West County Design Near Bodega Bay

I had the best time exploring West County Design in Valley Ford, just 10 minutes west of Bodega Bay on Hwy. 1. I met gallery manager and co-owner Sharon Eager, and just loved her. She’s warm, inviting and authentic.

West County Design is housed in a converted historic barn with a weathered wood exterior and beautiful old paned windows. The gallery showcases local artisans and quality furnishings, and serves as a showroom for Bohemian Stoneworks and Craig Collins Furniture.





From their website: “West County Design provides an unexpected center of artistic sophistication in the charming town of Valley Ford in West Sonoma County. Offering nature’s beauty, transformed, fine wood tables, polished concrete vanities counter tops and furniture
glass, ceramic, wood, metal, custom and limited edition art and furniture for home & office.” They're celebrating their four-year anniversary on the Fourth of July.









The place was bustling with shoppers while I was there, including several tourists from out of state. Sharon said many of her customers are also regulars who stop by on the way to vacation homes along the coast from Bodega Bay up to Sea Ranch and Gualala.



I had recently seen Craig Collins Furniture and West County Design featured on KPIX-TV’s Eye on the Bay. Craig is Sharon’s husband and co-owner of the gallery. She took me back for a quick peek into his enormous workshop where he builds custom furniture in the rear of the building.



From their website: “Craig Collins Furniture has specialized in designing and building custom furniture for clients in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties for over 18 years. Craig Collins’ award-winning designs are characterized by clean lines, beautiful woods and, above all, attention to detail.”





The third partner in West County Design is Patrick Miller, owner of Bohemian Stoneworks. This concrete counter and sink is one example of his work. From their website: “Bohemian Stoneworks produces cast concrete of exceptional beauty for applications such as kitchen counters and sinks, fireplace surrounds and furniture. Founder Patrick Miller creates sensuous, warm, unique pieces that delight and surprise those who think of concrete as only industrial."


Jann Heumann operates Ivy’s Soft Goods in a separate room right off the showroom. Ivy is the four-legged beauty on the floor. You can reach Jann at 707-876-1999.


Outside, you find The Bird House company, featuring locally made birdhouses, from 100% recycled materials, and all the birdhouses are only twenty bucks! Have you shopped for birdhouses lately? I have and this is a steal. You can reach them at 707-536-3009


Whether you live here at the coast or are coming out for a visit, consider stopping by this beautiful gallery, and say hello to Sharon!

West County Design
14390 Highway One
Valley Ford, CA 94972

phone: 707.876.1963

email: info[at]westcountydesign.com

showroom hours: Thursday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and by appointment

Contest: What's Your Favorite Bodega Bay Restaurant?

Image from Terrapin Creek Cafe website.

What's your favorite restaurant in Bodega Bay, CA? Let me know and you might win a $50.00 gift certificate to your chosen eatery!

We have a wide variety of dining options here on the coast, from the informal Dog House, Boat House and Spud Point Crab Company, to our award-winning fine dining establishments like Terrapin Creek Cafe, Bluewater Bistro, Bay View and the Duck Club. I've listed them all below, along with links wherever possible. I've written about many of these before, you can type the restaurant name in the Search Box to read the posts.

Image from the Bay View Restaurant website.

To enter the contest, please do the following:

• Click the "Like" button in the BodegaBayLife.com Facebook Fan box in the right column on the blog page.
• Sign up to receive BodegaBayLife.com, if you're not already a subscriber. It's free!
• Leave a comment below voting for your favorite Bodega Bay restaurant, and tell us why.

Citrus and Goat Cheese Salad from Bluewater Bistro

You may enter in the comments section once per day. Each time you vote, it will count toward your favorite restaurant and your name will be put into the proverbial hat. Feel free to leave comments on the Facebook fan page as well, but only votes in the comments section on this site will be counted.

Image from the Sandpiper website.

