Point Reyes – Part 1
Tom and I are off to Point Reyes for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We have booked into a B&B in Inverness for two nights. The main
Old fishing boat, "Point Reyes".
reason for choosing Point Reyes is to tour the Open Studios of the local artists. Twenty studios will be open over the weekend and we printed a list of them. I also printed a copy of the map but it was far too small to read.
We left at 7. A wet weekend was forecast but that’s OK. In fact it rained pretty heavily during the night and the roads were wet. We don’t mind the rain, except for the fact that Tom doesn’t like to take photos in the rain. Lots of rain is what we need here in California after several years of drought.
It was Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – and the official start of the holiday shopping spree. The roads were not too busy but all the car parks surrounding the shopping malls we passed were full. Some shops opened their doors just after midnight. The last place you will ever see Tom and I is fighting the masses to get that one object which we ‘must’ have at a ridiculous price. For us it is the open road, traveling to new places and meeting new and interesting people.
We stopped off in San Anselmo for breakfast at Comforts Cafe – see previous post. When we stopped outside the cafe there was a slight drizzle but the sun was shining.
After breakfast we continued along Sir Francis Drake Blvd, driving through San Geronimo, Forest Knolls and Lagunitas. It was a scenic drive with many trees showing off their autumnal colors. On our way home we plan to take a detour along the San Geronimo Valley Drive.
We pulled into Point Reyes Station at 10. Already there were a lot of cars around and we had to park on a side street. Point Reyes station is a nice place to browse the shops. There are no big stores but lots of funky little artsy craft shops. We went first to Toby’s Feed Barn where the Group Show is for the Open Studios. At the back of the store were exhibits from each of the studios which are open this weekend and here we picked up a brochure. I marked the ones we particularly want to visit. There were 17 crosses so we are going to be busy. The map in the brochure was very good I’m pleased to say.
We had time to kill as none of the studios opened until 11, so we took a wander around town. We passed the restaurant where Tom has booked for tomorrow night – Osteria Stellina. It looks really good.
As I was walking past a shop which had a large map of the the area displayed outside, I heard a woman asking two men what was there to do in the area. Of course I stopped to look at the map because I can’t resist them and the woman went on to say she was from San Jose. One of the men suggested Stinson Beach so I chimed in that Bolinas was also a nice place to visit. The same man replied that the tide was too high there. I then turned to him and asked if he lived in Bolinas and he admitted he did. I explained to the woman that Bolinas folk remove all road signs pointing to Bolinas to discourage people from visiting and that’s why it was worth a visit.
When in Point Reyes Station we always visit Point Reyes Books. Their range of books is fascinating and diverse. We idled away the time there until 11.
The first open studio we visited was Todd Pickering and it was one block over from where we were. Todd specializes in black and white photography so right up Tom’s alley. Todd and his dog met us at the door and welcomed us. He had a lot of very nice prints to look at and buy. Todd also told us he runs courses, either for groups or one to one. In February I am attending a weekend course in Sausalito and suggested to Tom it would be a good idea for him to do a photography course whilst I attended my course. We could always spend a night somewhere between Point Reyes and Sausalito, thereby saving me a trip back to San Jose in the evening or me spending a night on my own in a hotel. Todd was an interesting person to talk to. He also plays a guitar and had a CD of his music for sale.
Next door was Carolyn Mean’s porcelain and stoneware studio. She had bowls and vases on display. There were several ceramic teapots which were very decorative but impractical. There was also a selection of her seconds for sale which were very inexpensive.
As we walked back to the car there was a heavy drizzle. We were pleased to get back into the car as we were not wearing our jackets or carrying the umbrella. They were of course in the car but that was little use to us outside braving the elements.
December 31 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
