Podcast appearances and mentions of glen ellen

Happy Sunday Morning to you this lovely spring morning; Edie Tanem hosts Bob Tanem In The Garden with Edie Tanem and our guests this morning are The Myth Makers: Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein are a pair of artists making large-scale garden sculptures out of bamboo and other materials. Currently they're busy preparing a show that will open on Wednesday April 2 at the Sonoma Botanical Gardens in Sonoma near Glen Ellen; these large outdoor sculptures are site to behold. This podcast is the original broadcast, with the musical interludes cut out for compliance with policy. Bob Tanem In The Garden with Edie Tanem airs live on KSFO 810 AM across all of Northern California and beyond, each Sunday morning at 9:00 Pacific time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Sunday Morning to you this lovely spring morning; Edie Tanem hosts Bob Tanem In The Garden with Edie Tanem and our guests this morning are The Myth Makers: Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlein are a pair of artists making large-scale garden sculptures out of bamboo and other materials. Currently they're busy preparing a show that will open on Wednesday April 2 at the Sonoma Botanical Gardens in Sonoma near Glen Ellen; these large outdoor sculptures are site to behold. This podcast is the original broadcast, with the musical interludes cut out for compliance with policy. Bob Tanem In The Garden with Edie Tanem airs live on KSFO 810 AM across all of Northern California and beyond, each Sunday morning at 9:00 Pacific time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founding producer Carolyn Kendrick is going on a West Coast Tour to promote her record Each Machine. Alex will accompany to manage the tour and sell merch and zines. Please come on out and say hello if we're passing through your next of the woods! Here is the link to the record: https://carolynkendrick.bandcamp.com/track/each-machineHere is the link to tickets: https://www.carolynkendrick.com/tourTour Dates!03/06 SACRAMENTO, CA03/08 PORTLAND, OR03/10 PORT TOWNSEND, WA03/11 OLYMPIA, WA03/13 GIG HARBOR, WA03/14 SEATTLE, WA03/15 VANCOUVER, BC03/18 SAN FRANCISCO, CA03/19 GLEN ELLEN, CA03/22 LOS ANGELES, CAAlso, in this announcement I mention Eve's trans table read of A Streetcar Named Desire in Los Angeles on March 6th! Check that out here! https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/streetcar

Rob Zombie would love this one. Today we've got internet reviews for The New China Restaurant, a ground beef meat chopper, the french market in Glen Ellen, and the anime Dandadan. For a segment, we take a deep dive into the green bean casserole. Want more party? Check it out at http://www.reviewpartydotcom.com/ !

Our Top Sonoma Wineries for Unforgettable Tasting Experiences In this episode of Pure Life Podcast, we take you on a journey through some of the best Sonoma Wineries in Northern California. From the sparkling wines of Gloria Ferrer to the biodynamic vineyards at Benziger, we share our top picks for unforgettable winery experiences. Whether it's the rustic charm of Cline Family Cellars, the cinematic allure of Francis Ford Coppola Winery, or the serene beauty of Matanzas Creek, there's something for every wine lover.

Russian River wastewater spill | New tree ordinances | Glen Ellen deputies kept busy | SAT goes digital | Plane looses tire on takeoff from SFO | First Friday SOFA Gallery Crawl | Marin County phone scam warningClick the icon below to listen.      

Calogero "Carlos" Todaro, renowned for his expertise in all things relating to wine, joins Discover Lafayette to share his adventures in the U. S. over the past sixty-two years. Carlos is well-known in the Lafayette area for his hard work ethic and desire to be of service to others. For years, he and his brother, Gene, were the resident wine experts at Marcello's Wine Market in Lafayette. After the sale of Marcello's last year, Carlos retired from working full time, but is still providing his expertise for pairing wines with food for the grateful customers of Champagne's Market in the Oil Center. "I have always been fortunate to have met many nice, kind and generous people throughout my life. People have been kind to me in so many ways. I try to repay as best I can." Carlos has a rich family history. A native of Palermo, the capital of the Italian island of Sicily, he's lived in the U. S. since 1961 when the family moved to New Orleans from Sicily. Interestingly, Carlos' dad was already a U. S. Citizen, having been born in Pueblo CO in 1915; his dad's family returned to Sicily when he was young. After his dad served in the Italian Army in WWII, he realized he wanted to return to the U. S. Carlos joked that his dad wrote a letter to then U. S. Senator John Kennedy asking for help and he got his Visa a few months later! Pictured in Palermo, Sicily, 1956, is the Todaro family send-off of cousin Blaise Todaro, who was headed to New Orleans. Calogero "Carlos" Todaro would follow with his immediate family members in 1961 where they relocated to New Orleans to live with Aunt Lucy. No one in Carlos' family spoke English when they moved to the U. S. The "Marcello's name is a tribute to brother, Marcello Todaro, who attended USL and realized there was no authentic Italian restaurant in Lafayette. Brother Gene moved to Lafayette to assist with opening the restaurant, and along with Marcello, opened the original Marcello's on the Abbeville Highway in 1981. Carlos moved to Lafayette to open up a grocery store next door to Marcello's, bringing along his expertise as a longtime manager of A & P in New Orleans. "Mama (Rosalie Todaro) was a very good cook, using a minimum of spices and the least amount of money. Pasta with broccoli, for example, a staple of Sicily. Feed a whole family of five people within your budget. We ate very little meat and chicken was a treat." Marcello's enjoyed great success and moved into a larger space at Time Plaza where it remained until the oil bust of 1987/88 forced its closure. Todaro family pictured in Glen Ellen, CA for Marcello's wedding in 1990. Carlos moved to Memphis with his brother, Marcello, to sell wine for a liquor company and met many of the greats in the industry such as Jordan and Fetzer. In the meantime, brother Gene opened two liquor stores, one in New Orleans and one in Lafayette in the old La Promenade Mall. When Gene decided to reopen Marcello's Restaurant in 1993, Marcello and Carlos returned from Memphis to help in the family venture. Carlos reminisced how they started selling wine on the sidewalk outside of Marcello's to make extra money to float the restaurant's expenses. In 1994/95, Marcello's Market moved to its current location at 2800 Johnston Street and Carlos says, "It's been successful since Day One." It was the first wine retailer in the area, way before Total Wines or other box stores. With all of the acumen and discernment Carlos brought to Marcello's Wine Market, he says he never trained formally. "I am self taught. You don't really know anything until you go to wineries and see the process. I always learn from others. There is always someone who knows more than you." Dustin andJolie Poirier, Kyle and Stefanie Kellner, and Tim Metcalf acquired Marcello's Wine Market in 2023 from owners Carlos and Gene Todaro. Marcello's has been the place to go for decades for all liquor needs including wine, beer, spirits, mixers,

Hear about travel to the wine region Sonoma County in California as the Amateur Traveler talks to Brooke Herron about this popular tourism region where she grew up. https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-sonoma-county/ Why should someone travel to Sonoma County? Brooke says, "A myriad of reasons, in my opinion beyond wine. It is an absolutely stunning region from an outdoors perspective. You've got the coast, you've got hiking trails, mountains, hills and then you've got also lots of farms, distilleries, breweries, cideries. And what I loved the most about living there for 20 years and now coming back home to it on a regular basis is really first, the outdoors and the beauty, right? The access to the ocean and trees. And then next, of course, the fact that you can get amazing food, and craft drinks everywhere." Brooke lays out a 5-day itinerary: Day One: The Sonoma Coast The first day begins on the breathtaking Sonoma Coast. Drive along Highway 1, skip the touristy Bodega Bay, and head to Shell Beach near Jenner. Here, you can choose between a leisurely stroll on the Kortum Trail or a more challenging hike on the Pomo Canyon Red Hill Loop. Chris recommends history buffs take the drive up to Fort Ross which was the Russian presence on the California Coast. After the hike, consider a stop in Jenner for a smoked salmon bagel or clam chowder with a view over the bay. For dinner, Santa Rosa offers the Bird and the Bottle, a favorite, or a more casual option at Russian River Brewery. Day Two: Sebastopol and Russian River On the second day, Brooke will explore the charming town of Sebastopol and the Russian River area. The Barlow, an open-air marketplace, is a must-visit. Enjoy craft cider, spirits, and unique food options. Highlights include Golden State Cider, Blue Ridge Kitchen, SpiritWorks Distillery, and the recently added Rewind Arcade for a playful touch. If you're not into alcohol, explore Goldridge Organic Farms for olive oil tastings and Bohemian Creamery for a delightful cheese experience. For wine enthusiasts, Horse and Plow, Dutton Estate Winery, and the unique Radio Coteau are recommended stops. Day Three: Relaxing in Petaluma On the third day, Brooke recommends a leisurely drive to Petaluma. Explore the historic downtown, and if in the mood for seafood, the Shuckery is a great choice. For a more casual experience, Brewster's Beer Garden offers a relaxed atmosphere with great outdoor seating. Accommodations in Santa Rosa can be found at Hotel E, a boutique luxury option in the heart of downtown. In Petaluma, Brooke suggests considering the charming Metro Hotel for a unique and affordable stay. Day Four: Explore Hillsburg and Windsor Brooke's top winery picks in Hillsburg include Idlewild Wines for unique Italian varieties like Arnés, Fresa, Dulcetto, Grignolino, Barbera, and Cortese blends, with educational Sunday events. Orsi Vineyards, a hidden gem in Dry Creek Valley, offers distinctive varieties like Sagrantino and Biancolella. Unty Vineyards, known for sustainable practices, provides a casual Rhone and Italian variety tasting experience. Gary Farrell in Sonoma County is recommended for exceptional Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, especially from the Russian River Valley. Aperture Cellars, known for Bordeaux blends, stands out, with a focus on texture. In Windsor, Artisan Alley hosts Two Shepherds Wine and Tilted Shed Cider. Two Shepherds offers organic and natural wines, including orange and skin-contact varieties. Grand Cru Custom Crush offers a diverse micro-winery tasting experience. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy Shiloh Regional Park's hikes and mountaintop views, while Riverfront Regional Park offers a scenic water setting. Brooke suggests exploring farmers' markets in Windsor and Healdsburg for fresh produce and vibrant atmospheres. Dining recommendations in Healdsburg include Bravas Tapas Bar, Willie's Seafood and Raw Bar, Valette Restaurant, and The Matheson. Lo and Behold is recommended for cocktails, and Black Oak Coffee and Flying Goat for coffee. In Windsor, Artisan Alley's Two Shepherds Wine and Tilted Shed Cider are must-visits, along with Pizzalea for gluten-free pizza. To unwind, Shiloh Regional Park and Riverfront Regional Park offer beautiful natural settings. For spirits, Young and Yonder Spirits and Alley Six Spirits in Healdsburg are noteworthy. Day Five: Explore the Sonoma Valley On day five, explore the renowned Sonoma Valley. Hike at North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park or Bartholomew Park. Kibblestadt Cellars, known for balanced wines, is a top choice. Prohibition Spirits in Sonoma offers unique tastings like Pink Gin. Bedrock Wines, near the plaza, features interesting varieties. Eldorado Kitchen is recommended for high-end dining. Café La Haye, Valley Bar and Bottle, and Sunflower Cafe offer diverse breakfast and casual options. Enoteca Della Santina is suggested for a relaxed glass of wine, while Winery 16 600 in Glen Ellen offers unique wines. Sonoma's fine dining includes Eldorado Kitchen and Café La Haye. Hot Monk Tavern and The Grapevine are casual favorites. Eldorado Cantina, attached to Eldorado Kitchen, offers delightful Mexican food at a more affordable price. Wrap up the day with tastings at Kibblestadt Cellars and Bedrock Wines. Brooke highlights Sonoma County's diversity, including hikes, beaches, cider, beer, and spirits. For planning, check Sonoma County Tourism's website for itineraries and information. Whether you are here for the wine, cider, and spirits or the coastal hikes and ziplining through the redwoods, Sonoma Valley offers adventures that bring you back again and again.

