Sonoma Discoveries Jan-Feb 2017

this issue: $4.95 VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1 January-February 2017

taste+

eats+

nature+

interior+

events+

Q&A with Bob Fraser of S.F. Chronicle Wine Competition, Winter WINELand

Mardi Gras, Lemons, Crab & Cioppino Feeds, Chowder Day

Steelhead Festival, Coastal Trails, Bird Count, Hawk Talks

2017 Home Design Trends, Gallery Shows, Sculpture Trail

Paws for Love Gala, Chinese New Year, Cloverdale Citrus Fair

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discoveries FOR THOSE WHO LIVE AND PLAY IN SONOMA COUNTY

INSIDE: When Hippies Made History: The Story of West County Communes Return of the Steelhead & Coho

Need Some Comfort? Try these: Organic Wines, Heirloom-apple Ciders New Orleans’ Fare in Healdsburg Succulent Oysters and Clams

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FEATURES

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When the Hippie Movement Migrated to the West County Hills

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Return of the Steelhead and Coho

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Resources for Gardeners of Every Kind

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 DEPARTMENTS

10 Q&A: CHAT with Bob Fraser, Director, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

12 WELL-BEING Thriving after Cancer

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16 A DAY WITH THE EPICUREAN CONNECTION Mardi Gras in Sonoma

18 OUT TO EAT The Parish Café

22 BODEGA BAY OYSTER COMPANY Fresh oysters, mussels and clams, straight from the source

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26 THE TASTING ROOM EXPERIENCE Horse & Plow: Southern comfort in Sebastopol

EDITOR’S LETTER

DISCOVERIES PICKS: SALT-KISSED WALKS

COMMUNITY: PAWS FOR LOVE GALA

ART & ABOUT

EVENT CALENDAR

ONE LAST THOUGHT

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42 HOME DESIGN TRENDS OF 2017

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 Editor Patricia M. Roth Design & Production Brent A. Miller Managing Editor Sarah Bradbury Web Coordinator Laura Hagar Publisher Rollie Atkinson Associate Publisher Sarah Bradbury Sales Manager Paula Wise

Advertising Sales Cherie Kelsay Glenn Lurie Carol Rands Graphic Designers Jim Schaefer Diana Lerwick

Visit our sustainably farmed vineyard to enjoy Sonoma County’s most breathtaking views, or stop by our downtown Healdsburg Tasting Room to taste our Double Gold Medal & 90+ point Estate wines.

Sonoma Discoveries advertising and editorial offices: 230 Center St., Healdsburg, CA 95448 707-433-4451 ©Copyright 2017 Sonoma West Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sonoma Discoveries is an advertising supplement to the December 29, 2016 issue of Cloverdale Reveille, Sonoma West Times & News, The Healdsburg Tribune and The Windsor Times..

Printed by Barlow Printing, Cotati, CA www.sonomadiscoveries.com

Estate Tasting Room & Picnic Area 9100 Skaggs Springs Rd. Geyserville Open Saturday 10 - 4

Friday, Sunday & Monday by Appointment

www.GFVineyard.com | 707-433-2371

Cover Photo Horse & Plow co-owner Suzanne Hagins

by Loren Hansen

Sonoma Discoveries is published six times a year.

The entire contents of Sonoma Discoveries are copyrighted by Sonoma West Publishers, Inc. Sonoma Discoveries is published at 230 Center St., Healdsburg, CA 95448. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sonoma Discoveries, P.O. Box 518, Healdsburg, CA 95447-0518. The annual subscription rate for Sonoma Discoveries is $20 per year (six issues).

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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ears ago my mother gave me a watch with “Time is Precious” inscribed on the back. The inscription had meaning because of recent family losses and also joys. I managed to lose that watch while working in our small orchard but the message became ingrained in my belief system, kind of like a heart tattoo, to carry with me always. We don’t know when things will change in one quick blink. Things happen fast, sometimes important things; and then one day, somebody writes, paints, sings or creates an exhibit about it.

Songs from the sixties played during my visit to the West County Museum to see “The Hippies” exhibit—celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Curators have gathered and displayed all sorts of memorabilia, photographs, historical records and more. Visitors love it; several locals have walked in and discovered: “I’m in that picture!” Writer David Abbott brings you a fascinating historical read about life on Sonoma County’s two famous communes, with interviews from some of the main participants. We are grateful to the Department of Special Collections at Stanford University for granting us permission to use photographs taken by Bob Fitch.

Health is always top of mind in January—and inspirational stories feed us with positive thoughts. Writer Samantha Campos tells how Dermatologist Cynthia Bailey overcame an aggressive form of cancer and, as she healed and then thrived, turned her challenging journey into an educational experience to benefit her patients and community.

Nature, too, gifts us with demonstrations of resilience. In Return of the Steelhead and Coho, Bo Kearns documents the almost-unbelievable journey steelhead and coho take to spawn and later return to the “waters of their birth.” The Warm Springs Hatchery plays a major role in this migratory feat, along with restoration projects.

Ready to treat yourself? This issue contains stories about The Parish Café, Bodega Bay Oyster Company, and Mardi Gras food and fun. You don’t have to travel to New Orleans to feed those cravings. For traditional Cajun dishes, try The Parish Café. The chef is a New Orleans native, his wife is from Healdsburg, and they bring it all together inside a charming yellow Victorian.

Columnist Sheana Davis has been to New Orleans so many times she calls it her second home, and she and her husband

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throw Mardi Gras parties in Sonoma. Imbue some creole magic into your own fête by picking up tips and recipes in her column and at sonomadiscoveries.com.

Head to the coast to buy fresh oysters, clams and mussels at the Bodega Bay Oyster Company. It’s exciting when families are able to sell directly to the public, and that’s what the Strain family is now doing. See Abby Bard’s story to get the details.

Love Meyer lemons? We do, too—and columnist Gayle Okumura Sullivan shares her favorite ways to use them this winter.

Writer Marcy Gordon visited Horse & Plow to taste their wines and ciders. She was delighted! The owners source their grapes from certified organic and biodynamic vineyards. The apples used to craft their ciders are homegrown. Taste them yourself in their West County barn or outside under a giant oak.

As the judging of wines for the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition draws near at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds, Bob Fraser of Cloverdale gets very busy. Read about Bob’s contributions to the wine industry and education in our Chat column.

Gardening at home and growing your own food has health and economic benefits. If you want to get started but you’re new to backyard digging, there are lots of resources to help you get started and prosper. Evan Wiig’s story is your source.

Design and renovation projects take planning, especially if you want to make your home what one designer calls “its best self.” Samantha Campos interviews interior designers about 2017 trends and how to incorporate them into your own place.

Winter is one of the most beautiful times of the year to follow a coastal trail (see Discoveries Picks). It’s also ideal for visiting art galleries and going to local events. As the pages of our calendars turn this year, let’s fill them with meaningful shared experiences and new discoveries. Happy 2017—Make some history!

Patricia Miller Roth Editor, Sonoma Discoveries patti@sonomadiscoveries.com

CONTRIBUTORS As editor of Sonoma West Times & News from 2009 to 2015, David Abbott covered the communities of West County and edited and wrote news features. Today he serves as program director for the dynamic Sebastopol Area Senior Center. He is back to riding his bike again, is signing up for marathons and writes whenever possible.

Abby Bard is a weaver who sells her handwoven clothing at local galleries and from her studio in Sebastopol. She is a member of Sonoma County Art Trails. She has a passion for growing food in an urban landscape. abbybardhandwoven.com Sarah Bradbury is the associate publisher of Sonoma West Publishers, Inc. and the managing editor of Sonoma Discoveries. She has had the opportunity to photograph the county and its people for Sonoma Discoveries for 20 years.

Marie Butler is a freelance writer and has been a full-time Healdsburg resident for more than 28 years. Her niche is observing and writing about the fascinating, quirky wine country and Sonoma County. She is the author of the children’s book, “Herbie–A Toy’s Adventures in Healdsburg,” plus other stories and articles.

Samantha Campos is a freelance writer from Maui, Palm Springs and Marin, now firmly planted in Oakland. She’s written about everything from dive bars to edible schoolyards, and Shrinky Dink art made by Russian royalty to the daily life of a coroner. A fourth-generation Californian, she enjoys frequent road trips exploring the state’s bounty.

Sheana Davis is a cheese maker, chef, caterer and culinary educator who creates edible experiences for food enthusiasts under the auspices of The Epicurean Connection, her gastronomic experience company. Learn more: theepicureanconnection.com.

Marcy Gordon is a freelance wine, food and travel writer. Her travel narratives have been featured in numerous anthologies including Best

Women’s Travel Writing. She is the founder of a literary arts foundation (writingbetweenthevines.org) and is listed as one of the Top 100 Wine Influencers on Social Media, which basically means she drinks and tweets a lot.

Loren Hansen is a Sonoma County native who, after spending several years as a makeup artist and bartender in Winnipeg, Manitoba, decided it was time to return to the wine country and pursue her long-time passion for photography. She specializes in documentary-style event photography, as well as food and wine. You can follow her on Instagram @Lorenh_ photography or see more of her work at lorenhansenphotography.com.

Bo Kearns is a writer, beekeeper and nature lover. He has written award-winning short stories and recently completed the manuscript for a novel set in Indonesia where he lived for three years. He enjoys hiking and running the trails in the regional parks.

Patricia Miller Roth is the editor of Sonoma Discoveries. She was previously a senior editor at Wine Business Monthly and has been a reporter and editor at various publications in California, from the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of San Francisco and lives in Sebastopol.

Gayle Okumura Sullivan is co-owner and manager of Dry Creek Peach and Produce in Healdsburg, a boutique organic peach farm. With a background in marketing, she came to the farm in 2000, and has loved it since. During the summer you can find her at the market, in the farm stand, working with customers, or in the orchard.

Evan Wiig has spent the last several years immersed in local food and agriculture, organizing young farmers, reviving his local Grange hall, and sitting on the Sonoma County Food Systems Alliance. As founder of the Farmers Guild, Evan works to educate, cross-pollinate and mobilize the newest generation of sustainable farmers.

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discoveries picks

Salt-kissed Walks

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nvigorating, peaceful and quiet well describes the experience of walking the coastal environs during winter.

Because fewer people take to the the trails, you’ll see more wildlife, such as black-tailed deer and rabbits, and myriad species of birds with unique calls and songs to lift your spirits. You may catch sight of migrating gray whales; volunteers are stationed at Bodega Head to assist viewers witness this annual journey. Cheers to the environmental trailblazers, leaders and rangers who protect and care for our natural resources!

Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail

355 Highway 1, Bodega Bay The Sonoma County Regional Parks Department has revitalized a salt water marsh next to the Bird Walk that is home to thousands of birds. There are 1.19 miles of trail that circle two ponds, offering coastal views and excellent birding opportunities.

After a brief rise from the parking lot, this gentle trail system has a gravel surface that is moderately accessible to wheelchairs.

The Cheney Creek Bridge Trail connects Birdwalk Coastal Access to Doran Regional Park. Dogs permitted on 6-foot leash.

Shorttail Gulch Coastal Access Trail

Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access Trail

20600 Mockingbird Road, Bodega Bay This trail leads to a beautiful beach on Bodega Bay, an ideal spot to let out your inner beach bum and a fine place for a picnic. The trailhead is across from a small 8

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parking area in the Bodega Harbour golf community. At low tide, the trail can be hiked as a 1.9-mile loop with the Shorttail Gulch Trail Coastal Access Trail. Low tide also allows you to hike from Pinnacle Gulch to Doran Beach. Free parking. Dogs permitted on 6-foot leash.

Kortum Trail

You’ll see rare coastal prairie habitat and breathtaking views of the ocean on this easy bluff-top trail, situated along part of the California Coastal Trail. It is named after environmenal leader Bill Kortum, who co-founded Coastwalk and spent much of his life defending the California coastline and working to preserve public access to the coast. The Kortum Trail extends from Blind Beach to Wright’s Beach. Parking access

is midway along the trail at Shell Beach at Wright’s Beach.

Pomo Canyon Trail and Red Hill

The Pomo Canyon Trail runs from Highway 1, just east of Shell Beach, to Pomo Canyon Campground, off Willow Creek Road.

Redhill is accessed using a 2-mile leg of the trail, which takes you across open grassy hills, past two hidden redwood groves, and then to a vantage point atop a rocky ridge.

For a longer hike, you can continue to the Pomo Canyon Campground.

Hours, tips and more: parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov coastwalk.org stewardscr.org

photo by Sarah Bradbury

20242 Osprey Drive, Bodega Bay If you like views of hidden coves and rock formations, this steep coastal access trail is for you. It’s a perfect place to spend a day exploring, and fishing is said to be excellent.

The access trail can be hiked as a 1.9-mile loop with Pinnacle Gulch Trail. The park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. Free parking. Dogs permitted on 6-foot leash.

Kortum trail

community

Paws for Love Gala

by Marie Butler

A

rtists utilize many tools for their masterpieces: brushes, stencils, easels, palettes. The talented four-legged artists of Paws for Love go beyond that, and (with some human assistance) employ their paws and tails to create fetching paintings that collectors just lap up.

Now in its 18th year, the Paws for Love Art Sale and Auction Gala, February 11 at the Finley Center, is a celebration of shelter animals, and the highlight of the event is the sale of framed artwork made by rescue dogs and cats.

Paws for Love Foundation President (and artist) Ellyn Jaques Boone said, “The heart of the fundraiser is the art gallery.

The pets’ 75 paintings sell out quickly.” No other event is quite like this, according to Boone. “It’s captivating. People come from all over to attend and volunteer.”

Paws for Love began 18 years ago in an empty storefront in Healdsburg as a way to help raise awareness and funds for what was then the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. The idea for paw paintings came after Boone’s own dogs ran across one of her canvases on the floor. The popular event quickly outgrew the spaces available in Healdsburg, and they moved to larger venues, settling on the Finley Center in Santa Rosa five years ago.

Boone personally assists each shelter animal to paint its own creation, using non-toxic children’s paints and scraps of mat board that are donated from Framing Arts in Healdsburg. She spends the time to get to know the animal before beginning the process. Every art piece is as unique as that pet: colorful pink polka-dots, avant-garde green swirls and feathery purple sprays adorn a few of the stunning works. When

completed, she frames the art and writes a bio of the dog or cat to go with it. The paintings reflect the different personalities of the animals.

“If we know the history of the pet, we tell that story. If not, the animal will tell us who they are, and how they got to where they are now,” she said.

While the predominant artists represented are dogs and cats, Boone has worked with a veritable menagerie over the years: tortoises, llamas, horses, a lizard, one rescue chicken—

and a python! “It wrapped itself around my shoulders and gave me a neck-rub,” she recalled, laughing.

