Victoria October/November 2022

Dear Friends In my mind, autumn begins when my husband kindles the first flame in our hearth. The sound of a crackling blaze calls to me, and I can sit, transfixed, within its mesmerizing glow for hours on end. In the months that follow, cherished activities fill the calendar, leading to the highlight of the season: gathering with kith and kin to celebrate Thanksgiving. Watching my grandchildren soak up every hour of golden sunlight brings such joy. I share their wonder during this cherished time of year, grateful, after a day of feasting and festivities, to snuggle in close for an evening of togetherness before a fire that seems to burn brighter than ever. Within this issue, we showcase the radiance that brims from October and November. From the gilding of the…

Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite October/November features: Haven on the Bluffs Traditionally elegant tastes meet casual and cozy Alpine style at a Blue Ridge vacation retreat that is dressed in hues echoing the chalet’s vast mountain vistas. A Thanksgiving Tea Quintessential flavors most often showcased in the harvest feast find favor at a teatime gathering, where gratitude for friendship is the sweetest gift on the menu. Host for the Holidays Esteemed interior designer and author Kathryn Greeley shares memories of past celebrations, as well as guidance for welcoming loved ones with grace and joy. Heritage Preserved Vintner Lauren Ackerman details her thoughtful restoration of the Victorian charmer that captured her heart in the historic district of Napa,…

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It is a time to reflect, count our blessings, and be grateful. With anticipation, we look forward to the festive season ahead. Tradition is a gift handed down through the generations. My favorite is the one my daughter started years ago: My husband and I gather at her house on the eve of family celebrations and spend hours preparing. We all don shirts inscribed “Papa’s Turkey Team,” and each of us has special tasks to complete. I am greeted at the door by my grandson, whose small hand takes my own and leads me to the table. There await the construction paper, scissors, and crayons scattered across its surface. I trace my hand upon a page and, in each finger, must write something for…

A meal is never just a meal, no more than a kiss is ever just a kiss. Every meal is made of a puzzle’s worth of pieces—the hands and hearts that created the food, the flavors and fragrances, the memories they evoke. The people around the table, or not. The conversations, the candles or sunlight, the warmth of a restaurant or the cool air of a mountain picnic. Each meal changes us, some in ways so small we miss them entirely, while others take the compass needle of our lives, shift it in a new direction. When I was in college, I met the man who would become my husband. He did not fit the profile I had in mind. He was a sculptor from the Midwest who enjoyed risk and…

“AUTUMN CARRIES MORE GOLD IN ITS POCKETS THAN ALL THE OTHER SEASONS.”—Jim Bishop…

The rolling hills of Northern California rise and recede along State Route 29, with each bend in the road offering fresh panoramic views of the myriad vineyards flourishing in this fertile valley, bordered by the Mayacamas Mountains. Wild grapes once grew with undaunted abandon throughout the countryside, but it wasn’t until the 1830s that settler George Calvert Yount tamed the vines to cultivate the first intentional crops. Though Napa growers nurture a variety of these luscious orbs, the area’s warm summers are especially suited for producing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which are pressed to make the popular red wine varietal. While viticulture has brought the region much-deserved acclaim, there is so much more to explore here, with a passel of charming burgs scattered through the valley. The town of Napa boasts a…