Photos by Ryan Lely Items have been dribbling in lately from up valley, where an inn and a restaurant have just won accolades, a new store opened two weeks ago and tasting rooms are moving in at the rate of about one a month. It... Continue
Dr. Frankenstein is not a name often invoked during the Thanksgiving holiday, except perhaps when critics deride a certain culinary phenomenon that has crept upon plates throughout the past quarter-century. The Frankenstein monster, that crude assemblage of body parts stitched into an ill-fated attempt to... Continue
To picture a watershed, think of a leaf. From a single stem, moisture flows outward through a network of capillaries branching, with increasing complexity, into a filigree of tiny veins. Reverse the process – and magnify it – and you have an approximate picture of... Continue
[nggallery id=5] Safari West, the 400 acre wildlife preserve nestled in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, is practically a new Eden – missing only a pair of nudists and a talking snake. No worries – the shear diversity of life, represented in exotic... Continue
In Los Angeles one “does lunch,” in Folsom one “does time,” and “Beach Blanket Babylon,” apparently, “Does Napa,” or at least it will when it brings its rollicking revue to the Napa Valley Opera House’s 2008 Gala on Nov. 15. The ensemble cast of comedic... Continue
Happy “Armistice Day” At least, that’s how Veterans Day started. Hostilities in The Great War, which we now know as World War I, were officially concluded at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Three days of negotiations in... Continue
Photos by Ryan Lely Honoring those who have passed has been a cultural preoccupation since the dawn of humankind. From ancient human remains accompanied by fossilized flowers and seeds to accompany the deceased to the next life, to the improvised roadside shrines that dot Highway... Continue
With Election Day upon us, change is certainly in the air. Photo editor Ryan and Lely and I thought we would explore the concept of “change” by interviewing people within a single square block of the Historic Sonoma Plaza. While concocting a lead for this... Continue
Photos by Ryan Lely Seasonal circumstances mandate at least one Halloween groaner in an article that references entombment of the dead. Here goes: There are few vocations graver than that of cemetery supervisor. Such is the title of Alan Willbergh, who has worked in Sonoma’s... Continue
Bonnie and Claude greet arriving visitors at the California Academy of Sciences, which debuted its dazzling new facilities on Sept. 27. Perhaps “greet” is not the right word, since alligators are notoriously cold-blooded; mostly, the two just drape themselves atop the slimy ledges like some... Continue