out we go Archives - until suburbia!

Explore your local library

August 11, 2023August 11, 2023Silvia

Libraries offer much more than books to borrow. The Woodland public library teamed up with the Obama Foundation to show off their amazing programs: getting a pass for a national park, getting a backpack with nature activities, attending book clubs in English and Spanish, and being able to work in a maker space, Square One.

Woodlands public library is one of the few Carnegie built libraries that are still being used as a library. I already made you aware of the excellent rose garden, and the kids reading program on Saturdays during the farmers market. But did you know they also have Henrietta, the library cat?

Square One, the maker space in the basement, offers laser cutting, screen printing, 3d printing, woodworking, and much more. You must have a valid Woodland library card. And, you have to participate in a workshop in order to use some of the equipment.

Woodland’s library is doing a great job engaging the community. However, I’m sure if you explore your local library you will most definitely find more than books to keep you busy.

What programs does your local library have?

Check out the instagram post the library did with President Obama.

And their amazingly creative tik tok account (especially for updates on Henrietta):

https://www.tiktok.com/@woodlandpubliclibrary

Gift some Zinnia Flowers, Woodland, CA

July 7, 2023July 7, 2023Silvia

I remember when I volunteered at the Mountain View food bank (CSA) every time we had flowers to give out, these were the most precious items that day. Gifting flowers is something the Mezger family in Woodland understands very well. They provide the zinnia patch on the outskirts of Woodland. This is a give-it-forward patch. You can pick a bouquet of zinnias and you are asked to pick one for someone else, who is not able to come and pick their own. Check out their facebook page to follow the announcement when the zinnias are ready to pick, usually at the end of June until September. I love this concept so much! Thank you, Mezger family!

Some tips for zinnia picking. First, please note that the field has moved. It’s now located at 11990 County Rd. 96, Woodland, CA 95695. We brought our own scissors, but saw that there were scissors on a table. A very important fact I learned was that zinnias don’t like to lay down. They do much better in a vase during transport (and obviously when at home). It doesn’t have to be fancy, just bring a high jar with a wide mouth (or more if you have many to share). There is a water station to fill up the jars. Just make sure they can sit upright in your car and don’t tip over! If you have a lot of vases, this might be the spot to donate them. And I’m sure the scissors will need to be replenished, too.

Zinnias attract a lot of pollinators, and it was pure joy to see the butterflies dance around. What a fantastic place and a generous family.

How to get there

To find the zinnias patch follow the signs attached to the blue boxes. Located at 11990 County Rd. 96 in Woodland. I did not see any opening hours, but there is a private driveway next to the patch, so please be respectful and don’t park there.

Have you picked zinnias at the Mezger’s before?

Trudge the Cache Creek Nature Preserve

June 9, 2023Silvia

Besides the 1.5 miles of hiking trails the Cache Creek Nature Preserve has also a Tending and Gathering Garden (TGG) and the Jan T. Lowrey Memorial Grove. The Tending and Gathering Garden provides educational space to teach cultural practices of the Wintun people. You can learn about controlled fires known as Good fire or Leok Po, in a workshop, or check out some weaving baskets that were left behind.

We started our hike at the wetland overlook. A calming place to take in the beauty of the area. On clear days you will be able to see the Anderson mountains located to the West. Next stop was the heron boardwalk, a pier that is in the middle of the wetland, with info signs on local birds. We only took the short loop through grassy land. Afterwards, we checked out the old barn with the impressive Hold Harvester tractor. And finally we saw the natural lawn mowers – a herd of sheep with a lot of lambs – decimating the landscape.

You can do yoga under the oaks Sundays at 8 am for $15. Further, there are guided nature walks; June 11th and July 9th starting at 9 am. These walks are free!

If you have little kids and live near Woodland you might want to check out the library’s Creek Explorers program. Every Monday from 10-11am, in June and July, the Putah Creek Council will teach children about the biodiversity of the Putah Creek.

The Cache Creek Nature Preserve is located at 34199 County Road 20 in Woodland. Hours are Sunday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The visitor center is currently closed.

A sign saying: 'The barking lot is occupied'

Take Care of an Animal

May 26, 2023Silvia

The last three weeks we were a medical foster family for Millie, a 2 year old husky mix. She’s been in the animal shelter since October of last year. Her dermoid, a condition that grew skin over her eyes, was removed a few weeks ago and paid for by the generous Friends of Yolo County Animal Services (YCAS). Now she is a beautiful, active doggy. I hope someone with a big yard and a furry sibling will adopt her soon.

I usually write more on sights to see, but I really wanted to introduce people to the idea of helping pets. After all, this is also a great way to spend your free time. And you will discover interesting parts of your neighborhood. You don’t need to adopt them (right away); there are lots of ways you can contribute. Shelters are overflowing right now with pets that became inconvenient after their people had to return to work, or it might be too expensive with a high inflation rate. Whatever the reasons, the shelters provide valuable care.

