There are certain places which have a special hold on me and this one is less than an hour and half north of San Francisco,…Sonoma County. It has everything I love including rugged seashore, wonderful beaches to explore, Redwood forests, fascinating rivers, lovely rolling hills, beautiful little towns, and almost everywhere you turn,…fabulous wineries!

Porter Creek is one of those special wineries on Westside Road, south of charming Healdsburg. It is family owned and they create beautiful Chardonnays and Pinot Noir wines.

Did I mention wineries?

The Madrona Hotel is a great place to stay outside Healdsburg. It just reopened after a year of renovations.

I stayed in the Madrona Hotel a few nights during a bike tour of Sonoma County. I fondly remember having a glass or two on their beautiful terrace.

Arista Winery south of Healdsburg is a nice place to try tasty Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This is a view from their garden.

Of course, I love just about anything from Silver Oak!

The quaint little town of Occidental has been a family favorite since I was a teenager!

We always enjoyed dinner at the Union Hotel! I have wonderful memories of Italian food at the restaurant with my parents, siblings, grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins. Marla joined the group when we started dating.

Our friends, Irene and husband Ron, are always great to connect with when we are in the area. They were very kind to invite me over for dinner when Marla was in the hospital in Santa Rosa for heart failure last August! It was perfect therapy for me during those scary times!

Let me mention another place I love about Sonoma County,…Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa! They saved Marla’s life! Their team of doctors and nurses were amazing! Because of COVID visitors were not allowed during the week she was there. Patients in the rooms on both sides of her died of COVID. These were scary times!

Irene turned us on to the fabulous Wildflour Bakery in Freestone. Absolutely love this place!

Marla explores the gardens of the bakery.

My parents loved taking our family to the “Armstrong Redwoods” in Guerneville near the Russian River. This is an early photograph of visitors.

There is simply nothing better than being in a dark and majestic Redwood Forest!

The beautiful Russian River.

A nice Russian River beach.

This is my parents, grandparents, sis, and me enjoying a picnic on the beach by the Russian River when I was about 5 years old. I am looking to set out on some explorations.

Sonoma County’s wonderful rocky coast.

A view from “Bodega Head” outside Bodega Bay.

A mesmerizing golden beach.

“Ah…the endless majestic sea!”

“Mimi and Papa,…look what we found!”

One year we rented a great house right on the cliff just north of Bodega Bay. The fog is starting to roll in.

Beachcomber supreme!

Fabulous holiday ingredients…Marla, some salumi, olives, local cheese…and a nice Sonoma County wine. And, of course, a wonderful view!

Wonderful Bodega Bay.

My Mom absolutely loved Bodega Bay! Some of her ashes are scattered near here.

A fabulous sunset at the “Inn at The Tides” in Bodega Bay.

She loves this area!

Beautiful lilies and the blue sea.

This is just the place to love and savor the joy of living.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be shared without permission.