Road Trip Day Two, Continued: Dancing Naked

Oh, after that last post I realize I may not have been clear: Andrew, and not the principal, was naked. Still, unbelievable! Turns out that Andrew found Circle Time boring and stripped down because his cousin Natalie had told him, “People should not wear clothing if they don’t want to.” The kids in the circle giggled. Andrew certainly did. Mrs. C did not. Perhaps his behavior was closer to the excesses of the ‘60’s than she’d like to recall. Not only did he strip down, he did a little dance and dashed away when Mrs. C and the assistant teacher attempted his apprehension. At various times this afternoon I talked with Andrew, the principal, my parents and Mrs. C. - and Kerin, who was feeling overwhelmed by the volume of orders coming in – all from the serene setting of our hotel deck. And I worked it all out, a flute of Roederer Brut Rosé in hand. Life is good – if complicated. I’m going to have a little talk with Natalie too, but that can wait…

I shouldn’t even talk about where I am! It’s such a little gem of a hotel, right on the Pacific coastline, but the secret is out, judging from the gushing praise in our room’s guestbook. But all right, I’ll tell you - Albion Inn. It’s in the tiny coastal town of Albion, just a few miles south of Mendocino. (Take a look at albionriverinn.com.) It’s a small and seriously romantic inn, and I was told that it’s usually foggy and cool. We lucked out, especially this time of year. I was entirely comfortable outdoors this afternoon, wrapped in my indispensable pashmina. (If you don’t have yours yet jot down RH-29.) From our deck in Room 19, we can see fishing boats, herons and the waves as they crash over the rocks. Wonderful! The gardens here are delightful, inspiring. The many shades of roses, dune grass, and the surprisingly blue sky could find their way into the color offerings of Red House. The inn’s small restaurant has the same incredible view that our room does, but framed by the gardens. And dinner tonight was truly romantic. If (when!) you come here, try to reserve the left corner table and eat early enough to watch the sunset. You will be enthralled. The inn does weddings, as you might guess, and we watched a sunset exchange of vows. Not that the truly inspired menu (especially the seafood) and extensive wine choices escaped our attention. This is not at all what you’d expect to find this far from SF. And what a coup for chef Stephen Smith to have escaped city life for a lovely setting like this one. I could spend weeks here! After that, I might find it a bit quiet and start to go insane. Napa offers more sun, a medium pace and of course, proximity to SF and the airport. But for a change (and we all need that) I will be back. (And returning guests get a 20% discount!)

Tomorrow – Mendocino and beyond!