The funds generated by the gala, and from a few other smaller summer and fall events, are dispersed to many rescue organizations and shelters to assist in their worthy efforts. Some local beneficiaries include Forgotten Felines, Sonoma County Animal Services, Green Dog Rescue and Dogma. Boone spends part of the year in Wyoming, so the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson also receives aid; Paws for Love is a

non-profit, 501(c)3 in its own right, as well.

One program that is close to her heart is “Silver Paws for Love,” a “senior-to-senior” adoption program. It assists senior citizens in adopting senior shelter pets by paying the full adoption fee for them. The program has saved hundreds of older pets this way, while easing the financial cost of adoption for folks over 55: a tail-wagging win-win for all.

The February 11 Valentine-themed gala promises to be an elegant and fun time. In addition to local wines, event volunteers will also be pouring Korbel California Champagne.

Guests can look forward to tarot card readings, passed hors d’oeuvres, and silent and live auctions with vacation getaways, merchandise, pet-related packages and award-winning wines. And, of course, there is the art gallery.

“Maybe people can’t adopt, but they want to do something significant to help,” Boone said of the attendees. The continued support from businesses has also been outstanding.

“People in Sonoma County love animals. This is a magical place.”

With so many pets needing homes, the Paws for Love paintings are Boone’s way of helping. “I just wanted to call attention to these special little souls. They deserve to live.”

The gala will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, from 6-10 p.m. at the Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave., Santa Rosa. Tickets are a $45 donation in advance or $55 at the door; available online and at various locations throughout the county. Sites are listed on the website. For information, go to pawsforlove.info. SD sonomadiscoveries.com

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talk+

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Chat with Bob Fraser Director, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Interview by Patricia M. Roth

Can you paint a “then versus now” picture of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, to be held at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair?

When it first started in 1983, the original competition—the Cloverdale Citrus Fair— was just a small competition of the northern Sonoma and southern Mendocino counties, with only 45 wines entered from 15 wineries.

I first became involved in 1986, just as the event was growing in size and scope, expanding to include more counties in Northern California.

Back then, the competition was quite simple, yet with credible and fair wine award results.

It was, however, just a regional wine competition, and while its results were respected, it wasn’t a big name yet. Fast forward to now: the San Francisco Chronicle has been the naming sponsor of the competition for 17 years, and now the Cloverdale Citrus Fair event, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, is the largest competition of American wines in the world. Last year the SFCWC had over 7,000 wine entries from 28 states. Our panel of wine judges draws from some of the most respected names in the industry, and our public tasting has sold out for years, with thousands in attendance.

What excites you most about the event and its growth?

The growth of wine competitions and ours especially is wonderful for wine consumers and trade. With more and more wineries from across the country entering their wines into the SFCWC, we get an increasingly accurate read of what truly are the best wines in America. I love that wine consumers can trust that a SFCWC winner is one they will enjoy; and since we break down our winners by category and price point, it is easy for consumers to find a winner that fits both their budget and taste preferences.

What is the West Coast-style of wine judging that you introduced to the competition, and why is it significant?

The West Coast-style of wine judging is heavily reliant on collaboration and discussion between the judges. After blind tasting the wines, the judges gather to discuss the rating they gave to each wine, and if there is a significant difference in ratings, explain their reasoning. Because our judges come from all areas of the wine industry (including media, trade, education, retail and restaurant/hospitality), they bring different and highly valuable opinions due to their particular

photo by Sarah Bradbury

About Bob Fraser “Bob Fraser is a leader and a visionary in the wine industry,” Founder/CEO of Wine Channel TV Digital Network Jessica Altieri said. Since 1986, Bob has been the director of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest competition of American wines in the world. He also coordinates the Lake County Wine Awards Competition in June and the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition in September.

He received his BS and MS in Agriculture Business Management at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and started a career in agriculture education with stints at King City High School and Kelseyville High School. Following this, he accepted the coordination teaching position of the Agriculture Business Management program at Santa Rosa Junior College. In the late 1980s, Bob formed a new program at Santa Rosa Junior College: the Wine Studies Associate Degree. The program provides students of all ages with a certificate that has become widely recognized in the wine industry. Today, this program has become one of the largest and most prestigious wine studies programs in the country.

Bob retired in 2014, but he remains on the staff of the SRJC Wine Studies Program as an adjunct instructor and continues to direct the wine competitions mentioned above. He and his wife, Cary, currently reside in Cloverdale.

areas of expertise. This style of wine judging is one that we believe results in fair and accurate ratings.

How do you control/seek the ideal temperature to evaluate white wines?

It is quite ideal that we have the competition at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in January, as the temperature is pretty close to cellar temperatures. We can regulate the ideal temperature of the wines by increasing the heat in the facility to get to the ideal temperature for the wines.

What trends in winemaking stand out?

Anything we should be looking for in 2017?

There are a couple trends outside of the continued popularity of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The rosé category has staged a comeback in the last few years with the wines becoming much drier in residual sugar. Also, there is a huge increase of blended red wines, outside of the traditional Bordeaux blend. We actually broke up our “all red blends category” into categories like Cabernet-based red blend, Syrah-based red blend, Zinfandel-based red blend, etc. This will give the judge and ultimate consumer a guide to the ingredients within the red blend being evaluated.

What are the most important qualities in a wine competition judge?

Our wine judges must have strong wine expertise in their respective field and an exceptional wine palate. We strive to pick the strongest of the professional judges from major wine regions throughout the country to give us geographic diversity on our wine panels. In the last few years, we had judges representing New York, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and many others. Ultimately, they must be qualified, easy to work with, and excited to collaborate with the other judges. I respect our wine judges—they’re intelligent, talented people who are really passionate about wine. That’s what we look for in a wine judge for the SFCWC. Tell us about the program you formed at Santa Rosa Junior College in the late 1980s and how it has grown.

We formed the first stand-alone Wine Studies Program in the country with students able to major or obtain a certificate

in Wine Studies. It enables students to either enter the wine industry or to attain further skills to utilize for upward mobility within the workplace. With the tremendous help of our Agriculture Trust Foundation group, we were able to construct the Shone Farm Winery within the Warren G. Dutton facility at the Santa Rosa Junior College school farm in Forestville.

What inspires you in your work overseeing judging at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair?

It has always been a priority of the Santa Rosa Junior College Agriculture Department for the instructors to volunteer and get involved with the local industry and community. So, working with the Harvest Fair Board and management staff, putting on the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition has been very gratifying for me.

You grew up on your family’s farm on the Sacramento Delta. What was your role on the farm, and how did this experience influence you?

I was heavily influenced by my grandfather and father, with their hard work ethic and honest living. Obviously, as a farm kid, I started work irrigating and driving tractors at age 12. I then progressed toward heavy equipment, grain combines, and swathing/ baling hay. Finally, my father told me to get off the farm and get some different experiences as a college student. I was upset at first, but found out that working with other employers was the best advice and guidance my father gave me.

What do you like most about living in Cloverdale?

I love the small town atmosphere and the opportunity to get involved with the community. My children were able to get involved with sports, cheerleading, FHAHERO, and other extra-curricular activities which may not have been possible at larger schools. SD

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Cloverdale Citrus Fair February 17-20, 2017 cloverdalecitrusfair.org San Francisco Wine Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting February 18, 2017 winejudging.com

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well-being+

Thriving After Cancer Sebastopol dermatologist learns from her experience and passes it on

by Samantha Campos Photos by Sarah Bradbury

C

ynthia Bailey had just returned from vacation in 2013 when she discovered a lump in her breast. A health-conscious, 55-yearold dermatologist from Sebastopol, Dr. Bailey received annual mammograms and conducted monthly self-exams like clockwork. But because she and her husband celebrated their 30th anniversary with a European cruise, she was a few weeks behind her usual routine. Then one night, back at home in her bath, Dr. Bailey found a tiny, tender, hard bump in her breast, right near a rib, and thought, “Holy moly...”

She scheduled her mammogram, which she was due for but not past due, and read the results with the technician.

A subsequent MRI and a biopsy revealed the awful truth: Dr. Bailey had a highgrade, triple-negative tumor in each breast. It turns out she was a BRCA mutation carrier, a genetic misfortune linked to increased risk of cancer, likely inherited from her mother’s mother, a nurse in World War I.

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Dokmay Powell films Dr. Cynthia Bailey for a live Facebook video about the right way to wash your hands. Dr. Bailey enhances her education about skin care via her website and social media.

“It was shocking,” she said. “Not only was it, ‘Well, happy birthday, Cynthia Bailey, you have two cancers and you don’t know how bad it is but it’s the worst breast cancer on the planet, you need chemo because surgery won’t save you, and you have a mutation so you need to worry about passing it to your children. I was a wreck.”

In order to fight the cancer Dr. Bailey quit working so that she could sustain the highest possible doses of multiple chemo drugs.

But rather than “sit on the couch eating saltines and crying,” she followed the advice of Dr. Amy Shaw at St. Joseph Health, who told her to walk 40 minutes a day to boost her survival statistics and control her weight. She also signed up for complementary cancer support services like acupuncture and massage with Sutter Health, started doing yoga two or three times a week, and began walking every day with friends after setting up a calendar on CaringBridge. org.

“We have really good support in Sonoma County for cancer patients,” she said. “I’d always worked a lot, to the detriment of the balance in my life. And I taught myself basically how to have better balance.” To this day Dr. Bailey continues to do daily naps and meditation, eat well and avoid stress as much as possible. As a result, she never missed any chemo and the treatment killed all the cancer,

despite her 10 percent success prognosis. She’s currently writing a book about thriving after cancer.

“When you face death—I had four months of chemo and didn’t know if it was working,” she said, “so I had four months to contemplate, ‘Am I going to be dead shortly?’ I had an epiphany in front of my oven, which always makes me angry because it’s very difficult to set, it’s an odd size, I can’t easily replace it. And one day I was trying to light that oven, and I was about to start having in my mind the grumbling I always have, and I realized, if I die, this problem dies with me. I made this problem up. And that helped me release the clinging and rumination on all the little negative rants that I could have about any number of things. I realized that those are all just made up. And if I die they all go away, so therefore they’re not real.”

Her cancer experience also influenced her medical practice on a more tangible level. The skin of patients undergoing chemotherapy is very fragile—if it breaks down patients can get an infection, then if their doctor prescribes antibiotics, they’re prone to yeast infections, which starts a spiral of side effects and sickness. So Dr. Bailey created a chemotherapy skin care kit, while she was still undergoing chemo treatment. sonomadiscoveries.com

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The team members at Advanced Skin Care and Dermatology are (l-r) Danielle Key, Dr. Cynthia Bailey, Misha Bailey (front, sitting), Michael Dunning, Dokmay Powell and Jordan Buechler. Also pictured: Dr. Bailey in the laser room, sun protection hats, and Dr. Bailey with products from her Dry Hand Skin Repair Kit.

“It’s your biggest organ and it’s out in public, touching shopping carts and elevator buttons and the ink pen at the CVS pharmacy when you pick up a prescription,” she said. “I had time on my hands so I experimented and developed really good skin care routines. When you’re a chemo patient they teach you a lot of stuff but they weren’t really teaching patients how to avoid skin infection and how to take good care of their skin so the barrier doesn’t break down, creating what we call a ‘portal of entry’ for infection.”

Because a patient’s immune system is compromised during chemo, it becomes crucial to support skin’s power to protect against exposure to germs, chemicals and other harmful elements. Skin and nails can also become drier, discolored, and more sun sensitive. Part of Dr. Bailey’s 14

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daily skin care routine for chemo patients includes using only gentle cleansers and hypoallergenic products, with warm (not hot) water, deeply hydrating moisturizers, and a broad-spectrum sunscreen.

Dr. Bailey has been treating patients for various dermatological conditions from her medical office in Sebastopol since 1991, but says she sees a lot of skin cancer. In fact, the National Cancer Institute ranks Sonoma County as having the sixth highest incidence rate for melanoma in the state, at nearly double the national average. Everyone Dr. Bailey treats hears about sun avoidance and the identification of skin cancer on self-exams. Her patients leave with a lot of information to empower themselves with taking care of complexion issues and keeping their skin in good shape.

For most of us, learning how to start caring for skin can seem like a daunting task.

Searching for credible information online mainly yields marketing copy, and learning about skin care from advertisers means we’re constantly chasing the next ‘it’ product.

Dr. Bailey suggests first figuring out what your priorities are—whether it’s budgetary constraints, wanting all-natural products or the most powerful cosmeceuticals, or addressing a skin care problem that’s really causing you to suffer.

She believes everybody needs sun protection, and a full skin exam by a dermatologist to help people understand what their skin health focus in life should be. Dr. Bailey also created a website with a near-encyclopedic database of basic skin care information, a health and beauty blog that includes her journey with cancer, and a comprehensive advice section on everything from keratosis pilaris and chapped lips to crusty age spots, assorted kinds of acne and anti-aging concerns.

“Honestly my medical practice has been full for many years,” she said. “I made the website because I love to teach, and I already taught my patients everything because I’ve been seeing them for years! I’m trying to give basic information so that people can look at skin care from a completely different perspective. You need to understand your skin, and then understand what the options are, and then go pick the product according to your priorities.”

Dr. Bailey began her medical practice in Sonoma County 25 years ago with a little money from selling her house in San Diego.

When she first opened she answered the phone and scheduled patients herself, slowly building it to the bustling office it is today.

But she chose dermatology because she knew she could really make big improvements working with both her hands and her scientific brain around skin problems, without having to rely on anesthesiology or invasive procedures. She also liked the idea of working with a whole gambit of patient ranges, all ages and genders, while developing relationships with them and their families over time.

“You’re part of their life and the community,” she said, “and you’re also taking care of the biggest organ that has a lot to do with how comfortable they feel in social settings, and that means a lot to me.”

SD

More information: drbaileyskincare.com

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15

food+

A DAY WITH THE EPICUREAN CONNECTION

Mardi Gras in Sonoma written and photo by Sheana Davis

I

t’s that time of year, when Mardi Gras is near—even when I am at home in Sonoma. This year, February 24-28 is the time for Mardi Gras celebrations! Over time I have adopted a few traditions in my home that I gathered during the past 25 years of visiting the City of New Orleans.

The first time I visited New Orleans was the winter of 1988, and I honestly did not know what Mardi Gras was nor did I know about boudin. Boudin is a white sausage made of pork without the blood; pork liver and heart meat are typically included. In Cajun versions, the sausage is made from a pork rice dressing (much like dirty rice), which is stuffed into pork casings.

