REAL ESTATE PRO TOUR
Choose ONE, and get ALL of these Top Realtors® working on your behalf.
The Real Pro Tour is a high profile group of 18 of Napa’s most experienced real estate agents, from 8 different local firms, touring their listings each month via private motor coach. Each agent has been elected to join based on their extensive business experience, ability to share their expertise and knowledge of the market. They enjoy working together to provide listing price evaluations, suggestions for making a property as desirable as possible before coming on the open market and discussing marketing strategies to benefit each property. If you have been fortunate enough to work with one of these top agents you have likely experienced the unusual effort of cooperation and insight gathered specifically to advise on the successful sale of your home.
SUSIE ASHLOCK 707-246-2278 Napa Valley Homes
Ca/DRE# 01093535
LANI COOKE
707-479-0489
Golden Gate
Sotheby’s Int’l Realty
SUZI HERSOM 707-287-1102
707-322-2688
Coldwell
Ca/DRE# 00865946 PAULO CORRO
Brokers of the Valley
Ca/DRE# 00978469
Ca/DRE# 01335078
Ca/DRE# 00985896 JULIE LARSEN 707-260-4663
Ca/DRE#
CHRIS WUNDERLICH
Ca/DRE# 01199379
COMMUNITY LEADER
Charlie Toledo
By Craig Smith
Charlie Toledo re-organized the Suscol Intertribal Council as its Executive Director in 1992. In her early days of contact with local tribes she asked Native American elders what the most important need was for California tribes. Many had the same response, “Find a safe place where we can have ceremony and gather to share our indigenous culture.” Charlie imagined such an undertaking would take at least ten years. It’s been closer to forty.
Twenty acres for the Suskol House Land Project was purchased in Chiles-Pope Valley in 1998. Napa Valley is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas in North America. The building is entirely off-grid, with its own
water supply and low impact development plan. It’s taken a million dollars to get to this point. The interior construction of main building is all that remains for completion. “We still need to raise about $250,000,” said Charlie. Please donate to the effort by visiting suscolcouncil. org. “This allows us to continue the preservation of Native American Culture for future generations.” The Suskol House has become a permanent land base for Native people to safely gather. It’s the first such place in centuries. Napa Valley is one site of the euro-invasions and subsequent genocides.
Charlie, originally from New Mexico and a descendant of the Towa tribe, moved to Napa in 1972. One of the first questions
she asked when she got here was, “Where are the tribes?” The answer, often accompanied by a shoulder shrug, was “they moved north.” “’Where North?’ was always my question.”
Charlie continued to ask questions. She finally met Jim Big Bear King, local Native American Crow elder whose family made a voluntary migration from Montana. He started the original Suscol Indian Council in 1972. In 1986, she made her first visit to the Four Corners (the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah come together) to visit the Dine’ (Navajo) People. She learned about the history of Native Americans, and how to become an effective advocate. During the following years, she traveled
to the remote, marginalized tribes of California with a local Wappo medicine woman. She organized and mentored many young Native leaders, all over California. “I really consider that experience to be where I got my leadership training,” Charlie said.
The four tribes of Napa; the Patwin, Onasatis Wappo, Coast Miwok and Pomo, where largely killed and forced out by Spanish and then English invaders in the 1870s. When the invasions began, the tribes had never experienced such brutal warfare. They were compassionate people who knew nothing of warfare. No treaties were ever made with the tribes in California.
Governor Gavin Newsom became the first U.S. politician to acknowledge this. He made a formal public apology “for the genocides of California. This was funded by the state of California and the US government to kill Indians,” he stated.
What Charlie learned about compassionate leadership had a profound and healing impact on her. “During a circle near the
end of our time on the road, I expressed that I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay in ceremony with these people for the rest of my life. Other people in the circle agreed.” The respected Elder just smiled, after a few moments said, “You can’t. You all must go home and help the people in the places you live. That is where you are needed.” Charlie returned to Napa, and within a few years, reorganized the Suscol Intertribal Council.
