Southern Sonoma Country Life

Italian Blood, American Heart - One Nifty New U.S. Built Sports Car

Considering the fact that the majority of Americans are awaiting a long-overdue revival of American-made super autos in the competitive hybrid market, little excitement has thus far evolved from the giant car factories of the mid-west.

Yet there are those in Michigan and beyond who have more than enough skill, talent and imagination to produce ultra-cool, contemporary cars, even if they are out of the ordinary driver's reach.

Take the Italian designed/American built Competizione 9   as pictured here at the crowded Thanksgiving weekend San Francisco Car Show, a serious pull for teenage boys and the type of drivers who move on up from a Ferrari to a plane in order to maximize speed limits! 

At close to a hundred thousand dollars, it is doubtful that this limited edition vehicle (currently only 1,000 made), world-class Corvette C6 powertrain with all Italian leather interior will be parked in a driveway here in my Petaluma neighborhood any time soon.

Yet there certainly are those avid car collectors here in wine country who wouldn't mind adding one of these beasts to the line up, a nifty and exclusive number for a drive along the Mendocino coastline, maybe, or cruising the Valley of the Moon, Andrea Bocelli on the audio, spot of a winter barrel tasting en-route to an overnight at the Kenwood Inn. Now that's what I call Italian Blood, American Heart.

An American-made Prius-type ground breaker may well be in the pipeline. Where there's a will, there's a way and a nation that has the nerve to compete with the top luxury cars of the world should really be getting it together to turn its auto industry around sometime sooner than later.

Shop Locally this Cyber Monday

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, blimey, it's hard not to get sucked into the vacuum of wanton commercialism, though we know we should be spending to boost the economy.

So why not make a conscious effort this first Monday after Thanksgiving to give a little love to local merchants by making at least one or two of your holiday shopping purchases from an independent purveyor?

Perusing the Press Democrat this morning before an ungodly, break-of-dawn indoor Sunday soccer game in which my youngest worked up a terrific post-turkey-day early morning testosterone burn-off, I took a couple of minutes over my cup of tea for a gander at the local merchants' holiday ads. 

Although it has become such an unabashed breeze to drag and drop into online shopping carts, are we sure that we are getting what's best for us? Decided en-route to Santa Rosa for this morning's early game that there is something to be said for discussing our seasonal purchases with real-life people, not only to insure that the product fits the bill, but to check on return policies, warranties and repairs and not least, help keep downtown store fonts open and to keep those critical tax dollars within the community.

Another thing that has struck me as rather poignant this holiday season is the sheer redundancy of the traditional cookbook. Favorite recipes will always be there, permanently embossed in full color photos adorning batter-smudged pages, but anything new and inspirational, spur-of-the-moment-style, utilizing the all-important, left-over factor- more often than not has me heading for a rapid online recipe, the simpler the better and a top google pick being the most likely go-to option.

State of the art American kitchens, I've read, are being kitted out with inbuilt, dough-proof internet access for the curious cook. How cool. I'd like one of those. But what will become of the humble cookbook? Will this be the first of the printed word to take a final hike on the cyber highway? If you used a cookbook over Thanksgiving this year, which one was it?

Petaluma's Football Frenzy

Standing by the fence at the gates to Petaluma High School's humble track and football field (humble in the capacity of this particular Southern Sonoma County sporting arena retaining its mud and guts status as one of the few remaining high school fields in the region yet to be afforded a glam remodel into high-tech turf and a double set of state-of-the-art bleachers to boot), it was a heart-warming sight to see so many familiar faces from city hall to Big-Apple 20-somethings back home to rivertown for Thanksgiving and a not-to-be missed NCS Football Playoff game.

Number one seeded gladiatorial Petaluma High School Trojans are said to be the best team here in town in the past 20 years - currently ranked as number 6 favorite in the state by the SF Chron. Last night's 28-14 fever-pitch playoff game was a packed-out event with everyone and his mother wrapped up for the chilly, thrilling spectacle of the Trojans living up to this season's legend of undefeated victory.

A sea of scarves and gloves and hats and blankets failed to dampen the spirits of impassioned P'town fans in a spectacular show of community support this Thanksgiving weekend, just what the doctor ordered for this city at the end of a tough year for so many of its friends and neighbors.

There was nothing to mope about in the West Petaluma streets around PHS Friday night, walking down the hill with the dog and the crew to be a small part of the pounding crowd was a first for this unlikely football fan, but really, how could anyone resist?

