Rent a Scooter and Putter at a Different Pace

One day I was working on this website and as I previewed an article, a Google advertisement popped up: Wine Country Motosports. And I wondered who they were because I am planning to write a short article on  motorcycling out along Skaggs Springs Road at the top of Dry Creek Valley. I wasn’t aware of any places who rented motorcycles–but I thought it would be good to know–when I did write that article.

I clicked on the ad–and arrived at Wine Country Motosports. AND I SAW that they rented electric motor scooters! How fun! I phoned them immediately. I wanted to rent one and scoot on out to explore further afield–for a laugh.

I arranged to rent a scooter that Sunday.

Sunday morning, I got up — I had my regular Sunday morning breakfast (Turkish coffee over a scoop of vanilla ice cream) and probably some toast and eggs with grilled tomatoes. I got dressed and drove up to their warehouse on North Grove Street in Healdsburg.

Ann was there to meet me. I told her I’d never driven a scooter before, but I felt it was something I could handle. She assured me it would be fine. She let me try two or three different ones before I decided which one I felt the most comfortable on. We sorted out the logistics: waviers, helmets, rental agreement, payments ($39 for half a day, $70 for a full day).

I putter out of their parking lot. Five minutes later, I was puttering up Dry Creek Road just going at a slower pace and enjoying the views. I puttered out Lynton Springs Road because I wanted to check out Ridge Vineyards along the way.

There, when I went into taste, I found Rob behind the tasting bar. I’d met Rob and his friend one night at the Ravenous After Hours and we ended up talking about living in Healdsburg and what it takes to be here and why we live here in the first place. Rob is a former investment banker from Chicago. He came out here to live his dream of wine. I stay a while and taste the wines and learn a few things about labels, wine clubs, and the winery itself (which I think I’ll save for another article).

I finished at Ridge Vineyards and continue to putter. I puttered along to Highway 101 and turned right to head out to JimTown General Store for lunch. When I arrive, Kevin (the sous-chef) comes out and says hello. I’d met Kevin and his fiancee Carrie on on the patio at Divine Affair the evening before my multi-media event. He comes out and I ask what he recommends: “Grill cheese sandwich and the beans. Oh…and a side of fruit salad.”

I order–apparently way too much because the cashier raised his eyebrow. And I explained that it was for two people. Stephen was going to meet me to take some pictures of the scooter for the magazine.

We eat. Stephen makes me pose for a few shots outside of the store–ugh. Not my favorite activity. This is one photo I liked though…an action shot with a wall of flowers in the background.

Then we head on up the 128 to Stryker Sonoma. I’d been visiting a few weeks before and I remember liking their Chardonnay and I wanted Stephen to try it.

That was it. I spent about a half of a day puttering around Dry Creek Valley and the Alexander Valley on an electric scooter. A different pace for sure. A different speed of fun.

Quick Links:

Wine Country Motosports
Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs
JimTown Store
Stryker Sonoma

Zack Gemmell Photographs Pedro Rusk at the Wine Shop

I met Zack Gemmell in the Wine Shop last Saturday. He was preparing to take a few pictures of local Pedro Rusk, manager of and buyer for the Wine Shop in Healdsburg.

Zack is a student photographer from Brooks Institute of Photography. He was here in Healdsburg last weekend because his good friend Ron Montbleau was renting a house on West Dry Creek Road and had invited Zack to stay.

“I had an assignment to do over the weekend so I walked down the street and the first place I came to was Pedro’s “The Wine Shop” and he was completely open to the idea of me shooting some portraits of him.”

Zack submitted two photos of Pedro to the Day in the Life event:

Pedro Rusk poses for a portrait The Wine Shop in Healdsburg, California on July 19, 2008.
Pedro is a wine connoisseur and knows many local growers.
(Photograph by Zack Gemmell/Brooks Institute of Photography)

Pedro Rusk serves a glass of wine in The Wine Shop in Healdsburg, California on July 19, 2008. Many of his friends come to visit him throughout the day.
(Photograph by Zack Gemmell/Brooks Institute of Photography)

You can view more of Zack’s photographs at www.zackgemmell.com.

A Divine Affair: Purveyor of Fresh Local Perishables

As part of my Day-in-the-Life multi-media event last month, I ran into Divine Affair and to ask them to remember to take pictures and snapped this one of my own.

