Snapshot

It’s the 77th year of Formula 1 racing. It’s also a year with a new “formula.” What’s a formula? Great question.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Palentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day or Self-Love Day. Whatever floats your boat or blows your hair back, it’s great to live in Sonoma County!

The fourth annual “Taking Parkinson’s to the Mat” benefit event, held at Bacchus Landing last Saturday, proved successful. Wonder Bread 5 played while people danced, gathered, ate paella and wood-fired pizza and smashburgers, sipped wine, and yes, attended a mass participation yoga class. The joie de vivre was palpable.

Fun facts: The word “yet” has a few meanings. As an adverb it references “a continuing state or condition.” As a conjunction, it introduces a contrasting fact or thought. As a modifier, it intensifies meaning, as in “yet again.” Another column of observation from Pierre Ratte.

Approximately 20,000 bee species are recognized globally with 4,000 native to North America. Only about 10 species are true honeybees.

Underwood is considered the first and best modern typewriter. Headquartered in New York, the machines were manufactured in Hartford, Connecticut. By 1920, Underwood produced over 1,400 typewriters per day.

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.

Floating above Santa Rosa, Windsor and Healdsburg’s vineyards in a hot air balloon while sipping champagne and eating croissants makes a morning magical. Even if one is not in the balloon, there is something “uplifting” about hot air balloons. Morning commutes to Santa Rosa down Hwy 101 are boring unless one happens upon a balloon piloting its way up the valley.

“In Hoc Anno Domini” is the title a Vermont Royster 1949 editorial in the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ reprints his editorial every year, such is the clarity of its prose and power of its message.

At 300 million years old, dragonflies are reportedly the oldest winged insect. Prehistoric ancestors had wingspans of two and a half feet. Each of four wings moves independently allowing them to hover, fly forward and fly backward.