EUREKA!

 My computer was starting to seriously die and by the time we left Mendocino and reached Fort Bragg I could not get it to even turn on.  We checked into an RV park and I plugged it in for the night but it wouldn't revive itself.  I couldn't believe the sense of panic that was overtaking me. Me? The same person who swore that computers would never rule my life? Oops. This computer is my connection to friends, family, my bank, movies, music, TV, weather, news, and all my pictures. A serious vehicle breakdown could not bother me as much as when I woke up in the morning and found that 12 hours of an intravenous feed of electricity had not revived my MacBook. I would be out of commission until we reached Eureka.

While we were still along the ocean Jo and I went exploring for a really good seafood restaurant.  Surely Fort Bragg would have something to rave about...


...there were so many fishing boats around.

Jo got all excited when she found an Italian restaurant that overlooked the Noyo River.  It was a bit pricey but the view was sure interesting.

What is it about old derelict boats? I find them fascinating, while I wonder about their history.


Jo was taken by the owner of the restaurant who kept talking us into more food--which we somehow couldn't turn down.


If you check out the window above you will see that even the stray cats were avid patrons of this place.

When the check arrived, however, we realized this Italian Mama was a heck of a sales woman.

Just south of Eureka is the little town of Ferndale.  The town brags at having the most Victorian houses per capita (in the county? state? country?--I don't know)...


and it certainly has its share, as well as a charming downtown.


It was Sunday so it was rather quiet ....


We just walked around looking for someplace to buy an ice cream cone.


No luck.


Even the movie theatre was closed.


I particularly admired the public restrooms.


Then Jo pointed out that the store fronts were mostly shams.


Hmmmm...


On to Eureka where the Victorian homes are more spectacular....

And beautifully cared for.

 
  But this has to be the most spectacular of all.  They didn't give tours but I really wondered if there was an elevator up to that 4th floor turret.
 

We found the Apple store, had the computer checked for bugs and got a new cord.  Eureka! The batteries started charging right away. After a week of no blogging I was back in business!