A Little Cottage On The North Coast

My first few years in Mendocino, I lived at the inn. I loved living at the inn. People always asked me if it was hard to seperate my work from my leisure, it wasn't. Guests were always respectful, the inn seldom intruded on my private time. And I really enjoyed getting to know the guests.

But the economy intruded and it made more sense to put the suite of rooms I was living in back into service. I started to look for a place to hang my hat nearby.

Friends of mine that I met up here invited me to rent the one-bedroom apartment above the garage on their ranch in Albion. Within 6 months of moving there, I met Sarah, we were married and soon after, we moved into a little 2 bedroom cottage on another part of the ranch.

This little cottage was at one time the milking barn. We are very lucky to be fortunate enough to live here. We have a huge rolling lawn with a great view of the ocean. In addition to having two baths inside, it also has an outdoor shower for those warm days when the thermometer reaches 60 :)

I miss living at the inn, but Sarah and I love our little cottage. And with a new addition to the family due in August, I think the guests at the inn will appreciate the fact that we no longer live near their rooms.

Pura Vida Brings The Afro-Carribean Beat To The Coast

Again, everyone has a second job up here in Mendocino. Margi, a long-time innkeeper here at Brewery Gulch, has a band with her husband, Jorge. Pura Vida is extremely popular in Mendocino county. Their pan-latin repertoire includes rumba, mambo, chachacha, samba and cumba. Pura Vida was recently featured at the Anderson Valley Pinot Festival. You can listen to clips from their latest CD here.

The Thoughtfulness of Guests

We have a couple that has stayed with us for the past three years. They always come in May, they are from Staffordshire and they are just the nicest people. Somehow, maybe through my blog, or maybe through Facebook, they heard that Sarah and I are expecting. They brought this little music box all the way from England! This is why I wanted to be an innkeeper...for the relationships you develop with guests over the years. Thank you, Ken and Barbara.

Friends Helping Friends

The Ritz, an old squatters cabin perched above the Big River in Comptche

The view of the Big River from the cabin

Unloading the wall that Barry built

As handy as I get

Moving the wall into place

Bolted down and ready for action

Barry is a very handy guy. He has a little cabin in the woods that he has gradually rebuilt from it's very run down state when he aquired it. His latest project was to create a mudroom. He built the new exterior wall at his house out here on the coast and recruited a few friends to help him with the wall raising (and of course, subsequent barbecue).

Creatures of the Gulch

I love the collection of creatures that make their homes here at the inn. Caputured in just one day here on the grounds of Brewery Gulch, photographer John Bernal shot these pictures of just a few of our many friends.



Two of our many mule deer that frequent our meadow in the mornings and the evenings.



A California quail in the brush off the back deck.




An Acorn Woodpecker that finally chased the squirrel off of one of the feeders.



A Scrub Jay waiting for his turn at the feeder.

Stellar Jay, the bully of the neighborhood.

 

One of the turkeys looking for reception. They really are kind of dumb.

The Devil's In The Details

From all the traveling I have done over the years, I have learned that at a hotel, like elsewhere in life, the details make or break the experience. The poolman that remembers your name year after year, the hotel staff that remembers what kind of pillows you like, the welcome you receive when you first arrive.

One of the best things about owning the inn is the chance to put this experience into practice. And I'm lucky to work with a manager and staff that have the same orientation and commitment. We try to note guest preferences such as the guest that likes a backboard on his side of the bed, or the guest that needs scent-free amenities, so that whenever the guest visits, they feel at home.

One of the greatest compliments a guest can pay to our staff is to tell us that as soon as they cross the threshold, they can relax because they know the details have been taken care of.

Time and the Maiden

Construction on the Mendocino Masonic Temple was begun in 1866 and took 7 years to complete. Along with the Presbyterian Church on Main Street, this building is one of Mendocino' iconic landmarks.

What makes this building instantly recognizable to anyone that has visited Mendocino is the visually arresting statue situated on top of the building's cupola. Entitled Time and the Maiden, this beautiful sculpture was carved by Mason and local lumber mill employee, Erick Jensen, from a single block of redwood.

In his beach shack on the Big River, Erick labored over this piece in his spare time. The statue depicts Father Time, the Hourglass of Transience, the Weeping Maiden, the Anointment of Her Hair, the Acacia Branch and the Sacred Urn, the Sundered Column and the Book of Light -- all symbols within the Masonic Order.

