beach bums

we just got back from a whirlwind trip to the ocean.

darin has had this idea for an oceanic scene in the last episode of his Billy-the-Kid film for ages, and we finally made it happen.

we picked up our friend nick, who plays Billy, and headed out thursday afternoon on our little adventure.

stopped in santa rosa for a visit to one of darin's favorite bookstores, Treehorn Books, particularly because they have a good film section.

and then waited for a table at Russian River Brewery, my favorite. i remember the days when you could just walk right in and plop down. now the place is hopping, packed to the gills and spilling over the edges! check out that beer list if you are wondering why....at least they have the best brews in the world to sip while you wait.

the boys each drank plinys, and darin had a sour brew aged in pinot barrels. i was a teensy bit jealous...

not quite as fun for pregnant heather, but dang those pizza bites tasted good!

after that we hurried through the night down the green winding road to bodega bay to stay here:

where the manager had waited up late for us despite the fact that the lobby closes at 9 pm. whoops! we kept him up almost 2 extra hours. i felt bad but he was quite gracious about it all.

waffles and fruit for breakfast with a view of the bay...

and then we headed out to do some wandering on the dunes among the marshlands and great white herons...

a hummingbird landed in a tree right by me. stayed a moment to show off her ruby hues before flitting away. i felt like i'd had a tiny glimpse of a fairy.

we grabbed espresso along the harbor where a thousand birds were circling for their breakfast as the tides went out.

and basically spent most of the rest of the day lounging at wrights beach on a stunning, sunny march afternoon.

while darin took photos and prepared shots, i lounged, read, walked, snacked, wrote in my journal and lounged some more.

21 weeks!

 i think a growing baby loves to get carried along with mama to the ocean, mountains, desert and meadow, wherever she may roam. 

we went up the road a ways and did a shoot on the cliffs above goat rock beach.

i wandered the tangled greenery of the headland, in love with the wildflowers and bracken fern rambling over the pathways.

and enjoying the breathtaking view.

it felt so good to be up there. can't you just hear the ocean?

the pacific, the vast pacific...there is no end and no beginning, just water and blue and sparkle and light, the moon and tides and the blood and breath of the earth.

i made the boys sandwiches by the side of the road. even filmmakers must eat.

and then we headed back to wrights beach to watch the sunset and get our last crucial shot.

nick whips out his whiskey flask and comments, "an actor's life is rough."

it started getting cold as the sun sank. i love how the glowing sun is right at my belly here.

i enjoyed the ocean's offerings, big and small, humble and grand.

as nick prepares to go in!

wooooo hooooo, that water is COLD!

a close call! 

we were the only ones out there, whooping and laughing and shouting as those giant waves crashed again and again.

good bye, ocean. good bye sunset and shells and bare feet and wind.

sun-tired and rosy cheeked and exhilerated and exhausted, we stopped in sebastopol at one of my favorite eateries for baja style refreshments.

i have loved this place since we lived in sebastopol in 2003, and it only gets better!

either that or i'm just pregnant ;) 

seriously, that burrito tasted so good i was squirming with delight with each bite.

the gritty surf style ambience was the perfect way to end our beach day.

made me want to live in a thatched roof palapa and drift along the shore each day, collecting seaweed ribbons for my hair and seashell booties for my babe.

tired director, sleepy and full and content after a good day of filming.

it was a perfect little excursion and i decided that every adventure is more exciting and poignant when you are carrying a growing life inside you. you write in your journal, and you know that someday you might tell your child, we were here, when you were still inside me. we did this, we climbed these hills, we flitted through that pacific water and filled our souls with light.