Whitegate Inn Blog

RSS Feed Homepage

Corky update
2007-06-04 18:58:00
Corky had his check up in Davis last week. He passed and is healthy and happy. He even remembered his Doctor and X-ray tech and was pleased to see them again. By the way he acts I don't think he felt his treatments were traumatic. It was just another way to get attention. He has lost a lot of hair on his leg but it seems to be healing well.This is the first time I've traveled with him overnight. He is the perfect traveler and now I can see why we have so many guests coming to Abigails with their beloved dogs.Corky does have one crazy habit which we can scarfing. He likes to literally wrap himself around the neck of the driver, squeeze hard and just hang on. It's funny as long as you're not in traffic.Richard
More About: Update

Truckee, Grass Valley and Davis
2007-06-04 18:45:00
The past two weeks I have been traveling the state exposing the world to Esterlina wines. I'm having a great time meeting new people and seeing new areas. In past travels I just drove through on the boring highways. Now I have the time to actually get to know an area, walk the streets and absorb the differences.Truckee, for instance, is more than a spot on an interstate which needs to be resurfaced. It is a vibrant community with an historic feel. There are also some great wine bars and restaurants.Grass Valley actually has a old town section with a variety of interesting shops and restaurants as does Auburn. So many of these towns have grown without preserving their character so it's rewarding to see areas which care about their history.Davi s is a college town with a nice leafly tree lined aspect. There are trails running for many miles next to the creek and arboretum. I even found a preserved redwood grove in the heart of town. I can see why many college graduates don't want to...
More About: Avis

Esterlina
2007-05-22 02:57:00
For the past several months I have been helping Este rlina market their exceptional wines in the surrounding areas. The wines are of the highest quality and sell themselves. The winery is owned by the Sterling family who just bought a second label, Everett Ridge, in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma.One of my ambitions for my next life is to be in some way affiliated with the wine business. I have no real desire to make wine and already have a leg up on the drinking part, but I have a real interest in the business side. I am really enjoying learning, meeting new people and exploring new areas.I've placed two bottles in each room and the response has been terrific.I'm also open to trades with wineries. I am able to increase my wine collection that way without spending the big bucks. I've traded with many Napa and Sonoma wineries during the past few years.So, if anyone reading this wants some fine Mendocino and Sonoma wine please contact me and I'll take care of you.Richard

Film Festival
2007-05-20 17:32:00
The second annual Mendocino Film Festival is winding down today. The improvement over last year was amazing and impressive. I personally say three films, two documentaries and one very wierd thriller. The first documentary was on global warming and it was better, or at least more entertaining, that the Gore piece. They used more humor, animation and real people's stories to make their points. The second documentary was about the 20 year life of a commune in MA - how the leadership and members evolved with the times and events - how it wasn't all about sex, drugs and rock and roll though that was not insignificant. I am thrilled at how well the festival is organized and managed and expect it to grow into a famous event each May.
More About: Film Festival

corky update
2007-05-15 03:36:00
Corky survived 16 radiation treatments with great humor and fortitude. He still chases his tail and wants to eat everything in sight. We are hopeful that he is fully cured.
More About: Update

We got back from Switzerland Thursday. Jet lag was...
2007-05-14 17:32:00
We got back from Switzerland Thursday . Jet lag wasn't as bad coming this direction even though the 12 hour flight from Zurich to Los Angeles was as long as I ever want to be on a plane again. We flew Swiss Air and the food and service were exemplary.We spent quite a bit of time in Zurich and found it to be a beautiful and interesting city, very easy to navigate, at least on foot and public transit. We also went to the far Eastern part of the country where the major ski resorts are located and it is just drop dead gorgeous - like the travel posters. For variety we took the train one day to the Italian region, the banana belt of Switzerland.They speak four languages in this small county. German is dominant but there are substantial minorities of French and Italian speakers and an ancient language called Romanch is making a comeback in the mountains. Switzerland is the most together and civilized country I have ever been to. The only negative is their smoking policy. They warn everyon...
More About: Back , Witz

Corky status
2007-04-17 17:15:00
Corky had his first radiation treatment at Davis yesterday. He was greeted by the vet, radiology tech and vet student and treated as if he was a VIP. Even Susan was impressed that Corky was being left in good hands, though that didn't keep her from feeling terrible about not being with him. The Vet called us last night to report Corky tolerated the treatment beautifully and is doing well.
More About: Status , Stat

