Boheme North Bay 2025

SOIRÉE SEASON

Wine,

weddings and wildflowers

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PUBLISHER

Rosemary Olson

EDITOR

Daedalus Howell

COPY EDITOR

Suzanne Michel

CONTRIBUTORS

Isabella Cook

Jeffrey Edalatpour

Kary Hess

Don R. Lewis

CREATIVE SERVICES

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Deb Fisher

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS MANAGER

Zk Bradley

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Jennifer Meyer

Jackie Mujica

Elena Razganov

Rowdy Tomkins

EDITORIAL GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Phaedra Strecher Heinen

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Lisa Marie Santos

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Danielle McCoy

Lynda Rael

Dianna Stone

CEO/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Dan Pulcrano

DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES

Cindy Couling

Boho Mojo

Why the North Bay still gets bohemia

There’s a certain kind of person who sees the word “bohème” and, like me, fears that the accent e-grave is going to explode how the text looks on a web browser. Which is to say, it will often look like this: “&#232,” which is also how cursing is depicted in cartoons.

This anxiety is the natural result of being an editor in the digital end and clearly symptomatic of the need to downshift into some actual bohemia before the &#232 hits the fan. Fortunately, that’s easy to do here in the North Bay, where la vie bohème is more than a whimsical notion—it’s an actual lifestyle choice.

When I first returned to the North Bay after years in the proverbial wilderness (Los Angeles), I stopped at a local farmstand to buy some farm-totable and left with an invitation to a backyard cello concert, two heirloom tomatoes and the number of someone who was hoping I’d help market their documentary on velocipedes (which I declined because I hate bugs, only to later learn they were early bicycles).

That was my reintroduction to the North Bay—where transactions are often the prelude to lasting connections, and everyone has a side hustle involving sourdough or short films.

That’s why this magazine exists. To document, celebrate and occasionally toast the people and places that make

this region the last bastion of functional bohemianism. Not the watered-down version sold on decorative throw pillows, but the kind steeped in ambition, authenticity and the occasional hangover from an art opening that ran late but poured generously.

We live in a region where a former barn can become a performance space, where an olive oil tasting can turn into a discourse on postmodernism and where your Pilates instructor is also an awardwinning poet. Yes, that one. This issue is full of such characters, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

So, if you’re one of us—or would like to be—read on. You’re in good company.

— Daedalus Howell, Editor

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Wine

START HERE

At a recent media seminar at St. Francis Winery and Vineyards, sommelier Christopher Sawyer teed up a selection of zinfandels representative of the area’s offerings.

Time

Because I’m a genius, I recently wore a white linen blazer to a wine tasting, which wouldn’t be an issue had the wine in question not been red.

In this case, the wine was zinfandel, which is often referred to as “America’s sweetheart grape” for reasons lost to the wilds of some marketing copywriter’s iCloud account but which likely have something to do with its juicy, intense flavors in youth that evolve into savory and complex notes with age. It’s a love that lasts.

Know what didn’t last? My jacket. Through some grace of the universe that I have yet to understand and certainly don’t deserve, I actually managed to imbibe and survive without my aforementioned Miami Vice fashion play looking like a butcher’s apron. I

knew I had gotten away with something and—out of deference to the almighty machinations of fate and my wife’s sartorial side-eye—I promptly returned the jacket to Nordstrom Rack, where fast fashion goes to die a slow death.

This particular event was part of the Pour + Explore tasting series courtesy of Sonoma County Vintners and the inimitable “sommelier to the stars,” Christopher Sawyer, host of the popular online wine show, The Varietal Show. Pour + Explore events pop-up throughout the year at various winery venues and showcase a different varietal.

Last spring, I attended what amounted to “Pinot Nirvana” at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor, which was a memorable experience, not least because some weirdo opined that my sideburns looked like those of chainsaw-wielding Argentinian President Javier Milei. When I joked that I was related to

Pour + Explore and som Christopher Sawyer for the vin

BY DAEDALUS HOWELL

the far-right politico (I’m not), the man volunteered some data about his professional relationship with him. Now, we’re both on a CIA watchlist—uh, thanks, man.

International intrigue aside, nothing could diminish the experience of tasting the offerings of more than 30 Sonoma pinot producers, who poured their hearts out into their wine and—even better—our glasses.