Here are some ways you can help:

Volunteer at the local shelter
I started a few months ago volunteering at the local animal shelter. It is a great way to spend time with dogs. You get to walk them, play with them, and connect with a new buddy.
Foster an animal
This is a short term commitment to give a pet a chance to be in a home and get more personal attention. [There is no shame in foster fails! Meaning if you decide to keep the animal after a short while this should be great news for everyone.]
Donate to your local shelter
You can make a monetary contribution, always welcome, and look for lists on the shelter’s website of things they might need, like towels, blankets or toys.
Spread the word
Use your social media presence to help get the word out and hopefully someone in your circle will see a pet they are interested in.

Yes, there are pitfalls to this, too. I am writing this after I returned Millie to the shelter yesterday. I know she is in good hands there, with a caring staff and volunteers. But even in these short three weeks we miss having her around. Yet we also know what Millie needs is a permanent solution. You can’t possibly help every pet. But the love you give will be returned; it means a lot to them to have human contact.

Do you volunteer? What areas do you like to give you time for?

Visit the Excellent Rose Garden in Woodland

May 5, 2023Silvia

The Carnegie Library in Woodland is on its own worth a visit. From the 121 libraries built by the Carnegie Corporation in California, from 1899 to 1917, 37 still operate as libraries. Since 1989 there is another attraction around the building, the rose garden. To be exact, this garden is composed of multiple rose gardens. In 1991 the Memorial Rose Garden was established. A year later the Perimeter Wall Garden opened up. Since 1998 the John A. Saltsman Garden has extended the gardens of the Library to the north and west.

With nearly 600 varieties of roses this is a delight for every rose lover. Furthermore, in 2015, they won the “2015 Garden of Excellence Award” by the World Federation of Rose Societies. It’s an incredible honor, overall there are only 11 US rose gardens that received this award. Other examples are: San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden, Sacramento Historic Rose Garden, and Biltmore Rose Garden.

Gregg Lowery, an antique rose expert, reveals that

”Their two plantings of Rosa primula represent the only correctly named specimens that I have encountered in gardens, both public and private, in the world.”

If you would love to learn more about how to cultivate roses you can join the group, meetings are every 2nd Saturday of each month, membership fee starts at $15. Every January they invite you to learn about pruning. Check out their web site for further events.

The Woodland Rose Garden can be found around the Woodland library, between College and Court.

Experience Yolo Snow

March 3, 2023Silvia

Last weekend was the Almond Festival in Capay Valley. A 108 year old tradition celebrating the beautiful sight of almond trees in bloom. I heard that the bloom is usually best experienced a week before the festival, around mid February. But maybe because of the unusual weather patterns we had, blossoms held off for a while. They are in full bloom now and it is a spectacular sight!

Going up Rd 16 you will go by small towns that offer various activities, local delicacies, arts and music. We went all the way to Rumsey and enjoyed getting to know the local farmers, were impressed with the art show, and will be back next year for their famous oven fired pizza. We had already decided to stop on our way back in Guinda for BBQ oysters offered by the volunteer fire department. At the Grange Hall, crafts were available and we savored our almond vanilla ice cream.

After we enjoyed the festivities I wanted to stop at an almond orchard and take a few pictures of the Yolo snow and the trees. This turned out to be more involved than we bargained for. Our car got stuck in the mud and it took us a long time to push it out on the road.

The Almond Festival of Capay Valley is always the last weekend in February.

Have you ever experienced Yolo snow?

Visit the Secret Redwood Grove, Jack Hume Grove, Vacaville

December 30, 2022Silvia

If you are looking for inspiration for a short hike near Vacaville to start the New Year, I can recommend the Jack Hume Grove as a very attractive destination. A part of Lagoon Valley Park, the Jack Hume Grove, is surprisingly quiet and calm. We walked by some disc golfers to reach the grove. The road that goes by it is being newly paved.

The grove is a tribute to Jack Hume, a conservative philanthropist and co-founder of Basic American Foods. He was best known as the world’s largest producer of dried onion and garlic.

The grove itself is not large but conveys the calmness one feels among redwoods. A few nicely constructed walkways give you a bit of an elevation change. The augmented waterwise plants on the rim of the grove and the dried up stream are interesting additions.

Overall this is more of a picnic destination than a workout place. Unless you decide to venture out of the grove and enjoy the mountainous paths or spend some time along the lagoon.

Lagoon Valley Park is located at 1 Peña Adobe Rd, Vacaville, near the I-80 exit of Peña Adobe Rd. Parking is $5 per day with options for a 6 month or year pass. You can use the Park Mobile app or use one of two pay stations, which accept exact cash or credit card payment.

There is currently construction on the way to improve the park. Please check the city’s website for updates.

If you are interested in seeing larger redwoods I highly recommend the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton.

Where will you hike on your First Day Hikes?

Historical Landmark sign with the Pena Adobe house in the back

Admire the Adobe Peña, Vacaville

November 5, 2022Silvia

If you are looking for a pitstop with a roadside attraction you should stop at the rest area on route 80 near Vacaville, Peña Adobe Park. The bathrooms are okay for a public park, but the location holds the oldest structure in Solano County!

