The Barlow

We had several motives for visiting Sebastopol. OilMan is contemplating building a tool shed next to his vegetable boxes out of corrugated metal, and there is a very large amount of it in this new complex. There are restaurants, tasting rooms, a brewery, a bakery a coffee house and numerous other businesses. It didn't take us long to walk around because most of the businesses haven't moved in yet and many other spaces are still available. I have always liked the Flying A sign and I think this building showcases it and the corrugated metal quite well. The whole complex was appealing and modern, yet redolent of feed stores and the apple processing shed which it once was.

My motivation was to visit the Graton Gallery, just up the road, but we got sidetracked at the Harmony Gardens Nursery where we bought sunny yellow and orange Gaillardia, spiky Salvia and some weeping rosemary to trail over the wall behind our patio. There was a wonderful display of pumpkins and gourds to remind us that Halloween is approaching. OilMan came out with a bag of irrigation parts, of which there seem to be an endless number and variety to keep him busy.

Just up the road in Graton we visited the gallery and poked around the antique store next door. Both places have an eclectic assortment of offerings, including a felted chicken (named Henrietta) for $1,000. Dana's dry comment when I sent her a picture was that she should take up felting!

There are numerous sheds, buildings, barns and storehouses in the Sebastopol area. Many are made from corrugated metal, usually rusted and sometimes falling down. I think we'll try to combine the old and the new in a functional way with new metal walls, an older rusted roof, and a barnwood floor. It will probably be the most overdesigned tool shed in the neighborhood!