A Shoulda Been Woulda Been Birthday

Pirate gramps

On April Fool's Day my extended family got together to celebrate my sister's birthday. We also had another shoulda been coulda been birthday to recognize - Wilder's. Wilder's due date was April 1, 2014. He surprised us by arriving the year before, in December 2013. His adjusted age is now ONE YEAR OLD, even though we celebrated his one year birthday in December. For the first few years, preemies are considered to be developmentally the age that they would be, had they been born on their due date. I know, its confusing. Wilder looks like a one year old, which is to be expected, even though his chronological age is 15.5 months. 

The Meadows of Schwan Lake

I found myself in a meadow the other morning, walking with Wilder. The meadow surprised me, being not where I expected it to be - so near my family home - walkable from both my house and my grandmother's house. I had eyeballed the land jutting out onto Schwan Lake, visible when driving past Twin Lakes Beach, wondering how to access it. With a google search I realized the trail begins right on 17th Avenue, which couldn't be more convenient for me.

Point Lobos - Photo Essay

I took Wilder and Kimo to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just south of Carmel, for the first time this summer. Kimo fell head over heels and we ended up visiting the park three times in one month. 

Garrapata Beach (and August Photo A Day - Days 11, 12, 13, 14)

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Day 11 - Mirror - I picked up the art deco compact mirror at a stoop sale in Brooklyn years ago. The mirrored glass pot holds a homemade candle from my sister Melissa. She also gave me the vintage souvenir compact with the lady scarf inside. The cover says, "Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk."

August Photo a Day Day 4 - In the Middle

In order to inspire more daily photography, I'm participating in Fat Mum Slim blog's Photo A Day in August. There is a theme each day and photos are shared with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday on Instagram.

Theme for today is "In the Middle." Mornings like this are rare since daddy wakes up at 4am for work most days. Yay for days off!

Later we went to the San Lorenzo River for a swim. Wilder was entranced by the trees and sky up above.

The trail to the river is gorgeous. 

Picnic Date at the Garden of Eden

Railroad Trestle - Henry Cowell State Park
Photo by Madeline Horn

Last week we finally took the world's advice and went on a date without the baby. This was our first outing together without Wilder since he came home from the hospital 2 months ago. We'd planned a matinee film, but we were persuaded by the glorious sunny day to change plans to an outdoor picnic. 

We hiked down to the Garden of Eden swimming hole from Highway 9. The path from the road brings you through redwoods, past lush fern gullies, and along the railroad tracks to the beautiful Garden of Eden. 

View from the beach at the Garden of Eden
Photo by Madeline Horn

Mini rapids and waterfalls flow between a series of swimming holes. A few small beaches allow space for sunbathing before jumping in. Vertical redwood trees spike towards the sky on either side of the river. We picnicked on egg salad sandwiches, cheese, salami, apricots and oatmeal stout. Then we jumped in to the cool refreshing water without allowing 15 minutes - oops!

Photo from July 2013 of me and my sister Melissa at Garden of Eden
Photo by Dorris Welch

A current flows through the middle of the largest swimming hole, giving you something to do in the water - let yourself ride the current, then swim back up, and start all over again. I adore the exhilirating feeling of cool river water on my scalp on a hot day. Nothing compares to it.

Trestle
Photo by Madeline Horn

Kimo is a jumper. He told me how he once jumped off a tree limb into the water at Garden of Eden. To me, it seems fool hardy and dangerous, but it also makes me love him more. He didn't pull any daredevil stunts on our picnic date.

On our walk back to the road Kimo showed me the railroad trestle, a short detour up the tracks towards the main part of Henry Cowell. He grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains and has a map of all the trails, trees, and swimming holes in his heart. He has many memories in each forest location he brings me to.

