Page 40 - Sonoma County Gazette February 2017

January Weather:
Goodness have we be deluged with some crazy weather this month. It can be rather romantic dining via candlelight and turning o all devices such as phone, tv and internet. Sometimes a break from all social media is refreshing. I am ready for Spring. Spring in RN is going to be magical. Everything is going to be fresh, green, lush and beautiful.
Featured RN Artist: Donavan is an RN resident who has been painting since he was a child. He is self taught although he went to Chico State for a BA in communications at the Academy of Art University in SF where he studied commercial illustration. He has been working in the corporate world for over 25 years and is currently the Global Creative Director for an internet company in SF. He enjoys painting everything including global issues, people and botanicals. The painting featured is called “Creative Block”. It is a life size self
last class, Kathryn Henderson the Instructor was encouraging and helpful along with the class organizer Bevery
A related environmental concern deals with our winter air quality. Changing mindsets isn’t easy. The change requires moving from “I have lived in this rural area for years and I have a right to leave my inoperable vehicles and other garbage in my front yard, I can heat my house with damp wood as I see t, and I can burn my wet yard debris whenever I feel like it” to an understanding that we aren’t rural, we do have to abide by regulations, and we should be concerned with our e ects on our neighbors and our environment. Air quality in some areas can be terrible. Rio Nido is a good example.
Bird Misner. This is a two hour event with all materials provided...canvas, brushes, paint and instructions. The best part is you get to take home your masterpiece. Price is $20.00 plus an additional $10.00 if you would like a glass of vino and small bites to nosh on. The next class is in April. Look for signups at the RNR. Just a few folks in attendance (too many to list): Beverly Bird, Patty Bird, Linda/Jerry Hyndman, Cathy Debrito, Kerri Cardelli, Jackie Gail, Patty Bailey and many more. See you in April, I certainly cant wait!
Friends of Rio Nido (FRN): Just a small beauti cation update for those asking: It’s time to clean the street signs again. The FRN Board will send out an invitation for volunteers. Paint has been
already purchased for the RN Fountain. All we
The good news is that the solution is not di cult to obtain. When burning cleanly using dry seasoned wood with su cient air intake, there should be no visible smoke after initial start-up. A hot burn provides more heat for
less money. If you are interested in changing out your wood burning stove for either an EPA certi ed stove, a gas stove, a pellet stove, or even a highly e cient zero emissions heatpump, our local air quality district provides rebates. This year the rebate incentives are the best they have been for River residents. A low income River resident can obtain up to $6,000 in rebates which means less cost to heat your home, and the upgrade will probably be free as well. Even if you aren’t low income, the rebates are very good.
portrait that represents those times
in many artists life where they stall creatively and sometimes the solution is to articulate that moment in canvas. This painting currently lives in the home of known art collector Robert Miller.
Kudos to the County, local rst responders, and PG&E for going above and beyond to help us get through the storms safely. We were fortunate that we barely escaped worse damage. Kudos also to Clean River Alliance and volunteers that clean up our area to protect our river.
Art Salon at RNR: The second Art Salon was held on Saturday, 1/14 in the inside patio of the RNR. This event has become exceptionally popular with a waiting list. There were 29 people in attendance with
There is renewed hope in the air that with the help of the county we will now have a government that will be more proactive in dealing with our local issues. Lynda Hopkins is concerned about the environmental degradation that occurs here and is interested in taking “proactive steps to reduce Russian River pollution”. A lack of responsive enforcement by PRMD has led to the buildup of abandoned vehicles, debris, garbage, toxic materials, etc. that eventually end up in our river during times of ooding. The solution is not to continue holding River clean-ups, but to make sure the problem is cleaned up now and that the county takes proactive steps to insure it doesn’t continue. Having inoperable or abandoned vehicles and other trash on private property is prohibited. It degrades property values and degrades the environment. We can expect better.
a planned max of 25. Unfortunately, people had to be turned away due to space constraints. I encourage you to sign up in advance to make sure you are on the list. Contact the RNR. Again the class painted a landscape in acrylics, this time a wooded
scene from Sea Ranch. Also like the
need to do is wait for a dry spell and voila, the Beauti cation of the fountain will begin. How exciting! I remember painting it a few years ago.
RN Garden: Please contact Seneca if you can assist with maintenance. The garden has been a bit beat up from our wet winter.
Rio Nido Pet of the Month
This is Harriet. She lives on Willow Road. She
is a four year old Tabby. Harriet was adopted as
a kitten from the Sonoma County Animal Shelter. She was probably born feral, she is a bit crazy but is starting to settle into the pleasures of domestication. She enjoys sitting in front of the replace, enjoys playing with her Yoda toy, playing soccer with the foil ball from our local 5 & 10 store, digging in the yard and sitting on laps. Lets all give Harriet a big RN welcome.
40 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 2/17
The Russian River Alliance (including Monte Rio and Guerneville Community Alliances) is working with our air quality district, our county government, and our residents to improve our air and water quality. It is much easier to be proactive than reactive, and we expect good things to come shortly for our environment and our quality of life for our residents, businesses, and tourist.
Vacation Wonderland. We just keep getting better.