Whitegate Inn

Robert Frost

2009-09-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Whitegate Inn
Robert Frost had it right when he said in 1920
"The Road Not Taken

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by'
And that made all the difference."

Mendocino County is not the easiest place to get to but the joy of arriving and taking everything in gives you a whole new sense of appreciation for life.
We even had our own language called Boontling, created due to the isolation of the Anderson Valley in the early 1900eds. Check out some of the words at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boontling.
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East Bay

2009-08-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

Whitegate Inn
I just got back from my first trip ever to the East Bay. I'm always impressed by cute preserved downtowns (Danville and Pleasanton) and since we are shopping deprived here in Mendocino, I enjoyed the Walnut Creek shopping mecca. We took a side trip to Mt. Diablo. I wanted to be out there with the hoards of bikers. They all looked fit and healthy.
We visited an old friend, the wonderful artist Kevin Milligan in Danville. He and Patricia have their own gallery on Hartz St. One of the pictures he is trying to sell is of our house in Mendocino. We shared old memories. www.danvilleinstyle.com/businesses/items/kevin_milligan_gallery_wine_tasting.aspx.
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Whitegate featured in SF Chronicle

2009-08-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Check out the Sunday August 16th Travel article about Mendocino County in the SF Chronicle. The Whitegate Inn was the only B& B mentioned with a link to the site. Abigails was also referred to as a great pet and child friendly place. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/14/TRSF1957ST.DTL

Portuguese Water dog convention

2009-08-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

We had a Portuguese water dog convention of sorts last weekend at the Whitegate Inn. Virgil and Carol from Sonoma brought their beautiful 14 month old Kally for a visit. She is a light brown with white wavy haired beauty. Our 18 month old Cooper feel hopefully and helplessly in love. Unfortunately (or maybe not) for them both, Cooper, thanks to surgical intervention, is unable to perform but they did romp on the beach for hours, swimming and then rolling in the warm sand.
We don't know if they will have a future together but we intend to stay in contact with Kally's parents so who knows.

California State Parks

2009-08-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about the insanity of closing state parks for a moment. Let me rant.
Mendocino County numerically has more state parks and reserves than any other county. We are also very dependent on tourism. Mendocino Village is particularly tied into the state park system as we are on a peninsula literally surrounded by the Mendocino Headlands State Park. The Ford House visitor center, on state park grounds, is the only way in the Village that tourists can get critical visitor information. Virtually all of our guests enjoy our parks and many come here just for that purpose.
There was a compromise of sorts in the legislature. Instead of closing almost all the parks some money was allocated to keep some open but then the Governor removed some of that paltry sum through his questionable line item veto.
Which parks are going to close is still up in the air. They say it depends on the amount of revenue generated rather than the tourism traffic and potential. And even though I keep referring to tourists, all of us locals frequent the parks in our neighborhood on a consistent and regular basis. It's one of the joys of living here.
We are all hoping that some sane compromise, such as rolling closures, will be implemented. There is also some slight hope that local governments and citizen groups will step up to help but the state is "borrowing" from local governments to help make ends meet so there doesn't seem to be much room to maneuver there either. I know Mendocino County had to lay off about 30 employees.
Then there is the impossibility of actually closing some of the parks. They don't have fences. You can block the gate but people can just walk around. You can turn off the electricity but then people will use campfires and leave their trash around, attracting animals and the kind of campers you really don't want. We also must remember this is fire season. Fighting fires costs more that keeping parks open.
And the solution is.... I wish I knew. The financial hurt is spread around quite liberally, hitting many social service programs needed most by those in need. But it seems that by putting obstacles to tourism, which generate huge sums for the state and localities, isn't the way to go. As my mother used to say, its penny wise and pound foolish.

Texas visitor

2009-07-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Sally is visiting from Texas where it consistently hovers over 100 degrees this time of year. She is reveling in the invigorating cool coast air. We spent a day in San Francisco where we saw Beach Blanket Babalon and toured the new Academy of Science building. Everyone in line with us seemed to be LSU fans and since Sally is from Louisiana it was like old home week. Plus Sally never met a stranger she didn't like and find something in common with. We're in for a fun week.