The trestle is covered in scratch graffiti - silver paint revealing red rust letters. Lots of the graffiti is from decades past. The oldest piece we found was from 1971! It was fun to photograph, even though I only had my phone to take pictures that day. The trestle passes over the beautiful San Lorenzo River. There are so many spots to wade, splash and swim on the river. It's a never ending source of recreation and inspiration.

San Lorenzo River
Photo by Madeline Horn

Kimo
Photo by Madeline Horn

The Getty Center - Photo Essay

Please enjoy these photos I took about a year ago of the stunning Getty Center Gardens in Los Angeles. Amazingly, this museum is free!

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

Photo by Madeline Horn

The Getty Website - http://www.getty.edu

Where Pirates Meet Sorcerers at Wilder Ranch

On Old Landing Cove Trail, Wilder Ranch State Park
Photo by Kimo Elliott

We spent Cinco de Mayo at Wilder Ranch State Park, just north of Santa Cruz on Highway One. It was Wilder’s first trip to Wilder Ranch! We didn’t name him after the ranch, which is a California State Park, but we both love to spend time there, at living history events in the old dairy farm buildings and hiking the coastal and redwood trails. 

On a deserted Monday afternoon we took the scrub brush-lined Old Cove Landing Trail out to the coastal bluffs. Butterflies led our way down the path. We were thrilled when we came around a bend to a view of pristine Wilder Beach - completely off-limits to humans as a nature preserve. The water sparkled shades of aquamarine, and the sand was the smoothest buttery white I’d ever seen. It doesn’t get touched by human feet, so the mini dunes you see on most beaches are completely absent. When the ocean irons out the sand, it stays flat.

Around the windy corner (so windy we questioned our sanity at bringing a newborn on this hike), the ocean revealed two long thin juts of angular rock covered in green moss and white bird dung.

Poppies at Wilder Ranch
Photo by Madeline Horn

Our final destination was Fern Grotto Beach, easily accessible down a path with the baby strapped in his Moby Wrap. Two worlds meet on this beach - a pirates cove with rough surf and a fairytale sorcerers lair - the entrance to the cave dripping with ferns all shades of emerald. I worried about bringing Wilder too far in the cave entrance since I’ve heard that some cultures warn to keep babies away from caves. We couldn’t help posing for photos with the dramatic fern archway. Peeking in further, we saw a room that could only be accessed by crawling - not the kind of adventure we sought that day. 

Aside from the wind, the hike was lovely, flat, and easy. It was my first adventure out towards the ocean from the historic center of the park. I would encourage anyone in good health to walk towards the ocean to find magical Fern Grotto Beach. 

Kimo with Wilder - Old Landing Cove Trail
Photo by Madeline Horn

History of Wilder Ranch: 

Ohlone Indians built temporary camps near the ocean to hunt elk, collect shellfish, and harvest wild grain on the land that is now Wilder Ranch until around 1,000 B.C.  Once the Ohlones abandoned the site, humans did not return to settle it until 1769, when the Portola Expedition arrived.  Spanish settlers built the Santa Cruz Mission in 1791 and they used the nearby land at Wilder Ranch to graze cattle to provide supplies for the Mission.  In 1821, after Mexico’s liberation from Spain, land in the area was distributed to citizens through land grants.  The land that is now Wilder Ranch State Park was granted to a Russian fur trader named Bolcoff.  One building remains from this era, an adobe built in 1840.  Bolcoff farmed dairy on the land with his family until he went into debt to a man named Meder who foreclosed on Bolcoff in the 1850s.  Meder lived on the property with his family for about 20 years and built a home there.  Eventually he sold the ranch to D.D. Wilder and a partner.  When the partnership dissolved the Wilder family moved onto the ranch and stayed for five generations.  The Wilders operated a dairy farm on the property for many years.  Eventually they switched back to cattle ranching and leased out some agricultural land to farmers. 