Over the decades, Charlie has worked and served on multiple State, Regional and local boards advocating for Human Rights for Native people, women and children. During her years of leadership, she’s often heard, “No,” which she sees as the message needing to be modified or directed to different people. She has often been confronted with outright hostility from people who are unsympathetic to Native American history. She never shouts back, just quietly listens.
Charlie is an open, intuitive, deeply spiritual woman. “We’re here for such a short period
of time. Why wouldn’t we let the Divine be expressed through us?”
Support the Suskol House land project with a donation to help people build a better future for all by learning from the past.
WITH INTEREST RATES AT HISTORIC LOWS
Calligraphy Napa Valley offers a life beautifully scripted
The Art of Refined Senior Living at Calligraphy Napa Valley
There are places designed to be lived in, and then there are places designed to be experienced. Calligraphy Napa Valley is the latter—a community where every detail is thoughtfully crafted for those who have always sought beauty, comfort, and connection in their everyday lives. Formerly The Watermark at Napa Valley, Calligraphy has been reimagined as the premier destination for distinguished seniors in the region. Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Luminescence℠ Memory
Care are offered with the same guiding philosophy: to elevate life through artistry, intention, and a deep respect for individuality.
A Personal Canvas for Living Well
Residences range from intimate suites to expansive two-bedroom apartment homes, each a private retreat that blends elegance with ease. Concierge services, housekeeping, and 24-hour support provide peace of mind, allowing residents to focus on what matters most: pursuing passions, nurturing friendships, and savoring each day.
Curated Experiences, Endless Possibilities
Daily life at Calligraphy is designed to inspire. Through VivaLife Enrichment℠, residents enjoy a calendar of cultural, educational, and social opportunities. A morning might begin with a lecture or
painting class, followed by a club gathering, an outing to a local gallery, or a quiet afternoon in the serene courtyard. Every offering is created with intention, encouraging connection, creativity, and lifelong growth.
Wellness in Balance
Wellness at Calligraphy extends beyond exercise: it’s about balance of body, mind, and spirit. The Vivre Health & Wellness℠ Center offers personalized fitness plans, visiting health services, and holistic programs that promote vitality and independence. From strength training to mindfulness practices, residents are supported in living with energy and confidence.
A Culinary Expression
Dining at Calligraphy Napa Valley is an experience in itself. Guided by the Savour Cuisine℠ program, ever-changing menus reflect Napa’s bounty, using fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms and paired thoughtfully with regional wines. Whether enjoying fine dining at The Quill℠, global flavors at Olive & Ink℠, or a casual moment at Espresso Script℠, meals here celebrate artistry, flavor, and community.
More Than a Community
Beyond amenities and services, Calligraphy is defined by its spirit: a place where neighbors become friends, where each day offers moments of beauty, and where living well is not only possible, but expected.
MAKING THE
NAPAQuake Mosaic
“There’s something satisfying about taking broken things and putting them in some sort of order after a disaster,” says Kristina Young, artist and designer of the Napa Quake Mosaic, an ambitious, community-driven mosaic.
“After the 2014 earthquake, I was working at the fine craft Grand Hand Gallery on Main Street. Everything was smashed and as we were cleaning it up, I realized that this was people’s art, and I didn’t feel comfortable just throwing it away. I’m also a mosaic artist, so I would save broken pieces all the time. I had a group of five friends and other artists, and we talked about how we could use the broken objects that people had saved.”
She had a community-build concept to use the pieces to create a mosaic and organized a drop-off point. Even when volunteers were simply sorting the broken objects by color, Kristina says it was therapeutic.
“It gave them a sense of purpose. There’s something about calm repetitive activity that has a soothing effect on people. They would always say, “You don’t understand, but this is helping me right now. It’s not even about the earthquake; it’s about something else; health or a divorce or family stuff.” It’s what propelled it all of these years, it’s all the people involved from the beginning.”
The mosaic took 11 years and over 2000 volunteers to create.“Not to say that I didn’t almost give up many times. There
were quite a few points over the last decade that couldn’t find a home for it, or have funding, couldn’t manage doing this and my own work at the same time. There was a lot of effort and stamina required to keep it going. felt the burden of responsibility to all the original donors that I had their memories in my care.”
