Almost like being in Italy...

Gloria Ferrer.

We've driven past "her" many, many times, always pointing and saying, "Let's go there someday," as we zip right by. A recent Sunday turned into that someday as Gloria beckoned to us, (like Star Trek's siren, Losira, the last surviving defender of the Kalandan colony, who reached out her arms to the Captain and said "I am for you, James Kirk." If she touched you, you died. But then I digress ...)

Gloria Ferrer, master of sparkling wines, sits on a little hill overlooking vineyards that remind us so much of EEEEEEtaly (Italy). "She" is molto bellisimo, although the winery claims to be of Spanish tradition over Italian. Well we've never been to Spain (yet!), so we can't make that comparison with any authenticity, but we have been to Italy, so we figure it's close enough. Anyway, it's very beautiful up there, sitting on their hilltop porch, sipping glasses of sparkling pink and white wines and feeling, yes, quite sparkly all over. (http://www.gloriaferrer.com/)

Down the hill and just down the road, is the Jacuzzi Winery, and wow, their garden staff must work overtime. More foxgloves and poppies than your eye can swallow, but Ted did his best to slurp up the lot of them with his camera. (http://www.jacuzziwines.com/)

He does "blend in" with his camouflage shirt doesn't he?

Anyway, Jacuzzi is of Italian heritage, and as you walk through the doors, if you didn't know any better, you'd swear you've been transported...

... even down to the marble sculptures ...

Yep, the feeling of Italy is alive and well in Sonoma. Ciao Bella!

When in doubt, eat some kraut!

A Fermentation Festival?

Really!?!

Okay so forgive me, but when I first heard about the Freestone Fermentation Festival, my initial reaction was olfactory ... it smelled like farts. (Yeh. I went there...) When friends told us about it and asked if we'd like to go, I had to contain my immature, second-grade scatalogical sense of humor, and secretly giggled inside with SAB* glee. (Okay, I'm only minorly embarrassed to admit that I AM that ridiculous, but I think you already know that.)

(*SAB ... Self Amusing Buffoon)

Fermentation here is serious business. The health claims for fermented foods are staggering and I'm convinced that we need to pay more attention to them. The festival was a great opportunity to do just that. Honestly we've never sampled so much Kim Chee, or consumed so many sparkling elixirs in our lives!

Back in the early '80s, our first experience with Kim Chee (a traditional Korean dish of fermented veggies, often with cabbage) was when a specialty produce client brought in a jar to our studio so we could design a label for it. She told us to keep the jar refrigerated or else it might explode, and I was stunned to think of anyone putting something so explosive in their bodies. Out of curiosity of course we had to taste it, and really that was some baaaad Kim Chee. For years after I just thought I hated Kim Chee. Since then, we've actually had some truly delicious Kim Chee, so we were happy to try the array of it at the fair.

After sampling concoction after concoction, our hands down fizzy favorite was ... Water Kefir. Water? Kefir? Two words you don't normally see together, but it's refreshing, slightly effervescent lemon-ginger flavor cut through "anything that ails ya" and just felt good in the ol' bod.

And excuse me ... that exhibit hall did have a (albeit slightly more pleasant) gaseous fragrance that was reminiscent of ... well ... you know ...

Stomping grapes? Nope ... cabbage!

Kombucha Tea anyone? They had it on tap and hooo weeee babyyyyy! Sparkling fermented mushroom juice never tasted so gooooood!

I want to learn how to grow my own Maitake Mushrooms and the Mushroom Man was telling me about his classes. Will I do it? I dunno, but it was fun listening to someone so passionate about what they do.

The result of too much fermentation?

One of the joys of this festival was being with so many people who were waaaaay into fermentation. There was a congenial, sensual, life sustaining "vibe" that had us all feeling bubbly inside and out. Lots of young people, children, young adults and some "Q-Tips" (older folks with white or grey hair) enjoying themselves, just makes us happy.

Above are Dodi and Frank (who got us into this pretty pickle of a Festival) and me sitting on a recycled dirt bag structure used for raised garden beds. (I know there's a "dirt bag" joke here somewhere, but I think I'll pass ...)

Anyway, thanks guys!

It was FUN!

Audrey & the Rose Parade

This is Audrey and I'm so impressed with her.

Audrey showed up on a spiritual journey in Teotihuacan, Mexico about 15 (or so) years ago. She ended up in a break-out group I was leading through the pyramid grounds and my "mother hen" instinct instantly kicked in. Audrey was in the throes of trying to come to terms with a heartbreakingly difficult up-bringing. She walked through the grounds barefooted, just to feel grounded in some way. She had a great tendency (like a lot of us) to disconnect and go AWOL, but what she wanted more than anything was to really be here and sort out the pieces, and get over all the beliefs that kept her feeling powerless in her life.

