Whitegate Inn

Mendocino Film Festival coming soon

2009-04-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

To remind everyone, the third annual mendocino Film festival is arriving soon. This year the opening party is May 29th. There will be three days of exciting innovative films. One of the directors is staying at the Whitegate so if you are here too it will be your chance to hear all about the film from its creator.

Grandchild

2009-04-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Our daughter Maya finally gave birth, 8 days late, to a beautiful girl called Fiona Cloud Strom Sedita. She has a full head of black hair, like her Dad, and is totally perfect in every way. Maya and Jeremy are thrilled and severely sleep deprived. Their world revolves around Fiona, as it should.

Fiona was born on March 20th which is the first day of spring, an auspicious day for a birth. March 20th is also the birthday of my father-in-law Jim. One of our innkeepers Jennifer, who is a sewing wizz, made a gorgeous blanket for Fiona and to complete the coincidence, the 20th is also Jen's birthday. All this bodes well for a wonderful life but it will be hard for her to miss with such great parents - and grandparents.

Dining room renovation complete

2009-04-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was the first day of operation of our new dining room. It is stunning. We choose a slightly more contemporary look while still adhering to the Victorian theme. It was a two month ordeal with many twists and turns but it is now over - except for getting the final check from the insurance company.

Most of our guests were very understanding about eating breakfast in the parlor but it was a bit crowded.

I'll post some pictures one of these days.

Whitegate Inn redecorates dining room

2009-03-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

One of our guests apparently clogged up the toilet upstairs and went to sleep. By morning we had a full fledged flood with water pouring out of the chandelier over the dining room table. The table was set for breakfast. This made us realize it really takes a village to run an inn.

Marrissa, Colby, Georgina, Dixia and Susan and I went into emergency mode. One of our guests with contracting background got involved by suggesting we drill holes in the ceiling to release the water and keep the ceiling from collasping.

We turned off the water and electricity, got a tarp, moved the table into the living room, cleaned and polished it and washed and sterilized all the plates and tableware. Breakfast was served only 5 minutes late in the living room. After we stopped congratulating ourselves for our quick response the real work began.

We didn't realize that, in addition to the wet carpet, the water had also stained the strip of wallpaper which ran along the top of the room. The drapes were also stained. When our carpet people came to dehumidify the room they discovered an abnormal amount of moisture in the walls and suggested we demolish two walls as well as the ceiling to enable it to dry. Fortunately our insurance adjusted agreed. We now have the dining room sealed off and will basically have to rebuild it from scratch.

Naturally the carpet is not longer made and the wall paper design is discontinued. John, our contractor, was just here telling me he hopes to get going on the walls tomorrow. We found some substitute carpet we love but now we want to redo the whole hallway with the new stuff and don't think we can afford that right now. Susan and I are in a wallpaper "discussion" I want something simpler and she keeps saying "but it isn't Victorian". We're going to a neutral third party for help. It will probably be late March before this is all finished. We're very lucky it isn't summer.

Grandchildren

2009-03-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

The Strom family is expanding rapidly. Maya is expecting a girl on March 12th so we are into the any day mode at this point. She won't reveal the name until the event. She has been working as a labor and delivery nurse for 5 years and has delivered hundreds of babies (with the assistance of doctors of course) so knows what she likes and doesn't. So she has chosen to have a mid wife home birth. Her hospital is 3 minutes from home just in case.

Daughter-in-law Natalie isn't too far behind. She is due with her second son in June. Elliot was born in a Swiss hospital and they treated mother and child, and even father, like gods. She stayed there for 6 days for a routine natural birth. I hope she isn't too disappointed by the rush um in rush um out American attitude towards child birth.

There is a chance Maya's baby will have the same birthday as Elliot and there is a chance Justin's new one could be born on his birthday. Justin was born on Father's Day so that is also a possibility.

The hope of all is that the three children will essentially be raised together as they are close in age and live nearby. That would be cool.

Day of the Dead

2008-10-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we had to cancel our anticipated day of the dead dinner. We just didn't have enough time to adequately plan because we weren't sure how many people were attending.
Our alter is beautiful though. Marrissa used some of her vibrant left over paints and it is colorful yet tasteful. Tomorrow we are going to spice it up with all sorts of traditional decorations. There is an internal debate about having a cross on top however.

It is hot, for us, today. I'm walking around in a T shirt. This time of year I usually wear two layers.

