Happy New Year's!

It’s almost that time; time to make your New Year’s Resolution(s)! If you’re anything like me, a New Year’s Resolution rarely lasts until the following New Years…. Or even to the end of March! That could potentially have less to do with the resolution maker than the resolution itself. “Eat Healthy”, a common choice, but what does it really mean? No processed foods? No soda or fast food? “Get in Shape”; this resolution is the reason Gyms are so full the first few months of the year. But as time goes on, people stop going to the gym, for various reasons. For one, that is not a FUN resolution. It sounds more like a chore. “Get in shape” is much different than “run a marathon” or “Climb Mt. Whitney” (almost 15,000 feet!). Both these things are tangible goals that you can actually accomplish, that take training, devotion and focus to complete. “Eat Healthy” or “Get in Shape” are things that don’t really have an end, and therefore are harder to follow through on. They can be a lifestyle change, but as New Year’s resolution goes, I think we can all choose better!
I’ve decided I want to live a richer life. That is of course quite vague. To accomplish this goal, I’ve decided that my New Year’s Resolution is to try something new at minimum once a week. I’ve already decided I’m going to try Zumba, a Latin music based fitness routine, as well as make my own lasagna. Coming up with something new, that I actually have an interest in doing (no skydiving for me!), will take a little more creativity than I normally use, but any suggestions are welcome!
I hope regardless of what your resolutions are, or even if you decide not to make any, that you have a full, rich, happy 2010!

Best Time To Visit Wine Country

The Healdsburg area (which of course includes the three wine valleys, Dry Creek, Alexander and Russian River) has around 150 wineries. With that many great local wineries nearby, there’s almost always some type of event occurring, from Seghesio’s Vineyards Winter Truffle Dinner in January, to their Sausage making day in December, or the Healdsburg Jazz Festival in June, or Kendall Jackson’s Heirloom Festival in October. Wine Road (www.wineroad.com) posts events as they hear about them on their website, and the Healdsburg Chamber also posts events (www.healdsburg.com). These are good sites to keep an eye on when trying to decide when the perfect time to visit Healdsburg is.

There is never really a BAD time to visit. This past month we had near record breaking lows of 30s in the day and in the teens at night, but that is a VERY rare occurrence here, and is mild compared to what a lot of guests experience at home! Winter is actually a great time to visit wineries. With the harvest in, and bottling well under way, the winery staff, and wine makers, have more time to visit with guests. A twenty minute tasting can easily turn into a two hour long tour and explanation of their history and wine making process. It’s also easier to get dinner reservations last minute, if you don’t want to commit to anything in advance!

The favorite time of year for many is of course Harvest, September and October. There’s always workers scurrying around wineries, bringing grapes in, sorting them, crushing, etc, and a lot of wineries will let visitors participate, and many also have Harvest parties this time of year as well. This year Michel-Schlumberger had a series of Harvest Luncheons, catered by various local restaurants, that were a huge hit and sure to return in 2010!

If you’re a regular visitor to the area, you may already know what events you want to attend again, or maybe for the first time. What better reason to take advantage of our ‘Plan Ahead’ special (http://honormansion.com/member/firstTimeSpecials.asp), where if you book in 2009 for 2010, you’ll get a 20% discount! There are very few restrictions to this (just a few holidays and specific events), so almost any event you’re looking to attend will fall under the time frame of this special! But there is only a few days left in 2009, so call A.S.A.P!!!

The Holidays in Healdsburg

If you’re anything like me, you’re not quite ready for Thanksgiving (tomorrow!) let alone Christmas. Luckily, Healdsburg is here to help you get ready! With lots of holiday festivities in the area, what better way to jump start your holiday shopping then a trip to Wine Country?
This Friday Healdsburg is hosting their annual Downtown Holiday Party. Shops will be open later (until 9:00p.m.!), with little extras for you while you shop including wine, refreshments, live jazz and horse drawn carriage rides. Just outside of town, Bella Vineyards is having their Thanksgiving Weekend holiday party, with live music, food, and holiday gifts (11/27 &28). To keep the festive shopping weekend going, the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market is also hosting an arts and crafts fair (9a.m.-12p.m.). Saturday night, drive just 10 minutes north to Geyserville to enjoy their 2nd annual holiday tree lighting party, with music, refreshments, Santa, as well as ways to donate gifts for the holiday season. Sunday night, head back to downtown Healdsburg for their annual tree lighting at 5:00p.m.

Can’t make it to Healdsburg this weekend? There is still plenty to do and see prior to Christmas. To get in the holiday spirit of giving, December 3rd is the annual Dining Out for Life, where many of the local restaurants donate a percentage of the night’s proceeds to Food For Thought. December 4th is the last First Friday Art Walk in the 15 downtown Healdsburg galleries. If you missed the Holiday Party on November 27th, you can still head to the Santa Saturday December 12th, where the local merchants will be serving festive refreshments and more holiday specials for that last rush of shopping before Christmas!
This just brushes the edge of all the great holiday options in Healdsburg this time of year, as there are far too many to fit here! Be sure to check out www.healdsburg.com for more information on any of these, as well as other activities!
Another VERY important site this time of year is the Wine Road, who has put together a list of holiday hours for a majority of the local wineries, so you know whether you’re favorite winery is opened or closed while you are in Healdsburg during the holidays! http://www.wineroad.com/images/pdfs/holiday-hours-09.pdf

A little history....

The original owner was the Squire Butcher who built the mansion in 1883 after striking it rich during the Gold Rush. His daughter, Bertha, married Henry Honor. Their son Herbert Honor became a doctor, married a doctor named Vera, and in 1958 the couple began to use the mansion as their home base to practice medicine. They used the South Wing as their practice (which is now the Pool Suite and Garden Suite), and remodeled the mansion into three apartments; one to live in and two to rent out. In 1991, after having the Mansion in their family for 108 years, the Honor's sold the home to Joe & Linda Forest. For three years they used the home as a vacation rental, but sold to the current owners, Steve & Cathi Fowler, in 1994.

The Fowlers converted the three apartments into a bed and breakfast, renovating and decorating every inch of the home, as well as the surrounding property. It began with five rooms in the main house. As time went on they had the opportunity to renovate the 'carriage house' into what is now the Squire's Cottage, as well as a huge project of turning the water tower into a two level suite, the Tower Suite, which is one of the most unique and sought after rooms on the property.

In 1997, the Fowlers had the opportunity to purchase the property immediately behind the existing Honor Mansion Property. With this area, they increased the property to almost 4 acres. With lots of time, effort and love they transformed the property into the resort grounds you can see today, including 2 bocce ball courts, croquet, a PGA putting green, tennis and basketball court. They also acquired two buildings with the purchase, which have become the four Vineyard Suites, bringing the total of rooms to 13.