I can’t remember when Divine Affair opened, but they are relatively new in Healdsburg — as a dining entity. I’m sure they’ve been around as a catering entity.

If you end up either inside or on their back patio, I recommend the roast chicken (which–when you ask them, they claim to be the best roast chicken this side of the Rockies). I can’t lay claim that I’ve tasted ALL the roast chicken this side of the Rockies, but I can attest that they offer pretty damn good chicken.

The day they mentioned it to me…I was walking around promoting the Day in the Life event. I talked to Kahleen a bit about pictures. And her mum (pictured right in this photo) mentioned the chicken.

As I left the premises (to continue promoting), they must have been roasting the chicken, because that was all I could smell on the way out.

I returned later–because I just couldn’t get it out of my head–and tried it.

Yes. It’ is pretty damn good chicken.

Todd Reed: A Ranch Hand’s Day

I met Todd at a birthday party for a mutual friend. He sent me his photo submissions with the following text:

Hi Jennifer,
thanks for doing this project. I’ve talk to a lot of people who are really excited about what you’re doing. My name is Todd Reed, we met at a birthday party a couple of weeks ago. I’m the head gardener at the Bishop’s Ranch but I also do ranch work for some other people, mostly in the westside road area. I thought I’d share a few of the ranchy things I did today.

I also want to introduce you to a woman named Liz Schmidt, she’s a writer and a lot of her family lives in the Yukon.

Have a great Healdsburg day!

The Best Poke in Town: A Day in the Life of an Acupuncturist

by Lucinda Kotter, Licensed Acupuncturist

Healdsburg Integrative Medicine at 637 Healdsburg Avenue is where I ply my trade. I practice Traditional Chinese Medicine using acupuncture and Chinese herbs to treat my patients for almost any human health condition. When I heard about HealdsburgMagazine.com’s “a day in the life” feature, I jumped at the chance to record a day in my clinic.

First, I called all my scheduled patients to make sure they were comfortable being photographed while in my clinic. Everyone said “yes”. My friend, Margie Grant, was kind enough to be my photographer and spend the whole day with me.

My first patient brought in her four week old baby who nursed contentedly while I treated her arm for carpal tunnel. Before I brought out my needles, I questioned her closely about her general health since the birth of her son. Any night sweats or palpitations? Headaches or ringing in the ears? Anxiety or insufficient milk production? These can be signs of depletion that I can treat with acupuncture, herbs and diet. Long term depletion can compromise the immunity and leave her and her baby more vulnerable to contagious diseases or other complications.

My next patient complained of fatigue and insomnia. She had some surgery this spring and lost a lot of blood. Her tongue and pulse reflected this. Depleted blood can cause insomnia because blood anchors the mind at night. If the blood is weak the mind is not anchored and thus cannot be quieted to allow sleep. We talked about good foods for building her blood. I inserted needles into tonifying but calming points in her wrists and legs and let her rest for about a half hour while I entertained her son in the waiting room. He and I looked at my acupuncture doll; a rubber woman with all the points mapped on her body. Then I packaged specific herbs for this patient and send her on her way.

My third patient had a sore knee. He needs to get this diagnosed by an orthopedist but his general practitioner insisted that he try physical therapy before she will refer him. In the meantime it still hurts and is slightly swollen. I suspect a torn meniscus. Acupuncture won’t repair it but I can decrease his pain and swelling. I recommended he take an Omega-3 supplement like a good quality fish oil or flax seed oil to decrease inflammation.

My fourth patient doesn’t really have any complaints today. She has been improving her health very successfully with diet, exercise and a “change in attitude”. She was curious about acupuncture and alternative medicine in general. After talking for awhile about her health history I began to see a pattern. Her tongue and pulse confirmed it. “You have excess liver, just by constitution. Everything you have told me so far fits this pattern and it is a very common one. You are doing all the right things so keep it up.” I used a point combination that is like the reboot button for the body. It finds stuck energy anywhere in the body and helps it flow freely. After her treatment I felt her pulse again. It had changed significantly for the better. She left feeling relaxed and refreshed and I was pleased knowing that I had given her a successful tune-up.

