Summer in Sonoma: From Farm Life to the Mountains

June - August 2025

There’s a kind of magic to summer in Sonoma County. Each day brought its own mix of challenges, discoveries, and small joys.

With Roy's guidance and the camaraderie of Idil, Elif, Edwin, and Kent, I dove deeper into regenerative farming and animal care at Green Goose Farm while living in a cozy trailer with a humanure compost toilet (it's exactly what it sounds like; new experiences all around). My mornings started early with looking after the donkeys (“Gentlemen”), Lester and Albert (the latter hopelessly smitten with me), and wrangling a flock of chickens ("Ladies") while dodging the rooster’s relentless vendetta (“Sir”). He was just doing his job guarding the hens, but he was a jerk, and he drew blood more than once. Still, it was worth it if only for the thrill of finding eggs (and keeping the chickens fed and happy).

     

The farm was full of a whole cast of furred and feathered neighbors -- besides the donkeys and chickens, it had pigs, sheep, geese, and working dogs and cats. Feeding time was a kind of creative alchemy, with spent barley from the local brewery and bins of bruised fruit and vegetables rescued from grocery stores. Plum trees offered shade and bursts of sweetness throughout the day. I truly experience peace and ease in these places.

                                                 

After I left the farm, I spent my time navigating Northern California. I hiked through eucalyptus groves and redwood forests, crossing paths with a bobcat and a coyote, who, luckily, could not have cared less about my presence.

You can see San Francisco in the distance

The exploration stretched wide: visiting the Peanuts museum, sipping wine in Napa, strolling the charming streets of Nevada City, plunging into the Yuba River, discovering the serenity of Esalen in Big Sur (highly recommend anything with Robert MacPhee), and family time in Berkeley. Mr. Dewie’s (Emeryville and Oakland locations) became my near-daily sweet treat, and endless hikes up mountain trails kept me grounded in nature (with gratitude for my indefatigable hiking partners Larry, Karel, Dave, and Frisbee).

Yuba River and the Sierra Nevada foothills

Porter Family Vineyard

If you ever have the chance to visit Esalen, just go.

The ineffable beauty of Big Sur

It was hard to leave California – there was still so much I wanted to discover, but I had run out of narrative for being there. Anyway, I was feeling the pull of another Way awaiting…