Sonoma Fires

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Map of the Oakmont Fire threatening Spring Lake, several miles to the east, at the Ledson Winery area. This is the fire activity on October 16th.

The fires around Sonoma County are frightening. The Ledson Winery,  the one I wrote about in The Art of Getting Lost in Sonoma, is standing dramatically against a backdrop of flames in the Oakmont Fire!  My mom’s apartment  is just two miles away from this fire and she has been under mandatory evacuation orders since October 9th, and she’s sick so I worry about her. Her neighbors at the retirement community were evacuated to the fairgrounds or to their family. We wait for the rain expected on Thursday to stop this madness…

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Celebrating Octoberfest in Squaw Valley

Octoberfest lady dancing, by Irene RowleyDid you know there was a Octoberfest festival in Squaw Valley, California, with snow?  I did not know…  I went to the Sierras for the autumn colors, and because I loved the mountains. If you have been following me, you know the Sierra Mountains are one of my favorite destinations. So I went to Squaw Valley this season.

Irene, First snow, Squaw Valley, photo by Irene Rowley

I loved the first snow in Squaw Valley …

I found Squaw Valley was a little village nestled under steep and beautiful granite mountains. They were untouched by snow, at least the day I arrived… continue reading

The Art of Getting Lost ~ in Sonoma

the view from the road.

My first view of Ledson Winery

I love living in Sonoma County. Yesterday, I was just driving to Safeway to get my mom some groceries, and I made one wrong turn. One minute later, I was driving through wine country, looking for a place to turn my car around. I saw this open gate.  It was a large enough place to turn my car and that’s all I saw, at first. I meant to just turn around.

But as I rolled through the gate, I saw this most incredible mansion, just beyond the many green grapevines (the Ledson Winery).  continue reading

Travel Sketchbooks Explained

Irene Rowley

Irene when in Rome, Italy … when I was young.

A travel sketchbook is one way of recording your journey in a very personal way. I like to keep travel journals and here is what it is like to draw in one:

I took a travel sketchbook on my tour of Italy when I was young and on my own. Let me heighten this story adventure by saying I sketched on the very first day in Italy, right after being robbed by a taxi driver. continue reading