The first settlers in the Lagoon Valley were the Vaca and the Peña family. Both houses were built in 1842, but only the Peña house remains. Vaca’s house was destroyed in an earthquake in 1892.

Next to the Peña house is an adobe oven, an early open air kitchen. In 1880 another kitchen was added. This little house is now the Mowers-Goheen Museum, showing off artifacts of the archeological dig that occurred in the 1960s. On the first Saturdays of each month February thru December from 11:00am – 2:00 pm, the Mowers-Goheen Museum is open and volunteers offer tours of the historical park.

The adjacent Willis Linn Jepson Garden is being restored by UC Davis. There are a lot of native plants in their beginning stages, and the signage promises a wide variety of plants.

Not surprisingly the archeology digs in the 1960s also found remains of indigenous peoples, who were buried in the Burial Grounds nearby.

If you can’t make it to the public tours you should check out the YouTube channel for the Peña Adobe Historical Society. While the house and the museum are only open on the first Saturday of the month, you can still peek into the windows on the first floor.

The nearby Lagoon Park charges $5 for parking; there is no charge or admission to see the historic park.

Resources

Peña Adobe Historical Society

https://www.penaadobe.org/

Eagle Scout Project by Jason Hanson, 2006

https://www.penaadobe.org/images/2017/eaglescoutpena.pdf

City of Vacaville

https://www.ci.vacaville.ca.us/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/20/991?locale=en

Learn about the Paradox Walnut, Woodland

October 29, 2022Silvia

Last week I wrote about the UC Davis Arboretum. 15 minutes north of Davis is Woodland, named by Gertrude Freeman in 1861 for the “wooded country about”.

Two weeks ago we did the landmark trees bike tour that was part of the annual Stroll Through History. Each September Woodland offers tours about historic buildings and has open houses. This historic rich city started their architecture oriented tours in 1989.

The bike tour, a new addition to the event, began at 10 am at City Park on the corner of Oak and Walnut. This is when we got to meet the Paradox walnut and learned about Luther Burbank’s gift to the city on Arbor Day in 1925.

In the late nineteenth century Luther Burbank, the renowned horticulturist and botanist from Santa Rosa, began his controlled crosses between walnuts. The Paradox walnut is a cross between the northern California Black walnut and the Persian walnut. He named it Paradox “because of the extremely fast growth and other ‘anomalies.’” (https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=301125)

In Burbank’s own words:

“As compared with seedlings of either the California or the Persian walnut, they manifested an enormously enhanced capacity for growth. Indeed they sprang forward at such a rate as presently to dwarf their pure breed relatives. The phenomenal growth of these hybrid trees continued year after year. The tree so far out-stripped all competitors in the matter of growth that it might fairly be said to represent a new type of vegetation. On this account, and in recognition of sundry other anomalies, I named them Paradox.” (http://www.lutherburbankonline.com/V2-C5.html) Burbank noted further the curious apple-like fragrance. The wood of the Paradox walnut is extremely hard and close grained, which is a further anomaly since it is such a fast growing tree.

In further research I learned that the Paradox walnut is now the most popular rootstock in California.

Do you know about any landmark trees in your area?

Resources:

Stroll Through History

https://strollthroughhistory.com/about-us/history/

Woodland Tree Foundation

www.woodlandtree.org

USDA Luther Burbank’s contributions to walnuts

https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=301125

Luther Burbank Online – The Royal Walnut

http://www.lutherburbankonline.com/V2-C5.html

Shovel Gateway, a public art installation marking the entrance to the Arboretum GATEway garden

Walk Among Trees, UC Davis Arboretum

October 21, 2022Silvia

The University of California Davis is well known as an agricultural university. The small city of Davis offers many things for students, locals, and visitors. The arboretum is one of the best places to hike within the city limits. It features a 3.5 mile loop passing California natives, Australian and East Asian collections and other gardens. In fact the UC arboretum website promises you over 20 places to explore!

Our exploration started at the UC parking lot 55, which is free on the weekends. If you plan to go during the week you have to download the parking app and daily parking is $15. The trail entrance has a nice garden with information signage and restrooms. If you are hiking the large loop like we did I found it convenient to break up the hike and have lunch downtown. The entrance to downtown is at the top of the trail, perfect for a halfway mark.

On our way back to the car we saw the barn. A restless stallion was watching over some young horses. A donkey with his eyes covered so the flies could not bother him was the closest animal we were able to observe.

Overall this is a pleasant 2 hour walk. The shady walkway is mostly paved, also inviting people on wheels. But there is an upper bike trail so bikes are a rare sight. Dogs are allowed on leash.

Have you been to the UC Davis Arboretum?

This Saturday, October 22nd and on November 5th, the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum have their plant sale fundraiser. They call it a festival-like event, and I am very excited to check it out.

The UC Santa Cruz arboretum and botanical garden is also a great place to explore.

While this post is not technically in the Bay Area, I will expand my blog to include Yolo county due to a recent move.