Letters to the Editor

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11.14.07

Pastoral-progressive

No doubt, the vegans came out of the woodwork, inundating you good people with inflamed retorts to Clark Wolf and the bait laid for us (“Heritage for the Holidays,” Napkin Notes, Nov. 7). Here’s one more. Save these special birds—by killing them? That is, by paying a little more to outsource the killing-plucking-gutting to someone with a smaller flock, someone who hosts 4-H tours, someone who’s pitching a fresher and more progressive fantasy about America’s pastoral good ol’ days?

As Wolf notes, “stewardship of our Eden” does require a thoughtful balance between the needs of self and the needs of others, but nature’s self/other distinction is pretty fuzzy. Nature is us: turkeys, slaughterhouse workers, waterways fouled with manure, even the E. coli and salmonella hitting the headlines with every frozen-crap recall. I like the Slow Food movement and Mr. Wolf’s promotion thereof, but why can’t we take the next logical step down the food chain here? Because meat tastes good? Because your mama made it?

Is that all you’ve got?

Anyone who can cook worth a damn will be giving thanks this holiday for side dishes and gravy anyway. And I’m confident that the plants on my plate—be they heirloom, organic, shaped like a can, whatever—weren’t scurrying away or shrieking before the man came around.

Jason Weaver

Guerneville

Would someone please explain to Jason where gravy comes from?

Stage review prompts letter!!!

I read David Templeton’s review of Loading Zone’s Macbeth (“Fair Is Foul,” Nov. 7), and I couldn’t agree more. I was at the 9pm show on Halloween knowing I couldn’t make it through the midnight show. It was truly an amazing production. If you see only one production this month, it must be Macbeth at the Loading Zone.

Holly Vinson

Santa Rosa

North Bay corp.’s other sides

Do you know that North Bay Corporation is involved in the development of a solid-waste landfill in a pristine foothill area of southwestern Colusa County (“Again and Again,” the Green Zone, Aug. 8)? The proposed landfill will be in four steep canyons, with watershed that flows down into the creeks that cross Sacramento Valley and into the Colusa Basin and then to the Sacramento River. There are also seismic faults within 200 feet (less than a football field length) of the landfill. Additionally, this landfill is in an area that is exclusively agricultural.

North Bay Corporation formed a subsidiary, Cortina Landfill Company, to be the developer/manager. North Bay, one subsidiary of the Ratto Group of Companies Inc., also has options to buy 50 percent of Earthworks Industries Inc., a venture company in Canada whose subsidiary, Cortina Integrated Waste Management Inc., has the lease on 423 acres of a 640-acre rancheria, the lands of the Cortina Band of Wintun Indians.

Sure, North Bay can recycle, but they don’t mind destroying a pristine environment to gain more dumping ground.

Vernette Marsh

Davis

Puff Puff

I am an on-and-off-again smoker. I can’t seem to quit but can’t smoke steadily, either. [Regarding the outdoor smoking ban in Santa Rosa], car exhaust causes about the same health problems that secondhand smoke causes: asthma, bronchitis, blah blah blah, but a lot more than 20 percent of Santa Rosa is addicted to their automobiles, so the largest group of monkeys wins and gets to feel self-righteous. We sure sent the message across about how strongly we feel about public health! Now, when we sit outside at a cafe with our latte or cappuccino, all we have to inhale are carcinogens from burning petroleum, not burning tobacco. Yay! What a pretentious joke. If people were really concerned about public health, we’d all have healthcare.

Evan Swan

Santa Rosa


Wine Tasting Room of the Week

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Unable to answer their calling in their homeland, the pilgrims voyaged west for a better life. On the coast of the New World, they learned from friendly natives how to plant the local crops. After a few seasons of hard work, their harvests were bountiful, and they throve.

I’m still, of course, talking about Texans.

Lately you can’t swing a dead grape without hitting some Texan in the wine business. An invasion? Nope. They have come to adopt the indigenous way of life and pay tribute to the local god, Dionysus. They are escaping the tyranny of “dry” counties, and less-than-ideal climatic conditions for vinifera, too. (If there are outstanding examples that demonstrate otherwise, please send me samples care of this paper.) Yes, there’s wine in Texas, but California is—to borrow from Lone Star son Dan Rather—the big enchilada. They must be as happy as gophers in soft dirt, and I can’t think of a Texas transplant who isn’t a producer of primo vino. You wouldn’t say, for example, that Susie Selby is all hat and no Cabernet—and her Chardonnay is excellent, too. Siduri’s manic Adam Lee makes more small lots of Pinot than Austin turns out bands, and Mac McDonald is clearly realizing his Burgundian vision.

Joining them to build his vineyard on a hill is retired orthodontist Al McWilliams and family. For now, their tasting room on Westside Road is a stand-alone (Arista shares winery space at Moshin). The scene doesn’t scream Texas. The baby vines of the future estate vineyard are spaced a petite one meter apart and a Japanese architect designed the unique building and naturalistic landscaping and picnic area, set on a picturesque rocky knoll overlooking the Russian River Valley.

Nothing big about the wine list: three style-driven, focused wines. The dry, Alsatian-style 2006 Anderson Valley Gewürztraminer ($24) is light on the spice, with floral and pineapple aromas. Like a sexed-up Sauvignon Blanc, its crisp acidity is rounded out with a hint of cream. Vanilla, cocoa and spice enhance the classic, cranberry astringency of the 2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($40), while candied cherry with vanilla and clove introduce the similar 2006 Sonoma County Pinot Noir ($30). Rhubarb pie also comes to mind.

Speaking of food, I like their mannerly tasting notes. While acknowledging that the wine is pleasant by itself, they suggest pairing it with a pork tenderloin dish, just “possibly glazed with a cherry reduction sauce.” And the staff was in good humor, for it being closing time at the end of an unusually hectic day. It so happened that all the McWilliams were away at the hospital, greeting their first brand new Californian born in their adopted land.

Arista Winery, 7015 Westside Road, Healdsburg. Tasting room open daily, 11am to 5pm. Free. 707.473.0606.



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The Liquidator

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The Liquidator

11.14.07

So, the Hannah Montana tour finally came to the HP Pavilion, ending not only the begging and pleading by tweenage girls desperate to go to the show, but also the moaning and groaning of parents who are still sore about the ticket prices. Face value for most tickets was less than $100, but according to StubHub, an online ticket marketplace owned by eBay, the average selling price was $249, with the most expensive single ticket selling for $2,565.

Me? I casually turned down two second-row tickets selling at face value on the day of the show. They were easy to find with the help of a friendly “ticket retailer” named Alex.

Alex is the guy who sells tickets just outside of a show. Many would call him a scalper, but he insists that what he does is different.

“I say, ‘No, I’m a retailer, sir,'” says Alex, who asked that his last name not be used. “I know where my tickets came from, I know they’ll get you in the door and they’re also good seats. You’re paying for the service, versus some scalper.

“The fact of the matter is,” he says, “it’s a kind of scummy business to be in, but I try to put it in perspective for people.” By which, of course, he means people who get angry about brokers buying up tickets. “I say, ‘Oh man, I went to New York City, and they bought up all the land! They didn’t even save any for me!'”

Here’s another real estate metaphor: He’ll sell you tickets for the price he paid for them, if you’ll sell him your house for the price you paid for it. And like some houses, some tickets depreciate in value, too.

The justifications for his profession are many, and so are the methods by which Alex procures his tickets, because in the $2 billion secondary market for tickets, he explains, there are “many different angles and loopholes and weaknesses that people exploit” to get the tickets you want before you can.

Why You Can’t Get Tickets

Unbeknownst to the average ticket buyer, many of a concert’s tickets are spoken for before they even go on sale. Some ticket brokers even own their own season tickets, which they can resell as a ticket to a particular show long before the tickets have gone on sale. The remaining seats are picked over by the promoter of the show, fan clubs, the venue itself, group sales and, if the promoter dictates, pre-sale auctions.