My fifth patient just had three wisdom teeth removed. She is healing well but her jaws ached. “Will you let me use points on your face? If it is too sore to be approached I can just use all distal points on your hands and feet,” I say. She wanted the facial points and the others. I inserted needles in her cheeks. I also used the Master point for the face and head which is on the hands. I finished with a Stomach Channel point on the feet to drain excess energy from the opposite end of the channel, which is where her pain is located. (Acupuncture is so cool.) She told me it felt much better as she was leaving. I cautioned her it might ache more tonight and then feel much better tomorrow.

Now for my sixth and last patient. She is six months pregnant and had back pain that radiated down one leg - sciatica. She has been seeing a chiropractor but so far it has only hurt more. She said she knows this can sometimes happen and wants to continue seeing her chiropractor. Pregnant women can be tricky to treat, as they can’t lie on their back or stomach, so I often treat them lying on their side or sitting up in a comfortable chair. I also must avoid the “forbidden points” during pregnancy - they can stimulate premature labor. No points in the lower back allowed. That’s ok because I have many ways to treat low back pain. “Tell me when you feel something, like maybe a muscle twitch or a little electrical zing,” I said as I inserted a needle in her hand. “No zing but the baby just kicked,” she said with a smile. The baby kicked for each needle I inserted into her hands and feet. Fifteen minutes later she got off the massage table and said, “Wow, it really feels better!” I saw her that night at a barbeque and she said, “Lucy, it really worked, my pain is gone!”

I tidy up my office and go home. I saw a nice variety of patients today. I hope this piece can give readers a glimpse into the wide variety of health conditions that acupuncture can treat. I also hope it conveys how comfortable and relaxing an acupuncture treatment can be.

View more pictures of my day in the flickr stream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Already known as an alternative remedy for alleviating backaches and migraines, acupuncture has found a niche in treating the side effects of cancer treatment, diabetes, eating disorders, infertility, nausea associated with pregnancy, skin disorders, emotional disorders like depression and even smoking and alcohol addictions. Relief can also be found for respiratory, circulatory, digestive and gynecological problems.

I am Lucinda Kotter, a Licensed Acupuncturist. I have a Masters degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches Institute. I also hold California and national certifications in acupuncture and herbology. My family practice is at Healdsburg Integrative Medicine at 637 Healdsburg Ave. Lucinda may be reached at (707)239-1687 for appointments or questions.

Julia’s Lemonade at the Farmer’s Market

Julia is selling lemonade at the Healdsburg Farmer’s Markets to save for college. I see her on Saturdays, but the last time I talked to her, she was also planning to be on the Plaza on Tuesdays.

I also happen to know that she’s looking for lemons. So, if you have a fat old lemon tree in your yard, and you simply have too many lemons, bring ‘em on down to Julia. I know she will appreciate them.

I believe that Julia (and her parents) squeeze the lemons by hand to make the lemonade. It is quite the process. I’ll have to find out how many lemons it takes for one huge jug of lemonade.

I took this picture as part of the Day-in-the-Life event.

George Hoyer: Healdsburg Park Plaza : Saturday Morning

George Hoyer met Jean in the Healdsburg Park Plaza on Saturday morning. She gave him my card and told him about the “A Day in the Life” event.

When he got home, he submitted his photos. I asked him about why he was taking photos that morning and he said:

I have taken photos as an amateur for many years, but have been away from it for a while. I just purchased a digital camera and I have been wanting to try it out. So when A Day In The Life presented itself, I thought I would take advantage of it.

Karen Holmes: Shots of my trellised pumpkin plant

I met Karen last Tuesday evening as I was handing out cards and promoting this Day in the Life event. She’d recognized me from hanging out at the the wine library.

Karen sent in this submission on Saturday evening:

Hi, Jennifer. I introduced myself to you at the Plaza on Tuesday, having seen you at the Wine Library…

Here’s my submission: Shots of my trellised pumpkin plant.

I’d noticed a pumpkin plant trained to climb up a pole in someone’s yard on First and Matheson Streets last summer. I’d never seen that done before. The beginning of June my wisteria, that had so beautifully covered my trellis, succumbed to Crown Gall Disease. It seemed so bare there after it was removed. Then I remembered the pumpkin plant on First Street from last year, and so planted my own at the base of the support for the former wisteria trellis. The pumpkin plant is growing about 2″ a day and seems to love to climb up. Today my husband made a little sling to support the biggest pumpkin. We’ll see how that works.

