The Larner Seeds demonstration garden

looks fabulous right now. If you like California native gardens, go.











Larner Seeds is located in suburban Bolinas. If your navigation system tells you to turn right on Alder, ignore it and go one more block to Elm and turn right on Elm instead. Elm is paved.



















Inside the store, I bought all my favorites: Eschscholzia californica var. californica, Phacelia tanacetifolia, Nemophila menziesii, Gilia tricolor, Clarkia bottae, and Madia elegans.

Meanwhile, Guy waited in the husband chair.

This morning in Tomales

Guy and I spent last night in Marin County, near Point Reyes. Here are some pictures from our walk this morning.

Nick's Cove

I just want to put up a few pictures of the place where we stayed last weekend, Nick's Cove. We've driven by dozens of times, always thinking it would be fun place to stay. It was! And very romantic.











The cottages are cantilevered over the water. We stayed in the Nicolina.



I took a little panorama with my iPhone.





Guy doesn't eat any kind of animal, so the complimentary BBQ oysters were all for me. :)



Do you write in the guest book? We never do, although I must say a part of me wants to. In particular, I often feel tempted to write something really inappropriate. Like how we made hot gay love in the bed. Hey, straight people do it!



Sometimes just someone's handwriting can be oddly disturbing. Are you this precise? My scrawl looks more like the lovemaker's above.



(Even though I invariably have quite a lot to drink on any vacation, so far I've managed to restrain myself from corrupting the guest book. I just blog about what you wrote instead.)

The Nicolina from the bay side...



Wider view...



That picture was between low and high tide (closer to high tide). The concrete pilings were nearly underwater at high tide.



You can eat and drink in the shack at the end of the pier.





We didn't do that, but maybe next time we will.



Instead, drank wine and ate empanadas on the Nicolina's deck and watched the sun go down.

Bolinas, California

The tiny town of Bolinas, at the southern tip of Point Reyes National Seashore, and a short drive north of Muir Beach, is not on the way to anywhere. It hides on the other side of this lagoon, and it wants to be left alone.



We will visit quickly and go.



















The familiar scent inside the general store brought a rush of memories from my college years in Santa Cruz. All natural food stores have the same smell.







The same hippie-goddess vibe also prevails.



I've only been to Bolinas once or twice before, but I know its contours well. After awhile, all of northern California's tiny coastal towns come to resemble one another.









Bolinas has a slightly sharper edge tho'.



Some people would say West Marin County drinks from the crazy cup. Others would say it takes all kinds.



Bolinas then:



Bolinas now:



Bolinas then:



Bolinas now:



Bolinas then...No--wait. This one is San Francisco, in 3 weeks:



Anyway.



In California, a "community meeting to discuss beach camping" is code language for "what are we going to do about the hobos living at the beach?"

Like this dude:



No doubt the matter will be taken up by musicians,



poets,



and spiritual mediums.



I wish them luck.



My friend Emma and I are just passing through.



We came here with one specific thing in mind:



to buy California wildflower seeds.