What’s left goes on sale to the general public, and this is the part where feelings get hurt. Popular shows like Hannah Montana literally sell out in a matter of minutes through Ticketmaster’s many channels, including retail locations, phone orders and online orders. So why, when the dust settles after tickets sell out in minutes, are you left empty-handed while online ticket brokers have immediately posted thousands of tickets for sale at premium prices?

Some people insist that Ticketmaster is conspiring with the brokers to extract more money from the public.”

I would like to know how, within 20 seconds of a show going on sale, I could not find any seats together at any price at this event,” complains one disgruntled Ticketmaster customer. “However, there are gobs of them for sale on many different scalper sites. How is this possible and why is this tolerated? The only explanation for this is that people inside TM are in cahoots with these criminals.”

Unsurprisingly, the computerized ticket ordering system is vulnerable to hacking, and Ticketmaster says the brokers are using software to “cut in line.” At Ticketmaster’s behest, a federal judge in Los Angeles recently ordered a company called RMG to “stop creating, trafficking in, or facilitating the use of computer programs that allow its clients to circumvent the protection systems in the Ticketmaster.com website.”

In the legal paperwork, Ticketmaster avers that “RMG has not denied that its programs were used by two admitted clients to block public access and thereby acquire tickets to highly sought-after ‘Hannah Montana’ events. . . . One RMG customer alone recently placed about 9,500 orders to purchase almost 24,000 tickets using RMG’s technology.”

But even if Ticketmaster implements better security to protect itself against such attacks, that wouldn’t stop tickets from making their way to the secondary market. Brokers are people too, so they still have a right to buy tickets, and reselling them is not illegal in most states (and even where it is illegal, the law is rarely enforced). Even nonprofessionals occasionally cash in by buying an extra set of tickets and reselling them for twice the price, effectively making their tickets free.

As one anonymous broker puts it, “Websites like eBay make it very simple for anyone to sell their concert tickets. History shows us that high prices will continue for any product for which demand is greater than supply. What the enraged public should be bitching about is that the concert promoters don’t plan more performances [increasing supply], so that prices come down according to the normal rules of a capitalist market. Government regulation not necessary, lawsuits not necessary, Timmy’s cryin’ not necessary.”

Economist Doug Campbell, who works at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., responded to a lawsuit brought by Lyn Peraldo, who sued a ticket reseller for charging her $1,050 for four seats, in a recent column posted on his company’s website. “This complaint misses the point,” Campbell argues. “The ticket company didn’t inflate the price; the forces of supply and demand did. . . .The more fundamental issue is that promoters of the Hannah Montana series apparently haven’t priced tickets commensurate with demand, opening the door to a secondary market with much higher prices.

“Campbell suggests an alternative model where seats are auctioned off to the highest bidder—a service already offered by Ticketmaster, but not widely used by the promoters who hire the ticketing giant. Industry insiders speculate that more promoters will start using auctions as a means of capturing some of the money that would otherwise go to ticket resellers.

In the meantime, according to ticket professionals like Alex, “Don’t wake up early on Sunday morning [to get tickets], because you don’t have a chance.”

Perishable Goods

I showed up at the HP Pavilion at 2pm on Sunday, exactly two hours before the Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) “Best of Both Worlds” show was scheduled to begin. I waited to meet with Alex, who was driving down from up north to take his tickets “on the walk.” He was dressed casually in a plain black jacket and a baseball hat, and explained that he likes to keep a low profile. He looked for and often spotted plainclothes cops.

“My angle is, 19 out of 20 times, I’ll be able to get you a ticket that is better than you could ever even lay your hands on—for face value or less,” says Alex. “That one time out of 20, I gotta pop ya—the market is what the market is.”

He says the eight tickets he sold made the trip down from San Francisco worth his while; he wouldn’t tell me how much he sold them for, but more important was knowing how he got them. Some he simply buys, from Ticketmaster or StubHub or from brokers. Some he gets himself by sheer diligence; Ticketmaster often releases more tickets to sold-out shows without warning. But mostly he gets tickets from brokers.

“I’m basically a liquidator,” Alex explains. “Tickets are a perishable good, and those ticket brokers, when they buy, they do everything they can to sell those tickets, but they get stuck sometimes. I have found a way to monetize those seemingly dead tickets.

“We watch as 14 girls poured out of a stretched limo in midscream and midstride, screaming and running towards the Pavilion. As the lines dwindle and the show finally begins, Alex introduces me to David, another ticket seller. I had seen him earlier chatting with cops, talking on his cell phone and spending time at the ticket booth, but had no idea that he was buying 90 tickets at face value, all of which he sold before 4pm. He said the insane demand was caused by the promoter, who simply didn’t release enough advance tickets.

David and Alex urged me to go see for myself, so I walked up to the ticket booth to find out if I could still get a pair of tickets. The woman in the booth quoted me the price: $116 each, for second-row seats. I felt a brief rush—the one you get for being in the right place at the right time. Then I just walked away, little girls’ shrieks still echoing in my head.


Hopping to It

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Hopping to It

11.14.07

The folks behind the upscale pub that took over the Sebastopol Brewing Co. in downtown Sebastopol two weeks ago have been playing it close to the vest regarding plans for their new venture. So close, in fact, that they haven’t spilled any information other than to confirm that, yes, it will be an independent operation from Dean Biersch, co-founder of the Gordon-Biersch brewery chain, and that it will be called the Hopmonk Tavern.

Most importantly, after quite a bit of badgering, they additionally spilled that, despite local grumbles that a corporate behemoth might be landing in the little west Sonoma County town, those rumors are not true. Instead, as Biersch’s first enterprise after leaving the Gordon-Biersch empire last December, it will be a locals-friendly bar and bistro, showcasing handcrafted beers made by small, independent and traditional brewers.

There’s no guarantee, however, that those brewers will be from Northern California (which would seem to be an obvious choice, seeing as Biersch lives in Sonoma). Earlier unconfirmed reports indicate that the theme may instead be European, with some smaller U.S. producers tossed in the mix. Plans for a formal Biersch announcement are promised next week. Perhaps. “There’s been a lot of speculation,” says a Biersch spokeswoman, regarding the buzz on the street. “But we are in the process of solidifying the details.” Stay tuned.

The (pub formerly known as) Sebastopol Brewing Co., 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. www.hopmonk.com.

Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.

Winery news and reviews.

Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.

Recipes for food that you can actually make.

It’s a Wonderful Life

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It’s a Wonderful Life

the arts | visual arts |

Sizzle: Tango Buenos Aires brings on the steam this holiday season.

Compiled by Cristina Wilson

Experiential” gifts are all the rage, the giving of an experience rather than a bauble to a loved one more popular than ever. And while we are certainly the last to deny the pleasures of African photo safari or submarine dining off the coast of Tahiti, the regular rounds of community life at the holidays have their own experiential splendor. Taking the kids every year to the Sonoma Mission for the candlelight songs and then to the movies; attending the Hospice Light Up a Life ceremony; seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus improbably bearing down on the kiddies in a fire engine; buying handmade potholders. We love that stuff. Herewith, we offer our annual list of happenings guaranteed to kick off some experiential pleasures in your holiday season.

Bring on the Figgy Pudding: Events

Holiday in Carneros South Napa comes alive at the annual Holiday in Carneros Open House to benefit college scholarships for those planning to study wine. Participating wineries include Ceja, MacRostie, Schug, Buena Vista and many others, with special tastings, live music and other treats. Saturday—Sunday, Nov. 17—18, from 10am to 4pm. $25. For details, go to www.carneroswineries.org.

