Help that's not just for the birds

I got a note recently from a friend (thanks, Sherry) that included a message from the Cornell (University) Lab’s Conservation Science Director, Ken Rosenberg. Rosenburg cited the destruction in the Gulf of Mexico from the oil spill, and detailed how thousands of birds are in danger. I'm a bird lover and wanted to help, so I sent off a donation to Cornell's effort to help save birds and document the oil spill’s effect on birds for the public, scientists, and policy makers. I also sympathize with the residents of the Gulf Coast; the nightmare they're living thru could happen off our California shores just as easily. So I know that donations aren't just 'for the birds', but for people, too.
Details: Go to the Cornell website to make a donation that's not just for the birds.

Search to save on travel with SideStep

Heard of this new way to save money on travel costs: SideStep.com? Yeah, we've all tried Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz. Well, it seems you can, ahem, sidestep the best known travel search engines (Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz) by heading straight for SideStep.com, which will search them all at once. Sounds like a great way to save both time and money.

Details: SideStep.com. Caveat: I don't have a trip coming up for a bit, so I haven't had the chance to try this tip out myself. When I do, I'll let you know how it works.

Happy New Year 2010 (and 7 good things from 2009)

I don't know about you, but I'll be hugely relieved when 2009 goes out the door. Let's review the low points of the year, shall we?
-The worst stock market decline since the 1930s (okay, it was sheer panic).
-The end of a decade where the $1000 you put into an S&P Index fund in Jan. 2000 turned into $900 by Dec. 2009 (so much for Buy and Hold).
-Congressional wrangling over a Health Care bill that's turning into something nobody likes (and a view into the legislative process that has been truly frightening).
-Yet another goofball that managed to smuggle a bomb onto a plane (up next--airport strip searches).

Okay, now I'm depressed. So let's focus on the positive.
+Barack Obama was inaugurated.
+The stock market did turn around (and I think it's heading higher).
+Unemployment has slowed.
+Michelle O. planted the first organic garden at the White House.
+Climate change got some serious attention
+Dick Cheney didn't shoot anyone (as far as we know).
++And on a personal note, my 88-year-old Mom survived both back surgery and pneumonia (and let's hope I got HER longevity genes).

So on New Year's Eve, I'll be ready try this festive champagne cocktail (the recipe came from my friends at Sonoma's own Korbel Champagne Cellars).

Stars-and-Stripes (shown above)

1 part Korbel Brut
1 part Cranberry Juice

Salut, everybody. And if you have an equally yummy champagne cocktail recipe, please share it in a comment!!

Lake Tahoe's newest hotel: really Ritzy

The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe, opened its doors this weekend, in time for the holiday season (and skiing) at Northstar-at-Tahoe. It's the biggest hotel/resort news in the Tahoe Basin, having taken three years and some $300 million.

Tucked into a wooded hillside, The Ritz-Carlton Highlands' grandeur is, from a distance, fairly well-disguised. Still, it is hard to hide the fact that this is the area's first five star-caliber hotel, featuring 170-rooms, 23 private rsidences, a top-flight restaurant, and a vast spa.

Just how 'ritzy' is this place? Well, to start with, all the rooms have a fireplace. And there's a mountain concierge and ski valet, with ski-in and ski-out access; and an inter-mountain gondola connecting to the Village-at-Northstar. There's the luxe Highlands Spa that's bigger than all the houses on my block, and boasts a lap pool, fire pit, yoga and spin studios. And that top-flight restaurant? It's called Manzanita and is helmed by San Francisco chef Tracy Des Jardins. Too rich for your blood? Consider the great deals in spring and fall, when prices drop by half; or swing by for drinks or a meal at Manzanita. All we can say is, it's about time, Tahoe.

Details: In Truckee, at 13031 Ritz-Carlton Highlands Court; 200 miles east of San Francisco and 98 miles from Sacramento. Rooms from $355 in winter (from $175 in spring and fall); 800/241-3333 or click here.

