Sunset back issues from December 1985:
Holiday spirit in the stately Hotel Utah. (Westin Hotel Utah, Salt Lake City)
Dec 01, 1985 ... The Westin Hotel Utah, at South Temple and State streets, is Salt Lake City's finest old hotel, built in 1911 in the English Renaissance style. With its classic ornate lobby, chandeliers, stained-glass ceiling, and wall coverings of red and gold, it always appears in a holiday mood; the ...
More cross-country skiing on Tahoe's north shore. (Tahoe National Forest)
Dec 01, 1985 ... A bustling lodging and restaurant base for Lake Tahoe's north shore ski areas, Tahoe City now has some half-dozen shops that rent cross-country equipment. And just north of town, the Tahoe Nordic Ski Center has expanded. The center now sports 50 kilometers of groomed tracks, with ...
Point Reyes national seashore at Christmas.
Dec 01, 1985 ... In winter, Point Reyes has a different appeal. You can take cool hikes in the forests and along the uncrowded beaches of the national seashore, visit the lighthouse to watch migrating whales chugging southward just off the coast, browse in the area's small galleries and cozy cafes. In ...
Winter tidepooling at San Mateo coast reserve. (James W. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, San Mateo, California)
Dec 01, 1985 ... The solstice months, December and June, produce tidal extremes, including some low tides that are wonderful times for tidepooling. One good spot to study intertidal life is the James W. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, about 20 miles south of San Francisco on the San Mateo coast. Here, ...
Will James gets his due at Reno museum. (Sierra Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada)
Dec 01, 1985 ... The fame of Will James has not endured like that of the earlier Western-subject artists Frederic Remington and Charles Russell, but in his time James was a renowned author and illustrator. He was a real cowboy who had ridden the ranges of Western Canada, broken wild horses in Montana, and ...
Dressy trees in Fresno, December 7 through 15. (Metropolitan Museum, Fresno, California)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Fresno's year-old Metropolitan Museum celebrates its own birthday as well as the holidays with "Illusions of Christmas," a display of some 20 Christmas trees decorated in many styles by artists, interior designers, and florists. The trees will be on view December 7 through 15, and ...
Western folk art has its day, all this month in San Jose. (San Jose Museum)
Dec 01, 1985 ... "Pioneers in Paradise" is the quirky title of a fascinating show now at the San Jose Museum of Art. It opened November 17 and will run through January 5. A landmark in the presentation of American folk art, it is the first historical survey of self-taught artists of the West ...
Now you can "snow-park" - a new California permit system lets you park off the highway safely in 17 plowed sites. It's first-come, first-served.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Up the snowy interstate you've steered, and now you've turned off onto a snowier side road, and there you spot it--the ne lus ultra place to unpack skis and sleds and inner tubs for the season's first winter fun. Then you see drifts deep enough to hold your car hostage until spring thaw, ...
Weekend specials at big city hotels. (The Western Coast hotels' Christmas events)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Once the convention is gaveled to a close and the business travelers have exited the revolving lobby doors, many big city hotels are finding a good number of rooms left vacant until the work week starts again. This dilemma has prompted a current trend in the hotel business: the weekend ...
The santons of Provence...on exhibit or for sale in southern France. (Aubagne, France)
Dec 01, 1985 ... The old town of Aubagne in the south of France is worth a stop for its daily produce market, its picturesque streets, and especially its twice-yearly santon fair, held mid-July through August and late November through December. Santons, little figures made of clay, include ...
A farm-town Christmas in Arroyo Grande. (Arroyo Grande, California)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Roll into Arroyo Grande this month and you'll see wreth-decked streetlamps along sidewalks you'd like to stroll, light-trimmed windows framing shops you'd like to explore, and the friendly smiles of folks you'd like to meet. It's Christmas in this turn-of-the-century farm town that's come a ...
Christmas theater in the West's small towns.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Setting the mood for the holidays, many small towns make Christmas theater performances the focus of their annual celebration. You can join the locals as they cheer a melodrama nea Ashland, stare in disbelief as Scrooge pirouettes on ice skates at Lake Arrowhead, or blink back tears when ...
