ANOTHER DAY IN SANTA ROSA

 

This was actually almost a week ago and I was at the Children's Museum in Santa Rosa with the Blum family.   It has great outdoor and indoor exhibits and activities.  Max, Sally and I are relaxing in the picnic area while Roland and Violet have some free play time.

Here is a picture of Sally at the same spot:

Meanwhile, Violet was creating some percussion music:

Roland created enjoyed creative percussion, too:

There were lots of fun things to do inside.  I think our favorite was the Dentist office with a crocodile in the chair and you could use a device to see x-rays of his teeth.

Fun times with the Blums!

SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA

Here I am at the Pride Mountain Winery which includes vineyards in both Sonoma and Napa counties and I am with some very special people.  In this photo are Roland Blum (age 9), Sally Johnson Blum, Violet Blum (almost 11), Max Blum, and me.  Max is holding their Boston Terroir pup, Biscuit. 

Here's the reason it is special.  In March 2020, right before the shutdown on travel, I got a message from Ancestry.com that I had a "100 percent parent/child match."  I quickly realized that the match must be with a baby boy that I put up for adoption in June, 1969.  Ancestry gives you a link to contact the person and so I did asking, "Are you the  baby boy I put up for adoption in 1969?"  He answered that "Yes, he was that boy."  Since then, we have gotten to know each other through emails and zoom calls and we also became Facebook friends.  Now that I am fully vaccinated and travel restrictions have eased, I made a trip to meet him and his family in person.  It is wonderful.  They are an amazing family.  Max is musical and artistic and a loving father.  Sally is friendly, a wonderful mom, and is the winemaker at Pride Mountain Winery, which is why we went there for the picture above.  Violet is loves art and animals.  Roland loves sports and active play.  They have a trampoline in the back yard which is good for hours of fun. 

We had a great day at the winery and I was honored to have a tour by winemaker Sally herself.  We went to the tasting room and a special banquet room.  I got to see Sally's office and meet her co-workers who were all very welcoming.  We toured the wine caves and I was astounded by how big they were.  Here's a photo of me and Max in the caves:

And here's another of me and Max in the caves with a barrel of Pride Mountain wine:

And here is a shot of Sally, Max and me in the wine cellar:

I learned that there are separate buildings for Sonoma and Napa wines because there are different regulations for each county.  Here is a photo of me with Max in the area between the two buildings:

I am standing on the county line and the caves are in the background.  We also went through the vineyards with Sally and she explained the layout and took us to the ruins of a winery that was burned during Prohibition.  Here is a shot of Max and me in front of a small portion of the vineyards:

It was a great day and I really enjoyed every moment.  We've also gone to Bodega Bay twice (once with my brother Jeff) and once to meet my friend Sheryl.  I don't have good pictures of either of those trips.  Other days we have spent in the neighborhood and getting Violet and Roland chances to do things they love---swimming, throwing footballs and baseballs, playing board games and just hanging out.   As I noted, a very special time.

Mont Saint Michel

Just for the fun of it, I've been trying several kinds of virtual trips.  I miss being able to actually travel. A few days ago, I "went" to Mont Saint Michel with Context Travels Conversations.   It was the first time I tried that service, so I went on my own to see what it was like.  The program was supposed to be 90 minutes and it went over that, but it was OK because lots of useful information came up during the question and answer time.  The tour guide was Alexander Wilson.

The historical background was great.  The idea for a structure on the site began with Aubert the Bishop of Avronches in AD 708.  According to texts that have been preserved, he was visited three times in his dreams by the Archangel Michael who told him to build an oratory, or chapel.  He ignored the first two commands, but the Archangel poked a hole in his head the third time and so the Bishop obeyed. 

I won't go into all the details Mr. Wilson shared with us (about 65 participants by zoom) but, as the church became a pilgramage site, there was a need for a bigger structure.  The island is small, however, and very steep.  The solution was to build a sort of platform with the church on top.  It ended up as a three-storey structure, with common people using the lower floor, aristocrats on the middle floor, and the clergy on the top floor.  I think this was about the thirteenth century. 

During the French Revolution,  the monks were chased out and Mont Saint Michel became a prison.  The prison closed in 1863 and restoration didn't begin until 1874.  It was a huge project and restoration and research continues to this day.

Mr. Wilson took us through the main rooms of the cathedral as they are today.  My notes about that are not very good.  It is beautiful and I think I was taking in the visuals.  He then took us through the ramparts and village on the island.  He said very few people actually live there, though there are small inns and places to stay and many restaurants, including the most well-known;  La Mere Poularde where omelets are served. 