Free skiing at Snow Valley

Just heard about a great package including free skiing in the 'Southland Alps', just 90 minutes from Los Angeles. Stay at The Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa on their Mid-Week Ski Value Package and you ski for free at the Snow Valley Resort, high in the San Bernardino National Forest. Overall, it’s a savings of more than 30 percent and is available all winter long.

Details: Mid-Week Ski Value Package: two adult lift tickets at nearby Snow Valley Ski Resort; two après-ski hot toddies or hot chocolates; two $25 certificates for the hotel’s Spa of the Pines; room, tax and parking. There are no blackout dates/no minimum stay; valid Sunday – Thursday. Cost: $219/night (a $323 value). Book 800/800-6792 or click here.

The seven days of swine flu

(Sung to the tune of A Partridge in a Pear Tree...)
On the first day of Swine Flu, H1N1 gave me: Chills, Shakes and Fever-all three!

On the second day of Swine Flu, H1N1 gave me: 2 bleary eyes aaand Chills, Shakes and Fever-all three!

On the third day of Swine Flu, H1N1 gave me: 3 achy joints, 2 bleary eyes aaand Chills, Shakes and Fever-all three.

On the fourth day of Swine Flu, H1N1 gave me: 4 doctor’s calls, 3 achy joints, 2 bleary eyes aaand Chills, Shakes and Fever-all three

On the fifth day Swine Flu, H1N1 gave me: 5 gobs of phle-eem, 4 doctor’s calls, 3 achy joints, 2 bleary eyes aaand Chills, Shakes and Fever-all three.

On the sixth day of Swine Flu, H1N1 gave me: 6 hours of coughing, 5 gobs of phle-eem, 4 doctor’s calls, 3 achy joints, 2 bleary eyes aaand Chills, Shakes and Fever-all three.

On the seventh day of Swine Flu, H1N1 left me! I got 7 hours of sleeping, 6 hours no coughing, 5 full deep breaths, 4 loads of laundry done, 3 square meals, 2 clear eyes, and a lifetime swine flu bug immunity!!
(Thanks Tamiflu and Advil!)

And how are you? What has your experience with this bug been like-leave a comment!
I'll be back to traveling and blogging shortly. Thanks for your kind calls and emails. And stay safe out there!

Napa Valley Wine Train rolls with BRAVO

Imagine trying to whip up an award-winning meal on board a moving train. Well, it happens on The Napa Valley Wine Train on TV tonight. As part of Bravo's season finale for its popular TOP CHEF reality show, the finale of TOP CHEF's season (airing tonight at 10/9c) takes place in California's lovely Napa Valley.

If you've been there, you know that Napa is a magical setting for a vacation. Well, it's a pretty inspired setting for Bravo's TV culinary contest, too. The show's first Quickfire Challenge happens on the Napa Valley Wine Train as it travels the Valley floor on a rainy harvest afternoon. Watch it tonight on TV, or tomorrow online.

Details: Online at winetrain.com/TopChefs. For details on lodging and dining options in the Napa Valley, click here; want more info, click here.

A new cookbook for kids that's about real food

I've always been put off by children's cookbooks that are filled with so-called recipes for sweet and sillly foods (like peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipes-who needs that?). Kids need real info on real food, just as adults do. So when I saw You've Got Recipes by my friends Jerry Anne Di Vecchio & Francoise Dudal Kirkman, I knew I'd found the ideal cookbook for my two little great nieces, Robyn and Iris.

You see, Jerry & Francoise know a thing or two about food. Jerry was the Food Editor of Sunset Magazine (she wrote for the magazine for some 40 years). Francoise, a Paris-trained artist, was a designer at Sunset Magazine and a fabulous cook herself. Together, they've produced a delightfully illustrated 94-page story book that weaves a tale of a San Francisco-based raccoon in email contact with a Paris-based mouse, who each share stories and recipes. It's a fun format that mixes in solid cooking tips and how-to for young 'foodies' with easy recipes. The book lets the kids be entertained by a sweet story while they learn how to wield a potato masher.

What I like best, though, is that the recipes are for tasty foods the whole family will enjoy, from cheese puffs and zucchini soup to lamb stew. More importantly, the youngsters can pick up good eating habits as they master some solid recipes that will come in handy their whole life long. That's a heck of an accomplishment for a kid's cookbook.

