Today, I took a seaside trip to Bodega Bay, on the California coast. My family and I set out for a drive and dinner, but it also ended up being a very crafty trip.

There were Peruvian textiles:

I do love how, with the natural alpaca colors, this Peruvian-made hat is very much like traditional Shetland colorwork

And hand-woven scarves:

And, oh yes, some locally produced and spun wool:

I love deep colors and muted colors, and the range available by this farm was enough to make me gasp as I removed each hank and dreamed a little knitted dream. It was the type of wool I would have stashed readily and unabashedly, because I think it is a treasure. However, with minimal money in the bank, and my current job search unpromising, I had to Step. Away. From the. Yarn. I did buy 4ozs of sportweight, but with rosy, guilt-flushed cheeks. Still, I’d rather be hungry than not have that yarn. And now I have written evidence that I am obsessed with knitting.

The town of Bodega Bay itself is tiny and charming. The Alfred Hitchcock 1963 film The Birds was filmed in the area, and included its little chapel on the hill.

Posters outside the little market

And we saw a real gem of an antique store:

Blue Victorian milk glass

Thus I am very full of fish and chips (and key lime pie!) and happy to have spent a day near the coast. With the chilly winds, sheep on the hills, gorse, and daffodils around me, I almost felt like I was back in my second home – Scotland.

And I suspect I will have very yarn-y dreams tonight.

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