20230415-2 American Council of the Blind of Nebraska 20230415-2 Afternoon Sessions ACB Reports o An Update on ACB National Happenings — Ray Campbell, ACB 1st Vice-President, Glen Ellen, IL Outlook Enrichment Update o Paulette Monthei, Omaha NE-Outlook Enrichment Coordinator Team Building Exercise “Walking for ACB” o Amber Steet, Omaha, NE ACBN Annual Business Meeting & Election of Officers Adjourn Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

On a crisp afternoon at the Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen, a group of twenty one farmworkers suit up in firefighter gear. Woman and men take turns helping each other strap on backpacks and fire helmets in preparation for another intense day of prescribed burn training. These are carefully planned low intensity fires set under specific environmental conditions, intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Many of these immigrant and Indigenous farmworkers typically work in the grape fields throughout Sonoma County, but extreme drought, flooding, and massive wildfires have made these jobs more precarious. Seeing the need for alternative jobs that provide safety training and fair wages, a coalition of organizations including North Bay Jobs with Justice, Audubon Canyon Ranch, and Resilience Force teamed up to create paid opportunities that tackle our climate crisis head on. Part of this work includes certifying farmworkers to do prescribed burns on private lands throughout the North Bay, as a way to prevent the build up of fuel before fire season. Prescribed burns are not a new practice by any means. They are rooted in many cultures. Some of these farmworkers have already practiced prescribed burns in their homelands in Mexico and Central America, and bring this ancestral ecological knowledge to their new line of work.

Our members are always looking for opportunities to connect with clients. Today we are talking with a few members who are successfully growing their business with social media to share their strategies: Carrie Little of CarMarc Realty Group in Chicago and Brandon Blankenship with Keller Williams Premier Properties in Glen Ellen. We discuss how they found success using social media in their businesses and the advice they have for REALTORS® who want to better leverage their own social media for success!

Our guest this morning was Scott Medbury, Executive Director of Sonoma Botanical Gardens up in Glen Ellen, in the wine country.  Formerly Quarry Hill nursery, the site has an established Asian horticultural preserve and a newly opened California Native preserve trail as well, among other treasures!  Scott spent the hour with host Edie Tanem on KSFO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this morning was Scott Medbury, Executive Director of Sonoma Botanical Gardens up in Glen Ellen, in the wine country.  Formerly Quarry Hill nursery, the site has an established Asian horticultural preserve and a newly opened California Native preserve trail as well, among other treasures!  Scott spent the hour with host Edie Tanem on KSFO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I wandered the paths of Sonoma's historic plaza to interview several of the artisans that help make the Valley of the Moon Vintage Fest so special. I speak with jewelers, woodworkers, photographers and more about their art and why they do what they do. Later on, I made a stop at the Glen Ellen Valley Fair and spoke with Arthur Dawson, a local historian, about Sonoma Mountain and Glen Ellen's History. This week's guests include: Arthur Dawson from Sonoma Mountain Preservation (1:02) Doreen from West Coast Vibez (4:14) Jessica Jo from Jessica Jo Designs (26:22) Kristen Cheung from We Rock Communities (7:30) Laura from www.LauraLeeFritz.com (14:28) Lin Haley from Silk Winds (22:58) Michael Ecton from Wine Country Photography (1:02.5) Nao Kobayashi from Nuno Zoo (11:48) Rhona Conte from ReClaimed Designs @reclaimed_by_rhona (19:33) ---- Music by Sharing Skies To learn more about Hello Sonoma, visit hellosonoma.org Thank you, as always, for tuning in.

Kevin Lovett from Wolf House Brewing is our in-studio guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Kevin was master brewer for Cloverdale Ale Co when he bought Wolf House in October 2019. He was going to open two places at once. He is inspired by Jack London, who was a Glen Ellen resident. Some other beers are also named after Jack London stories. The beer they are drinking is called Burning Daylight, which is the title of a Jack London short story. Dutch Courage is another one. We hear about how they managed to open the brewery and restaurant and then finally the music venue. This achievement has fulfilled his original goals. The Freshtival is coming up this Saturday, June 25, 2022. Check out the Freshtival page at the Hen House site for all the info. Lots of food, beer and music, including some gluten free choices, something for everybody. No beer will be older than seven days. Get tickets on Eventbrite. Kevin has brewed a special Hazy beer for the Freshtival that is flavored with some familiar and some new hops. Kevin's dad Michael Lovett was a co-founder with Don Barkley of the iconic Mendocino Brewing Co., makers of the renowned Red Tail Ale, which everyone misses. They worked at New Albion under Jack McCauliffe, the first new brewery to open after Prohibition and an originator in what became a movement. When New Albion closed, Don and Michael got the equipment to use for Mendocino Brewing. Kevin worked at his father's brewery when he was growing up and then he worked for others including Napa Smith and Brian Hunt's Moonlight Brewing. He became very good at building breweries and is grateful for the mentoring and the opportunities he found in brewing. Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info. The Wolf House Brewing taproom is located at 131 E. 1st Street in Cloverdale. There are locals and others who come from pretty far away because “the word is getting out.” Burning Daylight is his Pilsner. He thinks it's the best beer he has made. They also have a beer called Therapy Session. Pilsners are hard to make and he credits Brian Hunt for teaching him about Lagers and Pilsners and he always has each strain of yeast available. They have a 9-barrel system so he brews 3 times a month or so. They plan to raise their capacity so they can get into more places. Kevin and his sister and brother-in-law, a chef, are partners in the brewery. They have a full menu including something called a Cloverdale Twinkie, which is a jumbo Jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Wolf House Brewing has a pedigree behind it due to Kevin Lovett's personal history and experience. He grew up at the Hopland brewery taphouse. His first job was bussing tables in about 1995 so he got to be a part of it before it all changed. When he came back in 2005 it was an empty lot and now Ron Lindenbusch has turned it into a destination again. Wolf House and Hopland Tap would be a good two-fer for a day trip. They have a lot of live music, including lots of kinds of Rock (the old joke, “Music? We got both kinds! Country AND Western!”) Kevin Lovett will pour his Hazy beer at the Freshtival but he won't give it a name until he tastes it.

The celebration continued into our 101st podcast, with guest Chef Lauren Kershner. In part 1 of our interview with her, we talked extensively about the origins of her new endeavor, Songbird Parlour, in Glen Ellen, California. In the second part, we turned to her holiday hospitality tips and business advice. Read more... The post Wine Women – Chef Lauren Kershner (part 2) appeared first on Radio Misfits.

Today we give our honest take on Glen Ellen's newest old breakfast join, The Garden Court Cafe and discuss Walter's impending birthday. Bon Apetit!!! Music: 'John & Friends' by Kevin Hejmanowski https://www.facebook.com/partunes/ glutenisnotyourproblem@gmail.com IG: @glutenisnotyourproblem FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/210939312308157/

Katie Bundschu is the Vintner and Proprietor at Abbots Passage We Talk About: -Katie's journey into the wine business -The history of 150 years making with in her family -What makes Glen Ellen so special -Her vision for Abbot's Passage -The mercantile shop and winery -We talk through some of the unique wine offerings -How to visit, buy wine, and experience the property, and much more! https://www.abbotspassage.com/

Jack London Jack London is known as a writer, journalist and a proud socialist. He was born - John Griffith Chaney, on January 12, 1876 in San Francisco California, in the United States. He died November 22 1916, in Glen Ellen, California. He grew up in a working-class area in the city of Oakland, California. While very young, he observed the inequalities in American society and the struggles of the poor. He was internationally famous for his books -The Call of the Wild (1903), The Sea Wolf (1904) and other literary and journalistic accomplishments. He wrote passionately about the great questions of life and death and the struggle to survive with dignity and integrity. His stories of high adventure were based on his own experiences at sea, in the Yukon Territory, and in the fields and factories of California. His writings appealed to millions worldwide. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, which was a port-side bar in the city of Oakland, California. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writings. Today in the year of 2021, tourists enjoy Jack London Square, which is an entertainment and business destination on the waterfront of Oakland, California,named after Jack London, and owned by the Port of Oakland, it is the home of stores, restaurants, hotels, an Amtrak station, a San Francisco Bay Ferry dock, and the historic Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/uirapuru/message