Cooper, our newest water dog, went to the third week of his latest training class this morning. He is still very easily distracted but knows all his commands. He had his longest stay today, 75 seconds. We are supposed to work towards 20 minutes. Good luck to us. It might work if he falls asleep. We are also supposed to teach him how to open and close doors, turn on light switches, shake hands and many other tricks. Some don't seem to be beneficial.

The Economy Specials

2008-10-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been insane for the economy and stock market. It seems when the US sneezes the rest of the world gets a runny nose at least. It brings home the reality of the global economy.

There is some good news though. Oil has dropped percipitiously in the past three weeks. It has not been totally translated to the pumps but there is always a lag. When fuel decreases all the products made from oil also benefit; everyone from the airlines to plastic manufacturers. These benefits will take longer to filter down to us average consumers but it will happen. I heard on NPR today that the cost of shipping goods by sea has dropped due the lack of demand and the lower cost of fuel. That too should make goods cheaper for everyone.

The Europeans have been keeping the California tourist economy floating because the euro, pound and Swiss franc were flying high compared to the dollar. But now the Europeans are suffering too so it remains to be seen what winter will bring.

To encourage guests from everywhere we created our best specials yet, 50% of during the week and 25% off on weekends. That means there are $99 rooms at the Whitegate and at Abigails. The reception has been great so far.

The election appears to be settled though there is always a chance of an October surprise to shake things up. The problem for the new guy will be expectations. He will be expected to make major changes and that will be virtually impossible given this economic climate. Many of the promises made during the campaign will just be hopeless to implement until things smooth out which may take a couple of years. It will be interesting to see what priorities are established.

Day of the Dead dinner

2008-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, we are excited to announce we are serving a special authentic Day of the Dead dinner on Sat. Nov. 1st. Our Hispanic staff will be cooking specialties for the holiday. It will be a buffet dinner from 6 to 8 PM. The price is $25 for inn guests and $30 for outsiders. We have limited availability so book early.
Our Day of the Dead alter will be installed near our front door shortly. We tried to be as authentic as possible and we promise to make it as showy as possible. Marrissa, our in house flower arranger, is painting it and we are collecting photos of the departed as well as flowers and produce of the season. Come on by and take a look. I'll probably have pictures on the web site.

Corky the miracle dog progress report

2008-08-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Corky will be 10 in the winter and has been growing younger with the addtion of his new little brother Cooper. They run, fight, play, kiss and generally enjoy each other. Like any siblings there were moments when we thought we had made a huge mistake by adopting Cooper but it has settled down and I think Cooper has done Corky a world of good. He is at least getting more exercise.

Last week Susan took Corky for his checkup and they found a growth on his neck. The vet was concerned enough to suggest immediate removal given his history. Yesterday was surgery day and the vet is 99% sure it is not cancer. Susan was paniced, practically already digging his grave, so it was an immerse relief for her. Corky is still a little shaky but is regaining his personality hourly.

Obama VP and family time

2008-08-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday and Obama is supposed to announce his VP choice tomorrow. Amazingly there have been no leaks. Of those who have been seriously mentioned, my vote is for Biden. I like him and he has the foreign policy gravatis to counter the criticism that he is a lightweight. He also has the unusual habit for a politicial of speaking clearly and saying what is on his mind, a mixed blessing in a campaign. This continues to be a fun political season for me. I wish they would hire me to write ads though. I have some great ideas. Actually all they have to do it play back some of the candidates own words.

On the personal front my newly married daughter Maya announced that she and Jeremy are expecting. Everyone is sure, for no good reason, that it's a girl. I don't think they are going to want to find out but my son said that too and weakened at the end. Maya is having all day sickness on top of her full time job and her doctoral program which is in its second semester. They also just moved, thus violating all the rules. I will see them all in a couple of weeks.

Fires all extinguished

2008-08-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

The fire season in Mendocino County got off to a terrible start this year. We had unusual dry lightning which set literally hundreds of fires. Fortunately only 2 structures were burned but over 50,000 acres were charred. At the low point we had over 1000 firefighters battling the blazes and several hundred National Guard troops were dispatched to assist. It was like an invasion. Every hotel room in Ukiah was booked.
Our favorite tenant Marrissa works for the Mendocino Redwood Company and many of the fires were on their lands, often is very inaccessable locations. She worked 14 hour days for 2 weeks doing logistics. Her company hired contractors to assist as Cal Fire was overextended and were trying to save structures as their priority. Marrissa got to know some of the contractors very well and was devistated when the helicopter crash in the Trinity National Forest killed 8, 3 of whom were her friends. This brings home the dangers and how heroic the firefighters have been.