Festival of Lights Yountville is magnificently illuminated at annual event as Washington Street is closed to traffic—with the exception of horse-drawn buggies—for open-air festival. Caroling costumed characters, dancers and food booths provided by area restaurants complete evening’s glitter. Friday, Nov. 23, from 2pm to 6pm. Downtown Yountville, Washington Street. Free. 707.944.0904.

Heart of Sonoma Open House Heart of Sonoma Valley Association celebrates annual open house festivities with 19 wineries throughout valley opening their doors to benefit the Redwood Empire Food Bank and make holiday shopping all the easier. Wineries include Benziger, Imagery Estate, Kaz Vineyard, Wellington and many others. Friday—Saturday, Nov. 23—24, 11am to 4:30pm. $30 per drinker; $10, designated driver. 866.794.9463.

Parade of Lights Ring in the holiday season with hot apple cider, fresh baked goodies and festive live music. Admire a spectacular light show while tasting the finest wines and ports. Fulfill a child’s dream by donating an unwrapped toy. Look for carolers, Santa, a bonfire and more. All of this is simply known as Geyserville, or at least its incarnation on Friday, Nov. 30, from 5pm to 8:30pm. Free; $5 tasting fee may apply. For more details, go to www.trentadue.com. 888.332.3032.

Zen Fest Now in its fifth year, this fundraiser for the Stone Creek Zen Center focuses on Japanese food and handcrafts, as well as meditation supplies, altar materials and other handicrafts for spirituality. Attendees are encouraged to create a prayer flag for peace. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Masonic Center. 373 N. Main St., Sebastopol. Free. 707.887.1514.

Holiday B&B Play resident tourist and plan the next weekend getaway when Napa B&Bs open their doors for an open-house holiday tour, replete with winery owners, winemakers, chefs, food pairings, live music and other surprises at each individual inn. Saturday, Dec. 1, from 2pm to 7pm. $45. For list of participating hostelries and treats, go to www.napaholidaytour.com. 707.257.0112

Petaluma Lighted Boat Parade See a flotilla of decorated boats on parade and join in holiday caroling. Saturday, Dec. 1. Parade begins at the Petaluma Marina at 6pm and arrives at the Turning Basin downtown around 7pm. Free. (Pssst: the best place to watch is the launch at Papa’s Taverna.) 707.769.0429.

The Blessing of the Olives The Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma is the setting for this ritual, open to the secular world. Music and refreshments, too. Saturday, Dec. 1, 10am. East Spain and First Street East, Sonoma. Free. 707.996.1090.

Luther Burbank Open House Luther Burbank Home and Gardens are open for its annual festive community celebration, themed for the Victorian era and hosted by costumed docents. Tour the decorated Luther Burbank home, enjoy crafts with kids and eat fresh cookies. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2, 10am to 4pm. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, Santa Rosa and Sonoma avenues, Santa Rosa. Free. 707.524.5445.

Victorian Tea Petaluma Historical Society and Museum holds its annual high English cream tea, replete with dainty sandwiches, scones, fine china and the de rigueur costumed maids. Sunday, Dec. 2. Two seatings, at noon and 3pm. 20 Fourth St., Petaluma. $40. 707.778.4398.

Light Up a Life Hospice helps to honor lives lost with its annual candle- and tree-lighting ceremony. Sunday, Dec. 2, at 6pm: Sonoma Plaza, downtown Sonoma. Friday, Dec. 7, at 7pm: Center Park, the strip of trees outside McNear’s and the Mystic Theatre on Petaluma Boulevard South, Petaluma. Saturday, Dec. 8., at 6pm: Railroad Square, Third Street, downtown Santa Rosa. Events free. 707.778.6242 or 707.568.1094.

Bob Burke’s Christmas Party Help local hero Bob Burke to raise money for his good work giving kids with cancer a bit of a childhood, and help to honor the recently passed Mark Gonnella while enjoying great food and company at Burke’s annual bash. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the Union Hotel, 3731 Main St., Occidental. 5pm. Admission for the pasta feed and fun is free; please come prepared to make a donation, this year, gracefully accepted by Santa himself. Snoop and Clo on hand, too. 707.887.2222.

Holiday Celebration Downtown Windsor hosts merchant open house with horse-drawn carriages, trolley rides and the Claus family. Santa and the missus arrive to light the tree on the Windsor town green on Thursday, Dec. 6, from 5pm to 8pm. Free. 707.838.1260.

Old-Fashioned Holiday Home Tour Meander through stunning neighborhoods while touring the historic McDonald Avenue district of Santa Rosa. Catch a rare glimpse of a chosen group of charming homes decorated for the holidays. Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10am to 5pm. $55. 707.545.5567.

Christmas at the Mission Light a candle and sing sacred and secular songs in this charming free event for families that combines the holiday spirit with community history. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Barracks and the Mission San Francisco Solano, Spain Street on the Plaza, Sonoma. Three programs, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm; 5pm is specifically for little ones. Free, but tickets are required. RSVP at 707.938.1519.

Gourmet Stocking Stuffer Walking Tour Explore “hidden” Healdsburg with a hometown guide who will take you to all of the fantastic out-of-the-way places for shopping. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 8—9, at 11am. $30. 707.484.6249. www.healdsburgwalkingtours.com.

You Better Not Pout I’m Telling You Why: Shopping

Gifts ‘n’ Tyme Holiday Faire Now in its 34th year, the fair features 82 booths and home-baked goodies by the greater Napa Valley Lion’s Club. Start your shopping with handmade craft items. Friday—Sunday, Nov. 16—18. Friday, 10am to 7pm; Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Napa Valley Exposition, 575 Third St., Napa. Free. 925.372.8961.

Holiday Arts & Crafts Faire Rohnert Park Recreation Department’s annual fair on Thanksgiving weekend. Held indoors at the Community Center, 5401 Snyder Lane, on Friday, Nov. 23, from 10am to 6pm, on Saturday, Nov. 24, from 10am to 4pm. Free admission and parking. 707.588.3456. Dance Palace Holiday Crafts Fair One of our personal favorites, this shopping mecca gathers some 40 high-level craftspeople under one roof for some groovy early-season shopping. Friday—Sunday, Nov. 30—Dec. 2. Friday, 3pm to 9pm; Saturday—Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Dance Palace, Fifth and B streets, Point Reyes Station. Free. 415.663.1075.

December in Calistoga Community Christmas bazaar offers artisan-made art, crafts, jewelry, ornaments and other treats. Santa will also be there for photographic opportunities. Saturday, Dec. 1. Crafts fair, Napa County Fairgrounds, 1435 Oak St., Calistoga. 9am to 4pm. Parade, down Lincoln Avenue, 6pm to 7pm. Both events free. 707.942.4232.

Alexander Valley Ladies Aid Christmas Bazaar Wreaths, cookies, jams, one-of-a-kind handmade items, hand-painted ornaments and decorated gourds and a raffle enliven this one-day crafts fair on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 10am to 2pm. Alexander Valley Church, 6650 Hwy. 128, Healdsburg. Free. 707.433.4504.

Muir Beach Quilters Quilt artists and other artisans gather with handicrafts of all kinds and free activities for the kids. Perfect complement to a day at the beach; free shuttle from Muir Beach parking lot. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2. Saturday, 11am to 5pm; Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Muir Beach Community Center, 19 Seascape Drive. Free. 415.383.6762.

Goddess Crafts Faire Winter solstice Goddess Crafts Faire celebrates handmade gifts by local and regional women, as well as live music, tarot readings and food. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2, 11am to 7pm. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St. 707.829.3938.

A Dickens of a Holiday Crafts Faire There will be over 60 booths of juried handcrafted goodies, jewelry, household goods, ceramics and lots more. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2. Saturday, 9am to 5pm; Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Finley Community Center, 2060 W. College Ave. Santa Rosa. $2; under 18, free. 707.543.3737.

