Sunday Sayings: Friendship ends when you stop sharing...

I saw this at the cave entrance of the Petroni Vineyards in Sonoma, CA and thought I would share…

Life ends when you stop dreaming.

Hope ends when you stop believing.

Love ends when you stop caring and 

Friendship ends when you stop sharing.

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We’re committed to building a better future and highlighting the best of the best of us. 

I'm always looking for great places and great people to feature on this blog…

Please send me a message.

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Linda Kruse

KRUSING AMERICA

Creator / Producer / Director

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Saturday Study: DUST BOWL 2015 / California Water Resources & Families Protecting the Valley (FPV)

I drove up the 5 Freeway from Los Angeles to San Francisco this past week and I was immediately reminded how the drought is not only impacting us but specifically impacting the farming community in California and ultimately the rest of the country. .  Most of us live in areas where we hear of the water shortage but we just keep living our lives…THIS is a huge problem. Not just because of the water shortage but the impact it has on the farming community, jobs and ultimately the economy.


I kept seeing signs that read: DUST BOWL 2015

This Saturday Study blog post features one of the many organizations trying to educate all of us on the water policies in California. Families Protecting The Valley (FPV) is one of the many signs I saw while driving…The latest news from the San Francisco Chronicle  "Running Dry" and their newsletter is certainly worth reading and learning more….

San Francisco Chronicle
Carolyn Lochhead

At the height of the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s, 5.7 million people lived in California. We now number nearly 40 million, our lives made possible by cheap, abundant water. But now the landscape is changing, nowhere more so than in the Central Valley, where the competition for water between farms, nature and cities and towns is direct and acute.

Reported over two months this spring, these stories show a California struggling with a relentless new reality whose dimensions are just beginning to come into view.  Read More...

Running dry: How the drought is forging a new California

Families Protecting the Valley (FPV) is committed to providing information about California's water resources, California water policy and its impact on the farming community, jobs and the economy. FPV is a coalition of farmers, agriculture providers and community leaders in the San Joaquin Valley who find it vital to promote the necessary resources and government policies that will provide long-term agriculture jobs, a safe and reliable food and water supply, and economic security for farmers.

California's water policy is about more than farmers. It's about jobs, schools, families and our environment. The San Joaquin Valley is the #1 agriculture producing area in the country and has the unique ability to provide a safe and reliable food supply, which is essential to the California economy and long term security of the United States.

Families Protecting the Valley History & Mission Statement

MISSION STATEMENT
Our organization is committed to preserving the heritage earned for this Valley by the sweat, tears, and sacrifice of those who have gone before us. We are honor bound to protect the future viability of this Valley by standing firm and fighting for the necessary resources and government policies that will enable this Valley to continue to flourish. It is imperative that the citizens of this great country be consistently reminded and made aware of this Valley’s unique capability to provide a safe and reliable food supply which is essential to the long term security of the United States.

Goals

The primary goal of the organization is to ensure an adequate and affordable water supply for the people of the San Joaquin Valley both now and in the future. Our surface supplies and underground aquifers must be protected against appropriation by government agencies or private entities and the elitist position that they have needs superior to ours.

History

FPV was started by a group of family farmers near the site of a huge water bank proposed by Enron (later Azurix) Corporation. If successful, this water bank would have contaminated the underground aquifer in the area and sent Valley water supplies to as far away as Las Vegas. FPV not only defeated Enron, but also was successful in getting a local ordinance passed by the Madera County Board of Supervisors to prevent ground water from being exported from Madera County. Later, FPV was involved in trying to protect East Side and West Side water from being seized by fringe environmentalists and their political allies.

http://familiesprotectingthevalley.com

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We’re committed to building a better future and highlighting the best of the best of us. 

We're always looking for great places and great people to feature on this blog…

Please send a message

CONNECT with us, JOIN the conversation, 

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to see more!

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Thanks for watching and subscribing, 

Linda Kruse

KRUSING AMERICA

Creator / Producer / Director

FOLLOW us on Twitter @KrusingAmerica  @lindamkruse   @AtticusProd

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Throwback Thursday: Sonoma's Sebastian Theatre with actor / historian George Webber

In each episode of KRUSING AMERICA we focus on the history of the town and the families that built the foundation that makes it a special place.

Perfect for Throwback Thursday: One of my favorite moments while filming the California episode of KRUSING AMERICA was working with a wonderful actor / historian in Sonoma named George Webber. Sonoma was certainly rich with history and George found many ways to bring out that history and make it entertaining and educational for all of us. 

I recently passed thru Sonoma and had the opportunity to visit with George. Today you can visit him as the eccentric Count at Buena Vista Winery. A wonderful actor, extraordinary historian and one of the many kind-hearted people we met while filming KRUSING AMERICA. This town had so many wonderful people – people like George Webber – just one of the many reasons that made Sonoma so ideal to feature in our KRUSING AMERICA series on great place to live in America.

CLICK below to watch a clip with George from the history section of the California episode #4 or see more in the Sonoma, CA episode.

