2018 has NOT been our favorite year, much too full of stuff…..some that tugged pretty strong on our hearts and emotions.  

So we decided to kinda run away from Christmas this year.

We have three great hiding spots; Southern California, Central California and Northern California…all on the Pacific Coast.

This time we picked north.

It was kinda late in the year but decided if it was meant to be, we’d ease-on right into everything falling into place and, that’s what happened.

We found a vacancy in a home at The Sea Ranch, neighbor to Gualala, 

(Wa la la) a town you’ve probably never heard of.

We love Gualala.

It’s home to some of the original herb farmers and back a few years when the crops weren’t legal, and we’d be in town, we spent some interesting evenings sitting  at the bar talking to some of those local farmers…..after they were sure we were safe, of course. 

Herb farmers are very funny people.  

But, the herb is legal now and those original farmers? 

Pretty much gone.

But because of all the awesome memories, Gualala remains a great town to us.

It’s changed from booming to barely hangin’-on but still, how we love putting our feet down on Gualala soil.

And The Sea Ranch?  Oh please look it up on your computers.  

The MAGIC of The Sea Ranch is real hard for me to put into words.

Here’s my pathetic attempt…..

It’s a ten-mile stretch along the Northern Coast of California.

Development began in the early ’60’s with homes that had to blend in with the nature of the countryside. 

There are about 2,000 homes, most of which are available for vacation rentals.

It has a private walking trail that stretches the entire ten miles of the rocky, rugged, cliffside coastline and there are numerous, accessible beaches.

The wildlife is abundant with deer, foxes, quail, pelicans, albatross, bald eagles, harbor seals, sea lions, and when we’re lucky a passerby whale. 

Oh and Abalone divers when in season. 

Days are spent with walks and stop-and-stares along the way to try to take it all in.

Wine, cheeses, soft music, candles, the sound of the surf pounding up against the huge rocky cliffs…..board games, puzzles, talking, laughing, roaring fires and and then  each night, when the sun dips into the Pacific Ocean, the starry sky takes center stage.

Some of our best nighttime memories are from when we’ve wrapped up in blankets and lied out on the grass, staring up at the zillions of mind-blowing stars in the sky and counted shooting stars. (no lizards or snakes slithering around!)

The mood is spiritual and for the past 30 years, it’s been our northern California go-to.

We’ve stayed at 14 or 15 different homes and each one always exceeds our highest expectations. 

Well, enter The Sea Ranch 2018…..the not-so-good year.

On Christmas morning we walked a short path to the edge of a cliff and stood watching the surf pound the shore down below.  

Mesmerizing is a good word.

A jogger guy was approaching the path behind us and his dog (just a cute mutt, half the size of LooLoo) was running alongside him UNleashed, a for-sure violation of the Leash Law at The Sea Ranch.

Everything happened so fast that instinct took over, no time to think.  

The dog ran up to our Sweet LooLoo, bared its teeth, gave out a big growl and lunged at her…..my sweet, docile LooLoo!

In a heartbeat they were in a dog fight.  

LooLoo pulled out of her collar and the two of them were dangerously close to the edge.  

I was knocked to the ground and landed smack on the two knees that were hurting from the day before’s hike.

Lobo did exactly what’s directed to never do in a dog-fight…..try to break it up with his hands.  

But we didn’t have a moment to plan and THINK, it just happened.

There was loud growling and barking going on, along with human screaming and crying.

It was pretty awful.  

It all lasted maybe one full minute but it was a long one full minute.  

I’m NOT gonna go into it because it still upsets me but let it suffice to just say five words…..THE OWNER WAS A JACKASS. 

No, we didn’t get his name or a number.  Remember, he was a jackass.  

There is no local police. 

It’s Gualala!

The only police is the Highway Patrol and they’re gonna come to Gualala because of a dog fight call…..on Christmas day?

I don’t think so.

Lobo helped me up to my feet. 

It had rained the day before. I was full of mud.  

The flesh on the back of his hand was torn and beginning to bleed.  

Poor LooLoo was trembling with fright. 

Mr Jackass stood staring at us, almost screaming “he got off his leash, he got off his leash” which was a lie.

We saw his dog running ahead and then approach LooLoo.  

Mr Jackass was not trying to call to him to get him on the leash.  

Nope, he was running free.  Obviously the rules didn’t apply to him.

Still crying and very upset, I suggested he look at what he’d caused because he was an irresponsible pet owner, wished him a sarcastic Merry Christmas, and the three of us hobbled away.

When we got to our house, “Robin’s Nest”, we took a look at the damage.  

The back of Lobo’s hand was torn and bleeding but superficial, no sutures needed.  I knew his his Tetanus shot was up to date.   

I cleaned and dressed his wound.  

LooLoo, suffered post traumatic stress the rest of the day and night.  She never stopped shaking, had that deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes and followed every move we made in the house, never leaving our sides.

It made me sad and that made me mad.

Ahh but that’s not the worse of it.

The next morning we headed for home, our Ocean time was up.

It’s about a 5 hour drive and by the time we arrived home, Lobo’s wound had become VERY swollen and VERY red, I knew it was infected.

We unloaded the car and headed for the Clinic a few minutes from where we live.

The doc agreed, a pretty nasty infection was happening.

10 days of Augmentin, a wicked antibiotic that does some uncomfortable stuff to the stomach.

We did a body exam on LooLoo and found 2 puncture wounds.

Enough for her Vet to decide that she also needed antibiotics.

So, there we were on Christmas morning, standing up on a cliff overlooking the Pacific and the next thing we knew, a dog fight and then antibiotics for both of the innocent victims of this attack. 

THAT DIDN’T HAVE TO HAPPEN!!!!!

My girlfriend always says, nobody gets it all.  

Had the dog fight not happened, we would have gotten five perfect Ocean days.

I guess nobody gets perfect either?

I don’t like to wish unwell on people but that jackass guy ruined our perfect.

I can only hope that LooLoo got her bites in and Mr Jackass gets a big fat Vet bill.

A long time ago I was told by a man I admired that we must always pull something good out of everything bad.

What the heck good was there in what happened up on that cliff overlooking the Pacific?

Well maybe, just maybe, Mr Jackass will ALWAYS leash his angry dog from now on and and maybe a horrible dog fight that COULD have happened in the future with much more devastating damage, won’t.

When we lived on the Central Coast and hiked the hills, I always carried Pepper Spray because the hills had Mountain Lions.  

I will now once again carry Pepper Spray when we walk but not for Mountain Lions, but for biting, attacking dogs AND their jackass owners.

Lobo later told me he had decided that if LooLoo went over the edge, he was going after her.  

Well, let me tell you if Lobo went over the edge, I was going after him and that my friends would have been another story…..written by someone other than me.

Happy New Year!