On Wednesday, June 9, we'll announce the winning restaurant, and draw a voter's name to win the $50.00 gift certificate! I'll announce the winning voter's name here, and if you choose not to leave contact info on the blog, I'll ask you to email me to work out the details.

BODEGA BAY RESTAURANTS:
Bay View Restaurant
Bluewater Bistro
Brisas Del Mar
The Boat House
The Dog House
The Duck Club
The Inn at the Tides
Island Style Deli
Lucas Wharf Restaurant & Bar
The Sandpiper
Spud Point Crab Company
Terrapin Creek Cafe

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Fundraising for Bodega Bay Fireworks Show

Tammi Salas is leading the Bodega Bay fireworks fundraising efforts for the fifth year in a row! This spectacular show is free for the public and paid for entirely by donations.

Each year Tammi is assisted by Marty Ruddell who handles the permits with the County. "We're a good team," she says. "I'm the head firecracker and she's my lead sparkler!" Tammi works tirelessly for our community here on the coast. She's Chairman of the Bodega Bay Fireworks committee, she volunteers each year for the Fisherman's Festival and other local events, is married to Bodega Bay realtor and blogger Steve Hecht, serves as PTA President of Tomales Elementary School, and she's a very cool mom! "I do it all for my little guy and last year he told me it was the best day of his life EVER when the fireworks started shooting in the sky."



If you've never seen the fireworks displays over Bodega Harbor, you're in for a treat. They fire them off from Westside Park, behind Doran Beach and the U.S. Coastguard station, and can be viewed from anywhere around the harbor as well as from many of the vacation homes, hotels, and restaurants in town. This year's festivities will be held Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 9:30 pm.

Bodega Bay is the last Northern California coastal town allowed to have legal fireworks over the Bay. Here's Tammi's 2010 fundraising flyer, click to enlarge.



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Turkey Vultures in Bodega Bay

We recently had a flock of turkey vultures hanging out in the field behind our house here in Bodega Bay. Bobcats and herons have been feasting on a seemingly endless supply of moles and gophers in the past weeks. Maybe they drop little bits of their prey and the turkey vultures clean them up?

Anyway, far from the most beautiful of birds here on the coast, we took photos anyway. I did a little research and found some interesting turkey vulture facts as well. Warning, this is not for the squeamish, some of it's rather gross.



The turkey vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion (carcass of a dead animal). It finds its meals using its keen vision and sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals.

These birds will devour the most putrid of meat and have a natural immunity to toxins that might kill other creatures. Botulism has no effect on the turkey vulture at all. They deposit their own droppings down their legs as these contain an antiseptic coating that protects them from contracting infection through the prey. Their bald heads are also vulnerable to various bacteria, however the sun kills these off before any harm occurs. They are often seen standing in a spread-winged stance. The stance is believed to serve multiple functions: drying the wings, warming the body, and baking off bacteria.



Even though turkey vultures have an ugly, bare-skinned face, they are beautiful in flight. They gracefully soar over large areas searching for food. In flight, they use thermals to move through the air, flapping their wings infrequently.



Lacking a syrinx—the vocal organ of birds—its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. Turkey vultures nest in caves, hollow trees, or thickets. They generally raising two chicks per year, which they feed by regurgitation. They have very few natural predators.

Even though they're somewhat unattractive, turkey vultures obviously play an important role in nature. By removing the carcasses of decaying animals, they limit the spread of disease and other health concerns. In the United States of America, the vulture receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

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Mother's Day Brunch in Bodega Bay

Ah, the joys of brunch! Sunday brunch is my favorite meal of the week and there are several special menus to choose from in the Bodega Bay area this weekend. I was initially leaning toward our local favorite, the Bluewater Bistro. Their Mother's Day Brunch looks FABULOUS, but it's a fixed buffet and my kids don't eat much. Another of our family's favorites is Rocker Oysterfeller's in nearby Valley Ford. Their Mother's Day menu is a la carte so that might be a better fit this time.

