The International Writers Magazine: Wine Country Sojourn

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Wine, Spirit and song in Sonoma • Paul Dale Roberts in deep country How should I begin? Hmmm. guess I better take you to the beginning to understand this story. From 1979 to 1986, I was an Intelligence Analyst with the US Army's Military Intelligence.

Sometime in February of 2005: I was in Border's Books and came across a great UFO article in regard to what Military Intelligence knows about UFOs. Excited, I wrote a letter to the editor, I think the magazine was Atlantis Rising. The letter was published. Then some editor from some Italian magazine read the letter and contacted me via email and wanted to do an interview with me for their paranormal magazine and website. I granted their wish. From there, a lady named Carla Heine who has a show called Strange Wine on KSVY.org in Sonoma read my interview and asked if I could appear live on her radio show that broadcasts Pacific Western time from 11pm to 12 midnight. I appeared on her radio show not only once, but four times discussing the topic of the Military Intelligence connection to UFOs and even other paranormal subjects such as ghosts, poltergeists, ley lines, shadow creatures, and more.

Carla Heine wears many hats. She is a ghost buster, ghost hunter, paranormal investigator, psychic, Sonoma ghost historian, Sonoma historian, radio personality, chauffeur driver and even works at UPS. Carla provides Twilight Tours- Ghosts and Legends of Sonoma, where the adventurous can visit 13 mysterious sites and historic buildings. It's a 2-hour tour for up to 6 guests. If anyone is interested, you can contact the hostess Carla Heine.

As I became acquainted with Carla, I told her I had some interesting friends, that she should get to know and invite on her radio show. I introduced her to Jeff Scott Clifford, a scientist that works for the State government and is very knowledgeable about quantum physics. I introduced her to Gloria Ramos, a published romance novelist that once lived in a haunted house growing up in the Philippines. Jeff has appeared on Strange Wine once and Gloria has a future date with the radio show.

Present Time 10/23/2005: Carla with the backing of KSVY.org gave us a limo tour of Sonoma historical landmarks. Carla brought her friend, a teacher of creative writing Linda Runyan. Linda was quite the character, a wizard of the English language and metaphors. After Carla gave us a tour of Sonoma, she stopped off at the Kathmandu Fall Festival.
At this festival we were introduced to special guest Ongda Chhiring. Ongda's claim to fame is climbing Mount Everest 3 times and reached the top three times. A very humble man that sought out the adventure and accomplished it. The guest of honor was Ngawang Sherpa, the first person, with one leg missing, to reach the top of Mt. Everest. He achieved the height of 29,029 feet to become world famous. To learn more about the Kathmandu Fall Festival, go to their website at: www.cmaf.com or email them at: Kathmandufallfestival@yahoo.com

The Kathmandu Fall Festival displayed Tibetan dancers and their music. The people of Sonoma and neighboring counties were there to celebrate the presence of the Tibetan community and raise their conscienceness. The Tibetan people came to Sonoma and founded places like Green Goddess Trekking (a travel bureau) and various restaurants. Many Tibetans started their careers as students in Sonoma's culinary institutes. At the festival there are many beads, jewelry and imported Tibetan souvenirs to give the visitor an idea of the lifestyle of a Tibetan. Carla walked me a few feet from the festival to show me the gravesite of a famous Sonoma cat named Toot Toot, born in 1953 and died in 1981 by the bad terrier that killed Toot Toot, by knocking him off a window sill. Toot Toot was famous for knowing when trains would arrive and hung out with train workers. He was found on Christmas night and with his new found fame, even gained some television exposure. Toot Toot has a real tombstone. While at the festival, I sampled Momo (a spicy Tibetan potsticker), it was scrumptious. When we left the festival, we adventured off in Carla's limo to the Art Farm owned by local Sonoma artist Irene 'Cunma' Morgan. Irene displayed her works of original hand painted artwork, mostly depicting American Indians. I was amazed at the exquisite beauty of her art. Irene is a 4th generation Portuguese. She also is known for receiving the Lion's award for best cook in Sonoma. Irene cooked up a huge feast for her friends, that consisted of seasoned turkey, shish kabob, sausage and chili, tossed salads of every kind, good ol' American hotdogs, spaghetti and other assorted delicacies to tease the pallet. Of course, since Sonoma (Valley of the Moon) is known for its wines, there was a variety of wine at Irene's get together.

Irene made her favorite cocktail for her guests that consisted of the following ingredients: Rose's lime, 7-Up, mint, ice, Splenda, tequila and lime slice. A concoction that dazzled the tastebuds, but knowing that I would have to drive Jeff and Gloria home, I limited myself to only one drink. Irene ended the night by playing her guitar and singing some Country tunes. One song, Carla and Irene sang a duet. This was a wonderful and refreshing experience, to mingle with the natives of Sonoma, to understand their way of life and enjoy the beauty that Sonoma has to offer. We didn't encounter any ghosts, but we did encounter the hospitality of the people of Sonoma.
© Paul Dale Roberts October 2005
JazmaPika@cs.com

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