Holiday Arts & Crafts Boutique The Petaluma Farmers’ Market hosts a holiday arts and crafts boutique with handmade arts and crafts items, hot foods and drinks, baked goods and live entertainment. Great Holiday gift items are for sale on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10am to 5pm. Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Ave., Petaluma. Free. 707.762.0344.

Occidental Holiday Crafts Faire Traditional event showcases diversity of West County with one-of-a-kind crafts and gifts. Santa and the missus are in attendance, and the Faire Cafe is open. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 8—9. Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Occidental Community Center, corner of Graton Road and Bohemian Highway. Free. 707.874.9407.

Spirit of the Season Celebration Old School Productions has taken over and revamped the holiday crafts fair and community celebration formerly hosted by the Harmony Fest folks, this year making admission free to the Hall of Flowers Christmas “village” at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds for two days of live holiday music and caroling, unique gift items and Christmas decorations for sale to benefit area schools. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 8—9. Saturday, 10am to 9pm; Sunday, 10am to 7pm. 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. Free. 707.486.2888.

Away in a Manger:Little Ones

A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail All the friends of the Hundred Acre Wood make sure that gloomy old Eeyore has a merry holiday. Saturdays, Nov. 17—Dec. 29, at 11am and 1pm. Sonoma County Repertory Theater, 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. $6—$8.

Santa’s Riverboat Arrival Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at the Petaluma Riverfront onboard the town’s eponymous tug to greet the children and distribute candy canes followed by a horse-drawn procession through the downtown to kick off the holiday season. Saturday, Nov. 24, at noon. Turning basin, Golden Eagle Shopping Center, on Washington Boulevard, Petaluma. Free. 707.762.9348.707.823.0177.

Alice in Wonderland In this interactive theatrical wonderland, audience members may get a chance to join the Mad Hatter’s tea party or play a spot of croquet. Just hold on to your head! Saturday—Sunday, Nov. 24—25, at 11am; Sunday, also at 2pm. Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 6780 Depot St., Sebastopol. $6—$8. 707.823.4797.

Bay Area Discovery Museum Blizzard of events for the young ones with special activities run almost daily and include Gingerbread Architectural Extravaganza (Nov. 24—25, Dec. 3—4, 8—19, 15—16, 18—23) and The Snow Cat (Dec. 15—17, 27—29). Discovery Museum, Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. $7—$9. 415.927.0960.

Sebastopol Tree Lighting Come see Santa arrive on a fire truck, cookie decorating and musical entertainment when the Sebastopol Area Chamber of Commerce and VNA Hospice Foundation host their annual tree-lighting celebration on Nov. 29 from 5pm to 8pm. Downtown Plaza on the corner of McKinley Street and Petaluma Avenue. Free. 707.823.3032.

It’s a Wonderful Life Cinnabar Young Rep players present a musical version of the heart-warmer in which a man, with the help of an angel, sees how his own place in life greatly affects the fortunes of others. Friday—Sunday, Nov. 30—Dec. 16. Friday—Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm. Cinnabar Theater, 333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $10—$16. 707.763.8920.

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Four children are relocated from London to a large country house where they discover a wardrobe that serves as an entrance to a magical, snow-covered land in C. S. Lewis’ beloved story, presented by the Sixth Street Playhouse’s student thespians. Friday—Sunday, Dec. 7—22. Friday at 7pm; Saturday—Sunday at 2pm; no performances Dec. 13 and 20. $20. 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.4185.

Christmas at the Mission Light a candle and sing sacred and secular songs in this charming free event for families that combines the holiday spirit with community history. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Barracks and the Mission San Francisco Solano, Spain Street on the Plaza, Sonoma. Three programs; 5pm is specifically for little ones. Free, but tickets are required. RSVP, 707.938.1519.

Sophie & the Enchanted Toy Shop Marin Dance Theatre presents full-length, two-act children’s ballet in which a magical toymaker whisks young Sophie away to a winter wonderland. A cast of 120 performers includes several special guest artists. Saturday, Dec. 15, at 1pm and 5pm; special Teddy Bear Tea Party after 1pm performance. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $20—$30. 415.499.6800.

Ghosts of Christmas Present: Stage

Tango Buenos Aires Tango Buenos Aires traces the 100-year-old tradition of the sensuous international dance sensation, translating the seductive spirit of Argentina’s soul into passionate movement. Friday, Nov. 23, at 8pm. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $18—$60. 415.499.6800.

A Tuna Christmas It’s Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas, and from radio station OKKK, news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie are reporting on the hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. Is Stanley Bumiller the mysterious Christmas Phantom, stealing everyone’s outdoor lights and baby Jesus ornaments? Thursday—Sunday, Nov. 23—Dec. 9. Thursday at 7:30pm; Friday—Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2:30pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $15—$20. 707.588.3400.

A Christmas Carol Sonoma County Repertory Theater presents their adaptation, directed by Gene Abrayava. Runs Wednesday—Saturday, Nov. 23—Dec. 22. Nov. 23—24, 28—30 and Dec. 1, 5—9, 12—15, 19—22 at 8pm; matinees Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23 at 2pm. $18—$23; Thursday, pay what you will; family specials available. 105 N. Main St., Sebastopol. 707.823.0177.

It’s a Wonderful Life Cinnabar Young Rep players present a musical version of the heart-warmer in which a man, with the help of an angel, sees how his own place in life greatly affects the fortunes of others. Friday—Sunday, Nov. 30—Dec. 16. Friday—Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm. Cinnabar Theater, 333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $10—$16. 707.763.8920.

Christmas Memories Woman’s Will, an all-female Shakespeare Company, present readings of Christmas classics by Dylan Thomas, Truman Capote and Laura Ingalls Wilder, as well as music and songs and treats. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2. Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave., San Rafael. $10—$15. 510.420.0813.

The Night Before Christmas The Healdsburg Ballet present a holiday favorite in which Christmas Eve comes to life to the strains of ballet, jazz and hip-hop. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2, at the Raven Theater. Saturday at 7pm; Sunday at 2pm. 115 North St., Healdsburg. $10—$15. 707.431.7617.

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Four children are relocated from London to a large country house where they discover a wardrobe that serves as an entrance to a magical, snow-covered land in C. S. Lewis’ beloved story, presented by the Sixth Street Playhouse’s student thespians. Friday—Sunday, Dec. 7—22. Friday at 7pm; Saturday—Sunday at 2pm; no performances Dec. 13 and 20. $20. 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 707.523.4185.

Twisted Christmas Live 5 The Bohemian’s own David Templeton assembles a laugh-packed holiday grab bag of offbeat holiday short stories that will be read onstage by an eclectic group of musicians, comedians and actors, including comics Will and Debi Durst and musicians Tommy Castro and Rusty Evans. Local filmmakers Daedalus Howell, John Harden and Raymond Daigle provide the doubtless-soon-to-be screen classics on Saturday, Dec 8, at 7:30pm. The Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. $20 in advance; $25 at the door. 707.338.6013.

The Christmas Rose Step into a magical world of English and Irish literature, Celtic legend and traditional folk beliefs when Patrick Ball performs the tale A Child’s Christmas in Wales, chapters from The Wind in the Willows and passages from Shakespeare, William Butler Yeats and Thomas Hardy. Mixing them with beloved pieces of seasonal music, this remarkable storyteller captures the central message of the Christmas/winter season: hope. Friday—Sunday, Dec. 14—23. Friday—Saturdays at 8pm; Sunday at 2:30pm. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $17—$20. 707.588.3430.

Tap Cracker Discover a newer, jazzier version of The Nutcracker that highlights all of the students as they perform tap, jazz, hip-hop and musical theater. Meet Uncle Doodle Meyer, tapping toy soldiers, dancing presents and the Mouse King. Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2pm and 5:30pm. Marin Center Showcase Theater, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $12—$20. 415.499.6800.

