50.4 F
Healdsburg
February 11, 2025

Snapshot: Julia Child and Holiday Cookies

Julia Child ornament
Julia Child was 6 feet 2 inches tall. During World War II, she joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor to the CIA. She worked directly for General William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan in top-secret research and records. In the OSS, she created a shark repellent from kitchen ingredients to deter unintended detonations of undersea mines. She later became a chef.

Snapshot: Waiting for the Holidays

Thanksgiving creche
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the U.S., and on the second Monday of October in Canada. In the U.S., the date of Thanksgiving varied by state until it was proclaimed a federal holiday on the last Thursday of November by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

Snapshot: Fire Season Is Over

Baja beach
Fire season is over at last. This week, we’re bracing for wind, waves, rain and snow at elevation. Meteorologists predict a “bomb cyclone” as this goes to press, with four days of continuous rain. Not 40 days, notes Pierre Ratte with causal ease - after all, he filed his latest Snapshot from a Baja beach!

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.

Snapshot: Taking a Chance

Roll of the dice
Pierre reflects upon chance, perhaps in recognition of casting a vote. In times past, leaving decisions to chance was not unusual. The practice is mentioned over 85 times in the Bible. In a famous instance, Judas’ replacement was chosen by lot.

Snapshot: Art in Every Cup

Cup of latte
"For over 30 years, my daily pour has been a latté. Some years ago, I took a latté art class in Seattle. While it’s not every day that hearts and recognizable shapes like the one above get poured, it’s often enough that it is intriguing. What will my coffee look like this morning?" asks Pierre Ratte.

Snapshot: Comet A3 After Sundown

Photo of comet
The name of the comet comes from China’s Tsuchinshan Observatory, which means “purple mountain.” It was discovered in January 2023. A month later South Africa’s ATLAS telescope observed it. Hence, two names for the comet given the close timing of discovery.

SNAPSHOT: Legends of the Fall

Pumpkins at sunset
Pumpkins have been associated with Halloween since the 1800s when vegetable-carving traditions accompanied Irish immigrants to America. But pumpkin carving on Halloween stems from Celtic traditions to ward off evil spirits with figure carvings on root vegetables.

Snapshot: Healdsburg Forever

By Pierre Ratte These are just a few of the 100-plus people who came together two weeks ago at Lambert Bridge Winery to celebrate Healdsburg Forever. Healdsburg Forever? What exactly is Healdsburg Forever? It’s kind of a charity’s charity. Say, what? It’s kind of a “fund...

Snapshot: The One-Room Schoolhouse

Felta Schoolhouse
One-room schoolhouses were standard around the turn of the century. The Felta School was built in 1906. There were reportedly 132 other one-room schoolhouses in Sonoma County at that time.
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