This isn’t just a wine-tasting—it’s a stroll through Sonoma terroir and winemaking passion, all of which is thoughtfully curated by Sawyer and paired with great bites such as succulent pulled-pork sliders—a tasty reminder that pigs and pinot are a perfect pairing.

The next Pour + Explore event commences Aug. 21 at Geyerserville’s Trentadue Winery. And even though it won’t yet be Labor Day—don’t wear white.

For more about Pour + Explore, visit sonomawine.com/pour-explore.

BY DAEDALUS

Oysters

& Scones

Exploring

art inspired by M.F.K. Fisher and baked goods in

Mill Valley

BY JEFFREY EDALATPOUR

The artists in Anthony Meier’s group show, “Consider the Oyster,” are united, not by their relationship to mollusks, but by a more ephemeral relationship to M.F.K. Fisher’s short book of the same name.

Throughout the work, published in 1941, Fisher writes lyrically about oyster facts and folklore, from the mollusk’s lifespan to its place in our collective and culinary imagination. She also includes several recipes and reminiscences about the various

BOOK STILL LIFE For ‘Consider the Oyster M.F.K. Fisher,’ artist Libby Black made an oyster in its shell, an oyster fork, a lemon wedge and a sprig of parsley out of paper, paint, pencil and glue.

preparations of dishes she’s enjoyed in which oysters are the star ingredient.

With the exception of Libby Black’s entry—a sculptural facsimile of the book itself—visitors to the gallery will have to make their own mental leaps to connect any actual or suspected dots between

TOKLAS COOKBOOK

Artist Libby Black’s ‘books’ are an endearing meeting place between sculpture and paintings. the works of art and Fisher’s prose. Carol Bove’s untitled sand dollar (2009), bleached white by the sun or by some other mysterious alchemical process, faces the viewer from its perch on a small brass stand. Because of its scale amongst the larger paintings and mixed media work, it takes on the appearance of a gift store knickknack, denuded of its imperfections.

When sand dollars, up from the depths, land on the shoreline, they’re rarely alive, and their skeletons are often broken and mottled gray. Bove’s antiseptic version of the echinoderm—not a mollusk—also suggests something antithetical to my understanding of Fisher’s work. And, apart from an oil painting, it emphasizes the underrepresentation of all things oceanic in the gallery.

The idea for “Consider the Oyster”

EXALTED ECHINODERM Carol Bove’s untitled sand dollar (2009), bleached white by the sun or by some other mysterious alchemical process, faces the viewer from its perch on a small brass stand.

comes from a love and admiration for Fisher’s oeuvre. But food, Fisher’s essential subject, isn’t part of the curatorial approach. As it fits into the rest of her bibliography, Consider the Oyster takes cooking and the ensuing meals as a point of departure for self-reflection and cultural or sociological commentary.

In that spirit, Soumya Netrabile’s Pink Sand Beach (2025) is a dreamy psychological seascape with a colliding sense of perspective. We see the elements of a beach half-remembered and painted as a blurred collage. It’s easier to accept the presence of other works by Emma Amos, Yayoi Kusama and Ruth Asawa without having to apply Fisher and her oysters as the guiding principles.

Black admits that her contributions, Consider the Oyster MFK Fisher and

The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook, come from a more literal approach. “I remake things to slow people down and to really understand the world that I live in,” she explained. Her “books” are an endearing meeting place between sculpture and paintings. Black makes them by hand out of paper, paint, pencil and glue. She also created tiny, beautiful origami-esque figures that pop up on top of the books like objects in a diorama.

For the Fisher book, Black made an oyster in its shell, an oyster fork, a lemon wedge and a sprig of parsley. “It’s kind of like a still life but also bringing the book more to life, more than just judging a book by its cover,” she said. To make them, Black uses Strathmore paper, which she describes as being thinner than cardboard. The books are hot-glued together and

Cucina Rustica

CONSIDER THE ART Visitors to Anthony Meier’s gallery will have to make their own mental leaps to connect any actual or suspected dots between the works of art and Fisher’s prose.

hollow inside. “Then I coat it with acrylic paint,” she explained. “I’ve been doing this for over 25 years, and they’re not going to fall apart.”

After considering the oyster, the sand dollar and the beach, I took a short walk down to the Madrona cafe and bakery. I’d read about it to prepare for my lunchtime jaunt to Mill Valley, then forgot the name. When I asked at the gallery for directions to a nearby bakery, the curator knew exactly which one I had in mind. “Madrona,” she exclaimed.

