Update on "Autumn To Do" List

 

I have a quick little update

on how I'm progressing on my

"Autumn To Do List".

 

Any guesses as to how many tasks

I have completed to date?

Let's take a look and see.

 

 

Go to a pumpkin patch,

 

 

and take a hay ride.

 

 

Make homemade hot chocolate.

 

 

Buy some clothes in fall colors.

 

 

Go for a short hike.

'

 

Take a short trip/vacation and visit a new town.

 

 

Take some fall pictures,

 

 

and more pictures.

 

 

 

Drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte,

AND..

 

 

Make some homemade soup.

 

Not a bad start on the list.

We haven't even finished November

and I'm a little more than half way through the list.

I'm very close to finishing three additional tasks.

You want to take bets as to whether you think

 I'll complete the list or not?

 

I guess we'll find out on December 21st.

 

Oh Pumpkin - Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

It had probably been 17 - 18 years since I'd been to
Bishop's Pumpkin Farm.
My family used to visit when the kids were little
and we lived in Yuba City.
Back then, it had just a little barn, train, petting zoo
and of course, pumpkins.

I ended up visiting Bishop's by myself
because Todd was helping his brother with his house,
and my kids are both adults who live in another town
and are unable to drop everything in order
to go to a pumpkin farm with me.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I drove up.
Bishop's had turned into a small amusement park.
I was wishing that I had brought somebody with
me so we could reminisce about how the farm had grown.

There were several new buildings, as well as
zip lines, slides, several play areas, a carousel,
a corn maze, several stores, pig races, pony rides,
hay rides, and the pumpkin farm.

I decided to visit on Halloween,
thinking that it would be pretty empty...big mistake!
Everyone who decided not to go
trick-r-treating showed up there.

The pictures don't do the farm justice.
It was large and packed.
I took about a half hour walking around and exploring,
and trying to get my bearings,
then I decided to take a hay ride

 

 

The tractor took us out to the middle of

the pumpkin patch and dropped us off.

 

Here is a small sampling of how many

pumpkins there were. 

Now take this property and picture

that in every direction.

That's a lot of pumpkins!

 

 

I wandered around for about 45 minutes,

and found these little gems.

Problem was, I only had two hands,

so I could only pick two.

 

 

I made my decision, then hopped back on the

tractor for the hay ride back.

 

Before I left I had to make one last purchase.

Keep in mind that I have been trying to

limit my carb intake since last December.

So what did I buy?

Pumpkin bread, and I ate almost all of it myself. 

It was sooooo delicious,
and I have no self control I tell you.
Oh well, once a year probably wont hurt anything,
but let me just say I'm glad I only have
access to all the pumpkin goodies once a year.

So that was my quick little excursion.
Two hours and $20 later I was done.
It was fun, but would have been way
better if I had my husband or kids to share
the experience with.
Maybe next year.
If I can wait that long to get some more
pumpkin bread! ;)

26th Anniversary - Day 3

 Since we spent the previous day out

exploring the local towns, we thought

we would try and spend our third day 

close to the B & B.

 

We started our day with homemade breakfast,

and then decided to take a walk to the ocean

(which was not a long walk because the B& B

is located a few hundred feet from it).

 

We just followed the little path,

 

and picked up a little partner along the way.

This kitty would follow us and go on walks.

 

 

The ocean, so beautiful!

 

 

Todd found this little critter on the beach.

It looked like a little shrimp,

but to be honest, I'm not sure what it was.

 

After the beach, we went for a walk at

Angelo Coast Range Reserve.

 

 

The reserve is 7,660 acres, but

Todd and I only walked about 3 miles of it. 

 

I took some pictures of the beautiful foliage,

and we just enjoyed being outside,

unplugged and carefree.

 

 

We spent about 3 hours driving to the reserve

and walking around.  By the time we returned

to the B & B, we were both ravenous, so we

took a drive to Fort Bragg and grabbed some BBQ.

 

 

We ate at The Q,

and it was delicious.

 

 

Todd ordered ribs, and I ordered

blackened fish & chips.

 

We returned to our Boat House

immediately after dinner, and we fell

fast asleep after our exercise filled day.

 

I didn't take pictures of our fourth day

because we spent its entirety driving

home from the coast.

Needless to say, there wasn't much to see.

 

Our trip was such a wonderful

little getaway.  Todd wants to make it a habit to

take a brief trip about every three months.

How can I disagree with that?

A little rest and relaxation...

count me in!