Posada Navideña The Instituto Mazatlán Bellas Artes de Sacramento present a two-hour music and dance show celebrating the traditions of a Mexican Christmas, focusing on Joseph and Mary’s pastorela, or journey, before the birth of baby Jesus. A preshow lecture is included. Friday, Dec. 21, at 8pm; lecture, 7pm. Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $10—$15. 707.546.3600.

Fa La La La La, etc.: Music

Chamber Singers Sonoma County Chamber Singers chorale ensemble present work under the theme “O Come All Ye Peoples,” featuring the Christmas story told in choral music from many times and many lands. Friday—Sunday, Nov. 30—Dec. 2. Friday at 8pm, Sebastopol Christian Church, 7433 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Saturday at 8pm, the Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Sunday at 4pm, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1300 St. Francis Road, Santa Rosa. Free; donations accepted. 707.837.8984.

Concerts by Candlelight Marin Symphony’s holiday concert is once again held by candlelight and features the Marin Symphony Chamber Chorus and Chantons, a choral ensemble composed entirely of teenaged women. Hanukkah music and a sing-along complete the evening. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 1—2. Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 4pm. Church of Saint Raphael, 104 Fifth Ave., San Rafael. $25—$30. 415.479.8100.

Kingdom Travelers Revered gospel group backed by a hot blues band blend R&B-influenced harmony, a soul sound and traditional gospel lyrics to produce a unique, inspiring style of music. Friday, Dec. 7, at 8pm. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway, Sonoma. $20—$25. 707.939.7862.

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir The award-winning Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Ensemble perform in the historic Bartholomew Park winery museum. Wines by the glass to accompany complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Saturday, Dec. 8. 1000 Vineyard Lane, Sonoma. Two shows, 4:30pm and 7:3pm. $35—$40. 707.939.2274.

Seeds of Sun The five talented members of this ensemble are referred to as musical ambassadors for Israel, reflecting that wonderful eclectic spirit of Israeli life. Call it samba, call it jazz, it is a unique and beautiful mix of music. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 8pm. $22—$27. 415.444.8000.

The Oak Ridge Boys This band have a distinctive and recognizable sound that has spawned dozens of hits, earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA and ACM awards and a host of other accolades. Their hits includes the pop chart-topper “Elvira,” as well as “Bobbie Sue,” “Dream On,” “American Made,” and many others. This show, titled “Christmas Cookies,” serves up a sweet batch of traditional holiday favorites sprinkled with classics and country hits on Sunday, Dec. 9, at the Lincoln Theater, 100 California Ave., Yountville. 5pm. $50—$75. 707.944.1300.

The Christmas Jug Band Stalwart purveyors of the jugabilly mystique present their annual tongue-in-cheek seasonal convergence featuring appearances by such as Dan Hicks, Commander Cody alumni and other San Francisco Bay Area luminaries. A roster of dates await. Sunday, Dec. 9, at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre. 142 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 5pm. 415.383.9600. Friday, Dec. 14, at the Mystic Theater, 23 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 8pm. 707.765.2121. Friday, Dec. 21, at the Larkspur Cafe Theater, 500 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 8pm. 415.460.9127. Dec. 22 at the Masonic Hall of Mill Valley, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. www.christmasjugband.com.

Sonoma Valley Chorale Now it its 35th year, the Chorale celebrate “A Classic Christmas” with a roster of songs centering on traditional Yuletide music. Saturday—Sunday, Dec. 8—9. Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm, special matinee performance is in conjunction with the International Day of Choral Singing and a proclamation will be read in conjunction with choral groups all the world over. Sonoma Veteran’s Memorial Bldg., 1261 First St. W., Sonoma. $10—$18. 707.935.1576.

A Chanticleer Christmas Come celebrate this Bay Area tradition of Medieval and Renaissance works, traditional carols and moving spirituals. Friday, Dec. 14, at St. Vincent Church, 35 Liberty St. Petaluma. Two shows, 6pm and 8:30pm. $25—$80. 415.252.8589.

Angels Are Everywhere Cinnabar Choral Ensemble mix traditional yuletide tunes with ancient and modern music directed by Nina Shuman. Saturday, Dec. 15, at 8pm. 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. $8—$12. 707.763.8920.

The Sonoma Hometown Band The Sonoma Hometown Band give their annual free Christmas concert, “Holiday Festival of Music,” a family-friendly show offering traditional music from opera to popular holiday tunes. Saturday, Dec. 15, at 11am. Sebastiani Theatre, 474 First St. E., Sonoma. Free. 707.933.8989.

Carols in the Caves David Auerbach, the self-described “improvisator,” once again takes over winery caves to play traditional and not-so-traditional music of the winter holidays. Pre-Christmas shows focus on yuletide; post-Christmas, on the New Year and the Twelfth Night. Shows held at wineries in Calistoga and Napa. Dec. 15— Jan. 6 at various locations. No children under 10. $40. www.cavemusic.com.

‘Tis the Season, Winter Celebration Over 100 joyful singers from the five youth and adult choral ensembles of Singers Marin present a holiday choral concert with familiar Christmas and Hanukkah songs. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Marin Center. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 4pm. $20—$30. 415.499.6800.

Brian Setzer Orchestra Former Stray Cat frontman brings his jive-jumpin’ holiday show back for the sixth year in a row. Dig that crazy Christmas! Tuesday—Wednesday, Dec. 18—19, at the Wells Fargo Center, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. 8pm. $45—$85. 707.546.3600.

The Kinsey Sicks America’s favorite dragapella beauty-shop quartet present Oy Vey in a Manger, an over-the-top production featuring such classics as “Harried Little Christmas.” Thursday, Dec. 20, at COPIA. 500 First St., Napa. 8pm. $22.50—$25. 707.265.5979.



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Love Your Brother

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Love Your Brother

11.07.07

On the same page of the Old Testament in which Moses condemns the eating of shrimp as an “abomination” and warns against the wearing of linen and wool together as an “abomination,” the text also pronounces homosexual union an “abomination”—as bad, one supposes, as snacking on shrimp in a poly-blend suit.

There are some differences, of course. Prawn consumption rarely leads to excommunication, ostracism or suicide. Italian-cut cloth rarely causes family disruption, loss of faith or eternal damnation. But the topic of homosexuality in the Catholic and fundamentalist churches remains, even in the supposed enlightenment of the 21st century, a divisive topic.

Filmmaker Daniel Karslake produced a short segment for PBS on a lesbian African-American Harvard Divinity student that caused a teeanger from Iowa to write to him thanking him for saving his life. “I bought the gun. I wrote the note. I happened to see your show, and just knowing that someday I might be able to go back to a church with my head held high, I dropped the gun in the river,” the youth wrote. That prompted Karslake to lengthen his short into the documentary For the Bible Told Me So, which screens on Nov. 15 at the Rialto as a benefit for Face to Face Sonoma County AIDS Network.

Focusing on five prominent figures, including Bishop Desmond Tutu and former House Majority leader Dick Gephardt, whose daughter Chrissy (above right in one of those classically awful family shots of yore) is a lesbian, For the Bible looks at how educated people of faith handle the normal human rise of same-gender love.

In a letter produced to help promote the film, director Karslake explains that the focus of the film is forward, not backward, intended to bolster those “who believe their religion is about love, not hate and separation.” Amen to that.

For the Bible Tells Me So screens on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7:15pm. Rialto Lakeside Cinemas, 551 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa. $6.50-$9.50. 707.525.4840.


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Desert Storm

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Desert Storm

11.07.07

Afew months ago, The Devil on Horsebacktold of the Darfur crisis. Darfur Now shows how much progress has been made in a relatively short time. The documentary observes six men and women who are trying to stop the government-armed “janjaweed,” irregular soldiers who have been burning, looting and raping their way through the Sudanese province.

