October begins like summer and typically ends looking a lot like winter. One day the forests are ablaze with fall color and the next day the winds and rain transform the scene to that of early winter. Time to get out those fall clothes you have been waiting for! The smell of newly wet bay leaves makes an after rain hike all the more special. If you read my archived blog posts you will see that there really isn't a month that doesn't have some merit. The spring and fall and summer months are chip shots, but the fall has that slower vibe that contrasts with the faster paced summer months. The rainy months can be a great time to go hiking as you will likely not see a soul and there is something about a redwood forest in the rain....primeval!  I do have a bias toward outdoor activities so if you don't like to get dirty...my apologies. There are plenty of wineries to visit and cool towns and restaurants to visit to keep anyone happy. Lets take a look!
10/23 update: The fires affecting Santa Rosa did not involve western Sonoma County. So it's business as usual here while unfortunately Santa Rosa was heavily impacted and many people lost their homes. We have seen one heavy rain here and there will be more to come as November approaches so the fire season is pretty much over.

Occidental Weather:        

Occidental Center for the Arts: Celtic harps! Oct 14, 8-10 pm. Five minutes from the house!
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Occidental Center for the Arts: October 21st Brazilian  Jazz!

​Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol: Here is the live music line up. Have a brew, chill.

​Bodega Bay Calendar: That's right. It's empty! Good reason to visit Bodega Bay!!

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That should get you started!
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My my but summer just flew by didn't it? Here it is September which is a fantastic month in west Sonoma County. The maple trees are already turning yellow soon to be followed by the vineyards and willows....love it! Sorry to let my fan base down since June....Bob...are you still there? Anyway, Bob will get over it. Time to get on with the fall and see what it has to offer us!

Occidental weather:

​Occidental Center for the Arts: Simrit, Sunday, September 24th at 730 PM.  This sounds interesting! It also sounds very Occidental. Check it out!

Occidental Center for the Arts: African rhythm music September 30th.  Interesting. Get in the groove!

​Hop Monk Sebastopol: Here is the musical lineup. Have a brew and chill!

​The Barlow:  Cool place to walk around, have lunch, see what's going on.


Hiking: There are many good places to stroll through the woods this time of year. Take Coleman Valley Road uphill from Occidental and Take a right on Willow Creek road. Go to the end of the road and park at the gate. Walk down willow creek road. Take a left on a trail called Jamboree. It's an out and back along the ridge but super pretty. Don't hike on the private property to the right and left as you go down Willow Creek until you get to the state park property. You can hike all the way down to the creek which is super pretty but a bit of a slog on the way back.


Also the Old Grove of Trees mentioned in my "things to do" tab is a total winner as is the Kortum Trail out at the coast in the fall.


Red hill is another great hike. Follow my directions on the things to do tab to the other end of Willow Creek road at Bridgehaven. The road going up the creek is a bit rough. Try to make it Pomo Campground. Hike up through the woods to red hill where there is a great view of the ocean and the mouth of the Russian river. This is an out and back with a loop for part of it. You can also access Red Hill from the trail that is across hwy 1 from Shell beach.


Have fun!

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June has been a beautiful month after a very wet winter. Here a few tips for a good stay. Open the windows at night and close them in the morning. We have had warmer than usual weather and this will help keep the house cooler as there is no air conditioning. Close the west facing shades to keep the sun out after 4 pm. I have weed whacked the area down by the creek and put some very humble chairs down there. Nice place later in the day. Also, I took a drive up toward Healdsburg to pick up a couple more bee hives. It is a beautiful drive past many wineries. Drive to Forestville and take Covey road to a right on Trenton. Take Trenton to a right on river road then left on Wohler Bridge road, After you cross the bridge take a right on West Side road going north. After several miles take a left on Dry Creek road. Beautiful. Consider dinner at the Willow Wood Cafe in Graton on the way back home!

​Random pic from a couple of weeks ago.

​Occidental Weather:

​Hopmonk Music Line Up:

June 30th in Occidental:

Occidental Farmers Market:

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Lets see...January, February, May. That's the way it goes right? I'm not sure how that happened but it did have something to do with my laptop going on the blink and my procrastinating about getting another one. I have always been an PC guy and I bought this MacBook Air because two of my three kids have one. Given the recent ransomeware outbreak I am glad to have a Mac! 
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​ Ok, so I have some catching up to do! March and April happened. Questions? Ok let's move on. Sebastopol Redwood House has seen 112 inches of rain this winter making it the biggest winter rainfall I have ever seen up there.  The biggest winter I remember was in 1969 when the water was up to the top of the bridge at Duncans Mills. So 112 inches translates to a fantastic spring and a wonderful summer. All the lakes are full, the Russian river will be flowing well all summer as will all the creeks in the area. The house did well with just a tree down here and there and a power surge that fried the washing machine and disabled parts of the lighting system for a few days. All is well now with all systems working fine so let's see whats going on.

