Open House

Sunset, April, 2001

Letters from our readers

And thank you for subscribing

My wife and I have been subscribing to Sunset for several years now We love it! Thank you for providing such a pleasant, informative, and helpful magazine. In our modern culture, where negative news and irritating commercialism are focused on the lowest common denominator, your magazine is like a wonderful breath of fresh air.

William and Nancy Harper

PALM DESERT, CA

Sweet dreams go on and on

Re: "Sweet Dreams: The West's Best Small Inns," February, page 88. I was thrilled to see the photo of the front porch of the Groveland Hotel [in Groveland, California]. In 1868, my then 18-year-old great-grandmother Alice Dorrance, who had just arrived in the Gold Country from Vermont, was sitting on that very porch waiting for her father to come in from the mines to pick her up. While waiting, she met a young gold miner, Richard Sutton, who eventually became my great-grandfather. The Groveland Hotel has held special memories for all of their descendants.

Susan J. Sullivan

TORRANCE, CA

I enjoyed your write-up about the Sorrel River Ranch Resort near Moab, Utah. I visited the resort last August and found it to be magnificent. The scenery is breathtaking and the feeling of peacefulness is unforgettable. The owners, Robbie and Hope Levin, are gracious hosts. The chefs at the River Grill, Denny Fridkin and Justin Maxwell, are creative with their preparation and presentation of menu selections. I look forward to my next stay there.

Marsha Finch

AURORA, CO

You omitted the Red Setter Inn & Cottage situated on the West Fork of the Little Colorado River in Greer, Arizona, in the northeastern part of our state. It is the most welcoming retreat, with wonderful ambience and fabulous breakfasts, not to mention very caring owners and staff.

Wendy Finn

SEDONA, AZ

Three weeks of low-fat meals

Over the past three weeks, my recipes for dinner have come exclusively from the Quick, Light & Healthy section in the January issue ["Weeknight Wisdom," page 102]. This section proves that great food need not be high in fat and difficult to make. Kung Pao Shrimp [ pictured at left] has been our favorite recipe so far.

Lori Baker

PETALUMA, CA

Yosemite place names

Re: "Yosemite in Winter," February, page 16. Wawona means big tree, not big meadow. The area and the Wawona Hotel were named in 1882 by my great-great-aunt, Jean Bruce Washburn, who was married to one of the owners of the hotel. I'm a member of the Bruce family and was born and raised in Wawona.

Bill Stephan

MENDOCINO, CA

Editor's note: Wawona does indeed mean big tree. Ahwahnee is said to mean deep grassy valley.

The elusive roaster

Ah, the memories you evoked with your feature "The Perfect Roast Chicken" [ February, page 102]. Every cooking detail tested to perfection. The only thing missing was the recognition that a "6- to 8-pound roaster" is an endangered species. In this part of the country, fryers have squeezed roasters out of existence in food markets.

Don Marsh

OLYMPIA, WA