Last weekend we used the Mendocino getaway we won at the Mickaboo silent auction, and it was awesome. The house, La Puerta del Mar, is about 20 minutes south of Mendocino on Highway 1. It is on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with a wall of glass doors the accordion out of the way to make the patio and main living area one large space. It also has a hot tub, sauna, and giant tub with a view. It rained most of the weekend, so we were limited in what we could do. But on the last night we were able to lie in bed in the master bedroom and look at the sea and stars.
Corinne spent the weekend sleeping in a bed instead of a crib, and she handled it quite well. One night she was wandering around in the dark and she fell butt first into the space between the bed and the wall, but it scared her more than hurt her. There was also a super cute moment. Early Saturday morning she started calling out, and so I went to check on her. When I got to her room she was adjusting one of the pillows at the head of the bed, then she patted the space next to her. I got into bed and pulled the covers up, and she said, “That’s better.” Heartmelt.
We arrived on Thursday and settled in. Corinne went nuts running around the house, room to room to room through all the countless doorways. We decided to check out town, and for dinner we ate at The Mendocino Cafe. I do not recommend the cafe, the food was expensive and mediocre and the service horrible. I was so disgusted I left a 37-cent tip, which was less than rounding up to the next dollar amount.
Friday we went to the Mendocino Farmers Market and bought some bread, strawberries, mixed greens, and sea salt. We also took Corinne to a toy store and bought a few things. Friday evening my sister arrived, and we had dinner together at the house and relaxed.
The sun almost came out on Sunday, so we spent the morning soaking and the headed into town after lunch. It was a lot of fun, and Raelene and I stayed until it was time for Corinne’s nap. Marcy hung around for a while longer and did some wine tasting and otherwise hung out.
On Saturday evening Raelene and I went to The Ravens for a romantic anniversary dinner while my sister watched Corinne. The food was amazing. We started by splitting the crabless cakes, then Raelene had the mushroom risotto while I had the seaweed strudel with wasabi and plum sauces. For desert Raelene had the lemon tart with a late harvest wine and I had the chocolate torte with a glass of port. Yum!
Sunday was spent lounging, then packing up and leaving. We thought about doing some wine tastings on the way home, but Corinne fell asleep almost immediately and we decided to make the most it. She slept almost the entire way home.
Thanks again to the Mickaboo silent auction and the person who donated the rental. We’ll definitely be bidding again next year.