Harbour Tidings - December 2021

THE HARBOUR TIDINGS
—DECEMBER 2021—

BODEGA HARBOUR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION

In This Issue

A Special Thank You to Those That Serve Us
Christmas Dinner Menu
Proposed BHHA Rules & Fines
Golf
Literature
Bodega Harbour Women’s Golf Club
Garden Beautiful Winners!
F & B
Exercise
BHHA Business
- Board of Directors
- Design Review
- Landscape Review
Local Services

A Special Thank-You to Those Who Serve Us

At December’s meeting of BHHA’s Board of Directors, executive session action was taken to give a special bonus to all current staff employed for more than six months who worked through the pandemic. The approved base award is $1,000 per individual, after all required withholdings, to be paid in early December. The vote was unanimous and signifies the deep appreciation we feel as homeowners in Bodega Harbour for the people who show up for work every day on our behalf and provide a myriad of services for our members.

Beginning in March of 2020 and continuing even as we reach the end of 2021, our community has faced many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when many of us were able to stay safely at home, most of our staff came to work. Creatively developing new practices and new services, responding to ever changing public health directives, adapting their work environment to keep our members, each other, and the public safe, staff delivered for us – month after month.

As hard as it has been, this unprecedented period brought positive things, too. In fiscal year 2020-2021, every department exceeded budget by historical margins and experienced a demand for services that was unforeseeable. This trend is continuing in the current fiscal year. As members and homeowners, we are grateful to be able to contribute to making the 2021 holiday season a little brighter and merrier for those who serve us. Please take an opportunity to let our staff know you appreciate them, not just at this time of the year, but all year.

Jennie Alexich
BHHA President, on behalf of the Membership

BODEGA HARBOUR HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION

PROPOSED BHHA RULES, PROCEDURES & FINES

The Board of Directors reviewed draft Community Rules Enforcement documents at the Board meeting on 8/21/2021. Thereafter a work group consisting of Board members Alexich, Estrada and Kilkenny, along with General Manager Taylor began the task of combining the draft enforcement proposal with the Community Rules, and several BHHA policy documents with the goal of having a single document incorporating the BHHA rules, enforcement process, and fines (for areas other than Landscaping and Design review). The product of that workgroup was reviewed by counsel and is now presented to the Board for review and approval.

What is being proposed?

Follow the Link Below:

PROPOSED BHHA RULES, PROCEDURES & FINES

Golf News

December News

Good day members, we hope you’re well! We have some fun things in store for you this month along with a few reminders about day-to-day operations.

Holiday Balloon Sale: We are very excited to bring back this exciting event for our members, Thursday, December 16th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm!

We welcome you to join us for hosted wine and appetizers and hope to see you dressed up in your holiday favorites (ugly sweaters are welcome 😊). We'll have great food & wine and holiday music, along with your company! Come out to meet our staff and other members, shop & Save Big!

How does it work? Once you've selected all of your merchandise, bring it to the counter, then choose one balloon, hand it to our golf shop staff member so they can reveal your discount! The balloon discounts will range from 20% - 50% off of retail and one lucky shopper can choose a balloon with the "FREE" coupon... WOW!!!

(Note: above sale and promotion apply to soft goods only. Hard goods will be 20% off of retail, one night only).

GIFT CARDS: Not sure what holiday gift to give someone? A gift card can make the perfect gift as it can be redeemed at the golf shop for green fees, merchandise, or Food & Beverage at the Bluewater Bistro or Snack Bar!! Stop by the golf shop or restaurant to purchase. You can also order online at your convenience, just click the following link:

CLICK HERE FOR GIFT CARD ORDERS

Golf Shop Hours: We are open daily from 7:00 am - 5:00 pm. Until further notice, anyone entering the pro shop is required to wear a facial mask and maintain a safe social distance to others. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

We are closed on Christmas Day.

Tee Times: Members who wish to make tee times for themselves or guests should continue to book at least 7 to 10 days in advance (up to 60 days max), to help get your preferred tee times. You may book online by visiting our website www.bodegaharbourgolf.com or, call the pro shop directly, 707-875-3539 during normal business hours. Afternoon calls are recommended to help avoid delays while we check-in play during peak hours. Remember to present your BHHA Member ID at check-in in to receive your member rates.

Please note: when setting up your customer account for booking tee times, you’ll be requested to provide your credit card number to secure the reservation. Your credit card will not be charged until you check-in at the pro shop unless you fail to show or cancel within 24 hours. At check-in, you can pay via credit card, or member account.

All members and guests, even those with annual passes, are required to check in the pro shop prior to your round. This provides us an opportunity to register your round and let you know about golf car path rules and any notable course condition alerts.

Please note, when booking a tee time, you will more than likely be paired with someone else. In order to maximize rounds and revenue, please remember to cancel tee time(s) or reduce players within the 24-hour cancellation period to avoid being charged.

9-Hole Play: Options for 9-hole play are the BACK 9 in the mornings from 7:30 – 8:30 am, and available during twilight time on the FRONT 9. Priority goes to those playing 18 holes during peak hours, which also helps avoid gaps in play as some who only play 9 holes would reduce group size and impact the group’s pace of play.