Here are three menus to whet your appetite, you can click to enlarge them.

The Bluewater Bistro's brunch buffet looks amazing. Chef Patrick uses the freshest, local ingredients and always does an outstanding job. I know everything will be delicious. The Bluewater Bistro has gorgeous views of Doran Beach, Bodega Head and the ocean. They're offering complimentary sparkling wine with each meal.



Quoting from Rocker Oysterfeller's website: Rocker's will be offering an a la carte menu to entice mom’s palate this Mother’s Day. The local bounty of spring ingredients in Sonoma County as well as some of Mom’s favorite dishes inspire the menu. Live flamenco guitar will be played by musician Alfreo Caceres on the rear patio.

The bar will offer specialty cocktails infused with seasonal ingredients as well as Rocker’s Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Ramos Gin Fizzes and Champagne Cocktails. All will be available on the sunny back patio and a pack of seeds for Mom’s spring flower garden will accompany the check.



The Bay View Restaurant is part of The Inn at the Tides complex, but on the upper side of Hwy. 1. It's a lovely place with a piano, fireplace, and beautiful views of the harbor. They're offering complimentary mimosas with each meal.



Additional options: Terrapin Creek Cafe does not serve brunch but they are open for lunch on Sundays 11:00 am-2:30 pm and the Sandpiper Restaurant serves breakfast daily starting at 8:00 a.m.

Also Gourmet Au Bay wine bar in Bodega Bay will be offering half-price mimosas, and classical guitarist Dan Dewitt will perform on the wine deck from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Happy Mother's Day and bon appetit!

Tranquility Massage in Bodega Bay

At a recent community fundraiser, we were thrilled to win a gift certificate donated by Tranquility Massage. This past weekend, Certified Massage Therapist Terri Ruggiero came over and gave my husband a wonderful hand and lower arm treatment.

Terri is a delight! She's warm and friendly yet professional, and she has a calm, soothing way about her. She specializes in chair bodywork and comes to Bodega Bay on weekends to offer in-home treatments. She brought a massage chair but we didn't need it for the hand/arm treatment.

And talk about strange coincidences! Terri mentioned that her parents lived in Bodega Bay and had just put their home on the market. When I asked her where it was, it turned out to be the exact house I was writing about that very day, my favorite house is for sale. Is that synchronistic or what?

Anyway, whether you live here or you're coming to Bodega Bay and want to add a relaxing massage to your vacation activities, we highly recommend Terri. She can be reached at 916-521-5890.

My Favorite House is For Sale in Bodega Bay

The other morning my husband called me over to the computer and said, “You’re never going to believe this, your favorite house is for sale!” He was right, there it was on the screen, my favorite house in all of Bodega Bay! Yes, it’s way beyond our budget, but I can dream, can’t I?

The design of this house is so gorgeous, I’ve driven past it numerous times just to admire its architecture, and have taken visitors by as well. It's only five years old and was designed by the acclaimed architect David Kingwill.

It's on Oyster Catcher Loop in the Bodega Harbour subdivision. The back side, which you can view from the street below, has a perfectly symmetrical layout, which I love. There’s a column in the center for fireplaces both upstairs and down, surrounded on each side by banks of windows that curve around the outer corners to maximize the panoramic views looking out to the ocean. I love the protected deck in the center off the main living areas upstairs, and the patio area off the lower rooms.


I’ve never been inside but I viewed the interior photos on the website. It’s as beautifully appointed as I’d imagined, with Australian Ash hardwood floors, granite countertops in warm gold tones, top of the line stainless appliances, and more. They did a beautiful job with the great room upstairs. They managed to create a warm, inviting environment within the open floor plan.


No, I’m not in the real estate business but I love following the market as a hobby. In my day job as a publicist, I specialize in lifestyle topics and have worked on a number of home, architecture, and design books. And now I can’t BELIEVE my very favorite house is for sale! I’m going to buy a lottery ticket, wish me luck! ☺