Details: Available from the authors at http://youvegotrecipes.blogspot.com for $34.60 (includes CA tax and shipping) or at Amazon.com or Trafford Publishing . Coming soon: Notecards featuring the cute characters featured in the book; see the author's blog.

Thanks for your help, readers!

This is a pre-Thanksgiving note of thanks, to you. Longtime readers of my blog might recall that I had posted a story a little while back about a site that was using my blog stories (all of them) without my permission, a site called My Stay in LA. I grouched about it and got some very helpful tips from many of you in the form of comments.

Well, I'm happy to report that I was able to contact the originator of the blog (thank you, Fred Sandsmark, for tracking down that email). I sent him a polite note and he responded quickly, saying that all my posts would be taken off his site this afternoon. My hat is off to him, and (more importantly) to all of you who sent me helpful suggestions.

In fact, you were so helpful, perhaps I should also ask you what to do about my sore knee...oh, never mind. Anyway, thanks!

California's mysterious sand dunes (and its lost city)

"Sand dunes are made of light," the photographer tells me, and good light is early light, which is why we're out here at dawn. An art director (Dennis) and I are saddling up to ride through the picture frame, across an arching dune (Don wants some action in his shot). It's the late 1980s and we are at Guadalupe-Nipomo sand dunes on California's central coast, shooting my first big story for Sunset Magazine that we hope will make the cover. Soon a warm, lemony sun lights up the sand like mounds of shining crystals. Just as the morning sunlight strikes the face of the dunes, we spur our horses to crest a sand peak, casting long, elegant shadows down the opposite slopes of sand. Snap!

As the camera shutter clicks away in rapid-fire, I imagine I'm starring in some 'blood and sand' picture of the silent movie era, galloping away from the approaching hordes. Not surprising I feel that way, since we're near the site where a legendary Cecile B. DeMille movie was, indeed, filmed.

I've always been fascinated by sand dunes—their sinuous sweep of clean, white sand glistening in the sun, seeming to shape-shift with every angle of light. It's the reason that, long after that old photo shoot, I still find romance and mystery in the curve of a towering dune. So I'm thrilled to learn that the 18-mile-long Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex, on the Santa Barbara/ San Luis Obispo county coastline, is more accessible than ever.

Open to visitors, The Dunes Center in Guadalupe, California, (in the Santa Maria Valley) has just launched a new web site, new tour map, and enhanced educational exhibits to help visitors get the most out of their experience at the Dunes Complex. That's good, because though the dunes are easily accessible from Highway 1 in the Santa Maria Valley, this place is so big, you need good intel to get the most out of it.

This is one of the most ecologically significant and largest intact coastal dune ecosystems on the West Coast. A major portion of the nearly 22,000 acres of dunes is under public management and open for recreation; more than 1,400 species of animals call the dunes home.

The dunes are also where famed director Cecil B. DeMille filmed his 1923 silent epic The Ten Commandments (right); recent movies have filmed here, too, including The Pirates of the Caribbean starring Johnny Depp. DeMille’s massive “City of The Pharaoh” became a lost city after it was abandoned and ultimately buried by the crew and, later, by the shifting sands. A documentary about the modern search for the lost sets of The Ten Commandments—including five-ton sphinxes and giant statues—will debut next summer.

Oh, and our 1980s shot did make the cover, by the way. I saved the picture and glance at it whenever I open that box in the attic; I see a very young girl on horseback, loping across a graceful peak that glistens like sugar—and I remember learning what sand dunes are really made of.

Details: The Dunes Center offers ongoing guided walks and hikes, plus children’s activities, all on the new web site. This month, the center debuts its free new map to help visitors find their way around the dunes; a $2 charitable donation is requested when visiting. The Dunes Center is at 1055 Guadalupe Street (Highway 1) in Guadalupe, California; 805/ 343-2455. For lodging, dining, and recreation information on the Santa Maria Valley, please click here.

