Southern Sonoma Country Life

Easter

"The air is like a butterfly

With frail blue wings

The happy earth looks at the sky

And sings"

Easter - by Joyce Kilmer

Dog Friendly Beer Garden, Waterfront Oyster Bar, River Dog Pampered Pooch Packages

Dog lovers looking for adventures in the Bay Area and beyond, here are three new opportunities for you to take to the road for some R&R will pooch in tow.

The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company was just named best Dog-Friendly Restaurant and second-best Dog-Friendly Bar in the Bay Area for the second year in a row in Bay Woof’s 2013 Beast of the Bay Competition!

In honor of the occasion, they will be hosting a fundraiser for the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA called “Going to the Dogs” on the heated, dog-friendly Mavericks Beer Garden on Sunday, April 7th, from 1 – 4 p.m.

Four-legged guests will be treated to house-made Mavericks Bones and professional pet photography while their human counterparts may partake in pet adoptions provided by Peninsula Humane Society, and enjoy live music by Patrick Maier Duo along with the Brewing Company’s fresh Coastal cuisine and house-brewed beers.  (www.hmbbrewingco.com)

Closer to home, Nick’s Cove is launching new dog-friendly outdoor oyster bar and a Pampered Pooch Package this April. Overlooking Tomales Bay, the new dog-friendly waterfront patio and outdoor oyster bar adds seating for 30 people to enjoy cocktails and oysters, just in time for spring. The adjoining, dog-friendly Nick’s Cove beach is steps from the waterfront patio, and, weather-permitting, there will be bonfires lit every night for guests to enjoy while the sun sets. The Pampered Pooch Package includes:

 •    overnight accommodations in a luxurious pet-friendly Waterview Cottage or Waterfront Cottage with the pet-fee waived, 

•   BBQ oysters (for humans) and house-made biscuits (for dogs) delivered upon arrival along with a handy map of nearby dog-friendly beaches and hikes, 

•    feeding dishes and dirty-paw towels in the room and 

•   continental breakfast for two humans, plus a special doggy treats delivered to the cottage in the morning with the day’s edition of the San Francisco Chronicle.

 To reserve the Pampered Pooch Package, please call 415-663-1033 or visit http://nickscove.com/specialpackages.html

 The Little River Inn is a family owned and operated boutique resort on the Mendocino Coast and this April in honor of earth day there will be a “River Dog Package” that includes the following special amenities especially for four-legged guests:

•    Two nights in a pet friendly room

•   A three hour dog-friendly canoe excursion with Catch a Canoe

•   An $80 dinner voucher which can be used anywhere at Little River Inn including the dog-friendly parlor, for in-room dining, or in the dining room (which does not allow animals)

•    Free dog sitting while guests ride the Skunk Train

•    A goodie bag containing dogs treats and a fact sheet with information on where to hike, bike and boat with dogs

Packages begin at $568.50, reflecting a 15% room discount.  Advance reservations are required for booking.  Package does not include Skunk Train tickets. For more information, or to secure a reservation contact Little River Inn at 707-937-5942 or www.littleriverinn.com

Cinnabar Theater's Compelling Production of Arthur Miller's 'The Price'

Pictured (L to R) are Charles Siebert, Samson Hood and John Shillington in a scene from Arthur Miller's "The Price," playing at Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma through April 7, 2013.

 Photo by Eric Chazankin

Director Sheri Lee Miller has dished up a slice of classy New York pie for Sonoma County playgoers with her deft production of Arthur Miller's The Price. 

Now running through April 7th, I took a seat for an opening weekend Cinnabar performance of the Pulitzer Prize winning Death of A Salesman playwright's impassioned 1968 conflict-fueled reconciliation of long-estranged, post-Depression era brothers, Viktor and Walter Franz. 

The play, convincingly set in a Brownstone attic, stuffed with dust-covered remnant's of the family's economic bust, mirrored much of Miller's own life. Born in 1915, son of a womens clothing company owner, Miller worked a wide variety of odd-jobs after graduating high school, following the collapse of his father's business during the Depression years. Having experienced work as a radio singer, truck driver and clerk in an automobile parts warehouse, Miller subsequently enrolled in the University of Michigan, writing plays as a student and joining the Federal Theater Project in New York City after receiving his degree. 