The best-known of the six subjects is actor Don Cheadle, who co-wrote a book on the subject, Not On Our Watch. Cheadle is seen trying to inform the governments who are investing in Sudan of the situation, and he takes his equally famous friend George Clooney to travel with him. At a press conference, Clooney says the Darfur rescue will be a finite process. Clooney claims that he and Cheadle talked to people who hadn’t really been talked to about Sudan. “We’re the highest-level delegation that has ever gone to Egypt. This shouldn’t be. This is embarrassing.”

Other subjects include Adam Sterling, a 24-year-old student activist and part-time restaurant employee in L.A. who gets word out about the genocide, taking his case from street corners to the California state capitol. In Darfur, we hear from Ahmed Mohammed Abakar, the sheik of the Hamadea refugee camp (population 47,000). He tries to keep peace among the traumatized and furious refugees who keep expanding their numbers. And in the hills, Hejewa Adam, a mother whose child was murdered by the soldiers, camps in a burned-out house and trains with her fellow guerillas against the janjaweed.

Pablo Recalde, a dapper aid worker in a straw fedora and a well-groomed beard, heads the World Food Program in Darfur. It’s operated out of a modest single-wide trailer in the West Darfur capital El Geneina, a town crawling with armed men. There, Recalde organizes truck caravans to the starving sections of the country.

And in the Hague, an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor named Luis Moreno-Ocampo assembles a case against the Sudanese officials who have been trying to pretend their fingerprints aren’t on the triggers. Moreno-Ocampo is from Argentina. There, he had the satisfaction of prosecuting the officers who unleashed the fascist “Dirty War” on his fellow citizens. Seen patiently assembling his case, flying to the U.N. headquarters or commuting to work in a rowboat on a Holland canal, Moreno-Ocampo works against time. Yet, at the ICC, an unidentified official shrugs that two accused architects of the Darfur genocide will be surrendered by Sudan “in a month, two months . . . six years.”

Darfur Now gives some voice to Sudan’s alibis. Recalde suggests the janjaweed might be the contents of a Pandora’s box opened by the government; once unleashed, they’re hard to retrieve. A group of Arabs say that they’ve been the victims of Darfur raiders. And Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, inventively describes U.S. outrage over Darfur as a calculated appeal to the American black vote.

Writer-director Ted Braun keeps raising the film to an upbeat note, as if wrapping it all up, and then shifting back to a worsening situation. One wishes it had been possible to send out a squad of several directors, each taking an aspect of the tragedy, a Six Films About Darfur. But Darfur Now is rather like that, anyway; its transitions barely have any connecting tissue. (I know this is like complaining about the ill-fitting suit on a messenger bringing important news.)

Braun records the triumphs on the humanitarian side: a food convoy that makes it through without being hijacked by thieves. Sterling’s yearning to do some good leads to California Assembly Bill 2941, divesting California pensions from companies that invest in Sudan. Moreno-Ocampo poses with his hand on a pair of chairs at the World Court, which, he trusts, will soon be filled with a pair of sweating Sudanese ministers trying to get their stories straight.

If one perceives in Darfur Now a false dawn in this darkness—an upbeat tone that’s part of the slickness of this film’s technique—it fits in with the right attitude to take toward this crisis. We can fix it.

‘Darfur Now’ opens at select Bay Area theaters.


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Wine Tasting Room of the Week

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Sometimes, the road to Dry Creek leads to Carneros and the road to Carneros leads back to Kenwood. I’ll explain. Planning to hit Dry Creek, I was foiled by one of those weekend events where the valley is messy with gaggles of stumbling wine tasters. (I know you are but what am I?) Researching an alternate foray into Carneros, I found Ty Caton Vineyards-Muscardini Cellars, finding also, by happy accident, this shared tasting room’s grand opening.

A local who attended Sacramento State University and did a brief tour in the real estate theater, Ty Caton returned to his family’s Sonoma Valley property in the mid-’90s to develop a 40-acre estate vineyard. Caton is both a hands-in-the-dirt winegrower who planted much of the vineyard himself and savvy entrepreneur. He started up a whimsical sideline with a lower price point called Racchus (rhymes with Bacchus; the white is called Rollus—Racchus and Rollus?) and, on a whole new level of fun and sun, a small-batch Tahitian rum brand. Michael Muscardini is a neighbor of the Caton’s who comes from the building trade and focuses on Italian varietals. Current releases were made at Wellington Vineyards, but Caton and Muscardini now have their own tasting room in Sonoma’s new Eighth Street “winery condo” park. That’s the Carneros connection.

Located in the Kenwood Village Plaza with a convenience market and a post office, the tasting room is already a new candidate for local favorite among cross-county commuters, and it’s open ’til 6pm. Thanksgiving dinner alert: Muscardini Cellars 2006 Rosato di Sangiovese ($18) is a great choice for folks who are on the fence over serving a red or a white with the good dead bird. It’s a dry rosé with a touch of rose petal and strawberry, with a full body that makes it a contender.

Muscardini also offers a red Sangiovese, Barbera and a Super Tuscan. The 2005 Unti Vineyard Syrah ($38), however, was a standout for bright white pepper that seems to focus the fruit at the top of the palate. The star of Caton’s estate is really the Cabernet. Little wonder, it’s next door to the esteemed Monte Rosso vineyard. The 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) confounds expectation—it’s got the softest, most integrated tannins of wines tasted. Smokey plum and leather add background to signature blackcurrant Cab flavors.

The chocolate mint notes of the 2004 Tytanium ($46) hint at its roots in volcanic soil, and the warm mouth-feel rides the middle of dusty and velvety tannin. The choice that highlights the on-the-way home location may be the 2004 Ty Caton Estate Field Blend ($20), a kitchen-sink cuvée that is about all you’d want on the dinner table.

Ty Caton Vineyards and Muscardini Cellars, 8910 Sonoma Hwy. (in the Kenwood Village Plaza), Kenwood. Open daily, 10am to 6pm. 707.833.0526.



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First Bite

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11.07.07

Editor’s note: First Bite is a new concept in restaurant writing. This is not a go-three-times, try-everything-on-the-menu report; rather, this is a quick snapshot of a single experience. We invite you to come along with our writers as they—informed, intelligent eaters like yourselves—have a simple meal at an area restaurant, just like you do.

This isn’t technically a first bite, or a second, or even a 12th bite. I admit, I’m a Cape Fear regular. One of this restaurant’s beauties is that it can be many things at many times to many people. The tourists love that it pops out of nowhere on the way to Jenner, offering Southern-kissed Californian food pleasing to a citizen of anywhere. Locals love the comforting flavors and the welcoming atmosphere: a peaceful, window-lined room, with walls filled with local art and carved African masks.

I’ve gone to dinner there after canoeing from Monte Rio to Casini Ranch, and was treated to a feast befitting the valor of such an adventure (Carolina chicken with prosciutto, fontina and pecans in bourbon cream, $18.50; and roasted pork tenderloin in Jim’s mahogany sauce, $20). I’ve brunched there (Jonesboro Benedict: caponata and fontina with hollandaise over poached eggs on black pepper grits, $9.95; Hangtown fry: pan-seared cornmeal oysters, country sausage and green onion in parmesan scrambled eggs, $12.95) after visiting “our” Cadenasso, a painting we cannot afford to own but consider ours anyway, despite its actually belonging to the Christopher Queen Gallery, one of many quaint shops arrayed along the Duncan’s Mill town center. Those brunches succeeded in making us feel like art owners; that is, aesthetically privileged.

When our daughter was a baby, we laid out a blanket for her on the carpet and enjoyed some stolen moments of quiet intimacy (house-smoked salmon and ricotta tortellini with spinach, cracked black pepper and Romano cream, $14.95; Cape Fear pink chowder, a mélange of clams, potato, onion, celery and cream, blushing with tomato, $7.50).

