SEA GULL
The Sea Gull Restaurant was a popular hangout in Mendocino during the 1970s and 80s. Lots of things happened there, good and bad. I knew sooner or later this would all be converted to words. On this page you will find stories, experiences, and reflections on my time at the Sea Gull. Pictures, articles, art, and more will be posted as they become available. If you were an employee or customer during that time and have pictures or experiences you want to share, send them to me at dhj@thinkinthemorning.com. Don’t expect this to be a foodie site. I might from time to time venture into the joys of mezcal or review a favorite restaurant or offer up a recipe that I’ve found tasty, but my primary purpose is to document some of the happenings at the Sea Gull during the 70s and 80s for those who care.
Remembering The Sea Gull Restaurant
Remembering the Sea Gull Restaurant An Afternoon at the Kelley House July 24, 2011 Click on this link to see the video: VIDEO
86’d
In my early years at the Sea Gull there was a time when I lived upstairs in a converted liquor storage room. I hired Orval, the plumber, and Ed, the tile setter, to help convert one end of the small room into a bathroom with a shower. It was small, dark and it picked...
The Waitress and the Rat
Today is World Rat Day. It’s a pity this holiday didn’t exist when I owned the Sea Gull. I’ll admit to holding certain prejudices against rats, but I’ve learned to keep them to myself since World Rat Day was established over a decade ago. Before rats got their day...
How Richard Brautigan Saved My Life
One fringe benefit of working in a restaurant is watching the famous people that sometimes arrive unannounced hoping for a bit of normalcy. In my first year at the Sea Gull, I was relaxing at the house next to the restaurant when I got an excited call from the...
The Sea Gull: A Short History of its Location in Space
I had a restaurant in Mendocino, along the edge of the northern California coast. I took that from Isak Dinesen’s first line in Out of Africa. I changed it a bit. I highly recommend you read every single one of her stories. Mendocino lies at the southern end of the...
The Crooked Tree
"Improvement makes straight roads; but the crooked roads without Improvement are the roads of genius." William Blake On Highway 128 just before the newly built Mountain House Estate, there is a crooked tree that stands near the point of highest elevation...
Doctor Harold Robinson
My first office as an investment adviser was upstairs in the old Lisbon-Paoli Hotel building. Doctor Harold Robinson was one of my first clients. He bounded through the door in his characteristic style with a sly smile on his face and asked how business was going. ...