Samson Hood's Viktor Franz never made it to college, joining the police force in order to stick around and help his widowed father make ends meet. Revelations from his successful older brother, surgeon, Walter Franz, played by John Shillington, would turn the younger brother's perceptions of responsibility and reality thoroughly inside out. 

Broadway actor Charles Siebert gives a bravo performance as Gregory Solomon, a ressurected relic of a charismatic antiques dealer whom Miller positioned as the central weight in a see-saw of fraternal emotion. 

Madeleine Ashe brings Viktor's  frustrated wife, Esther Franz to life with svelte 1960s style and an enduring attitude to raise the couple's long-muted expectations. Every bit as poignany today as when it was first produced, The Price could be most any family addressing those eternal hot topics of obligation, ambition, sibling rivalry and resentment. 

Regular priced tickets are $25, seniors $22. Click here for more info. 

 

 

Rebuilding Together Petaluma's Upcoming Community Work Day Provides a Lifeline for Impoverished and Disabled Homeowners

One of the many heartwarming projects of last year's community workdays for Rebuilding Together Petaluma saw the mass clearing of decades of old debris and overgrown vegetation from a large, otherwise sunny side yard of a severely disabled Vietnam War veteran's mobile home.

This was part of an extended Spring and Fall overhaul of the home, which was rat infested and in dire need of an electric wheelchair lift, new windows, a rebuilt porch, handrails and a new water heater. Many such mobile homes were not built to last nearly as long as they have been inhabited and without the ability or means to keep up with repairs, (though this one was extreme) it is sadly not unusual for old and disabled people to live in the midst of such serious levels of decline.

A volunteer team from  the New Life Christian Fellowship built planter boxes and a flourishing community garden has since been established. The thankful home owner is able to sit on his rebuilt porch and enjoy the company of neighborhood gardeners, who share with him the bounty from his beautifully revitalized yard. 

 

Skilled tradespeople, community groups, office coworkers and everyday Petalumans like you and I volunteer with Rebuilding Together for unforgettable Spring and Fall workdays, making the sorts of structural improvements to the homes of the less fortunate within our community that enable these people to live more safely and securely.

Though a wheelchair ramp and new water heater or a step in bath or shower for the disabled might not be a complete home makeover, these sorts of vital improvements spark significant life improvements for many recipients. Click here to volunteer.

One thousand dollars, when invested in a Rebuilding Together Petaluma Project results in four thousand dollars worth of improvement, given the program's ability to source discounted materials and mostly volunteer labor (volunteers are not assigned roofing repairs). 

And you don't have to know how to install a toilet to volunteer. Cleaning windows, dump runs, gardening, there are all sorts of things that you can do to make a difference on a volunteer team. Many volunteers actually leave the project having learned many a new home repair skill, having assisted more skilled workers and building useful relationships. 

 

This mobile home park couple is looking forward to the April 2013 Rebuilding Together Petaluma workday. 

Homeowners such as this couple must qualify as low income and many, including this couple, not only have no one else to turn to but also have compounding health issues that have contributed to their decline in an old home.

As one of this Spring's eight projects,  including select Committee On the Shelterless group homes (with the recent loss of Redevelopment Funds, Rebuilding Together Petaluma has become a fundraising machine, a portion of which comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development),  this senior couple's $9,900 mobile home major overhaul is being very generously sponsored by Wells Fargo. 

What's more, a volunteer team of employees from Wells Fargo will be undertaking all of the work which includes roofing, fencing all the way around, a new chicken coop (chickens are currently living in a run-down shed), extensive porch and overhang repairs, fixing a leak in the bathroom ceiling, replacement of refrigerator and stove. 

One of Wells Fargo's requirements is that repairs must increase the energy and efficiency of the house.

Providing "Peace of mind really affects a homeowner's self esteem and sense of self-worth," says Executive Director of Rebuilding Together, Petaluma, Jane Hamilton. "Though we can't fix major life problems, we are impacting their lives by how they function on a practical level."

