Author Archives{SonomaSuzie}

SonomaSuzie is a full-time writer/editor and an enthusiastic hiker, gardener, cook, traveler, tech geek, wine nerd, art and history lover, and schmoozer.

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121st annual Cloverdale Citrus Fair slated

3 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Come celebrate citrus at one of California’s longest-lived annual festivals. The Cloverdale Citrus Fair is in its 121st year in 2013. Each year the event offers new surprises and a great time for the whole family by combining modern fun with old-fashioned charm. This year’s Fair will be held over Presidents’ Day Weekend (Feb. 15-18) at – where else? – {…}

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Green Hotels: Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma Hotel

4 months ago in Green.0 Comments

“Green  Hotels” is an ongoing series that profiles certified lodging members of the Sonoma Green Business Program. These hotels, B&Bs, inns, and other accommodations undergo a rigorous accreditation process to ensure that they take action to conserve resources, minimize waste, comply with environmental regulations, prevent pollution and reduce their carbon footprint. Past Green Hotels profiled in this column have been {…}

Glen Oaks Ranch

Take a free hike with Sonoma Land Trust

4 months ago in Green.1 Comment

Whether you’re a visitor to or a resident of Sonoma County, a hike with Sonoma Land Trust is a treat you’ll always remember – that is, if you love the outdoors, enjoy an invigorating walk, and want to explore some of the county’s most pristine and beautiful terrain with people who will explain the history and ecology of the land. {…}

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Rail Trails: West County/Joe Rodota Trails

4 months ago in Green.0 Comments

In the 19th century, railroads played a huge part in the growth of Sonoma County. The first standard gauge railroad here – the Petaluma and Haystack Railroad – began operation in 1864. Its route was only one mile long, chugging back and forth between Petaluma’s fledgling commercial district and the ferry landing on the Petaluma River. By the turn of {…}

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Start 2013 with a family friendly “learning hike”

4 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Hard to believe, but a brand new year is almost upon us again. It’s strange, because it seems that just a month or two ago I was looking ahead to 2012, and now that year has nearly stepped through the door. That’s all the more reason to think ahead a bit, lining up January activities that set the tone for {…}

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Sonoma County Kids get their own Christmas Bird Count

5 months ago in Green.0 Comments

With its magnificent ocean coast, rivers and bays – not to mention widely diverse  habitat – Sonoma County is home to an extraordinary variety of resident birds and a temporary host to many kinds of migrant fliers. Two major Audubon Christmas Bird Counts are held here each December, one in Western Sonoma County (sponsored by the Madrone Audubon Society) and {…}

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It’s whale season on the Sonoma Coast!

5 months ago in Green.0 Comments

It’s whale-watching time on the California coast again. Every year – beginning in October – thousands of gray whales embark on a four-month journey from their summer home in Alaska’s chilly Bering Sea to the warm and shallow breeding/birthing waters off the Baja Peninsula. The length of pregnancy for a female gray whale is about 13 1/2 months. A female {…}

North Eagle Tree Farm

Green the Holidays with a “U Cut” Tree

5 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Back in 1901, 25,000 Norway Spruce trees were planted near Trenton, New Jersey – thus creating the first Christmas Tree farm in the U. S. Holiday trees had long been popular, but at the turn of the century most people still trekked into the snowy woods to find and cut a tree. No longer. Today, as I discovered on Ron {…}

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Holiday Celebrations in Sonoma County

5 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Want to start celebrating the holidays? Here are three great ideas for things to this weekend in different parts of the county: Petaluma: Holiday Lighted Boat Parade This stunning event, a tradition for more than 20 years, has always been a crowd pleaser. Just imagine a “fleet” of highly-decorated, brightly lit boats parading from the marina to the Petaluma Turning {…}

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Holiday Open House: Luther Burbank Home & Gardens

5 months ago in Green.2 Comments

One of the earliest people to understand the value of Sonoma County’s soil and climate was world-famous horticulturist Luther Burbank. Burbank came to Santa Rosa from Massachusetts in 1875. Then 27 years old, the self-educated creator of plants had already developed the Russet Burbank potato, which is still the most popular US potato cultivar. He sold the rights to that {…}