A Perfect Pairing of Wine and Sculpture

The Donum Estate in Sonoma County, California is a certified organic (CCOF), sustainable vineyard specializing in award-winning Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. It is also home to an esteemed private collection of outdoor sculptures created by the most celebrated artists in the world.

It’s taken me over a year to sort through all the images I captured at The Donum Estate where I was treated to a tour and wine tasting with my son last December. But, as they say about fine wine, I think this edit has gotten better with age.

“Love Me” by Richard Hudson

First up is this 28-foot mirror polished, stainless steel sculpture by Richard Hudson. Situated on the highest point of the vineyard, its commanding view reflects the surrounding grounds below and the majestic sky above.

"Soma" by Subodh Gupta

The title refers to the Vedic ambrosia, a drink the gods believed would give them vigor and immortality.

“People Tree” by Subodh Gupta

Thousands of ordinary stainless-steel dishes and pots intricately meld to form a giant banyan tree. The banyan is sacred in India, and is considered a symbol of eternal life and knowledge.

“Black Tree” by Douglas White

“Mikado Tree” by Pascale Marthine Tayou

The monumental sculpture composed of aluminum and concrete represents the universal game of Mikado (a.k.a. pickup sticks) with roots tracing back to ancient China. When the slim wooden sticks are released, they form a jumbled, sharp circle much like the top of the "Mikado Tree". For Tayou, Mikado is a symbol of cultural connection - a game that has traveled across many cultures and generations without borders.⁠

“Mohn und Gedächtnis“ (Poppy and Memory)” by Anselm Kiefer

A life-sized sculpture of an aircraft, made of lead and zinc, and made to look old and battered on the outside. It is modeled after a 20th-century warplane owned by the artist himself.

“Love” by Robert indiana

"Circle of Animal Heads/Zodiac Heads" by Ai Weiwei

A circle of 12 animal heads represent the signs of the Chinese zodiac. An illustration of each animal head decorates the labels of Donum’s Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays corresponding with the vintage year of each wine. ⁠

“Contemporary Terracotta Warriors” by Yue Minjun

You’ll want to take your hands off your ears at this site specific sculpture–an oversized wind chime installed in a eucalyptus grove. Measuring forty-five feet in diameter and nearly twelve feet in height, 365 stainless-steel pipes are suspended at differing lengths to create a waveform at the base of three concentric circles.

“Sonic Mountain” (Sonoma) by Doug Aitken

Artist, Doug Aitken teamed up with composer, Terry Riley to compose the chords played by the wind in the chimes. Every morning, the wind wakes with a soft whisper, humming through the pipes, building in strength throughout the day until mid-afternoon, and then gradually diminishing into the early evening. The sonic work moves through the estate every day, always changing, depending on the strength and which way the wind blows.

“Reaching Out” by Thomas J Price

“Untitled” by Yue Minjun

The artist’ self-portrait

This Town Is A Trip

Bombay Beach is a fringe community at the southeast end of the Salton Sea. It sits 230-feet below sea level, at the southern tip of an 800-mile crack in the ground that threatens to move California’s coastline to Nevada.

It has a population of less than 200 people who are predominantly old and poor. But an emerging migration of artists is quickly flipping these demographics, and with it the character and landscape of this largely deserted town.

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Bombay Beach began as a lakeside resort town, its heyday dating from the late 1950’s into the early 70’s. During that time, fishing and boating activities at the Salton Sea drew people from all over Southern California, including many of the beautiful and fabled from Hollywood.

Unfortunately, the Salton Sea would prove itself to be an ecological disaster.

Resulting from a calamitous accident involving the Colorado River in 1905, this man-made lake is environmentally vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions and geography of the Sonoran Desert. It shouldn’t be there.

In an effort to make the best of this disaster, state and local officials decided to develop the area for tourism and recreation. The lake was stocked with fish, an ecosystem emerged, and resorts were built along its coast. But over time, agricultural runoff from the Imperial Valley and rising salinity levels in the lake undermined these efforts. Bird and sea life were already in jeopardy even before the town of Bombay Beach held its ribbon-cutting ceremony. Location, location, location.

