Into The Woods

So I am breaking up my blog about my weekend into two parts, because I had a mini-adventure before I went to the Women's Herbal Symposium! 

My friend Chia (who is from Nevada City, originally) lives in the hills above Laytonville (site of the Symposium), and since I am no longer tethered to the ol' Day Job, I took an extra day out to go and visit her. 

Chia met me in town, and then I went on a few errands with her as we made our way towards her house. I have been in Laytonville at least a half dozen times, but I always go to the same place, the health food store. Interestingly enough, there was a whole other world going on at the other stores, one that appealed much more to local culture and needs. The "regular" grocery store across the street, for example, had teenagers out front, selling tickets to the Rodeo, and loud, "down home" cashiers who were happy to gab about the weather with me. Just a half mile off the main drag was this Feed Store, where Chia bought some hay, and some meat chickens (as in, chickens you raise for meat- just like it sounds. My apologies to my sensitive vegetarian readers). There was a crew of Good Ol' Boys (and gals) stationed inside, sitting on barrels and participating in the hallowed country tradition of Bullshitting. There were cages full of chickens and turkeys and pigeons, and some really cute puppies running around in the mud and the sawdust. (Chia thought about the one that looked like the Little Rascals dog pretty seriously, but since it looked like it might have Pitbull in it, she wasn't sure it would get along with her other dogs.) I wanted to take pictures of everything and everyone, but I became acutely aware that I was a tourist- after all, I was the ONLY one without giant "Muck Boots". I didn't want them to think I was from "the city"!

 

I followed Chia's truck for about 30 minutes from the Feed Store, on a beautiful country road that wound through meadows, fields, and a Redwood Forest. We eventually turned off onto a dirt road, which, after the constant rain this spring, was more of a mud road. Chia had more confidence in my Honda than I did, but I did manage to pilot it up to the "parking lot" where guests without 4x4 trucks stage their cars before the final ascent to her property. I got out of my car a little shaken from the journey, and Chia decided to go easy on me as she piloted her truck the last 15 minutes to her house. She put on some classic country music and let me know that she was taking it slow for my benefit- normally, gunning her truck up the curves is a sort of sporting event for her. I appreciated her sensitivity. 

The first thing I said when I saw her house was "you didn't tell me how cute it was!"

 

I love the siding, which is made of fence boards. What a great idea. 

Here is Miss Chia, reminding me of the cover of the Vashti Bunyan album Just Another Diamond Day. Note the Muck Boots.

 

It was still super cloudy out, so I wasn't able to take proper photos of the interior of her house as I would have liked to. Every nook and cranny has something magical and inspiring tucked into it- and nooks and crannies the house has plenty of, especially upstairs in the multi-eaved "loft". It is one of the coziest, most charming houses I have ever been in!

Looking out to the garden- everything is late this year, thanks to the weather.

 

 

The path to the privvie, with Aero the dog (waiting to play a game of Stick)

 

Ham, the chocolate lab, a big lover:

 

For a mad tea party:

 

Chia loves her chickens- she has a whole coop full of girls who are almost at the age where they will start laying eggs. One of these ladies, Fannie, the Bantam, used to be her House Chicken, but she has since returned to her feathered flock. Sigh. They grow up so fast.

 

This is the rooster, Earl- that's short for Early. You can guess how he got his name.

 

Chia's boyfriend Josh doesn't appear in these pictures- what can I say, it was my first time meeting him, and I didn't want to put him on the spot- but he was such a great host, making us dill encrusted wild salmon and sitting around playing guitar with us into the wee hours (wee for him- he has to get up at dawn to do chores). Chia is learning guitar and I busted out the Donovan song book, and was SO HAPPY that all three of us could strum along together. Joy! 

I ate a bunch of chocolate, and I was so wired to be on my first night of vacation, that I stayed up writing by the wood fire long after they had tucked in for the night. As much as I dislike windy, scary country roads, I really like the private, magical places where they lead to, and I get very inspired when it is just me and the Wild. Though my city friends think my place in Grass Valley is "the country", it has neighbors and a phone and a regular bathroom and wireless and is part of "the world". Getting really, truly away from it all is very freeing. (There even was a time when I seriously considered moving to a commune in far Northern California, because of this very feeling. That commune made Chia's house look like it was in the middle of Manhattan- it was three hours from ANY town, and in the winter, you had to snowshoe five miles down a trail to get to the one tiny store in the whole area- you couldn't even get out with a four wheel drive. I loved the idea, but they had this communal outhouse that just freaked me out. They say you get used to it, but, come on, I was an only child.)

Here is Chia, seeing me off in the "parking lot". I love this tiny, adorable head, and the mud-caked truck. She is an actual Bad Ass.

 

Thanks to Chia for having me out. I am seriously in love with green, ocean-misted Mendocino County (it is a love affair that started in childhood, when my family first visited, and seems to get worse every year), and I am so glad that you are there now! I can't wait to go back.

    

Comments

[*winter]

That house is a rustic dream. and a house chicken... xo love the garden decor.

[heather]

oh how i love the country life, the REAL country life. what a beautiful cabin...pure coziness. i'm so glad you got to visit and show us this, and i reeeaally want to check out that feed store.

[Cynthia]

That house looks so enchanting! I didn't think cool houses were still out there! Ooooh...like you, I am freaked out at night by natures call, but during the day I would love to wake up to it every morning of my life!
Great post ; )

[HollyB]

Big kisses to the both of you! What a great post, it made me long for California......

[runic rhyme]

And the blog-goodness just keeps coming! These photos felt so familiar to my kentucky lifestyle/friends :]

[Mousevox Vintage]

What a fantastic house! I'm a big fan of cabins (I actually live in one myself). I'm also a fan of people who raise their own meat. I buy most of my food from a co-op and always eat locally grown veggies and such, which leads me to a question you may be able to answer for me....

I've been in IL for nearly 3 weeks now and have been shopping at a co-op here and buying/eating locally raised/grown food. I've managed to come down with some sort of illness and I'm wondering if this has something to do with it. It's so RARE that I ever get sick.

[Grant]

I sometimes think "Yeah, I'm going to move out into the middle of no where and live in some awesoem log cabbin and have no neighbours for kilometers and just do my own thing and maybe have cows and not talk to people for days sometimes and stuff. Fuck yeah!"

And then I remember I'm a total ponce who's afraid of the dark, doesn't like mowing a lawn much less anything remotely resembling a paddock, and relies heavily on the internet and fast food.

I do love Chia's house though - it's adoreable and seems very warm.

Xx

[Alison]

CHICHI, YOU ARE A LITTLE SHIIIIIIIIIIII--