The cafe is, in fact, on Madrona Street, a quiet side street just outside the center

of town. Inside, the barnyard-chic aesthetic is grounded by a warm French blue paint paired with white honeycomb tiles affixed to the front of the kitchen wall. The baked goods are equal to the ones made by their East Bay confreres (though Fournée, with its lamination expertise, is the closest counterpart).

I didn’t content myself with a single item. I ordered, and later devoured, a vegetarian sandwich that smashed chickpeas into something remarkably close to egg salad. It was creamy and filled with a crunchy, unidentifiable vegetable that was probably celery. The slice of

focaccia, made with onions embedded in the crust, was slightly charred and crispy on the outside and delectable on the inside. A lemon scone conjured a Proustian memory of scones I used to eat at a now defunct bakery. On a single day trip to Mill Valley this summer, it’s possible to consider the solitary oyster and the companionable scone.

‘Consider the Oyster’ at Anthony Meier through Aug. 8. 21 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 415.351.1400. anthonymeier.com.

Madrona Bakery, 17 Madrona St., Mill Valley. Open Thu to Mon, 8am-3pm. 415.915.9120. madronabakery.com.

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Practical Magick

Lauren Haynes of Wooden Spoon Herbs

BY ISABELLA COOK

Lauren Haynes is a local herbalist, holistic healer, successful entrepreneur and an alleged master practitioner of plant magick. Druidic rumors and the fine line between science and sorcery aside, one thing is certain: Haynes is putting the power of plant medicine back into the hands of her clients and customers by sharing her knowledge, passion and, of course, her own herbal products through her company, Wooden Spoon Herbs.

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Haynes was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Chattanooga, Tennessee. But this ambitious herbalist eventually manifested her destiny westward, putting down roots in the idyllic landscape of California’s North Bay.

“My family has been in the southern Appalachians for six generations,” said Haynes. “I felt really rooted there. Growing up, I was obsessed with plants, animals, healing…

“I started studying plants as medicine in my early 20s,” she explained. “I think it is something that’s more culturally available in the Appalachian rural area. But being in NorCal … well, California in general is really an herbal medicine Mecca for the whole country … and there are lots of pioneers in herbalism here, which is one thing that always drew me to the area, even from afar.”

Haynes’ lifelong love of plants naturally evolved over the years. By the time she reached early adulthood, she was already mixing teas for her employer’s café and selling the blends at farmers’ markets. But her herbal journey truly took on a life of its own after she broke her foot and was immobilized for six weeks. Far from idle during recovery, she used the time to develop her brand and hit the ground running (metaphorically speaking). She created Wooden Spoon Herbs and after that never looked back.

Ten years later, her vision for Wooden Spoon Herbs hasn’t just survived; it’s thrived. The magic ingredient for this incredible success? Well, according to her, it’s time. Not to be confused with thyme.

“I started with what I call the classics: elderberry syrup, fire cider, golden milk, but in this hot chocolate fusion,” explained Haynes. “I think I was hooked once I realized the actual tangible nature of harvesting the plant from the woods or from your yard or garden, and the handson nature of processing and chopping that to make something, the end result of which can help calm you down, or help you sleep or relieve menstrual cramps. It felt like practical magick.”

“We live in a culture that’s very highly divided,” she added. “In Western culture, you go to the doctor if you need help with anything, vs. more traditional cultures that favor at-home remedies as the first line of defense. It’s a practice that’s been lost over time, and people using

‘California in general is really an herbal medicine Mecca for the whole country … and there are lots of pioneers in herbalism here, which is one thing that always drew me to the area, even from afar.’

herbalism today help keep it alive, even as something that’s been very buried.”

For Haynes, learning the ancient art of herbalism meant much more than rote plant identification (though there was plenty of that, too). Beyond simply distinguishing chamomile from catnip or California poppies, she also wove together cellular biology, folk healing, clinical studies, anatomy, physiology and phytochemistry. This rich synthesis grounded her herbal practice not only in plant knowledge but in a truly holistic approach—one that brought an informed, professional and dazzlingly complex edge of intersectional herbalist mastery.