​Occidental Weather
Occidental Center for the Arts: Dan Walsh Banjo Master May 20th. This looks like a winner five minutes from the house!

Claude Bourbon May 21 5-7 Occidental Center for the Arts: This artist is a well known finger picker and I would go to this if I was up there.

Sebastopol Hopmonk Tavern: Here is the music line up. Great place to have a brew and listen to some live music in downtown Sebastopol.

​Freestone Artisan Cheese: This place is only a ten minute drive from the house. Stop by the Freestone Bakery for bread and make sure to walk through their great vegetable garden. Then pick up a bottle of wine at Joseph Phelps Winery and top it off with some artisan cheese. Sign me up!

Go to Graton Ca. Check out this website for details. Graton has a few really good restaurants and is a short drive to LynmarWinery also on this website.

Restaurant of the month! This month it's Willow Wood Cafe in Graton. I had dinner there last night and it was great! I had the chicken pot pie and the Cesar salad. If you are looking for small, expensive ,and fancy meals, this is not the place. However if you are looking for great atmosphere, outdoor seating in the better weather months, close to the house, reasonably priced with a nice menu selection then give it a go.

​Will scope it out!











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Last winter there was endless talk about the "godzilla of El Nino" weather drenching the west coast with rain. Last winter was a bit below average in Sonoma County. Then we see this winter!!! The Redwood House has now seen about 50 inches of rain!!! Truly a remarkable winter, raining as I write this and due to continue throughout the week. But don't despair! The hills are green, the hot tub is warm, and we are heading into spring. In San Luis Obispo County where I live, we have had 30 inches of rain which is the biggest winter in the 24 years. All this rain means an epic spring!!!!

Occidental Weather:

Occidental Center for the arts: Steve Gillette and Cindy Magneson 7 pm. Steve Gillette is a real talent. I saw him in SLO county and had a great time. Has has written many songs covered by various stars. He wrote one of my favorites, Darcy Farrow which was picked up by John Denver. If I was up there I would see these two for sure. Five minute drive!

Occidental Center for the Arts: Lucy Laplansky Feb 18th: I have not seen her but she has an impressive musical bio! Sounds like a total winner.

Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol: Here is the musical lineup!

Well, that's a start. I am a big fan of the bakery in Freestone (see nearby attractions tab). Fantastic vegetable garden, great bread, good coffee and a beautiful drive from the house. Have a great Feb!!

January in Sono ma County is the prelude to spring! We have had about 30 inches of rain so far this season without losing power or getting out the chainsaw. The rain has come in increments....frequent increments...so there has been no drama. All the creeks and seasonal drainages are gurgling nicely and the hills are green with what promises to be quite the crop of grass. The wild currants are blooming, the wild iris is blooming, and the mustard grass will soon turn the vineyards ablaze in yellow. This is a quiet time of year with few tourists. The coastline and hiking areas are very quiet and the scenery  is spectacular! The boys and I took a hike up through Pomo camp around Red Hill at the end of Willow Creek road and were treated with great views and perfect weather. Ask me about that hike it you are interested. So let's take a look at any events that may be happening as well as outdoor activites you may enjoy, remembering as always that the best things in life aren't things.

 Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. So November is indeed famous for having thirty days. It's also Thanksgiving month, my favorite holiday. But November has now achieved a more provincial fame at Sebastopol Redwood house. You see, 15 gigs hath September, April, June but NOT November because November hath a terabyte....of internet data!!! Come November 1, you, dear guest, will have a terabyte,( that's 1000 giga bytes) of internet data to replace the truly pathetic 15 gigs of years past. This translates to Netflix streaming and basically unlimited Pandora music time. Data hath arrived and will maketh your stay more enjoyable!

That is what I call a first world problem. A surgeon I work with walked into the lounge the other day complaining bitterly that the air conditioning unit in his wine cellar was on the blink. I referred him to this video so that he might gain perspective on the situation. The Buddhists like to say that sometimes just being alive is enough. I really like that concept. So if your expectation for a November trip to west Sonoma County is sunny skies, don't sit glumly staring out the window in the rain. Put on a rain jacket and feel the rain up close and personal! A gentle rain is a great time to walk in the redwoods, but windy days not so much. Let's look at what November hath in store!
Addendum: Seems that AT&T hath outsourced their Uverse internet customer service to the Phiillipines and in the process they totally failed. I drove up to the house to get the internet squared away after booking an install date. No record of any such date on their end. First world problem!!!  So I am giving it a rest for now which means same 15 gigs until further notice. Plenty of data for music and email but not enough for video streaming. Will update. 7 inches of rain so far!!!!