Jambalaya (or “jumbalaya”) is a dish of Louisiana origin with Spanish and French influence. It consists of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Étouffée (ay-TOO-fay) is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine typically served with shellfish over rice or even muffaletta, a type of round Sicilian sesame bread that is also a popular sandwich that originated among Italian immigrants in New Orleans using the same bread.

Beignet is the French term for a pastry made from deep-fried choux pastry and dusted with powdered sugar.

I can tell you now, I do know what they each are and I truly enjoy each of them.

Now that we have covered a few of my favorite dishes, I should not overlook the traditional red beans and rice, a dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine, traditionally made on Mondays with red beans, vegetables, spices and pork bones that are left over from Sunday dinner, cooked together slowly in a pot and served over rice. On a fairly regular basis and not necessarily on a Monday, our home carries the aroma of red beans and rice— and since I do not really know how to cook for two (as a chef I typically cook for 10 or more)—we are known to make a large

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pot and invite our neighbors over for dinner or we will pack up and deliver some to our neighbors as I have so much to share.

If you have not had the honor of visiting New Orleans, please do take a vacation and check it out. Pack your bags with an extra bag because, I promise, you will be bringing loads of goodies home, everything from spices, to swag and more.

I happen to enjoy spring weather in New Orleans, and the Crescent City always seems to have a festival on the weekend.

Please plan on dining, and I do mean dining! Four meals a day would be my suggestion—and progressively dine by having a taste at as many places as you can.

Now when home in Sonoma County, you can find a few venues that serve with a New Orleans flair. Starting with Parish in Healdsburg, this is a place not to be missed; I love their menu, music and ambiance. Next in line would be Rocker Oysterfeller’s. The menu changes regularly and they offer some mighty fine specials! Plan an afternoon of dining at Bird and The Bottle, as they offer fried chicken, and pimento cheese to start, and they do add-on specials or seasonal items. For a nice southern cocktail, check out the Sonoma County Distilling Co. for tastings and tours by appointment. Make sure to designate a driver and then enjoy a flight of their whiskey, including the West of Kentucky Bourbon, my personal favorite, as it has all the attributes of a fine bourbon.

Each February, we host a party at our home, which includes family, friends and community. We dress up for fun, eat lots of food, play music and enjoy each other’s company. The Mardi Gras I love is where we watch parades, enjoy family, friends, a few cocktails and catch beads from the parade, dine around friends’ homes and just really have a great time.

Enjoy a few tips below for a taste and feel of New Orleans.

Happy Mardi Gras Season to you, and throw me some beads, mister! SD

Created by Sheana Davis, The Epicurean Connection Yields 12 servings 1 pound Camellia dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over 4 tablespoons bacon grease 1/4 cup garlic, chopped fine 1/2 cup chopped tasso, or chopped spicy ham 1 cup celery, chopped 2 cups yellow onions, chopped 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch or two of cayenne pepper 4 bay leaves 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped fine 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds 1 pound smoked ham hocks 10 cups chicken stock, 5 cups cooked white rice 1/2 cup chopped green onions, garnish

Directions

Place beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches and allow to soak overnight. Drain and set aside while preparing ingredients.

In a large pot, over medium flame, heat the bacon grease. Add the garlic and tasso and cook, stirring for 3 minutes.

You’ll love what you find!

Antique Society on Sebastopol’s Antique Row 2661 Gravenstein Hwy So. (Hwy 116) • Sebastopol www.AntiqueSociety.com Open Daily! Cafe on Site!

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Red Beans and Rice

Add the celery, bell peppers and onions and continue to sauté. Sprinkle in the salt, pepper and cayenne, stirring, until the vegetables are translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage and ham hocks, and continue to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and stock and bring to a simmer, while stirring well. Reduce the heat to mediumlow and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, approximately 2 hours. (If the beans become too thick and dry, add more stock, about 1/4 cup at a time.)

Remove the pot of beans from the heat and, while still warm, with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions. Enjoy! (You may freeze the Red Beans in airtight containers.)

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food+

Rob and Karla Lippincott and their children stand on the wooden front porch of their restaurant, The Parish Café in Healdsburg, where Rob’s beignets and traditional New Orleans’ staples are always in demand.

OUT TO EAT

The Parish Café A Piece of New Orleans in Healdsburg

by Abby Bard Photos by Loren Hansen

I

f you like your oysters fried, head over to The Parish Café, situated in a big yellow Victorian house, just off the new Healdsburg roundabout where Vine Street meets Healdsburg Avenue at the south end of downtown. The ambiance and aromas will make you feel like you’re in the heart of New Orleans.

Stroll onto the wooden porch where a glance into the windows shows patrons inside licking their fingers.

What are they are licking? Is it the remoulade sauce?

Tasty gumbo? Or the powdered sugar that generously coats the beignets? Go inside to find out for yourself.

New Orleans jazz emanates from the speakers and the smell of fried goodness and coffee wafting out the

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door invites you into the dining room.

New Orleans native Rob Lippincott arrived in Healdsburg in 2004 and thought: “There’s a need for Cajun food out here.” He started out leasing one room of the yellow house (once home to a hot dog shop) in 2012 and gradually acquired the rest of the space. This past October, he celebrated four years of serving authentic New Orleans food to a steady clientele of mostly locals. Along the way, he added a porch for outdoor eating along two sides of the building and a separate open kitchen, with its own porch, dedicated to frying and serving up beignets, the signature New Orleans pastry.

Lippincott grew up fishing and hunting—“That’s

what we do in Louisiana; it’s not just a stereotype”—catching redfish, speckled trout, yellow fin tuna and ono, known as wahoo in New Orleans “because it’s a hoot to catch.” It was fishing that took him to San Diego, where he met his wife Karla, who grew up in Healdsburg. They chose to move back there to raise their children close to her family.

“It was not easy to leave New Orleans.

The fishing industry there is very strong, but I wanted something different, a different ocean. I was just trying to make a living,” he said. Commercial fishing has its economic ups and downs, so to fill in the financial gaps, Lippincott used his other skills, picked up from his dad and from a stint in the Merchant Marines, for a variety of odd jobs. One of those skills was cooking.

“When I got here [Healdsburg], it fell into place.” He cooked at Bistro Ralph, then worked as a maintenance mechanic at Francis Ford Coppola Winery and considered going into vineyard management, but realized “there’s something to this food thing.” So, in 2009, he bought a trailer – “a full mobile rig” – and started doing Cajun food at farmers’ markets; he narrowed that down to strictly beignets, an airy, deep-fried French pastry beloved in New Orleans.

The beignet dough is made fresh every day from flour, sugar, yeast, evaporated milk and eggs. Rolled out on a marble slab, the beignets are cut individually, deep fried to order in 30 seconds, and served covered with an avalanche of powdered sugar. “It’s the subtleties that make them unique. You can’t have too much sugar,” declares Lippincott.

He still takes the beignet cart to the Healdsburg Tuesday night market and the Windsor Thursday night market, and to weddings, but the Parish Café is where you’ll find the full spectrum of New Orleans traditional foods.

On the 2-page menu, breakfast dishes and beverages are listed on one side.

Breakfast is served daily from 9-11:30 a.m.; on Sunday it’s served all day. Eggs, potatoes, cheese, grits, crawfish, smoked ham, Andouille sausage, shrimp—you’ll find those New Orleans’ staples cooked into omelettes and hash, or covered in house-made Hollandaise or Creole sauces.

There’s a decadent dish called Bananas Foster Pain Perdu, French toast with bananas, pecans and maple bourbon sauce.

And fresh beignets, of course. Naturally sonomadiscoveries.com

19

you’ll want some Bella Rosa coffee or café au lait to complete your New Orleans breakfast.

Beers, wines and breakfast cocktails are also available.

On the opposite side of the menu, lunch dishes include New Orleans’ traditional foods—a seafood platter, red beans and rice, gumbo with chicken and Andouille sausage, and the muffaletta (pronounced moo-faLAH-da), an Italian-derived sandwich of focaccia bread stacked with ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, mozzarella and olive salad, toasted open face so the cheese melts a bit, then closed up and served hot. (A whole Muffaletta feeds two people.) A list of sides and salads occupy a half page, while the other half page is devoted to Po-Boys, the quintessential New Orleans lunch.

Traditionally, Po-Boys were the staple meal that the working poor—dock workers in Louisiana, struggling to survive during the depression—could afford. Local bakeries would take a whole loaf of bread, split it in half and fill the whole thing with lunch meats and fried oysters. Seafood was cheap during the depression, and the lack of refrigeration made it necessary to sell it quickly, so fried seafood was one of the cheapest things to buy and that’s how the Po-Boy got its name.

At Parish Café, lunch is served from 20

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11:30 a.m., and Lippincott says, “The Poguarantees Lippincott. He assured me that Boys always come dressed!” That means everything at The Parish is made to order, they come with the traditional dressing of “from scratch,” including French fries that mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and dill pickle. are cut from Kennebec potatoes, “which are You can order your Po-Boy with ham and really starchy, making them ideal for frying cheese, roast beef, turkey or fried green extra crispy.” tomato in additional to the customary fried Parish Café has a down-to-earth and shrimp, oysters (Atlantics or Blue Points), comfortable vibe. The staff is warm and catfish or combos. The Po-boy comes in two welcoming, and Lippincott, himself the sizes, regular and king. Regular is generally father of three children, ages 12, 9, and large enough for two people 6, makes sure that all ages to share, especially when are welcome. “We’re here The Parish Café 60A Mill St. augmented by a tasty side. for anybody. We have a kids’ Healdsburg, CA The king-sized Po-boy is for breakfast for six bucks. The 707-431-8474 the heartiest of appetites. kids can run around and be theparishcafe.com The menu includes New loud, and dogs are welcome on Orleans traditional dishes the porch.” like gumbo, red beans and rice, and shrimp Lippincott is happy to be a part of the remoulade, but fried food dominates the Healdsburg restaurant community. “There’s lunch menu, and the oysters, delivered fresh a closeness. Everybody’s got each other’s every day, are always served shucked and back.” He’s also ready to look ahead fried. They appear in the Po-Boy, the Fried toward opening a second restaurant. “My Oyster Salad (with bleu cheese, bacon and mind’s always working on the next thing. spinach) and on a frequent special, Oysters I would love to expand to another place Bon Ton. This dish—with toast from in Sonoma County. Santa Rosa is the next Costeaux French bread, oysters seasoned logical place.” And he’ll be sticking to his with the Holy Trinity (green pepper, traditional New Orleans cuisine. “You have celery onion sautéed with white wine and to give the customers what they want, but crawfish tails) and topped with a housestill stay true to your goals. You can’t please made Hollandaise sauce—“is amazing,” everybody, and I’m okay with that.” SD

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Point Reyes Oyster Company founder Martin Strain (far right) and his children (l-r) Whitt Strain and Lindsey Strain Martin founded their Bodega Bay retail establishment to connect with West County locals and visitors. Right: Alex Price works the front counter at the Valley Ford Road store.

Bodega Bay Oyster Company Fresh oysters, mussels and clams, straight from the source

by Abby Bard Photos by Sarah Bradbury

D

rive south along the winding road with gentle hills where Highway 1 traverses Valley Ford, and go past the intersection where the road turns off to Tomales. Just before you get to the town of Bloomfield, you’ll come across a stand of huge pine trees and a low grey building with wooden shutters. That’s where you’ll find the bright red sign of the Bodega Bay Oyster Company, selling oysters, mussels and clams fresh from Tomales Bay. Just inside the doors, walk through a cleverly constructed curtain of custom-made screen panels, arranged in a semicircle from ceiling to floor, corralling any flies and keeping them outside, and enter the spotless interior

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of the building. A colorful chalk-paint sign created by local artist Mary Lou Shepas greets you, showing your location on a map of the coastline from Bodega Bay to Drakes Bay, with whimsical depictions of sailing vessels and the flora, fauna and water species that are integral to this part of the world. Attached to the wall below the sign is the remnant of a wooden boat. Another part of the boat forms the base of a stainless steel counter where you can select your Point Reyes Kumamoto Oysters, Bodega Miyagi Oysters, Bodega Gallo Mussels and Walker Creek Manila clams, and beverages to accompany them from a refrigerated case. The tile-floored space is decorated with antique glass bottles, and old fishing floats, and lots of shells.

Martin Strain’s ancestors were farmers and seafarers near Tomales Bay in the latter part of the 1800s. He grew up in Stockton and moved to Berkeley in the 1980s where he met his wife, Mary Dolan. In 1985, Martin left a career as a CPA in San Francisco to return to Tomales Bay with his wife to raise their children and to start a mussel farm. Their son Whitt was born in 1991 and daughter Lindsey was born in 1993. Point Reyes Oyster Company, the business they established in 1989, now farms mussels, manila clams and oysters in Tomales Bay. Until two years ago, the Strain family’s products were only sold wholesale to Whole Foods Markets in the Bay Area and to other wholesalers at Pier 45 in San Francisco. This latest venture, Bodega Bay Oyster Company, offers their products directly to the public, through farmers’ markets in San Francisco, Alemany and Vallejo, and now at their Sonoma County retail store on Highway 1 near Bloomfield.

The retail location was, for many years, the Little Amsterdam BBQ oyster restaurant. The feature of that property that made it the perfect location was its “clean room”—a federal health department-mandated space equipped with fresh water and electricity that is bleachable and cleanable. Aside from a walk-in refrigeration room and a display case, which was too heavy to

move, Martin (who had a great deal of experience building the family’s homes) completely remodeled the remaining space along with his son Whitt.

Although he never pushed the idea, Lindsey told us that Martin is very pleased that both of his children now work with him. After graduating from college, Whitt, who has a degree in philosophy from UCSB, and Lindsey, who earned a degree in Agricultural Business from Cal Poly, both joined the business full time. Lindsey also completed a post-graduate class in beverage management at Santa Rosa Junior College’s Culinary Arts Program, but her knowledge of shellfish was picked up working for the family business. “There are no shucking classes at the JC,” she laughed. Whitt works alongside his father in the production end of the business; Lindsey manages the retail store. Part of the décor of the shop is sourced from her collection of antique bottles found near the creek where she grew up in Tomales.

It takes 18 months to 3 years to grow an oyster to maturity. Point Reyes Oyster Company buys the immature oysters, which are raised from the larval stage to spat (when they form a shell), from Taylor Shellfish and Coast Seafood, both in Washington state, or from Chris Starbuck in Bodega Bay. The spat, which are the size of a red pepper seed (5 mm), are planted 2 million at a time in finesonomadiscoveries.com

23

Alberto Rosas sorts and washes mussels to get them ready for retail sales.

