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Sonoma County Fair – Brilliant!!

The Don Giovannis at the Sonoma County Fair
The Don Giovannis at the Sonoma County Fair

As soon as we were clicked through the entrance and escaped the  bombardment of the knives, fudge, and dill pickles in the Pavilion, we were treated to the sound of the  most glorious tenor singing his heart out.  I’m a sucker for a good tenor.  He was part of a group called The Don Giovannis.  We were seranaded while we ate our plates of Ibletto’s green and red spaghetti.

Horse in parade ring before racing

The sound of the horses enticed us to place several bets which we lost, but last year we won, so there you go.  One horse in the 8th jumped the gun and ran the wrong way all around the track.  (Yes, I bet on him).  As he crossed the finish line, the highly amused crowd burst into rousing applause and cheering!  Sometimes you just don’t care if you lose as long as you are entertained.

There were several new attractions this year,  notably Mechanical Bull Riding!  Very amusing.  Everyone looks cool while the bull is going slow, but invariably the bull wins the contest.

Riding the mechanical bull

The DJ/bull-master was having a great time matching the music to the rider and giving riders a chance to demonstrate at least a few seconds of glory.

The flower show was brilliant!  The flowers  glowed with exuberance about their own color and design.  The exhibits are a beautiful look at past fair themes, called “A Stroll Down Memory Lane”.  Very nicely done.

One of the greatest feelings I get living in Sonoma County is the friendliness of the people.  Everywhere we turned, people said hello and spoke to us as if we were long term friends.  In the rest room (which was very clean , by the way) w0men who didn’t know each other were helping  apply sunscreen to the backs of their fellow fair travelers.  I love living here!  It really is “the chosen place”  to paraphrase our good friend Luther.

Dinner plate dahlia at Sonoma County Fair
Glorious dahlia

I love the Sonoma County Fair!  We’re going back aagin to see the art, animals, and  play a few more horses.  See you there!

Posted in: Activities, Day Trips, Entertainment, Events, Live Music

Great Start to SRT Season

Wow!  SRT has stepped up its game!  I am so impressed with the cast they have put together this year.  First of all, as I began to look through the program, I noticed that many of them are just stunning as far as looks go… I mean gorgeous!  And secondly, they can sing AND dance.  I’m talking “Triple Threats” here, people…. Did I mention acting?  Yes, that too.

The show line up has something for everyone.  They opened the season with Hairspray which I haven’t seen yet, but I’m looking forward to it after seeing Flea in Her Ear and Company, I know I won’t be disappointed.  Flea in Her Ear is a bedroom farce filled with revolving doors, slapstick, mistaken identities, and an odd assortment of characters. It was originally written in 1907, but it still stands up today.   It was sold out on opening night with a large group of people waiting for tickets, so call now for your reservations.  It is a knee slapper!  I think I actually guffawed a couple of times.

Not since my early days in San Francisco have I seen a cast so beautifully mixed as in SRT’s production of Company.  I applaud James Newman for his role at the helm of this wonderful summer season.  Company is a musical comedy, but I had tears streaming down my face as the main character “Bobby… Bobby… Bobby,” played by Nathan C. Crocker sang “Being Alive.”   Company is all about marriage and the joys and frustrations of the institution.  Since I’ve been married for over thirty years, it struck home to me.  My husband and I held hands in the dark.

There are so many actors to list on the excellent side that I want to mention at least a few:  Tiffany Denise Hobbs as Joanne, is my choice for stand-out of the season.  Her presence was obvious to me from the moment she took the stage.  She really knocked it out of the park with her version of “The Ladies Who Lunch.”  I can’t wait to see what she does in Hairspray and The Piano Lesson.  Amy, played by Sarah Crane, was delightful and didn’t miss a breath or a note on “Getting Married Today.”

The full season of SRT plays through August 13th, but don’t wait to get your tickets.  Many shows are already sold out and even on a Thursday night the Burbank Auditorium was nearly full.  This is the best deal of the summer!

Hairspray
Flea in Her Ear
Company
The Piano Lesson
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Summer Repertory Theater
707-527-4307
www.SummerRep.com

Posted in: Activities, Entertainment, Live Theater

Whole Foods Adventure

It probably wasn’t the best timing on our part to visit the new Santa Rosa Whole Foods Market in Coddingtown…  It was late afternoon and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so that made everything in the store look twice as delicious. You’ll see by our shopping list that we ended up buying way too many carbs, but we had a great adventure!

At the entrance dozens of fragrant Christmas trees announced the season along with bins of colorful sweet cooking pumpkins, squashes and gourds.   The scent of flowers and winter fruits enticed us to explore further.  A half dozen Fuji apples called my name.