Managing your money upfront is a smart way to make sure you are hitting your financial targets. In this episode, Tom, Michael, and Emil share their strategies for managing money as it comes in, to efficiently allocate it to their investment projects and work towards financial freedom. --- Transcript   Emil: Hey everybody. Welcome back for another episode of the remote real estate investor. My name is Emil Shour, and my co hosts today are the lovely,   Tom: Tom Schneider   Michael: And Michael Albaum.   Emil: And on today's episode, we're going to be doing a little bit of personal finance. And particularly, we're going to be talking about how we set up our systems and bank accounts and everything to set us up for investing. So money comes in, where do we put it? How do we make sure somebody gets allocated for investing? All the nuts and bolts and juicy details? So let's hop into this one.   What amazing thing happened to you guys this past weekend?   Michael: Easy question. With an easy answer. I celebrated my two year wedding anniversary. This weekend. That was a lovely thing to do. My wife took me to a very fun little resort. It was very COVID safe. We had a room to ourselves and enjoy the pool and did like nothing. So we were able to just sit and relax and be and get a little bit sunburned.   Tom: You're in North North California right now not not overly north, but at least north of San Francisco.   Michael: Right. We're just north just north of you guys.   Tom: Congratulations, by the way.   Michael: Thanks, man. This was over in Glen Ellen which is outside of Santa Rosa. And it was really secluded, really quiet. It was just really a nice weekend to get a little bit of r&r because my wife and I always joke that we don't ever stop. So we will sit down for a day of relaxing be like yeah, I'm bored. Time to do something. So this weekend, we really force ourselves to really just sit and be and read and relax. And it was lovely. So that was definitely my highlight. What about you Tom?   Tom: I have a one and a half year old and we go on campus tours. So we go tour the local elementary schools and we went on a lovely campus tour over the weekend. So it was really big. I don't remember elementary schools being that big it was it was a particularly big one. It was one called Burn Valley over in Lafayette. But it was really nice. There was a little league practice we scouted out future potential teams. So just a lot of a lot of scouting. I really want to live by an elementary school like for like weekends like play games and stuff. It's like the giant backyard of like, you know, basketball hoops big grass fields. Anyways.   Michael: That's really great for like Ultimate Frisbee games in college I lived across an elementary across your elementary school we play frisbee there all the time playing the baseball diamond. It's lovely.   Tom: Totally I think there was some random you know, college kids or whatever bringing what's that game or you like hit the ball into the net and it like bounces up and anyways there was some folks that…   Michael: Spike ball.   Tom: Spike ball yeah, it was a big spike ball game going on. So that was my campus tours with with baby. So we're on our way through the of the elementary schools, yourself Emil?   Emil: So last week was my birthday.   Michael: Happy belated.   Emil: Thanks, guys. And so that the family together on Sunday, just immediate family, my wife's parents, my parents, my brother, had a nice lunch, we hung out, they got to hang out with our daughter just a good time, I also got to go surfing that morning. It was like a nice warm day. So even though the water still a little bit cold in Southern California, was warm out. So it's like this nice balance. And just a nice weekend. Anytime I can get out to surf.   Michael; You don't know a cold water is man.   Emil: I know. Let's get back to talking about personal finance. How do we set up our money? How do we allocate it? So let's just start with like money comes in right? Money comes in every month. What do you do with it? Do you have an automated system? Are you manually moving money into like different accounts? Are you putting it in? In a Swedish account? What are you guys doing? Tom, you You go first.   Tom: So money comes in all do some 401 k stuff right off the bat coming in from the employer, then money goes into a personal checking account. There are three checking accounts that I have. One of them is for the rentals. One of them is for a joint account. So money comes in from work funds, all immediately move most of it over into the joint account for mortgage for any all of that like life, expensive stuff, but I'll leave a little bit, I will also move a little bit of money that I will save upfront into an index fund, which is where I basically store like liquid funds for buying more real estate.   So that's that that's that account and then within the other checking account that I have, that's for rentals, I'll have payment going out to pay whatever mortgages there are for those rental properties and then rental income coming in from the rental properties. And then I'll also send a little bit of that dough into that same index fund. So I try to keep that balance as low as possible without any risk of it going to zero. And this is actually a newer strategy for me where I used to just leave it all in cash, but I'm being pretty aggressive about leaving as little amount as money in in a cash position and just pushing it into like a big safe index fund.   And I just started doing this I might have mentioned on an earlier episode is just adding like a little bit of money into just like little slivers of Bitcoin, it's more just kind of peace of mind where I was like, really like, man, I feel like I could have like, been a part of this a little bit earlier. But taking a small amount every month amount that I like, wouldn't be like overly upset if it just, you know, got cut in half or whatever, if Bitcoin imploded, but as a little bit of a hedge against inflation just to take out, you know, a small participation.   So to reiterate, paraphrase, have these three different accounts money coming in from employer, pushing it into joint account, pushing it into this savings account, or just me index fund. And then rental funds coming in and doing kind of a similar maneuver where I'm adding a little bit into that index fund. And then at the point at which I'm ready to acquire, I'll move money out of the index fund back into that cash account, that checking account associated with the rental properties, and then do my acquisition from there. So kind of a longer spiel, I don't think it's overly complicated.   Emil: Is that automated or are you like manually moving all the money in like choosing the index fund and all that?   Tom: I've got it 90% automated, so I work, my brokerage account is an online account that I wish that I would automatically, like put the buy in like just for the dollar amount like, but I have to manually push the buy, I can move the money automatically. And I have it totally automated from the bank accounts to move it over to the various bank accounts and into my brokerage account. But to actually buy the index fund, I have to like manually go in and click Buy. And it's kind of annoying. I mean, it's it's like not that much work. But I just love the idea of if I just, you know, disappeared for a year like it just all be running automatically. I love that concept. They have a product where they'll do that, but it's only with like certain mutual funds, and I don't really want to put my money in a mutual fund to, you know, pay that extra overhead of that manager that's managing the mutual fund, it's very close to being fully automated. The only piece that's not is that final buy, also have a fun flow sheet. So we're all see money. This is a tool we have with a category Academy, as well, just so I have all my different accounts. And I could just because I want to keep that cash balance, like obviously not being negative, but keep it relatively low. So you know, all do little shifts in the automatic amount that it's pulling just so it's like keeping pretty close to zero. But it's Yeah, like I said, like 95% automate, it's just that last little purchase of the clicking the buy on the stock. So I'll do manually.   Michael: So Tom, that's the checking account associated with the rental properties and you try to keep as close to zero as possible.   Tom: Pretty much all of them except for the joint account is I'm I'm being pretty aggressive about moving any of that loose, loose change loose dollars into this index fund.   Michael: Okay, so then your reserve for your rentals is in this index fund as well.   Tom: That's right, yeah. And I'll be extra aggressive about like, if, for whatever reason, the index fund like took a huge hit, like all the extra aggressive and keeping larger reserves. But I think the upside of just continuing to flow with the market is that risk is worth it to me to take on that little extra risk by having it in there. And this is actually from I don't know, I think that I'm not sure the episode have been released yet. But we had a really cool author…   Michael: $7 millionaire yep.   Tom: Dude! And honestly, that interview that we did with him, like kind of changed my life way actually, I know that it just came out because my wife was just come out, giving us some feedback on how to how to continue to make the podcast better. Because she she told me about the episode, and she thought it was good as as well. But it honestly kind of changed my life and being way more aggressive about you know, pushing money into into the index fund, especially just at the age you are I mean, so much of is relative to that on how aggressive you want to be is looking at your time horizon. So, yes, I think I answered your question.   Michael: Totally answered the question. I've got a follow up question. So the checking account that your paycheck comes into, that then gets moved, basically gets zero balanced out every month? What's the purpose of that account?   Tom: I mean, that's a good question. So like I could just have a joint account with my wife but not have a separate personal account. What we do is you know, we each have our own personal account and then a joint account where we will put a lot of most of the money and I mean, this is like different for probably every couple. I think it's I think we like having a little bit of discretionary fund whatever I save some money out there want to buy a guitar because I can do that or you know, like stuff like that. I think that's healthy to have that balances and if you're able to do that, like great. We have a joint credit card and then we each have individual separate credit cards, but I mean the vast majority All my expenses is going into this, this joint account that we use.   Michael: Got it. Okay, so it's not totally zeroed out, you still keep some money in there?   Tom:; Exactly.   Michael: Got it. Got it got it. Okay.   Tom: Exactly, I just like to highlight, I mean, I try to keep it above like 1000 bucks in there just or, you know, 500 or something like that.   Emil: Before we get into mine a little bit later, I'm have the old mindset that you used to have, like, I sit on so much cash and don't invest it because it's short term. I'd love for you to challenge me on that thinking in school me a little later.   Tom: So for sure.   Emil: Alright, Michael, you're up.   Michael: My wife and I have a joint checking account. That's where all of the income earned income from jobs goes. And then we've sat down and did a pretty extensive overhaul of our finances where money coming in from where is it going out to. And so we put together a pretty firm, fun flow kind of like Tom was talking about. And so every single month, we have automatic withdrawals from our checking account that goes to an external savings account. And from that external savings account is basically where everything happens.   So we have money that goes to a separate savings account, rather, that pays specifically life insurance, we have funds that go from that joint checking account every single month automatically goes to an investment brokerage account. And, Tom, that's really unfortunate that you don't have an automatic investing function with your brokerage account, we do.   So every single month, there's a bi actually is every single week. So I dollar cost average throughout the month, every single week, X amount of dollars gets purchased of a set index fund indefinitely. So we have money that goes to that. And we broke it down basically, for us between our fixed expenses, expenses that never change throughout the month. So that's the mortgage on our personal, you know, pet insurance, life insurance, car insurance, all these things are fixed, homogeneous costs that are the same month in and month out. And then we've broken down, okay, what are our variable costs, so groceries, gas, this type of thing, entertainment eating out, and then everything else we've said is going into savings. And so we have automatically every single month getting with you actually, it's it's like four or five times a month, withdrawals from our joint checking account that go towards this savings account.   And so we've opted to do is keep a small balance in that checking account. And we pay our credit cards from our savings account. And so we really feel it, when we pay it is, hey, we are now taking this money that we've saved from ourselves, and it's now going out the window to our spending, we have all the fixed expenses on automatic payments, so we don't have to do a whole lot of manual stuff. And then at the end of the month, we'll do a reconciliation, if we made more money than we thought we were going to our made less money than we thought we were going to we need to adjust things, we'll do that. But we sit down every week and kind of go over what the expenses are and track how we're doing for the month based on our budget projections for that particular month in all the categories in our variable expenses. And we just do check it and see Hey, how are we doing? How are you benchmarking compared to how we want it to be? How much do we have left in the month to spend. And it's been really, really helpful, it's helped us save quite a lot of money since we started doing it about four or five months ago.   And so I'm you know, I'm kind of like you, we save a lot of cash. So we've got money going to the investment brokerage side of things, but we're also looking at buying a primary here in probably the next six to seven months or so. So we are just stockpiling as much cash as we can to in order to be able to do that, while also still investing, you know, I probably want to automate my Roth IRA contributions. I don't invest to a self directed IRA only to my Roth. And so I've done that in a lump sum the past two years, but I'm thinking that maybe I should change that to a more of a drip, drip style investment, and automate that.   Tom: Michael, do you use any tools, I mean, besides some of the lovely Roofstock Academy, like fund flow spreadsheet templates to use, like mint, or betterment, or any of those type tools, when you guys do your reconciliation?   Michael: we do it all manually. Part of the reason we opted to do that we thought about using mint, and I'd signed up for men a couple years ago, but I have some trouble linking all of my accounts. And I'm just kind of like a personal technology. pessimists that I'm worried that if my main account ever got hacked, well, everything is tied to that account. Now those all those passwords are one place. So we often use Capital One credit card, so we just go through every single line item that we spent for that week. And we do everything on the credit card.   So we just talked about, okay, what was this? And then we allocate it to add specific category and see, okay, how are we doing? And I like that better just because it really requires us to have touch points with all of our expenses, as opposed to it being automatically done. We're really to see like, okay, you know, that expense, maybe not necessary it next time, or we can have a really open and honest conversation about it as opposed to being tallied and completions like, Oh, you spent 200 bucks in this category. I personally, we personally want to know what each of those expenses were that That made up to 200 bucks.   Tom: I dig it. I dig it, Michael, very dialed.   Michael: Thanks, man I talked about a lot in the coaching sessions to like, a lot of people, when they're looking at their expenses when they're evaluating investment properties, we'll say, Okay, my expenses are 600 bucks, and my mortgage is 1200. So you know, I'm cash flowing, whatever, that $600 figure doesn't tell me anything. It doesn't allow you to do any kind of work on on making improvements, all you know is the result. But if you don't know, like, what's the recipe is like us talking about the sausage, like if all you see is the sausage, well, I don't know how to manipulate the recipe to be more in line with what I want it to be because I don't even know what the ingredients are. So this really allows us to become very pinpointed and precise and surgical about cutting out certain things, because we can see what's eating up the biggest expense. Well, we went to Target it's been $300. Why did we really need to? So it's, it's been really, really, really helpful.   Tom: What's, what's your biggest leak? What's your biggest leaker? If you had to think about the last six months? Like oh, man, I'm leaking money, Where? Where? Where's that hole? And just curious,   Michael: it's, it's such a catch 22 it's like, our grocery bill is through the roof. And it's just the two of us, just my wife and I. And so I'm looking at that number   Tom: Healthy, like fresh foods expensive, man. It's, it's like a, I think, yeah,   Michael: It's such a good point. Like, I remember when we, when we were first dating, we always joked that we used to eat all of our meals out because it was so fun. And that kind of thing. And then when we got married, we started cooking a lot more, which has been just equally as fun. And then the pandemics we've been eating a ton more at home. And it's like, well, yeah, duh, because now we're eating three to four meals a day at home, of course, our grocery bill is going to go up.   And so you know, that's where I say probably our biggest expenses. Other than that is like, just like miscellaneous stuff that you don't think about, you know, 20 bucks here, 20 bucks there. And you realize they add them up, like, Oh, well, we spent $200. On, you know, junk that we didn't really need.   