26th Anniversary - Day 2

We started off our day with breakfast
at Howard Creek Ranch.
It was provided at no additional cost,
so we were not expecting much.
In fact, we were expecting a continental breakfast.
We were pleasantly surprised when we
were served scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, baked pears,
sausage and coffee/fresh squeezed orange juice or mint tea.
Most of the food came from the farm,
but I believe some of the fruit was store bought.

After our delicious breakfast, we headed out to Mendocino.
Whenever we are in this area, we stop here.
This town always has the neatest shops and galleries.



Picture is of part of Mendocino.
I was standing in the middle of the road!



One of the cool galleries that we visited in town.

 

 

This artwork is made with sand!

Sand!!!

I can't imagine the patience it takes to do this.

 

 

 

Todd and I took our picture in front of the ocean

that you can't see because it's all blown out

 from being overexposed.

We were super happy here because we had

just visited our favorite candy store and

bought some goodies to eat throughout the day.

 

After we were done window shopping and just

enjoying the perfect weather, we headed to

Mendocino Botanical Gardens to buy

a couple of plants that Todd had been wanting.

 

 

We made it out of there without spending a fortune -

which is unusual for us, and Todd found the plants he wanted.

Win!

 

By the time we were done in Mendocino

and the Botanical Gardens it was 4 PM ish.

So we decided to see if there was a movie playing

that we wanted to see.

We had tried to watch The Martian the

previous week, but due to scheduling difficulties

we were unable to watch it.

It was, in fact, showing in Fort Bragg, but not until 4:45 PM.

Todd prepurchased the tickets and then we wandered

around town until it was time to watch the movie.

We LOVED the movie, and it was definitely worth the wait.

 

After the movie we went to the

North Coast Brewing Company.

I had originally wanted to go to a winery,

but when I did some research online,

all the wineries were about an hour away.

So I found the local brewery and it had pretty decent reviews.

 

It ended up being fancier than I had imagined,

and a little pricier, but since we were celebrating

our anniversary we decided to live it up.

 

Todd had trouble deciding what to order,

 

I didn't.

I got some beer samples,

and...

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu with veggies and garlic mashed potatoes.

 

The food was fantastic!

Todd and I left thoroughly stuffed and ready to head

back to the B & B so that we could relax and go to bed.

We ended our evening around 9 PM.

 

It was such a great day packed full of

fantasic fun things to do.

 

Next up, day 3. 

26th Anniversary - Howard Johnson Ranch

Todd and I celebrated our 26th anniversary

back in September, but we weren't able to

get away due to work/schedule conflicts.

It was not a big deal to wait to celebrate, in fact, Todd

and I actually like to travel in October/November.

 

This year Todd took charge of the anniversary plans.

We ended up in the Fort Bragg area for four days

and stayed at a cute little Bed and Breakfast.

 

Howard Creek Ranch

was our destination.

It took us between 5-6 hours to get there,

and we both only took half-a-day

 off from work on Friday,

so we arrived in the dark.

We weren't sure what the grounds looked like,

but we were pleasantly surprised when

we woke up the next day to see that we

were basically right on the beach.

 

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

 

 

The sign that announced we had finally arrived!

The B & B is located on 60 acres of ocean front property,

and is surrounded by mountains.

 

 

The cabin we stayed in, The Boat House. 

It is called that because it was an actual boat

that the owners converted into a cabin.

You can still see bits and pieces of the boat while inside.

 

The pathway to the front door.

 

Front porch of The Boat House.

 

Inside the cabin.

Yes, Todd and I did fit in that bed on the left.

I was a little worried at first,

but there ended up being more than enough room.

The cabin had a sink, microwave, fridge, fireplace,

sitting area, desk, private shower and toilet.

 

The swinging bridge that lead to the Farm House.

 

Front porch of the Farm House.

 

A view of the ocean from the Farm House.

 

The interior of the Farm House was filled

with antiques, and all sorts of neat little chotchkies.

 

The family room of the Farm House.

 

 

The dining room in the Farm House.

 

Beautiful garden outside the Farm House.

 

One of the several animals on the grounds.

This particular one really liked to have its picture taken.

Silly pony.

 

Some of the things that Todd and I really

enjoyed about the B & B....

no television or cell phone service.

We were totally disconnected while we

were at the ranch, and it was

so nice and relaxing!

 

So what did we do while on

 vacation you ask? 

Guess you'll have to read my next

blog post to find out.