Thursday, January 18, 2024

Winter Wineland 2024

                               This year the Sonoma County Winter Wineland is finally back to normal. 

Starting at DeLoach in 2022 and 2024

 The Wineroad's event is always held on a weekend near my January 17th birthday and we've been going on Sunday for many years. But for the last 3 years because of Covid there were irregularities. In '21 it was cancelled altogether because all the wineries were closed during the lockdown. Then in '22 and '23  the wineries required reservations in hourly time slots, which was a drag. SO We didn't go at all in '23, but this year we could register for the Winter Wineland event and go to any participating Sonoma County winery whenever we wanted between 11 and 4.




All the wineries had wine tasting but only a few offered food pairings. Here at Sunce, just up the road from De Loach, they had a Mamadios food truck offering Philadelphia porchetta sliders with brocolli raab and red peppers. The chef, who proudly hailed from an Italian family in Philly was very friendly and filled us in on Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and Italian bitter greens. I went back for seconds and  planned to reproduce the delicacy at home. They were delicious!



Dean sporting his visor on this Sunny Sunday at Mazzocco

Then on to Mazzocco near Healdsburg which makes many excellent zinfandels. Lots of delicious zins but no food. The setting was so beautiful on this perfect winter Sunday we didn't mind.  



Above is a video which shows the surrounding landscape in all it's green glory, punctuated with the loud croaking of frogs, happy for all the recent rains. We were happy as well. Don't forget to turn on the sound and click far right icon for full screen.


A cold January day at Mazzocco, with my modest Zin purchase. Many left with cases of wine




Farther North, we visited the Francis Ford Coppolla winery promising pasta Bolognese and more wines.
The wines they served were very good and the small cups of pasta Bolognese prepared in their kitchen were excellent. They too were generous with seconds and thirds. This luxurious winery is one of the only venues with its own kitchen. Most others that offered food pairings had to hire caterers in food trucks.


Inspired by the Coppola Bolognese, I made Marcella's version at home


After our fourth winery, we headed back home, intoxicated by the picturesque scenery and, of course, the wines

On Jan. 17th 2021 the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny as you can tell from my outfit

Here I am at DeLoach again on my birthday in 2021. All the Sonoma County wineries were closed due to the Covid lockdown, so we created our own event. We drove around the scenic country roads looking for a place to picnic and finally decided to sneak into De Loach, which had an open gate and picnic tables. We brought cheese and fresh baguettes from the Cheese Board in Berkeley, which was open Sundays during that period. They served customers from a doorway in their store, and though the lines were long it was worth the wait.




Sunday, December 31, 2023

Rainbows for the New Year

              Rainbows are the universal symbol of hope, love, acceptance and happiness 


This is the last chance this year to present photos of our October 2023 Kauai holiday. We watched from our lanai as this perfect rainbow developed one morning after a stormy night. I'm hoping it symbolizes good things for 2024.


Bali Hai sunrise from our Lanai
              

   Endless pleasure gazing at the ocean from our lanai while hearing the waves crash. We couldn't stop taking photos of our beautiful surroundings. Guests from other units were doing the same farther up the lawn.



The remodel of the St Regis is a marvel of taste and design; its new name is 1 Hotel. Above is the dining room where we enjoyed brunch one morning. It was only a short walk from our condo so we spent quite a bit of time walking down to their beach and exploring all the new spaces in the multi-story hotel. It was a fun activity on the few days that it rained 


Closeup of the dining room



We saw people working out on this ingenious outdoor weight room on the sand near the impressive swimming pool and hot tub at 1 Hotel. We were already very familiar with this beach since it was down a long path connecting it to the Hanalei Bay Resort where we stayed many times over the years


                           

                 Here I am in 2010 when it was the St Regis. Same beach, same tree


Cocktail menu at Avalon

One evening we splurged on dinner at Avalon Gastropub in Kilauea, but NOT ON COCKTAILS!


Dean wearing his "new" vintage Tommy Bahama shirt

Another great salad with island mixed greens. The local produce was exceptional (and less expensive than the drinks!)

 On our last day Dean captured the strong wind blowing through the trees on the island. Click on full     screen icon in the video for full effect


                                  One of many spectacular sunsets to end our memorable vacation



Sunday, September 24, 2023

New York and Connecticut Visit

 

Lucia's backyard garden in August

COLEBROOK, CONNECTICUT

We finally made it! For four years I have been trying to visit my sister's garden and house in this tiny town about a three hour drive from Manhattan's West side. I cancelled numerous trips due to covid surges, but this year I was determined. The plan was to spend a week in New York and CT before flying to Italy, and it turned out to be a great plan.




