Columns

Even now, in early August, the morning air carries a chill more familiar to spring than high summer heat. Tomato vines hesitated. Peaches took their time. Only this week did the real warmth arrive—sunlight pressing into the ground, drawing out ripeness at last. In my family, this is jam season.

The newly refreshed Children’s Room lives up to the hype. The laser-cut madrone tree silhouettes provide a charming entryway into the room. Tables and chairs in the room are of different heights to accommodate a variety of sizes and preferences, with spaces for children of different ages and interests.

Oysters were a growth process for me. I’ve never been much for foods that require time to “learn to enjoy,” but summer parties on Nantucket often include bountiful trays of oysters and chilled shrimp, and nothing else. And if the evening stretches into a string of gatherings, there is often little else to eat. One night a friend laughed and said, “You’re really missing out on something delicious.”

I’m so happy to read of this ("The Row", July 3). What a fantastic use of the area and keeping within the historical “spirit” of Healdsburg and not selling out to a huge hospitality operation. As a business owner and tenant from 1995 through 2003 I have a great respect and affection for the Humphrey family....

"I was so happy to see that the City of Healdsburg has given us a chance to suggest an official City flower, plant or tree as representative of Healdsburg," writes reader Mary Kelley. "I was especially pleased to see that all of the options are California Native Plants. There are five different plants from which to choose, and the sixth option is a category which encompasses a variety of species of Oak trees."

When I was younger, I used to walk to the dusty farmstand from the Prestons’ house on Dry Creek Road. We’d eat a peach on the way back, the warm, sticky juice running down our cheeks and arms marking summer’s beginning in quiet streaks of gold.

"What happened on Senior Prank Day was deeply disappointing and caused real harm—there’s no denying that," said school counselor Mr. Flores. "But I want to acknowledge something else just as important: the courage and integrity it took for this student’s father, Mr. Clow, to share such a raw and honest reflection with our community."

Healdsburg is full of food secrets. Someone knows who has the best mulberries (the word on the street is Preston and Millbrook Farms). Someone else swears by the broccoli at Noble Goat. There’s a bee person everyone keeps telling me I have to meet—and a seed guy, too.

The father of a high school senior writes, "My child’s mother and I were promptly notified by HHS Principal Tait Danhausen that our child would not be allowed to walk for the graduation ceremony as a consequence of their actions. Walking for graduation is a privilege that signifies a major milestone in any child’s life. Needless to say, friends, family members and community members who know my child were devastated and mortified by the horrible choice my child made."

Holly Hoods was taken aback when three men walked into the downstairs office space of the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society one morning last week. One of them was unknown to the museum director, but he seemed to know a lot about Healdsburg history,...