For Maryna Krut, a master of the 56-string bandura, music is just not only a calling or a profession.

Whether she's performing to international audiences or to soldiers on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, Krut embodies her country's bitter struggle for independence within the face of the Russian invasion in 2022. Although steeped in traditional Ukrainian music, she is an artist who embraces it feels committed to the current moment and accompanies herself on an instrument that’s deeply rooted within the folklore of her region.

“About half of what I play are my originals and the other half are traditional Ukrainian songs, but I try to make them modern and contemporary,” said Krut, 28, who arrived after a 25-hour plane ride from her home little jet lag, western Ukraine seemed like New York City. She is at the start of a North American tour that features two Stanford Live performances on Saturday, January 18, and a concert on Sunday, January 19, at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley.

With her soaring vocals winding across the resonant lines of the bandura, Krut evokes the cycle of the seasons in her folkloric repertoire. Whether she's singing songs welcoming spring, describing the rituals of winter or celebrating the start of Christmas, “I try to keep it modern,” she said.

“In Ukraine, people play traditional songs in a traditional way. I try to play everything in a contemporary way. Bandura can play anything, any style. Sometimes I use jazz or soul. I try to improvise and do it differently every time.”

It's not only her muse that cries out for musical variety. Shuttling between concert halls and impromptu performances near battlefields, she must toggle between the very different needs of her listeners while bringing music and luxury to the soldiers. Many of her friends are within the military, “and I want to play for them and for soldiers I don't know,” she said.

In the weeks leading as much as Christmas, she called on Instagram to gather relief packages for soldiers and ended up playing the Secret Santa “who goes to the front with all these presents and beautiful baked goods,” she said.

Although she has embraced her role as Ukraine's unofficial ambassador, leaving house is stressful on many levels. There are the logistical challenges of leaving the country and the incontrovertible fact that she never leaves the war behind her. Krut doesn't think she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, “but now I'm still afraid to sleep near a window,” she said.

“I am a civilian. I have no war experience and have never been to the front with a weapon. But we all have a lot of trauma. When I can’t describe my feelings with words, music explains what’s going on inside me.”

Growing up within the western Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi, Krut was not raised in a very musical family. But when she was eight years old, visiting her grandmother in a small village, she saw one other girl playing a strange-looking, box-shaped instrument with dozens of strings. She loved the sound and convinced her mother to enroll her in lessons at a neighborhood music school.

She first learned traditional songs after which classical music. As a young person, “I started writing music,” she remembers. “I tried to play and improvise and started writing songs.”

A couple of years later, she got hold of an inexpensive MP3 player and not using a screen and asked her friends to load it up with interesting music. Because Krut had no way of identifying the tracks, she often didn't know who she was listening to, “but I heard a lot of great stuff, like Esperanza Spalding and Diana Krall,” she said, explaining that her influences included numerous jazz and music Soul artists include you continue to attempting to discover yourself.

The normal pressure young artists face to define themselves through their music feels very different in a rustic at war. Composing music is best done in comfort and safety, a luxury Krut cannot take with no consideration. The reality in Ukraine is that all the pieces modified on February 24, 2022.

“I make music now, but it’s more complicated than before,” she said. “When I hear explosions, you understand that this is so important. You can die any day. You have to leave something in this world, at least your music.”

MARYNA KRUT

When and where: 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., January 18 at Stanford University Studio; $15-$45; live.stanford.edu; 8 p.m., Jan. 19, at Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley; $39.66; sweetwatermusichall.org.

For many Bay Area residents, Humboldt County is the northernmost a part of California, a spot known for its redwood trees, a now-legal cannabis industry, and a historic hotbed for adventurers and iconoclasts.

The county's most accessible beaches, south and north of Humboldt Bay, rival a few of Southern California's most famous, offering miles of wide, white sand against a backdrop of mountains and forests. Some Humboldt beaches feature nationally renowned sand dunes, while others are hidden gems, nestled in coves at the top of steep trails between cliffs and crashing waves.

What makes Humboldt County beaches so beautiful is their solitude, but in the easiest way possible. Depending on the day or time of 12 months, you might have a whole beach to yourself, with all of the solitude and sweetness that comes with a lot untouched nature.

Humboldt County is much enough away—a six-hour drive from the Bay Area on the winding and sometimes two-lane Highway 101—that it just isn’t as crowded as Mendocino or Monterey. With a population of 135,000, the county can also be one in all the state's least populated, though it does have two bustling cities: Eureka, the one-time “lumber capital of California” and the biggest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland; and Arcata, the hippie-chic home of Cal Poly Humboldt

Beaches in Humboldt don't necessarily draw crowds, because the Pacific Ocean here brings warnings of frigid temperatures, rough surf, and small waves. Summer days in Humboldt also often bring fog and wind near the ocean, so local families head to inland beaches along the Eel, Mad, or Trinity rivers once they want sun, warmth, and water fun.