This is the time to plan an Alaska cruise.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Alaska vacation planning this month is a little like Christmas shopping in July: wise, yet easier to put off until the last minute. But if your vacation plans include voyages on cruise ships, smaller touring craft, or the popular ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway, you're getting down to ...
"Citizen" races...any cross-country skier can enter. They happen most weekends.
Dec 01, 1985 ... On winter weekends, thousands of avid cross-country skiers match skills and stamina in mass-start "citizen" races in northern California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Anyone can enter. Now through March, these "fun runs" for skiers offer friendly competition through thick woods, ...
Tropical cruising in the southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia.
Dec 01, 1985 ... The tropical destinations of the Southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia offer intriguing ports of call, beautiful beaches, exotic temples and monuments, distinctive food, and colorful crafts and costumes. And between February and April 1986, there's the bonus of a better view of ...
Up-to-the-minute forecasts on "weather radio."
Dec 01, 1985 ... "When I am right, no one remembers. When I am wrong, no one forgets." That forecaster's lament aptly expresses our mistrust for the people who predict the weather. In fact, computer prediction techniques have made modern forecasts more accurate than we give them credit ...
New swim gear...to see better, stay warmer, listen to music. s
Dec 01, 1985 ... Now Mozart can join you for laps in the pool, thanks to the latest developments in specialty swimming equipment. And new versions of more traditional gear help you see better and stay warmer while swimming, and dry off more efficiently when finished. To find his gear, check sporting goods ...
Palm Springs biking: six trails, great weather.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Five leisurely bicycle loops, 3 to 13 miles long, provide a perfect introduction to Palm Springs, a city too sprawling to cover on foot and too pretty in winter to drive. A sixth bike path, now halfway complete, follows Tahquitz Wash, a broad natural riverway that cuts through the heart of ...
Rediscovering the small-town Christmas. (The West's small town)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Come with us to savor Christmas in a small town. * Huddled in subzero temperatures, residents in Wheatland, Wyoming, shiver outside their stately 1917 courthouse to hear one more telling of the ancient drama in Bethlehem. Chin deep in woolly clothing, they'd rather savor the mood ...
Wreath, snowflake, Christmas tree. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Two easy techniques--cut and slash--bring holiday designs to a simple sweet bread. You divide dough, forming each half into a round or triangle. With a knife, shape each into a snowflake, wreath, or tree. After the dough shapes rise, brush them with egg, and decorative touches with a ...
A big wreath for a big spot.
Dec 01, 1985 ... "Wreath-making party," reads the invitation. "Bring a hammer!" And when Seattle's Madison Park Garden Club gathers for its annual Christmas event, it sounds more like a barn raising. These big wreaths, meant for outdoors, are quick and easy to make but require space, power ...
60 minutes or less. (Christmas decoration and ornaments)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Time grows precious during the hectic weeks of the holiday season. To help you keep a personal touch when there's much else to do, we've collected ideas for homemade decorations, ornaments, wraps, and gifts you can put together quickly. Some projects--the stuffed-paper gift wraps, ...
Salads that capture the fleeting fruits of early winter. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Fleetingly with us in late fall and early winter are chestnuts and certain fruits with a very short season: ruby-bright pomegranates, tiny lady apples, tart cranberries, mandarins and tangerines, and persimmons that are good crisp, like Fuyu. Now is the time, while these special foods are ...
Ask a sushi chef for a gift idea. (how to buy Oriental kitchen knives)
Dec 01, 1985 ... An enduring gift sure to please any cook, a good kitchen knife is an indispensable tool. The knives we show here come from Japan and China, where the fine art of cooking has produced elegant utensils designed for specific tasks. Your favorite chef might like one or more of them. ...