The counterpoint to that I'll say is that I read this book. And they were talking about, you know, really focus your energy and efforts on the on the big stuff. And the big stuff is you're typically going to be for most people, your housing costs, and your transportation costs. Next, I think is like eating out or food, I think, for most people, so if it's not like one of those three, like, who cares. And I'm so fortunate that I'm at a point in my life, where we can spend $200 a month on stupid stuff, things that kind of make us happy in the moment. And so cutting out those $200 isn't going to radically change our lifestyle, again, I'm so fortunate to be able to be in a position to say that, and that's not the case for everybody. So that's probably our biggest leak, but also during the day, like, it's just not that big a deal. Thankfully.   Emil: I used to, I got in this mode for a very long time where I'm like, so serious about investing and like cutting our expenses and everything that like, every expense just became a Oh, I could have invested that and earn X percent on my money. And you just start to think like, Okay, if I saved $100 this month, you do that over the year, it's 1200 bucks. That's not nothing, but it's not. It's not a big life changing win you know what I mean? And it's like,   Michael: But over 50 years is 7%. That's $2 million.   Emil: Exactly. But like, come on, come on, like, at what price being? Yeah, you're being a robot. And just like, I don't know, I think there's a certain point where it just gets it gets a little crazy.   Tom: Yeah, I think every year, you got to give yourself a little more grace. It's like, you know, I'm not I'm not 20 years old right now. There, it's reasonable to have some like, pleasantries. I mean, I think it's still good to be, you know, discipline, actually, my biggest piece of advice would be, you know, if you're going to get something, like get something nicer, if that makes sense. Like,   Michael: It'll last long.   Tom: Exactly. Yeah. I mean, and my wife had this good point, you know, where she used to buy all these, like, less expensive shoes. And then she got a one pair of nice shoes. And it's like, the old shoes would like kind of cycle through cuz they'd fall apart and they'd be good. But when she got, you know, spent a little bit more got, like a nice pair of shoes. Like it was like really exciting to put them on and, you know, they just last better quality, all that good stuff. So if you're going to go, go, go big. Go big, big.   Michael: Yeah. And, and the other thing is like, a meal cuz I'm right there with you, man. I am like an investor through and through and thinking about all those expenses, is it It hurts, but also how much time energy and effort and attention Are you giving to those little things, when you could be you know, spending that time energy effort focus on something else, and you can make 400 bucks. And so that's you have negative, you know, doesn't doesn't really mean anything. Personal Finance is personal, right? So you make a decision that maybe is the right one for you, or for Tom or, you know, for anybody out there listening. So don't feel like you have to do or not do any of the things that we're talking about or use any of these strategies. Totally. You just gotta figure what works for you.   Emil: I was gonna say I'm a big fan of roommates at I will teach you to be rich, and he's really harped on there's only so much you can save which is so true. But your earning potential, starting a business, getting a side hustle, whatever, earning more at your job, like Those things truly have no limit. And so just like you said, What if you put more of your energy into those things and growing your income potential versus just focused on a bunch of smaller expenses.   Tom: I love that I just that, you know, I love the phrase Pennywise pound foolish, I think a lot of people can kind of get mixed up with that that's such a good point about looking at Excel, there's expensives, and there's revenue, right? It's focusing on the revenue side, way more upside to it,   Emil: I'm gonna try to get as granular as I can with mine without getting like, into the specific numbers. Also, I had a recent life change where I've become self employed, but I'm going to talk about and like, I'm restarting, like, how I do everything, as I'm like, figuring out my business, how much money is coming in those sorts of things.   I'm gonna, I'm gonna rewind time three months to being w two full time employment, how did we kind of manage our money. So my wife's a part time nurse, she has a 403 B, and her company does like a match, right? And so she, she maximizes that I did a small amount of 401k, there was no match. So I didn't really maximize it. So most of it was just like, taking income.   Money comes in my wife and I had a pretty solid idea of like, our monthly expenses, like how you know, our mortgage, and then credit cards within like, $500 plus or minus a month, kind of like, you know, you were mentioning, Michael, there's just always that little bit of just buying random stuff. So we knew each month, like what is our just baseline cost of living, and so that anything above that as we earn more and more, would just go into these separate savings accounts we have.   So we had an account specifically for investing. And so this is all through Capital One, right? Money comes into my chase checking account. And then I have automatic deductions, every time money came in, we just we did it twice a month, we did it middle of the month, end of the month, just doing these automatic deductions into savings accounts. So one was an investing account. One is a travel fund. My wife and I like to travel. So we like to set aside some money versus like, just to have and be like, this is our travel fund, whatever we want to do and do fun stuff with it, we have money set aside. So it's not like you know, you just have one big pool of money, and how much do you want to pull from it, it's like, dedicated to this thing that we really enjoy doing.   And then it's basically just an emergency fund that we're trying to build up. I'm really glad we did that. Because about a year ago, we had to replace our h back and that was like 6000 bucks. So just pull it straight from the emergency fund didn't have to like stress or sweat about it's like that's what we have this fun for. So a little bit into that each month as well until it gets to a certain level.   And so with those, it was like as we earn more money, it's just like, let's, what are the things we care about, most of it would go into investing, right like, like the travel Fund, the emergency fund, I knew how much we wanted to put into those each month. So it wasn't like I felt like we needed to go faster there. So more money came in, it would just go to investing.   The last thing I also did so even while I was working full time, I did some consulting on the side. And so that's self employment income. And so when that income came in, half of it would go to investing the other half, I would put in a separate, like taxes savings account so that when tax time came, I didn't get hit with like some massive Bill and I wasn't prepared for it. I like to set aside that money rather than going and scrambling to find it later.   The only other thing Oh, so Okay, with the rental properties, all of our cash flow each month goes into a checking account dedicated to our real estate, we don't touch a penny of that there's a certain reserve level I like to keep at the amount of properties we have right now, which is about 10-12k is what we're I'm comfortable kind of just having a reserve account given we have like six units. So anything above that I see is just kind of like going into the investing account as well. I won't always move it unless it gets to like 20k Plus, will I move it straight into that investing savings account I mentioned but yeah, a lot of it.   So this is what I was alluding to earlier Tom, I like that you've gotten aggressive my my hesitation has always just been like, I like to keep it in cash just because if it's short term, I'm always concerned like what if there's a small market correction in the short term and then you know, what if I'm playing against myself and you know, or we just lose some money and that always kind of scares me and so I keep it in cash.   Tom: I'd say like if you're planning to retire like kind of soon Yeah, that makes sense to keep it in cash but like I think you're gonna have a motor on like wanting like really enjoying work and being good and good at it and like planning to do it for a while. So I think that you know, riding out the bumps. And again, like this is this is not investing or whatever tax advice but but I think you could be more aggressive about just kind of putting it in with the market and like, not some like aggressive strategy where like you're picking specific stocks and, you know, day trading, but just in some safe, safes the wrong word just in some big ETF that, you know, has low fees associated with it. And I could, you know, we could talk about some of those after that are pretty tried and true.   But I think for your reserves account, like, man, I think you can cut that number into a third, because it's not like it's going to like zero out to nothing. And over time, like, I think you're going to ride through all those waves, like even some of these, like massive market corrections that we've had in recent history, like they've rebounded back to higher where they've been before. Now, that's kind of with the cost of debt, like so cheap, like that makes a big impact on the stock market, like helping it out as well. And it seems unrealistically they that that is going to be changed in the near future as they're kind of building back our economy.   So I mean, I feel comfortable. And even if there is some like adjustment, like it's been, you know, fairly unless there's like a total chaotic Cataclysm that is that, like, the economy, like completely, completely fails, like, I would bet against that. And then also, I have my Bitcoin to hedge against that. So if that does happen, the digital currency, but I think you're being too aggressive in your cash position. And this this light bulb clicked for me recently.   Emil: Too conservative.   Tom: Yeah, too conservative to your cash position, yeah. I think you can cut it down to tears. But anyways,   Michael: I think to just to kind of piggyback off Tom's point, and coming from a perspective of someone who's trying to be cash heavy as well. We had our a good buddy of mine on the podcast, Zach Breverman, who's a certified financial planner, and he was talking about, you know, what is the timeline in which you'll need those dollars? If it truly is short term in the investing term, or short term is, you know, in a couple of years, yeah, maybe you do want to keep that in cash, if you see if you have a plan for those dollars, but if you know, it's two years plus maybe, is probably where I'd feel comfortable. Yeah, I think Tom is on the money, you throw it into the stock market and ride ride the ups and the downs.   So I guess, you know, what, when you say the investing account, what is what does that mean? Is that for stock investing? Is that exclusively for real estate investing?   Emil: Yeah, it's pure? Well, it was purely for real estate. Now. Now, I'm starting to look at it as other investments as well, not. Not in equities or the market, but like, business investments, like, Can I, you know, what I do I help websites generate traffic, like, Can I buy a website or build a website that generates traffic, and then I can monetize it?   So like, something that you know, I do for a living for companies? What if I just started doing that for myself and growing my own businesses? So that's kind of how my mind has shifted on this investing? Can I use a purely be real estate? But now I'm like, Well, what about starting a business? And like investing money there? Again, you know, like businesses, everyone who's read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, businesses are like amazing cash generators, if you do them right. So yeah, that's kind of what I'm looking at the investing account for as well now.   Michael: So. So you know, how fast or how much you're able to grow that account based on your cash injections on a monthly basis, annual basis, right? Because it's the same amount every single month, roughly.   Emil: It was, like I was mentioning, now that I'm self employed, I've like stopped all the automatic saving stuff, like just trying to make sure money's coming in consistently. Businesses, it's a little bit like, so I have my LLC, and it set up as an S Corp. And so I'm an employee of the business, the way it works is like, I'm going to be paid as an employee of the business. And then the rest of the money that stays in the business is taxed differently. So it's like, I'm gonna take less of a salary than I would but then I get to like use the money that's leftover in the business is like a deduction or dividend or something like that. But so this first year, as I kind of figure that out, and see how it plays out, you know, like, what is the percentage? I'm kind of just leaving it in the business for now, instead of doing automatic stuff, as I figure everything out.   Michael: Okay, well, then I don't have anything to say to you. What I was, what I was gonna say is like, you know, at what rate you're funding it, and you know, probably where you want that balance to be, so that you can kind of reverse engineer work backwards into, Yeah, I'll be there in two years, or I'll be there in six months, or I'll be there in five years, and that'll help you determine, okay, do I keep this in cash, or do I invest it in Tom's Bitcoin?   Emil: Right. Tom coin.   Michael: Tom coin.   Emil: Yeah, I used to I would invest in that coin.   Tom: Schneid coin.   Emil: Well, what is it, Bitcloud where you can basically invest in people? And like both brands very interesting idea. I used to be like, okay, I knew exactly how much was going in our investing account every single month. So you can extrapolate it to a year and then say, Okay, how many years until I have the funds? I need to go by my next plan investment?   Um, follow up question, what percentage of your income every month right post x, would you say is going towards investing? What is that goal you guys are currently hitting or trying to get to or whatever?   Tom: So with, you know, your roughly 10% to 12% of dayjob going into going into 401k 401k. Right away. And I'll probably put another 15% or so, going into this index fund, that is going to be, you know, use later for either buying websites with Emil to make money with that, or to buying real estate, it's basically just kind of the general purgatory for alternative investments. And then like a half of a percent for my little digital currency investments, or a quarter of a percent, a very small amount, but enough that I can feel okay. So that's roughly 25. Go ahead, Michael.   Michael: So I probably got 21st cent going into the equities market. And then we try to save 30 to 40% in cash savings, and then the rest is his spend. So I don't know if that answers your question specifically, but like, we have money going into that brokerage account, I mean, I also have cash flow coming in from the real estate side of things, which stays on the real estate side of things, because everything's owned and LLCs. So that's, I kind of treat that similarly to Tom, where I have everything going into the respective accounts. And that kind of gets left alone. Now, granted, I'm in the middle of some redevelopment projects and some rehab. So a lot of that cash flow is being spent. So it's not really accumulating by any measure of the word, and I'm actually having to dump more money in a construction loan.   So it's tougher to quantify because there's a lot of ins and outs. So that's a bit tougher to quantify. But I'm hopeful that once that's done, those holes will be plugged so to speak. And then we'll be filling those buckets up with water. So there'll be additional cash flow that I will be using, from the rental properties to then purchase additional rental properties, and so on on a percentage income basis, that will likely go up. Because there's there's less money going out the door.   Tom: Are you feeding more money into the real estate?   Michael: Yeah, so I was for a while I was self I was funding a bunch of rehabs like with personal funds, because I took on some some massive projects. And then so I have money that's dedicated for my my massive, massive redevelopment project via a construction loan that did need some personal funds injected to especially when I was dealing with the insurance claims there was zero money coming in a lot of money being expended because of the construction. But the construction getting totally set thrown off course, because of the the fires. So the bank wasn't getting the money to then pay the folks that were doing the work. So that was a real stress inducer for a while. But now things have kind of gotten back on track, there's insurance money, there's some Yeah, just basically have more money back on track to pay for those things.   So now, it's at a point where I'm not funding my real estate, from my personal funds. We're just saving those exclusively for cash for the personal primary residence purchase. And then savings and personal investments.   Emil: Very nice. So about my math is right, like 40 50% or maybe even 50% less going towards investing and cash for investing. You could say?   Michael: Yeah, 60% or so is either going direct towards personal investments or cash savings.   Emil: Dang, goals right there.   Michael: Yeah, it's taken a long time to get to that point.   Emil: I'm looking at mine, mine is ours was about so if you're including, like, my wife putting in her 403 B, probably somewhere in the 40 to 45% range in terms of actual investing or going cash, going into a savings account that then gets used to buy different investments.   Michael: Nice, man, that's awesome.   Emil: Yeah, I was actually surprised when I did them. I did the math on this a couple months ago and I'm pulling up my spreadsheet just to see like where we're at. Oh, yeah. happy with that. Definitely happy with that.   And then like you mentioned real estate that doesn't like real estate just comes into its own account. I'm not even including that But like any cash flow gets reinvested there. So that probably adds to that number a little bit as well.   Emil: Alright guys, that was fun. Glad we did that. peeling back the onion. Seeing how we are spend our money save it. Tom I'm glad you challenged me I think I learned that I need to go put some reserve money in the market because that just sits there and does nothing and if I really needed I can go pull it out and you know, whatever fix some stuff but at least he gets the ride the market hopefully over a long period of time. Alright, everybody thanks for joining us for another episode. Hope you guys got a lot of value out of it. I learned some stuff. Michael learned some stuff. Tom, you learned some stuff?   Tom: Oh yeah, definitely.   Emil: Alright everybody. We will catch you on next week's episode. Happy investing.   Tom: Happy investing.   Michael: Happy investing.

