Mac Donald Historic District

We went to the French bakery in Glen Ellen this morning and found people waiting outside, but OilMan overcame his natural tendency to bolt whenever he sees anything that resembles a queue because Marc and Teri were with us. They were very efficient and we were soon sitting in the garden with our sinfully rich pastries and coffee. It had definitely turned from the boiling hot summer temperatures of 100º to a temperate  65º with distinctly autumnal wind gusts.

Our well laid plans were turned on their head when we arrived in Sonoma to discover that the town was full. A 'Vintage Festival' had closed the main drag, blocked the way to the large parking lo and filled uptake central square with booths and tents, so we turned around and  drove back to Santa Rosa and King's Nursery where there were still enough flowers on offer to keep OilMan and Teri happy.  We bought some ornamental kale to plant in a couple pots whose plants were pretty well fried by the heat wave.

On the way back we parked the car and wandered through the MacDonald Historic District whose eclectic gracious Victorians and Craftsman bungalows set behind green lawns on wide tree lined streets make for a bucolic and peaceful setting. Except for the wide streets, it reminds me of several neighborhoods in Berkeley. I like the meticulous paint job on tis raised basement Victorian. It sets off the decorative trim nicely. One doesn't often see craftsmanship like this in more modern homes....

We will be going back to the same area this evening for dinner at the new Willi's Wine Bar. It was always our 'special place' before it burned down in the Tubbs Fire in 2017, and we had some misgivings as to whether they could possibly pull off a change in ambience and location. They remodeled spaces once occupied by a hamburger joint and a florist and have created a pleasant restaurant with the same menu and mostly the same staff. The fact that they could only offer us a reservation at 5:15pm is a pretty good indicator of their success. With any luck it will be quieter...