Today, Wooden Spoon Herbs products are stocked in all Whole Foods locations across the nation. Haynes says her bestsellers are the Magic Magnesium Spirulina Blue Lemonaid powdered drink mix, which she recommends to just about all her clients. After that, it’s the Tranquility Tonic tincture and the adaptogenic Herbal Coffee. Other popular items include the Rose-Colored Glasses mood support, Elderberry Lung Support and Fire Cider gut tonic.

Whether someone is seeking support for the physical or emotional body, Haynes and her herbs offer expertly crafted, holistic and downright delicious options. Herbs aren’t a cure-all, of course, but herbalists like her provide an invaluable service, especially in a world enamored with designer pharmaceuticals and the skip-the-holistic-stuff mindset so popular in modern Western medicine. Fortunately, herbalists such as Haynes are keeping the ancient, inherently human, inherited knowledge of plant medicine alive through the continuation of practical, everyday herbalism.

“The top three herbs everyone should have in their cabinet are … wow, that’s a

toughy,” said Haynes. “I love so many of them, but number one is nettle, number two is chamomile and number three is gonna be peppermint.

“Nettle is essentially an herbal multivitamin,” she continued. “It has vitamin A, B and C, and it also has a huge complement of minerals, trace minerals … so, if you were to do one thing for your health, it would be nettle every day. Plus, there are no side effects from taking nettle—it’s a food. That’s one of my main crusades; there are so many fads these days, and sticking to the timetested herbs is great for anyone. It doesn’t have to be these fancy adaptogens from the far sides of the Earth … it can be dandelions from your front yard.”

Haynes is now preparing to teach herbalism classes out of a location in Marin’s Point Reyes Station. There, she’ll show students how to identify and utilize the resources provided by Mother Nature, transforming the unassuming flora all around into life-changing supplements, medicines and much more.

“I think you always get the question, ‘Does it work?’” Haynes said. “I always have to laugh at that, because I’m not the kind of person who is going to put so much energy behind something if it doesn’t work. I’m a professional, you know. An alternative healthcare professional.”

“Doing what I do is endlessly gratifying, and that’s what keeps me going,” she concluded. “We get so many sweet emails in our inbox and these amazing reviews from people who have had their lives changed by my products. I mention that not out of ego, but because when you help someone feel better or sleep better … you’re changing their life.”

To learn more about Wooden Spoon Herbs, visit woodenspoonherbs.com.

Best Ice Cream

Over the years, Fairfax Scoop has found its place in the rhythm of our community life in Fairfax. We’ve seen children grow, milestones celebrated by favorite flavor combinations, and passing interactions that turn into real connections.

Behind the counter, our hope is to be present with each customer and offer kindness without pretense. Our great team is being fully themselves, which means customers are met with real smiles, a spontaneous spirit that helps shape the experience at the Scoop.

Many of our flavors follow the seasons, inspired by what’s grown nearby, including vegan flavors with gluten-free cones as an option. We use organic ingredients and work with local suppliers as much as we can. Everything we serve comes in compostable packaging which is part of our mission to increase community joy while minimizing any potential negative impact on our environment.

One

“If that joy is shared that joy is multiplied.” Amine (Owner)

One customer once said of the Scoop, “This place feels like a hug.” This meaningful sentiment has stuck with us, and our hope is that we can continue to offer the same familiar welcome and warm feeling to all of our customers and greater community.

Wine Country Enchantment

IBY KARY HESS

n the Sonoma Valley, vineyard weddings are almost a given; think golden hills, rows of vines and that unmistakable Wine Country light. But step inside a wine cave, and the atmosphere shifts. Cool and quiet, lit by candlelight or soft uplighting, it’s like entering another world, made for celebration, but grounded in the earth itself. From the first pour to the final dance, a wine cave wedding offers a wedding experience that’s uniquely Sonoma.

At Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, that enchanted sense of place is part of what makes the experience so memorable. The 23,000-square-foot cave brings the faint scent of aging wine and the warmth of hand-built tradition. Here, the setting doesn’t just frame the ceremony—it deepens it.

Known for its clean-crafted wines and long-standing local ownership, Deerfield offers a customizable venue that stands out in a region full of postcard-perfect options. And for couples planning a wedding in Sonoma Valley, flexibility is

often just as important as scenery.

“We want to allow people to bring their vision to life,” says Deerfield Ranch general manager Dustin Harland. “Every event is different. And with our flexibility, guests can really customize their event to how they envisioned it.”

Deerfield Ranch stands out as one of the few wineries in the region still guided by its original founder. Robert Rex and his late wife, PJ, began the winery more than four decades ago and were themselves married there years ago under a heritage oak tree.

