Category: FUN

Here are reasons why I need a little NAPA now & again:

Life is too short to drink bad wine

I love their pour, pour attitude

Rosy cheeks means less makeup

Sunshine Market for finding all your fresh & difficult to find items.

Dean & Deluca – pristine & purveyors of everything good in food, wine, etc.

The town of St. Helena with its olive oil tastings, art galleries, little shops and restaurant/cafes.

This little piggy went to “MARKET” – the restaurant in St. Helena where we found out that they have complimentary corking for any unopened bottle of wine you bring in.  They also have an outstanding fresh market daily menu & their own extensive wine list.

Too little time – too many wineries.  Here’s what we managed yesterday:

The Coppola winery because inside its like a movie set.  Sofia Coppola has her own wine.  It must be nice to have one named after you.  Mine would be “The Whine Queen”.  Let me say his movies are much better than his wine.

“Orin Swift” where we took home an elusive “Prisoner” and learned a lesson.  That wines labelled “old vines” must be at least 50 years old to qualify for the name and those that are labelled “ancient vines” must be at least 99 years old.  See, older is better!

“Clos du Bois” in Geyserville, Sonoma County where we bought the “petit verdot”.

“Chateau St-Jean” which make my favourite Chardonnay but now they make my favourite limited release pinot reserve.

The best for last was the “Jacuzzi” (Italian varietals) where you can have a chocolate shot – hollowed out to fill with wine of your choice – now we’re talking!

 

Animal prints are classic and they’re still being seen on the runways & all the major magazines– will we ever tire of them?  My mom used to have an amazing leopard print one-piece with mesh inserts that to this day I’ve yet to see another one quite like it.  At one time she looked fabulous wearing it too.  Unfortunately we’ve lost track of its whereabouts.

If you’re daring & obviously comfortable enough with your fab body to wear the Michael Kors snakeskin swimsuit  then my hats off to you.  It’s absolutely sexy but pricey.  If instead you gravitate towards leopard & would like an equally sexy swimsuit then the Coquette limited edition monokini is the one for you – & the cost is substantially less.

This months issue of InStyle magazine shows that what used to be hidden is now out in full force for evening.

 

 

 

 

Interesting Tidbit:  Design queen Vivienne Westwood was the first to popularize the corset as outerwear (more in previous post).  Jean Paul Gaultier designed the cone corset for Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour further bringing the corset into the main stream.

On another note I love this photo of Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of Bazaar Magazine.  She looks so glamorous in this Yves Saint Laurent jumpsuit.

Interesting Tidbit:  Design queen Vivienne Westwood was the first to popularize the corset as outerwear (more in previous post).  Jean Paul Gaultier designed the cone corset for Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour further bringing the corset into the main stream.

Sometime after midnight last week I saw a large owl sitting on top of a lamppost in New Orleans.  It hung out for several minutes before taking flight.  It got me questioning why we never see more of them.  Then I remembered that a shop keeper in Brazil gave me a little owl charm for good luck just before flying back to Vancouver .  I wanted to find out more about owls as they seem to be popping up more lately & they represent a list of symbolic meanings such as:

• Wisdom
• Mystery
• Transition
• Messages
• Intelligence
• Mysticism
• Protection
• Secrets

I read that the Owl Comes to Those Who are More Scorpionic and Plutonian as The Owl is a Night Bird and Awakens Its Higher Self at Night.

If like me, you are curious to know more about what the mysterious owl represents read on………………

Owl symbolism

Owls have been associated with magic, wisdom and heightened senses throughout history from ancient Greece to Asia and America. Plains Indians wore owl feathers to protect themselves from evil spirits, and in Middle Eastern cultures the owl was seen as a sacred guardian of the afterlife.

Native Americans associated the meaning of owl with wisdom, foresight, and keeper of sacred knowledge.  The Owl has Always Been Seen as The Bird of Wisdom , The Mind of All Knowingness and Mind of All Seeingness.  It should be clear that the owl was honored as the keeper of spirits who had passed from one plane to another. Often myth indicates the owl accompanying a spirit to the underworld – winging it’s newly freed soul from the physical world into the realm of spirit.