Whole Foods Produce
Whole Foods produce department
Inside the store there were elaborate pyramids of cascading produce.  Further on towards the back led to the fish monger and a beautiful selection of fresh organic meats and poultry.  I felt like I was entering a show of Broadway proportions as the lighting, sounds, smells set the stage, and the actions of the truly friendly and helpful staff came together to do their parts at every turn of every aisle.

Whole Foods Tap Room
Whole Foods Tap Room
The beer selection at the back of the store appears to have every micro-beer you’ve ever heard of and then some.  As you may have heard, you can get a beer at the Tap Room while waiting for other shoppers…or taking a lunch break. A group of determined customers sat contentedly at the bar sipping their brews overseen by a big screen TV on a sports channel.

At the Health and Beauty aisle I picked up some grapefruit deodorant that sounded interesting and a bar of sandalwood soap.  I passed over a really cute pink alpaca hat with multi-colored tassels; maybe someone will get that for me for Christmas?

Whole Foods snack aisle
Whole Foods snack aisle
By now we are really getting hungry and items from every corner of the store are calling out to assuage us.  Unfortunately, it was at exactly this moment that we turned down an aisle that can only be described as Heaven to me – think crunch, salt, oil, and sugar – the chip, cracker, and cookie department!  “…and it’s all so healthy too!”  I remarked as packages of Akmak, Rice Chips, Bunny Crackers, Lemon Scones, and Sesame Thins end up in the basket. (I did skip the peanut butter chocolate cookies).

Whole Foods deli
Whole Foods deli prepared foods
By the time we make it to the Deli section where gorgeous deli meats, cheeses. sandwiches, and prepared foods of every sort and taste await us, we have added a jar of Bubbie’s pickles, a loaf of seeded pumpernickel, some naan bread, and a pound and a half of cooked Indian food-to-go including saag paneer, Tandoori chicken, potato and pea samosas, rice, and lentils!

Whole Foods Indian food
Whole Foods hot food counter
This is a great place for lunch – or dinner for that matter!  Just load up your biodegradable to-go container with salad, chicken, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, soup, gravy, etc. for $7.50 per pound.  All food cooked fresh and tasty on the premises!

We ended up eating our lunch leaning on our car in the parking lot under the clear sunny wintery Santa Rosa sky with a murder of crows perched on the light fixtures around us waiting for the remnants…. Beautiful day!

Whole Foods is located at the west end of the Coddingtown Shopping Center in Santa Rosa, CA in beautiful Sonoma County.  See you there!

Whole Foods
390 Coddingtown Mall
Santa Rosa, CA
(707) 542-7411

Posted in: Activities, Day Trips, Entertainment, Food, Places, Santa Rosa

Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Sonoma County Harvest Fair Logo
Sonoma County Harvest Fair Logo

It’s time (Sept 30-Oct 2) for the 2011 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Right on schedule the vineyards around the county are laden with ripening fruit that give testament to the bounty that Luther Burbank loved about Sonoma County. You can’t see the densely grouped clusters without appreciating the gift that nature bestows on us.

The Harvest Fair is a great opportunity to get in touch with local growers and wine makers and to share a weekend of food, music, fun, and games with your  fellow food and wine enthusiasts.

Congratulations are due to these Harvest Fair award winners:

Kenwood Vineyards – 2010 Pinot Gris – Russian River Valley:
Sweepstakes Winning White Wine and the James Guymon Memorial Award

Wilson Winery – 2009 Zinfandel – Dry Creek Valley – Sawyer
Sweepstakes Winning Red Wine and the George Cooke Memorial Award

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards – 2007 Brut Rose – Carneros
Sweepstakes Winning Specialty Wine and the Mike Lee Memorial Award

Posted in: Day Trips, Entertainment, Events, Food, Live Music, Wine

Main Street Station

Main Street Station

This is the great place to look for live entertainment any night of the week. The owner, Suzi Feehery, has an ear for jazz and singers and books the best talent in and out of the area. For a small cover fee (usually $3-5) you can spend the evening with the likes of Grammy Nominee Vernelle Anders ( “At Last”) or a hot blues artist like Gwen “Sugar Mama” Avery. There is someone I’d like to see and hear there every night of the week.

Even on a rainy winter night there might be at least thirty people there enjoying the jam, juice, and jive.

The menu is Italian style featuring great country pizza and prime rib on weekends. You are guaranteed a good time at Main Street. You can even try your hand at Open No Mic with Kit Mariah on alternate Sundays.

Check out their website at http://www.mainststation.com for more information.
16280 Main Street
Guerneville
707-869-0501

PS They deliver too!

Posted in: Activities, Entertainment, Food, Guerneville, Italian, Live Music, Places, Restaurants

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