This signifies that the various beaches along Humboldt's coast are open to anyone who doesn't mind wrapping up warm. Surfers have their favorites, after all, and everybody else can even enjoy picnics, beach walks, horseback riding, or just a summer campfire with friends.

If you might be planning a picnic, you will see that great snacks and sandwiches within the Wildplatter Cafe at Wildberries Marketplace in Arcata, Los Bagels each in Arcata and Eureka, and Ramones Bakery and Café in Eureka, Arcata and McKinleyville.

Here are nine beaches in Humboldt which can be value visiting.

Gold Bluffs Beach

While this isn't probably the most distant beach in Humboldt County, it's close. It's a 10-mile drive along a narrow dirt road to succeed in it Gold Bluffs Beach, this is an element of Redwood National Park And Prairie Creek State Parkjust north of the tiny, run-down town of Orrick. The beach hugs the cliffs and the sand seems to stretch on eternally. You'll likely share the landscape with a herd of untamed Roosevelt Elk, who prefer to graze on meadows near the beach campground.

The beach road also results in the trailhead of the famous Fern Canyon. This narrow canyon, lined with living partitions of ferns and mosses, is a World Heritage Site and was made famous by film buffs through Steven Spielberg's The Lost World: Jurassic Park. From May 15 to September 15, the park limits visitor numbers to guard the natural resources of this canyon, which suggests day reservations are also required to go to Gold Bluffs Beach. For more information, visit https://redwoodparksconservancy.org/.

Humboldt Lagoons

About 35 miles north of Eureka, Humboldt Lagoon State Park And Great Lagoon County Park serve three enchanting bodies of water that hug the ocean, forming the biggest lagoon system within the country. Each lagoon offers its own landscape of forest, swamp, prairie, coastal scrub and dunes. There can also be a fourth lagoon, but as its name suggests – Dry Lagoon – it was drained by early farmers in the world.

There are several long sandy beaches nearby that slope down into the Pacific Ocean, but persons are discouraged from swimming here. The lagoons, however, offer quite a few opportunities for water play, including kayaking, sailing and windsurfing. The shallow areas of the Big Lagoon are popular swimming spots, especially near the boat ramp within the county park.

Agate Beach, Suemeg State Park

This long, narrow beach stretches north from the dramatic, lushly forested promontory that Sue Meg State Park, north of Trinidad. Agate Beach was named for the abundance of semi-precious stones that the unique Native Americans found here and used for his or her traditional jewelry. A steep, winding hike from the park's Agate Beach campground takes you all the way down to the beach.

Beach of the State of Trinidad

This beach runs along the western shore of this picturesque seaside village, starting north of Trinidad Head, a rocky promontory that protects Trinidad Harbour and offers 360-degree coastal views on a 2.1km circular walk. You can access the southern end of the beach from the Trinidad Head automotive park, which is just off Lighthouse Road. Or you’ll be able to walk to the Elk Head Park parking zone, off Stagecoach Road, which offers climbing trails all the way down to College Cove, the northernmost section of the beach. Both ends of the beach offer close-up views of dramatic rock columns and crashing waves, with the rocky island of Pewetole Island in the space.

Moonstone Beach, Trinidad

This particularly scenic destination is usually at the highest of locals' lists since it has something for everybody. Surfers like it, couples exchange their wedding vows here, and Humboldt State University students come here to rejoice. Moonstone County Beach is situated just north of the mouth of the Little River, where the present is slow and shallow enough that folks can safely let their children splash around on warm days. The beach also has tide pools and sea caves. The popular cliff-top Moonstone Grill, An area favorite for special occasions, with beach views and classic seafood and steak dinners Monday through Saturday.

Little River State Beach and Clam Beach County Park

Little River Beach And Clam Beach County Park are a part of the identical long, open expanse of sand and dunes visible as you drive north on 101 between Arcata and Trinidad. These are popular destinations for dog walking, beachcombing, kite flying and even horseback riding. Clam Beach can also be one in all the few beaches where you’ll be able to camp on the beach. And the parking zone provides access to the popular Hammond Trail, a 5.5-mile multi-use trail that hugs the shoreline because it climbs. From the highest of the bluff, you’ll be able to see the Mad River meandering toward the ocean, past dunes that were populated by sleeping sea lions in June. The trail continues south through residential neighborhoods and farmland west of the town of McKinleyville, ending on the scenic Mad River Hammond Bridge.

