I’ve planted evergreen shrubs to fill in the blank spots during the winter, and I love to supplement with annuals in pots in the summer, but time and again, my perennial shrubs fill the garden with gorgeous color and scent.  Here are some of my favorite perennials putting on a show this June !

  Erisimum ‘Bowles Mauve’

Raspberry hydrangea

Erigeron

  Natural pink hydrangea

Purple and white verbena

Confederate Jasmine

Burgandy penstemon

Diascia ‘strawberry sundae’

Lavatera

Sweet Pea Shrub (polygala dalmaisiana)

Ground Morning Glory (convulvus maritanicus)

Sandwort (Arenaria montana)

Purple Passion Rose

Viburnum (chinese snowball)

I’ve always liked the cooler colors in my perennial garden . . .

. . . there’s a purple, pink, and white trend. 

No hot colors around here. 

Oh wait, that’s not entirely true . . .

I cannot resist strawberries !  

Slurp.

So excited to harvest the Grosso French lavender next week !! 

But I think our backyard syrah grapes might just be my favorite because . . . 

They give back the most . . .

Double slurp. 

Tell me, what are your favorite blooms in your garden right now ? 

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I have a dozen lavender plants scattered around my garden, but I still like to tour the commercial acres of lavender this time of year.  Last year I visited the Lavender Bee Farm – this weekend we decided to pop into Matanzas Creek Winery, famous for their gardens, lavender farm, and acclaimed chardonnay.  

I convinced the kids it was worth the half hour drive because they could go hunting for bunny rabbits, ala Elmer Fudd.  We didn’t spot any, but at least the idea kept them busy while Mr. CG and I strolled the grounds. 

Their Spanish and English lavender is already in bloom !   Mmmm, can you smell it ?  

The French varieties (Grosso and Provence ) are just beginning to bud.

In a mere three weeks, the fields will look just like this:

What I love about Matanzas Creek Winery is that you can stroll the lavender fields and gardens without any appointment, unlike some of the larger lavender farms that are only open once a year on harvest weekend (mid June). 

The fields at Matanzas Creek are terraced with beautiful rock walls.

There are mature oak and olive trees scattered throughout. 

You’re welcome to park underneath the wisteria . . .

Matanzas Creek has some gorgeous water features too. 

It’s all very Giverny-esque.

You can sit out on the massive wrap around deck under the oaks. 

Plenty of splurge worthy homemade lavender products in the gift shop. 

I’ll take fifty please.

Or you can just spend your afternoon playing bocce ball under the tangerine umbrellas amid the surrounding gardens.  *** Sigh ***   Might have to dream of book a future couples afternoon right here. 

Matanzas Creek was featured in the New York Times travel section last summer – you can read the entire article here.  

It was ‘Passport to Sonoma’ weekend, so we stayed out of the tourist filled tasting rooms and just took in the valley view. 

We took a drive through Kenwood on our way to the Sonoma Creek Falls, which is the only waterfall in the county.   Just five minutes from the hot and dry Sonoma Valley floor are some marvelous hiking trails through redwoods. 

The 1/4 mile walk to the falls is easy enough for little tykes.  

I absolutely love the damp earthy needle scented smell of a forest floor.  Could someone figure out how to bottle this pretty please ?

Nothing’s nicer than the lull of the water as it trips over stones and rocks along a creek bed – it’s such great exercise for little feet too.   To me, only ocean waves can compete with the sound of a babbling creek. 

There’s something about a nature hike to the falls that brings out the Tarzan . . .

. . . and Jane in all of us.  

Now I know why Viva Terra is so brilliant selling their river stone bath mats.

After a long day filled with sensory delights, I returned home to see our own French lavender budding in the garden.  

Mmmmm, such an intoxicating scent !!

I’m looking forward to my own harvest next month – at least three pounds of deliciously scented organic lavender buds. 

Hey, what a great idea for a giveaway, right?  

Coming up next, a fireplace revamp you’ll love . . . can’t wait to show you. 

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Gorgeous sunshine and great company made for a relaxing day out and about ! 

This expensive glassware has me thinking of a DIY project . . .

Gorgeous detail !

This is Landmark Winery, famous for their chardonnay 

The not-to-miss grounds which are so difficult to leave . . .

Because I could sit here in these perfect green rockers in the shade all day listening to that fountain.

Couldn’t you ?

These critters were really good all weekend.

Until they weren’t.  

Perhaps it was the wine they were tasting ? 

I kid.

I just adore my niece and nephews, and I’m kind of fond of that cutie on the right. 

And then my niece flashed her big brown eyes at me.

And begged, “Auntie, could you make me a pillow with my name on it ?”

I cannot resist this brown eyed girl.

So I stitched up this little pleated pillow for her.

Oh, and I managed to squeeze in a little of this too. 

Can’t wait to share !

