Sonoma Train Town

Train Town is a cute little park in Sonoma which is in California's wine country.

Duffy and I went there after our lunch at Black Bear Diner.

They have a retired full scale train that can be explored.

There are also rides, but they are mainly for young children.

There are small, coin operated rides in the park.

There was a horse and carriage ride. We managed to not fall off!

There were just a couple of bear statues at this park.

There are some nice photo spots. This lake is at the entrance of the park.

Ferris wheel and merry-go-round

There is a small scale train that drives around the park. It goes through tunnels, over bridges, and around small towns. It drops riders off at the small old town village. This is in the saloon.

There is a barn there with real live animals.

All of the buildings are the perfect size for teddy bears. This is the store.

This is the school house.

This is the church.

Cemetery

An outhouse! Ick!

This cute little carved bench was the perfect size for Duffy and me to relax for a minute.

What a nice looking house! Maybe Duffy and I will live in one like it someday.

The train's engine

This llama tried to eat my head! At first I thought it was coming in for a kiss, but it opened its mouth. Luckily it was distracted by someone with a handful of animal feed.

The gift shop is great for train enthusiasts. I met these bears there.

After our quick stop at Train Town, we went to Sonoma State Historical Park. This is where the Bear Flag Retreat happened. The Sonoma Mission is here, too. There are many historical buildings in the plaza. We went to a bakery for a veggie sandwich and a soda but we didn't get any cake or cookies. Maybe next time!

Black Bear Diner

Duffy and I went to the Black Bear Diner in Sonoma.

This is a typical American diner with burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast that is served all day.

There are a lot of photo opportunities for bears.

At the diner they have a small gift shop (which is just a big book case) that has stuffed bears, sweets, toys, books, shirts, keychains, and other tourist souvenirs for sale.

There are several locations around northern California.

I would like to decorate my house to look like the diner.

Duffy and I shared a veggie burger with fries and onion rings. Their soda machine was down, but it was a cola that I don't like anyway.

This location is in wine country so some of their decor incorporates grapes and wine bottles.

On Tuesdays they have a deal that if a human child brings in a teddy bear, that child will receive a free meal. I think that is for ages 12 and under. It's a great way to encourage people to travel with their bears.

It's a fun restaurant to visit if you happen to be near one, but not a destination restaurant. Not worth a special trip, even if you like bears. But there are many in California, and they are expanding to the south part of the state.

Check their website for locations and more info.

Happy Easter

Mr. Duffy and I found this giant bear at the Easter party. We wanted to bring him home, but he wasn't quite ready to move away from his family. But I think he might move in with us soon. It will be great to have a giant bear to protect us.

'Giant' seemed to be the theme of the day. This Easter egg is big enough for me to fit inside! It would make a great hiding place.

I got a basket full of goodies, and lots of chocolates. My favorite! Well, I say that about all candies.

There was an egg hunt and we searched for lots of colorful plastic eggs, filled with coins. That was great!

Happy Easter from Christopher F. Duffy and me!

Muppets Most Wanted

I finally saw Muppets Most Wanted. I went in not expecting much and that's what I got. I love the Muppets and enjoy all of their projects. But this one was not as good as the first in the "new" Muppet movies. If you see the movie, this will make more sense than you know! There were some good jokes and the dancing and singing were fine. But I didn't love the songs as I do the 2011 movie. There were a lot of cameos that were well-publicized before the movie's release, and a lot more that I didn't know of. The person in the scene with the Interpol Agent and Sam the Eagle was one I didn't know about going in, and one of my favorites was the theater manager. I wish Fozzie Bear had more screen time, but I am partial to bears.

Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, and Felton

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the Bay Area and I thought a drive to the coast would be a fun thing to do. I went to Santa Cruz and walked around the downtown area. They have some great candy shops in Santa Cruz, and there are at least three on Pacific Avenue alone! Marini's is a fun place to go. They have so many old fashioned candies, candy bars, jaw breakers, gummies, candied apples, caramel apples, ice cream, and more! But what they are famous for is their saltwater taffy. That is my favorite candy!

I love those green boxes! They are full of delicious promises.

Their selection at this location isn't as plentiful as the one on the Beach Boardwalk, however, they did have my top four favorite flavors: peanut butter, cinnamon, watermelon, and peppermint.

They also have those giant, colorful lollipops, some of which are bigger than my head! I usually don't eat lollipops because they make my fur sticky.

They have various sculptures and statues spread around downtown. This one is "Untitled Clevis #2" by Harold Moodie.

They have a large, independent bookstore there. I was impressed with the size and selection. Unfortunately, they didn't have their air conditioning on and it was very muggy with the heatwave. That's not very comfy for a bear as furry as I.

They did have this neat rocking horse in the children's section.

I wanted to show my support so I did have a look through some of their shelves. I chose a book about bunnies and a very small bunny puppet, then I made my way out of there and into fresh air.

This statue is called "Tom Scribner" and it is by artist Marghe McMahon.

It was time for a lunch break and a cold drink. I went to Noah's Bagels for a roasted veggie sandiwhc and a bottle of cold lemonade. The sandwich was average and a bit pricey, but it did its job. I was tempted to buy a dozen bagels, but the box is bigger than I am.

After my lunch, I decided to leave Santa Cruz and go for a blended coffee. I went to one of my favorite places: Surf City. I went to the location in Scotts Valley. My favorite drink there is the Cowabunga. It is a blended mocha toffee drink and they can make it with soy or almond milk. They also have a variety of vegan pastries.

They have a corner with some books and magazines to peruse while sipping your coffee.

Ah, the Cowabunga. It's very refreshing!

After I left I decided to take a detour through Felton.

There is a park in town with a covered bridge. It was a bit eerie as there were no children or cubs at the playground.

There is a rock arch in the park but I'm not sure of its significance.

There is a covered bridge here. It is a registered California Historical Landmark.

I walked across the bridge and took a picture with the historical marker. After that, I headed back home into the air conditioning.