On ice: Miyagi oysters, Gallo mussels and Kumamoto oysters.

truck for delivery to the store. The mussels, which grow naturally in the Bay, are gleaned off the lines and bay structures where they grow clumped together. They are placed back into deeper water in bags, where they clean themselves out before they are brought in to sell.

Each week the truck delivers enough product to fill three giant tubs at the retail store. During holidays, that number jumps to eight tubs.

When the truck arrives at the Bodega Bay Oyster Company, the oysters are poured out of mesh bags onto a stainless steel table in the “clean room” (so called because it has running water—the entire building is fresh-smelling and spotlessly clean). They are hand-sorted, counted and washed, then hand-stacked in tubs, flat side up. The mussels and clams are washed and sorted, then packed into bags and held in tubs and ice chests. Everything is held in the walk-in refrigerator or put in blue nylon bags for wholesale delivery. There are 10-dozen miyagi oysters per bag, ranging in size from extra-small (1-2”) to large (5”). The kumamoto oysters are one size only (1-2”).

There’s no waste in the oyster business. Since the oysters are kept alive under refrigeration, when the new batch comes in each week, any unsold oysters remaining from the previous batch (although they

mesh bags (one liter of spat in each bag), which are then attached to the stationary long lines, with custom-designed stainless steel clips, in the waters of their 92-acre lease in Tomales Bay. Once a month, the oysters are jostled to discourage them from becoming attached to each other. Every three months, they are removed from the long lines, taken into a tent on the beach where they are sorted for size, then placed back into bags and reattached to the lines.

Point Reyes Oyster Company farms two types of oysters— Miyagi, which have a long, thin appearance and a briny flavor, and Kumamoto, which are rounder, with a ruffled edge, and a sweeter, more buttery flavor. Each Thursday, farm workers from the Point Reyes Oyster Company take out the boats, unclip the mesh bags containing the oysters and clams from long lines in the bay, stack them in the boats and bring them to Miller Boat Launch, on the east side of Tomales Bay, where they load them into a refrigerated

sonomadiscoveries.com

Photos

by Sarah Bradbury

24

usually sell out) are returned to the waters in Point Reyes. Oysters remain viable for 2 to 3 weeks under refrigeration.

At the store, Bodega Bay Oyster Company oysters are sold individually, or by the dozen, or by a mixed bag of 50 oysters. Manila clams and mussels are sold by the pound. You can buy them shucked or unshucked to take out. Or you can eat them on the spot at the picnic tables provided outside on the cement patio or in the yard.

There’s a do-it-yourself BBQ stand also provided under the shade of the pine trees.

Bundles of firewood, bags of charcoal, and an eclectic array of condiments are available at the store, from the traditional Tabasco sauce to Sartain’s Menu The Sauce (with a base of chipotle peppers) that is made in Petaluma and marketed by Casa Grande High School’s Entrepreneurship Students; and every flavor in between. Also, shucking knives, lemons, Kettle chips, aprons, crackers—you’ll find whatever you need for cooking and eating oysters, plus toffee from Petaluma Toffee Company, and the makings for s’mores (plain Hershey Bars, graham crackers and marshmallows) for the perfect BBQ dessert. Beer, wine, champagne, Crystal Geyser and Pellegrino water, juice beverages and Coca-Cola are all kept well-chilled.

Buckets are provided outside for the empty shells, which then are recycled into road base for the driveways on the property. There’s no waste, as everything goes back to the water or back to the land.

On summer weekends a tent is set up in the picnic area, where you can buy oysters shucked and barbecued, and sold food-truck style. Three flavors are offered each weekend, plus clam chowder and an antipasto plate. You can check their Facebook page for the latest news.

They are also in the process of getting permits to open a restaurant space and catering kitchen (and already have an on-sale alcohol license). With lots of space to grow into, Lindsey has visions of turning some of the other buildings on the property, now being used for storage, into an art gallery, a beer and wine tasting venue, and a B&B. But that’s in the future. “We’re taking it slowly,” she said. For now, it’s great to know you can buy fresh oysters right here in Sonoma County direct from their source in Tomales Bay. SD

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Horse & Plow owners Suzanne Hagins and Chris Condos wants their guests to feel welcomed and stay as long as they like while enjoying their limited production organic wines and heirloom-apple ciders.

Horse & Plow Southern Comfort in West County

by Marcy Gordon Photos by Loren Hansen

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I

f you didn’t grow up in the South sipping cider on a big covered porch or are unfamiliar with the southern charms and comforts of low-country lifestyle in places like Savannah and Charleston—spend a few hours at Horse & Plow and you’ll likely get a sense of what you’ve missed.

Although water is served in mason jars, the southern hospitality and atmosphere extends well beyond externals at Horse & Plow. Here it means a warm welcome, with an effort to put you at ease, and a commitment to your comfort and enjoyment. The experience is deeply relaxed, not stuffy or snobby.

Open since mid-July of 2016, Horse & Plow tasting room showcases a bespoke line of organic ciders and wines with several selections offered daily by the glass, in flights, and on tap.

Inside the tasting room a long polished wood-burl bar sits atop a base covered with reclaimed barn siding.

Large metal tiles imbedded on the siding echo the burl in an oxidized patina. An

apple-green settee along one wall gives the room a pop of color and a nod to the stately style of classic of southern décor. Overhead, two chandeliers made of cider and wine bottles look like a regal headdress and crown the sleek yet rustic look.

Outside the tasting room, there’s patio seating looking out over the property that features a mighty old oak in the center bordered by a working vegetable garden, a small apple orchard and a chicken house. Adirondack chairs and benches are grouped beneath the oak tree.

Owners Suzanne Hagins and Chris Condos bought the property in 2012 with the intention of opening a tasting room for their fledging label.

“There was a barn here but the building was not to code so we took it down and kept the same footprint, same shape, salvaged all the wood and put it back together. We wanted something that felt part of West County, part of the community,” says Hagins.

Horse & Plow is the umbrella brand for their label of limited production wine and ciders. The Gardner label features small lot, higher-end Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In total they make less than 4,000 cases a year.

Originally from Savannah, Suzanne forged a career working in food and beverage in Charleston, South Carolina. A desire to learn more about wine led her to France in 1998 where she worked her first harvest in Pommard at Comte Armand.

In 2000 she moved to California and after working in several cellars, including David Bruce, DeLoach Vineyards and Goldeneye, she started her own boutique Pinot Noir label called Lutea in 2004.

Her partner and husband Chris Condos’ background is more traditional with a

degree in plant ecology from San Francisco State University and viticulture and enology from UC Davis. He launched Vinum Cellars in Oakville with a partner in 1997 and currently produces 30,000 cases annually.

In addition to producing their own labels, the busy couple also worked as consultants to several wineries. Horse & Plow started as a side project in 2008 and grew slowly.

So why start yet another label? One major reason is their commitment to organics and desire to work with growers using only certified organic and/or biodynamic techniques. Organic practices extend to the winemaking as well in that all the wines are vegan, made with low sulfites in small-lot fermentations and without synthetic additives or GMOs.

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As Suzanne explains, “Impacts on the land, from farming blend, a base of Carignane with Petite Syrah, Syrah and Grenache, techniques to water usage, all add up so it’s been very important to has depth and dimension with a great range of fruit flavor and hit of us to use all organic fruit since day one. We put it on the label, we fresh acidity. This wine has verve! want to bring that to the forefront.”

Two wines of note on The Gardener label are the 2013 Each year they produce over a dozen single varieties such as Chardonnay, and the 2012 Pinot Noir, both made with grapes from Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and a Marimar Torres Estate, Don Miguel Vineyard.

Carignane Rose under Horse & Plow, along with several vineyard Vibrant and thoroughly delicious, The Gardener Chardonnay designates under The Gardener label including Chardonnay, Pinot 2013 is made with a measured use of oak that gives the wine an Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling. elegant rich style and finesse that is full, fresh and light with a pretty Chris takes the lead on the whites, with exception of the honey-floral nose.

Chardonnay, and Suzanne specializes in the The Gardener Pinot Noir 2012 is silky in texture RESOURCES Pinot Noir and the Grenache. The Horse & with great balance. Only 10 months in barrel keeps Plow label represents the traditional methods the fruit-forward style from being dominated by Horse & Plow Tasting Barn of farming, while The Gardener connotes the too much wood and it tastes true to its varietal 1272 Gravenstein Highway North approach of caretaker tending the vines and character.

Sebastopol, CA 95472 nurturing the wine. horseandplow.com Horse & Plow Ciders “We have different approaches and that 707-827-3486 Three years ago ciders were added to the mix. creates different tasks around the winemaking,” Suzanne and Chris strive to use lesser-known apple says Suzanne. “But there’s also a lot of crossover varieties in their ciders and source the fruit from in how we are each involved.” local growers. They get many apples from neighbor They also make two blends: Draft Horse Red and Draft Horse Dave Hale, who still prunes the old apple tree on the tasting room White. property.

“The blends are the entry point to the Horse & Plow brand. We The Horse & Plow approach to cider is to use apples like grapes really try to over-deliver on them and keep the price point down, and blend for flavor, acidity and texture. Like spices, some apples since those are usually the first of our wines most people try,” she add bitter notes and others have a range of sweetness. Over 20 said. different varieties grown locally and from their own estate are used Both blends are wonderful and make a fine first impression. in the blends.

Draft House White 2015—a blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and If you often wonder what all the fuss is about cider, hold on to Riesling—is a harmonic convergence of fruit, flavor and acidity: a your hat—the Farmhouse, Heirloom, and Hops and Honey ciders juicy mouthful of delight. The Pinot Blanc base lends richness. The will surprise and thrill you.

Riesling brings minerality, and the Pinot Gris gives it acidity and The Hops and Honey is a blend of six different apple varieties lively aromatics. with a base of Golden Delicious and Jonathan. Honey is used for The Draft Horse Red 2015 is a Carignane lovers’ dream. The 28

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the priming sugar, which gives a great aroma, mouthfeel and a very refreshing finish.

The Farmhouse cider has 12 different apples in the blend—Gravenstein base with local heirlooms, such as Muscat de Bernay, Hudson Golden Gem and Ashmead’s Kernel add depth and nuance. All the components are kept separate until they put the blend together, then sugar and champagne yeast are added right before bottling. After the yeasts have done the job carbonating and settle at the bottom, the cider continues to develop, adding more structure and complexity. The Farmhouse is full of rich Gravenstein flavor and with a long round balanced finish. This is not a one-note cider by any means. Pleasantly dry and not over-sweet, it hit all the right notes. This could very well be the gateway cider for non-cider drinkers.

There are no designated vintages for ciders.

But a high quality cider such as the 2015 Farmhouse vintage is age-worthy.

On weekends at Horse & Plow you’ll find a farmstead selling tomatoes, kale, green beans and cucumbers from the vegetable garden along with eggs and flowers. During the week visitors can grab a bag in the tasting room and pick their own.

“In Sebastopol people are very educated and concerned about farming practices. That’s why the tasting room is important. We are able to share our products in a place and with a clientele that care about and appreciate our efforts with the cider, the wine, and the fruits and vegetables from the gardens. We want our guests to feel welcome and relaxed where they can stay as long as they like and take away a feeling of Southern hospitality,” says Suzanne.

Horse & Plow achieves their goal. The only thing missing are filigree beards of Spanish moss hanging off the oak tree and the sultry southern air.

Asked what else she might be doing if not for making wine, Suzanne ponders for a long moment. “I love cooking, so maybe a casual restaurant. But that’s even a crazier business than winemaking! But really, I can’t imagine anything else than this—we do love it.”

Tasting Room Daily Flights: Three ciders $10 or four wines or ciders for $15.

Wines and ciders on tap change frequently, but always include one wine and two ciders.

Growlers are available, $10 for the glass and cider fills are $12, whites $22, and reds $28.

All fills are same price as the bottle so you get an extra 25 percent for free.

Cheese plates are offered: Point Reyes Blue with the cider and a Brie and Manchego with slices of seasonal apple varieties for the wines.

Or bring your own picnic and hang out under the big oak. SD sonomadiscoveries.com

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By David Abbott

WHEN THE

E WEST H T O T D E T A R MIG COUNTY HILLS

or those of us still counting, it was 70 years ago that Sgt. Pepper taught his band to play. But 50 years ago, in the wake of the Summer of Love, Sonoma County experienced a psychedelic happening of its own as “the hippies” took up residence in the West County hills on two infamous communes, Morning Star Ranch and Wheeler Ranch.

While the rest of the country remembers the magic summer of 1967 with tributes, an enclave of survivors still thrives here as a testament to the ideals espoused in the back-to-the-land movement.

Friends of Bill Wheeler and Morning Star patriarch Lou Gottlieb, such as Ramon Sender Barayón and longtime West County supporter of public art Steve Fowler, carry the memories of a profound moment at a pivotal point in American history. Much of what proponents of the movement held dear still guides the culture in towns like Occidental, Graton and Sebastopol, where the people are dedicated to equality for all citizens, the preservation of open spaces and art for the sake of society.

West County Museum curator Erin Sheffield collected memorabilia from local “hippie elders” to recreate the environment that “those rebels against consumerism and conformity built in the forests of Graton and Occidental from 1966 to 1973.” Co-curator Sue Pekarsky researched 45-year-old records of why the county shut down the communes. The exhibit, “The Hippies,” runs through March.

A historical perspective of Morningstar and Wheeler ranches Historical photos are courtesy of the Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries/Rural Communes in Northern California, 1969-1970—a gallery within the Bob Fitch Photography Archive.

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Top: Residents and children at Wheeler Ranch commune.

Photos courtesy of the Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries. Middle: The opening of “The Hippies” exhibit at the West County Museum in Sebastopol. Bottom (l-r): Entrance to Morning Star Ranch today; Bill Wheeler’s longtime residence. Photos

by David Abbott.

sonomadiscoveries.com sonomadiscoveries.com

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Morning Star Ranch commune founder Lou Gottlieb and Wheeler Ranch commune founder Bill Wheeler; makeshift wood-frame and canvas- or plastic-covered shelters at Wheeler Ranch; Lou Gottlieb (center) with others at Morning Star; cooking at Wheeler Ranch. Photos courtesy of the Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries.

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The Morning Star property, 30-odd acres that sit above Graton Road, south and east of Harrison Grade Road, is a former chicken ranch that was at one time owned by poet John Beecher, a direct descendent of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the abolitionist author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” In 1962, Gottlieb, bassist for the folk group the Limeliters, who died in 1996, purchased the property as an investment and tax shelter.