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Usually I make my way to downtown Sonoma for a stroll and a day in the park.  Whenever I take a drive, I always bring my camera !  Here’s a few of my favorite photos of a country drive to Sonoma.

Ultimate destination: downtown Sonoma. 

Here is this lovely town photographed in springtime !

Worth the drive, every time ! 

For some other backyard tours, take a visit to some of these places too. 

Tour a local Lavender Bee Farm

Visit Kenwood and Chateau St. Jean

Spend the weekend in Napa

Sip sparkling wine in the Carneros Region

Tour a Castle Tasting Room in Napa

Visit Yountville and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon

See my most Favorite Escape where I take all my visiting friends and family. 

Enjoy these little tours, while I dive back into some DIY -  I’m in the middle of a makeover of my boy’s room plus some other projects too.   And if anyone is contemplating a visit to Wine Country, be sure to email me for some insider tips on places to go to make your vacation memorable.

Thanks so much for reading friends ! 

We happen to be lucky enough to live about thirty minutes from the Northern California coastline, so after a big weekend of gardening and home improvement, we decided to take a Sunday afternoon out at the coast to fly some kites and stop at our favorite seafood restaurant for the best clam chowder in the county.   

Bodega is fantastic in spring and fall, but incredibly foggy and cold in the summer, a lot like the weather in San Francisco.  So we head out the the coast as much as we can in April, May, September and October. 

I just love trails through sand dunes and coastal grasses. 

Inhale.  Breathe deeply.  Smell the salty air.  Life is good. 

There’s a reason I set my alarm clock to the ‘ocean’ setting – I know of no other sound as soothing as the lull of ocean waves hitting the beach.   Instant stress relief !

The very best beach for kite flying is Doran Beach State Park in Bodega Bay.   My kids are in their second year of their kite flying, but they are not alone.  Doran Beach is the famous meeting place for the Kite Club for all lovers of high flying colors. 

Last year, we picked up our kites from the famous Candy & Kites along Highway One, just north of Doran Beach.  We like to pick up our salt water taffy here too. 

Our munchkins have been in training ever since. 

Study your opponent, grasshopper.  

Avoid obvious traps and tangles.

Anticipate their every move.

When the moment arises, strike.

Victory will be yours.

OK, so the little guy had some help but the critter is barely four so he needs it.

You can’t leave the beach without a good old fashioned game of wave chasing.

I love the native flowering iceplant that cover the dunes, in both purple and yellow varieties. 

Doran Beach also offers camping and RV Parking.  One of these days we’ll have to find a friend with an RV and take a mini vacation out here. 

In fact, I think when my last kid goes to college, I’m going to sell everything, buy an RV, and we will just drive around from state to state parking our RV, then annoyingly intruding on others peacefully parked by shouting “Permission to come aboard !” 

Sound good ? 

Hungry, we headed to The Tides Wharf – our go to place for seafood.

We start with a little dungeness crab and prawn appetizer. 

This place has ze best  seafood. 

Oh, la, la, mussels in white wine, garlic, and plenty o’ butter with parsley. 

Soak up the heavenly broth with sourdough, divine ! 

The Tides Wharf is our favorite stop for the best clam chowder in the county.  No, in the state.  Yep, I said it.  We’ve tasted clam chowder up and down the state, and in the Big City, but no one can beat this perfect blend of potato, celery, and clam nestled in the most buttery goodness of a chowder.  It’s simply the best.  

There are some evenings when we have driven all the way to the coast just for a ‘To Go’ order of this clam chowder. 

So we splurged and got our fix with a seafood smorgasbord.  Paired with some fresh sourdough and sauvignon blanc, it was a mini vacation in our own backyard.  Worth the splurge, worth the trip.  We left Bodega very fat and happy. 

Stay tuned, later today I’ve got a little project where silver leaf meets a cheapo lamp.  For those of you in the die hard Dark Bronze Lamp Club, you may wish to avert your eyes in this next post since I’ve redone one of your brethren in this very shimmery finish.   Coming next . . .

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Barrel Tasting Weekend is an annual tradition where visitors are offered a pour straight from the barrel before the wine is bottled.  Many times the winemaker is on scene to educate and answer questions.   Everyone is so friendly and social, smiling from ear to ear.  But I’m thinking that has a lot to do with the scenery and free flowing wine. 

The drive out to visit all these wineries never disappoints, spring through fall.

I don’t know if there is anything more charming than a white farmhouse with a wrap around porch.  I made Mr CG stop just so I could take a picture of this ‘dream’ house.  I think if I lived here, I’d just never leave.  *Sigh*.

We stopped first at Lambert Bridge Winery in Dry Creek Valley.  Call me crazy, but I really want a truck just like this to call my own – not to haul barrels, but all that furniture from thrift stores !

I made friends with the resident pooches. 

Such sweet faces !

