Southern Sonoma Country Life

An Artist Reception for Murray Rockowitz and Joseph McDonald at Aqus Cafe at Foundry Wharf, Saturday Aug 2nd

All Sorts of Delicious - SucherNova Farm Dinner Saturday August 2nd 2014

Farm dinner fans take note, there are still a few tickets left for seating and feasting at Cotati's SucherNova Farm, this Saturday, August 2nd, 2014.

Chef Laura Lee will be serving up a delicious dinner including tapas, paella, rabbit and duck. Music by The Wendy Burch Steel & Redwood Band. Email 

SucherNovaFarm@gmail.com for more info on this Saturday's dinner, or another on September 6th.

 

 

Inspired by Patterns - Dana Hooper Paintings at Toby's Gallery, Point Reyes Station

 

Toby's Gallery at Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station presents one of my favorite Sonoma County artists: Dana Hooper's paintings,  along with  Douglas Cruickshank photographs, in an Inspired By Patterns art show August 2nd to September 2nd, 2014.

An artists reception takes place Saturday August 2nd,  from 1-4pm

Toby's Gallery, 11250 Hwy 1, Point Reyes Station

 

Rebuilding Together Joins Forces With Mentor Me Petaluma On New HQ at 1958 Former Boys and Girls Center

photos Frank Simpson

Renovations are underway and expected to continue through the summer months for the conversion of the old Cavanagh Center, former West Petaluma home to the Boys and Girls Club, into spiffy and spacious new digs for the city's wonderful Mentor Me Petaluma organization.

If you'd like to help lend a hand on this great project for the youth of our community, this summer, Mentor Me could certainly use your help. There are tasks galore for the skilled and unskilled alike. If you are able to paint, clean, organize, install flooring, do plumbing, register to volunteer through partnering non-profit, Rebuilding Together Petaluma.

Rebuilding Together is putting together the following Monday through Thursday volunteer days in August to help  prepare theis new home for Mentor Me at the on 8th and G Streets. 

Monday August 18th, 9am to 1 pm - carpet and tile removal (also a few spaces left forsame in the afternoon 1-5 pm)

Tuesday August 19th 9am to 1 pm - floor prep

Wednesday August 20th- full

Thursday August 21st 9am-1pm or 1pm-5pm- Carpet laying and VCT tile installation.

RTP will supply tools, t-shirts, food and drink. If you can help on any of those days please go to www.rtpetaluma.org and click register to volunteer. In the field that asks with whom you prefer to work, please put in the time that you can help. If you've already registered with RBT P to work on this project, simply send an email to say which day and time works for you.

The City of Petaluma granted in May, approval for the 300-strong student 14-year-old Mentor Me Petaluma group to realize a long held dream of its own centralized facility for community mentoring. 

The Boys & Girls Club opened the center back in 1958. It pulled out of this particular facility in 2011, citing operational costs. Over the past few years the building has been used as a rental space by community groups every now and again.

Mentor Me space in schools throughout the city has offered limited scope for recreation and activities and the non-profits offices on Keller Street were cramped and inadequate. The redo at Cavamagh will provide administration headquarters, a board room, conference room and a mentor training room.The organization hopes to move in by the time school starts back in session. A second phase of renovations is set to include a tutoring cente, career counseling center and computer lab.

Mentor training will be expanded to year-round and not dependent on school space once the new center is up and running. This win-win agreement between the city and a non-profit that benefits the community in so many ways is being considered a model scenario in which to better utilize and fund the cost of underultized, city-owned space. 

This pace of action would not have been realistic without the outstanding work and support of Rebuilding Together Petaluma. 

 

Mixed Media Collage Exhibit Opens at Petaluma Art Center and Neighboring IceHouse Gallery, July 25th, 2014

Petaluma Craft Guild Libations & Outlandish Outfitting - A Rivertown Revival Refresher Course

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer.”

Abraham Lincoln

Thousands of revelers stepped back to the future at the rollicking Fifth Annual Rivertown Revival, a benefit for the David Yearsley River Heritage Center at Steamer Landing Park on the McNear Peninsula in the heart of historic West Petaluma, July 19th. This increasingly popular, steam-punkish party raises significant funds for staffing and innovative programs of the Friends of the Petaluma River.

Anything-goes, quasi-Victorian and other outlandish outfits, the best of local craft ale, more of the best of local craft ale, music and food-truck refreshments being the order of the day, this one-of-a-kind event pulls in Petalumans and rivertown fans of all ages.

My favorite thing at RR being people watching - the garb gets better each year. 