In 1969 the Wilder family sold the land to Moroto Investment Company, who planned to develop the land with commercial, industrial, and residential properties.  Moroto abandoned their plans because of Coastal Commission restrictions and strong local opposition.  Concerned members of the public worked together to preserve the land as open public space and stop the development.  The issue was brought to the ballot and residents voted to put the land in public trust.  Wilder Ranch was classified as a California State Park in 1976. 

Wilder BeachPhoto by Madeline Horn

Wilder Ranch Today:

Modern day Wilder Ranch includes beaches, tide pools, oak woodlands, freshwater streams, and wetlands.  Some of the land is still used for agriculture, since it represents an important part of the area’s history.  The historic core of the park includes the Bolcoff Adobe, a victorian house, an old farm house, and a museum. Wilder Ranch hosts special events that are the perfect family outing with living history reenactments, music, and food. 

The coastal land north of Santa Cruz is dear to my heart - a mix of agriculture and remote beaches. A drive up Highway One always clears my mind. Thankfully, concerned citizens and organizations have worked hard to prevent commercial development of the area. 

Fern Grotto Beach
Photo by Kimo Elliott

In 2005 The Trust for Public Land purchased 154 acres of land located directly north of Wilder Ranch named Sand Hill Bluff for $12 million.  Sand Hill Bluff includes an Ohlone burial ground and a shell mound.  Sand Hill Bluff will be protected along with Wilder Ranch and 407 acres of property called Coast Dairies, located immediately above Sand Hill Bluff.  Together, Wilder Ranch, Sand Hill Bluff, and Coast Dairies form 13 miles of protected coastline, totaling 12,000 acres.  Half of the land at Sand Hill Bluff is cultivated agriculturally, growing brussels sprouts and artichokes. 

It puts my mind at ease, knowing that Highway One will look the same when my son is my age. As a Central Coast native, it's his heritage!

Fern Grotto Beach
Photo by Kimo Elliott

Madeline and Wilder with the barn, Wilder Ranch
Photo by Madeline Horn

Wilder Ranch State Park Website - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=549

Wilder Ranch Brochure - http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/549/files/WilderRanchWebBrochure2009.pdf

Pomeranians and a Polar Bear in Port Costa, CA

Canyon Lake Drive, Port Costa, CA

We follow a winding road, descending through golden hills, sparkling in the sunshine, behind a biker, his mama, and two Pomeranians in the basket on the back. We reach a stretch of homes in dappled sunshine, shaded by large Oaks and Willows - the beginning of the tiny town of Port Costa, CA.

Artist Wendy Addison's Studio, Theatre of Dreams, open Saturdays only

Next we reach the time and weather-beaten Victorian-era commercial strip, leading to the water of the Carquinez Straight. A whimsical assortment of tenants fill the wood, brick and cement buildings. Dusty windows offer a glimpse inside to artist's studios, vintage stores, the swanky Bully Valley Roadhouse, and the crooked yellow paint peeling Victorian Burlington Hotel  (once a brothel).

The Burlington Hotel, Port Costa

The Warehouse Cafe anchors the end of the strip in a hulking cement warehouse built in 1886. The Port Costa Post Office looks as if it belongs in 1886 and shares the main street-facing portion of the building. The Warehouse Cafe patio reaches towards the water. A band sets up outside. Bikers in leather, a few with Pomeranian dogs stand on the patio, in the dirt parking lot and in the street. They might look tough if it weren't for their foo foo doggies. 

The Warehouse Cafe Building, Port Costa

Inside, the Warehouse Cafe holds a cabinet of curiosities, ready to be explored, mason jar of beer in hand. A massive stuffed polar bear towers over drinkers from his plexiglass case, a stuffed headless seal at his feet. Giant crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, draped in red and white striped circus fabric. A wood and glass theater box office sits in the middle of the space. The restaurant offers burgers and hot dogs from a counter that looks like it was once held a smorgasbord. 

