Snapshot

"Look! It’s a two-eagle barn!” That’s what Dick said to Jim after passing an old barn and estimating the width of its central opening in Golden Eagle wingspans." - So begins Pierre Ratte's meander through history, philology, and ornithology in this week's 'Snapshot'...

Amazingly, lavender is in the mint family. Mint is known as a pick-me-up while lavender is a relaxant despite coming from the same botanical family: Lamiaceae.

'On cool days, their spot is on this hillock. On warmer summer days, their spot is beneath a shade tree. So regular are they, that anyone driving past the intersection of Mill Creek Road and Mill Creek Lane after 3pm will likely see them standing together or nuzzling...'

This bad baby rolled in from Colorado. It’s the Acela Monterra XL 6x6. The Bozeman, Montana-based company says it is “born from a desire to exceed current industry standards for reliability and durability.” Can’t even imagine an RV class for this thing...

The name of the comet comes from China’s Tsuchinshan Observatory, which means “purple mountain.” It was discovered in January 2023. A month later South Africa’s ATLAS telescope observed it. Hence, two names for the comet given the close timing of discovery.

"For over 30 years, my daily pour has been a latté. Some years ago, I took a latté art class in Seattle. While it’s not every day that hearts and recognizable shapes like the one above get poured, it’s often enough that it is intriguing. What will my coffee look like this morning?" asks Pierre Ratte.

Pumpkins have been associated with Halloween since the 1800s when vegetable-carving traditions accompanied Irish immigrants to America. But pumpkin carving on Halloween stems from Celtic traditions to ward off evil spirits with figure carvings on root vegetables.

"Lawn Tennis describes the game we know.," writes columnist Pierre Ratte. "It’s played on a tennis court, as opposed to Court Tennis, which is played in a courtyard. Confused? Let me explain..."

Pierre reflects upon chance, perhaps in recognition of casting a vote. In times past, leaving decisions to chance was not unusual. The practice is mentioned over 85 times in the Bible. In a famous instance, Judas’ replacement was chosen by lot.

New England has deciduous woods. Colorado has quaking aspens. And Sonoma County has its straw hills and live oaks framing red, yellow and green vineyards. Mixed together, it's home.