Unchartered: The Berkeley Festival of Ideas - Join the Exchange With Some of the World's Greatest Thinkers, Oct 2014

Berkeleyside proudly announces the initial program and speaker line-up for Uncharted: The Berkeley Festival of Ideas 2014. This October 24th -25th, 2014, Uncharted brings you together with some of the world’s great thinkers for two thrilling days of discussion, debate, and workshops designed to engage and inspire. Much more than a series of lectures, Uncharted is a festival of ideas.   Join in the dynamic exchange between prominent thinkers representing technology, science, culture, politics, education, food, business, the environment, and other vital areas that dominate our lives. We’re planning a tremendous program, and you won’t believe the speaker line-up so far -- with more to come!  Held in Berkeley’s thriving Arts District and highlighted by a hilltop party, Uncharted promises to be even more stimulating, surprising, and fun than last year.  Uncharted is offered to you at a fraction of the cost of other “ideas festivals.” Best of all, right now, you save $100 over 2013 prices. Who doesn’t think that’s a brilliant idea?  So don’t miss out – secure your savings and reserve your space now for Uncharted 2014!  ounded last year as the Bay Area’s first ideas festival, Uncharted is a production of Berkeleyside, Berkeley’s independent news website.   Watch the 2013 highlights   Check out the 2014 program       See the list of speakers Reserve now

Explore What’s Next with Nobel prizewinner Randy Schekman, Pulitzer Prize composer John Adams, marriage equality pioneers Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, social psychologist Claude Steele, author Adam Mansbach and dozens of other dangerous thinkers   UNCHARTED: The Berkeley Festival of Ideas Two Days of Thrilling Discussion, Debate, and Dining October 24 & 25, 2014 “Early Bird” Tickets Now On Sale **************************************************************************************** Innovators from the worlds of technology, science, culture, food, arts, politics: two days of conversations and workshops designed to engage and inspire

 

 

 

 

$4 Mill Gift Boosts Nation's First Hands-On Ecological Horticulture Training Program for Beginning Organic Farmers at a Public University

A $4-million gift to the University of California, Santa Cruz has established an endowment to support the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, the nation's first hands-on training program for beginning organic farmers at a public university. 

The apprenticeship is one of the core programs of theCenter for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at UC Santa Cruz and has earned an international reputation for the skill and knowledge of its instructors and researchers for more than 45 years. 

The Center also serves undergraduates and the public, and is dedicated to increasing ecological sustainability and social justice in the food system, while creating the next generation of leaders in sustainable agriculture. 

This year's 39 first-year apprentices hail from across the country and bring with them a variety of life experiences. They are united by a single passion: to learn how to produce healthy food for their communities and empower others to do so as well.

Apprentices get approximately 300 hours of classroom instruction and 700 hours of in-field training and experience in greenhouses, gardens, orchards, and fields. In addition to learning soil science and a comprehensive suite of organic farming and gardening skills, apprentices also study business practices and direct marketing techniques for small farmers. And they gain a conceptual grounding in social and environmental issues in agriculture.

This gift, from an anonymous donor, is the first step in building a $10-million endowment that will ensure the Center's long-term productivity and impact. 

"The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz is the nation's leading university program in sustainable agriculture and food systems," said Daniel Press, CASFS executive director and the Olga T. Griswold professor of environmental studies. "This generous gift will help ensure that it continues to be."

Incubator for innovation

"We are an incubator for innovation in organic and sustainable agriculture,” said Sheldon Kamieniecki, dean of the UC Santa Cruz Division of Social Sciences. "UC Santa Cruz has been ahead of the curve for more than 45 years and our influence proves you don’t have to be a big ag school to have major impacts on farming and food distribution.”

The Center and its programs are part of the Coastal Sustainability initiative of The Campaign for UC Santa Cruz. Annual payouts from the endowment will be used to cover costs for salaries, educational expenses, materials, and equipment.

Work at UC Santa Cruz in sustainable agriculture and food justice are key components of the UC Global Food Initiative announced July 1.

Founded in 1967, the Center operates the three-acre Alan Chadwick Garden and the 30-acre UC Santa Cruz Farm, which serve as research, teaching, and training facilities. Each April, a new crop of apprentices comes to UC Santa Cruz to live and work on the Farm for six months. 

1,500 graduates

The program now boasts nearly 1,500 graduates who have established their own commercial farms and market gardens, organized and run community gardens for inner city and prison populations, and developed school gardening programs. Many graduates take part in international development projects, including programs in Nepal, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and throughout Central and South America. Others have raised the standards of the organic food industry through work with certification programs and retailers.

The Center and Farm and Garden also serve thousands of UC Santa Cruz undergraduates through more than 30 classes; plus internships, service learning, and campus events. Hundreds of community members visit the Farm each year for organic gardening workshops, events, and tours. 

An on-site affiliate, Life Lab, uses the Farm for K–12 school tours, teacher trainings, summer camps, and the “Food What?” youth empowerment program. 

The Center advances both theoretical and applied research. Researchers working with CASFS are at the forefront of efforts to develop and advance sustainable food and agricultural systems that will serve as a foundation for future generations.

West Petaluma Views, Versatility, Move-In Style - New to the Market, 5 Bedroom, 3 Baths Plus Unit

 What a gorgeous evening for Timo's newest listing photos. And what a lovely home to catch more sunsets like this one. Click here for the website for this secluded hilltop reatreat in West Petaluma.