At the time, Kristina volunteered with the Vine Trail Art Committee, which became the Rail Arts District (RAD). The Wine Train wanted to partner with her and RAD and donated a box car to display the final product. The approximate weight of the finished mosaic, including the frame, is 6,000 pounds and it measures 10’ wide and 40’ long. The box car weighs 80,000 pounds and is sturdy enough to hold such a piece.
Through RAD Director Shelly Willis, Kristina got in touch with artist Amanda Larson and her father Bill who designed and built the framework for the mosaic.
“We raised the money, because I was determined to pay the artists and the technical expertise that we needed,” says Kristina. “But, basically, it’s been a volunteer effort. Shelly estimated that it is a $350,000 project that we did for $150,000. That’s to give you an idea of how much time people put into this: their hours, their expertise and in-kind support. It’s just amazing to see how many people stepped up.”
“As for the design, I tend to work in response to a site. I think about what the site needs and how the people who will
most of the people who worked on it wouldn’t consider themselves artists and I love that I could facilitate that kind of experience. After the two fires we had, people also donated burned, melted or broken objects. liked the idea of taking those experiences and allowing people to be part of something that helped them heal. The fact that it helped people in so many other ways was something I hadn’t anticipated.”
By Kathleen Reynolds
be interacting with it would respond. I knew I wanted to do something that was simple in design, because I wanted the community to be able to be involved. I was waiting for the site to tell me what it wanted. Once the box car was officially donated by the Wine Train, I saw the design in my mind. It’s a core sample of the earth, sitting on the earth. It’s as if you took a section of the earth and you’re looking at it. It’s layers of dirt and rock and water. All the things under the ground, minerals and metals and all the things that are there.”
Pieces of broken mirrors represent the earthquake itself with waves of impact radiating from the center. The mirrors sparkle and stand out.
“I wanted volunteers to keep pieces as whole as possible, because I wanted people to be able to find their objects again. I wanted to honor the objects’ integrity. My friend Evy Warshaski gave us tubs of her broken ceramic collection that contained a lot of clay flowers. kept those intact, so it became more of a three-dimensional object instead of a flat mosaic. It made the grouting process very challenging.”
The mosaic was unveiled to the public in August of this year. What did Kristina get out of the project?
“I have learned so much about community building, how to work together on projects with volunteers and people who step up. It made me feel connected to this community in a way that I hadn’t felt before. Probably
community build projects.
I hadn’t seen that as a career path at the beginning.”
What does Kristina want the public to understand?
“So many times, art is thought of as a nice but unnecessary extra or just for rich people.
The boxcar is placed in the Wine Train yard near Soscol Avenue for now. It is visible, and accessible to people.
“Eventually, we want it to be permanently installed in the RAD, off the tracks, and we’re working on a couple of possibilities with the city. Ultimately, I want it to be owned by the city, so it’s maintained by the public. As wonderful as the Wine Train is, don’t want anyone to have that (maintenance) burden. I can’t wait for people to see and enjoy it and try to find the thing they gave.”
Kristina says the project opened up professional opportunities for her that she hadn’t imagined.
“If someone had told me 11 years ago that I’d still be working on this, I would have laughed. At that point, I still had another job. I have my own company now doing public art and mosaic with a lot of
It’s not. To me, it’s how I function every day; I don’t see it as a separate activity at all. A working creative sector is a very important part of a heathy community. I want artists to have that respect and that place here in Napa. Not just as an extra nice thing to have.”
How did the volunteers and community benefit?
“Public art is a democratic experience that people get for free,” says Kristina.
“It can become a landmark, it can become a touchstone, it can become a place for people to sit, relax and process or enjoy something unusual in their day that might give them a sense of joy, wonder or curiosity.”
“This project is not about the earthquake. I want them to think about what we did afterwards. I want them to think about how amazing this community is. They’re part of it. It’s about placing our community in time. We are only here on this earth for a certain amount of time, what do we do with that time and how can we support each other? How can we support creativity and collaboration and what’s possible when you work together? It’s not about me or any individual. It’s about this collective statement of resilience and community and allowing creative people to have the time and space to make those projects together.”