In ancient Egyptian, Celtic, and Hindu cultures the symbolic meaning of owl revolved around guardianship of the underworlds, and a protection of the dead.

In Greek mythology the owl was attributed to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and as the symbol was used on Greek coins owls also became associated with wealth. However in medieval Europe owls had a bad name; a symbol of witchcraft involved in the secret powers of the night, which is in sharp contrast to the symbol of knowledge and education that we commonly associate the owl with today.

In modern Japanese culture owls are still quite significant as many Japanese people commonly carry an owl charm, but what does it symbolize?

The owl is the symbol of magic. Powerful magic, good omens, prophecy, astral travel, power to see the un-seen, all seeing knowledge, great wisdom, good luck, power of the moon and night, insight, giving and receiving messages, clairvoyance, religious beliefs, communication with the spirit world, and insight into others true motives.

The owl – quite a significant icon!

By chance we found out about a not so conventional convention put on by the ASSA in Kissimmee, Florida.  It stands for the American Shetland Sheepdog Association.  It was a short driving distance from where we were & too close to avoid. It’s held in various locations every year and people come from all over the country with their shelties and they take it quite seriously.  I was wondering why people kept asking “are you here for the convention?” As soon as we checked in to our hotel we met at least a dozen of JiaJia’s relatives just outside the lobby.  Inside the exposition there were hundreds in various stages either awaiting their turn or already on show.  They sell all kinds of sheltie souvenirs too.

 

 

Unfortunately we missed the sheep & duck herding competition and the agility competition which were held on the weekend but we did see the “bitches in season” competition which JiaJia was most interested in watching. He’s trying to get another category started called “running with the waves” as he would naturally come in front runner.

While we don’t intend to make this an annual event it was rather interesting and hilarious. You’ll never see so many loveable shelties in one location again – ever.  JiaJia certainly was amused.  He’s still #1 with us!

We discovered a unique restaurant today in Sarasota.  One where they allow you to take your dog and not only that but they have a menu “special” of the day for them as well.  Then you can take them inside to the doggy bar to choose from a variety of treats.  Let me say that the people menu is excellent and you can order a half lobster stuffed with lump crab for only $9.00 which includes a salad.  Amazing!  We would definitely go back even without our neighbor’s dog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd9PwrhJ72g

Yesterday on our walk JiaJia and I met a gopher tortoise, one of the oldest living species. Originating some 60 million years ago, they can live up to 150 years.

I’ve always had a lot of respect for these creatures and it’s becoming increasingly rare to encounter one in the wild.  We stared at each other for what seemed like quite a while and I’m so happy that he came out of his shell and decided not to retreat into his hole.  JiaJia found him fascinating but I had to restrain him.  The gopher tortoise is unique in that it is one of the few tortoises to actually make large burrows.  What is with all these burrowing animals i’m suddingly meeting?

In Florida gopher tortoises are on the Endangered Species List, categorized as a Threatened Species.  The gopher tortoise is a very important part of the local ecology.  As in any food web, if you start taking certain flora or fauna out of the equation, then you can adversely affect the survival of that ecosystem. The  gopher tortoise is especially important because the burrows they dig also provide homes for other animals, such as indigo snakes, gopher frogs, mice, foxes, skunks, opossums, rabbits, quail, armadillos, burrowing owls, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and other invertebrates.  Their burrows are home to about 250 species of animals at one time or another.

The turtle (or tortoise) is an old, sacred figure in Native American symbolism as it represents Mother Earth.  To each tribe, the turtle might depict something slightly different but with a recurring theme of creation, protection & longevity.  Is it a coincidence that only a few days before this I bought some lucky Feng Shui charms in hand carved jade that symbolize of all things Protection?

Okay, here’s where it gets confusing.  The gopher tortoise is a turtle as all tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises.  Here’s the difference:

A turtle lives in the water (oceans, lakes, rivers) primarily so has webbed front feet and streamlined legs for swimming. The only time a turtle comes on land is to lay eggs.

A tortoise lives on the land primarily so has feet with long claws for digging and no webbing between the toes. Tortoise eggs are laid in a nest and when they hatch, the baby turtles move to the mother’s burrow. Tortoises tend to stay in one area for life.

 

 Next time you’re watching PanAm the series…..

……think of Key West