SERIES: Role of the Community Leader   “Don't expect to go through it yourself. People will want to help, ask for it. And then when you get through your disaster, pay it forward.” -Margie Foster   Episode Description:  Discover how emergent leaders are made way before a disaster even strikes! This week, Jennifer and Margie Foster, one of Glen Ellen's emergent leaders teach how to step up for your community and be a vehicle for people to find their place after a disaster. Margie shares how her experience of a prior disaster helped her be an advocate for her community. She relates practical strategies, systems, and tools to promote community connection, get funding, and build resiliency. Everyone, even leaders themselves, goes through their own pain and loss. But when the spirit of community connection is at work, even the greatest of disasters will lose its power!  Connect with After The Fire:  Website Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Highlights: 02:22: It Begins with You  07:54: The Devastating Power of Fire 13:39: Disaster Notification Systems and Must-Haves 20:45: Help Find People Find A Home  25:35: Promoting Community Connection 35:44: The Post Disaster 39:50: Ask for Help

Mike travels to Schermeister winery in Glen Ellen to hear the story of Rob & Laura Schermeister. It's a great love story you'll want to hear. They sip a couple of Schermeister wines, talk about owning and operating a small winery, and even Eli the winery dog contributes to the episode in his own special way.Wines tasted this episode:2019 Schemermeister Viognier, Sonoma Valley "Salomon Vineryard"2018 Schermeister Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast "Rogers Creek Vineyard"

