Here’s my hangout at Louie’s.
These days I shoot pix continually with my Canon Powershot S-90, which is always on me in fanny pack. When I want to get serious, I use my Panasonic Lumix G1; the latter replaced my 5-lb trusty Canon 20D. It’s half the weight. Much the way that the Olympus OM-1 replaced Nikons back in the ’70s. The Lumix G1 is a wonderful camera.
It’s Friday, we had a great breakfast at the Trink cafe here in Pt. Arena. Local eggs, hickory-smoked rough-cut bacon. Last night we had dinner at Bones, a “blues and brews” pub in Gualala. The place was packed. Huge menu. Smoked everything, every dish was good, a restaurant in its own “sweet spot in time” at this very moment. Dark ale from the nearby Eel River brewery, tasted like chocolate.
In Pt. Arena: Am writing this from the Arena Market & Cafe. Great lattes, working wi-fi. There’s another real good espresso cafe on the other side of the street. Plus an absolute delight world-class bakery run by a mother and daughter. Also lattes down at the cove at a little surfer cafe. And about the best garden supply store anywhere, the Outback Garden & Feed.
Another coastal recommendation: The Timber Cove Inn has been rejuvenated and looks like a great place to stay. Plus the food is excellent. Out on a rocky point, with Benny Bufano’s 90-ft. sculpture “Peace” still lookin good.
I haven’t skateboarded in 2 months, and I’ve been craving it. One of my favorite places is the narrow, downhill road (with little traffic) to the Pt. Arena lighthouse. There’s a half-mile or so run that I love. There are portions of the run when I’m going too fast to be able to get off and stay on my feet, so it’s always a bit risky, thus I wear a lot of safety gear. It’s a thrill. I was going to skate it just once yesterday, but Louie talked me out of it. Don’t take the chance of compounding knee and rib injuries. I am so mature.
I’m about to head across the mountains (that must be crossed to get to Ukiah) by going on Stewarts Point Rd. , which Louie says goes through an Indian reservation, and some beautiful country.
I love this little town of Pt. Arena. It’s way more gutty than Mendocino, a lot of real people. I have roots here. My dad used to camp and fish on the Gualala river in the 1920s. I split shakes in the Timber Cove area in the ’60s. I was also — ahem — the insurance broker for the town of Pt. Arena in the ’60s. Another life.
