Sebastopol, CA

I met a great real estate agent from Sebastopol today. His name is David Mark-Raymond and he impressed me and my clients with his property knowledge, his candor, and his gentle approach to the art of real estate.

We get to meet new people all the time in this business. I blogged about how thankful I am to get to meet new buyers just a few days ago. That's why it was so special for me to meet an agent who I instantly trusted to do the best thing not just for his client, the seller, but for my clients as well. It's an often forgotten part of the agency relationship, but both the listing and selling agents have duties to their clients that include honesty, integrity, and fair play. I got the strong sense, walking and talking with David, that he holds these principles deep in his being.

I can't tell you much about David Mark-Raymond. I know he's very active in Rotary, a former educator, and a consistent top sales person in his area. I learned that he's thoughtful with how he prepares openings in barbed wire fences in advance. I watched him be considerate and thoughtful of our touring group and the multiple babies in our midst. Last, but by no means least I observed him avoiding the boasts and puffery that too many in our industry treat as standard practice. He left the clients with just the right taste of uncertainty and an urging to check details with the county.

It was a masterful job of introducing someone else's clients to his own listing. I'm not certain if my buyers are the right ones for his property, but I know they got a crystal clear look at the land and explanation of the pros and cons of the infrastructure. I look forward to working with David Mark-Raymond on this or any other listing he brings to the market. He's a professional real estate agent our industry can be proud of.

Traveling the Back Roads of Sonoma County / Fall Series

This weekend my husband, our miniature schnauzer and I went on a excursion along the byways of West Sonoma County.

The first segment of our trip took us along Hall Road going west through the Santa Rosa plain to Occidental Road to 116 going South. All along the route were scenes that attested to West County's peculiar combination of the bucolic, the whimsical and the free - spirited!

For example , this mailbox is approximately twelve feet off the ground. As it label indicates , it is only for AIR MAIL.

A few yards down the road, was a ranchers collection of old farm machinery. The centerpiece is a Vintage John Deere tractor with classic metal lugged wheels. I'm sure if you fired- her - up its two cycle engine would POP loudly enough to be heard in downtown Sebastopol.

A few more miles down the road were Hall Road turns south to intercept with Occidental Road, we came upon a coffee-clatch of Holsteins gathered for afternoon "snacks." Or was Clo visiting? For those of you who are not familiar with the North Bay, Clo the cow is the mascot for Clover Stornetta Dairy, a family owned cow ranch and dairy. Suffice to say she specializes on puns on her name, such as MarClo Polo!

This lone Holstein was perhaps Clos's lookout?

Mailboxes and address signs are another way to "create your own" expression with left over metal scrapes and poles that are so often part of farm life. We loved this "tin" man giving signal directions to "his" home.

Our final destination took us to Halls Apple Farm which also grows pumpkins and gourds for autumnal festivities. Check out the bounty of the season and the size of some of these pumpkins! If you look closely you can see my husband Jerry ( the guy with the Illinois orange cap on ) and our little schnauzer Neddie by the wagon.

The colorful richness of this apple tree reveals a darker truth thanks to the competition from Chinese imports, most of Sonomas apple crop is being left to rot on the ground. But that is another story for another day.

Stay tuned for more adventures on our Sonoma County Travels.Living in this part of California makes us thankful not only for our beautful vistas and bounties but the generous spirit of the people that live here.

Kathleen Bonham

Country and Vintage Home Specialist

Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg

Some of my fondest memories are when I get to wander down a country lane to a friends house and just hang out, listen to music, have nice conversations while eating and drinking and looking at some really great art. Today was even more fun because I got to do this over and over and we did not even know half of the people we dropped in on and we were welcomed like old friends.

I am talking of course about Art Trails which just wrapped it's 24th year. I am sorry to say that it is over, today was the last day but you should put it on your calendar for next year because it is a lot of fun and a great way to get next to some great art and some great artists right in your own back yard.

You can get all of the information you need at http://www.sonomaarts.com/artrails/ so you can plan for next year.

We live in an amazing place and I feel quite blessed to be a part of this wonderful west county community.