Most clients come to Rebuilding Together Petaluma via word of mouth. Another disabled Veteran recipient of upcoming Spring repairs is the gentleman pictured below. His property is set to be given a thorough clean-up, with the removal of toxics, roof and gutter repairs and a new, height adjusted toilet.

Most homeowners stay on site during the workday. Volunteer team members enjoy making the direct connection with the individual whose living conditions they are collectively improving. At the end of each project, the Petaluma Garden Club places a spectacular bouquet of freshly arranged flowers inside each home. 

Rebuilding Together Petaluma  lost $175,000 in funding from the dissolution of redevelopment funds in 2012 and $250,000 for all coming years. The organization, which is part of a national group of 220 affiliates across the U.S. has been focused on filling that gap with community and grant funding and by cutting salaries and renting out a portion of its office space on Petaluma Boulevard. Rebuilding Together Petaluma was awarded by the Petaluma City Council an allocation of $182,000 from HUD to be disbursed from July 1, 2025 to June 30th, 2013.

The community at large is stepping up to boost additional fundraising needed for this vital, local non-profit to accomplish its mission. 

Rebuilding Together's Executive Director Jane Hamilton and Director of Program Services Victoria O'Riley pictured below with a client, work year round on emergency repairs for extremely low income home owners, carefully assessing what simply cannot wait.

Approximately eight major repair projects take place each Spring and each Fall on what the tireless and dynamic duo of Hamilton and O'Riley describe as simply "magical" community work days.

This Petaluma resident pictured below is younger than most Rebuilding Together Petaluma Clients, yet his suffering from debilitating Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) has impacted his life in such a way that he has been unable to make necessary home conversions essential for the navigation of his mobility scooter.

April workday team volunteers will be removing flooring and replacing it with laminate, installing a wheelchair ramp and modifying his bathroom. A second phase of repairs will follow in the Fall. Due to earth movement under his property, his garage is unaccessible and it has become extremely challenging for him to ride his scooter up a steep driveway. Rebuilding Together Petaluma hopes to raise sufficient funds to undertake these more substantial structural repairs.  

April 2013 Project Sponsors include: 

Sears Heroes at Home Program

Wells Fargo Money for Muscles Program

Redwood Credit Union

BKF Engineers

Audio Visual Design Group

If you or your company is able to secure sponsorship for Rebuilding Together Petaluma's upcoming April workday, now is the time to reach out and make a significant impact in a neighboring Petaluman's quality of life. A project can be sponsored for as little as a couple of thousand dollars. Any level of financial support is welcome.

Executive Director Jane Hamilton and Director of Program Services Victoria O'Riley are delighted to announce an expanded board of directors. They would love to hear from anyone in the community who has an interest in serving on this enlivened board, dedicated to improving living conditions for Petalumans in most need. 

A Big Shout-Out to Skilled Volunteers  - set to work on the April 2013 projects thus far including:

S.C. Barns; Armand Proulx, General Contractor; Jack Overton, General Contracting; OFD Electric; Daunell Electric; Center Electrics; One World Garden; Andrew Jacobson, Design in Wood; Jeremy Roach, Carpenter; Rick Edwards, Home Fine Tuning; Just Floorcovering;Bill Tallman, The BTC Company; Pete Sand, Handy Man Services; Craig Riddle, Handy Man Services; Roger Evje, Construction Management; Lon Wiley, LRW Construction; The Bathtub Medic; Artemio Diaz; HVAC and general contracting services; Robin Perry, The Floorworks; Mike Nyholm, Conklin Floors; Podesta Builders.

 

Rebuilding Together Petaluma Board of Directors Includes: 

Gina Benedetti-Petnic, President/Vice President 

Project Manager, Devcon Construction Inc.

