FARMHOUSE INN BLOG AND ALL ABOUT THE SONOMA WINE COUNTRY

Well... it has been a long day here at Farmhouse Inn- this afternoon we were so close to 3000 fans on our Facebook page that we finally embraced this "social media" thing and tried to make something happen.  Around 4:00 we needed 26 fans to get there - it took us a few hours but with a lot of help from our friends - we did it!! We had people from Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Idaho, quite a few from California, and even a few locals from Santa Rosa on Facebook helping with the cause.  

Let's bid adieu to 2011 and ring in 2012 with a "to-do" bucket list in the Sonoma Wine country!

At last, lights and stockings are all hung, shopping and wrapping is done, the goodies and treats are baked...though I see kitchen Elves very busy in the restaurant getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner here at the Farmhouse Inn. The concierge staff have processed literally hundreds of gift certificates...I hope you are one of the lucky recipients.

Sonoma County in the fall...the trees and vineyards awash in such vibrant colors.  My son brought his family up last weekend and they were just blown away by the gorgeous fall color everywhere. I have a bush by my gate that is spectacular (I think it is an Australian native that normally has a burgundy leaf but has turned almost fluorescent, glowing orange).  And the dogwoods I planted a few years ago are completely yellow, as is the catalpa.  I can't even post a picture because pictures just don't do it justice.  By next week, they will be losing their leaves and winter will be upon us.  

This is a good weekend for hitting the Pumpkin Patches- you need time to do a spooktacular carving job, don't you?  But if you get distracted you still have time - Healdsburg is having a Pumpkin Festival next Saturday at the Farmer's Market. 

Northern California weather is pretty amazing all the time but has this Sonoma County weather ever been more perfect?  I forget how much I love October every year...the colors changing, the still warm days (but with that fall crispness in the evenings), all manners of Harvest going on and of course, amazing wine country fall traditions. 

September has certainly been a couple of weeks of "love is in the air" in the Russian River Valley- not to mention our perfect Sonoma County weather.  We have had some gorgeous brides lately (okay, okay- the grooms were pretty distinguished themselves). Our "tiny" weddings / elopements have been very popular.  The August and September ceremonies were all just the two people.  Somehow, when it is just the couple it is all about them...no family dynamics to be concerned with and no one else's opinions count- just the bride and groom and only what they want! Intimate, private, and mega romantic!

I have seen so many headlines lately referring to the end of summer...We are not ready for that here in Sonoma wine country...grape harvest is just getting started, the tomatoes are just ripening, saw our first apples and pears come in recently.  No "Last Sips of Summer", "Summer Winding Down", "Back to Reality" or any of that stuff for us here at Farmhouse Inn. The Farmer's Markets are still crazy with good stuff - abundance and bounty everywhere. The Farmstands are overflowing... still time for a canoe ride down the Russian River and...my creek still is flowing strong (It is usually dry by summer's end). Our weather in California stays great all through October.

The Sonoma Wine Country summer music scene certainly seems to include something for everybody.  I know I've mentioned before there seems to be something going on just about every night...Just to give you a few ideas for the next few weeks.