Fortunately the coast was clear. We had a bit of smoke drifting our way a couple of days but for the most part people from inland were all coming here to breath.
We were nervous because the fire touched Montgomery Woods, home to the disputed tallest redwoods in the world. I've been told by the experts that the fires were "good fires" in that they cleaned up the undergrowth which needed to be cleaned and didn't touch the crowns of the giants. Redwoods are very resiliant and will survive.
The fire season lasts until the rains come in early Nov. so there is still plenty to worry about.

A day at 10 mile beach

2008-05-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today is Memorial Day. It's a sad day for me, a day to remind me of all the lives and limbs uselessly lost by misguided policies and meglomenia. Watching all the grieving families on CNN causes sadness, anger and thankfulness; thankfulness that my children are out of harms way. It's probably inappropriate to inject politics on a bed and breakfast blog but we are all human and one of the greatest benefits to being an American is the right to dissent, to question, to debate and to change course when necessary. It is necessary.

Susan and I took Corky and Cooper to 10 mile beach for a couple of hours r and r. It was Cooper's first foray into water and he was tentative though we did catch a fleeting photo of him swimming. Susan must have taken 100 pictures. The weather was balmy, just between T shirt and something heavier weather. We walked for about two hours and didn't see another soul on the beach. There aren't many places in the world, no less the US, where you can say that.

The holiday weekend was huge but now we are down to two occupied rooms. We had our usual crop of excellent guests with one or two partial exceptions. The housekeepers are happy they're gone but I'm greedy and want all the rooms filled all the time.

I am taking part in Bio Blitz sponsored by the National Geographic Society, in the Santa Monica National Forest. Volunteers, read me and many others, will collect biological samples from designated areas in 4 hour shifts, from noon Friday to noon Sat. The samples will be evaluated by scientists and a biodiversity map of the area will be prepared. I will also help man the National Geographic booth. The real reason for my trip is a meeting of the geotourism working group which is creating a Northern California Redwoods Coast Geotourism area. I am the Mendocino County representative on the group and my job is to make sure as many Mendocino attractions and natural resouces as possible are included in the web site and map being developed. This should be very interesting, entertainly and educational.

Spring 2008

2008-04-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

They say blogs are virtually useless unless they are kept up and I can't seem to get it together. Nevertheless, even if this blog is only a chronicle of the happenings in Mendocino, my life and the Whitegate Inn, I'll continue to write sporatically.

The outside of the inn has been freshly painted as has some of the inside. It sparkles. Though a cliche, spring is the time of rebirth and attitudes brighten up along with the flowers and increased sun and daylight.

Personally, our daughter Maya became engaged during a visit to Mendocino. Romance must be in the air. They will be married in July in Portland. We love Jeremy and are moved to see Maya so happy. She also will be starting a doctoral program leading to her becoming a family nurse practitioner so she will be a ultra busy newlywed.

I am now the Director of Special Projects for the Mendocino County Promotional Alliance, MCPA. I will be working on a variety of interesting and challenging projects such as the development of a California Welcome Center, grant writing, Geotourism and web site work. It's a parttime job which could easily morph into fulltime if I'm not careful. Fortunately our wonderful innkeepers have stepped up and Susan has taken more of a management role. The summer will be the ultimate test. My job is in Ukiah. I hope to continue to do some wine sales for Esterlina but will not be able to take many out of town trips.

We are all excited about the upcoming Mendocino Film Festival from May 29-June 1. It gets better each year and we usually host a director or producer.

We have made many new friends this winter. One delightful couple stayed with us the entire month of January. And of course many old friends continue to visit us. It's fascinating to hear about life changes from people with whom you have a rapport.

Catching up

2007-12-22T11:00:00.001-08:00

I have been the negligent blogger of the season. The last time I blogged I had technical difficulties and just avoided the whole subject.

Its' now Dec. 22nd. Where has the year gone?

We are finally painting the exterior and part of the interior of the Whitegate. It was long overdue but you know how procrastination grabs good intentions. One of Susan's fellow firefighters, Matt, is doing the work. They like to keep it in the family at the firehouse.

Susan and I went on our semi annual trip to Florida early this month. I have to check on my cousin David in Pacso County and Susan and I like to add on some R & R at the Hyatt Vacation Club property in the Naples area. It's the one time of the year when we don't have to share bathrooms or closets, thus eliminating all sorts of potential conflicts and compromises.