Then I spotted this original candelabra – an old vine dipped in silver.  Mega cool. 

I love how so many wineries have dogs and cats, sometimes chickens and roosters, wandering the property.  There’s something about these critters that feels so welcoming !  I made this feline friend at Rafanelli Winery.

We visited one of my top five favorite wineries, Ferrari-Carano. 

I adore this formal French inspired facade. 

There is an upstairs tasting room where I spied this beautiful pottery.  I love the urn, and those candlesticks ?  Be mine please. 

Also another grapevine branch candelabra, this time a blanched version.  Such a cool centerpiece ! 

Downstairs is the super chic modern tasting room Enoteca, nothing like the light and bright upstairs tasting room.   

Rich wood tones and glamorous black barstools with gold detail. 

Arched ceilings, troweled walls, and glossy black paneling and chandeliers. 

Once you escape the tasting rooms, you must walk the grounds – they’re enchanting.  Ferrari-Carano is famous not only for their wines, but their gardens as well.  

Today the tulips put on quite a show !

The daffodils had their own exhibition. 

Not to be outdone by the magnolia blossoms.

In welcome contrast to the formality of Ferrari-Carano, we ended our afternoon at the locals’ favorite watering hole, the Dry Creek General Store where you can buy sandwiches, sample cheeses, and hang out along the covered porch. 

No city slickers here – only loud country music and good times !   

Well that’s not entirely true. . . 

Any place that serves wine and cheese along with beer and chips is our kind of place. 

James Joyce once said, “What is better than to sit at the end of a day and drink wine with friends?”

To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. 

I adore this publication, but I need to renew my subscription -  hence the airport purchase.

Inside there are plenty of great articles and idea notebooks, with features on closet makeovers, vintage luggage, antiques, and even sea salt (my latest fixation).

Then what before my eyes should appear in the March 2010 issue on page 69  but a fabulous feature on my hometown !

“Five Reasons to Visit Petaluma”

When I saw my sweet little hometown featured in a major national magazine, I got a little giddy.

Ooooh, a three page spread !   I live right nearby these places !

Petaluma is the southern most town in Sonoma County, just 35 minutes north of San Francisco.  Our town shares its eastern border with world famous Sonoma, and is known all around for its numerous antique shops in the downtown area.

Twice a year, we have an amazing  Antique Fair where the streets are closed off, and almost 200 vendors come from across the West to sell their vintage, salvage and antique goods.

The big feature in the March 2010 issue of Country Living is on this very Antique Fair !  How marvelous !

I never ever ever miss it !  In fact, I’ve written about the Antique Fair in 2009, with plenty of inspirational pictures, here and here.

The Petaluma Antique Fair is where I spied this piece . . .

. . . . which inspired my latest cabinet makeover (pictured below).

It’s where I saw some colored antique seltzer bottles

Similar to the bottles on display at Napa Style that I saw last fall.

And this year, I’d like to score one (or two) for myself.

At the Antique Fair I saw this clever idea – vintage spoons as door pulls, brilliant !

And it’s where I saw this vintage frame crafted into a jewelry holder . . .

Which inspired me to make this fabric backed jewelry display with a recycled frame:

It’s where I saw this bright green painted piece . . .

That inspired the color for the desk I painted for my daughter’s remodeled room:

I’m still regretting not buying these babies from the September Fair.  It haunts me.

So if there is anyone in Northern California who’d like to meet me there,

I’m extending this invitation:

We will browse the Antique Fair for three hours, followed up by a private luncheon at Zagat rated Risibisi, a local favorite, within walking distance.  Email me for details.

I can’t wait !!!

One of our two favorite places to spend a rainy afternoon is the Sonoma Wine Shop, run by our friends Ken and Bryan. The Sonoma Wine Shop is located in the heart of the square on the west side of the Historic Sonoma Plaza.

At SWS, you can taste rare vintages from boutique wineries (producers who make only a few hundred cases or less).  Mr. CG is a member here and often pops in to sample the latest arrivals.  SWS is a place where we take all of our out of town guests. 

We often end up in the back room, on the long trestle wood table, polishing off a bottle or two with friends as the rain falls down in the courtyard outside.

Another great place to stay dry and sample great local food and wine is at the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa.  This indoor bazaar is filled with several dozen local vendors featuring all of the bounty of food and wine offered by this region. Oxbow is the creation of Steve Carlin, who also planned and implemented San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace .

Stop in at The Olive Press to sample and purchase the finest  olive oils in the region.

Hog Island Oysters serves freshly shucked oysters on the half shell at the bar, with wine and a light menu to accompany.

Chefs will love the scrumptious spice and salt selections at Whole Spice, displayed so artfully in hundreds of large glass containers. 

My favorite vendor is the local artisan cheese dealer featuring the best cheeses from all over the world.   They’re simply amazing !