Geotourism

2009-07-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a Northern California Geotourism map with National Geographic for about a year. We have obtained over 800 nominations for the six county northern CA area, about 220 from Mendocino County alone. Now we are working on adding content to the website. It is going to be the best geotourism map in the country. Stay tuned.

It's a great life

2009-07-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes even I have to step back and really study the masterpieces of nature which surround me. The Mendocino Coast is spectacular and changes almost daily. Wineries and art galleries are everywhere. On reflective days, and this is obviously one of them, counting your blessings is as important as living them.

Another new grandchild

2009-07-12T18:37:00.001-07:00

I know it's boring hearing about how perfect everyone's grandchildren are. There are the requisite pictures and stories about all the smart and above average things they do. There is never much written about the spit ups, sleep deprived parents, crying without consolation and the cute little sleep habits which constantly change. But I just had my third grandchild in a little over two years, Ari Roslin Strom. He joins his big brother Elliot, 27 months. Both have the red hair and fair skin of their mother. Elliot so far is a good big brother but then again, at this point, Ari really isn't direct competition for anything except his mother's time. But soon. I am confident though, that both will grow up to be brilliant and talented and I look forward to being part of their lives.

Prejudice

2009-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

I was shocked the other day when someone cancelled a three day reservation claiming we were too gay friendly. In this blog I had congratulated my gay friends on the short lived CA Supreme Court victory allowing gays to marry. I said it was about time everyone was entitled to the same civil rights. This customer was outraged by my attitude. I am glad they cancelled, as I don't want people with that attitude in my inn. I am curious however about which inn they booked. About half the inns around here are gay owned. I hope they stay in one of those.

Mendocino Film Festival coming soon

2009-04-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

To remind everyone, the third annual mendocino Film festival is arriving soon. This year the opening party is May 29th. There will be three days of exciting innovative films. One of the directors is staying at the Whitegate so if you are here too it will be your chance to hear all about the film from its creator.

Grandchild

2009-04-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Our daughter Maya finally gave birth, 8 days late, to a beautiful girl called Fiona Cloud Strom Sedita. She has a full head of black hair, like her Dad, and is totally perfect in every way. Maya and Jeremy are thrilled and severely sleep deprived. Their world revolves around Fiona, as it should.

Fiona was born on March 20th which is the first day of spring, an auspicious day for a birth. March 20th is also the birthday of my father-in-law Jim. One of our innkeepers Jennifer, who is a sewing wizz, made a gorgeous blanket for Fiona and to complete the coincidence, the 20th is also Jen's birthday. All this bodes well for a wonderful life but it will be hard for her to miss with such great parents - and grandparents.

Dining room renovation complete

2009-04-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was the first day of operation of our new dining room. It is stunning. We choose a slightly more contemporary look while still adhering to the Victorian theme. It was a two month ordeal with many twists and turns but it is now over - except for getting the final check from the insurance company.

Most of our guests were very understanding about eating breakfast in the parlor but it was a bit crowded.

I'll post some pictures one of these days.

Whitegate Inn redecorates dining room

2009-03-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

One of our guests apparently clogged up the toilet upstairs and went to sleep. By morning we had a full fledged flood with water pouring out of the chandelier over the dining room table. The table was set for breakfast. This made us realize it really takes a village to run an inn.

Marrissa, Colby, Georgina, Dixia and Susan and I went into emergency mode. One of our guests with contracting background got involved by suggesting we drill holes in the ceiling to release the water and keep the ceiling from collasping.

We turned off the water and electricity, got a tarp, moved the table into the living room, cleaned and polished it and washed and sterilized all the plates and tableware. Breakfast was served only 5 minutes late in the living room. After we stopped congratulating ourselves for our quick response the real work began.

We didn't realize that, in addition to the wet carpet, the water had also stained the strip of wallpaper which ran along the top of the room. The drapes were also stained. When our carpet people came to dehumidify the room they discovered an abnormal amount of moisture in the walls and suggested we demolish two walls as well as the ceiling to enable it to dry. Fortunately our insurance adjusted agreed. We now have the dining room sealed off and will basically have to rebuild it from scratch.

