Suburban Homestead

Dinner in Croatia

I wanted to share some images of a simple but incredibly delicious meal we shared together when we first arrived in Croatia. It was a tiny spot in Lovran, a small coastal town in Istria, called Wine Bar Loza. The area is known for its wines and truffles, however this night, we shared a plate of mixed cheeses and cured meats, a basket of *grandma's bread*, and a side of salted cod pate. To call any Croatian meal *locally harvested* or *sustainable* would be redundant, I gather. I get the feeling that it goes without saying - when you sit down at a restaurant in this part of the world, your food did not travel far to get to your table. I hope you can both see and taste this with these photos taken while dining beneath a walnut tree, listening to church bells chiming and savoring the local traditions.

I Heart Antiques

On my way into the Petaluma Seed Bank the other day, I was stopped in my tracks while looking into the window of Chelsea Antiques. I have a real soft spot for 20th century Americana and this place has a lot of it. Here's a snippet of what I saw:

21 metal basket bookshelf, $780

I love everything here a little bit, but I love those two wire baskets with handles A LOT! $40/each.

I'm not quite sure what these adorable panels were used for, possibly scenery for a child's play?

This sculptural polar bear bookshelf really caught my eye! It's by the French company ibride and was on sale for $2400, marked down from $3400. Wow! I did some research on it when I got home and discovered it's just a few years old, released in 2009. I also found it new for $1800, if you're interested. ;)

I heart antique produce scales. Would love one in my kitchen!

Donkey and metal arrow sign.

Vintage carnival signs.

Zinc bottle carrier from France.

Not the best picture but I loved this rusted out old automobile grill. Sometimes the strangest things can make really striking and affordable wall art.

Chelsea Antiques

148 Petaluma Blvd N.,

Petaluma, CA

707-763-7686

Wordless Wednesday

Our House In The Wine Country

It's, of course, not really *our* house, it's just the one we were lucky enough to rent for a week.

We've been home now for five days, school has started and routines are starting up again. But I can't stop thinking about our lil' Italian Staycation, and I still have lots of post.

I wanted to share some images I snapped right as we arrived, before there were wet towels dropped on the floor, crumbs on the counter or wasps swarming the patio.

The property is super, duper funky. There is the main house with a living area and two bedrooms. Next door is a converted carriage house with four more rooms for sleeping.

I love the long farm table and all the random artifacts adorning every un-upholstered surface. ;)

A room in the carriage house with these great profiles that were painted by a local artist (or so I'm told).

I wish I took more pictures of all the interesting objects. Here is a beautiful floral piece, originally from a phonograph, resting on a nightstand below a Mucha poster.

The converted carriage house - or at least, that's what I'm guessing it is. There is a row of French doors that look to be placed exactly where carriage doors might once have been. Corrugated metal roofs make me smile.

More art - a giant cricket!

The view from the pool area, looking up some Romanesque stairs to the main house.

The best angle to view the pool....

A Great Garden Store

Right on Dry Creek Road, conveniently located between Big John’s Market and The Dry Creek General Store, is a wonderful gardening store where you can find some really unique items for outdoor living areas.

The Gardener, reveals little about itself from the road, except for its very creative and inviting signage which backs up against a large hedge.

 

Nestled down at the bottom of a small, slopped driveway is a treasure trove of colorful ceramic pots and wind chimes, artsy hand-build tomato cages and sculptural art, couture homesteaders furniture, and lots of ideas to steal for one’s own garden.

Here are my favorites:

An interior shot of the store showcasing this beautiful pendant lamp - one of the many products they sell that re-purposes wine barrel materials.

The baby toddler attaches himself to aluminum baskets that would be great as a laundry hamper, toy bucket or towel holder.

Here is a great design that I think I'm going to have to steal for my own garden - tall raised beds. My aching back is already feeling better! And some simple, rusty rods, secured in a grid with wire, offer a great place for vines travel up.

I just loved this over-sized, sturdy picnic table. It might not seem like much, but when I've looked online for a picnic table for our own yard, I've never found anything this solid looking. I fell in love with the yellow pot too!

Beautiful water feature.

Love, love, love this chair. It is so unique, colorful and comfortable. Unfortunately, it isn't cheap so I hugged it goodbye. ($425)

This canopy was so cool. It's a product they use to carry but do not anymore. Unlike anything I've ever seen offered for the garden at Bed, Bath and Beyond. ;)

I fell for these and bought three. They are tomato cages made of old wine barrels ($45/each)!!  What's best about them is that they serve as sculptural art in your yard when tomatoes are out of season. Apparently a local man use to make them but no longer does. They have one left - grab it while you can!

More sculptural art from wine barrels.

Potted succulents serve as art!

A colorful lounge chair.

Italian Staycation - Day 6 - Italian Groceries

The most amazing grocery store I have ever had the pleasure to shop in, is right here in Healdsburg. Big John's Market, right off Hwy 101 on Dry Creek Road, is so amazing that we are all planning on making it our last stop out of town so we can stock up on all the unique foods!

What makes Big John's so special is that not only does it have everything a *normal* grocery store would, it has a wealth of never-before-seen imported and locally produced artisan foods.

These mini burgers are neither - but I had to try some!!!

I will likely never have a need to buy Italian cookies, but if I do, I know where to come for a good selection!

We made pesto pasta the first night (not from scratch - I'm on vacation!) and I was floored to read this label, boasting a residential address just blocks from my moms house!  Who knew there were people manufacturing food in their apartment kitchens!

I don't know why anyone thinks we need to burn fossil fuel, importing butter from Italy... what's wrong with the butter we got here? But interesting nonetheless.

I picked up some of these simple syrups for coffee, Mojitos and special kids drinks.

Beautiful chicken label.

I needed some hot fudge for a mud pie I made and Big John's selection was huge! Of course I reached for the most exotic bottle, seeing as I'm easily romanced by labels. As I held this one up to snap a photo, a woman walked by and said, "That is the best hot fudge!"  So into my basket it went.

Just too darn cute not to photograph!

Community Olive Oil Press at McEvoy Ranch

Yesterday was my ideal winter's day.  The air was calm and crisp, and the sky was dark with the clouds of a storm in the making.  The conditions were perfect for picking every last olive off our tree before heading to McEvoy Ranch for their community milling day.

With somewhere between 10 and 20 lbs. of fruit, we packed the family into the car and drove up north to Petaluma for a new kind of adventure, as well as some quality time with good friends.

The ranch is tucked away off the main road and over the hill.  One would easily miss it if unmarked.  But once you turn down the driveway and wind your way around the property you begin making your way to a very enchanting spot. Up over the hill is 80 acres of orchards, pond and milling facility. It has more of a spa retreat feel to it than it does of a working ranch. Then again, this is the wine country. Secret spots of *splendor* are never hard to come by.

After checking in and being weighed, our olives were added to the community bin. All the olives in the bins were so small compared to ours, which were massive, glossy and juicy. I have no idea if any of these characteristics elevate our olives to a higher status then the others, but I've convinced myself that it does and that I'm most certainly responsible for it.