Bodega Bay: Peace in Nature

So finally on to the second day of our Bodega Bay weekend getaway last February. (how has it already been almost a YEAR since we were there?!)

We started our day off with a nice complimentary breakfast, provided by our cozy little hotel, Bodega Harbor Inn, where we ate outside at the picnic tables by the community area, overlooking a beautiful view of the harbor beyond the town.

Chairs set out in the common area, overlooking the water... it was really pretty at night!

This was Jacques testing out his portrait photography skills, and I have to say he did a pretty good job!  But this also shows the [blurry] view behind me that we were looking at while eating breakfast. =]

Also, b&w version, just because!

Of course, I couldn't resist capturing this beautiful calla lily at the back of the office building.

After we were thoroughly stuffed from breakfast, we began the drive up the PCH, heading to Guerneville, with the Korbel Winery & Champagne Cellars as our destination, since this trip was given to us for the purpose of doing some wine-tasting, after all!  (Plus, we had some free vouchers, provided by the hotel)  However, you know me, I couldn't help wanting to stop along the way to take some breathtaking photos of the coast.

I really liked the use of this rock formation to focus on, as you can see from the next couple photos as well!

Closeup of some carvings on a picnic table.

This one, I just liked how the seagull was resting peacefully on the table, with the sounds of the ocean in the background.

Another view of the coast, with some housing.  I would love to have this as my front yard!!

Stopping for a macro shot of the mundane fence?  Of course!

And after those little excursions, we've reached the Korbel Winery, where we first stopped off for lunch at the cafe there, and I had my first ever Mimosa (even though it was well past breakfast-time), which was delicious!

Now, we didn't actually end up doing any wine-tasting... honestly, I'm not a huge fan of spending the day drinking wine, as it tends to give me a headache.  And we'd made plans to meet Jacques's Aunt Sue for dinner that night, so since we needed to kill a good chunk of time anyway, we decided to head over to the Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve Park, where we spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening.  The redwoods always cast such a magnificent presence that takes my breath away and gives me a sense of peace.  I love just slowly walking through the pathways, with the trees towering high above me, contemplating life and all its joys and sorrows.

This formation reminded me of a a T-Rex. 

Quality is low, but I couldn't resist getting a photo of us among all this beautiful nature!

Playing with the focus on my camera once more... and exposure [in Photoshop].

Looking up at the little patch of sky seen through the treetops. 

Now, I'm not sure what exactly it is about this little crossing in the fence, but something drew me to it.  Maybe it's the way the fence is broken on the other side that intrigued me but I really love how this turned out!

From there we headed out to a small Italian restaurant located in a hotel, per the recommendation from Jacques's aunt and it was a perfect way to end our day, relaxing and catching up with her, who is the sweetest woman you could ever meet!  We were surprised at how long it had been since we'd seen her... time just flies by entirely too quickly.  Which brings me back to the beginning of this post! =]