‘We want to allow people to bring their vision to life. Every event is different. And with our flexibility, guests can really customize their event to how they envisioned it.’

—DUSTIN HARLAND

UNDERGROUND Subterranean nuptials have always been vogue in Wine Country, not least because of the inherent aesthetics of the experience.

“Too many wineries have been sold to larger corporations,” says Harland. “Deerfield Ranch is still owned and operated by the original owner.”

This legacy is only part of what makes the winery such a special setting for weddings. The other part is the versatility. From intimate ceremonies to grand celebrations, Deerfield allows couples to shape the day exactly how they envision it. “You can do an event outside on our crush pad overlooking our estate vineyards and the Sonoma Mountains. You can do an event in our wine

»»

facebook.com/RanchoNicasio | instagram.com/rancho_nicasio

MORE Cave-themed weddings can also avail themselves of the winery’s surrounding grounds.

cave—or you can do a combination of both,” Harland explains. “This really allows people to have that blank canvas they’re looking for.”

It’s a canvas that invites imagination. The wine cave, an expansive, barrel-lined cathedral, offers an intimate atmosphere with a touch of the dramatic. “The ambience of the cave is amazing—it still kinda surprises me after all of these events,” notes Harlan. “You can dim the lights, get that cool glow going in the cave. Some people even use up-lighting to highlight with different colors. It really has that enchanted feeling about it.”

Couples often take it one step further, lighting the path into the cave with LED candles or strewing the path with flowers, creating a magical moment. “We’ve had couples put rose petals down all the way down the cave entrance—making for that enchanted, almost fairytale castle-like feeling, but being in the Wine Country, which I think is so unique.”

The winery hosts between 10 to 20 weddings per year, each tailored to reflect the couple’s individual style for a down-toearth, Wine Country-elegant experience.

Some weddings are grand affairs, while others are deeply personal or unique. One

event at Deerfield brought in a Texas two-step demonstration team who taught the wedding guests how to dance. “They’re all memorable in their own way,” says Harlan, “and it means a lot to us to be part of a couple’s special day.”

That down-to-earth hospitality also shows up in the winery’s approach to planning. There are no pre-set packages, and couples are encouraged to personalize every aspect of the event. “A lot of people who come for a site visit tell us the venue they just visited had three options, and the options didn’t fit their needs. A wedding—or any event for that matter—shouldn’t be so cookie-cutter. Couples’ personalities should be able to shine through,” Harlan notes.

With the ability to host up to 100 guests inside the wine cave and up to 250 using a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces, Deerfield Ranch is ideal for intimate gatherings or larger-scale festivities. Events in the cave can happen any time of year, offering climate-controlled comfort and versatile spaces for dining, dancing or ceremonies—even during the winter rains or hot summer afternoons.

The winery also offers additional amenities that elevate the experience. “We

offer our cottage house for the bride to get ready the day of, and the happy couple is welcome to stay there on their wedding night,” Harlan says.

And of course, there’s the wine. Deerfield specializes in “clean-crafted wine,” which means organic, biodynamic wine that’s low in sulfites and histamines, perfect for guests who may have sensitivities to traditional wines.

“Our winemaking process really sets us apart,” explains Harlan. “People who sadly couldn’t enjoy certain wines anymore because they have allergic reactions [to sulfites] can now enjoy our wines.”

Wine Country weddings are known for their sweeping views and vineyard backdrops, but a wine cave offers something different—intimacy, atmosphere and a sense of surprise. With cool air, oak barrels and the soft glow of candlelight down a stone corridor, it’s a setting that invites guests into something quieter and more personal. In a region full of beautiful places to say “I do,” the cave offers a moment—and a memory—that lingers long after the last glass is poured.

Deerfield Ranch Winery is located at 10200 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. 707.833.5215. deerfieldranch.com.

BOUQUET Flower Casita creates richly personal floral designs that are deeply connected to place.

Wild at Heart

Farm-to-table florals from Petaluma’s Flower Casita

BY KARY HESS

Stepping into Flower Casita on a Saturday morning, one will likely find a pair of clippers in someone’s hand, fragrant bundles of seasonal blooms on the counter and the smell of sweet peas or jasmine thick in the air. This isn’t just a flower shop—it’s a working studio, a creative space and a place where local love stories blossom from dreams into reality.

