My left hand covers a small plastic container of pungent Italian Blend olive oil to capture the aromas while I gently swirl it in my right palm. With the pale green-gold contents now sufficiently warm. I sip, swallow, and eruptRead more
My muscles are screaming, plotting revenge against me. Visualize this: I’m lying on a mat on my right side, stretching out my left leg at a right angle to my body, with my right leg bent and pulled back behind me.Read more
When Bill and I first entered Silver Moon Cottage, our airbnb rental home for our month-long stay in Kenwood, CA, we could tell its owner, Monique Risch, has a deep love for food and wine. First of all was theRead more
“The hills are alive with the sound of music.” No offense to Julie Andrews and the producers of the blockbuster musical The Sound of Music, but the Austrian Alps have nothing on the Sonoma Mountains and Mayacamas Mountains when it comesRead more
Isn’t it funny how certain places exert an especially strong pull on your heart? As much as Bill and I love traveling to new destinations, there are some extra special places that draw us back again and again. We feelRead more
Posted from Glen Ellen, CA Our docent Trixie, leading her debut tour at Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, recited a litany of woes about early 20th century author Jack London as she guided our group along theRead more
Posted from Glen Ellen, CA After a couple of weeks in Sonoma Valley enjoying the local grape with most of our evening meals, both home-cooked at our cottage and at various restaurants, it was time to stop at a wineryRead more
Posted from Glen Ellen, CA We were fortunate to spend a morning recently with Wendy Westerbeke (our cottage’s lessor) at Westerbeke Ranch Conference and Event Center, her family’s historic property. While touring this lush, serene site, an entrancing story unfolded. Read more
Posted from Glen Ellen, CA After an uncharacteristic spring and summer of mostly dreary skies and steady rain in North Carolina, California looks and feels like the promised land. We arrived at the San Francisco airport under an azure sky,Read more
When it comes to packing for airplane travel, we have an ironclad rule – no checked luggage, only carry-on. We are positively ruthless about editing our belongings regardless of the destination, duration, or time of year. One rollerboard and oneRead more