Sonoma Country Life

Dickens Dominates Upcoming Holiday Festivities

Consumed today's first reviews of Disney's A Christmas Carol with baited breath in case Dickens' most beloved, Victorian holiday story had been mishandled in any small way. With modern animation magician Robert Zemeckis (The Polar Express) at the helm and the one and only Jim Carrey infiltrating the very soul of Scrooge, the critics have been frolicking around like Fezziwig at the warehouse, leaping to new heights to applause the season's most anticipated cinematic offering.

Told the boys we'd wait until the holidays were actually here to head downtown to the Boulevard Theater and claim our seats for the festive ride of the year, though after absorbing the reviews I seriously doubt my own self-will to wait that long.

My soft spot for Dickens and his A Christmas Carol is revealed via my own particularly English brand of 'dulcet tones' , recorded at the 800 line for the upcoming San Francisco Great Dickens Christmas Fair! Call toll free on (800) 510-1558 for info and directions and details on how to pre-purchase tickets for the most fantastic Victorian Christmas card come to life:

FOUR WEEKENDS
including the FRIDAY
after Thanksgiving!
Fri. Nov. 27 thru
Sun. Dec. 20, 2009
11am-7pm
In the Cow Palace
Exhibition Halls

 It's one thing to immerse ourselves in the deep, dark depths of candlelit London in the comfort of a cinema auditorium and quite another thing altogether to wander the lamplit streets of the fantastic Dickens Fair, brushing shoulders with the literary likes of Nancy and Oliver, Mr Fezziwig and his family, even the maestro himself is approachable to the time-traveling visitor willing to participate in real life, festive living history of the unbeatable Victorian variety.

And while I'm on the subject, I'm just wrapping up a read of author Mathew Pearl's "The Last Dickens" which I picked up on a mad dash through Heathrow Aiport en-route back to California from England romps this summer. It sat on my bedside table for quite some time as I ploughed through a pile of great books that took me on a literary tour of various regions of the world. Waiting for the air to chill, Dickens would have his way before the winter and Pearl's novel, fictional approach to uncovering the mysteries of Dickens' unfinished, final "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" has forged an exceptionally fascinating link between the epic writer's extraordinary successes in the USA and the inspiration behind his enduring characters.  

Cotati's Redwood Cafe Top Pick for Big Group Brunch

Party of 12 for the weekend? Don't sweat breakfast, lunch and dinner in your over-stuffed home kitchen, when the call of the pancake, waffle and good old-fashioned Denver omelet await a ravenous crew.  

Not too many breakfast joints around Southern Sonoma County that can seat and swiftly handle those big, boisterous groups for family brunch on the weekends. Top pick for one SoCo staple locale that can more than accomodate a Sunday morning slap-up breakie feast for the masses- (and not just because of the fact that frequently appearing Sonoma Country Life personalities Lesley and Michael are co-owners with partner Moose) is without a doubt the long-standing, super busy Redwood Cafe in Cotati.

I knew that breakfast/brunch at the cafe was a clear choice when figuring out the driving arrangements for would-be golfers, teens with homework on hold and pumpkin patch adventurers were standing on the doorstep scratching their heads in unison in post-harvest, family reunion recovery, looking to me for all of the answers at least until noon and the nosh-infused revival of previous-nights spirits. 

Thanks to Michael's infamous talents as Sunday morning host with the most, catering to this party of 12 was a breeze of fluffy short-stacks, sizzling sausages, bacon, toast and home fries, eggs galore and gallons of hot coffee.

The Redwood Cafe is located at 8240 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, seven days a week. If you are planning on taking the extended family out to eat over the holidays, it is a good idea to call ahead and have a table reserved, as the Redwood Cafe is a constant buzz of activity even on the quietest of weekends.

(707) 795-7868

A Post-Harvest Half Century Celebration

Thanks to the many great friends and globe-trotting family members who made it to the vineyard for the post-harvest bash for the Italian Husband's "Festival of One", or should I say "Festival of 50". Quite a lot for one day- hence my lack of verbage. Let's just say that the balmy October evening was a total plus and the talents of our wonderful, volunteer crew of true gems in the deco department, oyster-schucking, pig carving, cleaning up ranks of real sweethearts made it a night to remember and saved my sanity. Not kidding!