The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 3 Title: The Valley of the Moon Overview: The Valley of the Moon (1913) is a novel by American writer Jack London (as well as the mythic and romantic name for the wine-growing Sonoma Valley of California). The valley where it is set is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in Sonoma County, California where Jack London was a resident; he built his ranch in Glen Ellen. The novel The Valley of the Moon is a story of a working-class couple, Billy and Saxon Roberts, struggling laborers in Oakland at the Turn-of-the-Century, who leave city life behind and search Central and Northern California for suitable farmland to own. The book is notable for its scenes in which the proletarian heroes enjoy fellowship with the artists' colony in Carmel and their settling in the Valley of the Moon. Published: 1913 Series: Novels #16 Author: Jack London Genre: General Fiction Episode: The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 3 Part: 3 of 4 Length Part: 5:29:38 Book: 13 Length Book: 19:07:54 Episodes: 31 - 44 of 57 Narrator: Richard Kilmer Memoriam: mim@can (1949 - 2017) Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, battle, morality play, perception, discovery, travels, adventure, family, jacklondon Hashtags: #freeaudiobooks #audiobook #mustread #readingbooks #audiblebooks #favoritebooks #free #booklist #audible #freeaudiobook #determination #persistence #man #battle #morality #perception #discovery #travels #adventure #family #JackLondon Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 4 Title: The Valley of the Moon Overview: The Valley of the Moon (1913) is a novel by American writer Jack London (as well as the mythic and romantic name for the wine-growing Sonoma Valley of California). The valley where it is set is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in Sonoma County, California where Jack London was a resident; he built his ranch in Glen Ellen. The novel The Valley of the Moon is a story of a working-class couple, Billy and Saxon Roberts, struggling laborers in Oakland at the Turn-of-the-Century, who leave city life behind and search Central and Northern California for suitable farmland to own. The book is notable for its scenes in which the proletarian heroes enjoy fellowship with the artists' colony in Carmel and their settling in the Valley of the Moon. Published: 1913 Series: Novels #16 Author: Jack London Genre: General Fiction Episode: The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 4 Part: 4 of 4 Length Part: 4:22:23 Book: 13 Length Book: 19:07:54 Episodes: 45 - 57 of 57 Narrator: Richard Kilmer Memoriam: mim@can (1949 - 2017) Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, battle, morality play, perception, discovery, travels, adventure, family, jacklondon Hashtags: #freeaudiobooks #audiobook #mustread #readingbooks #audiblebooks #favoritebooks #free #booklist #audible #freeaudiobook #determination #persistence #man #battle #morality #perception #discovery #travels #adventure #family #JackLondon Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 2 Title: The Valley of the Moon Overview: The Valley of the Moon (1913) is a novel by American writer Jack London (as well as the mythic and romantic name for the wine-growing Sonoma Valley of California). The valley where it is set is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in Sonoma County, California where Jack London was a resident; he built his ranch in Glen Ellen. The novel The Valley of the Moon is a story of a working-class couple, Billy and Saxon Roberts, struggling laborers in Oakland at the Turn-of-the-Century, who leave city life behind and search Central and Northern California for suitable farmland to own. The book is notable for its scenes in which the proletarian heroes enjoy fellowship with the artists' colony in Carmel and their settling in the Valley of the Moon. Published: 1913 Series: Novels #16 Author: Jack London Genre: General Fiction Episode: The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 2 Part: 2 of 4 Length Part: 4:54:17 Book: 13 Length Book: 19:07:54 Episodes: 16 - 30 of 57 Narrator: Richard Kilmer Memoriam: mim@can (1949 - 2017) Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, battle, morality play, perception, discovery, travels, adventure, family, jacklondon Hashtags: #freeaudiobooks #audiobook #mustread #readingbooks #audiblebooks #favoritebooks #free #booklist #audible #freeaudiobook #determination #persistence #man #battle #morality #perception #discovery #travels #adventure #family #JackLondon Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 1 Title: The Valley of the Moon Overview: The Valley of the Moon (1913) is a novel by American writer Jack London (as well as the mythic and romantic name for the wine-growing Sonoma Valley of California). The valley where it is set is located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in Sonoma County, California where Jack London was a resident; he built his ranch in Glen Ellen. The novel The Valley of the Moon is a story of a working-class couple, Billy and Saxon Roberts, struggling laborers in Oakland at the Turn-of-the-Century, who leave city life behind and search Central and Northern California for suitable farmland to own. The book is notable for its scenes in which the proletarian heroes enjoy fellowship with the artists' colony in Carmel and their settling in the Valley of the Moon. Published: 1913 Series: Novels #16 Author: Jack London Genre: General Fiction Episode: The Valley of the Moon - Jack London - Book 13, Part 1 Part: 1 of 4 Length Part: 4:21:48 Book: 13 Length Book: 19:07:54 Episodes: 1 - 15 of 57 Narrator: Richard Kilmer Memoriam: mim@can (1949 - 2017) Language: English Rated: Guidance Suggested Edition: Unabridged Audiobook Keywords: determination, persistence, battle, morality play, perception, discovery, travels, adventure, family, jacklondon Hashtags: #freeaudiobooks #audiobook #mustread #readingbooks #audiblebooks #favoritebooks #free #booklist #audible #freeaudiobook #determination #persistence #man #battle #morality #perception #discovery #travels #adventure #family #JackLondon Credits: All LibriVox Recordings are in the Public Domain. Wikipedia (c) Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. WOMBO Dream. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/free-audiobooks/support

Jack London, probablemente nacido como John Griffith Chaney (San Francisco, 12 de enero de 1876 - Glen Ellen, 22 de noviembre de 1916),​ fue un escritor estadounidense, autor de Colmillo Blanco, La llamada de lo salvaje y otras novelas y cuentos. (Fuente: Wikipedia) Música Epidemic Sound, licencia autorizada. Estudio de locución: - Micrófono: TZ Audio Stellar X2 - Interfaz: Universal Audio Apollo Twin - Cabina: Demvox ECO100 - Plugins: Universal Audio Estoy en Twitter: @VengadorT Te ofrezco mi voz como locutor online profesional, con estudio propio. Si crees que mi voz encajaría con tu proyecto o negocio contacta conmigo en info@locucioneshablandoclaro.com Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Jack London, probablemente nacido como John Griffith Chaney (San Francisco, 12 de enero de 1876 - Glen Ellen, 22 de noviembre de 1916),​ fue un escritor estadounidense, autor de Colmillo Blanco, La llamada de lo salvaje y otras novelas y cuentos. (Fuente: Wikipedia) Música Epidemic Sound, licencia autorizada. Estudio de locución: - Micrófono: TZ Audio Stellar X2 - Interfaz: Universal Audio Apollo Twin - Cabina: Demvox ECO100 - Plugins: Universal Audio Estoy en Twitter: @VengadorT Te ofrezco mi voz como locutor online profesional, con estudio propio. Si crees que mi voz encajaría con tu proyecto o negocio contacta conmigo en info@locucioneshablandoclaro.com Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Hi, everyone. This week’s “Conversations with Dr. Cowan and Friends” podcast features Mike Benziger. Mike is the founder of the Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif., where he has farmed his ranch on Sonoma Mountain using the most eco-friendly methods available, including biodynamics, for more than 30 years. In the past several years, Mike has turned his full-time attention to growing vegetables and medicinal plants on his beautiful property. We were thrilled when Mike joined Dr. Cowan’s Garden as one of our key growers; a large portion of his farming activities are now devoted to growing ashitaba, summer savory, and dandelion for our company.In this conversation, you will learn some of the secrets that make Mike, in my opinion, one of the most precise and successful gardeners I have ever met. We talk in detail about gardening tips, compost, and many other gardening issues that will help you in your own gardening projects. In health,TomMy website:https://drtomcowan.com/Conversations with Dr. Cowan & Friends on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-with-dr-cowan-friends/id1530268266?uo=4Conversations with Dr. Cowan & Friends on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/25hGTOl6fCPpNUWwwWZY4yConversations with Dr. Cowan & Friends on Amazon Music:https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/52f86f77-a3c2-45f4-89a3-380d13bea907/Conversations-With-Dr-Cowan-FriendsDr. Cowan's Garden's website:https://www.drcowansgarden.com/

It was long overdue to catch up with Ari Weisswasser, Chef and co-owner of the Glen Ellen Star with his wife Erinn Benziger in Glen Ellen. As Sondra's restaurant neighbor in Glen Ellen, we started the conversation about how Ari proceeded during the lockdown and how after a quick peek on email en route to Paris, the family vacation took a u-turn to come back to see what the situation was all about. Returning to Glen Ellen, Ari and a minimal team began serving it up for both lunch and dinner. He has been grateful and pleasantly pleased with the support from the neighborhood, his regulars and his ability to roll into another disaster focusing on the task at hand. We didn't go back into Ari's culinary training which has included some stints with some important names in the restaurant world including Thomas Keller at the French Laundry. He has culminated what he has learned and created his personal style by concentrating on simplicity and sourcing the absolute best products he can find. About 25% of the Glen Ellen Star's restaurant comes from the family farm, Glentucky farm also in Glen Ellen. The menu is heavy on farm fresh vegetables with good reason. We converse about some of the inner workings and challenges that restaurants are having in maintaining reasonable margins, PPP, attracting staff and tipping, balanced life and guest perception. To be noted, not long before the whiff of Covid, Ari and his wife Erinn purchased a partnership in a local catering company only to deal with the fact that 2020 in the event world has moved to 2021 with hope. Learning a new side of the business during this time will clearly be an asset when it is time to reopen. Read more about Ari and the Glen Ellen Star at www.glenellenstar.com

Inspiration is often an assertive act -- simply waiting around for it doesn't guarantee its arrival. Go forth and talk to ghosts. Mentioned in this episode: Concord, Massachusetts; public library; Henry David Thoreau; Sophia Thoreau; Thoreau's "Walking"; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Ticknor & Fields; John Guare; Thornton Wilder; Wilder's "Our Town"; William Wordsworth; Tintern Abbey; Prague; Rilke; Kafka; Glen Ellen, California; Jack London; London's "The Call of the Wild"; American Civil War; Walt Whitman; Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"  Music: "Family" by Josh Leake; "The Art of Loneliness" by ANBR; "La Stanza di Nelson 2" by Bottega Baltazar; "On the Trail" by Cameron Mackay (All music used by courtesy of the artists through a licensing agreement with Artlist) Reprised from the ITA Archives --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-the-atelier/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/in-the-atelier/support

Inspiration is often an assertive act, and pilgrimage is one way to harness it. Mentioned in this episode: Concord, Massachusetts; public library; Henry David Thoreau; Sophia Thoreau; Thoreau's "Walking"; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Ticknor & Fields; John Guare; Thornton Wilder; Wilder's "Our Town"; William Wordsworth; Tintern Abbey; Prague; Rilke; Kafka; Glen Ellen, California; Jack London; London's "The Call of the Wild"; American Civil War; Walt Whitman; Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"  Music: "Family" by Josh Leake; "The Art of Loneliness" by ANBR; "La Stanza di Nelson 2" by Bottega Baltazar; "On the Trail" by Cameron Mackay (All music used by courtesy of the artists through a licensing agreement with Artlist) --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-the-atelier/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/in-the-atelier/support

The StoryThe Source and Sink Red Field Blend 2018 is a blend of 65% Petite Sirah, 25% Alicante Bouschet, and 10% Carignan sourced from the Dunbar Ranch vineyard located near Glen Ellen in the Sonoma Valley region of California. Source and Sink is a new wine company, I think this is their first vintage. The company was formed by 2 Chicago guys who met during the 2017 harvest in Sonoma and decided to put together a wine project.When you have a new, small wine company such as Source and Sink it is hard to compete directly with the big corporate wine behemoths, so you need to do your homework and be clever. They search out small overlooked, almost forgotten Sonoma vineyards to source their grapes. Some of these vineyards come from Hobby farms others were going concerns years ago but have had parcels sold off due to urban sprawl. The Dunbar Ranch is situated in the heart of the Sonoma Valley, but it isn't a large commercial vineyard.The parcel of grapes that Source and Sink purchased had been planted to be a Field Blend. A Field Blend is when specific varietals of grapes are planted in the same section of the vineyard. I was told that back in the day farmers would plant many different grapes to see which varieties would thrive and which wouldn't. They would pick the grapes when the majority were of proper ripeness and then crush the grapes and ferment them all together. The proportions of the blend were decided by Mother Nature. If one grape had a big yield and another didn't, well, that was what the vineyard gave them.The Source and Sink website mentioned that Dunbar Ranch Field Blend section was planted to also include Zinfandel grapes in the blend, but the Zinfandel grapes seem to have gone elsewhere. Sometimes wines with Field Blend on the label are not actual Field Blends, but more of a homage to the old ways to blend wine. While Source and Sink do not get specific with the technical details they seem to be dedicated to letting the vineyards lead the way. They use the least evasive winemaking techniques that can get away with. These are not wines that use a focus group to get the blend right, this is Old School California winemaking.Petite Sirah is originally from France but now is found mainly in California and Australia. It is used in countless Red blends and is often used to add a little something to Zinfandel wines. Alicante Bouschet is also a French grape that again is rarely seen in France but is widely used in Portugal and Spain. And Carignan is a grape widely used in southeast France and Spain. So this blend will not be your typical North Coast Blend, but something a little different.One of the reasons Field Blend fell out of style was that it was difficult to get the different grapes to ripen at the same time. With some vintages, the timing might be perfect and other vintages more problematic. The wines could vary in flavor and quality from year to year, and if you notice vintage variations are often not very noticeable with todays California wine. The Source and Sink Field Blend has an alcohol content of 12.8% and it isn't uncommon for a Sonoma Red wine to see 14.5% alcohol. I'm guessing here, but is 12.8% the point where most of the grapes reached their ideal ripeness? Anyway, I am looking forward to a taste of how California Red Blend used to be.Field Blend Tasting NotesThe color is seriously deep and dark. The nose is rich and spicy, there is blackberry, plum, black pepper, spice, a hint of smoke and sweet raspberry. This is a wine that hits all areas of your palate with bright fruit and spice, nothing out of balance, but definitely not shy.