Ma-le'l Dunes

Just a number of kilometers west of Arcata you will see that the west coast most untouched dune systemIn 2021, the Ministry of the Interior The Ma-le'l Dunes have been declared a national natural monumentThis Bureau of Land Management/US Fish and Wildlife Service landscape once provided all of the plant, animal, and other natural resources the Wiyot people needed to survive. Visitors can follow trails along a marsh and salt marsh or climb over massive dunes to the beach, watching in real time because the forces of the ocean and wind shape the sand into ever-changing shapes.

Centerville Beach, Ferndale

This long sandy beach stretches for miles from the Lost Coast Headlands to the mouth of the Eel River. A specific highlight of this beach is that it passes through Ferndale, the picture-perfect Victorian village. Centerville Road takes visitors through picturesque farmland before leading – seemingly – directly onto the beach. Look out for the large white cross that protrudes from the sand beneath the sandstone cliffs. This monument commemorates 17 passengers and 21 crew members who died in 1860 after their steamship Northerner ran aground on a rock near Cape Mendocino and was shipwrecked near the beach.

Black Sands Beach, Lost Coast

As the name suggests, this beach is legendary for its black sand, which provides a surprising contrast to the slate blue of the ocean and the grassy headlands of the Lost Coast, one in all the least developed coastal regions within the country. The mountains along the Lost Coast were reportedly so steep and geotechnically difficult that it was impractical to increase Highway 1 through here. The only way out and in is via the narrow, potholed and partially unpaved Mattole Road. The drive to Black Sand Beach is incredibly scenic, but allow a minimum of two hours, expect to haven’t any cell reception for much of the drive, and check road conditions before setting off.

A Dallas couple recently found their piece of wine country paradise.

Far from the throngs of Napa Valley tourists, Roby and Connie shared a bottle of Chianti in Yountville's pretty little Van De Leur Park. The flower-filled park, which incorporates an ancient pink climbing rose, is considered one of several “secret” spots on this hidden town in the center of Napa Valley.

Unlike its neighbors, Yountville's business district is hidden from Highway 29, making a tranquil place to walk or bike along the town's one-mile Washington Street, known for its world-class wines and Michelin-starred restaurants. In fact, Van De Leur Park is just across the corner from the famous French Laundry and its French Laundry Gardens, where a few third of Chef Thomas Keller's herbs and vegetables are grown.

In fact, in Yountville, the “culinary capital” of Napa Valley, the bar is about so high that even the local food truck and gas station stand out. Tacos Garcia sells a delicious taco for $4 and the Honor Market (and gas station) has a gourmet hot dog on a brioche bun that customers rave about on Yelp.

Boutiques are one other attraction on Washington Street, because of a resolution passed in 2009 that requires 1 / 4 of all wine stores to supply “secondary retail products.” Today, yow will discover every thing from clothing to furniture to high-quality cookware when you enjoy your favorite varietals.

RH Yountville, for instance, integrates food, wine, art and design into its five-building indoor/outdoor restaurant and exhibition space. Guests enjoy ingredient-driven dishes like sliced ​​ribeye steak on toasted garlic bread in a fascinating setting of ancient olive trees, fountains and chandeliers.

Silver Trident Winery presents the Ralph Lauren Home Collection, which mixes the talent of winemaker Kari Auringer with premium home furnishings. Auringer can be the winemaker at Cornerstone Cellars, where the tasting room is complemented by a boutique clothing store.

The Priest Ranch Tasting Room offers handcrafted guitars and pottery, amongst other items. Visitors to the Hestan Vineyards tasting room should purchase high-quality cookware from Hestan and Ruffoni. And the town's oldest tasting room, Jessup Cellars, doubles as a gallery where the art on display is out there for purchase.

In fact, the whole walkable length of Washington Street is an open-air gallery with greater than 35 sculptures by artists who live here and all over the world. There is a free audio tour of the Yountville Art Walk you could access by scanning the QR code at each installation. A very popular piece is the bronze sculpture of a chef and his oversized fork, titled “The Chef,” by Napa artist Lorenzo Mills.

Yountville's art isn't the one playful nod to popular culture. The tasting menu on the aforementioned Silver Trident Winery pairs five varietals with select artisan potato chips. Another eclectic offering pairs wine with bouchon baguettes and artisan butter at nearby Handwritten Wines. And in the event you're a fan of charcuterie, try the bacon and wine pairings on the (also mentioned) Priest Ranch Tasting Room.

Craft cocktails are a specialty at Restaurant at North Block, where chefs Juan Cabrera and Jorge Veranza serve brick-oven-baked flatbreads or pinsas, fresh pastas and coastal favorites like roasted octopus and yellowfin tuna tartare. Around the corner, R+D Kitchen is popular for its sushi, salads, sandwiches and specialties like meatloaf with wild mushrooms. Bottega's rustic charm also draws diners craving authentic Italian cuisine.

