75/365: Sebastiani Theater

75/365: Sebastiani Theater, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The old Plaza which is the center of Sonoma boasts the old movie palace, the Sebastiani Theater. Yes, THAT Sebastiani. The patriarch of the famous wine family was convinced he should spread his money around in other investments and built this theater in 1934. It's a wonderful place to see a flick if you are in Sonoma -- especially on alternate Mondays when they screen classic films. You may also be interested to know that John Lasseter, the head of Pixar and a Sonoma resident, debuts all Pixar films at this theater with all proceeds going to support Sonoma area schools.

74/365: Henderson's Shooting Star

74/365: Henderson's Shooting Star, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

This is one of my favorite wildflowers in Sonoma. My Flowers of Sonoma County calls it "a perky little charmer". Exactly. It's one of the wildflowers first to appear and signals to me that I'm already behind in my vegetable planting.

But this year, I have a plan. Sort of:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/15/meanwhile-back-at-the-farm/

58/365: Early Flower

58/365: Early Flower, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The early flowers are coming out in Sonoma, even though we are still praying for more rain and we are expecting a plunge in temperatures next week. I hope this little guy survives a brief return to winter. Today at 70 degrees and sunny, it was ready for spring.

I was told the name of this flower and now I can't remember it, but I love the way it droops over and hangs like a chandelier. It seems to want to grow in areas of dappled shade or, at least, that's where I find it.

47/365: Faux Beam

47/365: Faux Beam, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

We are doing some construction on our land in Sonoma and we are having the building stuccoed with exposed beams. But we wanted an old sort of Mission look. The solution was buying old wood from a salvage place, which a local artisan (Pasha the Crazy Ukranian) has been distressing to look like it came from Junipero Serra's time. As a surprise for us, he did this little carving over the door beam with our initials.

46/365: Zigadenus

46/365: Zigadenus, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The early wildflowers are starting to come up. Although they may be in for a shock since temps are expected to plummet again after some springlike weather. This is the Zigadenus, which is a lovely flower until you hear its other name: The Death Camas. Seems all parts of the plant are toxic, due to the presence of alkaloids. Grazing animals, such as sheep and cattle, may be affected and this or related species have caused human fatalities. So look, but don't touch.

41/365: Faux Throw

41/365: Faux Throw, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

This is all I can manage today. My system is so discombobulated from getting so sick in Africa -- and then being doused with massive amounts of antibiotics -- that I've come down with a killer cold. Add to that, I'm in Sonoma where I have to keep stoking a woodstove to keep warm (too sick to drive back to San Francisco.) The only answer is a faux wolf throw and watching old movies through a slow Wi-Fi connection on the laptop.

39/365: Rosé Clouds

39/365: Rosé Clouds, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Is this what Homer meant by "The Rosy Fingered Dawn"? Except this was near sunset and I'd say the clouds were more appropriately Rosé colored.

38/365: Ranch Skies

38/365: Ranch Skies, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Even after the excitement of my Africa trip, it was good to get back to the ranch in Sonoma -- especially since Sonoma looks a lot like parts of Tanzania. We had the same brilliant blue skies, but it was unseasonably cold. (That wasn't like Africa.)

20/365: Cauliflower

20/365: Cauliflower, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

I've been slacking off on my winter planting. But I have had a bumper crop of lettuces -- which in hot Sonoma are best as a winter crop. But one winter crop that I have had success with is cauliflower -- which all the gardening books warn should not be attempted by amateurs. I grow all the colored ones, the orange that has beta carotene and the green like this one. I think they taste much better than white, but it might just be that I cook them the day I pick them and, apparently, cauliflower gets stronger day by day after it's picked.

19/365: Frosty Fern

19/365: Frosty Fern, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

And thus begins the long process of catching up on my Project 365 postings. Yes, I was faithful about taking pictures, even if it was just a happy snap with my iPhone. No, I was out of Internet range for more than a month and didn't get much uploaded. This picture was taken during an unseasonable cold snap in Sonoma. While we can get below freezing temps at night, they don't last long and the sun usually melts whatever frost we have by 8AM. This frost hung around and I quickly snapped it thinking it was a one-of. Little did I know we were going to be plagued with storm after storm coming down from Alaska. Seems frosts are becoming commonplace around here.

13/365: NOOOO! Go Back!

13/365: NOOOO! Go Back!, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

About a month ago, when my asparagus plants turned brown, I cut them down, mulched them and put them to bed until spring. But in spite of our extended cold snap, these silly little guys are poking their heads up. Go back to bed, you guys. Wait for Spring.

12/365: Trimmed and Ready for Spring

12/365: Trimmed and Ready for Spring, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

We divide our time between San Francisco and Sonoma where we have a small vineyard that we jokingly calling Two Terrier Vineyards. There are only two acres under cultivation, but there's always something to do. Here a crew has just been in to cut back the dormant vines since all grapes come from new canes. I wouldn't expect bud break for at least two more months, certainly if our recent spate of extremely cold weather continues. In the meantime, the vines are building up their root systems and getting themselves ready for spring.

11/365: Take That Water!

11/365: Take That Water!, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

We have a little man-made pond in Sonoma that has become a habitat for endangered Western Pond Turtles and the increasingly threatened Western Chorus Frogs. That despite the fact that Oscar loves to stand on a rock in the middle of the pond, bite at the water and bark and bark and bark and bark. I guess the turtles and frogs have figured out that he's harmless. At least if you aren't water.

Watch this Space!

Frosty Fern in Sonoma

Starting on New Years Day, I'll be kicking off participation in several picture a day posting challenges through Flickr. I'll be cross-posting here to create a year long record of my year in pictures.

I can tell you right now, many of my pictures will involve terriers, winemaking, fox poo, animal tracks and farm projects. Why? Well, check out my regular blog Left Coast Cowboys to get up to speed.

See you New Years!