Here’s the pics!

Raising and dancing around a maypole (majstång or midsommarstång) is an activity that attracts families and many others. People dancing around the pole listen to traditional music and many wear traditional folk costumes. The year’s first potatoes, pickled herring, sour cream, and possibly the first strawberries of the season are on the menu. Drinking songs are also important at this feast, and many drink heavily.

Because Midsummer was thought to be one of the times of the year when magic was strongest, it was considered a good night to perform rituals to look into the future. Traditionally, young people pick bouquets of seven or nine different flowers and put them under their pillow in the hope of dreaming about their future spouse. In the past it was believed that herbs picked at Midsummer were highly potent, and water from springs could bring good health. Greenery placed over houses and barns were supposed to bring good fortune and health to people and livestock; this old tradition of decorating with greens continues, even though most don’t take it seriously. To decorate with greens was called att maja (to “may”) and may be the origin of the word majstång, maja coming originally from the month May. Other researchers say the term came from German merchants who raised the maypole in June because the Swedish climate made it impossible to find the necessary greens and flowers in May, and continued to call it a maypole. Today, however, it is most commonly called a midsommarstång. In earlier times, small spires wrapped in greens were erected; this probably predates the maypole tradition, which is believed by many to have come from the continent in the Middle Ages. Others argue that some form of Midsummer pole occurred in Sweden during the pre-Christian times, and was a phallic fertility symbol, meant to impregnate the earth, but as there were no records from those times it cannot be proven, and this idea might just be a modern interpretation of the poles form. The earliest historical mention of the maypole in Sweden is from the Middle Ages. Midsummer was however linked to an ancient fertility festival which was adapted into St. Johans day by the church, even though it retained many pagan traditions, as the Swedes were slow to give up the old heathen customs. The connection to fertility is naturally linked to the time of year. Many young people became passionate at Midsummer, and this was accepted, probably because it resulted in more childbirths in March which was a good time for children to be born.

Midsummer is one of the only pagan holidays that are still celebrated in Europe (if not the only). In Denmark and Norway it is referred to as the eve of St. Hans but it’s only in Sweden that it has kept its original name. Midsummer rivals Christmas as the most important holiday of the year due to the copious amounts of alcohol consumed.

First stop was the rehearsal dinner at Girasole in P-Town hosted by none other than the fabulous parents of the groom.  We partied like it was 2008, and ordered Scoozi bread.  The back room was packed full of love for the couple who was about to make the most important step in the lives of their great-great grandchildren.

What a great wedding.  We had so much fun, and Paul and Alana clearly attract really great people.  Everyone there was a really good friend or family or both!  If you don’t know Paul or Alana I highly recommend getting to know them.  On to the pics!

We left the party early so we could eat a family dinner and walk around the square before it got dark. There are many places to eat in the square, but a lot of them are your typical nice places to eat. We were looking for a more local home grown feel. We found just what we were looking for, in a place called “Ravenous”. It has been a local favorite for 17 years, and just moved to their own location, a cute little house just a few blocks from the square. The chef takes real care in choosing her menu, and even writes it out herself daily. She chooses dishes based solely on what is available locally, and her creations are simple and full of flavor.

Tina had the rolled flank steak combined with proschitto/arugella/onions/carrots/breadcrumbs, which was served with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables (super fresh). I had the Poblano, which was a mexican veggie dish, which is not a common choice for me but sounded really good….and was amazing. The wait staff was really friendly, the hostess who was new, Linnea, had never worked food service and was doing a great job. Rachel our server was SUPER nice, and really helpful with choosing our food. Everyone in there was a local, in fact, I am pretty sure all the other tourists were in the square, which is a shame, cause this is probably the best place to eat in the area.

Our next stop was our lodging for the night. Again, a place farther from the square than most will venture, and again, well worth it. We found the Country Garden Cottage through Healdsburg Property Management via Google. The price was right, and so was the availability. What we drove up to was not at all what we expected.

We arrived in the front of this beautiful red ranch house, with beautiful white rose bushes. We were greeted by Chris, who was so gracious and genuinely happy to see us. We unpacked and got settled for the night. It was really warm but there was a cool breeze coming through the open window. There is central air, and I am sure it is needed later in the year, but this night was perfect. We played building blocks with the girls and enjoyed some coffee, and then went to bed. The mattress was amazing, much better than our new one at home unfortunately, and the sheets were of heavenly quality - the thread count was HIGH. All 4 of us slept through the night and woke up refreshed and ready to hit the square.

We hit the Center Cafe in the morning for breakfast. They have these really great tasting potato pancakes. They will scramble a denver omelet into the potato pancake and grill it, it is awesome. We also had the pancakes, french toast, poached eggs, and biscuits and gravy. The french toast was a little heavy on the nutmeg, and the gravy was a little light on grease, but overall it was a great breakfast.

We finished off the weekend with a trip around the square. There are many great shops, and the people are very friendly.

If towns were required to have a square there would be a lot more community, and a lot less towns.

Here are the pics!

It is basically $30 for ALOT of wine and/or beer.  There are a lot of great local wineries and this is the 17th year, they used to incorporate honey as well, but since wine is now all the rage…

We did stumble upon a great catering company, Blue Sage catering.  We had an awesome Kaluha Pulled Pork sandwich, and a dill potato salad.

Our favorite wine of the day was a chardonnay from Red Skye Vineyards.

Here are the pics!

The girls were showing signs of hungriness, and it was H-O-T, so we decided to pull into the station and head to the Plaza (or Square depending on your generational experience in Sonoma).

The Seattle Mariners came to town on Wednesday and we went to see them.  Tina lived in Seattle during her formidable years and feels a real fire for her Seattle Mariners.  Ichiro is one of my favorite baseball players, he just gets what is to be a baseball player and it is so embarrassing to watch these other guys and their egos.