“ Hi there!
I’m Tara, your personal scheduler at Providence PACE. When you join PACE, I’ll arrange your health
appointments and transportation to and from them.
I’m looking forward to supporting you.”
Napa Moms members and families gather at the Napa Yard for their annual summer picnic.
Soaring Wings Preschool 2025 graduation with Teacher Allie, Teacher Jackie, Thiago, Dominic, Leo and Amina.
Lisa Wunderlich, owner of Wunder Boutique + Salon and the Wunder women celebrating 10 years in business in Napa!
Jill Techel, Connie Anderson, Patty Garaventa and Maureen Dolan at Napa Kiwanis 2025/2026 Installation Dinner.
The Napa County Board of Supervisors proclaimed September 15 through October 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month. Photo: Infinity Visuals
October
OCTOBER 2
First Thursdays
merchants at First Street Napa. Retailers will be partnering with tasting rooms for local wine, local shopping and live music – it’s the perfect reason to head to Downtown Napa! Pick up glasses and wristbands at the big Oak Tree/Squirrel sculpture from 5 to 7pm. The cost is $10. donapa.com
Year. Most recently, Noam has been performing with the new bluegrass band, Mighty Poplar, and co-hosting The Energy Curfew Music Hour podcast. uptowntheatrenapa.com
OCTOBER 16
Water-Wise Workshop: Soils, Mulches and More
OCTOBER 17
If you loved the Chefs Market, then you’ll love the new First Thursdays event in Downtown Napa! Enjoy live music, food trucks, farmers, specialty food vendors, nonprofits, activities and lawn games for the whole family from 5 to 9pm at the Oxbow Commons. Live music by School of Rock followed by headliner, The Sonoma Shakers. donapa.com/firstthursdays
OCTOBER 4
Story Pirates
Get ready for Story Pirates: The Amazing Adventure Tour, featuring fan-favorite songs from the multi-award winning
South Carolina in 1972, having duly baptized themselves with the name of a blind piano tuner after they found it inscribed on a key to their original rehearsal space—and they’ve been in tune with tearing it up on live stages both big and small all across the globe ever since. uptowntheatrenapa.com
OCTOBER 17-NOVEMBER 2
Revenge of the Rebobs! A New Musical
OCTOBER 9
Falliday Shop, Sip and Stroll
There’s no better way to do Napa than a Shop Sip & Stroll!
This month, highlighting
The Story Pirates Podcast and improvised sketch comedy based on ideas from kids in the audience. The Story Pirates believe that all kids are creative geniuses, and they’re ready to prove it with their fastpaced, hilarious, and inspiring show for the whole family. uptowntheatrenapa.com
OCTOBER 8
The Marshall Tucker Band
The Marshall Tucker Band came together as a young, hungry and driven six-piece outfit in
OCTOBER 12
Noam Pikelny & Friends
Noam Pikelny is widely recognized as the preeminent banjoist of his generation. Pikelny, founding member of the Punch Brothers string ensemble, was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass and is a two-time International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the
City of Napa Water Resources Analyst will summarize the eight principles of water-wise landscaping. Miguel García from Napa County RCD will then examine local soil types and the critical role soil plays in establishing a water-wise landscape, then demonstrate how to improve your soil with aeration, amendments and mulch. The "sheet mulching" method of lawn removal will be highlighted. Master Gardeners will host breakout stations for more in-depth learning. Attendees will have a chance to win useful and valuable door prizes! Free event, 6:30 to 8:30pm at the Napa Senior Center. cityofnapa.org/ workshops
It's Halloween, 1982, and something's brewing in the hills at the top of Partrick Road. When a skeptic comes to Napa Valley to find out the truth about the legendary Rebobs, he’s drawn into the local mystery – and when bodies start piling up it seems like the Rebobs are out for revenge. Along the way the skeptical researcher meets a special girl, a wise yet creepy old man who lives on top of the hill, and a guy who definitely peaked in high school. Who is the villain here? Are the Rebobs out for blood? Or are they being framed? "Revenge of the Rebobs!" is the latest collaboration between Composer/Lyricist Rob Broadhurst and Writer Barry Martin who created “The Real Housewives of Napa Valley,” and “A Napa Valley Christmas Carol.” luckypennynapa.com
In a US first, stars of Twin Peaks Ray Wise, Harry Goaz, Kimmy Robertson, Sheryl Lee, and the Executive Producer of Twin Peaks: The Return, Sabrina S. Sutherland, will tour in 2025 for an exclusive and unique evening of Conversation With The Stars. Twin Peaks is the American drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch that premiered in 1990. The series gained a cult following and has often been listed among the greatest television series of all time. uptowntheatrenapa.com
OCTOBER 18
Soroptimist International of Napa Lobster Fest The 19th Annual Lobster Fest is a FUNdraiser to support local women and girls, 6 to 10pm at First Presbyterian Church in Napa. Everyone gets their own freshly prepared lobster from
Twin Peaks: Conversation With The Stars!