Gottlieb initially intended to sub-divide the land into seven parcels, develop and sell them off. “I was going to build nice houses and sell them for about a hundred grand apiece and let it be known that Charlie Schulz lived just around the corner and stuff like that, to make it a kind of prestige deal,” Gottlieb told his friend Sender in an interview somewhere around 1971-’72. That interview, and others from the people involved in the “free land” movement in Western Sonoma County, was recorded and transcribed by Sender to become the quintessential history of the communes, published as “The Morningstar Scrapbook.”

When he bought the ranch, Gottlieb had little time to spend there due to the demands of touring with the band. He rented it out and the land continued to function as a working egg ranch, but as the rigors of the road continued to wear him down, Gottlieb eventually walked away from the Limeliters to recover from the years of touring. He also experimented with LSD, which was still legal at the time.

When he finally retired to the Morningstar property, he spent his days teaching himself the piano in hopes of playing in public by the age of 50—he was 43 at the time—while chaos swirled around him like the storm around the eye of a hurricane.

to be a hippie, but too young to be a beatnik.

“When we moved to the country, it wasn’t about ‘getting back to the land,’ as so many of those who followed, but because we wanted to get away from the fear of a nuclear war after the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he said. “We weren’t hippies, we were Bohemians: We drank cheap wine, played guitar—badly—and watched 16 mm films our friends were making.”

Sender, now 82, was born in Spain, the son of a journalist and writer jailed for criticizing the fascist government of Francisco Franco. After Spanish Nationalists executed his mother, Sender was spirited away to the U.S. at the age of two, where he became a classically trained musician and a pioneer in electronic music.

He met Gottlieb prior to the Trips Festival when Gottlieb worked for the San Francisco Chronicle as a music reviewer. That gig lasted three short weeks “When Lou came to interview us, he took out a briar pipe and filled it with marijuana,” Sender recalls. “I’d never been turned-on by an interviewer before, so it was fairly unusual.”

At the time, Gottlieb was still recovering from a December 1962 plane crash and was “pretty weirded out,” according to Sender. After Trips, Gottlieb invited him to the ranch.

“We had some hash-laced cookies and it was apple-blossom time,” Sender said. “Everything was so vibrant, so I said ‘I’m staying.’”

Thus, Sender became the first resident of the commune. What followed was a rush of refugees from the streets of San Francisco, spiritual idealists seeking Utopian visions and curious voyeurs waiting to catch a glimpse of the naked people running around on the ridge.

In the beginning

Paradise lost

But the story of Morning Star really began in 1966 at the Trips Festival in San Francisco, which brought Gottlieb, Sender and longtime Occidental resident Steve Fowler together for the first time.

The festival was a seminal moment in the nascent hippie movement: an LSD-laced, 3-day event produced by Sender, Bill Graham and Stewart Brand in conjunction with Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters that featured theater and music by bands such as the Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company before Janis Joplin joined the group.

Fowler owns 2-1/2 acres off Harrison Grade Road, up a short lane from Morning Star that later on functioned as “an annex” of the ranch, in part because he had a shower and a phone and was sympathetic to the cause. A fourth-generation Bay Area resident—his grandfather lived on Russian Hill and grazed cows in Cow Hollow— he has spent a lifetime “de-programming from his Victorian background.”

A Berkeley-educated middle-class kid, Fowler graduated in 1962 and moved to Sebastopol in 1967. He bought his house outside of Occidental in 1968 because he and his wife wanted to move to the country to get away from the consumerism and fear that gripped American society in the post-war era. Fowler, 76, says he was too old

But Utopia did not last for long, as the experiment in free living that began in May 1966 began to crumble less than a year later in April 1967. By then, the vibrant community of about 60 people at Morning Star was drawing national media attention, complete with a front-page story in Time Magazine, but it also drew the attention of local law enforcement and health inspectors.

“Morning Star was the big story,” Fowler remembers. “Buses would come up full of tourists. You could walk around and see naked people. The Diggers were getting apples from the orchard: It was the most subversive thing imaginable.”

The Diggers was a group out of Haight-Ashbury that became famous for distributing free food and creating a free medical clinic in San Francisco, although those activities were but a small part of what they did in effort to create a “free society.” They planted gardens at Morning Star and later at Wheeler, which augmented the diets of the commune residents.

When local law enforcement staged its first raid on the property that spring, Gottlieb described his social experiment to Deputy Paul Stefani of the Sonoma County Narcotics Division as “a pilot study for a time, which is certainly coming, when leisure will be compulsory.”

Morning Star Ranch: 1966-1969

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Wheeler Ranch: Bill Wheeler with attorney Corbin Houchins, preparing for building code inspection; Sonoma County building inspector Ralph Amaroli and assistant confront attorney Corbin Houchins, flanked by guards. Courtesy of the Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries.

The beginning of the end was on the horizon.

The “Impossibles” arrived—the “Winos,” led by a Korean War veteran by the name of Nevada, and occasional groups of semi-feral bikers—racial tensions arose and an outbreak of hepatitis scourged the residents of the ranch. By the end of the Summer of Love, Gottlieb’s legal battles began in earnest and neighbor Ed Hochuli set out on a concerted effort to drive Gottlieb and his followers off the property. Gottlieb was served with a restraining order that effectively shut down the ranch. He was ordered to clean up the property and tear down all structures that were not up to county building code, meaning that all the structures save the main house—the lean-tos, tarps and other “home-made” homes—had to be destroyed.

During that time, residents of the commune added color to the conservative surroundings of the Sonoma County courthouse and at several contentious meetings with Occidental-and Graton-area residents.

At his hearing in late September 1967, Gottlieb explained his motives to the judge. “The Great Society is in reality a rat race, creating the kind of environment which can be lethal,” he said. “Our society is transforming so rapidly, the machine displacing people, that it produces bums at an increasing rate. They have become technologically unemployable, for machines do their jobs better and more efficiently. This is a tremendous affront to the employed.

Therefore, new avenues of experiment must be explored to find out what to do with all this leisure time. Along this line, I see Morning Star as an open, intentional community with a tremendous potential for psychological and sociological discovery.”

Despite his pleas to allow it to continue, the judge ordered the ranch to be shut down, but a handful of residents attempted to remain, adding to Gottlieb’s fines, which grew to about $14,000 by July 1968.

It was at that time that Bill Wheeler arrived on the scene.

“Bill was a hero: He took on the whole burden of ‘open land,’” Fowler said. “He fought off the crazies and gently dealt with police, the FBI, runaways and draft-dodgers.”

Wheeler owns a 320-acre property off Coleman Valley Road about eight miles from Morning Star. He was born in 1941 to a prominent New England family, attended an exclusive prep school and was a sophomore at Yale when his father died. It was then that he became vice-president of Wheeler & Co. As he related to Sender nearly 50 years ago, “I got a taste of business very young in life, and 34

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rose as high in the business world as I thought I ever would. So I retired. I was vice-president at 20. What more was there to do?”

He made his way to Sonoma County via San Francisco and Stinson Beach, buying the Coleman Valley property in 1962. In 1965 the land was razed by a wildfire, so he spent the next two years planting trees and building the barn-like house he lives in to this day.

In 1968, the open land movement headed west toward the ocean to Wheeler Ranch.

The move to Wheeler Ranch: 1968-1973

Throughout the fall and winter of 1967 to spring 1968, tensions mounted as the residents of Morning Star pondered their fate and the legal proceedings wore on. In October 1967, Gottlieb visited Wheeler’s property and by the summer of 1968, remnants of the Morning Star population had moved in, including the Impossibles.

And, of course, trouble followed. First it was the FBI, and then county building inspectors. The founders of Morning Star became disillusioned and scattered to various points around the globe.

After some time at a commune in New Mexico, Sender headed back to Los Angeles, sold his van and went to a commune in Maui called the Banana Patch, then returned and rented a cabin in Monte Rio.

By Thanksgiving 1968, there were about 50 people living on Wheeler’s property, and in 1969 law enforcement efforts to close the commune began in earnest. By that summer, county officials requested the destruction of structures that did not meet building and health department codes. The legal wrangling continued for another four years, until in 1973, the county ordered everyone off the property and the final destruction of all out-of-compliance houses.

In late May, in order to preserve the trees from bulldozers, 70 structures were burned by the residents, signaling the end of the open land movement on the hills of western Sonoma County.

‘Hippie U’

But it was not all legal battles and fending off the bikers and the winos. The Morning Star/Wheeler Ranch experience offered a brief euphoric taste of freedom for a handful of members of the “Love Generation,” and many members of the community came away with a sense of self-sufficiency they learned from living on the land.

They learned how to live in hand-made living structures that leaked profusely in the rain; how to forage for and share food; how to

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This banner marked the group from Morning Star and Wheeler at the 30th reunion of the Summer of Love in Golden Gate Park in 1997. “Hippie elders” Ramon Sender (left) and Bill Wheeler (far right) with ranch resident and saxophone player extraordinaire Snakepit Eddie Edwards (standing) and Wheeler neighbor Tom Hughes at the Oct. 30, 2016 opening of “The Hippies” at the West County Museum. Photos by David Abbott

gather together and celebrate being alive without the accoutrements Fowler”— Steve Fowler’s property—strategizing and getting away of a nascent technological society and how to survive naked in from the hassles in which they were embroiled.

50-degree, wet coastal weather.

Gottlieb briefly reunited with the Limeliters, in part to help pay “It was a sweet opportunity to experience life without possessions his legal bills, and wrote several humorous lines including the song and trappings,” Graton resident and Wheeler Ranch alum Karin “Acres of Limeliters in A Minor,” about his time as “executive hippie Lease said. “A chance to live the way we wanted to live with at his Morning Star groupie rest home.” self-determination and freedom: It was wonderful and better than Gottlieb spent the final three years of his life at Fowler’s house, college.” listening to National Public Radio and walking the short distance Lease grew up in a conservative household in Baltimore and made daily to play his piano on the ranch. her way to San Francisco via Washington DC and Los Angeles. The “He was tired and still hanging around the Morning Star cabin people she stayed with in San Francisco told her about Wheeler and we built for him,” Fowler said. “It was previously a farm utility dropped her off at the gate one night. building, so we called it ‘a place for the old Rake.’”

“I was wide-eyed, young and full of hope. It was a beautiful Gottlieb died on July 11, 1996 at Palm Drive Hospital at the age place, but I was totally alone,” she said. of 72 after suffering with undiagnosed stomach RESOURCES It was winter, and Lease fell in a mud hole cancer and refusing any extreme measures to called “Gruesome Gulch.” All the potholes prolong his life.

West County Museum on the treacherous road into Wheeler’s had Morning Star now sits empty, in limbo, 261 S. Main St., Sebastopol nicknames: One was “Muffler Alley”; one was waiting for Gottlieb’s son, Tony Gottlieb, to sell wschsgrf.org/west-county-museum named “Oil Pan Rock,” which was famous for it. According to Tony Gottlieb, reports in 2013 707-829-6711 taking out two police cars. of the property going up for sale were premature “It strengthened my confidence and abilities,” Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. and he expects to put it to market in 2017.

Lease said. “It made me more resourceful. I He has spent months and thousands of dollars learned how to live simply, on rice, flour and lentils and that you can cleaning up the property. grow food or find food if you’re stuck… It was a great exercise in “There were 40 years worth of trash and abandoned vehicles up being resourceful.” there,” Tony Gottlieb said. “We took out 30 dump truck loads of There were two community gardens and a free store for used trash to get it ready.” clothing, pots and pans. Lease said it was a real “eye-opening According to Fowler, a group called Friends of Morning Star experience for those of us who grew up in 1950s suburbia.” is “rooting for the ‘right’ ownership” for the land and even has a Facebook page devoted to raising funds for a partnership with The aftereffects Bodega Land Trust in order to keep the property as it is in perpetuity.

After attempting to donate the Morning Star property to the county “It was always a religious retreat, but Lou didn’t know that,” Fowler in 1968—and being soundly rejected—Gottlieb deeded it to God on said. It is unclear whether the The Bodega Land Trust will be able to May 6, 1969, which made headlines around the world, but did not take stewardship of the deep-sloped property. sway Sonoma County officials. “Lou never met a religion he didn’t In the decades since the Morning Star years, Fowler has been like,” Fowler said. “God intoxicated him.” an advocate for public art and had a hand in developing the Peace Wheeler and Gottlieb began to spend a lot of time at “Camp Garden in Ragle Ranch Regional Park, as well as being a volunteer 36

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coordinator and curator of the Luther Burbank Farm for 20 years. He was also one of the central figures in the development of the Occidental Center for the Arts.

Sender lives in Noe Valley, where he and his wife of 35 years Judith Levy-Sender host a speaker series called Odd Mondays. He is a writer—he wrote a book about his mother’s death titled “A Death in Zamora”—not only documenting the history of the open land movement, but also writing a series of novels with “zero” in the title, such as “Zero Summer”; “Zero Gravity.” He still makes regular sojourns to Occidental, for yearly celebrations at Wheeler’s and to play his role as Zero the Clown at the Occidental Fool’s Day Parade, joining longtime friend Fowler to act as emcees of the festivities. He also regularly advocates for a version of the free land movement to help address the homeless crisis in the Bay Area.

Wheeler has become a staple in the Occidental art scene as a painter and member of the “Sonoma Four” group of open air painters. He teaches painting on Thursday nights at the Occidental Center for the Arts and has been a strong advocate for open spaces in Sonoma County.

He still lives on the property, but is hesitant to talk to outsiders about the sixyear period that signaled something of the end of the hippie movement.

At an October event for the opening of “The Hippies” exhibit currently at the West County Museum, Wheeler noted how the gathering was like a time warp. “I’m thankful to still be functioning,” he said, adding that he’s “mostly in denial” about the whole thing.

“The Hippies” Museum Exhibit

The Western Sonoma County Historical Society is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love at the West County Museum in Sebastopol with its exhibit “The Hippies” that will run through March, but response has been sufficient that the exhibit may be extended. Call for details.

The exhibit has been the most successful and drawn the most crowds in at least 12 years, said curator Erin Sheffield, adding that she originated the idea for “The Hippies.”

Sheffield, who was raised by the same woman in New York who took in Sender and calls him her step-brother, said: “It’s like a dream come true and very fulfilling to give Bill, Ramon and Lou the credit due to them 50 years later.” SD

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APPROVAL

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THE RETURN OF THE

STEELHEAD AND

COHO

By Bo Kearns

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E

lephants, orangutans and tigers tend to come to mind when we think of endangered species. But we don’t have to go that far afield. We have our own right here in Sonoma County—the steelhead and the coho salmon. In years past, thousands of these fish swam up the Russian River to spawn.

Then dams, urban sprawl, drought, pollution of the oceans, erosion from logging, and runoff of agricultural pesticides took their toll. Their numbers dropped dramatically.