(Cal West Rentals here in Petaluma did a splendid job in setting up party tents, lights and delivering tables, chairs, plates, silverware - the way to go if you are partying on a large scale at home in the future)

Festival of One (Crush House Central!)

Mission Accomplished - Harvest 2009

 

 
 

Cloudy with a Chance of Mudfights

 

Whose idea was it to give the kids a day off school the week after Columbus Day? I guess it's no longer politically correct to recognize the discoverer as a hero given the rampaging that inevitably went on in those days. 

Talking of rampaging, that's precisely what transpired by mid-afternoon of a monsoon-like Monday off-school when pending homework assignments lost their appeal and the call of a muddy lawn beckoned.

What can I say, other than this is clearly every mother's highlight of a school holiday - to watch as the males of the house go primal for a mud-wrestling competition complete with every spare towel in the house on hand for haphazard, apres-tournament clean-up. Charmed, I'm sure.

Especially delighted with muddy footprint en route to the shower, christening the newly cleaned rug in the well-trodden, main thoroughfare from back door to stairs.

Expecting Italian husbands siblings from far-flung locales (sister Maria and her husband Mark are already here, cavorting around wine country as I write) for grape harvest festival family reunion. Mud wrestling clearly being one of the activity options should we see anymore of the typhoon weather patterns this week.

Into the Wilds of Suffolk for an Autumn Wedding (Part 2)

Let's just say that my cousin Lucy, the beautiful bride, is a little younger than I. After all, her Dad, and my favorite (well, actually, my only) uncle, Colin came into the world some 13 years after my Dad, and his (only) brother, John. Lucy was herself, my adorable little bridesmaid over two decades ago.

One of the sweetest details (and there were too many to mention) of her magical, medieval barn wedding to Sam was the naming of each table for eight after a respective, late, but much-loved grandparent. Lucy's and my shared grandparents on the paternal side were Clarice and Frank. Black and white framed, family photos of our long-lost elders were discreetly positioned amongst harvest-hued roses and fine, French wines as we tucked into a traditional Eastern English dinner of lovely, plump Lincolnshire sausages (celebrating our hearty Fenland roots), with fluffy mashed potatoes, steamed veg and a sticky toffee pudding with custard for dessert. Heady stuff to entice the spirit of my old Grandad, Frank, who loved little more than a proper good nosh and a toast to raise.

Applauded the fact that the happy couple had opted for a spectacular, tiered cheese 'cake' of Cheddar and Stilton instead of a typical wedding cake. Served up with fruits and crackers during evening dancing, this clever, delicious alternative to an additional sugary treat stayed true to the family's legacy penchant as long-time (formerly) village storekeepers and official connoisseurs of the great English cheese! 

Sparing Lucy and Sam from having their fantastic day dissected in any more detail online, I must end the post with a nod to the groom's outstanding talents in the poetry department. Reciting his personal wedding day prose during his touching speech, Sam had the wide-eyed approval of every woman in the room. As for the chaps, well, what can I say? Poems can be worth their weight in gold. As for Lucy, well, the accomplished artist and art teacher-in-training did confide that she gifts him with as many drawings as she receives in his near-daily prose. 

Long may you live and love, Lucy and Sam (and little Harry too). Congratulations to Colin and Carole, deservedly proud parents (and grandparents, uncle, aunt) and happy hosts of a superb day in Suffolk.  

Into the Wilds of Suffolk for an Autumn Wedding (Part 1)

 
 

Trains from London's Liverpool Street Station take rail travelers to some of the farthest outposts of modern day Britain. Places that the tourist, business exec and native alike are least likely to have on their top ten list of hot destination locales. In part because of the sheer geography of the untamed counties that sit quite contentedly far-off the traditional beaten track.

In England, the ancient, windswept, brooding East Anglian Norfolk/Suffolk border remains one of the few largely undiscovered destinations at the end of a rambling train ride along a haunting, murky, magical coastal track, true to its long-held regional reputation for a bleak, stark, striking beauty not beholden to the hoards of seasonal tourist traffic that floods more commonly considered idyllic spots of the Queen's green isle.  