 This delightful home at 28 Halsey Court is all the more of a rare gem with leafy scenic views, in town. 

 Large open kitchen/family room has granite slab counters, kitchen aid appliances, custom built in cabinetry, bamboo floors and recessed lighting and its a fireplace. 

 Manageable 14,000 sq foot landscaped yards. Built in 2006, this 2,800 sq foot home features five bedrooms and three bathrooms in the main house. 

 Oak trees galore.

This home features a legal 396 Sq. Ft. Studio with bath above the 2 car garage. Call Timo for a viewing at 707 477 8396. 

Southern Sonoma County Author Erika Johansen Debuts Next Big Thing in Gripping, Fantasy Fiction Trilogy, The Queen of the Tearling

News that British actor Emma Watson has signed up with Warner Brothers to play the part of Sonoma County debut author Erika Johansen's fantasy adventure heroine, Kelsea, in the movie version of her brand new book, has catapulted The Queen Of The Tearling into the publishing stratosphere.

Who, in their wildest dreams, pens the first of a planned trilogy (with more to follow), a fledgling author's early work, igniting the passions of top publishing houses and is snapped up by a major movie production company before the first hardback edition hits bookstores?

Quiet, private, delightfully unassuming Erika Johansen, that's who. "It's a fairy tale in itself," she said. I'd say that with all her (mighty) ducks in a row, the trilogy is bound to be a massive, international smash hit, hot on the heels of Twilight and the likes. Though, much more appealing to readers over voting age. And Erika insists: "It's no Twilight."

Don't be looking for the sort of sappy romance that hits you a mile a minute at the start , or any part of the book. Kelsea, a decidedly plain, clever, chubby heroine, with guts and courage and conviction galore, is not a robotic 19-year-old, but doesn't (and, according to the author, won't) let a love interest take center stage and rule her story. 

And if you missed the author's first official bookstore reading and signing in her hometown Copperfield's Bookstore, in Petaluma, CA, then don't be surprised if you have to wait in line around the block when the second and consecutive book comes out.

I love a success story. Especially in publishing. It's even more fantastic when the author is so entirely ego-free and not at all interested in the rally call of marketing hype.

Erika attended Swarthmore College, a small, private liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia, earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, went on to become an attorney, but switched back to following her heart in fiction writing. 

She spoke about the 'beauty cult' in the U.S. "Parents tell their daughters that they are beautiful, no matter what," she said. "I disagree. Tell them that they might be pretty, they might not be, but they have far more strengths and gifts to focus on and offer the world."

Still, publishers asked if Kelsea could be made: "a little prettier?" Erika held her ground with a solid "No". 

"I think there's a huge market for a heroine like Kelsea," she said. "No one has been brave enough."

She does not plan to attend the red carpet screening when the movie releases. She won't even watch it. "The book is pure and perfect and can never be changed," she said. "I won't let the movie version mess with my conception of the world." 

Of course, Emma Watson is hardly a plain Jane. But considering alternatives, Erika is thankful that Kelsea is in good hands with the star who rose to fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter trilogy. Emma, herself, recently graduated from Brown University with a Bachelors Degree in English Literature. Emma, aged 24 has recently been named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. 

As I haven't read it yet, here's the book blurb for The Queen of the Tearling from Harper Collins, the publishing house that won out a bidding war for the author's slam-dunk, fantasy-adventure trilogy. 

"Magic, adventure, mystery, and romance combine in this epic debut in which a young princess must reclaim her dead mother’s throne, learn to be a ruler—and defeat the Red Queen, a powerful and malevolent sorceress determined to destroy her.

On her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn, raised in exile, sets out on a perilous journey back to the castle of her birth to ascend her rightful throne. Plain and serious, a girl who loves books and learning, Kelsea bears little resemblance to her mother, the vain and frivolous Queen Elyssa. But though she may be inexperienced and sheltered, Kelsea is not defenseless: Around her neck hangs the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense magical power; and accompanying her is the Queen’s Guard, a cadre of brave knights led by the enigmatic and dedicated Lazarus. Kelsea will need them all to survive a cabal of enemies who will use every weapon—from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic—to prevent her from wearing the crown.

Despite her royal blood, Kelsea feels like nothing so much as an insecure girl, a child called upon to lead a people and a kingdom about which she knows almost nothing. But what she discovers in the capital will change everything, confronting her with horrors she never imagined. An act of singular daring will throw Kelsea’s kingdom into tumult, unleashing the vengeance of the tyrannical ruler of neighboring Mortmesne: the Red Queen, a sorceress possessed of the darkest magic. Now Kelsea will begin to discover whom among the servants, aristocracy, and her own guard she can trust.

But the quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun—a wondrous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend . . . if she can survive."

Erika Johansen thanks her lucky stars that she is able to get up every morning and write. She's also partial to Boardwalk Empire reruns and knitting. She's hoping that if spotted with headphones and laptop, intent at work over coffee, we'll leave her be. She has several more books to write after all.