Today, I’d like to giveaway a few of those decadent treats to one of you.  It’s been a great month for this blog, so it’s time to pass it along to you in gratitude for continuing to read my musings.  This weekend, I’m delighted to be giving away the following wine country related goodies to one reader!

Lemon infused olive oil from The Olive Press and my favorite fig balsamic vinegar from the famous ‘the girl & the fig’ restaurant. 

This locally made fig and orange blossom candle (smells divine), and Dijon mustard.

A bundle of fresh picked all natural French lavender from my garden.

This luxury bar of olive oil soap scented with lemongrass and rosemary (delish!)

This cute pair of dipping bowls . . .

. . . and finally this book about choosing wines from around the world. 

One reader will be sent all of these goodies (and more lavender): 

Eligibility ?  Simply leave a comment in the form of a question, one you think I can answer. 

Have a specific DIY related question?  Got a decorating dilemma?  Curious about some aspect of remodeling or home improvement?   Are you on the hunt for some fabulous fall accessories, or do you want the skinny on a good paintbrush?  I’ll do my very best to answer the winner’s question in a follow up post.  

That’s all, just ask me a question to be entered to win !

One entry per person please.  Giveaway ends Monday August 16th at 8 p.m PST.  Winner chosen by Random.org.  

Good luck friends, and thanks so much to all of you for stopping by to visit.

Have a fantastic weekend !

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I’m catching up on some summer reads I’ve been waiting to dive into.

We’re watching our syrah grapes ripen in the sun.

We’re building tents out of canvas tarps in the backyard. 

We’re taking long naps under the ceiling fan during the hottest days.

We’re picking our share of blackberries.

We’re begrudgingly back to school shopping.

And I’m making grown up sorbet ~ a healthier alternative to my ice cream fixation. 

Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet

2 cups water

1.5 cups sugar

24 oz. blackberries

2 tbsp lemon juice

2-3 tbsp cabernet

(or any dry red wine like merlot or syrah)

Bring water to simmer in small saucepan, then stir in sugar until dissolved to make syrup, refrigerate to cool.  Meanwhile, rinse and puree blackberries, then pour through mesh strainer to remove seeds.  Add blackberry puree, lemon juice and wine to syrup, blend together.  Process mixture in ice cream maker per manufacturer’s instructions.  Freeze processed soft sorbet at least an hour before serving. 

Wishing you long leisurely days spent relaxing in the summer sun, enjoying what’s left of the season before the beauty of fall is upon us.  

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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. 

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.

Graeser Winery vineyard

It was our ten year anniversary, and the details of our getaway were left to Mr. CG.  I’m glad I relinquished all control, because he took me on a tour of some amazing places I’ve never visited.  It was a whirlwind weekend with fun around every turn.

Our first stop was crashing a wedding.

Well, not really.  In truth, we arrived at Hans Fahden Vineyards in Calistoga as they were just setting up for a wedding.  Turns out, the charming owner Antone Fahden is a  lawyer turned vintner who hails from the very same law school as me.  We had much to agree on as we sipped his blends.

Take a stroll through his exquisite gardens:

How stunningly gorgeous is this cake?

How charming are these place cards set in wine corks ?

Here’s the pavilion where they serve cocktails:

And the illuminated cave where they serve dinner:

Clearly, there’s a reason Hans Fahden has won this award:

Next, we went for more tastings at Graeser Winery where we were treated like family.  We wandered the vineyards and hiked to the top of Diamond Mountain to enjoy the exceptional valley view and a Bordeaux blend.

Mr. CG surprised me by splurging on our hotel.  I was completely caught off guard.   Solage resort is located a few minutes outside downtown Calistoga and is quite cosmopolitan, but with a zen organic vibe.  It took me by surprise how much I absolutely loved this place.  Three days and two nights here and I was completely rejuvenated.

Our private bungalow room:

Our private patio:

A complimentary anniversary welcome gift:

The pool:

The pool bar & cabana:

Amazing water features all over the property, including this one:

Solbar restaurant at night:

The stunning contemporary fireplace – those are metal rods artistically welded together.

Dangerously delicious red and white sangria cocktails.  Both are made with orange juice, Grand Marnier, and vodka.  The red also has cabernet and peaches, the white has chardonnay and blueberries.  Yummy yummy yummy.

Heirloom tomatoes with ricotta, toasted breadcrumbs, and basil.  So scrumptious !

Seared ahi over butter beans:

I just love their Black Sea salt & pepper !

One thing is for sure – this region will guarantee gastronomic sensory overload.  Next week, I’ll fill you in on our visit to:

Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Yountville for lunch, my new favorite dining spot on the planet and the place where I want to have my last meal in life, ever.  I am truly a Francophile foodie.

The flagship NapaStyle store

Castello di Amorosa, a Tuscan castle in the heart of Napa Valley.

and window shopping in St. Helena.

Three days away left me rejuvenated and inspired.  So now it’s back to business as usual . . .

Let me give you a brief tour of the inside of the restaurant before I show you the upgraded window decor.  His menu features rustic Italian cuisine, with an elegant presentation.  Handmade gnocchi, risotto, beef carpaccio, osso bucco, cioppino, seasonal specials, with wines from Italy – and all made with fresh, local, sustainable products.  Our meals are simply scrumptious every time we dine.   

My favorite thing about dining in this restaurant is not only the food, but the ambiance.  Dim lighting, paired with mandolin guitar and Italian vocals transport you to a place far away.  Take a look at some daytime photographs of the interior, and you’ll get the feel for the mood of this restaurant.