Christopher McCarthy, Secretary/Treasurer

General Partner, North River Landing LP

Mark Albertson, AIA, Member

Principal, Architects MA

Joanne Ferris, Member 

Director of Advancement, Saint Vincent’s High School

Tim Saavedra, Member

Branch Manager, Sonoma Bank

Heather Mackin, IIDA, Member

Marketing Director, Trope Group

Jeff Schach, Member

EMS Battalion Chief, Petaluma Fire Department

 

All photos Courtesy of Rebuilding Together Petaluma

 

Community's Backyard Cider Celebrates West County's Apple Heritage

Apple Sauced Cider™, a Sebastopol-grown cidery, is seeking local residents to donate apples from their backyard for a community cider blend called “Backyard” cider. Apple Sauced Cider will donate 100% of the profits from this batch of cider to Slow Food Russian River and its Apple Core project, which is responsible for raising awareness of and preserving the county’s apple heritage. 

As members of Slow Food Russian River and apple growers, Hunter and Jolie Wade of Sebastopol’s Apple Sauced Cider aim to engage community members and give back by producing a “backyard” cider, a true expression of Sebastopol’s unique flavors.

The couple's cidery is looking for West county residents’ backyard apples to be donated and blended into a community cider. On a date to be announced, some time in the middle of August, the cidery is inviting all those with donatable fruit to drop off early-season apple varieties, including Gravensteins and others, into large bins at Devoto Gardens and Orchards in Sebastopol.

Apples will be washed, pressed, fermented, and bottled by Apple Sauced Cider™ . The cidery will then donate 100% of the profits from this batch to the Apple Core Project.

“There are many Sebastopol residents who have Gravenstein trees in their backyard that produce more fruit than they know what to do with," says Jolie Devoto Wade, Director of Sales and Marketing for Apple Sauced Cider. "People keep saying how sad it is to see Gravensteins fall and rot on the ground. Our goal is to get people excited about those apples by presenting them with an opportunity to donate the fruit for a good cause.” 

Apple Sauced Cider was founded by the Wades in 2012. The cidery aims to utilize all the local organic apples that it possibly can. In 2012, the cidery produced 1100 cases of cider and experienced the pleasant problem of  not being able to meet  demand. In 2013, production is set to increase to 5,000 and more cases of cider to help satisfy Sonoma County residents’ thirst for a truly local beverage.

In addition to making the cider, Apple Sauced Cider prides itself for being the ‘clean-up crew’ on the founder’s family farm, Devoto Gardens and Orchards, aiming to use every single processing apple on the 26 acres of organic heirloom apple varieties. 

Since it will be produced in a limited quantity, Apple Sauced Cider’s “Backyard” Cider™ will be available through direct case delivery through the cidery’s website, AppleSaucedCider.com. in addition to being featured by several local restaurants and Bay Area retailers from October 2013.   

For more information, comments, or ideas on the project, or those interested in volunteering, please contact Jolie Devoto Wade at info@applesaucedcider.com.

 

Latest News in West Petaluma Living

Click here for more information on an upcoming Public Meeting for input on downtown Petaluma's new boutique hotel proposal  - Wednesday March 27th, 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm Petaluma Community Center. 

 

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Crowds lined Western Avenue on Monday morning, March 18th for the opening of Alphabet Soup@Home , home furnishings, decor and accessories sister store to Petaluma Educational Foundation's Alphabet Soup. 

 

 

Red Roof and Other Stunning Paintings by Artist Sara James-Rilleau in Boomerang Gallery's Spring Show

Tomales-based artist Sara James-Rilleau grew up in Vermont and Colorado. After  college

 in Vermont  ( where she studied art), she spent years on Cape  Cod, with intermittent

 winters in New York City, Boston, Utah and New Mexico.

 

"I Moved  to Petaluma  in 1988 with my husband Daniel Rilleau and our son, Jesse," said

James-Rilleau. "A friend  brought me a roll of canvas and some oil paints from  Goodwill  

about  16  years ago and I started painting. Both of my parents were painters,  so  it seemed

a very natural step for me. "

 

An artist's  reception  takes place this Saturday,  March  23, 2013 from  6 pm until 9 pm

 Boomerang Gallery/Heebe Jeebe  is  located at 46  Kentucky  St.,  Petaluma. Call

707 773-3222 for more info. This event is free to the public and open to all ages.