Our good friends and ex-innkeepers extraordinaire ...
2007-04-17 17:09:00
Our good friends and ex-innkeepers extraordinaire are here to get trained to be our innsitters when we go to Europe next week. We gave them the grand tour of our properties and I'm sure overloaded them with information. Our goal is to have Dick and Pat be us while we are gone. It will be wonderful to have someone else problem solve and it will be great for us to actually detach for a while. When we travel I am usually attached to my cell phone. This is a grand experiment for me in particular, since I like to be totally connected to the inn at all times. I'm trying to brace myself for the separation but am having some separation anxiety.Richard
More About: Friends , Good , Extra , Dina , Ends

Spring
2007-04-10 17:15:00
Spring is really here. If we had a dollar for every person who has taken pictures of the flowering cherry trees next door we would be wealthy. As a frustrated farmer, I am pleased to note that my red currants, strawberries, apples, kiwis and blueberries are all popping with buds. I think our cold spell in January really helped them all set.We got some bad news last week. Our miracle dog Corky had a growth removed from his leg and the biopsy was bad. We're taking him to the Vet school at UC Davis today to see what they can do to keep it from spreading. At first pass they thought he could be cured with radiation and could live a normal life span. We are hopeful. He is the ultimate survivor.Susan has been on more fire calls than I can count this week. There was even a real structure fire but most have been medical emergencies. Unfortunately there were two deaths in four days. The first was an abalone diver who was found face down in the ocean and couldn't be revived. The second was ...
More About: Spring

On March 8th we became new first time grandparents...
2007-03-28 19:27:00
On Marc h 8th we became new first time grandparents. Our son Justin and his wife Natalie had their first child, Eliot Reed Strom. They are living in Zurich this year but the Swiss are stingy with citizenship so Eliot will not have two passports. For those of you thinking of having a baby overseas, I recommend Switzerland. They keep the mothers in the hospital for at least 5 days for a normal birth. They fed the parents gourmet food and they felt they were in a first class hotel and didn't want to leave. Of course, now they are home trying to figure out schedules and getting into the swing of the parenting thing.Susan and I will be visiting Eliot and his parents the end of April. We can't wait.On the inn front, we have been busy with a lot of advance reservations for the spring. Our new innkeeper Dixia, a French import who also speaks Spanish and Italian, is a great addition to our innkeeping family. It's always great to have someone view the business with new eyes and ideas.I am s...
More About: Time , Grand , Rent

Whale Festival
2007-03-04 21:13:00
Yesterday we had another successful Whale Festival in Mendocino and at the Whitegate Inn in particular. We had about 250 people visit us for some excellent wine poured by Cole Bailey Vineyards and the best food around. We served dates wrapped in bacon, rugelach, baked brie wrapped in pastry and stuffed with cranberry or carmelized onions. We also had extravagant fruit trays and other goodies. People said we easily had the best spread in the Village. The weather also was perfect, bright sun, no clouds and balmy tempertures.The weekend was also special because some of our favorite repeat guests were visiting, Larry and Pam Youngman. They brought two other couples with them and we all enjoyed each other. Larry is as much into wine (or more so) as I am and I always look forward to sharing his new special finds. Tonight it will be my turn to try to wow him with my special wines.The new web site is being very well received though more than one person thought my innkeeper Katharine was my...
More About: Hale

New Web Site Launch
2007-02-13 02:47:00
Today we unveiled our new web site. It's been a work in progress for months. We tried to make it exceptional, even hip, but still exuding the feel of the Whitegate Inn, the romance, Victorian decorating, the magnificent views and gardens. It was hard to come up with the modern/old look and feel but we think we did it. Please let us know your opinions.Mendocino has really charmed our hearts. I'm sure many of the future entries by me will seem sappy to those in the cities and suburbs (the real world?), but they will be sincere. We are sincerely blessed to live here and being able to make so many new friends month after month. This is a constant learning experience, and for an eclectic guy like me, there is nothing better as long as the conversation is stimulating and the wine excellent. Both are the norms.I look forward to a dialog with as many of you as possible. Stay tuned.Richard
More About: Site , Launch , Web site