We stayed with cousins Harriet and Larry in Mendocino for our third thanksgiving up there. They actually live in Albion, which is 10 minutes away from the Mendocino village.
Larry taught Ruby how to build a fire in the wood stove. We played, read and relaxed in front of the nice warm fire she built.
Ruby and I made daddy's favorite, veggie mock chopped liver, as an appetizer and it was a big hit. We also got to play with Aaron who is the son of a close friend of cousin Eli's, and is just a few months older than Ruby. Ruby and Aaron got along very well. Cousin Eli helped them build a motor cycle using the erector set (the directions are actually to build a crane, but Eli knows a lot about motor cycles and showed them how to make one).
We had 14 at dinner, and enjoyed seeing all of them, Jack and Kamala (Aaron's parents), Junie and Tim, Cousin Eli, Sarah, Max and Silver. And of course Harriet and Larry were generous hosts. We all went on a forrest road walk after dinner, during sunset. It was very beautiful. Ruby and Aaron were very excited to help Larry find edible mushrooms . Ruby learned how to identify the good ones (fat jacks, chanterelles).
The loft, in Harriet's house, was a very special place for Ruby to read with daddy and play with Aaron.
We also met up with our next-door-neighbors Jo Jo and Scott, who happened to be staying in the Mendocino village that weekend too. We had lunch together at the old historic Mendocino hotel cafe.
The weather was beautiful, clear and cold but not too cold. Great for walking around the village and playing at the playground, (which had a great see-saw by the way).
