Many of our guests marvel at the flowers on display at the inn. Most think that we have a florist that brings in the fresh flowers on a regular basis. But the truth is, we have our own in-house resident flower magician, Margi Gomez.
Thank god Jeff and Barbara left the garment industry in New York and found their way to Mendocino. In fact, I try to go in at least once a week to thank them. And as long as I am there, I have one of their burgers.
If you are heading up to the Brewery Gulch Inn from the Bay area, you will pass by Geyserville. Two exits on Highway 101; be careful, don't sneeze or you'll miss it.
Over the past few years, this sleepy Alexander Valley town has slowly begun unfolding its wings. Several galleries, a couple of tasting rooms, and an amazing Italian restaurant, Santi, now draw visitors down it's main street. This past summer, Santi's chef-owner Dino Bugica opened Diavola just a few doors down the street from its big brother.
Dino's latest venture is a pizzeria/salumeria housed in a century old, brick-walled/hardwood-floored building. Here Dino practices the time-honored tradition of using the most basic locally-available ingredients, combined with recipes passed down through the centuries. From the house-cured salumis and sausages, to the thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas, Diavola's cuisine is truly amazing.
Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Monday, Diavola is located at 21021 Geyserville Ave.
Sallie Mac will once again transform their garden into a Paris Flea Market for Columbus Day Weekend, Friday, October 10 through Sunday, October 12. Early birds in line on Friday will be treated to hot coffee and French goodies. Unique items from the European countryside and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces will be marked down up to 50%. It's a great opportunity to browse, Parisian-style, and find a great accent piece for your home, or just get a jump on your holiday shopping.
Last week, I had the chance to hear one of my all-time favorite musicians, Ottmar Liebert, play in a setting you could only find here in Mendocino.
A new experience! Today I had the chance to press grapes and help create wine. My friend, Barry, has been doing this as a hobby for over 30 years and he has all of the equipment. A wine press, a pump, 4 wine barrels, a wine cellar.
As the primary fundraiser for the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Art In The Gardens features local artists and winemakers showcasing their works in vignettes and venues spread throughout the 47 acre coastal botanical gardens. 
It's a menagerie here at the inn. In addition to the wild turkeys, the deer, the otters in the pond and the occasional mountain lion, this little guy has adopted our back deck as his home. He loves to hang out with the birds. He drinks out of the bird bath, he hangs upside down so he can get the seeds out of the feeder. Before he showed up, the Stellar Jays were the bullies of the neighborhood. But now the squirrel rules the roost.
Well, I can't attest to the fact that it was the World's Largest, but it sure was big.
Fourth of July in Mendocino and the place to be was on Main Street. More than 5,000 people, locals and visitors alike, lined both Main and Lansing Streets to watch the parade of cars, floats, bands, circus performers and anyone else that wanted to get in on the act. The Kelley House Museum had a big barbecue that ran from the morning through the parade and then the big after-parade bash was held in Friendship Park. This event never fails to entertain young and old alike. Sometimes, if it isn't too long, it even goes around twice!
With the numerous fires burning in Northern California (1088) and Mendocino County (87), we have received calls from many guests asking if we have been affected. Fortunately, with the brisk ocean breeze we receive, we have had little noticeable impact from the fires. The air has remained clear, the weather sunny. Our thoughts are with our friends and neighbors throughout the county that continue to battle the fires sparked by a lightning storm last week.
One of the tedious tasks of being an innkeeper is selecting the wines to pour during the evening wine hour. This involves sampling countless wines at numerous tastings. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
One of the small benefits of being an innkeeper are unplanned things that happen. A friend of mine booked a weekend stay for her sister, her niece, her daughter and two friends to celebrate her neice's upcoming wedding. They made friends with everyone at the inn and I think they had a pretty good time. I know the innkeeper did.
This past weekend, the 11th annual Pinot Noir festival was held in the Anderson Valley. The only festival of its kind to celebrate a single varietal from a single appellation, the event kicked off with a technical conference and a barbecue at Standish Vineyards on Friday. On Saturday, a Grand Tasting featuring over 30 wineries was held at Goldenye. Following that event, 6 separate winemaker dinners were held at venues throughout the region. The festival concluded on Sunday with open houses at most of the vineyards throughout the valley. The spectacular weather, combined withe the opportunity to sample close to 100 different pinots, made this a memorable weekend. I thought it was interesting that there were winemakers from not just Anderson Valley, but from Napa, Sonoma and other regions pouring wines they produced from grapes grown in our valley. In talking with a number of these wineries, I learned that Anderson Valley yields some of the finest pinot grapes in the world.
My friends Brad and Cheryl came to visit this week. It was the first time they had spent any time in Mendocino, so I wanted to make sure to take them to my favorite places. At the top of that list has to be the falls at Russian Gulch.
Today was an incredibly nice day. The temperature was in the mid-70s, there was a nice breeze blowing off the ocean and the sky was crystal clear. It was a great day for kayaking.
The Mendocino coast is blessed with an abundance of spectacular scenery and natural beauty. Nowhere is this more evident than in Van Damme State Park located just south of Mendocino in the town of Little River. The history of this area is intimately tied to the rise and fall of the redwood lumbering industry in northern California.
The first signs of spring are here. The daffodils and bulbs planted last year are starting to sprout by the hundreds. Driving into town, you can see lilys poking their heads up through the tall grasses and trees beginning to flower. The days are crisp and clear with a stiff breeze raising white caps out in the cove. And during the last few moonless nights, the stars have been spectacular. Last Friday, the northern lights made a rare appearance and were visible from the north coast all the way down to the Bay area.
One of the best abalone diving areas in California is Smuggler's Cove, located just across the street from the inn. Strictly regulated by the state, abalone divers can't use any scuba equipment and the maximum limit is 3 per day. Last fall, my daughter, Taylor, came up to visit. One of our guests went out diving and brought back his limit. He was kind enough to give one of them to us and our chef prepared it. It was the first seafood Taylor had ever eaten and she liked it. I hated to be the one to tell her that abalone was a rare treat and quite expensive in restaurants.
