Heartland Ranch - Writer's Retreat in Gualala, California

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HeartLand Ranch

My name is Ray Polson and my wife's name is Pauline. When it isn't rented, we live at HeartLand. I am a writer and HeartLand was purchased as a place to read and write.

This is the story of how HeartLand came to be.

The Beginning

In November of 2012, we were visiting our son, who was working as a bartender at the Timber Cove Inn in Jenner, CA. A woman sitting at the bar struck up a conversation with Pauline. She stated that she lived on a 7 - acre property that overlooked the ocean above the sleepy beach town named Gualala, about 20 miles further north. The property had been for sale but was now off the market. She gave us her address and told us to check it out. We were glad we did. The land was astounding. 5 acres of redwoods, a pond, an A Frame house with ocean views on both floors. We called our realtor and he set up an appointment. By February of 2013, we were HeartLand's proud new owners.

The Grounds and Downstairs

Walking thru the redwoods is a mystical experience. The quiet and the wind blowing thru the redwoods is beyond my ability to describe. Laying out by the pond, listening to the running water and feeling the wind, reading within the sounds of silence. I needed a place to work and think but what we got was a lot more than just that. The house is all wood, inside and out. Downstairs, there is only one bedroom, ours. We still sleep in a heated waterbed with the sliding door open to hear the wind at night and to breathe in the cool air of the mountains. HeartLand is 5 miles above the Mendocino coast, nestled in a forest of Redwood, Manzanita and Pine trees. This downstairs bedroom has an attached bathroom with a shower and a loft where 3 elderly surfboards peer out on display. These shades of my youth still get used on occasion. There is a porch that runs the full length of the house and a very large fenced area for our St Bernard, FearLess, to romp and play.

The rest of the downstairs consists of a living room with a 73" big screen and an old fashioned quad stereo system. There is a dining room and kitchen. All rooms lead onto the back porch. My wife knits, sews and creates in her domain off of the kitchen. Works of art can be seen throughout the house. Up the stairs, you are led into the world of books.

Second Floor: A Writer's Retreat

Pauline and I have brought to the table traces of 50 years of businesses that we built over our careers. Old comic books, newspaper comics, movie posters, books, galleries and videos fill the shelves that line the walls. Here, our guests will find a 3000-title movie library, hardbound reprint comic books from 1938-1975, approximately a thousand paperback books from the 30's thru the 60's ranging from science fiction, mystery, by classic authors like Jules Verne, Steinbeck, and Faulkner. Also present is our collection of books and posters from film history, highlighting actors and directors like Bogart, John Huston, Peter Lorre, John Ford. There are 2 complete movie magazine runs of Movie Romance (1928-1971) and Sight and Sound (1950-2000), which covers the history of movies from the beginning of sound.  An incomplete run of Films in Review from the late 50's thru 1999 can also be found. These materials are rare, hard to find and for anyone who has an interest in film, it is a field day of fun to read. Original movie materials hang on the walls, looking out at my small office, computer, printer and monitor. This is where I write, looking out at the ocean to the southwest and into the trees, directly in front of me, thru the windows. It is the center of the A frame house.

Being surrounded by great authors, movie stars and stories plus the complete history of comics from 1900 to 1975, a person can draw off of the endless creativity of these talented artists. It is a great place to work and write. A second round table is placed in front of the windows facing the ocean to provide a choice of environments. I've found that this has a positive effect on my work. There are 3 other sections of the upstairs under the A. Connected is an attached bathroom with a tub and a custom shower. The tile design allows you to shower with the fish.

Our children and grandkids sleep upstairs on either side of the peak of the A. On the boys side, our young guests find surfing and Star Wars posters and movies and a queen size bed. On the Girls side, there are two twin beds and Disney everywhere. At the very peak of the A lies a loft designed to be the Kids Clubhouse. There is a bed that will sleep two comfortably and a TV plus a dvd with a sound system. The movies are kid orientated classics: 3 Stooges, East Side Kids, Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy, Saturday Afternoon Western heroes Hopalong Cassidy, Lash Larue, Buck Jones, Tim Holt and so on. There are also complete serials of Superman and Capt Marvel. It was designed for rainy days and time travel back to the 30's through the 50's. Best of all, you don't have to go anywhere except the Kids Clubhouse to get there.

The Reason For HeartLand

My wife Pauline and I rent HeartLand because we want to share the experience of living in a place that is so unique. We get to share our home and parts of our lives, with what we have lived through. It is our hope that when you leave HeartLand, you take a piece of what you have seen and experienced with you. We have lived at HeartLand for 3 - years and never tire of its beauty and peacefulness. I have done the best that I can to describe HeartLand and believe me when I say, I have only scraped the surface of a description of this very unique property. It is truly A Writer's Retreat.

We look forward to your visit,

Ray and Pauline Polson