In 1983, Warm Springs Dam was constructed to control the frequent winter flooding of towns in the Russian River basin. In the process, beautiful Lake Sonoma and a recreational area of over 17,000 acres was created. The local communities benefitted. But the dam prevented coho and steelhead from reaching their centuries-old spawning grounds. Congressman Don Clausen stepped in and helped create the Warm Springs Hatchery in order to replenish and enhance the declining populations.

Visitors to the hatchery cross a bridge spanning wetlands where

Managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the hatchery’s work begins when steelhead return to spawn and then encounter Warm Springs Dam. A tunnel diverts them to the water ladder and shallow resting pools that enable the fish to navigate the creek to hatchery elevation. Once past the ladder, they swim into a channel and further on to holding tanks. There hatchery personnel weigh, measure and sort the fish by sexual maturity. Each female carries about 5,000 eggs. The eggs are retrieved and fertilized with milt, or sperm, from the males. This artificial spawning ensures genetic diversity and is not harmful. Steelhead spawn more than once. They are released and hopefully will return the following season.

It takes 30 days for the fertilized eggs to hatch. The fry grow quickly and in several months will be 8-10 inches long and classified as fingerlings. A year after spawning, the hatchery will release 350,000 of the young steelhead into Dry Creek. The fish will linger for 12 more months before making their way to the Russian River and on out to sea. Fish that spawn in fresh water, but live in a saltwater environment, are known as anadromous.

Pictured (left) is a section of the Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project, created to help support coho and steelhead spawning; (right) Warm Springs Dam and Lake Sonoma.

hundreds of birds nest, chatter and flit from branch to branch. Great blue herons and egrets spread their wings, rise from the marsh, and pass overhead. Inside a spacious building, educational displays and a continuous loop video chronicle the story of the steelhead, the coho and the role of the hatchery in their preservation. A ramp leads to large rectangular rearing ponds that house thousands of steelhead fingerlings. It’s amazing to see so many fish the same size seemingly swimming in unison. A handful of food purchased from the vending machine brings flashing tails and gaping mouths to the surface.

During the January – April spawning season adult steelhead can be viewed at the fish ladder jumping over seven steps and resting in a series of shallow pools. On a recent sunny day, Teefi, a mother from Windsor, sat on the bank of a stream watching her sons, seven and four years old, play nearby. “This is my second visit to the hatchery,” she said. “It’s so quiet and beautiful here. I’m looking forward to coming back for The Steelhead Festival. My boys are just the right age to enjoy it.”

Steelhead travel thousands of miles, some even venturing as far as Japan. Their journey is fraught with peril—natural predators like eagles and osprey and the trolling nets of fishermen are some of the many obstacles that lie in wait. In three or four years, the survivors, using a highly developed sense of smell, will relocate the waters of their birth. They will retrace that trip from year’s past and swim up the Russian River and Dry Creek to Warms Springs Hatchery. And like their parents before, they will spawn to renew the steelhead cycle of life.

The hatchery also plays a crucial role in the revival of the even rarer coho. The Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, managed by the US Army Corp of Engineers, was formed in 2001—and just in the nick of time. From 2001 through 2003, about 300 coho juveniles were captured each year and brought to the hatchery as broodstock. In 2004, when biologists went back, only a few coho remained.

In a state-of-the-art warehouse, large circular tanks filled with sonomadiscoveries.com

39

Lake Sonoma Steelhead Festival

RESOURCES lakesonoma.org Mill Brandt Visitor Center 3333 Skaggs Springs Rd., Geyserville 707-431-4533

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photo by Ray Holley

T

he Steelhead Festival at Lake Sonoma, now in its ninth year, celebrates a phenomenal migration— the annual return of steelhead to Dry Creek.

At the entry to the Mill Brandt Visitors Center, festival visitors are greeted by several steelhead swimming lazily in a large tank. The black-spotted fish with hues of blue and green and a reddish stripe extending from gill to tail are also aptly known as rainbow trout. The tank’s crystal clear cold water and river rock at the bottom mimic the fish’s natural habitat. The event is on Saturday, February 11, and begins at 10 a.m.

Along the high bank above Dry Creek where steelhead swim in the clear waters below, more than 40 exhibitors will be available to talk about a wide range of wildlife and conservation topics. A big draw is the Sonoma County Bird Rescue exhibit and the chance to see a red tail hawk or great horned owl up close. One of the most popular activities of the day for kids from 5 to 15 is the chance to catch a fish. For many it’s their introduction to the sport. “And it’s a fun way for them to experience how people once obtained their food. Fish aren’t born in a grocery store,” says Linda Clapp, chairman of the board of Friends of Lake Sonoma and host of the event.

Volunteers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Americorps and California Conservation Corps provide poles and assist the young anglers. Kids toss a line into the fish runway and wait. It’s not long before there’s a strike and they’ve landed a foot-long, one-pounder. The trout is prepared on-site, placed in a plastic bag with ice, and taken home for the family dinner. Afterwards they can traverse a fish maze while adults observe from nearby with a glass of wine purchased from one of six wineries or beer from the Bear Republic Brewing Company.

Members of the Sonoma County Bowman’s Club are on hand to help wannabe archers hit the bullseye. Can’t keep the ball on the fairway? Try your hand at disc golf. And in the crafts tent, kids can paint a fish or even build a bird feeder. And what’s an event without a gleaming red fire truck and live music?

“There will be about 30 irresistible silent auction items donated by local businesses and residents,” said Jane Young, executive director and event organizer for the past three years. “Proceeds go to Friends of Lake Sonoma, a non-profit that supports educational activities and helps maintain the park.”

Families may bring a picnic lunch or buy food from one of many vendors. When the event ends at 4 p.m., all leave tired, happy and with a new appreciation for the steelhead, its habitat and Sonoma County’s precious waters.

water from Lake Sonoma hold coho in all stages of development. Prior to maturity, a passive integrated transponder (PIT) is embedded, providing each fish with an identity. A caudal fin sample is also taken for DNA analysis.

When ready for spawning, a matrix of data collected on each fish is used to ensure optimum breeding. This ensures preservation of the species’ genetic integrity and wild characteristics. When the coho reach a viable size, volunteers heft 50-pound water-filled barrels of coho to preselected pools in the tributaries where they are released. “Our goal is have the coho delisted from Endangered status. Some day we hope to have 5,000 to 10,000 coho returning to Dry Creek for spawning,” said Ben White, fisheries biologist.

Vulnerable and sensitive to change, coho are a barometer of the health of a watershed.

They require three types of water to survive—cold fresh water for spawning, brackish and semi-salty as they migrate out, and the brine of the ocean where they will grow to maturity. Some can reach 22 pounds in size. They leave the Russian River bright silver.

When they return in three years they will change to the salmon’s characteristic deep red color.

Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project

The success of the hatchery breeding programs depends on the availability of natural habitat and clean water. The Warm Springs Dam caused Dry Creek to flow faster creating an unsuitable environment for spawning. The Sonoma Valley Water Agency (SWVA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers are mandated to provide water to 600,000 customers. The agencies also have a responsibility to protect

the watershed’s endangered species. These objectives are not incompatible, though much planning is involved to ensure success.

In 2012, a collaboration of federal and state agencies initiated the Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project.

The goal—restoration of six miles, or almost half of the creek. “We have already restored a two-mile stretch,” said David Manning, SVWA environmental resources manager. “Twenty winery and vineyard owners voluntarily participated in the project.

Eventually we expect a hundred landowners to be involved.”

Truett-Hurst is one of the participating wineries. A half-mile of its 26-acre parcel borders the creek. “We’re super happy with the project,” said Phil Hurst, the company’s CEO. “The water agency folks are great to work with. Our operation is biodynamic so restoring habitat to save fish fits with our values. And our customers like to go down to the creek and check out what’s happening. They’re excited. Many have never seen spawning salmon.”

For their extraordinary role in the protection and recovery of the endangered steelhead and coho, landowners are recognized as Salmon Stewards of Dry Creek and can display the Salmon Steward logo on their property and in marketing literature.

Restoration involves creating a calm-water backchannel off the faster flowing Dry Creek. There the coho and steelhead can spawn under more ideal conditions.

Boulders and rocks are added to stimulate eddies and slow the waters even further.

Strategically placed logs are incorporated in the landscape along with native plants and trees that anchor the stream

banks and provide shade for spawning sites.

2020 is the expected completion date for the Dry Creek restoration project.

Environmental Education

The final link in the chain of collaboration and fish survival is environmental education. The Aquarium Classroom Program initiated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife enables students from pre-school through middle school and even college to experience the steelhead’s ecosystem firsthand. The program has been implemented in over 2,000 classrooms in California. “Eighty teachers signed up for our one-day certification workshop at Warm Springs Hatchery this past January,” said Ethan Rotman, program coordinator for the San Francisco Bay Area.

After completing the workshop, teachers apply for a permit for up to 35 eggs obtained locally from the hatchery.

The eggs are placed in a 10-gallon aquarium where the kids monitor fish development over the next several weeks.

They keep journals. They learn about fish and watersheds. They monitor the water for proper oxygen level and ensure that a constant 52-degree temperature is maintained. They learn responsibility and what’s involved in caring for a fragile environment. And finally they go on a field trip. Standing on the bank of a stream, each student holds a cup with a fish. As they dip the cup in the water and watch the fish swim away, they make a wish.

Brandon Spars, humanities instructor at Sonoma Academy, enrolled in the aquarium workshop at the suggestion of Byron and Caspian, students and members of the school’s fly fishing club. “After placing the eggs under the gravel, nothing happens for a while,” Spars said. “Then one day I heard shouts of joy. A student spotted eyes and a tail emerge. Word spread quickly and other students came running.” After releasing their fish in Santa Rosa Creek, Spars’ class stood silent for a while, each student reflecting on the experience. Then one said, “It’s good to give something back to nature rather than always taking away.”

With so many committed to saving the endangered steelhead and coho, it’s hard not to get excited at the thought of thousands of these magnificent fish returning to the spawn in the cold clear waters of Dry Creek and its tributaries. SD

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Design Trends of 2017

by Samantha Campos Photos by Sarah Bradbury

Y

our home says a lot about you. It’s the place where you sleep at night, where you eat meals, where you raise your kids, and cuddle with pets and loved ones. It’s where you retreat after work—or maybe your home is where you work, too. What your home looks like is not only an expression of how you live, its design also directly impacts how well you do everything in your house and can actually enhance your sense of well-being.

Every year, the design industry introduces or revisits elements that keep your abode up-to-date and fresh. To tap into the trends for 2017, we consulted with Tama Bell of Tama Bell Design, a full-service design firm founded in 1998 and based in Sebastopol that specializes in space planning and architectural styling for residential and commercial spaces. Originally from Inverness, Bell mainly relies on a classic aesthetic that embodies the casual, California lifestyle.

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Interior designer Tama Bell, who specializes in space planning and architectural styling, among some of the interiors she has designed.

We also spoke with Sonoma County native Cathy Hopkins of Saint Dizier Home, an interiors design firm, furniture and accessories shop. Located in Healdsburg since 1999, Saint Dizier curates a fresh mix of the traditional and modern, and Hopkins is devoted to sourcing unique items not found everywhere. Here, Bell and Hopkins fill us in on a few of the more inspiring design elements to look for— and what to avoid—in the year ahead and beyond, along with some valuable advice about getting started on your home design project.

It used to be that manmade elements really looked synthetic.

But in recent years these low-maintenance materials have really come around. Advances in composite components mean that fake marble, faux wood, imitation slate and other copycats can be a more practical, less expensive alternative that appears indistinguishable from their real counterparts yet make spaces feel more livable and relaxed. Ceramic or porcelain tile emulates the organic grain and richness of hardwood flooring but with easier maintenance and greater longevity. Scratch and stain-resistant, engineered-quartz countertops are often recommended as more durable alternatives to granite and marble, while still looking distinctive and luxurious.

Textured cabinetry, especially in white, is making a comeback with refinements like wire-brushed white oak. Design experts are leaning towards natural, organic textures in general, with lighter floors, less dark woods and more simplicity. Distressed paint techniques and statement wallpapers also live on in the coming year. Look for contemporary, geometric patterns and seagrass or grasscloth wall coverings. Large format tiles in natural stone, or concrete tiles with pattern, are streamlining floors and extending visual interest away from walls. And while neutrals will never go out of style for interiors, look for tones in rich Kelly greens, deep navy blues and dark mineral gray to add depth and decadence to your space.

Homeowners are beginning to think of bathrooms more as living spaces. Rather than just being utilitarian, bathrooms will be designed with special wallpapers, decorative lighting, non-traditional mirrors, cabinetry with legs and vanities that look more like pieces of furniture.

A dramatic trend we’ll see in 2017 may be challenging for some décor novices to pull off: large-scale lighting. Bell reports that people

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often make mistakes with it—not going big enough, not hanging suggests mixing metals in finishes from room to room. For instance, high enough. “I kind of think of lighting as the jewelry of a room,” the kitchen can be all in nickel, polished or brushed, while the she said, “and so it really finishes it. Scale is tricky. There’s bathrooms are maybe in brass, and then the no rule, it’s what works in the space and what the purpose of lighting will be in oil-rubbed bronze. “Mixing RESOURCES: it is. Sometimes you can over-scale the light to break up the it all up just makes it more interesting, and room without having a wall—it just has to be the right scale.” looks like it’s been done over time,” said Bell.

Grouping two and three and multiple lights together is another Tama Bell In addition to metal finishes, mixing Tama Bell Design way to adorn your space while achieving this dramatic effect. upholstery pieces can be just as interesting 707-328-0070 In the furniture world, swivel chairs have made a surprising and fun to do. Bell suggests mixing custom tamabell.com resurgence. These throwbacks from yesteryear have been with store-bought or off-the-shelf pieces. updated from the low, bucket-barrel chairs of yore to “You can find some interesting things, get the Cathy Hopkins contemporary club chairs with clean lines. They’re also perfect price down with it not all being custom but Saint Dizier Home for areas with various attention-getting elements. “Rooms that still have it be unique,” she said, “and not 707-473-0980 have a fireplace, a television, and views,” said Hopkins. “This something that you walk in and it looks like saintdhome.com is the best way to enjoy it all.” it’s been in a bag in somebody else’s house.”

Meanwhile, brass fixtures and furnishings—another Repurposing or reupholstering furniture retro trend from last year—are going to stick around for a while has also become popular in recent years, and will continue to be a longer, imbuing homes with warmth and timeless charm. Bell sustainable and creative way to beautify your home.

