eureka and ferndale.

This is the second post in our series about our trip to northern California.

If you ever find yourself in Eureka, California:

1. Eureka Books- A beautiful antique book shop in Old Town Eureka. You will get lost, I promise. In fact, I lost Sam for a good 20 minutes before I found him on the second floor balcony gushing over some design book. We left with a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee--one of my favorites. We wish that we would have gotten a portrait of the owner, who happened to be a friend of Ken Sanders.

2. Victorian Homes- Just drive or walk around town to spot some of the most ornate and colorful Victorian homes on the West Coast. They remind me of Betsy, Tacy, Tib novels. Anybody else? Or, was I the only one who was obsessed with petticoats and stockings when I was a little girl?

3. Shipwreck- A vintage shop, also in Old Town Eureka. We loved it because it was full of treasures, reasonably priced, and the shop itself was well-designed and friendly. And, hiding on a little shoe shelf, I found a pair of Joan and David oxfords!

4. St. Vincent de Paul thrift store- Yes, we hit every thrift store in Humboldt County. St. Vincent's was huge. They didn't have a huge selection of clothing, but they had a large room of furniture and household items. Sam found a vintage Tensor mid-century table lamp. I was a bit skeptical at first, because it looked like a piece of junk. But, Sam has applied some rubbing alcohol and a little elbow grease, and it actually looks pretty good now.

5. Rita's- Sam used to come here when he was a missionary, and we ended up eating here twice. Rita's has great taqueria-style mexican food, we could have eaten there every day if we hadn't had a little bit of restraint. Also, we had our very first spicy-dish that totally kicked our butts. Stay clear of the chipotle potato taco, unless you want to sear your internal organs.

If you ever find yourself in Ferndale, California:

1. go for a drive- First of all, you need to find yourself in Ferndale. It's a little out of the way, but it is well worth the trip. Ferndale is a picture-perfect, quaint town surrounded by farmland and big, red barns. Have you seen The Majestic? It was filmed in Ferndale. Oh, and so was Pet Cemetery.

2. Ferndale cemetery- We may be a bit morbid, but Sam and I love visiting cemeteries in small towns. Ferndale's cemetery looks like a picnic laid out on a hill. We spent a little time walking through the headstones carefully placed along the slope, reading names and dates. There were trees heavy with blossoms and entire plots covered with flower gardens--white calla lilies and orange poppies.

We have a few more posts planned about our trip, and so many, many pictures. I hope you are having a happy May!