If Cambridge and Ipswich frame a gateway to the East, Norwich is surely on the far side of the secret garden gate, enticing a more robust type of traveler to discover its far-flung charms of true and authentic identity. Explore even farther into the depths of coastal Norfolk and Suffolk and a time warp of inexplicable charm opens to the true wanderer. 

It was into these wilds of a brisk and sunny October weekend that I rather intrepidly rambled along with my sister, Lindsey and a couple of overnight bags for our cousin Lucy's Autumn wedding to her Sam. 

Fields of wheat and golden hay bales stretched for miles as our three-carriage train trundled from one tiny station to the next. Shared a copy of the Times and its superb Saturday magazines, spoke at length to absent sister, Kerry in Sydney and promised this post with pics! Alighting at the riverside, boat-studded quay market town of Beccles, Suffolk, wandered the quarter mile into town, turned left and arrived at our first destination of the day at the sturdy, central King's Head Pub and Hotel without so much as a nod to the safety measures of an i-phone google map. 

With time moving on at a rapid clip, the change into suitably glamorous wedding garb from morning's rail travel attire was accomplished at record speed in order for a brief and jolly transatlantic reunion (taking care not to smudge the lipstick) over light pub lunch with Mum and Dad.

A taxi cab ride from Beccles' best took us along the border of Norfolk and all the way down a delightfully British one-track, hedge-lined road to what is surely one of the finest examples of 16th Century rural architecture, romantic Elms Barn, nestled in little-known Waveney Valley. 

Lucy's dream wedding in a medieval barn had led she and Sam and some eighty friends and family to this surprising spot, hidden in the deep folds of Suffolk. With not another soul except for the wedding party in sight, the world and its worries were far from mind for an enchanted afternoon and evening of timeless elegance and simplicity. And love had undoubtedly brought us all there. Some of us from quite a distance. One of three nights in England for Scribbles Daily, here. Priceless.

West Petaluma Grown Goblin Grog for Valley Vista Harvest Festival

Rolled out the barrel this morning for this year's vintage bottling of West Petaluma-made Goblin Grog, labeled especially for an upcoming Harvest Fair basket for moms and dads, friends and neighbors to splurge a little extra school cash in support of Valley Vista Elementary's outstanding Teaching Garden.

With National focus on a growing movement to press for healthier food for school kids, supporter and First Lady, Michelle Obama received a huge pile of handwritten letters from Petaluma students to let her know that they are indeed, doing their part here in agriculturally-rich Sonoma County to promote the goal of "Eat Local, Stay Healthy".

Valley Vista School's dedicated parent volunteers have steered the model teaching garden to a whole new level of community participation and everyone is welcome at the garden's main event of the year!

The school's fun Harvest Festival actually takes place on Halloween Day, Saturday October 31st, this year - kicking off with a tasty, homemade pancake breakfast with healthy fresh fruit juices and applesauce prior to an abundant opportunity drawing to win one of 12 huge baskets of various themed goodies. 

Mayan dancing, fall crafts, tasty food and an organic gardening demonstration will take place in and around the school's garden at 730 North Webster Street, Petaluma. 

Native plant sales, shrubs and winter starters will be available for purchase and guests are invited to join a discussion on seed collecting and storage with our newest grdening merchant in town, Baker Creek Rare Seeds.

Stop by the Harvest Fair from 9am to noon and you can catch an informative demo by Cricket Landscapes on how to recycle your lawn with sheet mulch.

Look out for worm composting, pumpkin decorating, pot painting and seed art, bean necklaces, holiday masks, a costume contest and face painting by Principal Emily Blecher!

Petaluma's Up and Coming Jamie Oliver!

Happy Birthday, Dom! And watch out Jamie Oliver, you might have a bit of competition, state-side, over here in sunny, food-forward California!

What's an eleven-year-old SoCo chap to do but bake and decorate (and serve) his own birthday cake, bro? As for the wine bottle on the table - strictly for the old folks.