Occidental Weather:

Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol: Here is the live music line up!

Occidental Center for the Arts: Saturday Nov 12 8-10 PM: Bohemian Highway is a band I really like. I went to high school with the rhythm guitarist Nancy Irish. They are west Sonoma County all the way! AND they are playing at a venue on...the Bohemia Highway !! You will (hath) have a great time

Occidental Center for the arts: Saturday Nov 5: Celtic Harp Music: Branch Out!

Willow Wood Cafe Graton: Look out Howard Station!! I was in Graton last week and we had breakfast at the Willow Wood Cafe. Total Winner!!

Mexico Lindo Graton: Gotta plug my favorite local Mex Restaurant. They do a great job.

Will scope it out!

October has to be one of my favorite months....but don't look at the archives as I say that a lot. October is  a month of contemplation. As the leaves turn and fall and the breeze is brisk, don't you just feel like it's the end of something? I sure do. It is the end of summer. Forget about that Sept 21st beginning of fall thing. Summer is from June 21 to sometime in October.....and you never know when that sometime is. One day it is warm and summer like and the next day summer is gone and the wind and rain dispense with the last vestiges. That day usually happens sometime in the very last few days of October......so bring your jackets. Cozy up the the fire and welcome the California winter!

Occidental Weather:

Occidental Center for the Arts: Check out the lineup for October. Five minutes from the house!

Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol: Check out the live music at Hopmonk!

Hazel Restaurant Occidental: I am loving this place! The brussel sprout side dish is superb. I finally weasled the recipe out of them and now I make them in my pizza oven.

Howard Station: For breakfast you just can't beat it!

Joe Redota Trail: Walk this trail form Graton to Forestville. It begins on Main Street. Graton. Beautiful fall colors in the vineyards.

Freestone Bakery: Go there!

Occidental Center for the Arts: Saturday Oct 8th at 8 pm features the Pickpocket Ensemble. This is a professional group of talented musicians five minutes from the house (Ferrari), seven minutes from the house(1965 Ford F100 pickup).

Will scope it out!

Oh the shame of it all! What happened to June July and August?? Let's see....I was hiking through Northern Africa and was captured by Boko Haram and....uh...or was it Northern Canada through the MK wilderness and a bear......OK, I admit it...I just quit. How could I do that to such a large fan club? I bet at least one person has read at least one of these entries and to you, whomever you, I sincerely apologize. Now let's talk about one of my favorite months...

September used to be a lousy month, a back to school month, a summer is over month. The late apples like golden delicious that ripen in September had a somber taste, a melancholy inducing flavor that reminded me of that most useless experience....school. Well, there was flag football so it wasn't all bad...I digress. Now that I am 28 years removed from the  vestiges of my academic training AND my dear boys have moved on to college..September has lost it's baggage. Apples are apples, and  "back to school" has lost its emotional impact revealing a month that is in fact the beginning of summer, what I call the quiet summer. Traditional summer is frenetic while the quiet summer is like a balm. The leaves are turning, the great outdoors is recovering from the trampling masses and a relative calm descends upon the landscape like a blanket of cooling fog. The mornings are crisp and cool while the afternoons are warm and pleasant. Its a time to reflect a bit on the year and a time to be mindful and present. So let's see what is going on, knowing that the best things in life are unscheduled.

Occidental Weather:

Hazel Restaurant Occidental: This is a great restaurant in Occidental. Their thin crust pizza is superb!

Occidental Center for the Arts: Here is the lineup for September. Five minutes from the house!

Air Show: Sept 24-25 at the Sonoma County airport. Take the back roads from the house to the airport in about 25 min through beautiful countryside.

Wildflour Bread Freestone: Check this place out. Great bakery, great spot to have a cup of coffee, beautiful drive.

May. I must be getting old and distracted. Back when I was younger my wife and I would dance around a maypole on the first of may, ribbons flapping in the breeze along with the naked bodies of our three little boys who were big fans of our pagan holiday. Now the boys are big and hairy and the first of May passes with hardly a nod of recognition. Let's not let that happen again! So let's talk about May in west Sonoma County. But first let me say that I crawled under the house last month and sawed into some pipes and rediscovered the joys of plumbing while I built an outdoor shower by the hot tub. Don't worry....no one can see you down there. You can even dance around a maypole if you like. I will likely never use the indoor shower again except perhaps on those frosty winter mornings...but then again the shower head is huge so the water envelops nicely...give it a go! May is a great time of year in Sonoma County. Many of the fields are still covered in mustard blooms and the hills will be green and wavy with grass until the end of the month. The river is still way to cold to swim in, but the creeks are full and there are still wild flowers. Overall a great time!!

Occidental Weather: 

Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol:

Freestone: Why? Just go there!