Marcel and I have been up north at Francis Ford Coppola's place!
A sprig of rosmarino in the lapel...
He's not really upset with me photographing him endlessly, he's just trying out his serious side...
Warm enough for a dip in the pool...
Happy Marcello!
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February 2014 Update:
Missing Link Records is missing. They had to move out due to a rent increase and as of this moment they do not have a new space. I will update this info when they do. Also, Vitamin Planet/Vinyl Planet has permanently closed, due to high rent. So sad. So many property owners have no soul, no appreciation for preserving the integrity of a community and enabling an independent business person to thrive. We've lost so many wonderful small businesses to greedy landlords.
I would however like to add a shop in Santa Rosa that I visited twice this past week and mysteriously overlooked in my original post: The Last Record Store. It's adjacent to a good health food store so you can fortify yourself before going through the long rows of vinyl. Cheers and happy hunting!
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Marcel and I recently took a drive up to Trinidad in Northern California to visit family...and explore. Of course as collectors we were obliged to stop at thrift shops along the way and rescue the many treasures waiting to be found. Now besides my focus on vintage goodies Marcel is tracking the scent of vinyl, still in the vintage category, so we visited a string of record shops along the way.
One of the highlights was Missing Link Records in Arcata. The energy here was so warm and friendly, and so real. We could sense right away that this place was going to have some good finds. Yes!
It's a homey little shop complete with loveseat and so many piles around the edges that I had to look hard to find where I had put down my coat when we were leaving. Like our home. One of the owners, Adam, was there with his musically sophisticated son Henry (part-time DJ, part-time toy tractor operator). Very sweet peeps. Henry likes to hang out in the glass display case that he made into a little fort. This shop has great prices and killer taste. We love it!
Soul Boy Henry:
True to the history of indie record shops Missing Link hosts live music in the store and owners Adam and Matt are dance DJs, playing a monthly Soul Night at Humboldt Brews.
Mr. and Mrs. Missing Link holding a smaller Henry:
above photo: Buck Curran, Aroborea
Next we headed over to People's Records on the plaza in Arcata:
This shop has a big inventory with a wide variety of new and vintage. I shop by mood and that day I was feeling a funk/soul vibe, thinking I was out of luck, I didn't see that category. I was there for about twenty minutes when I realized that underneath the bins, along the floor, running the entire length of the shop was the funk/soul section. You know the saying: Be careful what you wish for!
We headed down Highway 101 to Eureka where we found The Works record shop in their new location.
They have an incredible selection. I was able to find my heart's desire that day, Revisited by the band Love (who have some of the best album cover art ever). It includes one of my faves, Alone Again Or. Somehow I got into collecting versions of the song. I also have it on vinyl by The Damned and Calexico. Here's the original by Love:
The Works, a big shop with lots to discover:
Must check condition, good boy:
Continuing our drive down Highway 101:
"There must be more out there..."
We ventured south to Main Street Music in Willits. I think we only bought two records here. It's still worth a stop. They're noted as having the cleanest bathroom in town and it's true.
Pushing on, we cruised down to Ukiah to Dig Music. This is a fun place. Records start at 50 cents and they do record repair for scratched vinyl. Great memorabilia on the walls and a cool selection of patches and buttons for sale. Michael the owner was very pleasant.
They host live music and it's a favorite stop for musicians who are in town. Rod Stewart's daughter recently sat a spell at the vinyl listening station (we always appreciate a station).
Mad River from Oakland, California performing at Dig Music:
From there we drove further south to Petaluma where we were tickled to find Vitamin Planet - slash - Vinyl Planet. Yes, they sell vitamins and vinyl. Music and magnesium! Also a small but eclectic offering of used books, some real gems. I picked up a 1976 paperback called Country Lesbians: The Story of the Womanshare Collective (in Grants Pass, Oregon). It's fascinating.
Great records at unbelievable prices, shhh. Nothing is alphabetized so plan on spending some time flipping through. We bought about forty records here, our biggest haul on the trip. Phil the owner is a very sweet person. We had a nice time here.
I found so many great and unusual records. Can't wait to go back!
While in town we decided to swing by the Goodwill. Marcel found a couple of good records and I found some beautiful antique bed linens and a vintage Scottish cashmere sweater.
"Ah, he got the velcros..."
So Marcel is now collecting vinyl? Hmmm, I seem to have gotten carried away. I did mention he bought some too, right?
It was that visit to Robert Plant's house way back when that got me hooked...heh.
P.S. Check out Marcel's Tumblr
August 2014 Update:
I have two San Francisco record stores to add to the vinyl roadtrip. GROOVES at 1797 Market Street (tel. 415-436-9933). They advertise records, posters, tapes, and books, but I also noticed some t-shirts, and vintage board games and lunch boxes.
This is one of those shops where every square inch possible is packed with inventory. You wind your way through stacks of vintage vinyl, from kitchy 50s vocalists to lots of great obscure 70s grooviness. Great prices and friendly staff can't be beat.