I loved everything about Colebrook. I basked in the historical reminders of the town's history. Relics of the Revolutionary War were everywhere. The Colebrook Store pictured above was founded in 1812 and is the oldest continuously running store in CT.  Now they serve good coffee and bake excellent custard filled eclairs.


This is one side of the sign that greets you as you enter town




Late summer hydrangeas lined the road next to the Colebrook Store

Everything was so lush and green, in contrast to California's dry summer terrain. Unusually heavy rains on the East Coast have made the plants especially lush for August.



Near my sister's house there is a pond with a bridge that has a perfect reflection of itself in the water when the light is right, as it was on our first afternoon in town..


late summer garden
 
Lucia prefers her garden in June, but I couldn't imagine a more beautiful display of flowers than these August blooms. She's designed a beautiful garden and does all the upkeep herself, including digging, planting, weeding and mowing (and composting)!


ESPALIER PROJECT
   

My sister had planned a few projects for Dean when he was visiting, and he was happy to oblige, The first was to espalier her apple tree. Since there are no stores in her town except for the historical Colebrook Store which is actually a lunch spot and coffee shop, we drove to the hardware store in Winsted for stakes, tools and garden tape. The large, modern supermarket is also there.



                       Lucia and Dean worked together to accomplish the task while I shot photos






The finished espaliered apple tree


                                                        Back to Manhattan

We took the train back to New York City- a beautiful ride with views of the countryside and wealthy New York suburbs- and with only a day and a half until our flight to Italy, I had an agenda: First, I wanted to show Dean  the Highline which I had visited and loved ten years ago. Lucia was kind enough to accompany us via the subway, like real New  Yorkers, and we got an early start to beat the other tourists. It was more impressive than ever. What a miracle!








Dean examines Mckenzie's water hemlock growing on the side of the walkway



Glimpses of art abound



New York streets taken from above on the highline






In the afternoon we planned to go across Central Park to visit the Metropolitan Museum. When we arrived, the lines to get in were prohibitively long, even for residents. Having so little time we left the museum, had a cool drink at a cafe in the park and again took the cross town bus back to the Upper West Side and got out at the Museum of Natural History. Since it was now late afternoon, the lines had dispersed and they allowed us to enter for free. All the new exhibits like the Van Gogh Cypresses and the Butterfly room required special tickets which we didn't have. However, we could get near enough to see the large space which encloses the exhibit through the  large indoor windows and observe and hear all the ticketed patrons interacting with the butterflies as seen in the video we took below. It was almost as good as being inside.



That evening we ate at an outside table at Taralluci e Vino which my sister had recommended. It was a short walk from her apartment and is a popular neighborhood spot with excellent food and wine.








Bruschetta with arugula pesto and burrata




A refreshing watermelon salad sprinkled with herbs




Wednesday afternoon we took a cab to Kennedy Airport and had a celebratory drink in the lounge before departing for Florence via Amsterdam. We toasted Lucia who  made our East coast visit so much fun. I can't wait to return and see the garden in June.




Sunday, August 6, 2023

Garden Tour at Kendall-Jackson Winery- July 21st

      Here are a selection of photos taken at the Kendall-Jackson garden tour and wine tasting in July

Persicaria orientalis or kiss me over the garden gate





         Gathering a few chive blossoms. All the herbs and vegetables in the garden are used by the chef             for special events





A treat of hummus and just-picked baby veggies in a bamboo cone served at the post-tour wine tasting


A close up of the yummy concoction. I asked for more and they obliged


Here we are in front of the winery before the tour
- the garden is in back



Monday, June 5, 2023

ALLIE



                                                                    ALLIE  2008 - June 4, 2023




Monday, April 3, 2023

Springtime Asparagus Salads

 

Photo courtesy of the wonderful Oaktown Spice Shop with locations in Oakland and Berkeley



And in Oaktown Spice Shop's next newsletter they presented an equally appealing celery and raw asparagus salad. You can find the recipe HERE, and subscribe to their newsletter for more tasty suggestions using spices and herbs




 Ricki presented a beautiful salad at her small Easter/Passover dinner. Avocados, grapefruit, radishes, radicchio, fennel and beautiful crisp little gems dressed with a vinaigrette made with shallots and enhanced with a small amount of mayonnaise. This first course salad was the star of the show!




Sunday, January 22, 2023

Roasted Winter Squash Salad

 


This roasted winter squash salad from Melissa Clark in the New York Times is just the ticket for a dreary January day. She roasts the cubed butternut squash in a 400 degree oven with olive oil and honey and adds it to crisp winter greens dressed with a bright lemon and yogurt vinaigrette.