Tag Archives: sonoma coast

The Week in Bloom

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) The Sap Moon of March and a stretch of sunny days have conspired to launch a timely Spring, with more plants budding, blooming and leafing than I was able to count, beginning just after the Vernal Equinox. Here are several from on and around our property at about 700′ elevation, Latitude: 38.40222
Longitude: […]

Driftwood Symposium

I’ve been collecting driftwood over the past couple of years and organizing it according to its general type (girth, length, curvature, species) and the frequency with which it can typically be found on stretches of beach near the mouth of the Russian River. I’d like to expand upon my collecting, make a kind of a […]

The Week in Bloom

The week preceding the vernal equinox welcomed the return of web-spinning spiders around our property, harvesting a new crop of air born insects brought on by the warm weather and longer days. We’re also beginning to see evidence of an oddly early annual migration of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), if yesterday’s swarms along route 101 […]

Bouillabaisse

the marinated fish is ready to add to the boiling broth Bouillabaisse is a fish stew whose origins date to the ancient sea routes of the Mediterranean. Though strongly associated with coastal Provence, the stew has roots in Greece and Italy, where for centuries fish has been cooked in rapidly boiling  broth combining strong wine, […]

Kelp Report

Late winter storms have deposited heaps of bull kelp along the shores over the past week. I had some success experimenting with kelp as a material for furniture last year but am not yet ready to take advantage of its availability in production. I’d love to hear from anyone who has seen kelp used in […]

The Week in Bloom

Ene and I hiked through the forest, along Willow Creek to the coast. Usually a gushing torrent this time of year, the creek was a barely audible gurlge beneath the mossy bays and redwood. Along the way,we spotted many new wild blossoms, including several that we could not identify. Please let me know if you […]