CaliforniaGirlinOz (now just California Girl)

After some lucky weeks of quite mild temps, we are back close to triple digits. Yesterday we went back to Passaggio Winery for another spectacular couple of hours of wonderful music from the inimitable David Aguilar...this time with Peter McCauley. Together, they perform as Tudo Bem around the county. David performed recently with The Blues Project in Sonoma, and another gig at Jack London Saloon. We are SO lucky to have this talented musician living so nearby! I would have posted a video, but Blogger won't allow that anymore...go figure! (It also has now done away with paragraphs -- sorry for the run-on paragraph. I should have switched to another blog platform years ago.) This morning dawned clear and warm, too, so I set out relatively early for my 3 miler in the Regional Park. Met two horse riders on the way in, and then several runners. I wish I could have gotten a shot of the three guys with white tee-shirts that said "SOGs", and below that "Slow Old G...

A gorgeous warm Sunday afternoon, and our first visit to Passagio Winery. What a wonderful find! Not only beautiful music from Emily Hamilton (whose band, Third Rail, plays locally quite often), but delicious wines! We ended up joining their Wine Club and taking home 4 yummy bottles! Highly recommended.....stop by Passagio if you are ever near Jack London Village in Glen Ellen!

Saturday morning...beatiful sunny skies, and I decided on a bit longer walk. Into the park, but then thought, "I haven't taken a look at what's happening at the Sonoma Development Center in a long time. Maybe today's the day?" So I wandered through the park, and on to SDC property and the long-deserted SDC outbuildings on the east side of Arnold. The Center has a long history: originally named the California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble-Minded Children, it opened on November 24, 1891. In the 1960s, it became Sonoma State Hospital. The last patients were transferred to other care facilities in 2018, and since that time, there has been much controversy about what should be done with the sprawling property with all its old buildings. No consensus has been reached and the property is fading away. Funds to maintain the property are scarce. A few years ago I did a post about the old children's carousel, just before it was dismantled. I want...