Entrance with brick wall, rope divider, iron candle sconces, and art displayed in carved wood frames:

Bar Seating Area:

Wine Bar, surround designed with salvaged wood shingles:

The Onyx Bar where we’ve shared many a glass of Super Tuscan – it has an intoxicating glow by night:

Stunning globe chandeliers:

Floor to ceiling linen curtains, hanging rope divider:

Vase in Entry:

My first project was to upgrade the look of the floral display in his beloved Murano glass vase.  He had been paying a florist for weekly arrangements, and was dissatisfied with the quality and the cost.  He definitely wanted to keep the vase, but he wanted branches instead of flowers – ones he didn’t want to have to replace every week.  I chose two kinds of willow, forsythia branches, and sage cassia to complete the airy display.  

Front, Before:

Front, After:

Rear, Before:

Rear, After:

The light travels beautifully through the wispy tall branches.  This look is much better than those expired lilies!  At Christmastime, I’m going to hang miniature metallic bulbs from a few of the branches. 

Front Window:

As for the restaurant, you can see from the first set of photos that there are a lot of warm tones in this space.  It is rugged with its brick wall and rope detail, but a softer balance is achieved through the globe chandeliers and the linen fabrics.  Marco loves rich reds and golds, so I used those deep warm tones to transform his front window.

It was an odd shaped window, very little depth on one side, greater depth toward at the other end, so achieving balance with this asymmetrical layout was a challenge. 

The only decor in existence was some terra cotta pots filled with succulents sitting on top of some decorative rocks.  Nice, but not nice enough. 

Window, Before:

Window, After:

Here’s what I did with my budget.  I purchased three planters in deep red and mustard gold.  Then I invested in two 38” silk olive tree topiaries to sit in the window divide and provide height and a natural element without blocking the view.  Originally, I wanted real olive trees in the window, but I learned in a west facing window they’d never survive, especially next to vents.

Playing off of the globe chandeliers, I purchased some rustic iron orbs from a local nursery.  I also bought two candleholders I found at Marshalls, and some red glass votives from Pier One. 

I love the sculptural element of the orbs inside of this planter pictured below.  How rich is the color of of this urn?  I plan to light it up during the holidays with twinkle lights.

The orbs are repeated in smaller sizes, moving to the other side of the window space.

Instead of buying new planters for all of his succulents, I saved him some money by simply priming and painting his terra cotta pots with two shades by Ralph Lauren: Orchard Yellow and Village Red.

Planter Before:

Planter After:

Finally, I added some patterned pillows for his window bench seating. 

I am just loving this rich and romantic red.

Window, by night:

From the outside, the candlelight provides greater ambiance and draws evening strollers into the romantic space:

So for about $500 dollars, we upgraded the vase and the window with rich color, texture, varying height, and greater style than existed before. I especially like how the iron spheres in varying sizes add a hint of modern whimsy and a rustic element as well. 

Next time you’re in the Wine Country, stop on by and visit Marco, and my window display.  I’ll meet you at The Onyx Bar for a glass of red.

The farm is planted with four kinds of lavender:  Grosso, Spanish, Provence, and English.  The word lavender comes from the Latin word “lavare”, and means “to wash.”  One cannot help but feel cleansed walking among the fields of lavender at the Lavender Bee Farm.  

I happened to visit at the perfect time of year since the Provence lavender is just about ready for harvest.  And with fifty bee colonies on the property, there is no shortage of honey making friends.  Take a look at a honey bee and bumble bee in business.  

Here are some views of the fields that I found most enchanting. 

Succulents are planted in a birdbath right in the heart of a field of Provence lavender

I could sit here a long while.

Rich and JoAnn have planted all varieties of fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers on their farm. 

Scattered throughout the property are eclectic sculptures made by local artists. 

Another fascinating element was Mel, the 19 year old camel raised by Rich.  Also pictured is the spirited horse Monty, looking for more affection from his owner.

Not pictured is Lamar, the black and white llama.  He also cohabitates in harmony with Mel the camel, and Monty and Maggie the horses. 

Outside, you’ll see these boxes congregated together, with swarms of honeybees going in and out, after they’ve gathered their nectar from the lavender, fruit trees, and vegetable blooms. 

Inside this barn is the honey production and lavender drying facility.

I was so fascinated by Rich’s detailed description of bee colonies, and the production of natural raw honey.  Here is the visitor’s observation colony inside the barn, where you can see honeybees up close doing what they do best.

Rich explained how he forms new colonies of bees with these honeycomb kits from a specialty supplier.  Here is a box filled with beeswax frames to give the bees a foundation for building honeycomb.

This machine cuts honeycomb inside a frame to help the honey drip out.

This stainless steel extractor uses spinning and gravity to extract the honey from the comb. 

At the end of the tour is a lovely store, where Joann showed me all of the products made on the farm.  I especially loved the sign that read, “Home is Where your Honey Bee”. 

Here is our lovely hostess JoAnn with some of her freshest cuttings.

I couldn’t resist assembling a gift basket of their fine products, and I’ll be giving it away on Friday !  

I highly recommend you visit here for a view of the all natural lavender and honey products offered by Lavender Bee Farm. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos of my farm tour, and if you’re ever in our part of the world, ‘bee’ sure to stop on by.

Interior shots: 

Check out these chandeliers, all so different: 

Here are a few images from the salvage yard outside:

In my conversation with the manager a few weeks ago, I was told that Restoration Hardware photographed their store and in his opinion “copied” many of their ideas.  This is complete hearsay, of course, but I couldn’t help noticing these pieces from RH’s spring collection:

Entablature Mirror, $3,290

Trestle Wood Salvaged Dining Table, $3,290

Salvaged Wood Sideboard, $2,990

Gun Barrel Salvaged Dining Table, $3,290:

I say, if his opinion is correct, then imitation is the best form of flattery.