Our Gypsy Girls and Katmandu

Shanna and Amanda. Our neices ... Ted's brother J.D.'s girls ... can hardly be called girls any longer. These bright young women simply mesmerize me. Shanna (raven haired one) is a legal secretary by day, Dreamtime Circus fire-twirler by night. And Amanda (striped dress) just got back from the island of Ibiza to visit a German friend and his family who are renovating a centuries old villa there. We just love these "girls". They have a very close sisterly bond that makes you want to "feeel da luvvv" even if you don't have a sister.

So all the Raess's came together (including Ted's younger brother, Jeff and the girls' mom, Debbi) to belatedly celebrate Ted's mom's birthday and to see J.D.'s house that was recently renovated from a fire that damaged about a third of it last Christmas time. An older home, the house feels fresh and new and it was enjoyable to all be together ... a rare occurrence these days since everyone's lives take them in every direction ...

And speaking of every direction, how 'bout Katmandu? You guessed it, The Katmandu is a festival here in wine country. We're just amazed by the abundance of fairs they have up here and each one is unique and interesting in it's own way.

A cacophony of spicy color, sitar music, food (mmmmmm Sag Paneer!) and Tibetan/Nepalese people (there's quite a community up here), I can't say this was like being in Katmandu because I've never been there, but it certainly had a delicious exotic feel that wasn't quite like any fair we'd seen so far.


Photo below - fabulous Himalayan food served out of deep copper kettles, from the Yeti restaurant in Glen Ellen. We ate at the Yeti once with J.D. and since he'd been to India years ago, we believed him when he said that their food was the real deal.



Above: Cute girls finding pretty bargains.


Can you find "Waldo" (Peggy) in the photo below?


The Katmandu Festival was held a few blocks off the City of Sonoma's main square. In the square itself, a full-on Mexican festival was bursting with Marachi bands, Mexican food and families eating, dancing and having fun.


From Katmandu to Mexico in just a few minutes ... it sho' 'nuff ain't dull around here!