Napa Valley Lobster Company along with lobster boil favorites like corn on the cob, artichokes, shrimp and red potatoes with traditional New Orleans seasoning. The cost is $150. soroptimistnapa.org
OCTOBER 19
E & M Presents the Okee Dokee Brothers
Childhood friends Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander grew up exploring the great outdoors of Colorado. Now,
as the Grammy award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers, they channel that adventurous nature into wildly popular albums. The Okees can be seen in their new PBS Kids’ animated feature, Brambletown, about a community of critters interconnecting through the healing power of nature. The Okee's message to families with kids? Get outside, get creative and sing in harmony along the way! One show only at 11am at the Yountville Community Center. eandmpresents.org
OCTOBER 23
Water-Wise Workshop:
Perfect Plant Picks
Local landscape designers will demonstrate that droughttolerant is anything but boring. Marcy Nielsen-Berruezo will review a colorful and beautiful selection of tree, shrub, perennial, grass, vine and groundcover species. Maureen Clark of Bright Garden Design will show off her recent yard transformation projects. Dozens
of plants will be on hand for viewing and there will be a free Milkweed giveaway. The California Native Plant Society Napa Valley Chapter will be spotlighted. Local "Cash For Grass" rebate incentives will be explained. Attendees will have a chance to win plants and door prizes! Free event, 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Napa Senior Center. cityofnapa.org/workshops
This is the day for parents to dress their kids (and themselves, if they wish) in their Halloween finest, and come Downtownto Trick or Treat from 11am to 1pm. Over 100 businesses will be displaying black and orange balloons at their doors, an invitation for kids. The odds are really good that they will get a treat, not a trick. Sponsored by the Bank of Marin, Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine and Downtown Napa Association. donapa.com
OCTOBER 26
Five For Fighting, knows this well. In the two decades since his first major single “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” hit the stratosphere, the artist has both evolved and come back ‘round full circle. Referencing Fight For Fighting’s success
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Greensboro, North Carolina. She had an older brother and younger sister, and the family lived across the street from her grandparents, aunts and uncles. Summers were spent at her grandparents’ swimming pool with the whole clan gathering for Saturday night cookouts. “I got to be a kid without any worries,”
Sarah loved her high school
career path. After graduation, she taught for a couple of years, but didn’t enjoy it. “I was barely older than the students and they treated me like a peer,” she said. Plus, she had to be at work at 7:00 AM, and quickly discovered that
Mike Risk, the man she had been dating, moved to Napa to work on a vineyard property, which began a long-distance relationship for the couple. They married in 2013, and Sarah moved here. “Professionally, was kind of lost,” she admitted.
teaching, but still did not want to teach. “I applied to be a Chick-fil-a owner, but that fell through.” She got a winery job as a Hospitality Assistant,
but left after a few months to join the Napa Valley Grape Growers, doing special events. That’s when everything began to change.