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Another trend that Bell, a self-described “traditionalist,” is happy to see is in adding architectural details. “I see a shift from very simple details or builder-grade stuff to using moldings and thinking about base and trim and crown,” she said. “Not in a fussy way but in a finished way.” Wall treatments, whether it’s plank or tongue-andgroove paneling, add a little bit of character and structural interest back into spaces. “Good molding and window coverings, when they’re done right, it just finishes it off.”

Too much of a good thing: What to avoid

It’s easy to be enthralled by a particular trend or palette, but overusing one color or decor feature can become tedious and uninteresting. When you notice yesterday’s trend everywhere, it might be time to reconsider your own attachments. “Not everybody needs a barn door, and not in every house,” said Bell. “I’m seeing a lot of it. I think that it has to be done in a way where it makes sense.”

Too many color changes in the house can feel jarring and not cohesive. On the other hand, too much of one color can be overwhelming. Hopkins agreed. “We do feel like some color is fine, but you don’t have to repeat it in your art, in your throws, in your pillows, in your accessories,” she said. “You can have it in the rug or in the art, but you don’t need to carry it through on so many things.”

How do you begin your home design or renovation project?

Always start with the big picture, the experts say. People tend to start with an issue, rather than the long-term vision of where they want to go. Whether it’s a door or window facing the wrong direction, a too-small kitchen, or floors in dire need of an upgrade—all design

elements in your home hinge off one another. Both design specialists agree that space planning is key.

“I think that a house is a living thing,” said Bell. “There’s a spectrum of what it can be. It can’t be anything. But how can it be its best self? So I’m looking at that first, and then talking to the people about what their goals are and what is working and what isn’t working. I feel the space has some kind of a calling of what it needs.”

Homeowners need to try and figure out what they’re trying to fix or achieve. For inspiration visit local tile, fabric and vintage shops. Look through magazines like Architectural Digest and Dwell, websites like Houzz.com and Homepolish.com, and home design blogs like quintessenceblog.com and ladolcevitablog.com. Create a “board” on Pinterest to keep track of your inspirations.

Once you have your goal in mind, it’s important to determine a realistic budget. Ask yourself, “Where do I want to go with my house, what’s the big picture, and what am I willing to spend?”

Figure out how to create a solid floor plan that flows and is functional. Or consult with a design professional who’ll be a good fit for your needs.

When it comes to décor, only purchase things for your home that you love and are beautiful. It’s easier to start with the bigger pieces.

So if you’re doing your living room, for example, start with the main sofa, which will influence the placement, number and types of additional furniture you’ll need. “Get the sofa anchored in the room, whether it’s a sectional, a chaise lounge or a pair of sofas. Then you can build from that with the cocktail and end tables,” said Hopkins.

“You have to have a starting point and the right scale.” SD

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                                                                             

     

                                   

 

                                   Homecoming  photos

See below & more photos inside

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SONOMA WEST &

T I M E S

© 127 Years | Vol 127/No. 2

    

ty honors Salas, Scates as employees of the year for 2015

2

Healdsburg has highest pa em

  

50¢

| Sebastopol, CA. |

Serving Western Sonoma County Since 1889

                               

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| January 14, 2016 - January 20, 2016 |

SWMC to River residents want action on homeless celebrate Town Hall meeting full of few solutions; hospital emotions, next steps unclear reopening

Eagles beat Willits

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N E W S

|Homeless| continues on page 8

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 gym was packed for a town hall meeting on mounting concerns over an increasing presence or           p of Rio Nido, Guerneville and Monte Rio.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      



 



   

cre struggling as land lock drags on

  

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sonomadiscoveries.com

45

gardening+

Doug Gosling propagates plants at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, where he manages the gardens, greenhouses and nursery, curates the plant and seed collection and directs seed exchanges.

Resources for Gardeners of Every Kind From backyard diggers to seed savers

by Evan Wiig Photos by Sarah Bradbury

B

efore moving to Sonoma County, my mother was prone to pulling out her phone at dinner parties to show off photos of her children.

But after just three years here, my once pride-inducing image has been replaced by that of a melon ripening on the vine. It seems like just yesterday that she was packing up to move during a blizzard in downtown Denver.

She’d lived there nearly all her life, more familiar with the fluorescents of a grocery store than with the scent of compost. Today she’s got dirt under her fingernails, organizes a monthly meet-up for backyard gardeners and yes, would

46

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love to show you a photo of the heirloom potatoes she dug up just yesterday.

Like her, but more than a century before, the famed horticulturist Luther Burbank also came west from colder climes to discover what he called “the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned.” But while Sonoma County does boast fertile soils and a mild climate suited to year-round growing, what truly makes this place fertile is a culture rooted in the agrarian ideals of living close to the land and growing healthy food. The result is a plethora of resources for gardeners of every kind.

From the Master Gardener program to the ubiquitous plant sales that appear each spring and autumn at local gems like Petaluma Bounty, Willowside School, and even the local jail, few people in this community are untouched by the green thumbs that abound here in the North Bay. Directly following the economic crash of 2008, the Sonoma County Department of Health was facing yet another set of troubling numbers: rising rates of obesity, diabetes and a lack of access to healthy food, even here in this “chosen spot of all this earth.” Given the financial crunch, they were searching for low-cost and accessible solutions. Wendy Krupnik, a local food and farming advocate whose affiliations would exceed my word limit, together with her colleague Suzanne Doyle, jumped at the opportunity. The following year, iGrow Sonoma was born.

This free website provides blogs, videos, timetables and links to all things gardenrelated. From thinning apples to growing peppers, feeding the soil to growing in cold weather, the iGrow website offers a variety of resources, all specifically catered to our own unique seasons.

To Wendy, gardening is much more than a hobby; it’s a matter of homegrown public health, security and resilience.

“Gardening saves you money,” she says. “It’s good exercise and inspires you to take better care of yourself. The food tastes better. You connect with the seasons and can opt out of consumer culture. The human-plant relationship, it’s profound and ancient.”

Doug Gosling, of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, couldn’t agree more.

While some consider gardening a solitary task, Doug believes it holds together communities. Each year, together with the West County Seed Exchange, Daily Acts and the California Native Plant Society, they host one of the liveliest gatherings around: a seed swap. Hundreds of people cram into the Grange Hall in Sebastopol, tables overflowing with seeds saved from local farms and gardens, all free for the taking. Doug arrives with a large jar of tiny amaranth seeds. He calculates that it contains nearly 1.9 million seeds, all from just a dozen plants. “Nature is more abundant than we can even imagine,” he says. “There really is plenty for everyone.” sonomadiscoveries.com

47

Greenhouse plantings and favas at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center gardens.

Gardening Resources iGrow Sonoma igrowsonoma.org Occidental Arts & Ecology Center oaec.org West County Seed Exchange communityseedexchange.org Daily Acts dailyacts.org California Native Plant Society cnps.org Dallas Saunders, owner of Dallas A. Saunders Artisan Textiles

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Unlike packaged seeds, at the seed swap you’ll find specimens from local plants, sometimes collected over decades, specifically adapted to the local microclimates of Sonoma County. And last year, thanks in part to local gardening activists, California overcame a grave threat to this cultural treasure: prohibitive labeling, testing, and permitting requirements meant to regulate largescale commercial seed enterprises that inadvertently forbid even community-scale seed exchanges. But with the passage of the new Seed Exchange Democracy Act, the state now exempts seed libraries and swaps like Doug’s. “That was made possible by the community building and education that results from our events,” he says.

Still, there’s much work to be done. While it was Luther Burbank’s plant-breeding genius that brought him fame, a hundred years later Doug worries about that legacy. “Seed saving, let alone natural plant breeding, is a dying art. We often hear about the extinction of wildlife, but we’re also losing the biodiversity of our farms and gardens, many unique varieties of fruits and vegetables lost all the time.”

The Bodega Red potato is one such variety. Thought lost decades ago, a surprising discovery of mysterious tubers led to the re-emergence of this heirloom, derived from an area once known as “The Potato Capital of California.” Last fall, my mother—that city girl from snowy Colorado—proudly saved a few of her first season of Bodega Reds to plant in the spring. She’s still learning, but here in Sonoma County there’s no shortage of opportunities to dig in a little deeper. SD

My Father’s Touch COMPLETE TREE CARE

DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT PRUNING REMOVAL FREE ESTIMATES Timo Alli • 707-433-1327 Cell: 707-495-3768 CLS #792251 – TCIA #67028 myfatherstouch.com

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THE SUN MAY RISE IN THE EAST, BUT IT GETS BOTTLED IN THE WEST. BRIGHTEN UP YOUR NEXT OCCASION. KORBEL WINERY | 13250 RIVER ROAD | GUERNEVILLE, CA 95446

(707) 824-7000 | KORBEL.COM responsibility.org

©2015 F. Korbel & Bros., Guerneville, Sonoma County, CA. Producers of fine California méthode champenoise champagnes for 133 years. KORBEL is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

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Designed by: Jim on 10-4-16

3244 Gravenstein Hwy North, Sebastopol, CA 95472 707.823.9125  www.harmonyfarm.com

ART&ABOUT

Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg. ericksonfineartgallery.com Graton Gallery

Through Jan. 29: “Sandra Rubin and Thea Goldstine: New Paintings”; artist reception Jan. 7, 2-5 p.m., with guest artists Susan Berg, Daphne Wallace Gerlach, Karen Reyburn and Char Wood. Feb 1-March 5: “Graton Gallery’s 6th Annual Small Works Show.” Open Tues.Sat. 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 9048 Graton Rd., Graton. gratongallery.net Gualala Arts Center September Coastal Road by Charles Beck

Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery

Dovetail Collection Gallery

Through Jan. 19: “Fantasy,” which celebrates the imagination through sculpture and paint, features guest artists Kenyon Lewis and Marilyn Sommer.

Resident artists included in this exhibition are Laura Paine Carr, Jane Gardner, Shane Gidcumb, Terry Holleman, Sharon Kozel, Paul Maurer and Hanya Popova Parker. Painter Pamela Heck will be the featured resident artist.

The gallery also hosts jazz, blues and other music performances on selected evenings. Open Fri.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 204 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale. cloverdaleartsalliance.org

Handmade furniture featuring traditional craftsmanship and the beauty of fine woods, home decor and art from American artists and master craftsmen. Open Thurs.-Mon. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and by appt. 407 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. dovetailcollection.com

Dallas A. Saunders Artisan Textiles

Contemporary jacquard tapestries by internationally established artists in a casual wine country setting. Open Fri.Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appt.

275 Highway 128, Geyserville. dallasasaunders.com 50

sonomadiscoveries.com

Jan. 6-29: “Environmental Fantasies—David Wayne Floyd Exhibit,” opening reception Jan. 6, 5-7 p.m., Arts Center. Jan. 7-29: “Claflin Creations and Peggy Berryhill Photography” (dog culture, dogs at play, dogs just being dogs); opening reception Jan. 7, 5-7 p.m., Dolphin Gallery. Jan. 9-Jan. 29: “Baskets & Gourds: art, form and function” by Bay Area

Basket Makers Guild; opening reception Jan. 6, 5-7 p.m., Burnett Gallery. Feb. 3-March 5: “What’s love got to do with it?” North Coast Artists Guild’s special showing of mixed media; opening reception Feb. 3, 5-7 p.m., Elaine Jacob Foyer and Burnett Gallery. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays, noon-4 p.m. weekends. 46501 Gualala Rd., Gualala. gualalaarts.org Hammerfriar Gallery

The gallery regularly features original artwork by established and emerging Bay Area conceptual artists. The passion of Hammerfriar comes together with ongoing exhibits, in which selected artists show new work.

Open Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 132 Mill St., Suite 101, Healdsburg. hammerfriar.com Hand Fan Museum

The nation’s first museum dedicated solely to hand fans, displaying a core collection

Erickson Fine Art Gallery

Representing the best of Northern California painters and sculptors: Bobette Barnes, Joe Draegert, Finley Fryer, Chris Grassano, Susan Hall, John Haines, Ken Jarvela, Jerome Kirk, Donna McGinnis, Michael Mew, Tom Monaghan, Jean Mooney, Jeanne Mullen, Bob Nugent, Carlos Perez, Sam Racina, Carol Setterlund, Jeffrey Van Dyke, Paul Van Lith, Antoinette Von Grone and Kathleen Youngquist. Open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Wed. by appt. 324 St. Philips Church Termite Wrap by William F. Taylor

THE ARTS

FINE ART • CRAFTS • JEWELRY

by Local Sonoma County Artists

150 North Main St. Sebastopol, CA open daily 11 to 6 • 707.829.7200

www.sebastopol-gallery.com

Cloverdale Performing Arts Center Celebrating 10 years of live theater, music and literary arts!

January 19 ---

International exhibition of collage, assemblage, and construction

Jan 6 - Feb 12, 2017 Opening Reception: Jan 6, 6-7:30pm

January 21 --

February 17,18,19, 24, 25 & 26 ---

.

707-894-2214

282 S. High St, Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707) 829-4797 www.sebarts.org Artwork by Sherry Parker, poster by Colin Talcroft

Advertising sponsor County of Sonoma-Board of Supervisors

art and craft by 15 local artists.

Open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m. 150 North Main St., Sebastopol. sebastopol-gallery.com

of more than 500 fans from around the world. Open Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. handfanmuseum.org

The Passdoor

Ongoing: Joy Stocksdale developed polychromatic screen printing in 1979, an innovative process from the original painted screen, with no color registration. The Passdoor is a love child from the Mother of Modern Art and the Father of Iconic Design, with a curated selection of functional products and artworks from local artisans and international craftsmen for your home space, workspace, lifestyle and life’s special occasions. Open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m. or by appt. 6780 McKinley St. #150, Sebastopol. thepassdoor.com

Healdsburg Center for the Arts

Jan. 7-Feb. 5: “The Annual Members’ Exhibition.” HCA Artist Members exhibit their work free from the restrictions of traditional themed shows and include 2- and 3-dimensional visual arts and other forms of artistic expression; opening reception Jan. 7, 5-7 p.m.; closing tea Feb. 5, 2-4 p.m.

Feb. 11-March 12: “The Seventh Annual Young Artists Show,” selected artwork from Healdsburg Area Schools; opening reception Feb. 24, 4-7 p.m. Open daily (except Tues.) 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

130 Plaza St., Healdsburg. healdsburgcenterforthearts.com Kitty Hawk Gallery

Contemporary and conceptual work and rare finds. Open Mondays and Wed.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 125 N. Main St., Sebastopol. kittyhawkgallery. com Occidental Center for the Arts Gallery

Through Jan. 15: “Art & Gifts Toute Petite,” a gift gallery of art in miniature, paintings, handmade books, sculpture, jewelry and more.

