Dancing through The Windsor Day Parade

On a warm and sunny morning in May my husband and I drove to Windsor Town Green to watch The Windsor Day Parade.

By ten o'clock the bright-costumed kids crowded the streets with their bands and dancers. There was a stage, where a few gray-haired veterans sat and smiled quietly while the groups of cheering and dancing people swept by in panorama of Windsor life. 

Ideale Restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco

Early June is slipping away in a pleasure of long evenings. San Francisco is still the splendor and the mystery of the world, and the dream of a great dinner that never tires.

Ideale restaurant is admired by my husband as one of the best Italian restaurants in North Beach. Every time we are there, it evokes wonderful memories of favors, tastes, feelings of our recent trip to Italy.  Ideale is simply about Italian food. Our favorite order: vino bianco and pasta. Any pasta!

The Windsor Green Half Marathon - May 2014

The day was May 18th, 2014. The Windsor Green Half Marathon-10K-5K - Sonoma County's newest and biggest race - started and finished on the Windsor Town Green.

There was something enormously bright and colorful about the whole scene before start. Suddenly the time makes it impossible to be on call and the only thing on your mind and to-do list is to run! 

An Iconic Winemaker Ed Sbragia Continues to Work His Magic

The year melted into Summer. I am standing on my favorite terrace at the Sbragia Family Vineyards in the early afternoon, drenched with golden light and taking in the dramatic view. I am thinking again that this place reminds me of something - some forgotten mood or feeling from my past. It is so peaceful and beautiful up here. And I am hopelessly in love with Sbragia wines...

There is always a certain degree of mystery in a glass of good wine for me. The wine has to have a touch of aromas that's recognizable, but at the same time cannot be too obvious. I know I need some guidance in the art of loving and understanding wines, and I truly believe that Ed Sbragia is a brilliant and generous winemaker and teacher. The surprise and the magic of his wines are here, in every glass of his wines.  

My favorites for the moment (from the Wine Club Exclusive Wines) are 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon (Andolsen Vineyard), 2010 Vino Rosso (Bordeaux Blend) and 2009 Petite Sirah (Teldeschi Vineyard).

“Why do you sell your wine, merchant? What can they give you in exchange for your wine? Money? … And what can money give you? Power? … Aren't you the owner of the world when you are holding a drink? Is anyone richer than you, who have gold in your cup, Rubies, Pearls, Dreams, and Love? Don't you feel the blood burning in your veins when the cup kisses your lips?” 

- Omar Khayyam 

Dutcher Crossing Winery: Magic of Vision and Wine

The car slowed up at the parking lot of the Dutcher Crossing Winery and I caught sight of the main house and simple wooden tables and benches that came suddenly into my view. There were happy and noisy parti-colored crowds inside and outside. There was a great and constantly increasing amount of red and white roses that silhouetted against the wine fields. What a magnificent place it was!

I wonder what is it that causes this happy feeling, this sensation that you are being helplessly drawn to a place like this? Well... I adapted myself to the wine tasting culture, I guess :) I became a wine lover!

My favorites at the Dutcher Crossing Winery are 2012 Greewood Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2010 Luciana's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.