2016 Abalone Report Card Nos. 1,2,3 + Food Fest in Napa Valley

Low tide was at 7:45AM. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife rules say no abalone diving before 8:30. Conditions were more inviting than yesterday, so ...

... we went in as soon as it was legal.

Swells were better, but visibility was poor. I was only shooting with Olympus Stylus Tough (the GoPro having suffered an ignominious end last year), so...  not much in the way of underwater photography this outing.

With flood tide, the breakers started to build again,  so we just picked our limit and got out of the water.

I didn't quite get into position before the self-timer went off

Nothing of size - all between 8" - 9"

For our first outing this year, we were happy.

Beer is always better apres' dive

Abalone diving is exhausting

Usually we're ready for a nap after a dive, beer, and cleaning up.  Not this trip.  A colleague of Harlan noticed on FB that he was in California, pinged him, and arranged for us to join him at "Cochran's Heritage Fire" event:

Two hours later, we're in Napa Valley at the Charles Krug Winery:

Abalone diving in Mendocino County in the morning. Feasting on gourmet grilled meat in Napa County that afternoon.

California living at its finest. 

Mendonoma Coast - Views, Food, Beer, Teslas

I spent a few days trimming trees, clearing underbrush, and cutting a new path into some of the wilder and more neglected corners of our Mendocino property.  Some get nervous when I have a chainsaw in my hands, but no harm, no foul.

I didn't think the ocean swell forecast looked good enough for abalone diving, but there were some pretty good windows of opportunity over the 4 days I was there. Didn't get in the water, but if the forecast holds, will get back north next week. This trip I just enjoyed the views and explored the local environs.

Hummingbird turf war over blooming Century Plant
(I have some video clips of these guys which I hope to get around to posting someday)

 Sunset off the point

Clearing the old spring box cistern

Sea Ranch was my base of operations for the trip. Since T-Mobile no longer lets me roam at Sea Ranch or anywhere in the Mendonoma area, I had to seek out WiFi hot spots to communicate. The Sea Ranch Lodge and several of the local eateries permitted me a maintenance-level dose of social media access and helped me to avoid a cold-turkey withdrawal from my obsessive on-line addiction.

 Grilled oysters at the Gualala Hotel, Angus Burger at the Lodge, Kielbasa at Bones Roadhouse

Prawn Tacos at Carbajal Bar & Grill ( was Cove Azul)

Sign of the Times - A matching pair of white Teslas charging at Sea Ranch Lodge