This is just one corner of the store:
Next up, the infamous Amoeba Music on Haight Street (they have 2 other locations in Berkeley and Hollywood). It's housed in an old bowling alley where they "stock hundreds of thousands of music and movie titles from every genre imaginable." They're not kidding: that's hundreds-of-thousands. You could easily spend all day here. They don't have the slogan "The World's Largest Independent Record store" for nothing.
24,000 square feet of music love, and you don't have to rent shoes.
Also on Haight Street check out Recycled Records.
"The pursuit of second hand records has been expanded into the hunt for the best in all manner of entertainment memorabilia from circus poster to theater programs, and to the acquisition of everything from19th century sheet music, to rock posters and rare travel books."
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We spent a few days in Fort Bragg, California recently. It was a birthday request of my Marcel's -- to ride the Skunk Train. I imagined we would ride the train one day and be hanging out in bookshops and cafes the rest of the time, which is fine with me. Little did I know how much else there was to discover in this sleepy little fishing town.
The 47 acre Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens grows right down to the cliffs and is the only public garden in the continental United states that fronts the ocean. It rivals many big city gardens. I've been to some great ones over the years including Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California and Le Jardin des Paradis in Cordes-sur-Ciel, France and this one surpasses them in some ways -- the specimens, the setting, the calm. It's gorgeous.
A precious cemetery is cloistered within the garden. You can read about it here on Kathryn Hall's site.
You walk through gardens of rhododendrons, heathers, conifers, magnolias, ferns and then pop out at the ocean!
We had dinner one night at Piaci, a pizza pub. They make incredible combos of pizza using local ingredients and feature a dynamic brew menu. We had the Genoa pizza - spinach, carmelized onions and mushrooms on a crunchy thin, light crust; here's nothing worse than getting full on dough after your first slice. I discovered a new favorite beer -- recommended by Diane, our server extraordinaire -- Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, brewed up the street at North Coast Brewing Company.
We had our morning coffee and our evening desserts at Headlands Coffee House which features live music nightly! What?! And they even have a payphone outside (note: this is important as I don't own a cell phone)!
There's more. Great small shops! A small city center; no chain stores, thank you. Next door to Headlands is a shop called Frame Mill Artworks that has the most finely curated inventory for a shop of this size that I've seen since, well since I was in Paris. How's that for a rave review. They have unique art gifts, letter press stationary, jewels, and design books that I haven't seen a hundred times already.
Some sweet shop fronts...
And don't let me forget about Glass Beach. This is getting long so I'll just include the Wikipedia link here. Some of my finds...
Wow. I forgot all about the whole reason we went. The Skunk Train! That was fun too!
Richard buying tickets while Marcel waits politely:
Skunk Train, circa 1959...
Click on the map to view the route...
Returning to one of the camps after grocery shopping in town (this lovely woman's daughter shared more details in the comments below)...
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We journeyed to Trinidad for the Thanksgiving holiday! No, not that Trinidad. The one in Humboldt County in Northern California. It's a spectacular drive passing through vineyards and small towns, farms and incredibly changeable landscapes -- Avenue of the Giants takes you through massive redwoods, and you find golden hills with gentle oaks in the Sonoma Valley.
This rock formation is about 200 feet tall and gorgeous.
The weather was exciting. Bright sun & outbursts of rain and rainbows.
Richard driving...
I've been meaning to photograph this cottage for years. It's south of Laytonville.
(click for larger views)
The barn...
The natural foods store that I like to get lunch at in Laytonville was closed so we stopped at my other favorite spot there, Chief's Smokehouse.
Very cool concert poster collection...
Dazzling architecture in Eureka...
Dear Green Wellies, I found these at a thrift shop in Eureka but they weren't my size!!
We love to stop in Healdsburg for coffee...
And Copperfield's, our favorite bookshop...
Autumn is such a lovely time for a drive in California. Many thanks for being able to live here. Glad to be back home with our cat Nella. It rained last night so I can go out into my "back forty" and look for some more of that special fungus. Cheers!
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Please be patient with me dearest readers. I have been down for six days with a migraine, and beyond that I'm preparing for a big move back east. So bear with me. My postings will be spotty and sporadic. But take heart loyal friends, there will be a payoff! I have many inspired projects brewing, including lots of great design/decor before and after images, ideas, and tutorials to share. As well as charting the journey of our move to the east coast, from the road trip, to the landing, to the eventual new discoveries. Now, back to packing...
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Driving through the warehouse district in San Francisco the other day I saw the chair on the side of the road. I was lost and late and had no time to stop, even though I was driving my empty cargo van. What a missed opportunity! I will say that the seat was in need of repair, but it can be done. If anyone reading this is in SF and wants to go on a treasure hunt ! the chair is on Industrial Street, between Bayshore Blvd. and Oakdale Ave. It's calling out, "Here I am baby..."!
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Today is Jesse's 22nd birthday. I was 23 years-old when I had him. I still feel like I'm that age; how did he catch up to me?
Such a delicate and kind boy. So amazing to watch you bloom. So fascinating to look into such wise eyes before there was a voice.
