The annual Russian River Barrel Tasting is back....over 100 wineries participate in this fun event. One low ticket price allows you entry to all the wineries....for barrel tasting, future purchases, meet the wine makers, and sample current releases.

Check out my previous post on the Russian River Wine Road....it's one of the greatest secrets of this area up here....there are 140 wineries along this beautiful scenic road!

The San Francisco Chronicle published a great article on Olive Oil Tasting Tours in Sonoma that I thought you would enjoy.

Sonoma County is well known for its California Extra Virgin Olive Oil and olive tapenades. It's always fun to go olive oil tasting, and now the Sonoma Olive Festival is still in full swing through the end of February.

Here's a previous post I did on the McEvoy Ranch Tours as well. That was a lot of fun!

Enjoy!

Just saw this....it sounds like fun!


Valentine Art Walk
Friday, February 08th, 2008
02:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Join the 22 artists of Riverfront Art Gallery for the Valentine Art Walk, downtown on Friday, Feb. 8 from 5 pm.-8 pm. There will be wine, food and artists will share their art love stories with the public.
For more information: 707-775-4ART,
Location:
Riverfront Art Gallery
132 Petaluma Boulevard North
Petaluma, CA 94952
For More Information:
Contact: Jody
Email: jelliott@sonomacounty.com
Phone: 707-775-4ART

Snoopy's always fun....and this Charles Shulz Museum always has interesting exhibits. It's located in Santa Rosa, just 1/2 hour from "At the Bay's Edge".



Here's the Details:

JANUARY 31 THROUGH JULY 20, 2009

NEW EXHIBIT | To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA

To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA looks at the history of Apollo 10 and the Peanuts characters’ role in that flight and in the NASA Manned Flight Awareness safety program. It will feature a one–third scale model of the Apollo command module from the Johnson Space Center, an Apollo–era flight suit, the actual image of Charlie Brown that was flown aboard Apollo 10, and a special children’s area for creative play.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

I was just looking at the Madrone Audobon Society's Sonoma County Calendar for Bird Watching Events....and they have a lot planned this year! Check out their guided bird tours, lectures, and special events.

Sonoma County is one of the best places for bird watchers of all levels / interests. And "At The Bay's Edge" is such a perfect fit for Bird Watchers as we have such a wide variety of birds to watch....right outside your window. Here's a picture from right outside your deck!

The coastal weather in Bodega can be variable! Check out the conditions here:

Wunderground




Tide Predictions for Bodega Bay

NOAA tides & currents main page
NOAA official site home page

Current Ocean Conditions from the

• Bodega Bay Weather Buoy

The Annual Petaluma Lighted Boat Parade was another year of fun sponsored by the Petaluma Yacht Club at the Petaluma River downtown.

A flotilla of holiday decorated boats filled the turning basin downtown to celebrate the holidays and to welcome Santa. It's always been one of Petaluma's featured and spectacular holiday traditions.

The history of this parade is quite interesting....it was actually started a quarter century ago by club members who sailed up the river from Gilardi’s Landing to the Turning Basin until it dawned on them that few could actually see the boats until they neared the downtown area. Now the parade is from the Petaluma Marina to the Turning Basin.

The first Lighted Boat Parade featured three boats. That number has grown to more than 35 boats in addition to an assortment of canoes and kayaks. Hundreds of people from not only Petaluma, but from all over the Bay Area line the Turning Basin to watch the spectacle. Depending on the tides, boats gather at the marina around 5:30 p.m. The parade starts at 6 and reaches the Turning Basin around 6:30.

Petaluma is just 25 minutes from "At The Bay's Edge" and offers many wonderful restaurants and activities as well.

It's crab season, and the beauty of staying "At the Bay's Edge" is that you can buy crab off of the boats, and cook it here, or eat out. It's a "win" "win" event for all!

Enjoy!

Bodega Bay is so well known for its seafood....as it should be! However, this small town does have something for everyone....and we have an incredible burger joint off the beaten path that overlooks the water. It's called "The Dog House"....and you can enjoy fabulous burgers, dogs, fries & ice cream while you watch the wildlife or the windsurfers and kite surfers that launch from that beach almost every afternoon.

The Dog House is next to the Post Office at 537 S Highway 1.....you'll see Coldwell Banker and it's behind that building down on a side road overlooking the water. (707) 875-2441. The "Dog House" is just a mile from "At the Bay's Edge".




Enjoy!

ARTrails is a big event here....A program of the Arts Council of Sonoma County, ARTrails is an annual fall tradition and Sonoma County's largest and most visible arts event. Celebrating its 22nd year and voted "Sonoma County's Best Outdoor Art Event", ARTrails provides a rare opportunity for the public to meet local artists in their studios and learn about their diverse creative processes and techniques. Through hands-on demonstrations as well as intimate conversations, ARTrails artists will take you into their world where colors, shapes, materials, and textures merge into unique and collectible works of art.

Download Maps

For More Information

The white pelicans usually fish in groups and dunk from the surface - unlike the brown pelicans, who dive for their food. They are often right in front of "At the Bay's Edge" and are just beautiful to watch.

What a nice surprise....The Terrapin Creek Cafe just opened and I really enjoyed everything about this place! The food is incredible, the owners are really nice and very involved in every detail, and the environment is both relaxing and beautiful.

Here's Terrapin Creek's current menu. It changes weekly, always fresh and organic. Make sure and stop by....they also have coffee and pastries / desserts to go!

We have a lot of Farmer's Markets here in Sonoma County, and all are good. The latest addition to the Friday night market in Occidental is Kashaya's Brick Oven Pizza. She has a brick oven trailer that she fires up at the market, and makes the most incredible pizzas. Tonight's menu included spinach, garlic and ricotta (yum!), potato, rosemary, and mushroom, and apricot, strawberry, and slivered mushrooms.

We took home two pizzas, one for tonight and one to freeze. Delicious!

The famous Armstrong Redwoods are located just 30 minutes from "At the Bay's Edge".

Here are just some of the highlights of this incredible grove of redwoods:

The Tallest Tree
The Parson Jones Tree is the tallest tree in the grove, measuring more than 310 feet in height. This is longer than the length of a football field!

The Oldest Tree
The Colonel Armstrong Tree is the oldest tree in the grove, estimated to be over 1400 years old.

The Icicle Tree
This tree shows the unusual burl formations often found on redwood trees. Burls can weigh many tons and grow hundreds of feet above the forest floor. Why these growths occur remains a mystery.

It's an incredible experience to be surrounded by these trees.

Our guests have the best seat in the area for the annual fireworks show in Bodega Bay.....the display is right across the water from "At the Bay's Edge"!


Happy Independence Day to all!