California Wine Country Vacation

A former employee of ours, Mike Lee, who use to work at our Quality Inn, is now a professional photographer and soon-to-be-med student. Besides having a thriving graphic design/photography business, www.Focus97, he gives his time to Operation Rainbow, www.operationrainbow.org, serving as their documentarian.

In the last week Mike has been serving with Operation Rainbow in Haiti bringing some relief to everyone who needs medical attention. Mike has blogged and posted photos of the tragedy and resilency of the Haitians. Please visit either http://blog.focus97.com or www.operationrainbow.org to see what’s happening real time and help financially if you are able. Thank you

Here we are sliding towards the end of October and the annual pumpkin patch/corn maze off Hwy 101 at the north end of Petaluma is causing its yearly traffic jam.  Drive up for breakfast at Della Frattoria and stop over at the pumpkin patch for your Halloween delight.

I was again kicking back Sunday morning reading the Travel section of the Chron and lo and behold Petaluma was a featured adventure. Now what’s so great about an adventure to Petaluma? Nothing or everything. Right now the weather is balmy afternoons and cool, sometimes freezing, evenings but the best thing are the mornings and afternoons in a town one hour away from where you are. Just go to a place where you don’t have to worry about not knowing the language.

Here’s the link to the article, read it and go from there: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/27/TRA519LUNU.DTL

Trail Head to Helen Putnam Park

Yesterday was the Autumunal Exquinox, which simply means it was the first day of Fall. Wow, where has the year gone - let’s not dwell on it - need an idea about what to do this coming weekend? The Sunday Chronicle had a great little article about pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, which just so happens to be up in our neck of the woods. The illusive Gravenstein apple, with a short season, is available right now. Click onto the link and start planning . . .

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/20/PK1Q19KNFT.DTL

yummy Gravenstein apples

Now that we’re all environmentally aware - reuse, readapt, renew - it might be a good time to make a little weekend jaunt to Sebastopol and see what antiquing and going to a flea market is all about. There’s no pretense with over priced mid-century finds, its purely one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. And you will find some treasures. Click onto this link and read what the SF Chron said about spending some leisurely time culling for those decorative items you didn’t know you needed.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/19/TRN918E1FT.DTL

oh, and coincidentally most of these places surround our hotel the Fairfield Inn & Suites Sebastopol because you do need to make this a two day thing.

For those of you who didn’t know, the Lagunitas IPA you’ve been drinking is manufactured in our little town of Petaluma. Yep, right here just down from our Quality Inn about a block or so. And they’ve just opened  their TapRoom and Beer Sanctuary, closed Monday and Tuesday, with live music. So forget about winetasting too foo foo, come check-out the brewskis, take a tour, have a bite to eat. Yo ho ho and a bottle of Pale Ale. . .

www.lagunitas.com

Lagunitas Brewing Company

For those of you who knew of the short lived West County Grill located in downtown Sebastopol, a new restaurant has opened from the same people only this time their emphasing a simple menu - Pizza Vino 707, is the name.

I haven’t tried it yet but I will, right along with Peter Lowell’s on Healdsburg Ave.  I never tire of a menu based on what’s in season and grown locally. I’ll give you my review as soon as I try the place. Hopefully, Michael Bauer will hold off his review for a bit.

http://www.pizzavino707.com/

“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.  It is never any use to oneself .”  

Oscar Wilde, Novelist and Playwrite

Our little town of Petaluma is really lucky to have Cinnabar Theater as our own little slice of the cultural pie. Starting in August will be their Summer Music Festival and all cultures of music will be showcased, an Italian orchestra, Taiko drumming, jazz singing.  It’ll be San Francisco without the parking problem. www. cinnabar.2009-petaluma.summer.music.festival.htm

Petaluma's Cinnabar Theater Summer Music Festival

We were driving back from Guerneville last Friday early evening and decided to try out the Willow Wood Cafe in Graton. If you can believe it, over the years a few people have stayed at our Sebastopol hotel and have asked specifically where this place was.

Willow Wood started out as a market way back when, so it has retained its provincial charm. The food is as good as any california-centric, whats-in-season restaurant in the Bay Area with prices in the not too shabby area. 

Graton is a one-horse town, similiar to Penngrove, but it seems that great food can be found in small, charming out of the way places.  They have a website, http://www.willowwoodgraton.com/