It’s a beautiful day in Concord, California: sunny and fairly warm. It’s perfect weather for walking the dog or just sipping wine on the patio. Should your patio be missing the wine or the ambiance you could check out the local eateries.
Although it’s more than a stone’s throw from my front door, the outdoor patio of Postino in Lafayette would be a wonderful choice for this afternoon. The Afternoon Menu features such delights as Fritto Misto, Vongole and Melanzana Parmesan that can be paired with any of their extensive wine offerings to suit your palate.
The charming brick exterior of this former U.S. Post Office allows the illusion that you have just stepped into a romantic fairytale cottage. Stop by for a relaxing moment in your busy day and let the staff spoil you this afternoon. Unique, wonderful aromas will greet you and the cuisine will keep you returning time and time again.
An Afternoon Delight
Feeling the Fall Weather
It’s finally beginning to feel like fall! With the crisp air and high humidity the Christmas decorations that are already adorning the local stores seem less out of place than they did last week. The leaves still cling to the trees in my yard, though so it seems that I will have to wait for the color display that nature promises before winter grays the landscape in preparation for the coming spring.
If you’re too impatient to wait for falling leaves in Contra Costa County the colors are changing in wine country already. There are many ways you can enjoy the beauty if the vineyards that surround our county, but in the fall the colors are incredible: be sure to take a camera if you plan an excursion north or east to feel the season’s approach.
If you’re planning that last minute trip, you might want to check out http://napavalley.com/wineries/st_helena.html for some detailed information on your possible stops. Here’s a sample of the information they have available on this site:
Beringer Vineyards
tel. +1 707.963.4812
2000 Main Street St. Helena, CA 94574
buy wine
join wineclub
Tasting Room – Yes
hrs: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cost: $ $5 – $20
Napa Valley’s Oldest Continuously Operating Winery. Come enjoy our wide diversity of Award-Winning Wines, rich history & beautifully landscaped grounds.
I love having an idea about what to expect prior to going so having the hours and costs detailed is a real bonus for me. However, you can always just head out in the general direction and let the wind blow you where it will. Happy traveling!
The Contra Costa Gem and Mineral Society is having it ‘s annual show this Saturday and Sunday, November 4 & 5, at the Centre Concord. Doors open at 10am and close at 5 pm both days. Admission is $5.00 for those over the age of 16; under 16 admitted free when they are with an adult.
There will be gourmet food and drinks by Diablo Dan Café available inside the show as well as their virtual fluorescent display. For more information check out their website: http://ccmgs.org/gem_show/ where there is a link for 20% off coupons for the show!
Welcome to November 2011!
Happy Halloween to all!
This week the pumpkin patches will vanish to be replaced by Christmas tree lots: one friend believes that pumpkins must be Christmas tree seeds due to this phenomenon. Holiday decorations are already in most stores, in fact one of the Halloween stores in the area also as a Christmas section, but they’re only open until November 6. (The Halloween Outlet, on Clayton Road has one corner dedicated to Christmas ornaments and Santa Claus costumes.) You might want to drop by this week to see if they’re offering any special deals since they won’t be open any closer to Christmas.
I’m going to out looking for fabulous fall colors in nature and enjoy this beautiful weather as long as it holds. I am truly grateful that I don’t live on the East Coast where I might be shoveling snow instead of raking up the falling leaves.
This Friday evening there should be an Art Stroll in Martinez and a first Friday luncheon of the Concord Chamber of Commerce. Check out the fabulous White Rabbit on Main Street! Anne supports the community and helps several Developmentally disabled adults sell their wares which she displays prominently in her shop and during the Art Stroll.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner and Christmas close behind I’m hoping for a visit from the organization fairy. It’s my only hope!
Happy November!
The Latest for Your Home
Today was the conclusion of this year’s Home Show at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord. I had to go see what new products were being offered (and to say hello to my chiropractor who has a booth there: Dr. Jonas Vorzimer)
There was a drawing for an iPad at the entrance, I didn’t win. We headed for the hill and passed a few interesting things along the way: my favorite was the waterfall cascading down the side of the hill and ending in the ground, not a lovely pool. No mosquito issues with that water feature.
At the top there were hot tubs of all shapes and sizes, and a fabulous shelter for one that included a sauna! Beautiful! Sadly there were many missing vendors from previous years: the wind vanes weren’t there, nor were the pellet stove vendors. A sign of our economy that there were fewer booths than in previous years as vendors spent their advertising dollars elsewhere or perhaps had gone out of business.
Inside the tents there were still plenty of displays. The waterless cookware was being demonstrated and of course there were Sleep Train beds as well as the Sleep Number beds so you could get a good rest. Contractors made up the majority of the booths I visited this year, but there were plenty of other services being offered. Merry Maids provided us with bags for our brochures, but Pronto Maids was right there too. The Alpaca sweaters and capes looked warm and inviting, too.