During our most recent visit, I was in such a crappy mood, I was ready to find fault with anything. So when we’d been seated on the beautiful rose- and jasmine-framed patio, which normally I find so charming, and the drink machine went nutso with loud rhythmic exclamations issuing from it, my tension and irritation built into something concrete. “What the hell is that?” I asked, leaping to my feet. Our waiter squeezed the last gusts of air out of the drink gun like a cavalier deputy, silencing the raging machine, then blew smoke from its end. Peace was restored to the land, and our good food arrived.

I thought about how much of any experience, whether it’s dining or traveling—or marriage, for that matter—depends upon one’s mood when appraising it, although little is said in reviews about that. Doug ate his roast beef and Boursin sandwich ($9.95), the last one to be had, while the folks at the next table admitted their deep envy. I forked into my Thai ginger chicken salad ($11.95), nursing the aforementioned snit, when a wave of—I’m not going to call it well-being because that would be overstatement; it was closer to forgiveness—swept over me. So maybe Cape Fear Cafe is that: a place you go no matter what your mood, like the home of a close friend, because you’re welcome there, whether celebratory or fuming, savoring each bite or shoveling the food in. The good tastes and calming atmosphere may not save you from your own foulness, but they do remind you of better times.

Cape Fear Cafe, 25191 Hwy. 116, Duncan’s Mills. Open daily for lunch and dinner; brunch, Saturday&–Sunday. Closed daily from 2:30pm to 5pm. 707.865.9246.


Quick-and-dirty dashes through North Bay restaurants. These aren’t your standard “bring five friends and order everything on the menu” dining reviews.

Step-In Parents

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Step-In Parents

11.07.07


Jeri vividly remembers the phone calls she used to receive from her grandson Josh when he was five. “Grandma, can you come get me?I can’t wake up my mom.”

Jeri and her husband, Frank, would once again drive from their Petaluma home to the apartment Jeri’s divorced daughter Kelly rented in Rohnert Park. Kelly would once again be passed out drunk. And little Josh would once again be doing his best to care for Mandi, his newborn baby sister.

Jeri and Frank would gather up the kids and take them home, at least until Kelly regained consciousness and demanded their return. Often, Josh didn’t want to go back to his mother’s.

“He literally would cry when I turned the corner to take him home,” Jeri recalls.

Even worse were the times when Kelly would drive the kids while drunk.

“The whole thing was so upsetting,” Jeri says. “Finally, my husband and I talked about it and said let’s do it.”

“It” was filing to become the legal guardians of Josh and Mandi.

Jeri and Frank attended a Grandparents Parenting . . . Again clinic that walked them through the small mountain of required forms and procedures. The paperwork was reasonably straightforward, but emotionally, it was a hard step to take.

“I couldn’t believe what I was doing to my own daughter,” Jeri explains. “I felt so guilty because I was hurting her. But I thought, ‘The kids are what’s important.’ Them having a safe and secure life—that’s what’s important.”

Kelly opposed the guardianship, but the court ruled against her, and for over a decade, Jeri and Frank have raised Josh, now 17, and Mandi, now 12. The kids continue to see their biological parents, but home is with Grandma and Grandpa.

“I think my daughter has come to realize that the kids are better off where they’re at,” Jeri says quietly. “At least they have a stable environment. They know where their next meal’s coming from.”

Legal guardianship is an option not just for relatives but for any adult concerned about a minor who’s living in an unstable or unsafe environment. Experts estimate that about two-thirds of guardian requests are unopposed, but when a case is contested by a biological parent or other adult, the court may still rule that appointing a guardian is in the best interests of the child—even if the guardian isn’t a relative.

“A blood link is not required; it’s only one factor,” explains Ronit Rubinoff, executive director of Legal Aid of Sonoma County. “The overriding factor is, what is the bond or relationship between the potential guardian and the potential ward? You have to show as a potential guardian that you have some connection with this child, that you have some experience with this child, that the child has some bond with you. You also have to show as a potential guardian that you would make a suitable guardian and a suitable caretaker.”

There were 1,879 new probate guardianship filings in fiscal year 2005&–2006 in 22 California counties being monitored by the Judicial Council of California, including 42 in Napa and 108 in Sonoma. Rubinoff hopes there will be even more in the future. “I’d love to see all the cases that are going through foster care come through a guardianship instead.”

Grandparents or other adults who have cared for a child for years may think applying for a legal guardianship is a bad idea because it will just rock the boat. But without the formal paperwork, they have no legal standing to authorize medical care, deal with school officials—or to stop a parent who has suddenly reappeared in the child’s life and wants to yank the kid out of the home he or she has lived in for so long. Being named legal guardian can prevent the yo-yo effect of an unstable parent disrupting a kid’s life and then drifting away again.

Through the Child Abuse Prevention Project, Legal Aid of Sonoma County has increased the number of families it assists with guardianship from about two a month to an average of nine. The program has helped 95 families and a total of 135 children who were dealing with problems that included physical abuse, neglect, homelessness, drug abuse, criminal behavior and parental abandonment.

“Legally, there’s an opportunity for us to do this; morally, there’s an opportunity for us to do this, and what a contribution to make,” Rubinoff says. “I think it’s one of the most rewarding types of work we do, not because of the legalities, but because it’s so incredible to see the generosity and compassion of these various good Samaritans, whether they’re relatives or not, who open up their homes and take care of these children. What an incredible thing to do.”

Joan & Sarah

Sitting in the coffee shop with their heads together over a menu, Joan, 56, and Sarah, 10, look like an average grandmother and granddaughter. Sarah happily steps outside to visit with the ducks in the large pond just outside the window.

That’s when Joan summarizes their story. Her daughter, Mary, was about 18 and going through rehab for a meth addiction when she discovered she was pregnant. Mary moved home with her parents, Joan and Joe, and gave birth.

All went well for a few years, but when Sarah was a little older than two, Mary’s behavior became erratic again; she was back on meth. After some agonizing, Joan and Joe attended the guardianship clinic offered by Grandparents Parenting . . . Again, then filed for emergency temporary guardianship and a restraining order. But before the final paperwork could come through, Mary fled with Sarah.

Mary deposited Sarah with Sarah’s biological father in Mendocino County and disappeared. When Joan and Joe found Sarah, she was sleeping on a mattress in the same room with her father and his young girlfriend. There was a fist-sized hole in the home’s front door and the place was a mess. Joan and Joe arranged to take Sarah home for a short visit, then a longer one. Soon, she was with them full-time.

“When we got her back, she stuttered so badly I couldn’t believe it was the same kid,” Joan recalls.

Sarah would wake up at night screaming, and during the day would have what Joan calls “meltdowns.” Joan would take her to a rocking chair in a dim room and just rock her gently, holding her close.

“I taught her to breathe,” Joan remembers. “Three and a half years old, and I would say, ‘Breathe with Grandma.'”

Joan and Joe were granted legal guardianship. Mary, who was working in San Francisco as a lap dancer, fought against the order but lost.

There have been a lot of changes in the years since then. Mary has tried unsuccessfully several times to get the guardianship terminated so she can have Sarah back. Joe passed away earlier this year, and Joan took a disability retirement from her Sonoma County job.

There’s strong pride in Joan’s voice when she reports that Sarah is a healthy, normal child now. That Sarah’s doing well academically, and is a leader in her school. That Sarah has been taking horseback riding lessons and swim classes. And that most adults who meet Sarah comment on how well she communicates—well beyond her years.

“Most people wouldn’t know that she’s ever had this history, but it was very rough going for awhile,” Joan says, her eyes on her granddaughter.

Guardianship isn’t always the best answer, says Kelly Reiter, an attorney with the Family and Children’s Law Center in San Rafael.