No one would blame you in the event you spent all of your time on the town eating, drinking and shopping. It's just so hard to withstand; but when you should burn some calories, the Vine Trail is a paved, designated path for a scenic 45-minute bike ride between Yountville and Napa. There are also nine short mountain climbing trails on the town, marked on a map on the Yountville Welcome Center.

If you should soar over this idyllic landscape of gardens and grapevines, Yountville-based Napa Valley Aloft is considered one of the primary hot air balloon firms to supply agricultural tours over Napa Valley. Their colourful balloons are a logo of the magic that exists in a small town blessed with a lot abundance.

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For your information

The Yountville Welcome Center at 6484 Washington St. can make it easier to plan your visit.

Also on Washington Street is the two-Michelin-key North Block Yountville, which offers well-appointed rooms in an enthralling courtyard. For more information, visit northblockyountville.com.

Napa Valley Lodge is a luxury boutique hotel just a brief walk from Yountville's many attractions. Check out the package deals at napavalleylodge.com.

For pure fun, there may be hardly anything higher than the Bon Tempe Lake Loop Trail.

• Summary of the hike: The Bon Tempe Lake Loop is a straightforward 4-mile hike with gentle ups and downs and good footing. There are portable restrooms within the Lake Lagunitas parking zone. Dogs are allowed on a leash, but usually are not allowed within the water.

• Getting there: Take Bolinas Road from Fairfax to Sky Oaks. Turn left at Sky Oaks and slowly climb past a ranger entrance booth. About 150 feet further, turn right and buy a day pass for $8 for cars on the ticket machine. Continue on the paved predominant road to the top to Lake Lagunitas.

As you enter the parking zone on the lake, you will notice a big sign: “Lake Lagunitas Picnic Area.” A couple of yards to the proper, there may be a brief road with some adjoining picnic tables. Our trailhead is down this road, left on the green gate and just over the bridge to the signed Shadyside trailhead on the proper. You can park within the parking zone at Lake Lagunitas, along the short road to our trailhead, or elsewhere nearby.

• The hike: From the Shadyside trail, we’re greeted by forest, scent and birdsong. After walking a brief distance through trees near the lake, we reach a gorgeous open edge by the lake before re-entering the forest. With each gentle climb and around each bend, the sunshine, shadow and flora change – almost as if we’re entering different forest spaces. On our option to the dam, we cross three bridges.

In the forests, trees dominate the understory plants and trail habitat. The trees in Shady are mostly Douglas firs, redwoods, tanoaks, and laurels, with the occasional maple and black oak. The trees in Shady are noticeable, as you could have to leaf through them and their shifting rays of sun and shadow to see the lake.

Halfway through our shady walk, there may be a spot on the trail where you’ll be able to see a big dead tree straight ahead, surrounded by even larger Douglas firs, with a big osprey nest on top. I used to be told that the osprey is incubating its eggs, which is barely occasionally visible when it changes position and shows its head. I even have never seen it.

I saw an excellent blue heron perched on a fallen tree, and further down the trunk were some mergansers. The heron soon chased them away. A brief distance further on, I observed a mother merganser swimming within the lake, with several small, furry ducklings paddling behind her. Just a little further and closer to the shore, some Pacific painted turtles were sunning themselves contentedly on a log.

When we reach the dam, we cross it. At the underside left we see what I call “the tail of the alpine lake.” The lake loses it within the dry months, and in the course of the winter rains, the tail grows back like a lizard.

At the far end of the dam we descend the gravel road, take a brief bridge over the dry spillway of the lake and just past a narrow path that climbs steeply to our right we turn right onto the broader path that’s level for about 1.5 metres before climbing. The climb is kind of steep but short and shortly we reach the summit and start our hike on Sunny.

First we come across a number of strawberry trees, that are likely remnants of the previous pastures that were flooded after the dam and Bon Tempe Lake were in-built 1948. Inland, Virginia live oaks are the predominant trees on Sunny, and on the lakeshore there are a number of bay trees and water-loving alders. As we traverse Sunny we’re rewarded with several unobstructed views across the lake to Mount Tamalpais.

The spring wildflowers within the shade have already disappeared or are of their final phase of bloom, but within the sunny area there are still many wildflowers among the many tall grasses.

At the top of Sunny, we pass the trailhead and switch right onto the dirt path next to the road. We walk along the lake for a bit before descending a number of steps and turning left onto the signed Pine Point Spur Trail. We proceed until we come across the sign for Lake Lagunitas via the Alex Forman Trail and follow it. Just before we reach the road, we turn right past an indication with a number of symbols but nothing else. We proceed uphill with no lake views, then across a big open area, past an Alex Forman Trail sign and across a road. From there, we jog left onto the trail toward parked cars and the parking zone at Lake Lagunitas.

I hope you enjoyed this great hike. I'll be on vacation for my next column, but I'll see you again on June twenty fourth.