Polar bear inside The Warehouse Cafe, possibly
Port Costa's most famous resident

An oddities shop that feels more like a head shop sits in the corner of the Warehouse Cafe, only accessible through the bar. The bathrooms are down a shoddily built wooden hallway. The two stalls in the ladies’ room don’t have doors. Somehow, this just adds to the charm of the Warehouse Cafe.


This is the kind of place you can get lost in. You could choose to sit at the bar or on the patio with other customers, or you could find yourself a dark hidden corner to hunker down in. Alternatively, you could walk through the dirt parking lot, over the railroad tracks, to the rocks on the shore of the Carquinez Strait and have yourself a picnic looking over the water towards Benicia. 

Railroad tracks between Port Costa and the Carquinez Strait

Port Costa is a short 25 miles from Oakland, but if feels a world away, in both time and space. In other words, it's the perfect day trip from crowded San Francisco or Oakland. Explore the links below for more information on Port Costa's quirky businesses. 

Links:

Warehouse Cafe Yelp Page  

New York Times Article on the Warehouse Cafe 

The Burlington Hotel 

Bull Valley Roadhouse 

Theatre of Dreams

Road Tripping the 101

Solvang Danish Village, California

In Search of the Beach
Ventura is a beach town with urban planning problems - the 101 Freeway acts as a divider between downtown and the beach. On a bike ride from my sister Natalie’s house I crossed two freeways and passed many strip malls to reach the ocean, just two miles away. 

San Buenaventura Beach

Seaward Avenue near the beach is lined with weather-beaten buildings offering fish and chips, tacos, beer, real estate, surf gear, and hot dogs. I saw a man smoking a cigarette outside a row of tiny apartments the size of hotel rooms half a block from the beach. Homes in need of a paint job have big decks upstairs for the ocean view. I felt comfortable in this neighborhood. It felt lived-in. The beach is wide, long and lovely with soft light sand, aqua blue water and small waves. I could have spent a happy beach day there if I had more time. 

Madeline and Mark with the famous Solvang big clog

Solvang Danish Village
On the drive north on Highway 101 from Ventura to San Francisco, my travel partners Mark and Marcin and I did some classic road trip activities. First we stopped at Solvang Danish Village, an entire town built to resemble a Danish hamlet. The shops of Solvang Danish Village sell pretzels, cookies, folk dolls, and postcards. 

Madeline and Mark with Danish phone booth

When we stopped at a bakery to eat a “Danish waffle,” a crispy elongated pastry filled with chocolate and whip cream, Mark pointed out that Solvang seems to be a seniors’ vacation hot spot. Everyone aside from us was part of a grey haired heterosexual couple. Me, Mexican American Mark and his tall Polish husband Marcin stood out. A couple in the bakery asked Marcin his height, then challenged him about it, accusing him of being taller than he said he was. 

Even if we didn’t fit in, I loved Solvang Danish Village. Without paying admission, we stepped into a Danish theme park that felt like an alternate universe.

Gold Rush Steak House, Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, CA

Madonna Inn
Our last stop was Madonna Inn, a 1960s rock and carved wood confection with themed rooms like the “caveman,” “edelweiss,” “espana,” and “hearts and flowers.” Click this link for photos of all the rooms http://www.madonnainn.com/features.php 

The Gold Rush Steak House is a misleading name for the main restaurant at the inn. Cotton Candy Fantasy would suit it better. Apparently they serve steaks on those pink tables in pink booths, with diners seated in pink chairs atop a rose carpet flanked by red velvet wallpaper lit by golden cherub chandeliers. Seems like awfully feminine decor for a steak house, but maybe that’s just me. I would expect to eat caviar, champagne and ice cream sundaes in those booths. Casual visitors can have a cocktail at the bar with an equally misleading name, Silver Bar, which features the same cotton candy decor as the restaurant, with pink naugahyde bar stools and carved wooden grapes. 

Melissa Burman stayed at the Madonna Inn for her one year anniversary in the Swiss Rock room. She was dazzled by the sparkling red walls in her room. She also enjoyed the colorful cut glass goblets at the Gold Rush Steak House. 