“Sometimes, it may be better to go through [Child Welfare Services, formerly called Child Protective Services], because you might be able to get more services and [financial] support for the child,” Reiter explains. “But more people need to know about guardianship as an option.”

The Family & Children’s Law Center is a private nonprofit organization that helps low-income clients. About 70 percent of the guardianships that Reiter handles involve relatives; in the other 30 percent, the guardians are not biologically related but are emotionally bonded to the child.

In many situations, guardianship is an important tool, says Nick Honey, director of the Sonoma County Human Services Department. In Sonoma County in 2006, out of 239 children who left the Child Welfare Services system, 36—or about 15 percent—were in permanent guardianship situations. “Every child needs a permanent plan, and the more permanent the plan, the better,” Honey says. He adds, “We support [guardianship] because it’s a commitment from an adult to a child that provides the child with some permanency.”

Linda Canan, director of Child Welfare Services in Napa County, agrees. “Guardianship is one of the ways that kids can achieve permanency, a sense of belonging, and, when they’re not able to be with their own birth parents, it kind of eases their anxiety about where they’re going to be tomorrow. In terms of permanency, it’s just one step down from adoption.”

Guardianship can take a child out of the Child Welfare Services system, where the law mandates there be a focus on reuniting the birth family—something that might not always be in the best interests of the child.

Day in Court

A young man in his early 20s stands stiffly in his blue suit and white shirt; a dark tattoo stretches up his neck to where several large steel studs adorn the edge of his ear. Behind him are rows of chairs where others wait their turn, sitting quietly as if they’re in church. Several skim through the folders they hold, checking on their paperwork. One man drums his fingers almost silently on the armrest.

Behind the raised judge’s desk sits Sonoma County Commissioner Larry Gamble, who is hearing contested guardianship cases.

The morning’s calendar is a full one, and although Gamble listens patiently to each person who stands before him, he keeps things moving along. Gamble explains to the young man in the blue suit that he will be allowed to see his child for supervised two-hour visits every other week. The father, who is currently in a drug-rehab program, leaves the room obviously satisfied.

The people involved in the next case are called forward. Gamble reviews the paperwork, then officially announces that legal guardianship will be granted to a little girl’s grandmother. “It’s nothing that one should undertake lightly,” Gamble tells the new guardian. “You now have a legal obligation, in addition to a family obligation.”

Smiling, the woman leaves the courtroom. The next case is called. Not all the required paperwork has been filed, so the case is rescheduled.

Next case. A mother wants more visitation. The guardian, the child’s grandfather, tells Gamble, “The last time I let her go out with her mother, she didn’t come back for several weeks.” Gamble orders a mediation session. “There’s a four-year-old child out there, and that child deserves a good life,” he tells the mother and grandfather.

The cases and people continue to cycle in. Gamble remains patient, but makes it clear that his interest is what’s best for the children involved.

“One of the things we like in our lives and that children like is consistency,” Gamble says to a brother and sister who want their young cousin removed from her current guardian and put into their care. “Children don’t like change.”

Watching from the sidelines is Anne Pierce, founder and executive director of Grandparents Parenting . . . Again. She attends all the Sonoma County guardianship hearings.

“I’ve been going for seven years,” Pierce says of the sessions, which are referred to as “calendars.” “I don’t think I’ve missed three calendars in all that time.”

She gets calls almost daily, she adds, from people who are worried about a child. On rare occasions, she recommends against trying for a guardianship. “Some people who come into the clinic, as much as they love the child, there’s too much anger in them,” Pierce explains. “You have to get your act together. You can’t do this just because you love your grandchildren and you’re angry at your own children. You have to set that anger aside.”

The best place to vent that anger, Pierce says, is in the support groups offered by Grandparents Parenting . . . Again. “It’s a good place to let the anger out without letting it out around the kids.”

She’d like to see even more services available to those who are stepping in to raise children in need. “In foster care at any given time, there’s approximately half a million children nationwide,” Pierce asserts. “But for children being raised by grandparents, there’s almost 6 million.”

Consistency & Love

All kinds of things can upset the balance of family life: drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness, incarceration, financial woes, violence, illness, death. Any one of these can make it necessary for someone else to step in and be willing to care for a child.

For Dominga, it was the death of her sister, whose appendix burst during childbirth. Dominga’s own son was born in April 2006. Her nephew was born the following month. With assistance from Legal Aid of Sonoma County, Dominga and her husband were named as guardians to her newborn nephew.

“For me it was a joy because my husband knew that he also wanted to raise my nephew,” Dominga says through a Spanish-English interpreter.

Now she spends her days caring for two one-year-old boys. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Even though my sister and I were pregnant at the same time—well, things just happen. We never really know what’s going to happen.”

Jeri has no regrets about the 12 years she and Frank have spent raising their two grandchildren, Josh and Mandi.

“We have totally enjoyed these kids. You think back how many years we’ve had them—we’ve seen them through Halloween costumes, Christmases, teaching them how to ride a bike . . . We’ve totally enjoyed them.”

When they applied for guardianship, Jeri was recovering from the 1996 death of her 26-year-old son who was killed by a car while in a crosswalk. She was also taking care of her elderly mother, who is now in a Petaluma nursing home. Jeri hires a caregiver to visit her mother on weekends so she can be with the grandkids.

Jeri knows that her friends are enjoying retirement, traveling and empty nests, but said she and her husband of 23 years have absolutely no regrets.

“This isn’t something that we planned in our lives, but we’ve embraced it. We really have embraced it. Nothing can compare with my granddaughter putting her arm around me and saying, ‘Hey, Gram, you want to go hang out for a while?'”

For anyone contemplating becoming a child’s guardian, Jeri’s advice is quick. “Just go for it,” she urges. “It’s not going to be easy, but if you want it badly enough, the rewards are endless.”

Preparing to Care

If a capable adult steps up and says, “I want to care for this child,” and the parents and other close relatives either don’t object, are dead or can’t be found, creating a guardianship mostly involves crossing the i’s and dotting the t’s on a raft of complicated paperwork. An uncontested case will probably go to a court hearing only once, when the guardianship is officially granted.

If Child Welfare Services is involved, a guardianship bid will be heard in Family Law Court, and there are legal requirements to first try to reunite the biological family, if possible. However, guardianships are also awarded in probate court, without involving government agencies like Child Welfare Services.

To be granted a guardianship, a plethora of official forms must be filled out precisely and correctly, and certain procedures have to be followed in notifying adult relatives of the child, but the process doesn’t necessarily require the services of a lawyer. Many people successfully negotiate the guardianship maze with the help of a legal self-help center or nonprofit agency.

If a child appears to be in danger of immediate harm, an emergency temporary guardianship may be granted in only five days. Then the usual process will be followed to establish a guardianship beyond the temporary one. A guardianship lasts until the child is 18 years old, but can be ended before then if the guardian agrees or the biological parent demonstrates to the court’s satisfaction that he or she can now provide a stable and secure home for the child.

Resources

General guardianship information is available at www.courtinfo.ca.gov or www.lsc-sf.org; and Nolo Press publishes The Guardianship Book for California: How to Become a Child’s Legal Guardian ($34.99).

Sonoma

Grandparents Parenting . . . Again 707.566.8676; www.grandparentsparentingagain.orgLegal Aid of Sonoma County Leave a message at 707.542.1290

Marin

Family and Children’s Law Center San Rafael, 415.492.9230; www.faclc.orgLegal Self-Help Center of Marin 415.492.1111; www.marinlegalselfhelp.org

Napa

Family Law Facilitator’s Self Help Center of Napa Superior Court 707.299.1137; www.napacourts.com/Family/family_facilitator.htmLegal Aid of Napa County (assists seniors seeking guardianship) 707.259.0579


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