Formerly in Petaluma’s Theatre Square, Flower Casita is now rooted on Petaluma Boulevard South and F Street, at the edge of the newly blooming SoBo Arts district (so named for being “SOuth BOulevard”). They offer everything from custom bouquets to weekly floral subscriptions for one’s home or business to full event packages.

It’s the home of a distinctively wild, garden-inspired floral style with roots in sustainability, seasonality and collaboration. Whether it’s a wedding on

a coastal ranch or an intimate backyard celebration, the team at Flower Casita creates richly personal floral designs that are deeply connected to place.

When couples come in to plan their wedding florals, the conversation quickly moves beyond peony preferences into a true collaboration. The designers listen deeply to the couple’s visions, dreams and the vibe they want to evoke on their wedding day.

“We get to hear all about the couple's inspiration and hopes for their big day,”

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says Tali Bouskila, the flower shop’s founder. “We share design boards, create sample materials and start dreaming together. Keeping seasonality in mind, we dive into what flowers may be blooming, which colors speak to your aesthetic vision, and we start creating a shared vision on what this special day will look like.”

That spirit of creative partnership has made Flower Casita a beloved floral design studio in the North Bay. With their fresh new storefront and design space, Flower Casita is more than a pretty flower shop. It’s the go-to place for seasonally inspired, locally sourced wedding florals that honor not just the couple, but the land and community they’re getting married in.

“We have a farm-to-table ethos not often found in traditional floral design,”

explains Bouskila. “We work with a myriad of local farms not only across the West Coast, but specifically throughout Sonoma County.” Indeed, during peak season, deliveries come in multiple times a week—many from certified organic growers—and the studio transforms into a living canvas of whatever the season is offering.

Working so closely with farmers allows the team to create wedding designs that are rooted in time and place, and that feel as natural and meaningful as the vows being exchanged.

“It’s such an integral part of our foundation,” says Bouskila, “to work with what is most seasonally relevant and abundant. This inspires not only our in-shop offerings, but our wedding designs as well. It makes designing weddings feel extra special, knowing that

‘Our work at Flower Casita has been called wild and organic.’

— TALI BOUSKILA

the flowers we choose to celebrate your big day were grown with such dedication and love just down the street.”

But the story started long before the Petaluma studio took shape. Bouskila first entered the floral world while studying at San Francisco State University. She enrolled in formal floral design classes that offered practical skills and inspiration from accomplished designers, including a master of Ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement.

Then, in 2013, she and her brother, Chris, launched Thistle, a pop-up florist in a converted firehouse in San Francisco. With fresh, seasonal arrangements and an intuitive eye for texture and movement, their pop-up drew immediate attention. It quickly blossomed into a popular wedding and events-based floral business where Bouskila began to refine her »»

distinctive style. Drawing inspiration from her travels and a respect for local farm-grown florals, she infused her work with natural textures and vibrant color, grounded in the guiding design principle of movement.

As Thistle grew, so did the need for a permanent home—one closer to the source of the flowers themselves. Bouskila found herself increasingly drawn to Sonoma County, where growers and wild blooms were just down the road. The result was Flower Casita, a designer’s

studio, a workshop space and a place to meet the community.

But this close relationship with growers inspires more than their sourcing—it fuels the studio’s artistic process. “Our favorite elements to work with are the ones that our local farmer just harvested,” Bouskila says. Designing weddings with flowers grown just miles away adds a layer of meaning and intimacy to each celebration.

A recent wedding at Stemple Creek Ranch in Tomales allowed the Flower

Casita team to fully lean into their lush, imaginative aesthetic. “We wrapped the interior of the barn with gorgeous, whimsical vines; adorned their dinner tables with layers of floral elements, moss and petals; and got to go all out on a lush and bloom-heavy aisle treatment and arbor structure,” says Bouskila. It was, in a word, wild.

While the studio has a natural inclination toward “wild and organic” compositions, the designers remain deeply collaborative. “We pride ourselves on being accommodating to all design requests,” says Bouskila. “Though we have a natural inclination to lean more towards naturalistic shapes, textures and tones, we have a blast leaning into other design styles when requested.”

No matter the style, seasonality is at the heart of each decision. While they book weddings all year round, summer is a special time for wedding florals because it’s the peak growing season in Sonoma County. The diversity of the North Bay landscape itself offers endless inspiration.

