A&E

The holiday season is a good time to reflect on the graces in our lives. I have a birthday in November, as does one of my brothers; my youngest daughter was born on December 4, and many friends are November-December babies. I live in a warm, garden-friendly area of California, and I travel to the sunny Texas deserts in the winter. I am relatively healthy and have a full family and a loving husband and friends. So yes, I feel blessed and content and I like to use this time to think about what I can do to maintain these gifts, but also to ponder what more I can do to pay back a society that has given me so much.

has opened a tasting room at 409A Healdsburg Avenue in downtown

Ocean salmon fishing has been very productive for boats out of Bodega Bay harbor. While limits were not the rule, many boats, both private and sport managed a fair number of fish the last week, averaging better than a fish per rod. Rick Powers, skipper of the 60 foot New Sea Angler exclaimed that “this has been the best opening week of salmon fishing since I can remember” and while not wanting to give up Rick’s age, suffice it to say that Rick has been doing this quite a while. It also helps when Rick can go out in his big boat in 20 knots of breeze and still effectively fish. Most private boats in the 20 to 35 foot class were unable to fish last Saturday for example and Rick got near limits for his 16 passengers. Sunday the weather backed off to a mere 12-15 knots and Rick and the crew of the new Sea Angler got easy limits for all aboard. Many private boaters that weathered the bumpy conditions also got limits. The 6 pack boat, Miss Anita reported 8 fish for a  mere half day of fishing Sunday and a half day trip out to see the whales which are plentiful off our coast this time of year. Vince Orcini, Captain of the Miss Anita felt sure she would have been able to get full limits for the passengers and crew had they fished a couple more hours.

Sonoma County's ArTrails celebrates its 20th year at a special