Coyote III Geyserville

This giant kinetic sculpture (the wind is caught by the ears and the head turns all the way all the way around.) by Bryan Tedrick also has a staircase up the right front leg to a viewing platform in his middle. There is a sign next to his left front foot that says, "Climb at your own risk. The head turns suddenly" It is on the road into Geyserville, a tiny wide spot in the road at the northern end of the Alexander Valley. There is an ever changing collection of sculptures along this stretch, but this is the biggest--and best--one yet!

We had lunch at our favorite restaurant, Diavola ("she-devil") which specializes in wood oven pizzas with hand thrown crusts, and home grown, house made sausages, cured meats and terrines. It has a beautiful long wooden bar and an original tin ceiling. We brought home the extra pizza and bought some pork terrine to supplement it for our dinner. With a little lettuce from our garden, it will be the perfect thing. Sort of an gastronomic acknowledgement of my return to health and my ability to eat whatever I want!

We stopped by Geyser Peak Winery, a lovely hundred year old building with a huge barrel room full of hundreds of $1,100 French oak barrels. They use the barrels for only five years,, and then I suppose they join the legions of planters. scattered across the county. Geyser Peak is one of our staple wines because of its reasonable price. At the winery they sell some of their premium wines which are hard to find outside the winery. OilMan joined the wine club because he thought the pick-up parties (when you pick up your case of wine once a quarter). The February party will feature mushrooms.

Our final stop in Geyserville was the Coppola Winery, purchased about ten years ago by Francis Ford Coppola and turned into something of a Disneyland (Coppolaland?) of swimming pools, Bocce courts, European style beach cabanas, restaurants, bars , gift shops and movie memorabilia museum. Although their Sofia Coppola Rose is excellent, we can probably buy it at our local supermarket.

Although it continues to feel like summer here, by the calendar it is winter, and there were very few people around, making it a fun place to wander around and take some interesting pictures. I think I would probably hate it in the summer when, judging by the number of spaces in the parking lot, it is very crowded. I will definitely go back before tourist season begins for a picture of the handsome Tucker automobile from the movie of the same name, or the scale model sailing ships from the movie "Marie Antoinette".

We are blessed with so many interesting places to visit here in Sonoma County, and although we desperately need rain, it is impossible not to enjoy the beautiful weather of which there is no end in sight....