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.

Comments

that dress is amazing. those sleeves! the detail. i die.
wonderful photographs, too.
Teeny said…
So glad you girlses are posting links to these pretty spots. You tell a great story in photos Heather, I feel like it's a skill I want to get better at. You are looking beauteous, and I'm sure that will only get more and more obvious as the pregnancy goes on. I've probably told you before that I'm never quite sure if the beach or the river and hills have my heart. I do think it may be the sea, just by a smidge. The water anyway...I need to be near live water; so these photos gave me a lovely breath of sea air to save til tomorrow.
Heather said…
You look beautiful and glowing....and I am so glad you shared these pictures....after living for a little bit in the Middle East we are now headed back to our home in California and I can't wait to get back and see the Pacific again :) ~Beautiful Pictures I am homesick in a good way!! ~Love Heather
Milla said…
If anyone can make a 90s stoner hoodie look good it's Darin, kudos to him! You of course look glowing and beauteous and this whole scene is just too sweet.Any news on the roadtrip? I could just see you two traipsing up the coast and making it look just as beautiful as it does.

So much love.
Nichole said…
i miss the ocean in northern california. i miss the adventures my mama and i used to have when i was a kid. i imagine there are some adventures for your little one in his/her future!
polly compost said…
oh, the ocean seems so wonderful right now. que artista! (your little family will be.)i love your poncho and the sun bursting from your belly. i can't wait to watch the newest installment!
AlphaBetsy said…
So much beauty in one post. You look beyond gorgeous pregnant. And the places baby will experience before even coming into the world! Wow. So much beauty.
Erin MacAirt said…
thanks for the sweet pictures, lovely insight into a life somewhere else. where is this btw?
Cel said…
I remember my amazement the first time I saw a humming bird actually set down on something. My parents have a feeder for them on their patio, and they've got a mated pair and a wee one who come every year (I imagine this year's wee one will be new!) and they actually sing and chirp at each other, it's so cute.

You look SO gorgeous in that blue dress! You really are something out of a sweet dream. There's so much greenery and sunshine, again I'm jealous. It's a long time still before flowers bloom here.

Bahaha, I love the shot of them fleeing with camera! Goodness that must have been nippy though.
anne said…
well if that isn't an ideal day, i don't know what one is! sun, the sea, the solitude. where do i sign up?!

gorgeous pictures. and i love the one of the sun shining on your belly too. it's awesome!
Missa said…
Ah, home sweet home... way to capture some of Sonoma County's glorious wonder Heather!

That shot of you in your poncho with the sun at your belly is amazing, as are you in that blue dress.

I can remember the sense of poignancy that the beach would conjure during my pregnancy too. Walking along the shore, imagining what it was going to be like looking out at the sea with a wee hand to hold :)

As for Papas and Pollo, I think you're right, we recently went for the first time in years and I think it has gotten better. Apparently it was closed for awhile, changed hands, and recently reopened. The burrito I had when we went was SO GOOD.

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