Naturally the carpet is not longer made and the wall paper design is discontinued. John, our contractor, was just here telling me he hopes to get going on the walls tomorrow. We found some substitute carpet we love but now we want to redo the whole hallway with the new stuff and don't think we can afford that right now. Susan and I are in a wallpaper "discussion" I want something simpler and she keeps saying "but it isn't Victorian". We're going to a neutral third party for help. It will probably be late March before this is all finished. We're very lucky it isn't summer.

Grandchildren

2009-03-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

The Strom family is expanding rapidly. Maya is expecting a girl on March 12th so we are into the any day mode at this point. She won't reveal the name until the event. She has been working as a labor and delivery nurse for 5 years and has delivered hundreds of babies (with the assistance of doctors of course) so knows what she likes and doesn't. So she has chosen to have a mid wife home birth. Her hospital is 3 minutes from home just in case.

Daughter-in-law Natalie isn't too far behind. She is due with her second son in June. Elliot was born in a Swiss hospital and they treated mother and child, and even father, like gods. She stayed there for 6 days for a routine natural birth. I hope she isn't too disappointed by the rush um in rush um out American attitude towards child birth.

There is a chance Maya's baby will have the same birthday as Elliot and there is a chance Justin's new one could be born on his birthday. Justin was born on Father's Day so that is also a possibility.

The hope of all is that the three children will essentially be raised together as they are close in age and live nearby. That would be cool.

Day of the Dead

2008-10-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we had to cancel our anticipated day of the dead dinner. We just didn't have enough time to adequately plan because we weren't sure how many people were attending.
Our alter is beautiful though. Marrissa used some of her vibrant left over paints and it is colorful yet tasteful. Tomorrow we are going to spice it up with all sorts of traditional decorations. There is an internal debate about having a cross on top however.

It is hot, for us, today. I'm walking around in a T shirt. This time of year I usually wear two layers.

Cooper, our newest water dog, went to the third week of his latest training class this morning. He is still very easily distracted but knows all his commands. He had his longest stay today, 75 seconds. We are supposed to work towards 20 minutes. Good luck to us. It might work if he falls asleep. We are also supposed to teach him how to open and close doors, turn on light switches, shake hands and many other tricks. Some don't seem to be beneficial.

The Economy Specials

2008-10-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been insane for the economy and stock market. It seems when the US sneezes the rest of the world gets a runny nose at least. It brings home the reality of the global economy.

There is some good news though. Oil has dropped percipitiously in the past three weeks. It has not been totally translated to the pumps but there is always a lag. When fuel decreases all the products made from oil also benefit; everyone from the airlines to plastic manufacturers. These benefits will take longer to filter down to us average consumers but it will happen. I heard on NPR today that the cost of shipping goods by sea has dropped due the lack of demand and the lower cost of fuel. That too should make goods cheaper for everyone.

The Europeans have been keeping the California tourist economy floating because the euro, pound and Swiss franc were flying high compared to the dollar. But now the Europeans are suffering too so it remains to be seen what winter will bring.

To encourage guests from everywhere we created our best specials yet, 50% of during the week and 25% off on weekends. That means there are $99 rooms at the Whitegate and at Abigails. The reception has been great so far.

The election appears to be settled though there is always a chance of an October surprise to shake things up. The problem for the new guy will be expectations. He will be expected to make major changes and that will be virtually impossible given this economic climate. Many of the promises made during the campaign will just be hopeless to implement until things smooth out which may take a couple of years. It will be interesting to see what priorities are established.

Day of the Dead dinner

2008-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, we are excited to announce we are serving a special authentic Day of the Dead dinner on Sat. Nov. 1st. Our Hispanic staff will be cooking specialties for the holiday. It will be a buffet dinner from 6 to 8 PM. The price is $25 for inn guests and $30 for outsiders. We have limited availability so book early.
Our Day of the Dead alter will be installed near our front door shortly. We tried to be as authentic as possible and we promise to make it as showy as possible. Marrissa, our in house flower arranger, is painting it and we are collecting photos of the departed as well as flowers and produce of the season. Come on by and take a look. I'll probably have pictures on the web site.

Corky the miracle dog progress report

2008-08-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Corky will be 10 in the winter and has been growing younger with the addtion of his new little brother Cooper. They run, fight, play, kiss and generally enjoy each other. Like any siblings there were moments when we thought we had made a huge mistake by adopting Cooper but it has settled down and I think Cooper has done Corky a world of good. He is at least getting more exercise.

