56.7 F
Healdsburg
March 31, 2026

Snapshot: Favorite Colors of Fall

New England has deciduous woods. Colorado has quaking aspens. And Sonoma County has its straw hills and live oaks framing red, yellow and green vineyards. Mixed together, it's home.

Ice escapades with Hans Brinker wannabe

Ice skating boots
Hans Brinker was a hero. I dreamed of being Hans. I envied Hans’ skating long distances on frozen canals. I thrilled to my mother’s stories of the Bronx River freezing when people could skate from one town to the next. Once, in seventh grade...

Snapshot: Tall trees in local groves

Riverfront Regional Park, Windsor
Redwoods are magnificent trees whose beauty we get to experience in Sonoma County and Healdsburg. These beauties are set in the picnic grove at Riverfront Regional Park. The park includes three miles of trails for walking through redwoods plus boating, hiking, horseback riding and picnicking.

Snapshot: Tennis Old and New

Old tennis ball
"Lawn Tennis describes the game we know.," writes columnist Pierre Ratte. "It’s played on a tennis court, as opposed to Court Tennis, which is played in a courtyard. Confused? Let me explain..."

Snapshot: Have a sensory sound bath

Sundown sonic meditatation
If you like to meditate and enter a profound connection to the hear and now—pun, drum flair—consider a sound bath. Although there are many ways to enter a meditative state, such as following the rhythm of one’s breath, another easy way is to focus on a single sense. Sound is often chosen because it is uniquely immersive

Snapshot: Seasonal Spirit in the Movies

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year—grateful for our blessings lest we take what we have for granted rather than count them each day. Here's some holiday movies that always make for a seasonal uplift.

The Strange History of the Grange

Chalk Hill Grange
Fun Facts: The Grange’s full name is: National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.  Eight individuals sitting around a wooden table started it in 1867. The eight founders of the Grange are memorialized with a marker on the National Mall; it is the only private marker on the Mall.

Snapshot: Porky and his friends

Pigs in a pen
Pigs are smart. These two came in from the rain this week. In warmer weather they roll in the mud. Oh, that loving-the-mud thing? It’s not because they like to be dirty. It’s to prevent sunburn and cool themselves.

Snapshot: Talkin’ turkey—mushrooms

Turkey tail fungus
Talkin’ turkey here. Nope, not Thanksgiving turkey. Turkey tail mushrooms. It’s mushrooming season in Sonoma County. When the weather turns cold and damp, fog rolls in and rain falls, and mushrooms’ fruiting bodies pop up.

Snapshot: Big Sur’s sunny winter weather

Big Sur coast
It’s mindblowing that Sonoma County is buried under a marine layer for weeks while the coast from Bodega Bay to Big Sur is sunny. Big Sur is having a spectacular streak of sunshine: no rain, no fog, no wind. Yeah, I know. Big Sur...
4,780FansLike
1,666FollowersFollow
0FollowersFollow

Arts & Entertainment

Artist and subject at the sea

Movies a year-round obsession, not seasonal

“There are usually some fun surprises for us in the line-up of our ‘Audience Favorites’ program,” said co-founder Pamela Demorest. “Some films resonate more with our audience than they did with our celebrity jury, and we always want our guests to feel like a vital part of the process.”
David Nihill in concert

Calendar: March 19-27