Luxury lodging in Death Valley National Park

It's no secret. I love Death Valley (last year, I wrote about taking a spring break vacation there). Now, the storied Inn at Furnace Creek, in the heart of Death Valley National Park, has just opened its doors for the season (through May 9, 2010).

Built in 1927 with 12 guest rooms, a dining room and lobby area, the elegant hotel now boasts 66 rooms, including two suites. The best news: all 66 units were refurbished last year. Maintaining its high quality is probably why the hotel has been awarded the prestigious AAA Four-Diamond Award since 1982. The unique hilltop setting, oasis-like garden, and hot springs-fed swimming pool have made it a lure for celebrities and vacationers alike.

For those looking for a more cost-conscious option, there's the more family-oriented 224 room Furnace Creek Ranch nearby.

While you're in the park, check out one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in the United States, recently completed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, which owns the Inn and takes environmental concerns seriously.

Details: For more information about Death Valley National Park or to make reservations at in-park lodges, call toll free at 800/236-7916 or 303/297-2757 or go to www.furnacecreekresort.com.

Celebrate California's coast with Sunset Magazine

Today, Sunset Magazine, the guide to life in the West, is partnering with the California Coastal Commission to present the first-ever Coastal Heroes Awards. Honoring nine individuals whose 'dedication and hard work are protecting the California coast for future generations to love', the awards will be doled out at a ceremony held—fittingly— at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco.

You can read all about these heroes in Sunset's September Coastal Issue (on newsstands now). In a way, it's business as usual for this enviro-aware publication. "Sunset magazine has a long history of passionate concern for the California environment and the California coast," says Katie Tamony, Sunset's editor-in-chief. "Today, Sunset's environmental interests range from Western rivers to wise use of water and energy in home and garden, so we are always looking for ways to honor the people and organizations that are committed to championing these important causes."

And the Coastal Commission, established in 1972, was created expressly for the 'protection and enhancement' of the California coast.

The timing couldn't be better: this marks the 25th anniversary of the Coastal Commission's wildly popular Coastal Cleanup Day, slated for this weekend.

Details: To find out how to subscribe to Sunset, click here. To join the Coastal Cleanup, held on Saturday, September 19, click here.

UPDATE: Visit Sunset Magazine's blogs...or their gardens

UPDATE: Sunset Magazine's One Block Diet blog has earned earned the Best Blog award, given out by one of America's most prestigious food awards programs. Dubbed “the Oscars of the food world,” by Time magazine, The James Beard Foundation Awards are a coveted honor for chefs, food media, authors, designers, and architects. It's pretty special company.

Make time to check out the blog and you'll see why they've been honored. The writing is lively, real, and a compelling look at the Sunset team's attempt at making beer, starting a beehive, making wine, and raising chickens (including an unfortunate encounter with rats—talk about gettin' real!). And while you're at it, visit the Sunset Traveler blog, which covers topics around the West (one of my recent faves was a post on watching puffins in Oregon).

Congratulations to the One Block bloggers at Sunset Magazine!

Meanwhile, don't forget you can take a free, self-guided tour of the Sunset Publishing Headquarters' beautifully landscaped gardens and grounds (be sure to peek into the test garden). Step inside the grand double doors of the Cliff May-designed landmark, pick up a free self-guided tour booklet, and roam the 7-acre grounds. You'll see everything from floral border plantings to tall redwoods. Strolling the gardens makes a great springtime outing, even if you come away a teensy bit intimidated by what they've managed to pack into their 'backyard'.

And to find out what’s growing in the editors’ own gardens, just check the masthead in the April issue; there's a mention of what every staffer has growing this spring in their own garden (tomatoes are big this year). It’s an inspiring idea; after all, you've gotta think, if these busy folks can grow it, why can’t I?

Details: 80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, CA; open weekdays (holidays excluded) 9-4:30.

Car hop Heaven in Long Beach, California

Southern California was the birthplace of car culture, and the 50's burger joints that catered to cars (via roller skating waitresses) grew out of that culture.