Emily Reber and Jeff Alona share their passion for everything coffee. They spend their free time driving miles to find new coffee shops anywhere they can find them and revisit some of their favorites. They have learned about coffee shop culture by asking a lot of questions, listening, watching videos, classes and drinking coffee. Their coffee of choice and what they use for Flora Coffee is Dune Coffee Roasters out of Santa Barbara. They loved it so much, they want to share this with Sonoma Valley and visitors to the area. If you are in Sonoma Valley you can taste their pour over coffee at the roadside Flatbed Farm produce stand on Saturdays from 10 - 12 in Glen Ellen. Not only will you have a good cuppa but you will enjoy these two and their enthusiasm for their craft. Emily and Jeff are grass root business owners figuring it out as they go. Such a fun listen to hear these two share their vision. [EP64] Follow their Instagram feed @floracoffee_sonoma

Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon today features Don Barkley and Kevin Lovett. Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras are both traveling. Don was last on Brew Ha Ha back in March of this year. Don Barkley tells the story of how he was there the day that Kevin was born, on the 4th of July. Kevin's dad Michael and Don Barkley have been friends for a long time. They worked together at the New Albion Brewery then they moved to Hopland at the same time to start the Mendocino Brewing Co. and the Hopland Brewery and Kevin Lovett was born soon after that. Kevin was one of Don's first employees at the Napa Smith Brewery, where he worked for about five years. Then he got an offer from Brian Hunt who owns and operates Moonlight Brewing Co., which also happens to be where Don's son works. Kevin says, "I got to work for two of the godfathers in this industry, Don and Brian." Then after Moonlight, Kevin was the head brewer at Stumptown for two years, then became the Master Brewer at Cloverdale Ale Company. He has now bought the brewery, just three weeks ago, and is going to reopen it at the beginning of the year, as the Wolf House Brewery. He is opening two spots at the same time, one in Glen Ellen, the Jack London Historical Village, on the south side, right up against the Jack London Park. Both places will be a full brew pub, but their main production facility will be in Cloverdale. Glen Ellen is known as a wine town but there are few breweries and no tasting rooms, except for Cloverdale. We get a phone call from Herlinda Heras who is visiting Belgium, where it is 2:29 AM the next day. She began the trip in Amsterdam. Everywhere she goes there are separate containers for recycling glass and plastic. She also visited two breweries in windmills. Kevin's business partner and bro-in-law is a chef who also runs a food truck called Got Balls Meatball Factory. that specializes in meatballs and he will manage the food provisions there.  The Glen Ellen location is being rebuilt from scratch, including all the local permits. Herlinda describes a Belgian monastery where the beer that the brothers produce was for a while the number one rated beer on RateBeer.com. When crowds of beer lovers showed up there, the monks were unhappy with the interruption to their life, which includes a vow not to earn more money than they need to run their monastery. Herlinda describes going to some Trappist breweries there. Herlinda is touring breweries on Bon Beer Voyage Beer Tours. They have rooms on flat-bottomed canal barges that go through the canals in the Netherlands and Belgium. They visited Antwerp, which is gorgeous. She will also attend the Smithsonian ceremony on November 8 in Washington DC, for the opening of the Beer History Museum, where some famous American brewers like New Albion, Anchor Brewing Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head will be inducted. Fritz Maytag and Ken Grossman will be there. Herlinda wonders why Dogfish Head is in such company.

Today’s guests are Sheila Quince from the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and Tom Simoneau who join Steve Jaxon Dan Berger and Barry Herbst from Bottle Barn. Barry has brought in the three top Sweepstakes Gold Medal winners from the 2019 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. Shelia is the wine judging coordinator for the Harvest Fair. Tom Simoneau has never judged at Harvest Fair. In 1992 Tom won the Best Amateur Wine Sweepstakes award, and Steve’s station called Tom to get an interview for a show about wine and food. That is when Steve named Tom Simoneau The Sonoma County Wine Guy. There are three sweepstakes winners, red, white and specialty, which includes anything else like rosé or sparkling wines. The first tasting today is the Specialty category Sweepstakes winner, the Balletto Sparkling Brut Rosé 2018. They have won three times. Two years ago they won the award for best red. Dan describes its unique copper-ish color. It rests on the beautiful soft tannins. It’s a red wine in sparkling form, pink in color, but the tannins are gone. Barry says the wine’s great acidity comes from them picking early in their own vineyards. Bottle Barn already has over 100 bottles of Gold Medal and above Harvest Fair wines, right in the middle of the store. Tom says the Harvest Fair has done a lot for great local winemakers. Sheila tells how they started Harvest Fair in 1975. There were 19 wineries that entered 155 wines. This year, 148 wineries have entered 1,024 wines. Tom describes how they still have customers today that they got in the wake of their Gold Medal wins three years ago. Dan remembers the Glen Ellen 1985 Cabernet won in 1987, which catapulted that company into a major brand. The Harvest Fair Gold Medal that Kenwood won for their Sauvignon Blanc had a similar effect for them. Sheila Quince tells how they have three sweepstakes winners, the Specialty, red and white. All are judged by private ballot. The top 3 are kept secret until the awards night gala. Next they open the White Sweepstakes winner, the 2018 Russian River Winery Chardonnay from Peterson Vineyard. Barry Herbst says it nicely straddles the middle between the buttery and the steely styles of Chard. Dan says it is unoaked and the spicy flowery components are in all kinds of Russian River Valley grapes, not just Chardonnay. This may be the first unoaked Chardonnay to win a Harvest Fair sweepstakes. The running score is Sauvignon Blanc 17, Chardonnay 10, over the last 27 years. No other white varieties have won the Harvest Fair sweepstakes. Finally, the 2017 J Vineyards Pinot Noir is the red sweepstakes winner.

Join your bud, Jeff Ngo, as he sits down with Arrowood Winery's winemaker, Kristina Shideler to discuss the 2016 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

SUMMARY: The wind and fire storms of October 8 changed my personal and professional life. Personally, the firestorm incinerated the forest surrounding my house, keeping my family out of our home for 7 months and creating years of work to repair the landscape I live in. Professionally, it immediately focused my work as an art curator and California environmental historian toward the new topic of environmental crisis that has resulted in a constant situation of California On Fire.  The night of October 8 is permanently etched in my mind as I watched dozens of fires eventually gather into three monster firestorms surrounding my ridgetop home above the Napa and Sonoma Valleys: At midnight from my forest-ensconced mountaintop home above the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, I saw the shocking sight of the huge Atlas Peak fire burning 20 miles away. Over the course of the night we learned that Santa Rosa, Calistoga, Kenwood and Glen Ellen had all been wracked by the firestorm and within 24 hours 100,000 people were evacuated and 300,000 affected.  My 9-year-old daughter, husband and I became long-term evacuees, living in a hotel for 7 months due to the catastrophic fire damage to the forest surrounding our home, and to our entire water and power system: The firestorm raged directly over my house and the dense forest surrounding my home, completely incinerating the forest that encircled my house, destroying all our water and electrical utility systems we ourselves build and maintain, including three huge water tanks, high voltage power poles, above-ground utilities that took 7 months to rebuild. Our home itself was saved by our local volunteer firefighters, the Mayacamas Volunteer Fire Department, all of whom are also our neighbors. Of over 130 homes on the mountaintop where I live close to 50 home were destroyed by fire. The effort to save those remaining by a cooperative joint firefighting effort, but local volunteer firefighters who know the rural area helped guide that effort. Nearly half of the firefighters also lost their homes in the fires as they were fighting to save ours. My personal experiences of the 2017 North Bay Firestorms immediately inspired my professional work with the two hats I wear. One hat I wear is as an art exhibition curator; the other hat I wear is as a California environmental historian, researcher and writer: As a trained historian, I am helping lead an oral history project in my local mountain community about the Mayacamas Volunteer Fire Department. I have interviewed all of the volunteer firefighters in my mountain area about their experiences. I plan to publish that story when we finish the interview project. My work as an art historian and exhibition curator inspired me to create an art exhibition and film screening event to show work by artists who immediately began creating art in response to the fires; 4 of the 11 artists in the show lost everything. We have worked hard to open this show in October for the anniversary of the 2017 fires. We thank Todd Zapolski for his generosity working collectively with us to provide a beautiful and accessible exhibition space in his shopping and dining development in downtown Napa, called First Street Napa. Our Art Responds project also includes an online public exhibition for anyone out there (adults, artists, kids, families) who has images inspired by California fires that you want to share online -- photographs, pictures from your phone, drawings, artwork, any image you can upload will be exhibited online.  CONCLUSION: My experiences from that terrifying night of October 8, 2017 to now a year later, have led me to seek creative ways to channel the grief, terror, sadness and deep empathy that we all feel as we collectively recall, tell and rebuild our stories from the 2017 Fires in California. But this is not only a story for people who lived it in the Wine Country in 2017, but for all people in all places affected by wildfire and firestorm. For me, art is what allows us to begin and continue having the conversations we need to remember, share, heal, rebuild and move forward.