It was interesting, and worth the time and money, which is about $36 US dollars.  I think I like the longer, more intense virtual "trips" I've taken with Road Scholars.

Washington State Wine from Women Makers

Louisa, Chantel and I did another wine-tasting through Smithsonian Associates a week ago (March 5).  It was led by Eric Siegelbaum, who calls himself "SOMLYAY" and who also led the Northern California tasting last month.  This time, he focussed on women wine-makers in Washington State.  It was interesting to learn that the wine-growing region is very dry and dependent on irrigation.  The photo above shows the dry hills in the background of the vineyards.  Oh, I can't help mentioning that Eric had a great t-shirt "HERE FOR ALL THE RIGHT REISLINGS."

We again got the tasting wines in little bottles from Eastern Wine Bar, blocks from our houses, and  associated with Schneider's of Capitol Hill.  The wines were:

1. Sparkman Cellars "Birdie" Reisling, a Columbia Valley wine.  The winemaker is co-owner of the vineyards, Kelly Sparkman.  The grapes were ground by Lacy Lieback who grows over 21 varieties.  It arguably the best reisling I've tasted.  I usually avoid reisling because I think they are too sweet, but learned that there are dry reislings.

2.  Brook and Bull Cellars Chardonnay, also a Columbia Valley wine.  Ashley Trout is the winemaker.  I don't have further notes, but liked the wine.  I always like a chardonnay.

3.  Chateau St. Michelle, Cold Creek Vineyard, Cabernet Saugvignon also a Columbia Valley wine.  The winemaker is Leah Adint.  She has an interesting history and did graduate work in Austria.  I think this was an outstanding wine, very rich and robust.

4. Baer Winery "Ursa"  Another Columbia Valley wine.  Lisa Baer is the winemaker and Erica Orr is the consulting winemaker.   This wine is a blend of Merlot and  Cabernet Franc with Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.  It was delicious.

5.  Cote Bonneville, Dubrul Vineyard Syrah.  This wine is from the Yakima Valley.  Kerry Shields is the winemaker and Kathy Shields is a co-owner.  The vineyard has been recognized as the best in Washington State.  This wine was rich and tasty.

6. Buty, "Rediviva of the Stones" is from the Walla Walla Valley: specifically, an area known as the "Rocks District of Milton-Freewater.  Nina Buty is the owner,  I have no more notes.  I'd had six glasses of wine by then.

It was fun.  Louisa and Chantel were at Louisa's house, but I was at mine.  I think Peter took a few sips, too, as he reported the Baer Winery wine was his favorite.  

Wines of Northern California: A Top Sommelier's Guide

Last night I went to a Northern California wine tasting.  Oh, alright, it was a virtual trip through Smithsonian Associates.  The day before Louisa picked up the tasting kits, shown above, from a local wine bar.  The six wines we tasted were:

1.  Bee Hunter Semillion from Yorkville Highlands 2017

2.  Ancient Oak Cellars Chardonnay from Russian River Valley 2017

3.  Paul Hobbs "Crossbarn" Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2018

4.  Bee Hunter GSM (50% Grenache/25% Syrah/25% Mourverde) Sonoma County 2015

5.  Far Niente "Post & Beam" Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

6.  Ancient Oak Cellars "Pagnano Vineyard" Zinfandel Russian River Valley 2016

It was so much fun because the SOMLYAY (that's how he spells it) Erk Segelbaum really knows wine and has a fun presentation style.  He talked about elevation and how that affects the grapes, why the fog is part of the process for some of the wines, and much more including the impact of prohibition on the wineries and the role Robert Mondavi played in California wine marketing.  It was a memorable experience.  Louisa and Chantel both also "went" to the tasting.

Of course, it made me a little homesick for Northern California as many of the places were familiar to me.  These wines weren't, though, so it was a pleasure to learn something new.

SIENA!!!!

 

Yes, THAT Siena.  The one in Italy!  I recently went there (virtually) with Smithsonian Associates.  Louisa went with me.  We were only there a little over an hour, but it was a wonderful escape.  The tour guide, Elaine Ruffolo, knows a lot about Italian history and so we learned a lot.

Siena was an Etruscan village and not too important until about 1000 AD.  At that time, innovations in farming included how plows were used and oxen were yoked and those improvements led to agricultural surpluses.  Those surpluses created opportunities for trade and for banking.  The banks were successful enough that they even minted their own coins.  It also was a stop on the famous pilgrimage trail Via Francigena going to Rome so there was commerce related to those travelers.   