(Dear pal with a Cardinal Newman star player for a son tipped me off to last night's game and though I'm a purple-crested, PHS parent myself, the first half momentum having gone to Newman made for the play a nail-bitingly grand evening out). 

Next Friday's game against the winner of today's NCL game between Eureka and Ygnacio Valley will be hosted at PHS at 7pm. If the Trojans win that playoff, they'll be off to the section finals for the first time in a decade.

 

Sushi Thanksgiving Starters with John and Yoko

Thanksgiving's multicultural status rose up a notch for Scribbles Daily here this year with the addition of John, Yoko and a platter of sensational handmade sushi starters at Yolanda and Jose's annual Santa Rosa gathering. 

Expanding the international transplant circle from Italian/German/Peruvian/Mexican and British to embrace John and Yoko's (fabulously absolute, real names, I kid-you-not) Scottish/Japanese combo was even more of a boost to the multicultural extravaganza of 6 native born Nor Cal teens of marvelous mixed heritage, three pre-teens and an end-table of immigrant/American citizen hybrid collection of eight good friends whose communal toast was to the joy-at-hand of the proverbial melting-pot.

Peter's home made lamb and veggie samosas flew off the platter following the sushi-go-round in what was nothing short of a smorgasbord of international, pot-luck offerings and a safe ride home before the rain came in.

Traditional, alternative, rowdy or quiet, hope your Thanksgiving was a happy one!

Multicultural Thanksgiving

 
 
Traditions are terrific. I myself confess that I am a keen keeper of many a fine holiday ritual, though somehow, as my sons have gradually grown into fearless young men, I am far less inclined to insist on some of the more uptight table traditions around holidays that ought to be more about indulging in the sheer pleasures of good company than standing to attention for more serious pomp and ceremony.

Thanksgiving being the preeminent occasion for gathering of great friends, close family and a straggler or two who'd appreciate the invite, it's the perfect occasion for multi-culturals to mix things up a little at the table and see what culinary offerings shake up. 

If you're stuck on the green bean casserole and candied yams, it might be time to throw some caution to the wind and whip up a surprise dish or two.

It's a multicultural Thanksgiving for me and mine, as we prepare to celebrate Turkey Day with old friends from days when we were quite literally fresh off the boat. Between us we'll be covering culinary ground from Mexico and Peru, Italy, Germany and a double dose of Brit. With five, strapping Northern Californian teenage offspring in the party plus a couple of sturdy pre-teens, the native born Americans do balance things out in quite reasonable requests in the must-have department of pumpkin pie and turkey, at least! As for the side dishes, well, let's just say that anything goes.

A Little Holiday Shopping Perspective

Though many Americans await the arrival of Black Friday before launching their holiday shopping initiative in full throttle, there are many of us with family overseas who are forced to kick-start the gift-seeking scramble way ahead of Thanksgiving in order to make those pesky international postal deadlines.

Life becomes a lot about the 'stuff'. Hunting for the perfect this or that is a yearly challenge for all and by the time that the formidable Christmas shopping is done and dusted, the mere thought of another store to ransack is enough to have us hitting the hot toddies and huddling by firesides far from the maddening crowds.

So what is it about our need to gift and receive of material goodies, when practical presents might be all the more appropriate in the current economic climate? The padding our proverbial dens with baubles and bangles, warm and bright shiny things has been a relatively popular obsession since the first, crude human habitations took shape in neanderthal times. And still we don't seem to have it figured out that we can't take any of it with us in the end.

A former neighbor and friend called me Saturday morning to invite me to join her at an estate sale nearby. So fond am I of old furniture, vintage jewelry, antique books, all the material trappings of which I have just pointed out, I agreed to meet her to peruse the departed person's lifelong treasures and possessions.

Despite an affinity for junk shops and antique emporiums, I don't recall ever having been in an actual estate sale where it was so obviously the quite recent home of just one woman. From her comfortable furniture to packets of unopened stockings, a brand new, unopened jar of Ego syrup in the kitchen cabinet to seven-decade modest collection of beads and bracelets, earrings, four dozen handbags (in every shade and style imaginable), holiday sweaters, cds, movies, cookbooks and brassieres, I could not bring myself to rifle through the drawers of someone's life in the name of a bargain deal.

