idlewood 3…

Flying Kites and Flying Umbrellas
Spring – a time for flying kites and flying umbrellas. Send your breezy newsy tidbits to Idlewood 3…” at

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. Idlewood was the original telephone exchange for Healdsburg. Now, “Hedda Healdsburg” wants to know all!
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Art lovers who braved the El Nino rain and Barrel Tasting traffic to trundle over to Levin & Co. enjoyed the reception for California Impressionist Lenona Winter, at the Upstairs Gallery. Guests were rewarded with a sunny display of her romantic oils. The plein air, still-lifes and landscape scenes included “The Sea and Wildflowers” and “Taylor Mountain Morning.” “Despite the weather, it was a lovely reception,” said Lenona. About 50 people attended for a bit of color and fun on a rainy day.
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Congratulations to Holly Hoods at the Healdsburg Museum. She was recently named as their Executive Director, in addition to her ongoing role as Curator. Her dedication and talents are oh-so-appreciated.
Congrats, too, to Phillip Rea, our new Mr. Healdsburg. His talent portion certainly clinched the title for him. You can find the original song that he wrote for the pageant, “That’s Just Healdsburg,” on YouTube, if you haven’t seen or heard it yet. Phillip’s first scheduled appearance is leading the St. Patrick’s Day early o’clock parade; it’s also his first St. Pat’s parade here ever! Looking ahead, he said, “I’ll be at the FFA and Howl-o-ween parades. And, Spoonbar is going to design a cocktail for me, to be on their menu.” About his reign, Phillip added, “I’m really excited to get to talk to people I wouldn’t usually meet. It’s an opportunity.
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Bradford pear blossoms dusted North Street outside The Taste of Tea, and our spring spectacle was appropriate for the traditional, Japanese, March 3 “Girls’ Day Festival” doll exhibit there. The elaborately costumed dolls with tiny accessories honoring girls represent the Imperial court of Japan. Miniature chests, cherry blossom and orange trees, urns, arrows, pots and even an ox filled the scene. Perched on seven tiers, each level represented a part of palace life, with the top row holding figures of the Emperor and Empress. The magnificent set has been in her family for over 35 years, said Taste of Tea’s General Manager Tai Tokugawa. “It’s been packed away,” said Tai. “This is the first time I’ve seen it.” They plan on sharing it with us annually in March, from now on.  
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It was a bonny birthday celebration at the Camellia Inn in honor of the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. The Inn has hosted this dinner for over 20 years. They transformed the Inn back to the 1700s and turned the dining room and double parlors into a banquet hall. Award-winning highland bagpiper Malcom Robertson read Burns’ epic poem “Tam o’ Shanter,” and was joined by a fiddler and harpist for the musical entertainment. Malcom also performed the traditional “piping in the haggis.” Rod Cameron, with his amazing knowledge of Burns, was the Master of Ceremony. It was a great evening of food, music and conviviality. As Camellia Inn owner Lucy Lewand said, “It was a magical night.”
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The annual Science Fair at the Villa, sponsored by AAUW, was filled with creative and ingenious projects by local students. The lobby had three large Rube Goldberg inventions, while the side rooms held table-top experiments. Long gone are the old baking soda-vinegar volcanoes. Today’s exhibits were wondrous with eye-catching graphics and titles: Flaming Hot Firewood, by Connor Browning; Temperatures of Color, by Jessica Welch and Evelyn; Gummy Bear Expansion by Maria Vasquez; The Angel’s Share by Katy Conrad; Preferred Paw, by Nayeli Magdaleno…and hundreds more. It bodes well for our future, to see these young scientists at work.
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Spring brings us daffodils and celebrity sightings. Actresses Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and their pals stayed for a long weekend in Alexander Valley last month.
See you at another traditional sign of spring in Healdsburg, the Palm Sunday Kiwanis pancake breakfast at the Villa. Yum!
Marie Butler is a freelance writer and a full-time Healdsburg resident for over 28 years. Growing up, she spent delightful summers at her family’s Del Rio Woods home and had an Idlewood number. She is the author of the children’s book: “Herbie – A Toy’s Adventures in Healdsburg” and other stories and articles.