The camellias that do everything...even bloom for Christmas; sasanquas.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Luscious flower color isn't the only virtue of sasanqua camellias. They're also neat (small leaves give them a tailored look); they thrive outdoors in most of the West's mild-winter regions; they bloom fall into winter, when few other garden plants do; and they're the most versatile of the ...
Footbeasts. (how to make wooden footstools)
Dec 01, 1985 ... These broad-backed beasts have a lot of appeal: they eat nothing, are quiet, and take up little floor space. They just stand about with wooden-faced docility, ready to serve as footstools for adults or seats for young riders. Connecting their front- and rear-leg sections is a ...
Short lengths of dowels or moldings make up these wreaths.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Short, crosscut slices of dowel or wooden molding are the building blocks for these holiday wreaths. They make easy projects for the whole family. You need only glue--no nails--to hold the parts together. And you can make wreaths big enough to hang on a front door or small enough to adorn ...
Bright yarn balls for your tree...with the Japanese craft temari.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Using the techniques of the Japanese craft temari, here's how to create Christmas Ornaments by winding needlepoint yarn or embroidery thread around styrene foam balls. In the photograph at right, you see balls decorated with traditional diamond patterns; instructions start below. For the ...
Her animals are tree-dwellers. (building storage for stuffed animals)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Stuffed animals have a tidy home in this storage tree, built from scrap pieces of plywood and pine by Don Ostendorf of Prescott, Arizona. Cut with a saber saw and held together with wood glue and stove bolts, the 1/4-inch plywood tree has a central trunk and overlapping pieces ...
Party lamps are easy to put together.
Dec 01, 1985 ... In Phoenix, where outdoor entertaining goes on most of the year, landscape architect Tom Orchard devised this simple but effective way to light up a garden for an evening party. These glass-protected candle lanterns are brighter than Mexican luminarias, but they work similarly to ...
Putting glittery words or designs on holiday wraps.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Add some sparkle to your wrappings this Christmas with glued-on glitter. It's inexpensive, easy to do, and great for mailed gifts: the decorations can't get crushed. It works on any paper, too. Use spray adhesive (a 15-ounce can costs about $2.50) or brush on a thin film of ...
Gift idea: a foreign design magazine - single copy or a subscription.
Dec 01, 1985 ... You don't have to be an artist or architect to enjoy foreign design magazines like Italy's Abitare or Domus or Japan's A + U. Individual copies make entertaining stocking stuffers for anyone interested in the arts, while the gift of a year's subscription can bring visual surprises month ...
Colorful fabric wreath or box tops. You pad and glue cardboard.
Dec 01, 1985 ... An ancient Japanese art of forming padded relief pictures, oshi-e, requires the careful overlapping and gluing of batting-and fabric-covered cardboard shapes. After learning the art from fabric designer John Marshall of Oakland, we adapted its essential steps to create the wreath pictured ...
Building your own house.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Building Your Own house, by Robert Roskind (Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, 1984; $17.95). Subtitled The First Part: From Foundations to Framing, this detailed 436-page volume is the first of a planned series. It begins with a thoughtful discussion of house design, types of ...
Decisions, decisions.
Dec 01, 1985 ... On a grand scale, Christmas wishes could include a brand-new home or room addition. To make that dream come true, many people build for themselves, saving the cost of professional labor and turning their dream into a labor of love. if you know someone who gets a twinkle in the ...
Building an addition to your home.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Building an Addition to Your Home, by Charles N. McConnell (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1982; $10.95). Four sections discuss new construction, home maintenance and repairs, home improvements, and general information (accurate record keeping, home safety equipment, ...
Build your own home for less than $15,000.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Build Your Own Home for Less Than $15,000, by Paul Bemish (Quill, New York, 1984; $8.95). For budget-conscious builders, the "home" in question is a 24-by 36-foot, two-bedroom dwelling, with living room, kitchen-dining area, and one bathroom. The 126-page text tells you what tools and ...
The handbook of do-it-yourself materials.
Dec 01, 1985 ... The Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Materials, by Max Alth (Crown Publishers, New York, 1982; $18.95). This 344-page hardbound reference describes and illustrates hundreds of building materials on the market. Organized alphabetically, the 47 chapters start with ...