Maybe because I'm getting older, but I noticed many more elderly people this trip, particularly in Pasco. So many of them have merged into the sunshine of shrinking lives and horizons. As they age their worlds get minimized and small joys become major events. This caused more introspecion than is my forte. I, of course, will never be in their catagory. I won't allow it.

Prior to our Florida trip I had my annual vacation with my best friend and almost brother Jimmy. This year we went to La Paz Mexico. My cousin Jeff has a boat docked at a marina there and even though he wasn't in Mexico at the time we were able to vicariously live his life. There was a lot of boating, snorkling and fishing. We were even able to snorkle with the seals, a thrilling experience. To find them we had to snorkle thru a cave and watch them playing and toying with us, diving in and around our fins. I felt like their entertainment rather than the other way around. The weather was perfect, the area clean and well kept, the beaches beautiful, the people prosperous, the economy booming. It gave us a new perspective on immigation. No one from that area of Southern Baja wants to come to the US because everyone with a high school education can get a good job and stay where they really want to be. If the economy improved in the poorest sections of Mexico the immigration problem would be drastically reduced. Economic development is the key. Perhaps if we invested more in that arena and less in enforcement the results would be more beneficial to all.

Happy holidays to all.

Muir Hanna Winery

2007-09-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been a terribly negligent blogger this summer, a reflection of the busy and successful summer. But it is now time to do more sharing.

Last weekend some old friends, Bill and Claudia Hanna, honored us by celebrating their 40th anniversary at the Whitegate. Bill is the great grandson of the famous naturalist John Muir and they own a winery aptly named Muir Hanna Winery.

Bill treated us to a tasting of their wonderful wines. The current releases include a Pinot, Chardonnay, Merlot, a surprising fresh blush and Legacy, a mostly Cab. blend which is incredibly complex and elegant and a gold metal winner. They are a small production facility but if anyone is interested in finding more about the wines check out their web site or contact me. www.muir-hanna.com.

Sabastiani Winery

2007-06-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we have been fortunate to have some wonderful guests. Mary Ann Sabastiani Cuneo has chosen to spend her special birthday at our properties. She brought her immediate family and some dear friends and spent the weekend with us. It's been a delight to host such friendly and easy going people and we hope this is the beginning of a long relationship. The bonus of course is the opportunity to partake of some wonderful wines.

Film Crew

2007-06-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

We had a film and production crew here the past several days. They came up from LA to work on a show tentatively titled Mendocino Life.
They first did an extensive interview with Steve Sterling, one of the owners of Esterlina Winery.
Steve's family is one of the very few African American winery owners. His grandfather started out as a home wine maker and it branched out from there. They now own 6 vineyards and two wineries, Esterlina and Everett Ridge in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma County.
The crew next interviewed our intripid fire fighter, Susan, at the fire house. She gave a wonderful interview and they were very obviously impressed. The low point of the day was an interview with me. They wanted to know about our wonderful guests and unusual experiences. Both those parts were easy. In fact once they got me started so many special moments of the past five years just poured out.
The show with all these interviews and many more will be pitched to the networks and we are hoping for some great publicity eventually.
Richard

Corky update

2007-06-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Corky had his check up in Davis last week. He passed and is healthy and happy. He even remembered his Doctor and X-ray tech and was pleased to see them again. By the way he acts I don't think he felt his treatments were traumatic. It was just another way to get attention. He has lost a lot of hair on his leg but it seems to be healing well.
This is the first time I've traveled with him overnight. He is the perfect traveler and now I can see why we have so many guests coming to Abigails with their beloved dogs.
Corky does have one crazy habit which we can scarfing. He likes to literally wrap himself around the neck of the driver, squeeze hard and just hang on. It's funny as long as you're not in traffic.
Richard

Truckee, Grass Valley and Davis

2007-06-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks I have been traveling the state exposing the world to Esterlina wines. I'm having a great time meeting new people and seeing new areas. In past travels I just drove through on the boring highways. Now I have the time to actually get to know an area, walk the streets and absorb the differences.
Truckee, for instance, is more than a spot on an interstate which needs to be resurfaced. It is a vibrant community with an historic feel. There are also some great wine bars and restaurants.
Grass Valley actually has a old town section with a variety of interesting shops and restaurants as does Auburn. So many of these towns have grown without preserving their character so it's rewarding to see areas which care about their history.
Davis is a college town with a nice leafly tree lined aspect. There are trails running for many miles next to the creek and arboretum. I even found a preserved redwood grove in the heart of town. I can see why many college graduates don't want to leave.
If anyone knows of some special places I can talk to about Esterlina please let me know.

