A bit of the grape...

Well, wouldn't you know it, the winery had grape vines!

Huh. who would have thought?




American wine drinkers consume more wine on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.



Did you know that grapevines cannot reproduce reliably from seed?

Yep to make a grape you have to graft a new plant.



As of the year 2000, 554,000 acres in California were planted to grapevines.



"Wino Forever" Johnny Depp's tattoo (The tattoo once read 'Winona Forever'!)




"I have enjoyed great health at a great age because everyday since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles." A Bishop of Seville

Bernardo Winery

Lisa and I like to get together to just take pictures. Not only does it "feed a hungry blog," it improves our skills and is just plain fun!

Our most recent photo fieldtrip was to a local winery.









They have lots of antiques scattered around the grounds and everywhere you look is something worth taking a picture of!





"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world." --- Ernest Hemingway.

"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it." --- Anonymous

On the news

Okay, you KNOW Matt plays the trumpet, right?

And you KNOW he is in the marching band, right?

Well, their band was asked to be a guest on the local news program!



So we all gathered in the parking lot of the TV Station (too many kids to fit in their studio.)



The band gathered, rehearsed and then waited....



And then it was time for the first little session:





Then we waited for the commercial break to be over...



And waited...



And then the reporter interviewed the Band President and Drum Major:



Then we played a little more....



Then waited a little more....

The kids were on TV for about 9 minutes and were in the parking lot waiting and rehearsing for almost 2 hours!





There's no business like show business
Like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing
Everything that traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling
When you are stealing that extra bow

Love on the beach.....

Jenny and Chris are the most adorable couple! They are warm, friendly, funny and so obviously in love! I had so much fun at their engagement photo session!

We spent a lovely sunny afternoon at Ocean Beach.






Wanna know a secret?

Shhhh....

Lisa and I are going to photograph their wedding this summer!

(...isn't that exciting?)



They were good sports too...cuz I brought along a frame to play with....



And asked them to do some pretty quirky poses....







And thanks so much to Wendy for being our super-duper photographer's assistant!













"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." ~ Franklin P. Jones

Meet Penny

Wanna see somethin' cute?



How 'bout a little Yorkie puppy?

My parents just adopted her and named her Penny:



She is 9 weeks old and weighs 3 pounds:






The one thing you can guarantee when you adopt a puppy is that she will bless your life in so many ways.

....and you will never have a dull moment!



We were using a ribbon to try to take her for a little walk:


...um...it wasn't working




"When you see a Penny, pick it up. You'll have good luck the rest of the day"

The country fair

Our church hosts a little Country Fair each fall. It's kind-of a gift to the community and kind-of just FUN!

The men of the church sponsor the chili cook off -- fair attendees are asked to taste and vote!

There's a cute little harvest boutique - with donated crafts and yummy baked goods:







And do I need to mention children EVERYWHERE?









And a barnyard of animals....

OF COURSE you need animals for a country fair!






A man walks up to a shetland pony and asks:
"Do you have a sore throat?"
The pony replies:
"No. I'm just a little horse"

An impulse buy?

It started innocently enough.

Wendy and I were hiking along beach.




Enjoying the views....stopping to watch the trains go by....pausing to admire a surfer in the waves....you know, the usual....




When we came upon the most adorable little house!


Not only was it cute, it boasted a glorious ocean view.




AND lucky for us the house was For Sale!

So Wendy and I pooled our money together--we were determined to buy it. (I know impulse buys are NOT a good thing, but we were IN LOVE!)

Well....

[insert sad face here]

Rats....we didn't have enough....


The list price is $5,390,000 for the little house. The little matching cottage right behind it is another $3 million. But you can get them together for a mere $8 million (what a deal, huh?)

In case you want to tour the home, I'm adding the realtor's link: Click HERE

The realtor has a nice little summary of what you need to buy the house:

Down payment $1,079,000
Monthly Payments: $25,877
Boo hoo.

"The three most important factors in buying a home are: location, location, location."

All Souls Day

Just a few more photos I want to share with you from our visit to Old Town San Diego's Day of the Dead Celebration.



Yes, I said "CELEBRATION"




It may sound weird but traditionally in Mexico "death" and "festivities" go hand in hand. For someone alien to the culture, it may be difficult to grasp the concept, but the fact is that the Mexicans react to death with mourning tinged with happiness and joy. They believe in the life, death and rebirth.



Therefore, instead of regarding death as a relentless force beyond human comprehension and living in constant fear of it, they take it in good humor.



According to the current practice, the Mexicans remember the deceased children on All Saint's Day (November 1st). Their graves are adorned with toys and colorful balloons on this day.



The next day, All Souls Day, is the day to fondly remember the deceased adult members of the family. Their favorite food and drink, their personal belongings and an embellished altar build in their name are used to honor them.



On November 2, the spirits of the dead adults return. Entire families visit the graves of their ancestors, bringing favorite foods and alcoholic beverages as offerings to the deceased as well as a picnic lunch for themselves. They spend the day cleaning and decorating the grave sites and visiting with each other and other families.




There are sugar skulls and toys for the children, emphasizing early on that death is a positive part of the life cycle. It is a happy occasion for remembering pleasant times with departed family members.



There are folktales that say the dead spirits will get revenge on the living if they get poor treatment during these days each year. Leaving nothing (or inferior gifts) on the altar causes the spirits to be angry or sad. These superstitions inspire many people to participate in this holiday celebration for this very reason.





"The essence of this beautiful ritual is to lovingly and happily remember the dead relatives, their life, and in this way, give meaning and continuity to human existence."May Herz

El Dia De Los Muertos

"The Day of the Dead" or "El Dia de los Muertos" is a popular tradition in Mexico.



It celebrates the reunion of dead relatives with their families.




Hold on, don't get too creeped out....

It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31 and leave on November 2.




The souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry...just like they did when they were living.



So alters are set up to honor their loved ones. The tables are like a scrapbook of the person's life.





Mexicans welcome the dead by preparing special foods in honor of those who have departed and placing them on altars along with food such as pan de muertos baked usually in the shapes of skulls.



"What is the difference between Halloween and the Day of the Dead? Halloween is based on a medieval European concept of death, and is populated by demons, witches (usually women) and other images of terror -- all of them negative. The Day of the Dead, in contrast, is distinctly different. It is a uniquely Indo-Hispanic custom that demonstrates strong sense of love and respect for one’s ancestors; celebrates the continuance of life, family relationships, community solidarity and even finds humor after death -- all positive concepts!"Bobbi Salinas-Norman

Happy Halloween!

Remember how excited you were to be in the elementary school Halloween costume parade?

I do!

That's why I was so excited when Lisa invited me to tag along with her to watch our local elementary parade.

I spotted a few cuties on the way to school....



(I would have KILLED to have sparkly ruby slippers when I was little....in fact why don't I own some now?)



"Awww mom, Storm Troopers shouldn't carry backpacks...."
Then the parade began!

[how about humming "The Monster Mash" song while you scroll through?]



This little princess had to stop to play on the swings...












Lego men? I mean Lego People:






And the award for best use of a trash can:



And I'll leave you with a 'pack of princesses'




When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on Halloween.
~Author Unknown

Here's "The Monster Mash" for you to sing along with (I warn you though, that song will be stuck-in-your-head the rest of the day!)