I was fortunate to participate as one of Audrey's mentors for about a five year period and feel privileged to have witnessed her process. Eventually, she decided to study psychology. Last year, Ted and I went to San Francisco to see her Oral Review in which she presented her dissertation and was awarded a Doctorate with Distinction (not sure I have the wording right, but it's a very high honor). Audrey now is so grounded, and honest, and loving, and in her power. She has a thriving therapy practice and is a testament to anyone who thinks they can't make it in the world.

And yes, I am sentimental about her and would give her a marching band if I could ... oh, and here comes one now ...

Okay, that was rather a clunky segue into later that day, after Audrey left to drive home to Oregon, but oh well.

Santa Rosa really is a city of roses. Roses grow like weeds up here, wild, and cultivated, and every kind of rose you can think of, and right now they're bloomin' like crazy. So in honor of our fair city, we went to the annual Santa Rosa Rose Parade (has it been a year already since the last one?) and let me tell you how much we LOVE the grass roots, homegrown quality of this event!

This ain't your Hollywood-style, grandiose Pasadena production, but more like the whole town turning out to celebrate itself in the most heartfelt way.

Shriners, and Keystone Cops, and singing Girl Scouts, and Firetrucks, and Aztec dancers, and Taiko drummers, and dancing horses ... no really, they were dancing! (Or "hoofin' it" if you want to get technical.)

And yes Virginia, Flower Power is still alive and well in Santa Rosa ...

Our Gae

BFF Gae was here a couple of weeks ago. Sigh. You know the ease and grace of those people in your life who just fit? Like soft cashmere, ours is a luxurious friendship that's soft and loving and just makes us feel GOOD.

For some of you who don't know Gae, we met in 1994 and went through shamanistic bootcamp together, following our little brown teacher to power spots all over the globe for years. Our bond felt pre-natal, like souls in the ethers born in the same timeframe, where we could find each other again. And find each other we did.

Through a wealth of experiences, and our "graduation" from bootcamp, we now live miles apart, but our connection to Gae still feels contiguous, like we're always just in the next room to each other. Our joy was when she actually showed up in da flesh and really was in the next room (our guest room), and oooooooooooh did we have FUN!

Of course one of the first things we did with Gae was walk around Spring Lake. This is a ritual for all visitors (and when you come, we'll walk with you too), that instantly immerses you in the abundance of Nature up here.

Before we moved up here from L.A., our desire was to live in a place where the ratio of Nature to man-made environment was more heavily weighted on the Nature side. We got that in spades. Spring Lake is a sweet gem in a necklace of parks, vineyards, farms and natural forests that wind all around. Folks really use this lake (free entrance & fee parking ... at least for now), walking, jogging, biking, fishing, boating, picnicking, so part of the enjoyment is just watching everyone having a great time.

Enter Francis Ford Coppola.

"Huh?" you say.

Francis (yes locals use his given name up here) has recreated a childhood enchantment for himself in wine country and part of his desire is to have others enjoy it with him. (Thank you for sharing Francis!) So a few hours before sundown, we drove Gae up to Geyserville, to accommodate him. (well ... us ... really.)

Coppola Winery sits on a small hill surrounded by vineyards ... quintessentially Italianesque. When you enter the gates, you expect to see a sign that says "Happiest Place on Earth", just like it does at Disneyland. Although the sign above the gate says "Coppola", it really means the same thing. Coppola is a very happy place.

First off we strolled through Francis's museum of movie memorabilia, complete with the actual car from Tucker. Then on to a wine tasting ... oh that Petit Syrah! Then out to enjoy a meal on the terrace of Rustica, where Francis's favorite meals, like the ones his Italian mama used to make, are recreated. After that, a bit of sunset lounging poolside in the day spa area, then a leisurely drive home. Oh YEH! Happy happy joy joy!

For more info. about Coppola, check it out ... http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/

Then Gae had to go home

so back to work we go

hi ho, hi ho ...

Our Fava-orite Beans!

Spring is delightfully bipolar. She wavers between sun and rain. Today we have clouds and tomorrow ... who knows? As we move deeper into our experience up here, Spring is the most wonderful celebration of Life bursting forth. Farmer's markets are festivals of local fresh picked foods, one of our favorites being Fava Beans.

Fresh Favas have a very brief window of availability, so we grab 'em while we can. It's a bit time-consuming to pop them out of their pods and remove their skins, and a huge bag of pods makes just one small bowl of beans, but they're worth it. And actually, in the right frame of mind, the popping and shelling is one of those satisfying rituals to be done outside under a tree, or at the kitchen table with friends, or in front of TV while watching Spring golf. It's restful. The hardest part, is not popping them into our mouths the instant they're shelled. Raw. Green. Sweet. Paired with Pecarino Romano shavings (or chunks), olive oil, salt and pepper ... the tenderest, tastiest ode to Spring ever.