Melissa’s favorite part of Madonna Inn was the pool with a waterfall. She said, “The pool is built in to a cliff overlooking the inn and San Luis Obispo, and it’s heated to 86 degrees and open until 11pm, but beware of the $30 pool fee when you check out.”

Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, California

Road Tripping

Unhurried road trips are the best. I love it when the people I travel with are open to stopping whenever we feel inspired to explore a roadside attraction. We reached San Francisco in time for me to have dinner at my dear friends Sarah and Tomas’s house before driving myself back down the coast home to Santa Cruz. As always, the road trip got me thinking of all the cool places I have yet to explore in my home state. Time to start planning! 

Links
San Buenaventura State Beach
Solvang Danish Village
Madonna Inn

The Perfect Day in Capitola Village

The Capitola Theater in 2005, after it was closed.
Photo courtesy of FsuFiji

I have worked in theater box offices since I was 16-years-old. Audrey, who owned and ran the beachfront Capitola Theater for 50 years, seemed as good a character as any to model my career after. She wore thick glasses and a grey bun in her hair while she sold tickets in the box office until the theater closed in 1996. In the 1980s and 90s my family religiously attended the theater’s second-run double features. Huge plumes of tobacco smoke billowed from one half of the auditorium, the official smoking section. Audrey’s devil-may-care attitude towards the public’s health gave me a thrill.  

To my horror, the theater was demolished in 2010. Despite this travesty, Capitola Village still has its charms. 

Garden path along Soquel Creek
Photo by Madeline Horn

The pastel architecture and small winding streets of Capitola Village evoke a seaside Mediterranean village. The village exists to entertain tourists and pleasure-seeking locals.

How to spend the perfect day in Capitola: 

Mr. Toots Coffeehouse: walk up the stairs on the Esplanade to this warm and cozy second story coffee shop with a beach view.

The Windmill House on Soquel Creek

Photo by Madeline Horn

Soquel Creek Walk:  Walk down below the Stockton Avenue Bridge (on the side closest to the Village), away from the beach, on a flower-lined path between 1920s houses and their backyards, which overlook the creek on the other side of the path. Resist the urge to enter the disheveled cheerful gardens for a better look at the creek.

Capitola Historical Museum
Photo by Madeline Horn

Capitola Historical Museum: Walk up Capitola Avenue to the little red museum with free admission. If they are not open, you can still check out the historic bath house toilet and shower stalls and the tiny beach cottage with an adorable 1920s beach vacation scene inside, complete with mannequins and little dog. If the museum is open, learn about the old carousel, bowling alley, Theater Capitola, ice rink, tiki-themed night clubs, speakeasy, and Grand Hotel - all lost to history.

The John at Capitola Historical Museum
Photo by Madeline Horn

1920s Beach Cottage Scene at Capitola Historical Museum
Photo by Madeline Horn

Capitola Venetian Hotel
Photo by Madeline Horn

The Beach: Sunbathe and jump in the water on the beach. Relax.

The Pier at Capitola Village
Photo by Madeline Horn

The Pier: Catch the sunset at the end of the pier for a view of the village from the sea. Poke your head into the bait shop and step back in time to the early 80s. Nothing has changed here. Check out hundreds of photos of fishermen and women with their catch on the walls and ceiling.

Soquel Creek in Capitola Village
Photo by Madeline Horn

Dinner at the Shadowbrook: Take the little red cable car down the steep hill to this restaurant clinging to the steep banks of Soquel Creek. Have a cocktail in the Rock Room Lounge while you wait for your table. Prices reflect the impeccable cuisine and ambience on offer here.

Capitola Village Links for Visitors:
Capitola Historical Museum
Capitola Venetian Hotel
Shadowbrook Restaurant 
Mr. Toots Coffeehouse
Capitola Theater Memorial Page