Sonoma Excursion, CA
feature

Bay Area Blowout

November was a month of records and reminiscences for 亚洲精品无码一区鈥檚 (亚洲精品无码一区). The Eighteenth Annual Silent Auction marked its third year of running exclusively online, while attendees of 亚洲精品无码一区鈥檚 Annual ASLA Excursion toured exceptional residences and vineyards in Sonoma and Napa Valley.

This year鈥檚 auction, held from October 31 to November 16, was the largest in recent memory, featuring 100 works created by landscape architects, architects, artists, photographers, and others. The selections on offer attracted a record 594 registered bidders and raised more than $73,000 (a twenty percent increase over 2021). Bidders vied for a diverse selection of works, crafted by 亚洲精品无码一区 auction favorites such as Lawrence Halprin and Elyn Zimmerman, along with those by first time participants such as Stanley Greenberg and Margie Ruddick.

Image
Item #196: Bass Pond, Biltmore. Photograph by Alan Ward, 2022.
Item #196: Bass Pond, Biltmore. Photograph by Alan Ward, 2022. -

The auction not only included the annual staples of photographs, paintings, and rare books, but also, for the first-time, tickets to the critically acclaimed sold out Broadway hit Straight Line Crazy, starring Ralph Fiennes as 鈥淧owerbroker鈥 Robert Moses. As in past years, a mixed media charcoal drawing by Michael Van Valkenburgh and a Roberto Burle Marx lithograph were bidders鈥 favorites, with works by Jeffrey Milstein, Millicent Harvey, and auction newcomer Sam Cohen not far behind. This year鈥檚 auction also included a specially curated group of works honoring the bicentennial of Fredrick Law Olmsted, Sr.鈥檚 birth.

In addition, visitors to the auction website had the opportunity to purchase 亚洲精品无码一区鈥檚 popular What鈥檚 Out There Guidebooks, highlighting myriad cities and regions throughout the United States and Canada. If you missed your chance at the auction, they are available on our website, here.

Image
Donnell Garden, Sonoma, CA
Donnell Garden, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum, 2022

On November 11, 亚洲精品无码一区 hosted its fifteenth excursion, which commenced at the iconic Donnell Garden with its signature kidney-shaped swimming pool, the destination of 亚洲精品无码一区鈥檚 inaugural excursion in 2008. Owners Sandy Donnell and Justin Faggioli greeted attendees with warm remarks, coffee, fresh orange juice, and other beverages, fresh fruit and small treats, and an aromatic smoldering fire in the pool house fireplace. Attendees also explored adjacent pool structures and living quarters replete with their original mid-century furnishings and the most astonishing wallpaper. And despite seasonally cool November temperatures, two 亚洲精品无码一区 Board Members, Eric Groft and Chris LaGuardia, donned swimming trunks and dove into the unheated pool. No one wanted to leave.

Image
Hudson, Sonoma, CA
Hudson, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum, 2022

The tour continued at the 200-acre Hudson Ranch and Vineyard, which features wine production, the cultivation of Tuscan olives, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and the raising of heritage breed pigs, lamb and chickens. Over the space of a hour, Hudson CEO Peter Willmert generously provided an extensive and fascinating walking tour that revealed intriguing insights into the site's creation and operations (and a chance to wander through steads of massive hanging gourds currently in season). After an exceptional Mediterranean-inspired multi-course lunch at Sonoma鈥檚 Valley Bar & Bottle Shop, the day concluded at Buena Vista Winery, with a tour led by landscape architect James Lord, principal at SurfaceDesign. This exceptional excursion was made possible by generous support from , , , , and , along with 亚洲精品无码一区's Season of Events Sponsors.

Image
Buena Vista, Sonoma, CA
Buena Vista, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum, 2022

Proceeds from the auction benefit 亚洲精品无码一区鈥檚 advocacy and education initiatives. 亚洲精品无码一区 is grateful for the generous support of auction donors, bidders, and Annual Sponsor and Educational Partner, . For an in-depth summary of  亚洲精品无码一区鈥檚 many accomplishments throughout the past year, please explore the 2022 Year in Review. The auction was made possible by the generous sponsorship of , , and .

If you are interested in donating a work of art to our auction in 2023, contact Aileen Beringer at Aileen@tclf.org.