When we brought you home from the hospital we decided that we wanted to honor you with a big Christmas tree, so your Papi, our dear friend Marco, and your Grampy David went up the mountain behind our cabin and cut down a 20 foot tall tree. They had to drag it down the mountain and somehow through the doors of the house. It stood in our vaulted living room commanding attention, like you.
Here you are celebrating your first birthday with your uncles André and Jonathan. Inside the package you're opening is a furry motorized raccoon toy from Japan. You were so tickled by that toy. It would squeek and wiggle it's tail as it walked toward you, then it would back-up and start over again. I still have it on a shelf in the closet, if you wanna be tickled again sometime! Squeek, squeek.
We went to Mexico to celebrate your second birthday in your Papi's village of Angamacutiro, Michoacan.
On the left, you're sitting in a Cana field eating sugarcane with your cousins. Cana is one of Angamacutiro's major crops. On the right, you're sitting with your great-grandfather. Check out my perm!
Here we're wearing outfits that we got for the celebration of the Dia de Virgin Guadalupe. We traveled all around Michoacan to collect the various pieces...Uruapan, Patzcuaro, Morelia, Janitzio, Paracho...
Mexico is such a magical place to be at holiday time. There were fiestas in every town that we went to.
Below is the photo that I've been telling you about, from when you were in your Robert Smith stage!
You were such a happy boy, always smiling and giggling. But in the photo below your expression contradicts your t-shirt!
In the photo below you are playing football on your 11th birthday with Trevor and Lauren, among others (note: Lauren was recently drafted as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers). You're playing across the street from our house, at Mission Hill Jr. High.
Below is your graduation day from Mission Hill.
Here you are with "evil" stepdad Richie on Donner Summit. Don't worry, there was no threat of anyone being eaten (reference to the Donner Party)! Note that Richie is wearing garden gloves for the snow :)
Below, holding Marcel in Southwest France, 2003.
Another great one holding Marcel...
And finally...holding me! Happy birthday mon fils!
"Weak as the winter sun, we enter life on earth.
Names and religion come just after date of birth.
Then everybody gets a tongue to speak, and everyone hears an inner voice, a day at the end of the week to wonder and rejoice."
-excerpt from How Can You Live In The Northeast, Paul Simon
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We have just returned from a wonderful vacation in Oregon. What a road trip. I'll share a bit of the details here, and for more photos you can visit my Flickr.
One thing that is essential when on the road is choosing your pit stops well. One time when I drove from Santa Cruz, California to Vancouver , Canada I decided to stop mainly in college towns so that I would be assured of finding quality coffee, something that for me is not negotiable. I would pick the highway exit nearest to the campus and without fail discover a good café. On this latest trip we drove up Interstate 5 which presents more of a challenge. It's a trucker's route and as a result you can drive for many a mile without any commerce in sight, as well as having some very seedy towns along the way. We came to discover that it was a safe bet to stop when we saw a Starbucks sign on the roadside. As much as I prefer to go to a locally owned café, we found that Starbucks is a pretty good barometer for "safe" pit stops. If Starbucks won't locate in a given place it raises some red flags; they do have a reputation to protect. Let me make it clear that I am not a snob. When I say "seedy" that can translate as dangerous and creepy (and I'm an urban girl, so you know it's bad, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre bad).
Common Grounds is a sweet café that we stopped at in Willows, California:
Further north we stopped in Dunsmuir, California. It is a train town of 2000 people at the southern foot of Mount Shasta. Their claim to fame is that they have the best, cleanest water in the nation, and in abundance. There are fountains springing up all around town. The water comes from Mount Shasta and doesn't see the light of day until it comes out of the tap, and tastes great.
Another claim to fame for the town is that in 1924 Babe Ruth played at their little stadium. Here are photos of the stands, including Marcel and Richard:
We drove on, to Corvallis, Oregon, where Oregon State University is located; population 52,000. We rented a vacation house, Brooklane Cottage, on a little piece of country property that has fresh eggs from the resident chickens and apple trees surrounding it. There are lovely parks and open spaces nearby, as well as a natural food Co-op that carries all of the essentials plus plenty of prepared foods if you don't feel like cooking. The cottage kitchen is fully functional so you can make your own meals if you like, including home made apple pie!
We went to the northern edge of the city where there were some great hiking trails. I really enjoyed the landscape and the serenity...
There were soooo many berries, I ate my way to the top of the hill and back down again!
One of my most favorite treats of the drive was coming upon this incredible dragon sculpture on the side of the road (heading north on Interstate 5, it is on the east side of the highway just north of Yreka, California). It's by artist Ralph Starritt and is made from scrap metal like mufflers, pipes, and corrugated sheet metal...
Click on the photos for a larger view.
Something that I really appreciated on the vacation was the quality of the air in Oregon. So much cleaner and fresher. Now we're back to the Silicon Valley grime, looking forward to returning north sometime soon.
Next I'll be posting all of my great thrift shop finds from the trip!
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