As predicted by science, the sea decayed and so did the town.

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Floods during the 1970’s led to property foreclosures and a mass population exodus. Current water management policies and lack of political incentive to alter its fate continue to erode the lake and the community.

Occupying less than a square mile, the town today is littered with abandoned structures, crumbling trailers, and makeshift encampments. According to the 2010 census, Bombay Beach had 449 housing units and only 175 households.

Bombay Beach has existed in a post-apocalyptic state for decades and has been used as a set location in a handful of movies. Its history and colorful residents have inspired a number of lifestyle journalists, documentary film makers, and authors.

Most recently, an elite group of art world influencers purchased many of the crumbling buildings and endowed them to local and visiting artists for self expression and experimentation. Results vary, but the overall vibe is punk junkyard.

These outdoor structures are part of the Bombay Beach Biennale, a Spring arts event began in 2016 by Stefan Ashkenazy, Tao Ruspoli, and Lily Johnson White. The threesome have been on a mission to help restore the Salton Sea back to its short-lived days of ecologic and economic viability. It could happen someday. When the planet starts to cool or humans have evolved into reptilian flesh beings. Meanwhile, there is art.

In five short years, local and international artists have transformed Bombay Beach into a 24/7 outdoor art gallery with large installations, graffiti covered structures, and dedicated arts venues peppered throughout town. Bombay Beach now appears like a wrecked barge exposed by a dying sea. Rusted, weathered, and oddly beautiful.

"Lodestar" installation by Randy Polumbo

"The Death Ship," installation by Sean Guerrero

The Biennale has attracted noted artists and their monied supporters from around the world. Michael Mikel, one of the founders of Burning Man, has been attending this exclusive event since its inception. "This is where the edge is," he would know. Permitted for up to 500 people, the event is a 72-hour celebration of art, music, movies, and performances that happen throughout the town.

Desert worn, discarded and found objects are artfully repurposed in many of the installations. These artworks remain in Bombay Beach long after the 3-day event is over. All of it exposed to the elements and easily accessible to the public.

My son sitting with a weathered evolution of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” installation by William Attaway

Many outsiders visit these abandoned structures and leave their marks, blurring the boundary between what is real and what is art.

"Naked Revelations," installation by Moranne Layani

“Museum Number Two” installation by Moral Turgeman

“Bombay Beach Drive-In” installation by Stefan Ashkenazy (one of the three founders of the Bombay Beach Biennale), Sean Dale Taylor and Arwen Byrd

With its curated collection of junked cars and a screen used by the community to show movies, Bombay Beach Drive-In is an installation that sits at the intersection of art and function. Past and present. And perhaps a future for Bombay Beach.

This once forgotten town has grown in popularity on social media, garnering more than 150,000 related hashtags. More tourists arrive every day, curiously driving through the streets of this wasteland turned wonderland.

The byproduct of an epic accident inspired the imaginations of purpose-minded madmen– the result is Bombay Beach 2.0, a boundary defying hallucination rising from the Sonoran desert heat. It’s definitely a worthwhile trip.

The Happiest Place On Water

I began 2020 aboard the Disney Dream, tagging along with my sister-in-law on her Disney Marathon-a-thon, 5 races in 7 days. The cruise was headed to the last of the races. This was my maiden voyage and we toasted with a bottle of Vueve Cliquot as our ship embarked from Port Canaveral in Florida. With ports of call to Nassau Bahamas and Castaway Cay (Disney’s private resort island where the last race was being held), I looked forward to a relaxing adventure to places I had never visited.

Our room was comfortable and included all the amenities of a 5-star hotel, with a balcony overlooking the wide expanse of sea before us. The staff were friendly and attentive, although the information desk could have been more informative. Nonetheless, I would not dock any stars from this world class affair.