The last straw for me was a bathroom counter top adorned with the lately departed's eyebrow tweezers, nail scissors, hair dryer and perfumes. An overwhelming need to leave the house and shut the door and hope that new owners would arrive to a thoroughly emptied space - no doubt completely scavenged by estate sale pros not saddened in the least. I didn't know this lady, in fact I'd never even seen her before, but by the time I'd poked around her home for just a few short minutes, I felt her presence in the personal intimacy of a softly scented bedroom closet, her laundry room, a garage stacked with Christmas decorations and unopened boxes of holiday cards.

We surround ourselves with so much of this stuff and still we search for more. One woman's silverware and china set may be another's treasure to behold, but what about the superfluous things that overstuff our cupboards and tumble off the shelves? Bag it all up and donate to charity, that's my mantra. And as for the holiday shopping, I'm sticking to more simple gifts of giving that show that I care enough not to overload their lives with all the silly fluffy stuff that doesn't really matter much anyway.    

Trot over to the Petaluma Kitchen with a Turkey Donation Today

 

Out shopping today? Pick up a frozen turkey in the supermarket for as little as $8.99 and make a needy family's holiday with your quick and easy donation. COTS and the Petaluma kitchen provide healthy food boxes to hundreds of local families each week as well as serving hundreds on the actual day of Thanksgiving in their soup kitchen lines.

The soup kitchen distributes their tremendous Thanksgiving holiday meal boxes to homes around town this Saturday morning, so any turkey donations must be dropped at the kitchen at 301 Payran Street, Petaluma, CA 94952 (707-778-6380) this Friday afternoon (November 20th) by 2:30pm.Thanks to fellow P'Town bloggers Mel at Mouse in the Pantry via Frank at Petaluma Spectator for the heads up on this immediate need.

While on the subject of the big bird, Petaluma Chapter of Realtors are distributing baskets with fabulous fixings for 28 complete Thanksgiving Dinners to selected neighborhood recipient families, an additional 27 turkeys to Petaluma People Services and a further 20 birds to PEP Housing for low income seniors.

Thanks to the support of Petaluma's Safeway, Lucky and Raley's stores this is the 2nd annual Chapter of Realtors' Thanksgiving Turkey Donation Program, with most of the distribution taking place Friday afternoon at the Visitor's Center. 

"Raleys also runs a donation drive for COTS providing food with a $20.00 dollar value for each $10.00 donated by customers," says Scott Newman, VP of the Petaluma Chapter of Realtors (pictured above in action at today's Turkey donation). "In addition to the store's $1,000.00 worth of turkeys to COTS for the holidays."
 

 

Green Your Holidays at Alphabet Soup - All for Education

PEF is a Sonoma Country Life Sponsor

Absolute Abalone

The lovely Lori did a smashing job of tenderizing an end-of-season Abalone catch plucked fresh from the North Coast by intrepid Dave and husband of November birthday girl, Jennifer. What a fleet of delicious dishes it made, in a variety of incantations, my favorite being the simple lemon, butter, caper combo whipped up in a red-hot, stove-top skillet.

So, what's the skinny on Abalone, that luxury dish that most of us here in California salivate over widely when in the good fortune to be in the company of a sport diver?

Sport harvesting of California's red abalone is legal with a CA state fishing license and an abalone stamp card that comes with a set of 24 tags  (abalone has to be tagged as soon as it has been harvested from the Pacific).

Abalone has to be caught legally by using breath-hold techniques or shorepicking, with a minimum size of seven inches across the shell and no more than three a day, or 24 a season, from April to November, excluding July. Absolutely no scuba diving allowed for abalone here in California and anything south of the mouth of the SF Bay is strictly prohibited as are the taking of black, white, pink and flat abalone, which are all protected by law.

Wetsuited abalone divers don mask, snorkel, weight belt and a gauge and an abalone iron - utilized for prying the abalone from the rock before it has fully clamped down. Boats, tube floats and kayaks are commonly used to carry divers only a short distance off the shore.

Holiday Shopping at Chileno Valley's Windrush Farm

Would you feel just a tiny bit confined and overheated in a stuffy indoor mall after browsing these bucolic pics of alfresco holiday farm shopping Northern California-style?

Especially glorious was the bright November sunshine Sunday morning, spotlighting the craggy rock formations nestled amidst gently greening hills along spectacular Chileno Valley from South West Sonoma County into rural West Marin.

Gorgeous range of hand crafted holiday gifts hung in trees and on market tables in the stone courtyard behind Windrush farmhouse, as the built-in pizza oven cranked out an aromatic lunch for laid-back shoppers looking for one or two particularly lovely gifts for discerning locals. 

One of the smaller annual arts events in the area this season, though quite sublime.