Links at Bodega Harbour & Bluewater Bistro App: Our new app offers many features, which include GPS, scoring & posting to GHIN, booking tee times online, ordering food and beverage and more! To download, visit your Google Play, or iPhone App Store and search The Links at Bodega Harbour; it’s free!

Snack Bar: Open daily from approximately 8 am to 3 pm (weather-permitting).

Photo contest: This month’s contribution is from (refer additional e-mail for photo entrants).

As always, please send any special photographic moments from around the links and Bodega Harbour to me: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I’m happy to receive these works of art and feature your shots on our newsletter and/or HOA website!

Thanks, everyone. We look forward to seeing more of you soon and wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season!

John Neri
Assistant Golf Professional
The Links at Bodega Harbour

LITERATURE GROUP

Cindy Borisoff

On December 8th at NOON, we will meet at the Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol to celebrate another year of reading together and the HOLIDAYS

Thank you, Maurine for the holiday planning and for being such an organized and enthusiastic leader!

Thanks also to Kelly and Elaine for their leadership and technology expertise!!

And, thanks to everyone for a year of insightful discussion and FUN!

Coming Attractions: Our first book of 2022 is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. Marily Lerner will be our first 2022 presenter! Our first 2022 meeting will be held on January 10 (a later date because of the New Year’s holiday!).

The Vanishing Half “is a multi-generational family saga that tackles issues of racial identity and bigotry and conveys the corrosive effects of secrecy and dissembling.”

The novel spans nearly half a century and focuses on twin sisters, Desiree and Stella Vignes. At 16 the twins run away together, but after a year, their lives split.

Bennet narrates her novel through the voices of Desiree and Stella and their daughters, “one blue black dark, one blonde, one smart and grounded, the other spoiled and lost.”

“Her characters are forever calculating what’s lost and what’s gained at each turn, what vanishes and what remains.”
(NPR Review by HELLER MCALPIN)

The Literature Group meetings are held the first Monday of each month. (If the date has a holiday conflict, the meetings are typically moved to the following Monday.) At this time our meetings are ZOOM meetings that begin at 4pm. Group members will receive an invitation to the Zoom prior to the meeting date.

If you have any questions about the Literature Group, please contact Maurine Harkness (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or Cindy Borisoff (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Come join us!

Enjoy, learn, and grow READING!!!

BODEGA HARBOUR WOMEN’S GOLF CLUB

DECEMBER 2021 NEWS

This has been a great year for BHWGC with an influx of new members and many fun activities. If you are interested in playing golf with a great group of women please come and join us. Send an email to our Membership Chair, Lissa Vecchio at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

dec 2021 brenda middlehurst hole in one

Congratulations to Brenda Middlehurst for her very first Hole-In-One!
She shot the Ace on November 11, 2021 at The Links at Bodega Harbour on Hole # 6 using her pitching wedge.

Happy New Year!
Ida Slezak, BHWGC Captain

Congratulations to Our Garden Beautiful Award Fall Winners for 2021!

Judith Tischler

Thank you to all who submitted their garden photos to the Garden Beautiful Fall 2021 Contest! We are pleased to announce our Grand Prize winner is 933 Gull Drive, cultivated beautifully by owners Kelly Ann and Bill Lichtenberger. They will receive a BHHA gift check in the amount of $300.00!

Honorable mentions go to Kimberly Ann Miller and Jacqueline Gomes at 20306 Osprey Drive and John Knorpp at 20981 Heron Drive. Each of these winners will receive a gift check of $150.00!

Kelly says she and Bill have always done their own landscaping and gardening and maintenance, with no outside help.

For us, gardening is an outlet and recreation-- more of a hobby than a chore. I love deadheadding and mulching, Bill likes pruning and trimming. We both just enjoy our hands in the dirt.

Kelly said her favorite part of gardening is at dusk after putting tools away, sipping wine on the deck and watching the hummingbirds flit from Princess tree to lemon bottle brush to lavender!

“We don't use pest control or fertilizer”, she continued.” I remove snails or slugs by hand. We really don't experience much of a pest problem (native plants and deer resistant varieties are mainly pest-free.) Rabbits, deer and our dog Mickey occasionally graze so we don't like the idea of using poisons or toxic substances.”

Bill and Kelly’s favorite plants for Bodega Harbour? “You can't go wrong with native plants and succulents. I like blooming shrubs and varegated or multi-color perennials. Most of all, we like variety in texture, color and varying blooming seasons for year-round vibrancy and interest”.