 

 

New Workshop Out at Windrush Farm - A Photographer's Dream, May 18th - 19th, 2013

Photo: farmphotoworkshop

Are you adept with a camera but looking for expert direction to hone your craft in a rural setting? This workshop is for photographers who already know how to photograph with their camera in manual settings, but want to learn how to shoot luscious lifestyle shots like a farm-to-table pro.  

You won't find any better instructors to fit the bill when it comes to luminous Sonoma/West Marin pro images.

Bay Area Photographers, Paige Green, Jude Mooney  and Morgan Bellinger, have created a basic framework for the weekend of May 18th and 19th, to help guide this collaborative, creative adventure… but essentially they plan to encourage participants to play with cameras, lenses, reflectors, models, food photography, barns, bouncing lambs, chicken coops, oak trees, grassy fields, wood-fired pizza, and campfires.

Where: 2263 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma CA 94952

What the workshop will cover:

• creating remarkable images
• composition
• light
• styling
• directing
• pushing yourself creatively
• shooting techniques
• adding flash
• portfolio review

Class schedule:

• Saturday: Making it Work & Creative Play
• Sunday: Adding Light

What to bring: Bring your cameras! Digital, film, vintage, and experimental cameras are all welcome! However, instructors will be doing digital editing & processing so it would be good to have digital images to work on. Bring your laptops with Adobe Lightroom and/or Adobe Bridge & Photoshop installed. If you don’t have these programs you can download the 30-day free trials.

When: May 18th-19th

Cost: $600 for two days or $350 for one day

What that includes: three yummy, farm fresh meals, two days of instruction and one night of camping.

For more details or to sign up, see farmphotoworkshop.com.

Petaluma Designer Brings Healthy Japanese Wall Finish Product to Northern California

 

Petaluma based design pro, Monica Binsfeld's latest passion (other than taking the helm as lead design coordinator for the new boutique project in the works for downtown Petaluma) is for a healthy 'new' plaster finish for walls and ceilings, named Shikkui!  

Last November, she traveled to Japan in search of  this so called 'new' product, at its source. "In fact, what I found has been around for over one thousand years," said Binsfeld.

"Shikkui is a plaster made of slake lime of high calcium purity, seaweed extracts, natural plant fiber and other natural aggregate. It can be applied both on the interior and exteriors of buildings as seen throughout Japan on houses, temples and castles.  The creative possibilities with Shikkui are limitless, being able to customize color and textures."  

Designer such as Binsfeld are able to  achieve a stunning range of traditional and modern finishes, combining the reliability of a time-tested material with cutting edge engineering to deliver a surface coating unmatched in beauty, versatility, durability and most importantly, health. The coatings are highly porous and naturally antiseptic, so indoor air quality is actively improved for healthier spaces.

"I needed to see for myself the process of manufacturing this material and what I found surpassed any expectation I might have had." said Binsfeld. Her journey proved fruitful in that Tagawa Sangyo,  Japan’s leading researcher and manufacturer of sustainable building materials, liked the Petaluma innovator as much as she liked its product. Binsfeld is now the exclusive Northern California representative for Shikkui products and anyone interested in knowing more about this exciting new product to the region may peruse a variety of finish samples in her Petaluma Ecco mi Designs studio (by appointment). For more info see www.shikkuiplasterdesign.com. 

All Shikkui products by Tagawa Sangyo are manufactured in Japan under strict requirements for product quality and human health.

• Natural mineral materials
• Sprayed, rolled or troweled application
• Interior and exterior applications
• Residential and commercial projects
• Excellent workability
• Odor free, zero-VOC, and non-toxic
• Humidity-regulating
• Antistatic and hypoallergenic
• Naturally antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal
• Up to 50% UPCYCLED rapidly-renewable content – eggshells
• Optimized 2-coat system reduces both material and application costs
• Can contribute toward up to 11 LEED credits
• Cradle to Cradle certified (Silver)

Springtime at French Hen Antiques

French Hen Antiques at 218 Petaluma Boulevard North, in Petaluma's historic boutique shopping district is bursting with primroses, floral pottery and fresh, Spring colors. Always such a pleasure to peruse.