Jan. 20-March 12: “Onsite: Dave Gordon, Charles Beck and Bill Taylor.” Gordon says: “The commonality between our work is that we traipse around the West County and paint what we see. The decision to paint a particular view and how to present this image as a painting is integral to any artist’s work. It is the specific presence of the artist at the location of the imagery that furnishes the work with credibility, and is the takeoff point for multiple layers of meaning.” For reception details, call 874-9392. Open Fri.-Sat. 52

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The Sculpture Trail Marilyn Sommer painting, Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery

11 a.m.-4 p.m., and during OCA events or by appt. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct., Occidental. occidentalcenterforthearts.org Paul Mahder Gallery

Introducing new works by represented fine artists along with new artists and collections.

All artwork is original and exclusive to the gallery. Visit the website for current exhibitions.

Open Wed.-Mon. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 222 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. paulmahdergallery.com The Ren Brown Collection Gallery

Showcasing contemporary Japanese prints, handmade ceramics and jewelry, Japanese antiques, along with California artists and sculptors. Open Wed.-Sun.,10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1781 Coast Hwy. 1, Bodega Bay. renbrown.com Sebastopol Center for the Arts

Jan. 6-Feb. 12: “Marvelous!”

Juried by Sherry Parker, John

Hundt and Cecil Touchon.

Bringing together the crème de la crème in collage, assemblage and construction, with emerging and established, regional, national and international artists. Concurrently, Gallery II: “Reflections within-The Reliquary Series” by Valerie L. Winslow. Low-relief sculptures, glazed with bronze-like patinas and consisting of human figures.

Gallery III: Most exciting collage-work by Sherry Parker and John Hundt. Opening reception Jan. 6, 6-7:30 p.m.

Feb. 17-March 26: “Reflections and Shadows,“ all mediums, focusing on the duality of light and dark, and on reflections of every kind. Opening reception Feb. 17, 6-7:30 p.m. 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. Open Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 1-4 p.m. 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. sebarts.org Sebastopol Gallery

Through January: “An Invitation to Imagine,” an exhibit of narrative art by Teri Sloat. Fine

This is a year-round outdoor art display in the Northern Sonoma County communities of Cloverdale and Geyserville.

Discover quality works by sculptors from California and beyond. The current exhibit features 34 sculptures on Cloverdale Blvd. and Geyserville Ave. These contemporary sculptures range from the humorous to the thoughtprovoking, and some contain a message or story. The exhibit changes yearly the first week in May. A sculpture location map can be found at 101sculpturetrail.com.

Towers Gallery

Presents local two-and threedimensional fine art, unique gifts and artisan foods. New shows and receptions held throughout the year. 210 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale. 894-4331 (call for hours). towersgallery.org Upstairs Art Gallery

Open daily 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 306 Center St., on the Plaza, Healdsburg. upstairsartgallery.net

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Local art by local artists. Discover an impressive array of original paintings, fine art reproductions, jewelry and artisan crafts. Voted one of the top three galleries in the region. Located inside Levin & Co. book-store on the eastern side of Healdsburg plaza.

Open daily 11 AM – 6 PM 306 Center St., Healdsburg. 707-431-4214 Upstairsartgallery.net

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9000 windsor road, windsor

CALENDAR LIVE MUSIC + FOOD + WINE + ART + KID FUN + GARDENS + FESTIVALS + SONOMA FUN

JANUARY 1

50th Annual West Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count

National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count is the longest running Citizen Science survey in the world. Data collected helps assess the health of bird populations, to guide conservation action. 6 a.m.-5 p.m. madroneaudubon.org/birdschristmas-bird-count.php JANUARY 14-15

Wine Road’s Winter WINEland

Travel from winery to winery and meet winemakers, tasting limited production wines, new releases or library wines. All participating wineries will highlight a vintage, varietal or vertical tasting for this 25th annual event: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. each day 11 a.m. Winemaker breakfast and Q&A (Jan. 14, 9-10:30 a.m.) Plan your route and download maps at wineroad.com.

Proceeds support dozens of charitable organizations and projects focusing on the youth, elderly and less fortunate. $55.

5- 8:30 p.m. Cloverdale Citrus Fair Exhibit Room. Tickets: Cloverdale Auto Parts, or call Lee Menicucci, 894-5211.

JANUARY 21

An Evening with Garrison Keillor

Celebrating his final season as the host for A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor shares anecdotes about growing up in the American Midwest, the people of Lake Wobegon and “late-life fatherhood.” 7:30 p.m.

Weill Hall, Green Music Center, Sonoma State University. gmc. sonoma.edu

JANUARY 22

JANUARY 28

Sunday Salon: Pianist Rob Catterton

Guitarfest 2017

Solo grand piano tribute to the Grateful Dead, featuring classic Dead jams Dark Star, Morning Dew, Jack Straw, Bird Song plus Cabaret seating. 4 p.m. $15.

Occidental Center for the Arts, occidentalcenterforthearts.org JANUARY 26

Toad Hollow’s Day of Encouragement

JANUARY 28

Your mood will lift after a visit to Toad Hollow’s tasting room, when staff hands out handwritten messages of optimism—and waives the tasting room fees. You can then pay-it-forward by writing encouraging messages to leave behind for someone else. Toad Hollow Vineyards, 409A Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. toadhollow.com/tasting-room

All-you-can-eat fresh crab, pasta, salad and ice cream served by the high school’s girls softball team. Raffle, door prizes. Cocktails 6 p.m., dinner 7 p.m. Tickets $45. Homemade desserts/donation. Proceeds benefit girls softball. Tickets sold at local businesses: 894-8580, cloverdalelionsclub.com SonoMusette

Chanteuse Mimi Pirard and fine band recapture moody and melancholic sound and spirit of mid 20th century Paris a la Piaf, Brel , Reinhardt. $15 adv/$20. 8 p.m. Occidental Center for the Arts, occidentalcenterforthearts.org

Local Hawks: ID, History and Walks

Larry Broderick of West County HawkWatch talks about hawks; hikes, walks and counts to be announced. 7-8:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, Santa Rosa. madroneaudubon.org, westcountyhawkwatch.blogspot. com

JANUARY 29

The Kalichstein-LaredoRobinson Trio

JANUARY 21

Cloverdale Crab Cioppino Feed

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Cloverdale Lions Club 14th Annual Crab Feed

JANUARY 28

JANUARY 16

For over 60 years the Cloverdale Knights of Columbus has delighted thousands with their all-you-can-eat feed of crab cioppino. pasta, salad, bread, hors d’oeuvres and ice cream.

Limited wine included, full bar available. Big screen TV raffle.

Mike Dowling & The Black Market Trust headline this fifth annual event, featuring a day of music, exhibits, workshops, talks mini-concerts, classes, songwriter’s panel and guitar displays. Noon-10 p.m.

Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, Sebastopol. seb.org

JANUARY 26

Black Violin

The duo blends classical and hip-hop with their own brand of “Classical Boom.” They will be joined onstage by DJ SPS on the turntable and Nat Stokes on percussion. 8 p.m. Person Theater, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. lutherburbankcenter.org

This pianist, violinist and cellist have set the standard for performance of piano trio for nearly 40 years. “Among the superstars of the chamber music world, few induce as much open-mouthed rapture as the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio,” The Washington Post writes. 3 p.m. Weill Hall. gmc. sonoma.edu

JANUARY 30

Bodega Bay Chowder Day

Discover your favorite chowder and meet the chefs during this annual culinary tour. Competitors serve until the soup runs out or 3 p.m. Pre-sale tickets only: BodegaBayChowder.brownpapertickets. com. Details: visitbodegabayca.com

Solar, a hypnotist, a juggling team, bands and more. The Cloverdale Citrus Fair Parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, winding through downtown with bands, floats, equestrian riders, pet parade and more. cloverdalecitrusfair.org FEBRUARY 18

Lucy Kaplansky in Concert FEBRUARY 4

Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s Crab and Wine Fest

Fresh Sonoma Coast crab combined with a convivial atmosphere make this event one of the most popular fundraisers, drawing more than 1,400 guests, business and ag leaders in support of scholarships and agricultural education programs. Buy tickets early and online. sonomafb.org.

FEBRUARY 4

Mariah Parker’s Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble

CD release concert for world-class global fusion ensemble. $20. 8 p.m.

Occidental Center for the Arts, occidentalcenterforthearts.org FEBRUARY 11

Lake Sonoma Steelhead Festival

Participate in California’s largest celebration of the Steelhead Trout, returning to their birthplace to spawn the next generation of fish. See story, page 38. lakesonoma.org FEBRUARY 11

Paws for Love Auction & Gala

A Valentine-themed event helping shelter and rescue animals, featured on page 9. pawsforlove.info FEBRUARY 13

Taste Route 116 Hosts 6th Annual Sweet 116

Route 116 wineries near Sebastopol are making world-class Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Zinfandels and more—and serving them in collectable glasses painted by local artists. tasteroute116.com.

FEBRUARY 17-20

Cloverdale Citrus Fair

Every year since 1892 this charming town has come together rain or shine to celebrate its orange- and lemon-producing history. The 2017 theme, “Something Old Something New, 125 Years with You,” promises a look into the fair’s past, featuring old exhibits recreated and made new again, past queen contestants supporting new ones (scholarships awarded), and new exhibitors, such as the American Legion and Chamber of Commerce. Sure to turn heads: The cabaret performers. Favorite carnival rides will get you spinning and twirling. Also: Dr.

N.Y.C.-based singer/songwriter/psychologist Kaplansky is a rising star of modern city folk who has teamed with Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams and so many more. $25.

8 p.m. Occidental Center for the Arts, occidentalcenterforthearts.org FEBRUARY 18

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

The largest competition of American wines in the world features a public tasting of the gold medal award-winning wines at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. For an insider’s look at Cloverdale’s Bob Fraser’s contributions, read CHAT on page 10.

FEBRUARY 18

Madrone Audubon and Friends Host Songbird Film

“The Messenger” chronicles the struggle of songbirds worldwide to survive in turbulent conditions brought about by humans and argues that their demise is akin to the disappearance of honeybees and the melting of the glaciers. 6:30 p.m. Summerfield Cinemas, Santa Rosa.

125th Anniversary

Cloverdale Citrus Fair February 17th - 20th

Something Old, Something New, 125 Years with You. For Info Call 707.894.3992 or visit www.cloverdalecitrusfair.org

FEBRUARY 18

Redwood Empire Chinese Association Chinese New Year Celebration

Ring in the Year of the Rooster at this joyful, family-friendly event, with cultural dance troupes, a martial arts demonstration, magnificent dragons and colorful lions.

Admire the Ching Dynasty emperor and little princesses and don’t miss Origami Master Henry Kaku’s demonstration table.

Food catered from San Francisco; beer and wine available. $25 adults/$10 children, free/under 3. Advance tickets: Asia Mart, 2481 Guerneville Rd., Santa Rosa. 5 p.m./ doors, 6-8:30 p.m. Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, Santa Rosa. recacenter.org FEBRUARY 19

Classical Trio

Performing solely from Beethoven’s piano trio literature, Wu Han/piano, Phillip Setzer/ violin and David Finckel/cello hold a place among the pinnacle of classical musicians alive today. Weill Hall, Green Music Center, Sonoma State University. gmc.sonoma.edu

Decade Couture

Stylist Services 707-669-5079

119 S. Cloverdale Blvd.

Cloverdale, CA 95425

vosssignaturevintage.com sonomadiscoveries.com

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one last thought+

Oh My Lemons!

H

by Gayle Okumura Sullivan

ere on the peach farm, we have a small mix of non-stone fruit trees that nourish us into winter.

One giant black mission fig tree produces delicious fruit and creates tremendous shade with its far-reaching branches and broad leaves. Walnuts drop each fall, as persimmons color. And winter is citrus.

I look forward to working with our Meyer lemons each year. We’re even planting more along our western-facing walls. Said to be a cross between mandarin oranges and regular lemons, they are milder, the rinds fragrant, and the juice so refreshing. In a bowl, they brighten up any room.

Lemon zest sprinkled on grilled fish or meat, beautiful and delicious. Fresh lemon juice drizzled over steamed vegetables or salad—freshness of the moment. When at

the peak of season, I’ll juice the lemons, and freeze for later use, such as lemonade in the summer. And a friend swears by rubbing the lemon peel, pith side, on his face (as a tonic).

The first year on the farm, when everything was in extreme abundance, I tried many lemon recipes—some old, some new—ranging from sweet to savory. There are a few that have become staples in our home.

During the winter season, a favorite meal is shabu shabu, for it is fun, communal and just delicious. I enjoyed this meal growing up, and I enjoy it just as much now. With a hot broth-filled pot in the center of the table, everyone adds meats and vegetables and other ingredients, and then scoops them out once cooked. The key here is dipping sauce, and one that we always have is a simple ponzu sauce. SD

Ponzu Sauce Just mix one-third fresh squeezed lemon juice to two-thirds soy sauce.

You can add a splash of vinegar if you like. That’s it. Mix together and serve in individual small bowls for dipping.

Everything just tastes better with it.

On the sweet side, lemon tarts. My mother used to make mini lemon tarts and we always devoured them with great relish! Lemon curd or filling is wonderful to have on hand. The recipe below is from Lindsey Shere’s Chez Panisse Desserts cookbook, my go-to source for baking and desserts.

Lemon Curd or Filling 2 lemons 2 eggs 3 egg yolks 6 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons milk ¼ teaspoon cornstarch 6 tablespoons butter

Gayle Okumura Sullivan is the co-owner and manager of Dry Creek Peach and Produce in Healdsburg.

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photo by Sarah Bradbury

Zest the peel from the lemons. Then juice the lemons, strain juice into a bowl, and add the zest to the juice.

In a heavy saucepan, beat eggs and egg yolks with the sugar, until mixed.

In a small cup, gradually mix the milk and cornstarch; add this to the egg mixture.

Now stir in the lemon juice and zest, it may curdle a bit, but will even out later.

Cut the butter into pieces.

Cook the mixture over low to medium heat, and slowly add the butter pieces. Stir constantly until it thickens and holds a line on the back of a wooden spoon when you glide your finger across. Remove the mixture from heat and let it stand 5 minutes until it thickens, then whisk to smooth.

Now you can use this filling immediately for a tart or you can keep it sealed in the fridge for a few weeks. It is delicious!

Note: When working with peels/rinds, please use organic.

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Come See What’s New at Big John’s Market!

Finest service deli, prepared meals to go, burrito bar, fresh hot pizza, choice quality meats, fresh produce and gourmet grocery department plus an even more expansive selection of local wines & cheeses.

1345 Healdsburg Avenue at Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg (707) 433-7151 • www.bigjohnsmarket.com Open Monday through Sunday 7am -8pm

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