The inaugural Sonoma Harvest Music Festival kicked off at BR Cohn Winery deep in th heart of Sonoma Country in Glen Ellen, CA this past weekend. The festival featured two afternoons filled with live music from The Avett Brothers, The Head & The Heart, ZZ Ward, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and many more. The festival was orgainzed in partnership with BottleRock Presents, producers of the massive annual BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival. Orgaziners wanted to flip the script of Sonoma Harvest and make it the festival for people who don't like festivals,, one stage, all in the afternoon, fewer crowds and lines, and a more relaxed environment. The festival went off as planned with fans getting a unique opportunity to get up close with their favorite artists in an unmatched setting, putting a backdrop of vineyards and rolling hills behind the stage. Rock'N Vino took our first field trip for a live episode from the Sonoma Harvest Music Festival. First up, we'll talk with Ziek McCarter, frontman for the San Francisco-based Con Brio, who are touring in support of their latest album, Explorer. Con Brio kicked off the festival's second day with a phenomneal performance that brought fans to their feet early in the day. Next up, we'll speak with Michael Domer, Director of Operations for Vintage Wine Estates, who own and operate the BR Cohn Winery. We'll talk to Michael about the orgiins of the festival, all about the history of the BR Cohn property, and the possible future plans for the Sonoma Harvest Music Festival.

Allison comes face to face with the monster that terrorizes Glen Ellen every 25 years. Can she stop it before its too late?

Transcendence Theatre Company’s seventh season of “Broadway Under the Stars” continues with a dance-centric production entitled, appropriately enough, Shall We Dance. The show runs through August 19 at the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen. Transcendence imports Broadway and national touring professionals to populate their productions so the caliber of performance is always quite high. Director Leslie McDonel and choreographer Marc Kimelman guide a cast of seventeen talented artists through a program featuring songs from eighteen Broadway shows like The King and I and Hamilton as well as pop hits from artists like Madonna and Ed Sheeran. The show opened, as is tradition, with a passage from the writings of Jack London as introduced by a coterie of tap dancers. The audience was then welcomed by the full company with an amusing adaptation of “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast that replaced banquet table staples with wine varietals, though I’m not quite sure what dancing strawberries were doing on the stage. The (mostly) fast-paced, forty minute first act included numbers from In the Heights, West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Kiss Me, Kate. The highlight of the act was an energetic production of Louis Prima’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” which incorporated a variety of dance styles that complimented its swing roots. Things then slowed down with “Mama Who Bore Me” from Spring Awakening, which seemed tonally out of step in a mostly joyous program, before concluding on a lighter note with the hilarious “A Musical” from Something Rotten. Act two featured dancing set to numbers from a diverse group of artists ranging from Janelle Monae (“Tightrope”) to Madonna (“Vogue”). The evening’s most visually striking moment came courtesy of a tango-infused production of Sting’s “Roxanne” from Moulin Rouge with the winery ruins bathed in red. The juxtaposition between the diversity in dance styles and music selection in this production with the lack of diversity among the cast is noticeable. For a company that imports a great deal of its talent from New York and the world, the relatively small number of artists of color utilized is disappointing. Simply put, it’s jarring to have Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” and Michael Jackson’s “Bad” sung and danced by a bunch of white guys, talented as they may be. It’s time for Transcendence’s casts to be as colorful as the costumes they wear. ‘Shall We Dance’ runs Friday through Sunday through August 19 at the Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen. Doors open for picnicking at 5pm; the show starts at 7:30pm. For more information, go to transcendencetheatre.org

Join Kendall and Tessa and they explore and play together in a family-friendly, actual play Monster of the Week podcast.  Allison Underland, a 16 year old paranormal investigator, takes to the streets of Glen Ellen, California in a search for the strange and mysterious.

Sonoma’s Transcendence Theatre Company opened its seventh season of “Broadway Under the Stars” in Jack London State Park with Stairway to Paradise, the first of four staged concert events scheduled this year. The company takes performers with Broadway, touring company, film and television experience and creates an original themed musical revue around them. This year’s theme is ‘Every Moment Counts’ and director/choreographer Tony Gonzalez has designed 20+ production numbers full of memorable moments. Along with Broadway show tunes, the Transcendence play list includes a mix of recent and past pop hits, classic rock, and specialty numbers. They’re all done ‘Broadway style’ and occasionally with a twist. It often works well, but sometimes it doesn’t. The first act ran the gamut from numbers from Sunday in the Park with George, South Pacific, The Wiz, and Victor/Victoria to “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and “Feelin’ Groovy” by Paul Simon. Highlights included a recreation of the famous Judy Garland/Barbra Streisand duet of “Get Happy/Happy Days are Here Again” with Courtney Markowitz and Shaleah Adkisson, Christine Lavin’s popular “Air Conditioner” song, also done by Adkisson with Tim Roller, and a large-scale production number of “Blue Skies” with the entire company led by Joey Khoury singing and dancing to the Irving Berlin classic. In an amusing bit that allowed the performers (and audience) a break, the cast played a round of ‘Transcendence Family Feud’ with contestants pulled from the crowd. The act ended on a local note with a performance of “Everything”, a tribute song written by Sonoma County songwriters Mark Beynon and Joe Label and the Transcendence version of “Oklahoma!” which morphed the Rogers and Hammerstein classic into “Oh, Sonoma!” The second act included numbers from Cabaret, Into the Woods, and The Sound of Music mixed with Justin Timberlake, Van Halen and, in the evening’s one clear misstep, Don McLean’s “American Pie”. Sorry guys, but perky, Cheshire cat-like smiling performers singing “This’ll be the day that I die” just doesn’t work for me. It actually came off a little creepy. Things snapped back with a jaunty Michael Linden performing Drew Gasparini’s “A Little Bit” and large-scale numbers with Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and Van Halen’s “Right Now” before concluding with “Finale B’ from Rent. Dress in layers, pack a picnic, indulge in some wine or food purchased from local food trucks and vintners serving on-site, then sit back and enjoy a unique north bay entertainment experience. 'Stairway to Paradise' runs Friday through Sunday through July 1 at Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen. Doors open for picnicking at 5pm; the show starts at 7:30pm. For more info on this and the other three “Broadway Under the Stars” productions running this season, go to bestnightever.com

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: a southern-style restaurant in San Francisco's Tenderloin; a spot serving up more than just pizza and beer with outdoor dining and a fire-pit; and a restaurant creating elegant wood-fired dishes in Glen Ellen.

Moraga Vineyards is a wine growing estate in the Santa Monica Mountains at an elevation of 600 to 900 feet, five miles from the Pacific Ocean in the Los Angeles community of Bel Air. From the care of each individual vine, to the selection and blending processes, to the hand labeling of each bottle, every effort is taken to produce wine of distinctive style and quality. This is where Rich works his magic. Hired by former owner Tom Jones, who created the vineyard two decades ago out of what was once the horse ranch of director Victor Fleming (of Gone with the Wind fame), Rich now makes wine that has earned the praise of such renowned critics as Robert Parker and the Financial Times’ Jancis Robinson (who cited it as one of her favorite California wineries). “Most winemakers don’t have this opportunity in a lifetime,” says Rich, eyes twinkling above a small goatee that makes him resemble a young Frank Zappa. A native of Chatsworth, Rich studied enology at UC Davis. Since then, he has had a knack for nurturing vines in unusual places, starting with R.H. Phillips Wine Company, which hired him to create a vineyard north of Sacramento. He eventually launched his own wine label, Talisman, in Glen Ellen, and now splits his time between there and LA. “Look at how [rich in calcium] this soil is,” says Rich, scooping up the earth beneath a row of Merlot grapes ripening in the sun, reflecting off the Pacific glistening between the Santa Monica mountains. “This was all once under water, and the drainage makes it very similar to other great winemaking areas, like Burgundy.” The constant sea breeze keeps things chillier here than in other local wine regions, lowering the high sugar levels typical to California grapes. “This temperate climate means that the wine is not a Napa fruit bomb type of thing,” notes Rich. “It has a subtle, herbal quality more associated with European wines.” But it takes micro planning to grow grapes in this sort of environment. As we round toward the lee of the hill, grape clusters grow darker. But it takes micro planning to grow grapes in this sort of environment. As we round toward the lee of the hill, grape clusters grow darker.“This is a little pocket that gets protected from the breezes, so we planted Cabernet here,” says Rich. “They thrive more in warmer spots.” At this time of year, the juice of these grapes will be brought down to the large steel fermentation vats in the hypermodern stone and glass winemaking building at the bottom of the hill. Afterward, the red wine will be stored in French-oak barrels lining a 200-foot cave dug into the side of the hill. The vineyard even has its own bottling machine. “Most small vineyards hire mobile units to come and do their bottling for them, but we want to be able to time everything perfectly,” says Rich. “It might seem extravagant for such small batches, but that way we can best control the quality.”

National Rosé Day was June 10th and to mark that occasion I interviewed 3 winemakers who craft distinctive versions of refreshing pink wine. I traveled from Napa Valley to Sonoma County and hit Glen Ellen in between. This is the season for Rosé and over the last few years that style of wine has been getting quite interesting as winemakers search for creative ways to produce it. That’s what you’ll hear on this podcast. So find a warm spot in the sun with a chilled glass of Rosé and let’s get started. Cheers! For more interviews visit www.OnTheWineRoad.com.

In this episode Chef John Toulze discusses: Worth ethic; having an infectious positive energy; treat a business like a business from day 1; why you should treat the business like you own it, even if you don't; embracing technology; listening to your restaurant; putting your ego aside; and being authentic.   Chef Toulze started his career in hospitality at Viansa Winery in Sonoma in 1994. After several years of cooking and wine sales, John left Viansa winery to help Sondra Bernstein open The Girl & The Fig restaurant in Glen Ellen. Twenty years later, John is not only the Executive Chef but also the Managing Partner. John has been critical to the opening of the original restaurants and every project that followed.

Going on 20 years now Sandra Bernstein had been Owner of The Girl and the Fig. Today, Sondra has expanded her operations with The Fig Cafe & winebar in Glen Ellen, as well as a unique event space in Sonoma Known as Suite D. She is also the author of two books: The Girl and the Fig Cookbook, and Plats Du Jour.

Carolyn Manzi is a creative spirit who writes and illustrates adult coloring books, paints, prays, makes prayer bracelets, cooks, gardens, and attempts to play the guitar and write songs (those are her words). She also does massage, energy healings, creative visualization, and organic facials with her own line of organic skin care at the Magical Massage and Inspiration Gallery in Glen Ellen, California. In this colorful interview, find out how the author of Coloring Your Prayers: An Inspirational Coloring Book for Making Dreams Come True and Bead Power: A Magical Journey Into the World of Beads makes everything in her life sacred!