These days, it's hard to find one of those 50's-style gems, but my pal, Bob, in Long Beach tells me these car hop Heavens are experiencing something of a revival in his neck of the woods. “Roll back the clock and check out Frisco’s Car Hop,” he Twitters. “Fun place to dine and be entertained; car hops servers don rollerskates!”

Frisco's Carhop Grill and Restaurant (in Long Beach and City of Industry) hasn't been around since the 1950s, but does a darn good job of evoking that era (as you can tell by the classic cars often parked out front). Okay, car hop lovers, now you know where to get your burgers on!

Cool California hotel weekend deal

When times are tough, nothing beats a free weekend trip. That's why this announcement intrigued me: "This Memorial Day, Joie de Vivre – California’s largest boutique hotel collection – will kick off summer by giving away 25 Explore California Passports each valued at more than $17,000. Every one of the 25 no-strings-attached Explore California Passports features a two-night stay at each of Joie de Vivre’s 35 hotels (70 room nights), with two-year validity, transferability to friends and family, and no blackout dates."

What's a Joie de Vivre hotel? Well, it ranges from the family-friendly Americania Hotel in San Francisco to the hip Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles and the sexy-surfer-chic Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach. Of course, to win, you do have to register at their website.

Sign up between April 16 and May 20, 2009 on www.summercalifornia.com. You'll receive a free tip sheet featuring 100 affordable things to do in California and a $25 credit for each room night booked on summercalifornia.com. The 25 sweepstakes winners will be announced via a video posted to the website on Monday, May 25, 2009.

California wildflower news

Some of the best things in California life are free, and that includes our awesome wildflowers. For the latest wildflower updates, call the Theodore Payne Wildflower Hotline, active every weekend March thru May at 818/768-3533. New reports are posted every Friday.

In Southern California, they say there are still great displays in Anza Borrego Desert State Park outside San Diego and in the Living Desert Preserve in the Palm Springs area. Poppies are starting to pop in Montana de Oro State Park and in the fabulous Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve.

And for a big adventure, hop a ferry from Long Beach out to Catalina Island for the wildflower bonanza. A tour along Summit Rd. will reveal some dazzlers: Eschscholzia ramosa (Island poppy), Lupinus albifrons (silver bush lupine), and Ceanothus arboreus (felt-leaved ceanothus). Make it a daytrip or a weekend getaway. For lodging, ferry, and tour information, try the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.

North Tahoe ski deals

Right now, we're seeing the best ski conditions of the year in North Lake Tahoe, with more than six feet of new snow hitting the destination over the last seven days (much of it arriving over the Presidents Day weekend).  

“The powder party continues,” said Tourism Director Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. “Skiers and snowboarders are in for a treat with optimal conditions at area resorts, and for those that love groomers, our teams are out in full force making rows and rows of corduroy.”

Why go now, well, besides the great snow? Because there are also some great deals and great events to watch.

Bargain tips: A North Lake Tahoe vacation doesn’t have to break the bank—thanks to a new electronic kiosk, put together by the area visitors bureaus at www.gotahoenorth.com/cool-deals. Check it out for great values and specials for activities, dining, entertainment, lodging, and skiing.

Upcoming events:  February 21, Sugar Bowl has Jam 4 The Cure, a benefit with Boarding for Breast Cancer. Feb. 19-22 at Northstar-at-Tahoe, the best in skiing and snowboarding push the envelope at the Winter Dew Tour. Feb. 27-Mr. 5, Squaw Valley hosts the Freeride World Tour and the world’s finest international freeskiers and riders conquering the steep and seemingly unskiable rock faces. Feb. 27 through Mr. 8 is SnowFest, a 10-day winter carnival and one of the region’s most popular annual family celebrations, with parades, a polar bear swim, and dress up your dog contest.

Details: For more on ski resorts, events, current weather conditions in North Lake Tahoe, click on www.GoTahoeNorth.com. North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two-three hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over four hours from San Francisco International Airport. Carry chains.

