I think one of the great secrets of life is to find that place that makes your heart sing, that place where you can rest and be.  A place where your heart belongs is one of the greatest gifts.

For some that might be around their kitchen table or in their backyard — and, truthfully, both of those places are high on my “happy” place list. But, for me, nothing comes close to Sea Ranch, a development on the North Coast of California, just about an hour shy of Mendocino, where the homes blend into the colors of bark and grasses. It’s there that I find peace.

We are lucky enough to have Husband’s family home at Sea Ranch.  His parents built this place in the 1960’s when the development was just starting. They nabbed a piece of land right on the bluffs, behind a tiny protective mound of earth and rock that seems to protect a bit of privacy from the hiking trail. The views of the ocean, the expanse and breadth of it, give one a space to wander and dream.

We don’t get up here very often. It is a vacation rental and we are conscious of not interfering with those who want to share a piece of this place.  We make it once or twice a year, just for a few days, when we get to sit and watch the waves, the sea life, the deer. Last year we saw a bobcat right in front of our windows.

This year, we were visited by a flock of turkeys and one very mangy, sick-looking deer who keeps coming back to graze on the grasses in front of the house. Often, we can spot migrating whales in the distance, their spouts visible from the coastline.

More often than not, I’m happy to watch the tides roll in and out, the weather and fog play tag along the horizon and right outside our windows. How grateful I am for this piece of peace, this place where my heart belongs.