence, saying, “This afternoon that most excellent and true miracle of nature, Messer Michelangelo Buonarroti passed from this to a better life.”
Rome grieved deeply when Michelangelo died. His body was moved to the church of Santi Apostoli, adjacent to Palazzo Colonna and a few blocks from his home. The very public funeral was “attended by the entire artistic profession, as well as all his friends.” Vasari recounts that “Michelangelo was buried in a tomb in the church of the Santi Apostoli in the presence of all of Rome, while His Holiness planned to erect a special memorial and a tomb in Saint Peter’s itself.” Michelangelo had expressed his desire to be buried in Florence, however, not in Rome. His friends knew, though, that the Romans would not let him go easily. So, unlike the public fanfare accompanying his interment in the church of Santi Apostoli, his body was moved to Florence two weeks later in secrecy, “shipped like merchandise in a bale . . . so that in Rome there would be no chance of creating an uproar.” Florence welcomed her native son, and again Michelangelo’s life was celebrated in elaborate style, this time in the church of Santa Croce. The Florentine Fine Arts Academicians posthumously elected Michelangelo “prime academic”—“head, father and master of everyone.” 
A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome by Angela K. Nickerson (pages 139-141)
Michelangelo died just shy of his 89th birthday.  He died in 1564 -- the same year Galileo and Shakespeare were born. 

Field Trip: Italia for Presidents' Day!

Most of you have the day off.  That means plenty of time to daydream, right.  I've got a little trip to Italy in store for you, today.  I don't think Abe or George would mind.

Sit back.  Relax.  And enjoy just a little trip to Italy...



Pretty fun, eh!

Many thanks to my friend Chris from iKangaroo for putting together that video for me!

Additionally, I was recently a guest on Unabellavista 's new radio show, How to Tour Italy .  I had a great time chatting with host, Anthony Capozzoli.  You can have a listen here .

Have a lovely holiday!  Ciao!