As Siena flourished, so did Florence and a rivalry developed between the two cities.  Siena was aligned at that time with the Holy Roman Empire and Florence was then aligned with the Papal State.  In 1260, there was a famous battle, Montaparte, between the two cities.  Going into that battle, the citizens of Siena appealed to the Virgin Mary for support and left keys to the city on the altar of the church for her.  They were at a disadvantage, but they won.  According to our guide, citizens of the two cities still bristle at that rivalry today.  The people of Sienna credited the Mary for their success and built a beautiful church in her honor, as shown in the photo above.   The tower was built a little later and is very distinctive as it is striped in black and white, which are the colors of the Siena flag:

The colors of black and white date back to the legend that Siena was founded by two brothers who were sons of Remus (of the Remus and Romulus who are purported to have founded Rome).  Part of the legend is that one brother rode in on a black horse and the other rode in on a white one.  

Another important and interesting building in Siena is the Palazzo Publico which was the seat of government.  I found it interesting that nine "good" men were selected by a drawing to serve two-month terms and were locked in during those terms.  There is a very elaborate work of art in the Palazzo showing an allegory of good and bad management.  Ms. Ruffolo had some good pictures of it, but I couldn't find any.  It is just interesting that they received such "guidance."

The Bubonic Plague was devasating for Siena and they lost 40% of their population.  Their commerce had been limited to banking, agriculture and support for pilgrims and was not very diverse.  Florence, in comparison, had a broader base to their economy and so had a stronger recovery/  

We also saw some film footage of the famous horse race, The Palio, which is a big attraction in Siena.  It is in July and August and both races were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.  I went on-line and saw that it is scheduled for July 2, 2021.  

 

In a week, Louisa and I will take the companion trip to Florence with the same tour guide.  I have actually been physically in Florence, though it was several years ago.  I had never been to Siena, but now I hope to actually travel there. 

 

VIRTUAL PARIS DAY THREE

The theme of the third day of the Road Scholar virtual trip covered Paris and the Revolutions.   My notes are not good, but I will forge on with this.  It seems like it was a pretty chaotic time.

Our guide Nettah described the circumstances leading to Bastille Day, July 14, 1789.  A major issue was that France was on the verge of bankruptcy, partly due to financial support for America.  The French supported us against Great Britain in the American Revolution.  Another major issue involved the Three Estates--the nobility (First Estate), the clergy (Second Estate) and everyone else (Third Estate).  The Third Estate was 98% of the country., but only 1/3 of the power.   Representatives of the three estates met at the Palace of Versailles.  The King was Louis XVI.  

At Versailles on May 28 1789 the Third Estate began meeting separately, as the Communes.  They declared they were a National Assembly, and would not be under the monarchy's supervision. That caused King Louis XVI to shut down the hall in which they were meeting, so they began meeting in June 1789 at an indoor tennis court at Versailles.  They vowed to work toward a new constitution.  The picture above is a depiction of how it might have looked at the tennis court.  I am not clear of the connection, but the storming of the Bastille took place in July and Louis XVI was forced to recognize the National Assembly.  In August, the Assembly met and voted to abolish aristocratic privileges.  The National Assembly continued to work toward their revolutionary goals and seized church property in November.  

The King and his family attempted to flee to Varennes in June 1791 but they were caught.  He was tried by the National Convention and found guilty of high treason.  He was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793.  Shortly after that, his wife, Marie Antoinette was also tried and also was guillotined.  Her spending had been one of the things that led the revolutionaries to revolt.

Robespierre was elected President of the Convention and presided over what is known as the Reign of Terror because there were many massacres and executions during that time.  It was portrayed as an attempt of republican government under his leadership, but people turned against him and he was beheaded in 1794.  

I am not sure, but it seems that there was a relatively peaceful time for a few years.  But Napoleon Bonaparte who staged a coup in November 1799.  He became more and more powerful and was crowned as Emperor in 1804.  He led France to become the dominant land power of Europe, while Britain dominated the seas.  He lead an army of 700,000 to invade Russia but had to retreat because of winter weather.  He was defeated in 1814 by a coalition of Russian, Austrian and Prussian forces and exiled to Elba but he took power back about a year later when he escaped and returned to Paris.  The French people welcomed him back and the King, Louis XVIII fled to Belgium.  A European coalition defeated him at Waterloo and he was again exiled; this time, to St Helena where he died.  He may have been poisoned.  

Louis XVIII was restored as King in July 1815

I am not going to post the next two days to this blog.  My notes are not that good, and I think it is enough to say it was worthwhile and fun for Louisa and I to do together.