December 2000 through March 2001     The on-line magazine sonomapicnic.com is an outgrowth of and continuing update to the recently published Sonoma Picnic, a California Wine Country Travel Companion. Scroll on for highlights excerpted and updated from this handy little book! Along West Dry Creek Road in Winter The Olive Harvest Edition     The seagulls have come in from the coast to share space in the ballfield with our neighborhood crows. In November, they are harbingers of winter, flying in to shelter in advance of rough weather over the coast. When we see them massing for a westbound flight, we can pretty much figure on a pleasant day over at the beach. Shore Report     Check out our friends at the Tides Wharf Fish Shop or call them for current information on locally landed fish. The Tides Wharf 835 Hwy 1 Bodega Bay 707-875-3554     For up-to-date information on ocean fishing or bird- and whale-watching trips, you might give our friends at Bodega Bay Sport Fishing Center a call at 707-875-3344.     Call the good folks at our local surf shack for up-to-date shore conditions. Bodega Bay Surf Shack 707-875-3944 www.bodegabaysurf.com Hot links to Local Events: Select! Sonoma County Sonoma County Wineries Association Russian River Wine Road Consorzio Cal-Italia Late Winter Mustard Meadow in Knights Valley Frost in the black night A soup of root vegetables Winter counterpoint. Starlings imitate a string of Christmas tree lights Strung along a wire. Sunshine pressed inside The good life floats in the brine Olive making time Neither veg nor fruit Mediterranea's gift Olives shape the world Your fruit, scrumptuous food Your branch, the symbol of peace Your oil, liquid gold Sunshine, soft goat cheese Moments shared with Ulysses Kalamata dreams New World challenges The Tigris and Euphrates Taste our olive oil "Winter Haiku" by Penelope La Montagne (Morning Haiku, 5:58 a.m. on KRCB 91.1 FM) Oak Tree from Red Barn Road in Alexander Valley Fire   Wood-fueled warmth for wintry weather Winter Events by Month: Please call the phone numbers listed for details December     Olive harvest continues. The vines sleep while the field crews prune away the summer's canes. "Illuminations," a show of work by local artists striving to illuminate your spirit in the season of winter. Rotation at Zizi, December-February 344 Healdsburg Avenue Healdsburg, CA 95448 707-431-2209 Healdsburg Antique Dealers Open House 707-433-6935 Historic Tree Walk Downtown Healdsburg, 707-431-3301 Christmas at the Sonoma Mission 707-938-1519 Gray whale migration reaches its southbound peak in mid-month Winter at Navarro Winery in Mendocino County January     A year in the wine country starts with pruning of the vines. Look for the pruning crews in their yellow rain slickers working their way through the rows. "Illuminations," at Zizi continues (see December). Russian River Winter Wineland A weekend of tasting and education 707-586-3795 The ZAP Tasting Annual Zinfandel barrel tasting at Ford Mason Center San Francisco, 530-274-4900 Old-Time Fiddle Contest Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds, 707-894-3992 Late Winter Mustard Meadow in Knights Valley February     The daffodils and acadia are in bloom, and pruning continues. "Illuminations," at Zizi continues (see December). Winter Wine and Food Series 707-586-3795 Citrus Fair Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds, 707-894-3992 Along West Side Road March     New green grass spreads over the hills, the tulips come out, and the vines begin to awaken. Russian River Wine Road Barrel Tasting 707-586-3795 Heart of the Valley Barrel Tasting Kenwood Area Wineries, 707-833-5891 Sonoma County Folk Festival Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Santa Rosa, 707-546-3600