“I worked with photographers at events, and it really opened my eyes.” She bought a DSLR camera and learned how to use it from You Tube videos. She and Mike had different days off and it gave her the time to explore the Valley with her camera. Someone asked her for a family photo, then someone else asked her to take events at their private event. “I never thought of photography as a ‘thing,’ it was just fun.” She was asked to do photos at the first Fork to Table event at the Oxbow Market, and got lots of compliments for her work. “I was kind of surprised. It’s so beautiful here, I figured how could anyone mess up pictures.”
In 2014, Sarah started doing photography jobs, more as a side hustle. She was more and more in demand, and in 2018, quit her job to make photography her full-time gig. “It was scary to give up a steady income. At first, I would wake up in the morning and think, ’Well, what am I going to do today?’”
Sarah and Mike added Talley, an Airedale Terrier, to their family in 2020. “She is the best dog in the world.” Daughter Libby was born in November of 2023, and Sarah has been able to spend lots of time with her. She also realized that Talley wouldn’t be with them forever, and decided to memorialize her dog in short stories based on her Napa Valley adventures. She thought about turning those stories into a children’s book, and
bounced the idea off Naomi Chamblin, owner of Napa Bookmine. “She said, ‘Everybody wants to write a children’s book about their dog,’ but when I explained how I wanted to do it, she encouraged me,” said Sarah. She selfpublished “The ABC’s of Napa Talley,” which has done surprisingly well.
Sarah is quite happy being a wife, mom and photographer in the Napa Valley. As for future books? “I hope so. I want to write about Talley’s adventures outside of Napa, ‘The One, Two, Threes of Talley.’
Derek Moore
was 16 when his family moved to Napa from Oklahoma so that his stepfather could take a job in the wine industry. It was a difficult adjustment for the teen. “I didn’t know anything about Napa,” Derek recalled recently. “I thought California was all beaches.”
As a junior at Vintage High School, Derek began to make friends and settle into his new home. He also took an English class taught by Sushanna Ellington, who was the first to unlock Derek’s potential as a
A few years into his career, Derek was awarded a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship sponsored by the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club. He selected South Africa for his all-expenses paid year abroad out of fascination for that country’s transition from Apartheid to democratic rule. He earned a postgraduate diploma in African Studies from the University of Cape Town and traveled across southern Africa to speak to Rotary clubs. One of his more meaningful experiences was visiting the island prison where Nelson Mandela was confined for 27 years.
Returning to Napa, Derek parlayed a one-month freelance assignment into an 18-year stint with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. He wrote stories spanning a wide range of subjects, notably natural disasters, the environment and adolescent health. Tiring of the commute, he stepped away from daily news for an eventual return to freelance work, mostly for his former employer. In 2018, he shared in the Press Democrat’s Pulitzer
hunting, rock hoarding, coin collecting, dress-up – her childhood pastimes would eventually pave the way to a self-made career in jewelry.
Independent Napa-based designer Amy creates bold, contemporary pieces that have earned her a growing fanbase – and national attention. Her work has been featured in top industry publications like INSTORE and JCK; the latter being, in her words, “what Vogue is to fashion.” Her work can be found across retailers in NY, FL, PA, GA, and throughout the Bay Area.
Amy’s path to jewelry design wasn’t linear. Raised in small towns across Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, she eventually moved to Philadelphia for college. The city’s energy ignited something creative in her. While pursuing a degree in advertising, she began crafting beaded jewelry.
Her creative outlet quickly snowballed. She expanded her technical skillset,
she admits. From there, her passion
After twelve years in Philly, Amy craved a lifestyle shift. A trip to Napa struck the perfect chord – offering the charm of small-town living with just enough social energy to feel connected. She moved in 2016.
“I fell in love with the Valley,” she says. “This is the first place I’ve felt
After stints at TORC and Makers Market, Amy opened her namesake LLC in 2017 and hasn’t looked back. Since landing in Napa, Amy has deepened her craft through metalworking. She is a multi-award winner at shows in Beverly Hills inspiration from “the
National Drug Take-Back Day
Hazardous Waste Collection Facility 889A