If I buy product from this show it would be the really cool cabinets with a special drawer system that utilizes those blind corners you can’t reach, the really cool shower head that has all the heads in one unit, so you can switch the type of shower you’re using easily or the hand formed rocks that promised to build a tall enough waterfall that my neighbors wouldn’t be visible (their yard is two feet higher than mine and they stand a head above the fence). That would be an amazing waterfall!
Have a wonderful week, and happy haunting tomorrow night!
Trunk or Treat in Martinez
Still looking for that special treat for your family this Halloween? You could try the Trunk or Treat Safe Halloween event that Martinez main Street Merchants are holding on Sunday October 30 from 10 am to 2pm. They have some wonderful theme decorated car trunks, each sponsored by a Martinez business for your treating pleasure and they also have free pictures of costumed children! There will be face painting too!
Hurry on over to Martinez for this fun filled event for the entire family!
GHOST WALK!
Paranormal Experts guide you through Benicia for a two hour tour of the spirits. Just one night left to experience this phenomenon this year: October 29! The first tour starts at 5:30pm and the last one of the season begins at 8:00pm. You should call (707) 745-9791 to reserve a place on the tour as space is limited; walking shoes are necessary and flashlights are recommended. Benicia Main Street is sponsoring the tour, so more information is available at www.BeniciamainStreet.org . It’s $25.00 per person for those over the age of 10.
Sounds really spooky to me!
Halloween Flashlight Tour Slasher Nights
Winchester Mystery House (“we don’t build a haunted house we are one”) is one of the most well known mysterious locations in California, but have you taken the flashlight tour? There are still 4 “Slasher Nights” left for the tour this Halloween! This special tour only takes place at during September and October each year. Can you make it through the 65 minute Fright Night tour? Only you know the answer to that question, however, there are several events taking place at the Mystery house this month, so check out their website for more information and your online purchase will be favored with a discounted price! http://winchestermysteryhouse.com/frightnights.cfm The daytime tour is wonderful; there is a basement full of Tiffany glass windows! If you love to scream: the flashlight tour is your best bet this Halloween! Don’t miss the maze while you’re there: it’s to die for!
Here’s an excerpt from their website to whet your appetite:
“For a lifetime, Sarah Winchester built and built and rebuilt her house to avoid this treacherous curse and escape her husband’s legacy of damnation. But this Halloween, a portal, a gateway between Heaven and Hell, has been irretrievably opened. Those who perished long ago are seeking revenge, now ready to sacrifice souls before midnight strikes.
Guests find themselves trapped inside a mansion empowered by the undead, traveling through the Corn Fields of Winchester Mystery House, into the haunted ruins of the family Graveyard and ultimately, a showdown with Sarah herself in the middle of one of her infamous séances.
Survive it all, LIVE, only at Winchester Mystery House.”
Home Show this Weekend
The Contra Costa County Home and Garden show will be at The Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are always some wonderful vendors represented there as well as great ideas for your home and garden. Sometimes there are surprises, too: I found my chiropractor at this show a year ago!
The show is in tents above the upper parking lot, so come prepared to walk up the hill: comfortable shoes are a must. Admission is $6.00 and so is parking usually, so carpool if possible. I also recommend bringing your own shopping bag to collect literature, although some vendors so hand them out at the show.
There really isn’t much for the munchkins to do at this show, so you might want to have them occupied elsewhere for the afternoon to avoid those disgruntled stares from reproachful little people. It will be open Friday from noon to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6 pm.
I hope you can make it! The show specials are usually wonderful, and I’m always inspired to tsackle something around the house when I attend this show.
Happy Gardening!
Magic aficionados in Contra Costa County need to know about the most amazing place in Martinez: California Magic Dinner Theater! If, like me, you love that mystified feeling of “how’d they do that?” you will enjoy a magical evening at California Magic. Gerry and Laura Griffin have created a wonderful venue for the young and the young at heart alike to oouu and ahh as magicians from around the world entertain and delight the audience doing close-up magic at your table before dinner and onstage afterwards. When the show has finished the magicians even come out to the shop counter and chat with patrons, so it’s like having a back stage pass or a private show.
They serve a wonderful dinner that’s included in the ticket price; tickets must be purchased ahead of time. The ticket price is currently $69.00 but remember that’s a three course dinner and the show! It’s a wonderful experience and gift certificates are available. Plan ahead for a special occasion to be sure you can get seats!
If you want to buy tickets, or learn more about the best seats in the house, go to http://www.calmagic.com/show-schedule-tickets/ .
Written
on October 25, 2011