Here are their favorites for Gull Drive:

Shrub: COLEONEMA ( sunset gold)
Small tree: Princess flower
Flower: Coreopsis
Succulent: sedum adolphil

Their yard actually has about 75 varieties of evergreen plants, perennials, shrubs, succulents and annual flowers, including:

Phormium Rubrum, coleonema, leptospermum, Lavender, Salvia, leucadendron, sweet pea shrub, dwarf bottle brush, grevillea, society garlic, sea thrift, Marguerite and Shasta daisy, Mexican Daisy, osteospermum, yarrow, Rosemary, hotlips sage, poppy, ice plant, ceanothus,Rhododendron, hydrangea, asparagus fern, calla lilly, Martha Washington geranium, hens and chicks, coneflower, Jade plant, English primrose, abelia, agave, spread, echinacea, Europe, fortnight Lily, Classical, ephemera, baby Tears, sansevera, aeonium, Mums, sedum, Impatiens, coleus, dianthus, Europe, gazania, crown of thorns, Nasturtium, dwarf Pine.

Honorable Mentions:

Kimberly Ann Miller and Jacqueline Gomes – 20306 Osprey:

.. and John Knorpp – 20981 Heron Drive!

The Landscape Review Committee congratulates all of you for keeping Bodega Harbour beautiful!

Bluewater Bistro

To all our loyal and lovely homeowners, Bluewater Bistro now features a new menu!

We do dine-in at the lounge on Fridays and Saturdays from 12p-8p.

Also, keep in mind that you have your own personal delivery service from your restaurant!

We delivery every day that we are open. (Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays)

We will be closed Christmas day.

As soon as we are able to hire more servers, and staff in general, we plan on being open for indoor dining five days a week. Please continue to support the restaurant so we can retain high quality staff. Without your support, we will continue to face a steep uphill battle to hire and keep staff satisfied with their wages.

Call 707-875-3513 and order delivery or take out.

Thank you!

Join Us at the Bistro!

Try Our Take and Bake Christmas Dinner

Christmas Menu

The Exercise Group - Is Alive and Thriving in the Harbour!

It’s never too late to start, and all fitness levels are welcome.

8:30 -9:30 am Monday, Wednesday and Friday tune into ZOOM to join the exercise group.

Enjoy a workout in the safety and comfort of your home. Betsy Spann, who hosts the meeting, is a certified fitness instructor has lead the Yacht Club exercise group as a community service to all Bodega Harbour residents since 2014.

A little stretching and balance helps stimulate your mind and maybe help your golf game too.

If you want to click on at 8:30 in the morning from your home, reach out to Betsy for the link and password at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or text to 707.849.8896

Board of Directors

Agendas & Approved Minutes

Proposed Rules

Design Review

How to Navigate

If you plan on performing any type of exterior renovations you MUST contact Mary Angelo in the Administration office. Exterior renovations include re-staining (otherwise known as painting). Applications can be found on the BHHA website or reach out to Mary at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

When signed in, hover over the Members Tab and click Design Review. If you are signed in now, click the "All Things Design Review" button below to go directly to the page:

All Things Design Review

Landscape Review

Helpful Hints

Here in Bodega Harbour we have minimum standards for our landscaping. Our standards include consideration for our neighbors to maintain the beautiful ocean and golf course views, as well as; regular maintenance to insure healthy plants, mulching to prevent weeds, and trimming to keep our sidewalks and street gutters clear.

“Trees must be regularly maintained and trimmed to the roof lines of the residence. Vegetation trimming or removal is required even if a complaint has not been made in the past, regardless of the age of the vegetation. “ Don’t wait to find you have a new neighbor that might complain that your tree is blocking their view. Trim your trees annually or semi-annually, depending on the need, so they stay healthy. Trimming for the first time after 20 years or more, to get below a roof line might kill the tree.
“Trees, shrubs, & plants must be trimmed so that no portion grows over the lot lines, the sidewalk, or where sidewalks do not exist, including; over the edge of the curb into the street.” Just make sure you’re trimming your garden, so our neighbors can walk safely.
Echium Candicans (Pride of Madeira) is a part of our community. They grow wild throughout, and can be quite beautiful when blooming. We ask that all the dead Pride of Madeira be removed. Regular maintenance is required. This plant is prohibited as part of new landscaping plans.
Mulch…use natural color mulch. The goal is for colors to integrate with the natural surroundings. Mulch can reduce weeds, retain moisture, and camouflage hose lines.
Drip Systems, when developing new landscaping, consider the drip. Water sprinklers are approved, but aren’t the most practical in our windy coastal community.
Soft Landscaping, for new landscaping plans we’ll want to see the samples of mulch, stone, gravel. Our goal is to have the landscaping blend.
New to Bodega Harbour and building, or just thinking of a new landscaping plan. Driving around the subdivision is a great way to get familiar with plants that are approved & do well on the coast.
If you do wish to make a complaint regarding a view obstruction, please contact the Bodega Harbour HOA Office & request a form for completion. Once the form is completed it will be submitted to the landscaping committee for follow up.
Have fun in your garden. Time to get the bulbs in, remember the gophers love the bulbs. Try containers, and look around at your neighbors. If you see Gladiolas, Irises, & Daffodils doing well, might work for you too!
Let us know if you would like to submit your garden for the next Fall Quarterly Garden Beautiful contest. It’s always fun to see our neighbor’s creative garden designs.

All Things Landscape Review