Sonoma, CA HISTORY Part1
Watch the entire CALIFORNIA Episode #4

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We’re committed to building a better future and highlighting the best of the best of us. 

We're always looking for great places and great people to feature on this blog…

Please send a message

CONNECT with us, JOIN the conversation, 

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to see more!

www.youtube.com/KrusingAmerica

Thanks for watching and subscribing, 

Linda Kruse

KRUSING AMERICA

Creator / Producer / Director

FOLLOW us on Twitter @KrusingAmerica  @lindamkruse   @AtticusProd

LIKE us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/KrusingAmericaTV

Saturday Study: Green Farming from Benziger Family Winery in Sonoma, CA

Benziger Family Winery Sonoma, CA

We featured several wineries while we were "krusing" through Sonoma, CA filming our family-travel series. There were so many wonderful people and great wineries we visited that week but in this "Saturday Study & Learn" blog post - the one that stood out on our visit was the Benziger Family Winery because of their amazing hospitality, the family dynamic of having relocated to Sonoma (much like the Krus Family) and their 'Green Farming'.  This blog is designed to highlight good people doing good things in the world and the Benziger family certainly fits in perfectly. 

Watch the latest KRUSING AMERICA California episode and visit with the Benziger Family and learn more about biodynamic / green farming. 

 CLICK HERE to WATCH the CALIFORNIA Episode

                       

BIODYNAMIC FARMING by the Benziger Family Winery

Benziger Family Winery Sonoma, CA

At the Benziger Family Winery we like to think our wines have character and conscience. This means that they’re not only great in the glass, they’re grown in a way that’s good for the environment, too.

Every wine in our portfolio carries a third-party certification of green farming practices. Whether the vineyard is certified sustainable, organic or Biodynamic, it’s carefully tended with the most eco-responsible methods available.

We don’t just farm this way because we think caring for the land is the right thing to do, it also happens to be the best way to make distinctive, authentic wines. By treating our vineyards the best way we know how, we’re making wines we’re really proud of. And that is good for, well, everybody.

Here, explore the differences between sustainable, organic and Biodynamic growing practices. Click the link below to learn more about Biodynamic farming on our Estate properties.

Benziger Family Winery Sonoma, CA

Benziger Family Winery Sonoma, CA

CLICK HERE to learn more about Green Farming from Benziger Winery

We're always looking for great places to try…send a message

CONNECT with us, JOIN the conversation, 

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to see more!

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Thanks for watching and subscribing, 

Linda Kruse

Creator / Producer. Director of Krusing America

Friday Foodie: THE GIRL & THE FIG in Sonoma, CA

Country Food with French Passion

"The Girl & The Fig" is an extraordinary restaurant from Proprietor, Sondra Bernstein including exceptional food from Executive Chef, John Toulze served by a wonderful staff. Definitely one of my favorite people and places we visited as we traveled with Krusing America and a must try if you passing through Sonoma, CA.

Watch Episode 4 of KRUSING AMERICA to see more on The Girl & The Fig.

 CLICK HERE to WATCH the CALIFORNIA Episode

                       

We're always looking for great places to try…send a message

CONNECT with us, JOIN the conversation, 

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel to see more!

www.youtube.com/KrusingAmerica

Thanks for watching and subscribing, 

Linda Kruse

Creator / Producer. Director of Krusing America

Visit GIRL & FIG website

Wednesday Women of the World: Suzanne Brangham

Wednesday Women of the World: 

Suzanne Brangham

Suzanne was one of the most gracious people we met in Sonoma while shooting our California episode of KRUSING AMERICA. We featured Suzanne Brangham's culinary school, Ramekins and her MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in episode 4. I adored this town and people so much I went back several times and eventually filmed a special piece just to highlight her extraordinary hotel.   

Suzanne is known as a volunteer extraordinaire, entrepreneur, artist, hotel owner of and developer, whose fingerprints can be found on many – if not most – of the nonprofit and community causes and events in the Sonoma Valley and certainly worthy of our Wednesday Women of the World in this Krusing America Blog.

Watch the Video Tour of MacArthur Place by Linda Kruse

For more on Suzanne visit MacArthur Place Hotel

Monday Media: Watch the California Promo

Media Monday: 

CLICK to WATCH the CALIFORNIA PROMO

 PLEASE CLICK to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel

Please let us know of people, organizations or channels

creating quality content – we'd love to feature them.

Thank You!
Linda Kruse
Krusing America Creator

Sunday Saying from San Francisco and Sonoma Valley

To highlight the KRUSING AMERICA episodes - I've decided to focus an entire week on a town we featured in our series. This week is Episode 4 in Northern California's Sonoma Valley Wine Country.

"Every empty bottle is filled with stories."

Watch KRUSING AMERICA to see all the stories & friends we met along the way. 

 PLEASE CLICK to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel

Please let us know of people, organizations or channels

creating quality content – we'd love to feature them.

Thank You! 
Linda Kruse
Krusing America Creator