Thanks!
Where: Garden on Almond Way
When: Around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday the 19th
How: Canon PowerShot A620 digital camera

See more shots of the trellised pumpkin in the flickr photo stream (we’re still working on sorting and uploading the pictures).
Learn more about the wine library

What a Day!

Wow. What a day. I only have a few moments, but to summarize so far:

Up at 5AM.

One audio recording of the birds in my neighborhood.

2.5 hours helping start the Healsburg Century Bike Tour.

• Five brown thermos containers of coffee
• Two trays of cinnamon bread
• Too many Odwalla juices to count
• 1500 or so bikers (will have to get the exact number from Briana over at the Chamber)

Back home to regroup and refresh a bit.

Update the A Day in the Life column on this website. Shana IMs me to say she’s started a twitter stream: #hburgmag.

Out to meet Julie at Cousteax (missed her but met her later at the Farmer’s Market).

Quick stop at Fideaux to make sure the girls there take a picture (I took one–just to be sure).

Farmer’s Market (lots of people there today, including Shana and another Healdsburg local: oenophilus).

Met Laurel Cook and some other Literary Guild members who were serendipitously releasing a BOOK entitled: A Day in the Life of Healdsburg.

It was the 30th anniversary of the Farmer’s Market this week. Think I’ll be getting some more interesting photos from Mike Haran later.

Up and down the street to a few shops (will have to wait until I sort out my pictures).

Through the Plaza.

Over to Oakville Grocery, Rosenblum, and Selby tasting room.

Back through square to meet Shana for lunch.

Lunch at Willi’s Seafood. Bartender was Carl. Have to write up his drinks for the Two-Drink Minimum column. Oysters (delectable).

Back through to ParkPoint Health Club to ask about their memberships for out-of-town visitors. Have a summary I can post later.

I’m exhausted.

Head home for a snooze.

Head out to run an errand, but was just too exhausted to stay out.

Back home. Check email (four unexpected submissions for event — Thank You!!! I’m expecting more though. I know they’ll come in as the week progresses).

Check the twitter stream (two new friends on Twitter–(hi Rob and macgenie). Special shout out to Shana Ray for starting that off this morning–an unexpected social media contribution.

Call my new friend Randy over at Mateo Granados Catering to make sure he sends in his perspective. He sends it from his iPhone (will link later when I’ve got the pictures sorted).

Check the Flickr group. One new member: local photographer Craig Clemment-hope to that you’re going to submit a photo or two Craig. I’d be honored.

Quote of the day from Shana, “It made me happy!” for almost every picture she took and posted to twitpic.

It’s 11:33 right now. I have to get up early again tomorrow.

Thanks for everything everybody who participated. I look forward to your submissions.

Stay tuned!!

A Day in the Life of Healdsburg: 19 July 2008

A few weeks ago, I was talking to Stephen about promoting the magazine. He immediately had a great idea: Choose a day and have everybody take a picture on that day (anytime during the 24-hour period of the day) and send it in. Then, do a-day-in-the-life-of series.

Isn’t that a great idea? I am so excited. Except, since I’m trying to work with more media, I’m going to ask that people use any form of media for this project. The day is going to be 19 July 2008.

That’s right: 19 July 2008. Mark it on your calendar folks. This is the day that I’m going to ask everybody and anybody who is in Healdsburg, California to record it. Just record being in Healdsburg. Record it how you want to record it. Video it. Photograph it. Blog it. Record it. Voice mail it. Text it. Email it. However you want to do it, just do it.

Here are some guidelines:

If you are in Healdburg on the 19 July 2008 with any form of media, record it.

• If you video it, create a short video of your experience.
• If you photograph it, send in the photograph with details about who, where, when, and how.
• If you blog it, just blog it and send the link to your blog.
• If you use audio, send in your audio clips.
• Or, just call and leave a voice mail. 707-477-2528.

Anytime during that 24-hour period on the 19 July 2008, just record who, what, when, and where.

Then, send in your submissions (contact).

That’s it. That’s all I’m asking for. I’m expecting that it will be a great day.

I’d like to use all the submissions to re-create 24 hours in Healdsburg. How exciting is that going to be?

Let’s see how it turns out.