I refuse to leave without trying just a few in a sampler platter, accompanied by fruits, nuts and a fine white wine.  This is my definition of a perfect meal !

It’s winter in Wine Country.

Yet the dormant vines have a beauty all their own as they soak up the January rains.

It won’t be long until the mustard flowers bloom in February when the sun shines again. 

Meanwhile, we’ll continue to pour when it pours.

Even though we live in the wine country, it’s pretty rare to have a vineyard in the city limits where we are.  But we had a grand idea ten years ago to landscape our back hill with grapes and make ourselves some vino.  We finally got around to planting our “hobby” vineyard in 2000. 

Growing grapes and making your own wine may sound exciting, but things don’t always turn out the way you planned.   These grapes have brought us both elation and wrath.

It took about 4 years for our vines to mature after we planted in 2000.  When the fruit ripened in 2004, we were extremely excited about our first crop.  The grapes got really purple and fat as they ripened.  Then days before the harvest the birds arrived.  Starlings !   They tweeted all their friends.  Within 24 hours multiple flocks of birds ate all of our grapes.  We were crushed.  And we were left with no grapes to crush that year. 

In 2005, we covered our vines with nets, but that year the grapes were taken by mildew due to early rains.  Again, we lost our crop.   In 2006, we were so preoccupied with our remodel that we ran out of time to harvest the grapes, and they ended up on the ground.   By 2007, we had almost given up on our dreams of making wine. 

We made another attempt in 2007 with nets, mildew prevention, and the proper attention.  Again our grapes grew juicy and sweet on the vine, and finally they reached the proper sugar concentration.  That year, we harvested our first crop.  The juice aged in a French oak barrel and before we knew it, the wine was ready for bottling.  We were on the verge of making our dream a reality. 

Did we actually make the wine ourselves?  Sort of.  Me and the missus know plenty about drinking wine.  But we really don’t know how to ferment and bottle it.  However we are fortunate to have a close friend who is one of the top wine growers and wine makers in the area.  Dennis De La Montanya runs De La Montanya vineyards.  His winemaker won the 2007 Harvest Fair Grand Prize for his Pinot Noir.  In our area, that’s like winning the Kentucky Derby.   De la Montanya advised us  throughout the whole process, helping us with the fermenting and even finding us the proper barrel.  And our wine is really really good!  Fruity and dry, like a Syrah should be.  The 2007 wine even won a Gold Medal in the amateur division at the local Sonoma-Marin fair. 

2008 was another great crop for us.  That vintage is aging in the barrel right now.  CG and I still pinch ourselves every summer watching the grapes grow in our backyard.  You should coax her into giving you all some in one of those giveaways because the 2008 is sure to be great.   And make her show you the label – she designed it and won an award for that too.   I think I’ll keep her. 

Unfortunately this year we had more bad luck.  With such a cool summer, our crop never reached the proper sugar concentration.  More time on the vine wouldn’t have made a difference.  Sadly, we lost our crop this year.  Despite all our hopes, this morning we learned the truth that the harvest was no good.  That’s agriculture for you.  We are subject to the elements just like all farmers. 

So these will be trimmed and left on the ground for the birds, or until they return to the soil. 

Tragic but true.  The grapes are worthless this year. 

Looks aren’t everything. 

It’s what’s inside that counts.

Even the lowly fly had a laugh when he landed on my cheek to chide me. 

Well at least one critter is pleased with this year’s crop.

As they say, there’s always next year. 

Signing off to go drink a beer and listen to hard luck country songs,

- Mr. CG

Whenever visitors come to town, this is where I like to take them for an incredible afternoon.

The grounds are covered in olive trees, statues, flowers, and grapevines.

This sentiment captures the mood of the property. 

Inside the tasting room, there are two separate bars to taste wine, and a mouthwatering collection of gourmet treats in their store, including olive oils, tapenades, vinegars, grilling sauces, and other culinary delights. 

Viansa has expansive lawns and picnic grounds, and has a terrace where any visitor can see the Sonoma valley. 

Another favorite stop reminiscent of Italy is right next door.  The rustic stone Jacuzzi Winery was completed in 2007, but the architecture manages to fool you into thinking it has been there since the family immigrated to America in 1907.

Jacuzzi is a modern model of sustainable farming practices that makes this wine tasting facility not only beautiful but environmentally conscious. The courtyard, piazza, fountains, and barrel room are elegant and worthy of any special event.

An added treat is The Olive Press tasting room featuring local olive oils, and the expansive selections of unfiltered blends with The Olive Press label. Also noteworthy for their unique fragrance are the candles and soaps made from olive oil.

If I can spare the time, I love to pop into Sonoma Country Antiques to browse their collection of European imports and be inspired. 

I’d give a limb for one of these pricey antique French wine jugs.  Swoon ! A girl can dream, right ?