How to design and build your own house.
Dec 01, 1985 ... How To Design and Build Your Own House, by Lupe DiDonno and Phyllis Sperling (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1984; $11.95). This 365-page work, with more than 600 line drawings, covers each phase of new-house building, from design to finish work. It also includes tables and charts for ...
These shimmering decorations start with leaves as patterns.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Life-size shapes of leaves, cut from sheets of shiny plastic film (Mylar), make jewel-like decorations for trees, gifts, tables, or even clothing. When they're bent along veining lines scored in the film, the leaves gain many angled surfaces that reflect lights and colors from around a ...
Outdoor holiday lights...tricks of the trade for buying, displaying.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Stringing up outdoor lights to brighten the holidays is a once-a-year pleasure for many of us, even allowing for the frustration of untangling light strands or replacing bulbs that flicker out. But there are also potential hazards to be aware of: overheated wires, short circuits ...
Stocking stuffers you can buy with one quick stop. (Christmas gifts)
Dec 01, 1985 ... When you want to buy a gift but you don't want to deal with shopping center parking lots and department store crowds, local specialty stores such as the five-and-dime, drugstore, or grocery can be a quick help. Pictured here and on page 148 are our suggestions from five types of ...
Facelift for a narrow one-car garage.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Adding the illusion of breadth to a narrow one-car garage took simple additions to its front and side. At the front, a sturdy trellis spans the width of the driveway, running from a pair of posts near one corner of the garage to the top of a brick wall on the property line. The ...
Almost all they did was take out walls. (home decoration)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Reworking existing space instead of adding more can be an effective and comparatively inexpensive way to remodel. "Most houses have unnecessary walls and corridors, and removing them makes such a difference," says Portland architect James Oliver. When asked to expand Billie and ...
Betty's Borrego red. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Make ahead; reheat before serving. 2 pounds lean ground beef 1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 1 large onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 4 to 5 tablespoons hot-flavored chili powder 1-1/2 teaspoons each dry oregano leaves and ground cumin 1 can ...
Hot buttered drink mix. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Vanilla ice cream is the base of this spice-flavored mix, made easily in a blender or food processor. Keep the mix in the freezer, ready to season hot drinks for drop-in guests. 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ground ...
Winter potato salad. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Garnish with beets just before serving. 3-1/2 pounds (6 large) thin-skinned potatoes, cut in half 1 medium-size onion, thinly sliced 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced 6 radishes, thinly sliced 1 can (6 oz.) whole ripe olives, drained Dressing (recipe follows) 1 can (1 lb.) sliced pickled ...
Coconut-chocolate bars. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Tuck these cookies into lunch boxes, offer them for desert, or give as gifts. 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or magazine 1/3 cup each granulated sugar and firmly packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup ...
Country pate. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Expect a slightly coarse texture. 1 pound each chicken livers and bulk pork sausage 2 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon each ground pepper and dry thyme leaves 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon each lemon juice and Worcestershire 1 small onion, minced 3 cloves ...
Green beans with garlic. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Beans cut on the diagonal readily absorb the garlic and ginger flavors of the sauce. 4 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon dry sherry or water 1 tablespoon sesame seed 1-1/2 tablespoons salad oil 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 pound green ...
White bean chili, black bean assoulet...party-size dishes to keep in waiting. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... An ace in the hole for a busy time of year, these party-size entrees are ready to serve when you are--right after assembly or several days later. Both highlight hearty combinations of meat and beans, but the bean pairing is not what you might expect: black beans for the cassoulet ...
Italian diamonds: polenta and gorgonzola. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Two classics from Italy--polenta and gorgonzola cheese--work together in these easy-to-make appetizers. You cook coarse-ground polenta (or regular cornmeal) until thick, then spread it evenly in a pan. Stud the polenta with cheese and cut it in the pan to make bite-size diamonds. Just ...
