November! That sounded fairly positive. Let's try it again...November!! Wow, I'm feeling more enthused by the minute. I bet if you asked one hundred people to say "September, October, November" the majority would have November end on a low note. Just ain't fair. In Vivian Smiths book When Wanderers Cease to Roam she describes November as a month when "...you get a whiff of something in the air that isn't related to living things. Leaves, grass, flowers-you know what they smell like. This is different. It's the smell of cold stone walls and ice vapor. It smells like nothingness, silence, and deep black nights. 'Uh oh', you think: 'Winter. Am I ready for this?'". That's November on Long Island Sound. Let's visit November in West Sonoma County...
The landscape around Sebastopol Redwood House and points west is dominated by....you guessed it..redwoods. The redwood tree is evergreen, as are the firs, live oaks, pines, bay laurel and shrubs. So while the forests thin out a bit, the hills are still green...and wet. The moisture has quite the opposite effect that Vivian described. You get a whiff of something that it totally related to living things. Smells of bay laurel permeate any November walk. The creeks are running and the mornings may be frosty on a clear night, but the temps are generally mild. The days of swimming in the Russian River and biking in T-shirts have given way to walks in the woods or trips to the coast in your favorite JACKET.
So, bring a jacket. Bring an umbrella. Bring a rain coat if you really want to experience the redwood forest during a coastal rain. Walk through the Grove of Old Trees, especially in the rain. Likely no one will be there and you can experience that primeval misty rainy quiet that is unique to the redwood forest in November!!
Update 10/21: Finished up the usual mundane pre winter maintenance...resealing the deck, cleaning out gutters, etc. and the strangest thing happened. I woke up one night to a strange sound...not sure what it was at first. Oh yeah, RAIN! Living in parched San Luis Obispo County I forgot what that sounded like! Green grass is coming up and I hope it will be a wet winter...usually is.
Occidental Weather:
The Green Center:
Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol:
Saturday November 8TH: The Machiavelvets: Occidental Center for the Arts: Funk/rock/jazzedelic blues. These homies are from Mill Valley and I hear they are great.
Occidental Center for the Arts: November 16th: Unlikely Duo and West of Malarkey: This sounds like a fun evening. Upbeat Irish folk etc. Love it.
The Barlow: Shops in Sebastopol for a rainy day.
Balletto Vineyards: Close to the house and SEVEN gold medals this year! These homies are on a roll!
Freestone Artisan Cheese: Need some cheese to go with your wine? Any excuse to go to Freestone is a good one!
November 9 wine and cheese pairing in Freestone: Autumn savory soups and wine in Freestone. Gotta go.
Pepino D'Augustino Dec. 7 at Occidental Center for the Arts: Ok, I know this is a November blog but I have been going to acoustic fingerstyle concerts for 30 plus years and I have to say that Pepino is the best I have ever heard. His style is very unique. I saw him here in SLO county a few weeks ago and it was truly epic. Very humble and engaging fellow.
The Machiavelvets Nov 8th Occidental: This group sounds like a lot of fun.
The Unlikely Duo And West of Malarkey November 16th in Occidental: Looks like an upbeat evening!
November 21st Occidental Center for the Arts: Kenny White and Amy Speace.
Wild Flour Bread in Freestone:
I will scope it out!
The landscape around Sebastopol Redwood House and points west is dominated by....you guessed it..redwoods. The redwood tree is evergreen, as are the firs, live oaks, pines, bay laurel and shrubs. So while the forests thin out a bit, the hills are still green...and wet. The moisture has quite the opposite effect that Vivian described. You get a whiff of something that it totally related to living things. Smells of bay laurel permeate any November walk. The creeks are running and the mornings may be frosty on a clear night, but the temps are generally mild. The days of swimming in the Russian River and biking in T-shirts have given way to walks in the woods or trips to the coast in your favorite JACKET.
So, bring a jacket. Bring an umbrella. Bring a rain coat if you really want to experience the redwood forest during a coastal rain. Walk through the Grove of Old Trees, especially in the rain. Likely no one will be there and you can experience that primeval misty rainy quiet that is unique to the redwood forest in November!!
Update 10/21: Finished up the usual mundane pre winter maintenance...resealing the deck, cleaning out gutters, etc. and the strangest thing happened. I woke up one night to a strange sound...not sure what it was at first. Oh yeah, RAIN! Living in parched San Luis Obispo County I forgot what that sounded like! Green grass is coming up and I hope it will be a wet winter...usually is.
Occidental Weather:
The Green Center:
Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol:
Saturday November 8TH: The Machiavelvets: Occidental Center for the Arts: Funk/rock/jazzedelic blues. These homies are from Mill Valley and I hear they are great.
Occidental Center for the Arts: November 16th: Unlikely Duo and West of Malarkey: This sounds like a fun evening. Upbeat Irish folk etc. Love it.
The Barlow: Shops in Sebastopol for a rainy day.
Balletto Vineyards: Close to the house and SEVEN gold medals this year! These homies are on a roll!
Freestone Artisan Cheese: Need some cheese to go with your wine? Any excuse to go to Freestone is a good one!
November 9 wine and cheese pairing in Freestone: Autumn savory soups and wine in Freestone. Gotta go.
Pepino D'Augustino Dec. 7 at Occidental Center for the Arts: Ok, I know this is a November blog but I have been going to acoustic fingerstyle concerts for 30 plus years and I have to say that Pepino is the best I have ever heard. His style is very unique. I saw him here in SLO county a few weeks ago and it was truly epic. Very humble and engaging fellow.
The Machiavelvets Nov 8th Occidental: This group sounds like a lot of fun.
The Unlikely Duo And West of Malarkey November 16th in Occidental: Looks like an upbeat evening!
November 21st Occidental Center for the Arts: Kenny White and Amy Speace.
Wild Flour Bread in Freestone:
I will scope it out!
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