The Savings Bank of Mendocino purchased this building, deeding retention of the meeting hall and kitchen to the Masons, and has preserved and maintained it ever since.

Everyone Has At Least Two Jobs In Mendocino...

We have many people that come to Mendocino to get married. Some have large, elaborate weddings. Some just elope. Maybe they will bring family, or a friend or two; many times, it is just the couple.

Owning an inn that provides fuel for these romantic fires in a setting as beautiful as Mendocino, I thought it might be a good idea to become a licensed minister. I asked my wife's uncle (who married us in 2010) if he could point me in the right direction. Thanks to his guidance, I am now a minister in the Universal Life Church.

So far this year, I have married five couples and I have three more ceremonies to perform between now and June. I really enjoy creating a ceremony for each couple. So...if you are thinking of running away together...:)

Rainy Days

I really need to check on comments more often. I didn't realize that back in 2008, someone had asked me to post something on what to do when it rains.

Well, if you can tear yourself away from our huge DVD collection (by huge, I mean almost 600!), our enormous fireplace in the Great Room, and the pastries our chef has out during the day, there are some other things you can do in the Mendocino area on a rainy day.

You can go for a hike on one of the nearby forest trails. Unless it is a heavy downpour, the tree canopy provides a fairly good shield (plus in each room, we have a two-person umbrella hanging in the closet).

As strange as it may sound, I love the Triangle Tatoo Museum in Fort Bragg (and so do many guests that have been). Mr. G and Madame Chinchilla are absolutely fascinating. Admission is free and the experience is priceless.

Estates Gallery Books (covered in a previous blog post) is a great place to visit on a rainy day. A warren of rooms and cubbies stacked floor-to-ceiling with current and ancient books, it is a book-lovers paradise.

The Kelley House Museum in Mendocino provides a great window into Mendocino's past. The docents give edge-of-your-seat descriptions of life during the heyday of logging on the North Coast.

The Anderson Valley has more than 25 wineries producing world-class Pinots and Alsatian varietals located in and around this valley just 35 minutes from the inn. Small, intimate tasting rooms and the absence, in most cases, of tasting fees, make this an ideal rainy day place to visit.

Ask any innkeeper in the area for more ideas, we are usually well-versed as this is a question we get a lot in the winter:)

A Fast Five Years

Well, it has been almost 5 years since I bought the inn, moved from San Diego to Mendocino, and began a new chapter in my life. Those 5 years have not been boring.

2007 closed out with the best year in BGI's history. Then came 2008 and the drop into recession. There's nothing better for one's self confidence than buying an existing business and over the next few years, watching its value plummet. But we were not alone. While the nation slid into recession, I watched a microcosm of its impact here in Mendocino as stores closed, friends lost their retirement savings and numerous inns fell into foreclosure. I was fortunate to have bought an inn with an experienced manager. I relied heavily on Jo Ann's guidance and support and together, we weathered the bad economy until things began improving in 2011. If the first quarter of 2012 is any indication, the worst should be behind us..

I have found Mendocino to be an extremely welcoming and warm community. Maybe because of it's isolation, maybe because there are people here from all over who have chosen to be here. Whatever the reason, I have made so many new friendships and have had so many experiences I would never have had if I hadn't taken the chance to change my life. One of the first people I met when I moved here introduced me to Sarah, who, in 2010, became my wife. We now have a new addition to the family on the way.

Although a native San Diegan, I have fallen in love with Mendocino and Northern California. From the rugged beauty of the North Coast, to the many small towns, each with its own character and charm, life in this part of the country has been a journey of discovery.

And inn keeping...people ask me every day if it is what I expected. I tell them that I had high expectations and it has exceeded every one. I have met so many guests from all walks of life and every corner of the globe. I have loved learning about the area and enthusiastically sharing this new knowledge with people passing through the inn. After 5 years, it is great to recognize people as they return each year (sometimes several times a year) to a place they feel is their escape from the world.

I was excited when, several weeks ago, a new cell tower went up just a couple miles east of the inn and we began to have limited service here at BGI. I posted this on Facebook and so many guests commented that they would not pass this information on to their friends and family when they come up because the absence of cell service was one of the things they found refreshing.

That is the magic of Mendocino...removed from the world. And that magic is infectious. As an innkeeper, I find myself facing the same conflict most of our guests face. It is such a special place, you want to keep it all to yourself. But it is such a special place, you also want to share it with everyone you know...