Last week Susan took Corky for his checkup and they found a growth on his neck. The vet was concerned enough to suggest immediate removal given his history. Yesterday was surgery day and the vet is 99% sure it is not cancer. Susan was paniced, practically already digging his grave, so it was an immerse relief for her. Corky is still a little shaky but is regaining his personality hourly.

Obama VP and family time

2008-08-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday and Obama is supposed to announce his VP choice tomorrow. Amazingly there have been no leaks. Of those who have been seriously mentioned, my vote is for Biden. I like him and he has the foreign policy gravatis to counter the criticism that he is a lightweight. He also has the unusual habit for a politicial of speaking clearly and saying what is on his mind, a mixed blessing in a campaign. This continues to be a fun political season for me. I wish they would hire me to write ads though. I have some great ideas. Actually all they have to do it play back some of the candidates own words.

On the personal front my newly married daughter Maya announced that she and Jeremy are expecting. Everyone is sure, for no good reason, that it's a girl. I don't think they are going to want to find out but my son said that too and weakened at the end. Maya is having all day sickness on top of her full time job and her doctoral program which is in its second semester. They also just moved, thus violating all the rules. I will see them all in a couple of weeks.

Fires all extinguished

2008-08-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

The fire season in Mendocino County got off to a terrible start this year. We had unusual dry lightning which set literally hundreds of fires. Fortunately only 2 structures were burned but over 50,000 acres were charred. At the low point we had over 1000 firefighters battling the blazes and several hundred National Guard troops were dispatched to assist. It was like an invasion. Every hotel room in Ukiah was booked.
Our favorite tenant Marrissa works for the Mendocino Redwood Company and many of the fires were on their lands, often is very inaccessable locations. She worked 14 hour days for 2 weeks doing logistics. Her company hired contractors to assist as Cal Fire was overextended and were trying to save structures as their priority. Marrissa got to know some of the contractors very well and was devistated when the helicopter crash in the Trinity National Forest killed 8, 3 of whom were her friends. This brings home the dangers and how heroic the firefighters have been.

Fortunately the coast was clear. We had a bit of smoke drifting our way a couple of days but for the most part people from inland were all coming here to breath.
We were nervous because the fire touched Montgomery Woods, home to the disputed tallest redwoods in the world. I've been told by the experts that the fires were "good fires" in that they cleaned up the undergrowth which needed to be cleaned and didn't touch the crowns of the giants. Redwoods are very resiliant and will survive.
The fire season lasts until the rains come in early Nov. so there is still plenty to worry about.

A day at 10 mile beach

2008-05-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today is Memorial Day. It's a sad day for me, a day to remind me of all the lives and limbs uselessly lost by misguided policies and meglomenia. Watching all the grieving families on CNN causes sadness, anger and thankfulness; thankfulness that my children are out of harms way. It's probably inappropriate to inject politics on a bed and breakfast blog but we are all human and one of the greatest benefits to being an American is the right to dissent, to question, to debate and to change course when necessary. It is necessary.

Susan and I took Corky and Cooper to 10 mile beach for a couple of hours r and r. It was Cooper's first foray into water and he was tentative though we did catch a fleeting photo of him swimming. Susan must have taken 100 pictures. The weather was balmy, just between T shirt and something heavier weather. We walked for about two hours and didn't see another soul on the beach. There aren't many places in the world, no less the US, where you can say that.

The holiday weekend was huge but now we are down to two occupied rooms. We had our usual crop of excellent guests with one or two partial exceptions. The housekeepers are happy they're gone but I'm greedy and want all the rooms filled all the time.

I am taking part in Bio Blitz sponsored by the National Geographic Society, in the Santa Monica National Forest. Volunteers, read me and many others, will collect biological samples from designated areas in 4 hour shifts, from noon Friday to noon Sat. The samples will be evaluated by scientists and a biodiversity map of the area will be prepared. I will also help man the National Geographic booth. The real reason for my trip is a meeting of the geotourism working group which is creating a Northern California Redwoods Coast Geotourism area. I am the Mendocino County representative on the group and my job is to make sure as many Mendocino attractions and natural resouces as possible are included in the web site and map being developed. This should be very interesting, entertainly and educational.