Shopping and dining opportunities aboard were plenty. The Tiffany’s boutique offered flutes of botttomless champagne and an assortment of chocolate truffles while you shopped. Or just perused. There was an abundance of all day, all you can eat breakfast and lunch options, and communal dinners were rotated nightly at each of the four themed dining rooms. Along with a couple cocktail lounges and bars on deck, there were also adult-exclusive restaurants. One evening, we decided to skip our scheduled communal dining and instead made reservations for a private dinner at Remy, one of two adults only restaurants on the ship. An elegant art nouveau decor, impeccable service, and a menu created by a chef from a Michelin three-star restaurant made for a decadently delicious and memorable evening. A different wine pairing was served with every course and a beautiful presentation of desserts capped off our meal.

Every sunset was epic out in the open sea. We spent a full day at each port and a full day at sea on the way back. Our first port was Nassau. It was bustling with tourists from every cruise ship that docked for the day. Naturally, the streets were crammed with vendors hawking every imaginable souvenir to commemorate your visit. I purchased a baseball hat to add to my collection. The beach was crowded, as were the bars and restaurants. I walked further, a few blocks away from the main hub, where people were fewer. I enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the historic colonial town. I chatted with some friendly locals. I annoyed one gentleman when my request to take his photo turned into a full blown photoshoot. He kindly asked to be done and rode away on his motorbike. The sun was giving me a beat down and after a few hours I was ready to head back to the cool comfort of the Disney Dream.

Early the next morning, I watched the sunrise from our balcony slowly reveal Castaway Cay. Our ship had pulled into port in the middle of the night. The island was still and empty of people.

Shortly after breakfast we disembarked, joining the other passengers headed to populate the beach. We basked on lounge chairs under a sun shading umbrella. We waded into the cool ocean for respite from the heat. A delicious barbecue buffet was served for lunch and we helped ourselves to all the soft-serve ice cream we could eat all day.

Between ports, there was plenty of time for deck lounging and water activities. I shot through the AquaDuck twice, a 750-foot long transparent tube water coaster that circled the ship. There were 3 different pools but I stayed out of all of them. Because kids. But I did purchase a 3-day pass for the adults only spa, where I lounged on a heated tile bed, soaked in a whirlpool hot tub, and sweat in a sauna with a view looking out over the ocean. I topped that off by spending time in each of the four aromatherapy showers that offered–in true Disney style–a rainforest, a waterfall, a tropical thunder, and a cold fog theme.

With every Disney experience, entertainment is always a main attraction. The movie theater where I watched The Lion King (CGI version) and Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker had plush seats and could comfortably fit 1/3 of all the passengers at full capacity and popcorn served in a refillable souvenir bucket. No movie-going experience is complete without popcorn. On our last evening at sea, every guest was gifted a souvenir pirate bandana to wear at the pirate themed costume party on the lido deck. There was also a live pirate show that ended with a spectacular fireworks display. It was magnificent!

Despite being surrounded for a week by all manner of mini Disney Princesses dressed in full regalia, along with their equally Disney obsessed adult chaperones donning mouse ears in every style (ODD is a thing, look it up), and despite the occasional awkward encounter with iconic Disney characters (do I hug them, do I shake their hand, take a selfie?) I would get onboard again in a heartbeat.

The Kills 15th Anniversary Show at Pappy and Harriet's

One of my favorite bands of all time played at one of my favorite venues in the world. The room was packed, sold out, and I was lucky to stake my spot at the front. The small size of Pappy and Harriet’s stage made for some sick, sweet, intimate photo captures. Less than 10 feet from me, Jamie Hince fanned the audience with his cool while his guitar slayed. Alison Mosshart strutted, spun, swung and spit. And the crowd rocked!

Congratulations and thank you to The Kills for 15 years of killer music!! And thank you to Pappy and Harriet’s for all the delicious barbecue meals, margaritas, and entertaining nights of live music!! And here are a couple more exclamation points for one unforgettable night!!!!!

The Kills

Bernie In L.A.