Esterlina

2007-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

For the past several months I have been helping Esterlina market their exceptional wines in the surrounding areas. The wines are of the highest quality and sell themselves. The winery is owned by the Sterling family who just bought a second label, Everett Ridge, in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma.
One of my ambitions for my next life is to be in some way affiliated with the wine business. I have no real desire to make wine and already have a leg up on the drinking part, but I have a real interest in the business side. I am really enjoying learning, meeting new people and exploring new areas.
I've placed two bottles in each room and the response has been terrific.
I'm also open to trades with wineries. I am able to increase my wine collection that way without spending the big bucks. I've traded with many Napa and Sonoma wineries during the past few years.
So, if anyone reading this wants some fine Mendocino and Sonoma wine please contact me and I'll take care of you.
Richard

Film Festival

2007-05-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

The second annual Mendocino Film Festival is winding down today. The improvement over last year was amazing and impressive. I personally say three films, two documentaries and one very wierd thriller. The first documentary was on global warming and it was better, or at least more entertaining, that the Gore piece. They used more humor, animation and real people's stories to make their points. The second documentary was about the 20 year life of a commune in MA - how the leadership and members evolved with the times and events - how it wasn't all about sex, drugs and rock and roll though that was not insignificant. I am thrilled at how well the festival is organized and managed and expect it to grow into a famous event each May.

corky update

2007-05-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Corky survived 16 radiation treatments with great humor and fortitude. He still chases his tail and wants to eat everything in sight. We are hopeful that he is fully cured.

2007-05-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

We got back from Switzerland Thursday. Jet lag wasn't as bad coming this direction even though the 12 hour flight from Zurich to Los Angeles was as long as I ever want to be on a plane again. We flew Swiss Air and the food and service were exemplary.

We spent quite a bit of time in Zurich and found it to be a beautiful and interesting city, very easy to navigate, at least on foot and public transit. We also went to the far Eastern part of the country where the major ski resorts are located and it is just drop dead gorgeous - like the travel posters. For variety we took the train one day to the Italian region, the banana belt of Switzerland.

They speak four languages in this small county. German is dominant but there are substantial minorities of French and Italian speakers and an ancient language called Romanch is making a comeback in the mountains. Switzerland is the most together and civilized country I have ever been to. The only negative is their smoking policy. They warn everyone smoking will kill them and others, and then allow smoking everywhere.

We also spent 5 days in the South of France and enjoyed the food and differences, visiting some of the old fortress cities. Monaco is a whole country theme park, with class and style. Since they only have very limited land, they either go underground or reclaim more from the sea. It's spectacular.

The most convenient part of the trip however was being able to fly directly from Santa Rosa to LA on Horizon Air. They just started the service in March and the planes are almost full every day due to the pent up demand. We are seeing a lot more guests from the LA area now that it is more convenient to fly here. The flights also go to Seattle and hopefully soon to Portland and Las Vegas.

Baby Elliot is a beautiful and well behaved baby, as long as he is near his main source of food, Natalie. We saw him at 6 weeks of age and he was 8 weeks when we left. There was an amazing change in just two weeks. He is holding his head up regularly, very attentive to his surroundings and is smiling adorably. His parents are still thrilled and have adjusted to being on Elliot time, which means the world revolves around him.

Richard

Corky status

2007-04-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Corky had his first radiation treatment at Davis yesterday. He was greeted by the vet, radiology tech and vet student and treated as if he was a VIP. Even Susan was impressed that Corky was being left in good hands, though that didn't keep her from feeling terrible about not being with him. The Vet called us last night to report Corky tolerated the treatment beautifully and is doing well.

2007-04-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Our good friends and ex-innkeepers extraordinaire are here to get trained to be our innsitters when we go to Europe next week. We gave them the grand tour of our properties and I'm sure overloaded them with information. Our goal is to have Dick and Pat be us while we are gone. It will be wonderful to have someone else problem solve and it will be great for us to actually detach for a while. When we travel I am usually attached to my cell phone. This is a grand experiment for me in particular, since I like to be totally connected to the inn at all times. I'm trying to brace myself for the separation but am having some separation anxiety.
Richard