“The North Bay is unlike anywhere else on Earth,” Bouskila affirms. “One week may take us to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and the next on top of the Mayacama Mountains.”

Even outside of weddings, nature is central to the team’s creative process. “We all spend a great deal of time relaxing, recharging and basking in nature,” she emphasizes. “Whether we’re tending our gardens, camping, visiting hot springs, combing a local beach or taking our dogs on a hike, you’ll find us outside on our days off.”

Her advice for couples planning their wedding florals is simple but powerful: “This is your special day. If you plan with the intention of highlighting the things that you love, you are sure to create a special and memorable day curated and designed to who you are.”

And Flower Casita is ready to help make that happen. With deep community ties, an artist’s eye and a flower-first philosophy, the team brings a fresh, grounded approach to wedding florals—one that’s as wild, organic and beautiful as the land we call home.

Flower Casita, 210 F St., Petaluma. 707.559.5243. open 10am-4pm Mon-Sat. flowercasita.com.

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Good Sense

The Heard Eye finds sound in eclecticism

BY DON R. LEWIS

Arecent afternoon gave cause for a drive to Sonoma. And having recently heard of a North Bay band called The Heard Eye, the timing seemed right to pop their 2023 album, Funkalypse, onto my streaming service of choice. This was the correct move.

As the sunny day brightened vineyards and golden hills, The Heard Eye frontman Paul Schneider’s raspy yet smooth vocals provided a nice soundtrack. As did the funky bass from Greg Dunn and deft guitarwork by Hannes De Kassian, another local fella who has played in and around the Bay Area for years.

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«« I spoke with Schneider, who also plays guitar and trumpet on the album as well as at shows, about his journey to the area music scene.

“I’ve lived in the North Bay for a while now, Guerneville, then Santa Rosa for a couple years and then Cloverdale,” he said. This is where he met Hannes and they started playing together at the brew pub under the name Big Blue House. The group then added Santa Rosa’s Chris Studer and drummer Peter Ffrench to round out the ensemble. Yet, seeing as the timeline for that band’s formation was 2018, 2020 and the Covid lockdown were just around the corner.

Still riding high from the positive reaction to the band, Schneider set about making a small studio in his new home and proceeded to dig up old songs as well as write new ones. He also discovered an important note.

Going through boxes while moving, he found a box with scraps of lyrics and other ideas he’d written down in the past, one of which read, “The Heard Eye: BAND NAME!” Feeling like it invoked the mystical “third eye” when spoken aloud and seemed to suggest a merging of

sensory perceptions as well as speaking to the many levels of musicality the band uses, the name stuck.

In hindsight, the lockdown seemed to inspire artists across mediums to use the quiet time to put together some great work. Schneider said he never really thought about it. He noted that Big Blue House had gigs booked through the spring of 2020, but those were canceled. “That band mostly played covers, funk and soul and funky versions of jazz standards, but we had started working on one of Hannes’ songs and tried to play a couple of mine, but they weren’t really gelling. But then the lockdown cancelled all that out,” he noted.

During lockdown, he reconnected with an old pal, renowned drummer Atma Anur, who resides in Europe. “I bought a Focusrite DAW and learned how to use it and started knocking out demo versions and sending the stems to Atma in Europe to track drums, and he’d send me a stereo drum track to build up the songs,” said Schneider.

As the songs came together more and more, the current lineup stepped in and Anur mixed the tracks from his European

homebase. Soon, Funkalypse was born. The Heard Eye has been steadily gigging since as well as getting airplay on Bay Area radio legend “The Lobster’s Sunday Brunch” on rock music station stalwart 97.7, The River.

When one listens to The Heard Eye, several bands that probably served as influences come to mind. Scheider recognized this and said, “I would say that I’ve been influenced by every piece of music I’ve ever heard and enjoyed.”

Yet, one unique aspect is that Schneider not only sings, but he also performs trumpet solos on many, if not all, songs. It’s a complex balance that he explained by saying, “I also play rhythm guitar, quite often all three in the same songs, so it’s really a challenge. I have to concentrate and focus intensely. But actually, the discipline of playing trumpet really helps with singing, and vice versa.”

The band continues to gig locally and recently dropped a single titled ‘Only One Earth,’ which stretches their sound into some ska and reggae areas, new for them. Listen to the single, see videos and check out the album on their website, theheardeye.com. w