Spring 2008

2008-04-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

They say blogs are virtually useless unless they are kept up and I can't seem to get it together. Nevertheless, even if this blog is only a chronicle of the happenings in Mendocino, my life and the Whitegate Inn, I'll continue to write sporatically.

The outside of the inn has been freshly painted as has some of the inside. It sparkles. Though a cliche, spring is the time of rebirth and attitudes brighten up along with the flowers and increased sun and daylight.

Personally, our daughter Maya became engaged during a visit to Mendocino. Romance must be in the air. They will be married in July in Portland. We love Jeremy and are moved to see Maya so happy. She also will be starting a doctoral program leading to her becoming a family nurse practitioner so she will be a ultra busy newlywed.

I am now the Director of Special Projects for the Mendocino County Promotional Alliance, MCPA. I will be working on a variety of interesting and challenging projects such as the development of a California Welcome Center, grant writing, Geotourism and web site work. It's a parttime job which could easily morph into fulltime if I'm not careful. Fortunately our wonderful innkeepers have stepped up and Susan has taken more of a management role. The summer will be the ultimate test. My job is in Ukiah. I hope to continue to do some wine sales for Esterlina but will not be able to take many out of town trips.

We are all excited about the upcoming Mendocino Film Festival from May 29-June 1. It gets better each year and we usually host a director or producer.

We have made many new friends this winter. One delightful couple stayed with us the entire month of January. And of course many old friends continue to visit us. It's fascinating to hear about life changes from people with whom you have a rapport.

Catching up

2007-12-22T11:00:00.001-08:00

I have been the negligent blogger of the season. The last time I blogged I had technical difficulties and just avoided the whole subject.

Its' now Dec. 22nd. Where has the year gone?

We are finally painting the exterior and part of the interior of the Whitegate. It was long overdue but you know how procrastination grabs good intentions. One of Susan's fellow firefighters, Matt, is doing the work. They like to keep it in the family at the firehouse.

Susan and I went on our semi annual trip to Florida early this month. I have to check on my cousin David in Pacso County and Susan and I like to add on some R & R at the Hyatt Vacation Club property in the Naples area. It's the one time of the year when we don't have to share bathrooms or closets, thus eliminating all sorts of potential conflicts and compromises.

Maybe because I'm getting older, but I noticed many more elderly people this trip, particularly in Pasco. So many of them have merged into the sunshine of shrinking lives and horizons. As they age their worlds get minimized and small joys become major events. This caused more introspecion than is my forte. I, of course, will never be in their catagory. I won't allow it.

Prior to our Florida trip I had my annual vacation with my best friend and almost brother Jimmy. This year we went to La Paz Mexico. My cousin Jeff has a boat docked at a marina there and even though he wasn't in Mexico at the time we were able to vicariously live his life. There was a lot of boating, snorkling and fishing. We were even able to snorkle with the seals, a thrilling experience. To find them we had to snorkle thru a cave and watch them playing and toying with us, diving in and around our fins. I felt like their entertainment rather than the other way around. The weather was perfect, the area clean and well kept, the beaches beautiful, the people prosperous, the economy booming. It gave us a new perspective on immigation. No one from that area of Southern Baja wants to come to the US because everyone with a high school education can get a good job and stay where they really want to be. If the economy improved in the poorest sections of Mexico the immigration problem would be drastically reduced. Economic development is the key. Perhaps if we invested more in that arena and less in enforcement the results would be more beneficial to all.

Happy holidays to all.

Muir Hanna Winery

2007-09-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been a terribly negligent blogger this summer, a reflection of the busy and successful summer. But it is now time to do more sharing.

Last weekend some old friends, Bill and Claudia Hanna, honored us by celebrating their 40th anniversary at the Whitegate. Bill is the great grandson of the famous naturalist John Muir and they own a winery aptly named Muir Hanna Winery.

Bill treated us to a tasting of their wonderful wines. The current releases include a Pinot, Chardonnay, Merlot, a surprising fresh blush and Legacy, a mostly Cab. blend which is incredibly complex and elegant and a gold metal winner. They are a small production facility but if anyone is interested in finding more about the wines check out their web site or contact me. www.muir-hanna.com.