Journeys›Photograph

Weekend Visit to the Sea Ranch Chapel

·California, United States·#winter#road-trip#california#architecture#sea-ranch
A carved wooden sign features a sun and a cricket above the text "SUN & CRICKET" with an "OPEN" sign.

Drove out to the Sonoma coast for a weekend visit to the Sea Ranch Chapel, which has been on the list a long time. Poked around the shops near the coast first — a carved wooden grasshopper and sun over one doorway, an echium blooming in a hedgerow already, in February, which does not happen at our elevation.

The chapel itself is smaller than any picture suggests, 360 square feet, roof sweeping up into a copper spire like feathers. James Hubbell designed the whole thing — the stained glass, even the leaf-shaped chandelier inside — and it was finished in December 1985. Robert and Betty Buffum gave the chapel and the grounds in memory of Kirk Ditzler, and it stays open to anyone, dawn to dusk, no denomination attached.

Inside, the ceiling is white plaster ribbed like the underside of a mushroom, and the tall window behind the stone ledge runs floor to peak in blues and violets. Through the low arched window you can see straight out to the meadow and the trees, the glass swirling around the clear panes. Pamphlets sat in a little rack on the ledge, one dollar each.

A tall plant with numerous vibrant blue flowers arranged vertically, surrounded by green foliage.A person stands on a stone path before a distinct shingled building and trees under a cloudy sky.A unique building with a shingled, curved roof and decorative spire rests on a stone base, surrounded by trees under a cloudy sky.A curved building with a shingled roof, vertical wooden siding, a stone base, and an ornate wooden door against a cloudy sky.A colorful stained glass window with abstract designs sits above a stone wall, framed by a radial wooden ceiling.A vibrant, colorful stained-glass window is nestled within a white, petal-shaped ceiling, with a large iron chandelier and wood walls.A long, narrow stained glass window features vibrant abstract shapes in blue, yellow, purple, and pink, set in a textured wall.A vibrant stained glass window with abstract teal, yellow, and red designs overlooks a grassy field and trees.

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