Sonoma County is agricultural heaven. Famed horticulturist Luther Burbank went so far as to say about Sonoma County, "This is the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned. I won't disagree. For those who are looking for an acre or two of this gardening paradise, Sebastopol stands out among all the others. For a host of reasons, including the failure of apple growers to make enough profit from their work, many Sebastopol country properties were broken into smaller parcels before zoning laws were enacted to preserve large farms. Other agricultural towns, like Healdsburg, simply don't have a lot of small parcels available.

Sebastopol country property surrounds the town of Sebastopol, but is more sparse in the direction of Santa Rosa. The Laguna de Santa Rosa occupies a vast tract of land between those cities, so your best searching will be on Highway 116 leading into Sebastopol, Highway 12 heading towards the coast, or Highway 116 on the way to Graton and Forestville. There are a multitude of smaller roads between these major arteries, each with a feel and character of its own.

To really understand this area and get a feel for the microclimates and neighborhoods, a bike ride is ideal for exploring the back roads. The major roads are a little busy with regular traffic for me to recommend bicycling, but the smaller roads have an easier pace. Still, ride carefully. If you can't take a bike ride, an old fashioned Sunday drive crisscrossing the countryside between Graton, Occidental, Freestone, Bloomfield, and Hessell will give you a strong flavor of the different neighborhoods. You may even run into some friendly live stock along the way.

Property isn't cheap here. The schools are top notch, which always spurs demand for property from active parents. Politically, the local citizenry is involved with their town and national events.There's a great shopping variety in town including several locally owned markets, national grocery chains, and a Whole Foods. Local businesses include O'Reilly Media, the source of more Hello World programming beginnings than any other entity in the world.

I've been thinking about all the great little spots and holes in the walls we have around here and thought I'd help spread the word about these little gems. Some of my favorites and in no particular order are:

Mimi's Ice Cream in downtown Sebastopol on the corner of Bodega Hwy (hwy 12) and Petaluma Ave (Hwy 116) across from what used to be the Chevy dealership. If you are ever in town this is a must if you love good homemade natural ice cream. And, if you are a chocoholic like myself as well as a caffeine addict then Mimi's Mudd is the flavor to try. The smell of freshly baked waffle cones permeates the air. Once you've been to Mimi's it WILL be a favorite.

Sushi Tozai also in Sebastopol on Healdsburg Ave and lucky for me it's right down the street from my office!!! Some of the best Sushi I have ever eaten. Always very fresh fish and an extremely large menu. The Prawns Martini are to die for. YUM!

Pasta Bella - Sebastopol for a large assortment of scrumptuous salads, sandwiches and pasta concoctions. Always fresh and flavorful. For the gluten free folks they serve gluten free pastas! My favorite there is the grilled portabella mushroom sandwich I think it's called the E Germone.

Osmosis Enzyme Baths in beautiful Freestone Valley just west of Sebastopol on the way to Bodega Bay. Time spent at Osmosis is heavenly and oh so worth it. The japanese mediation gardens are spectacular as well. Treat yourself to something special the next time you are out this way and book an enzyme bath and massage. You will thank yourself.

And while in Freestone be sure to stop by The Wild Flower Brick Oven Bakery. They have THE BEST freshly baked whole grain breads. Weekends offer the gigantic (almost too big) sticky bun/cinnamon rolls that are killer. My favorite breads there are the Fugase (sp?) and the Goat Flat. I usually have to buy 2 in order to get 1 whole one home.

If you like Clam Chowder then another must visit is the Spud Point Crab Co. They are across from the marina on your way out to Bodega Head. It's a tiny little place with a small menu of white & red clam chowder, crab cakes, crab sandwiche, crab cocktail and hot dogs. There might be more but I pretty much eat the clam chowders and the crab stuff. Everything is home made with wonderful flavoring almost has a cajun flair to the recipes. They have to be the nicest people in the world there as well. One note, do NOT plan to go on a Wednesday as they are closed. I did that once and was very disappointed.

Willowood in Graton is my final gem I'll talk about today. It's the best, a must visit for an excellent line up of healthy and fresh local favorites.

Let me know about your Favorite Sonoma County Spots.

Lynn

Lynn@DomaineRE.com

707-695-38147