Compromise chowder? It's halfway between Boston and Manhattan. (includes recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... William Burke once said that every prudent act was based upon compromise and barter. Prescott, Arizona, is not exactly halfway between Manhattan and Boston, but Bill Brunstedt's prudent chowder is. Standing firm against those who decry tomato and those who scorn cream, he incorporates both ...
An olive coat for lamb chops. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Flavors from Southern France are used in the black, pungent tapenade mixture that coats these thick lamb chops. For easy-to-manage cooking, you bake the coated chops at very high heat. Tapenade is a blend of black olives, anchovies, mustard, and herbs. For the most robust taste, ...
Make your own spice blends. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Fragrant spice and herb mixtures, personally styled, are helpful and flavorful shortcuts when cooking. And because they are quick to make and keep well, they also make thoughtful little gifts. Use these mixtures as you would their commercial counterparts, or as suggested. ...
Artistry with cookies. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Clay in the hands of an artist, professional or otherwise--that's what this splendidly malleable cooky dough is. To prove the point, we gave the dough to three Western artists to see how they would use it to create cookies for the holidays. Because the techniques they employed are ...
Buffalo for your holiday roast? Or antelope, caribou, boar. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... If you want a very special entree for a holiday meal, ranch-raised game is one choice. Roasts of buffalo, antelope, caribou, and boar (called wild, to distinguish it from pork) are not inexpensive and not easily acquired, but they can be found if you plan ahead. The flavor and texture of ...
December menus; sugarplum party for the nutcracker set. A shellfish salad with rice soup. A sugar pie to bake for Christmas breakfast. (includes recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Festive holiday events become more memorable when you pair them with a special menu. After The Nutcracker ballet, have ready a desert party featuring some of the dancing sweets to reinforce the story for the young and refresh older guests. For Christmas morning, sweet ...
Jalapenos spike a chowder and a salad. (includes recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... The word hot succinctly describes the jalapeno chili. Small, dark green, and round-shouldered, it's one of the more available fresh chilies and packs a lot of heat into its 3-inch length. Here jalapenos spike a creamy vegetable chowder and a cool salad. These dishes are ...
Simple and savory ricotta cheese torte...olive or tomato. (includes recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Ricotta cheese is the base of these savory tortes, firmed only by eggs as they bake. Flavored by olives or dried tomatoes, the tortes are good eaten warm or cold. Season each crustless wedge with a few drops of olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper; serve as a snack, ...
Cranberries with (for a change) fish, squash, pork. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Right now, fresh cranberries are abundant. But when December passes, the fresh berries unfortunately fade from the market. Smart cooks freeze a few extra bags when berries are plentiful so their bright-tart flavor can sparkle in a range of dishes in future months. Here we use them with ...
How far will a little caviar go? A long way in these three salads. (includes recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Luxurious-looking caviars need not be prohibitively expensive. Caviars made from the roe of salmon, whitefish, lumpfish, or flying-fish (usually labeled as roe, not caviar) don't have the subtle delicacy of sturgeon caviars. But they are much more modestly priced and fun to use for their ...
They can make their own candy in the microwave. (recipes)
Dec 01, 1985 ... Youngsters will find these candies quick and easy to make. A microwave ove simplifies the basic steps: toasting nuts, melting chocolate, softening caramels. An adult might supervise the cooking, then even very young children can assemble the candies. Apricot Wheels ...
Living with holly...the other 11 months of the year.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Many holly plants come into suburban gardens as Christmas gifts. Likely, the new owners plant them without fully knowing what they're dealing with. For such homeowners, here's a guide to living with holly. Because it's Christmas, we start with pruning and berry harvesting--which can wisely ...
Ornaments from your garden...succulents and berries.
Dec 01, 1985 ... Picked from your garden, plump succulents and berries make handsome, nearly instant Christmas tree ornaments when tied together or combined with other greens. The succulents' crisp shapes and winter-cool colors--from silvery gray to apple green--contrast nicely with spiky, deep green ...