California State Parks: Petaluma Adobe (Petaluma)

The prickly pear cactus is blooming this week at the Petaluma Adobe.  I like to think of it as natural fencing or barbed wire that protects the adobe from both human and animal intruders.  It runs along the walkway from the creek to the building itself.  

The main function of the Petaluma Adobe was as a factory making goods and produce for the soldiers at the barracks in Sonoma back in the 1830s.  The hide and tallow trades were in full tilt and the rancheria was where 6,000 head of cattle were kept.  Grains were grown there too, necessary to feed the soldiers back at the barracks.

But for some reason it's always the cactus that really captures my attention.

Sonoma County Regional Parks: Maxwell Farms (Boyes Hot Springs)

When I took Brix walking through Maxwell Farms Regional Park yesterday morning it was obvious that his favorite part was along the creek.  We observed the leash law, but I still allowed him to jump in the water and swim a bit.  He dove in twice, smiled and shook himself dry.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

We sat by the duck pond while the Tuesday Night Market was in full swing.  This is one of Sonoma's most popular events for six months of the year and it serves to bring all the living generations together at once.  Every week we see tiny babies and we see fragile elders and all the ages in between.  The teenagers are busy with their friends and the pre-teens are learning the skills of looking cool in a safe place - their parents are just on the other side of the block.  For those of us who actually live in Sonoma this is one of the community activities that makes us feel that we belong.

California State Parks: Casa Grande Servants' Quarters (Sonoma)

General Mariano Vallejo and his family lived in what is now downtown Sonoma for many years before their new home, Lachryma Montis was built at the foot of the mountain.  They moved in 1851 or so, and their original home, Casa Grande, was destroyed by fire in 1867.  All that is left is shown here, the Indian servants' quarters.  It almost fronts Spain Street and is totally visible without any tourist admission fees, you just walk up to the building from the sidewalk.  There is a cheese shop on the left hand side and the Toscano Hotel, also free and owned by California State Parks, on the right. Across the street is Sonoma Plaza where the General used to drill and parade his troops.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

One of the really special times in the life of the community of Sonoma is the weekly farmers market which is held on The Plaza.  Each Tuesday from May to November, more or less, venders bring their foods and veggies and wares and the town gathers for snacks and suppers, music and shopping.  It's an intergenerational event with dancing children being corralled by their parents and watched by their grandparents.  It's also extremely popular as scents of multi-ethnic foods waft from plates carried to grassy areas and benches.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

One of the many features of the Sonoma Plaza is the lovely rose garden. Here there are several groups of roses - the yellows, the reds, the variegated, etc. creating a display that makes a tourist want to begin a rose garden upon arrival back home!

California State Parks: Lachryma Montis (Sonoma)

I enjoy my role as docent for California State Parks, especially when I offer tours through the home of General Vallejo, the founder of the City of Sonoma. His home was built in 1850 from a kit! It's a Boston House, the parts of which were shipped around the Horn for construction on the site. So here I was today, enjoying my tiny part in interpreting local history.