California Wine Country Vacation

The weather this morning sucked - drizzle and a howling wind - but I ran any way and it felt good. But most people cringe if they thought they had to run or even worse, run in the rain. So here’s a little tidbit on what to do this Sunday that has nothing to do with rain - hopefully it doesn’t - and nothing to do with drinking - maybe afterwards.

Point Reyes. Over Valentines/President’s weekend that’s where the nature lovers went. It wasn’t too crowded but people were out because it was very “spring-like” weather. We started at the Visitors Center and walked the Earthquake Trail. It was beautifully quiet and educational at the same time.  Then we drove over to the beach, sat and watched the waves crash. It was so misty from the churning water but it wasn’t too cold. By then we were hungry and stopped in Inverness at Pricilla’s Pizza and Cafe for a tasty lunch before driving off to our last stop, what use to be Johnson’s Oyster Farm, and we bought two dozen medium, briny, bivalve molluscs - yum, yum.

Sometimes we forget what we have in our own backyard.

Heirloom seeds! Petaluma’s newest retail store at the corner of Petaluma Blvd. North and E. Washington Street is Baker Creek Seed Bank. Fittingly housed in the historic Sonoma County National Bank building, the seed bank sells heirloom veggie, fruit, flower and herb seeds that your Grandmother or your Grandmother’s mother use to plant. Baker’s main store is located in Mansfield Missouri and this is their 1st store in the West.

In a time where Marion Nestle and Michael Pollen are making us aware of what we eat, many of us are looking at trying our hand at growing the fruits or vegtables our grandparents grew or ate when they were growing up. This is the seed store to visit.

Baker Creek Seed Bank - 199 Petaluma Blvd. North, closed on Saturdays, www.rareseeds.com

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.

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

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

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