Petaluma

Following our usual walk to the farmers’ market on Saturday, we took a leisurely drive out to the neighboring town of Sebastopol where our plan to visit a salvage shop for some window shopping (we were hoping to find an actual window) was cut short by a sign on the door reading: “Gone to a wedding, closed early. Sorry!”

We then decided on a whim to head out to the town of Petaluma to check out the recently opened Seed Bank. I first heard about it a few weeks ago and have wanted to go ever since. Unfortunately, our plans were thwarted yet again as we walked up to the front door to discover that it too was closed! Not open on weekends it turns out. Had I read that link before going, I would have known this.

Alas, all was not lost, it was still a lovely day so we walked around Petaluma’s gorgeous historic downtown riverfront district and I’m so glad we did because it’s one of those nearby destinations (about 20 minutes away) that we usually just drive on by while on our way to Marin or San Francisco and completely neglect. It was nearing naptime though, so this visit didn’t last too long but left me itching to plan a longer day trip.




One place we did stop for a visit though was the fun and quirky gift/novelty/retro toy shop called HeeBe JeeBe. It’s a cool little store full of weird and wonderful things, perfect for finding unique gifts and whatnot.



I love the way it’s decorated too, with all the paper lanterns and flags hanging from the ceiling, not to mention the amazing fish mobile! There’s even an old-fashioned motorized horsie ride out front which you know who loved :)

Clover got a cute little set of wooden alphabet blocks which she would now have me building towers with non-stop for all eternity if that was indeed an option.

We walked along the riverfront and came across an amazing painted brick wall that I insisted Lucas document my outfit in front of.

Speaking of the outfit, I ended up feeling quite appropriately dressed as
downtown Petaluma is full of beautifully preserved old buildings that give it an idyllic sense of the small town Americana of yesteryear. It’s even a popular film location for just this reason. It’s where American Graffiti was shot among other period movies like Peggy Sue Got Married, the 1997 version of Lolita, and Inventing the Abbots.

I found the vintage dress at the Welfare League Thrift for $5 the day before and fell hard for its sweet print and lovely subtle details. There were no tags but it was impeccably constructed and in near perfect condition.

The little old ladies at the counter guessed it to be from the 40’s or 50’s and the one who rung me up said it reminded her of something she would have worn back in those days and after a short pause added “… to church.” She was pretty cute :)

All in all, thwarted plans aside, it turned out to be a lovely Saturday and I’ve already got ideas about what I want to do when I go back, one of which includes visiting this amazing old library and historical museum which I’ve never been inside. But we’ll save all that for another day :)

(Building images found here and here.)