Out and About in the Neighborhood
Celebrating Mustard Season
You don’t have to ride your bike or drive very far from home to see the many fields filled with mustard this time of year. Their bright yellow color warms your heart even on a gloomy day. To celebrate this beautiful season, the Napa Valley has honored the special plant with an annual Mustard Celebration. To start the celebration, the town of Yountville hosted the community to an experience in the Heritage Room with wine, appetizers and local vendors offering specialty foods and crafts available for purchase.
This year, the Mustard Celebration Photo Finale is being exhibited in the Steve Rogers Gallery. The exhibit is the brainchild of Michael (MJ) Schaer, who also mounted the photographs with the help of his wife, Yountville Arts Commission Chair Ronda Schaer. You would be amazed at how many of the photos take mustard to a new level.
Viewed anonymously by a panel of expert judges, MJ Schaer and Susan Segal’s photographs were among those receiving well-deserved honors. MJ’s “La Chevre Moutarde” received a first-place ribbon in the animal/pet category and Susan’s “Liquid Gold #2” came in second place in the innovative category. Stop by the gallery through March 25 and vote for your favorite photos for the People’s Choice Award. Town Staffer Katelyn Huss met me and my student Jonathan Gomez in the gallery to see the exhibit and cast our votes.
Molly’s Angel’s Crab Feed
Much has already been written about the crab feed but I wanted to add my two cents. In addition to benefitting a great cause – supporting the needs of seniors in the valley – the evening was a joyous celebration of community. Having served for a few years in the Yountville Kiwanis Club, I was uncertain if the venerated crab extravaganza previously sponsored by the club, would continue its successful run. But Devereaux Smith, Yountville resident and CEO of Molly’s Angels, stepped up to host the benefit on behalf of her organization and the special event returned. Boyd Dennington, Phil Wright and Samantha Holland, former Kiwanis members, continued their help with cooking and fundraising support. Iren Jenny and Steven Miller worked on the cake and confection raffle. On a personal note, it was a wonderful way to extend my birthday weekend.
Super Bowl in the Lounge
Thanks to the town of Yountville for making the Super Bowl broadcast available in the Locals Lounge adjacent to Yountville Fit. Without a Super Bowl party to attend or a big screen TV, we were delighted to learn we could watch the game in the comfort of this cozy space. Town representative Jose Moreno made it all possible by cueing up the broadcast. There were a handful of folks at the start of the game and a few more arrived to watch the half-time show.
It was great to catch up with Patti Neumann. Christine Chapdelaine recorded our ratings of the various commercials. I came to the conclusion that I am not in the target market for most of those advertisers. On the big screen, a lot of the ads looked very frenetic, and I could hardly figure out the advertiser until the very end. I rated many of these a 1 or 2 out of a maximum 5 points.
It was nice to meet Dave and Pam McCarthy who just bought a home in the Vista condos. Unfortunately, they will not be moving from their Minnesota digs until their home here is remodeled. But Dave mentioned Yountville was looking like the best place to move in retirement and I wholly agreed.
With all the controversy over the half-time show with Bad Bunny, I thought it was very entertaining. The music, dancing, costumes and sets were lots of fun to watch, and I enjoyed the show much more than the game!
Mona’s Eyes – An Extraordinary Novel
For those of you who are readers and art lovers, you will undoubtedly find the new book by French art historian Thomas Schlesser an incredible study of art and human nature. “Mona’s Eyes” is Schlesser’s first book translated from the French into English. Over the course of one year, a grandfather shares some of the world’s greatest art masterpieces with his granddaughter, Mona. The book is divided into three parts covering works in the Louvre, Orsay and Beaubourg museums. Ronda Schaer and I are reading the book in individual parts to immerse ourselves in Mona’s story and the interpretations of each piece of art. The book jacket includes color photos of all the artworks. If you check the book out of the Yountville Library, please make sure you can remove the book jacket in order to see all the pieces described in the story. You will get an education in art history and appreciate the life lessons that are a central theme of this remarkable novel.
Worth Mentioning
Congratulations to Kelly Carter for winning second prize in the Napa Valley Writers
2025 Prose contest, “The Path Not Taken. I’ve known Kelly for a while, but her essay adds more insight into to her life journey. You can find her story on napavalleywriters.org.
Welcome Hector Sanchez to the Yountville Parks & Rec Advisory Commission. He will join Chair Alan Tenscher, Vice Chair Vincent Courtney, Terry Bremer and me, bringing his unique perspective to the commission as a young parent.
A big shout out to returning pickleballers Marilyn Cardone, Angelika Wieling, Jan Horn, Patricia Reis and Kim Digardi. After a hiatus for various reasons, they’re back on the courts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Marilyn also encouraged stepson Marty Cardone to get involved and he is a very capable “newbie.”
Join the Yountville Library for “Tile Tuesday” weekly at 2 p.m., a growing Mah Jongg group spearheaded by library associate Rebecca Simon and volunteer Lisa Taylor. They tell me Mah Jongg is the new pickleball!
Last but not least, Jim and I did our annual mid-winter trip to Southern California. We enjoyed Balboa Island for the first time, Hearst Castle after many years and a relaxing stay in Cambria. Always nice to get away but good to be back home.
Feel free to send me your good news at [email protected]. I hope you had a happy and loving Valentine’s Day!
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