Bodega Bay Vacation

August 16-August 23, Matt, Jackson, and I rented a house in Bodega Bay (through Vacation Rentals USA) for a much needed vacation. The weather was scorching hot here in Davis, so we thoroughly enjoyed the fog, overcast days, and cool temperatures in Bodega Bay. We enjoyed having lots of friends and family come visit us there, and most stayed at least a night. We even had some deer visit the backyard one evening.

Jackson tried to climb into the hot tub whenever someone was using it (he LOVES water), so we cooled it down a couple of times so he could come in.

We all hit the beach several times. Jackson enjoyed playing in the sand with his cousins, and Owen Case.

 
He found the sand especially tasty, but also enjoyed chewing on driftwood, shells, and kelp. I thought it was totally cute how he left a trail behind him when he crawled on the sand, so I had to take a picture.

Matt and his family rented a house in Bodega Bay every year, when he was growing up, so we had a good time revisiting old familiar places and memories, and creating new ones.

I think we visited every town within a 40 minute drive of Bodega Bay. We liked Occidental, Jenner, and Bodega the most, even though they're so small they can hardly be called towns! We had dinner in Occidental at The Union Hotel. It was pretty good Italian, and a lot of it, with great service and ambience. The patio is so pretty that we HAD to eat out there, even though it had to be in the 50s. Occidental also has some nice shops to look in.

Guerneville and Sebastopol are a bit too hippy-dippy for our taste--you can only look at so many crystals, herbs, and stinky vintage clothes before they all start to look the same. The drive to Guerneville is gorgeous though! The road winds along the Russian River and through a redwood forest--it's so green and lush that it reminds me of Washington.