PHOTO: Courtesy Squaw Valley USA

Cool deals at Yosemite

How low can it go? At Yosemite National Park, a fun new deal spells it out. We're talking about midweek winter rates for an unheated cabin at scenic Curry Village, and the "Temp-RATE-ture" special: guests receive a reduced rate in an unheated tent cabin based on the previous night's recorded low. So if the temperature is 17 degrees, the guest pays $17 per night; if the Fahrenheit falls below zero, the guest is paid the difference to stay overnight. Now THAT's a deal!

“This is a really fun way to get that word out that the pristine winter season is a beautiful reason to visit Yosemite,” said Curry Village General Manager Brett Archer.

 

It'll cost $39 to book your reservation, and there are some blackout dates. Then, your rate will be determined by the previous night's low. Sure, it's bound to get cold, but bundle up and enjoy bargain rates for some of the world's best real estate—Curry Village in Yosemite Valley; your cabin will be below Glacier Point, with a spectacular view of Half Dome and easy access to valley hiking trails.

How cold will it get? Check it out yourself, using the model they'll use to figure your rates. The low temperature is determined based on the National Park Service data collected at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?YYV (once there, click on the Daily YYV Data at the lower right).

Yosemite in winter can be truly magical: frozen Yosemite Falls, ice patterns on Half Dome's grey granite walls, and summer-shy wildlife venturing into meadows.

Details: Call the Yosemite Central Reservations at 801/559-4949 or click here.

6 ways to save our environment

Just got some exciting news from the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA). The economic recovery package proposed by the House Democratic leadership today contains "$2.25 billion for job-creating, ready-to-go projects in America’s national parks", plus more for roads and transportation. The numbers are awesome: $1.7 billion for pre-approved construction projects, $100 million for the National Park Centennial Challenge public-private matching grant program, and $200 million for restoration of the National Mall. The NPCA says that these national park investments could create some 50,000 jobs and help parks and projects all over the country, including, possibly, California’s Death Valley National Park.

There's another interesting idea on the table: the creation of a new National Park Service Corps. You don’t have to have lived in the era of the 1930s’ CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) to have enjoyed the lasting benefits of such public works programs can have on the improvement of our parks and natural resources. If you have visited a national park, chances are you’ve enjoyed a trail, road, stone bridge, or even a landmark hotel (like Oregon’s Timberline Lodge) that resulted from CCC work. Could we do something similar today, with a 21st Century CCC?

What can you do? Six clicks will help to learn more and lead your actions. Check out these websites: NPCA, Audubon Society, Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, or click here. Or write a letter to the editor of your local paper using this link.

Inaugural party ideas

How to celebrate the big event with the kids? The Borders Bookstore in Palo Alto has a special party for kids (Sat. Jan. 17, 2 PM). Choose art activities, a scavenger hunt, games, and a special Oath of Office ceremony. It's at 456 University Ave.

My friend Mike, in Santa Cruz, sends this idea: 

Next Tuesday morning, most us us will jam into one living room for an "indoor block party." Our hosts, both of whom are internationally recognized experts in education, don't own a TV. Instead, they'll project a wall-sized show from the web using a digital projector. It's BYOCP (Bring Your Own Coffee and Pastries). The idea just hatched this morning. We're looking forward to a great morning for our neighborhood--and our country.

You go, Mike!

Free NorCal events on Jan. 20:

Berkeley: make a beeline for UC Berkeley's Sproul Plaza at 7:30 AM to watch the event on their giant screen (fitting, since a UC Berkeley economist is set for a major role in the Obama administration).

Oakland: Oracle Arena serves up a big community bash ($5), complete with big screen TVs, starting at 7:00 AM.

San Jose: the San Jose Mercury News listed a raft of Inaugural events in the South Bay. For a list, click on their link.

San Francisco: hop on BART to the Civic Center stop and head for the plaza (Grove and McAllister streets) for a live simulcast on several screens. And while you're there, pop into the Asian Art Museum nearby.

A number of libraries are also hosting Inauguration-watching events (check locally) including the Burlingame Public Library, 480 Primrose Rd.,which starts its big-screen showing at 8 AM in the Lane Community Room. For more events, check out InsideBayArea.com. Celebrate responsibly.

Have a party idea to share? Post a comment with your ideas.