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Pssst!

Inspector Vino is now appearing semi-weekly at tableauvivante.


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Somewhere north of here an elf drops a gift card in the mail, cleverly using my mother-in-law's return address so that I, as a skeptical adult, might not guess it is really from Santa ( Read more... )

The Eye has been with us now for...days? Weeks? It's hard to tell. Since it has appeared, the searing white gaze never leaves the sky. There is no more night. The Eye is restless, and it searches. From our rooftops we can watch it probing, a blinding beam out on the water that burns through the undulating mists gathered to shroud its source ( Read more... )

For the last day, the ladies were off to an afternoon of massaging, soaking and pampering at the spa while we men started our circuit with a tour of Silver Oak. The harvest had only just been officially completed a week before. Our guide walked us out into the vines where some fruit still clung to the vine. She picked, we ate. Deep purple ( Read more... )

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After the wine tour we met friends, shopped, and when night fell headed back to Copia for the much anticipated dinner par excellence. We both ordered off the Local's Menu ( Read more... )

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Day Two began with a visit to Copia, The American Center for Wine Food & The Arts. We strolled their Edible Gardens where they grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices for the onsite restaurant. We saw more kinds of rosemary than I knew existed. Inside there's an art museum, cooking demonstration rooms, and a Wine ( Read more... )

This year I didn't just get a birthday, I got a whole birthday season ( Read more... )

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Anniveen? Either way, our anniversary and Halloween are right around the corner from each other. The anniversary comes first.

The annual Disneyland anniversary trip was a given. I approached the day with my usual, orderly enthusiasm. But a holiday that celebrates candy? We didn't even get inside California ( Read more... )

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This year the theme was ladybugs. There were ladybug balloons, ladybug presents and ladybug cake. Much to Brittany's fascination, Susie even showed up with ladybug toesBut the real show stopper came from my parents. Mom and Pop sat at home in a two-person production line for quite some time that morning. The ( Read more... )