My life sometimes attacks me at a dizzying speed.  There’s plenty to think about…family, home, work, health and friendships. It’s a human condition.  I’ve found that happiness and serenity come when I’m not laser-focused on an outcome, but rather viewing each day as a new adventure–what’s around the next corner?

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At a recent party at Palmaz, we were talking about the Napa Valley Mustard Festival kick-off party (in photo) and someone asked, “so where are the best parties?”

My favorite has always been casual private al fresco dinners with 6-12 people at someone’s Napa, Marin or Sonoma home.  We all bring food or wine to share. Sometimes they have a theme, like bring a Rosé. Other times the hosts provide sumptuous food & we open lots of wine.  Surprisingly, wine is not the topic of conversation usually, of course there is some industry gossip, but mainly it’s an opportunity to escape from our careers & talk about everything else that’s important in life.

I learned a long time ago that it’s not where you go, but who you travel with; the same goes for parties, it’s the people that make it fun.

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In my home, we make up little sayings all the time.  It’s not a conscious thing, it’s just a part of our personalities.  Sometimes, it changes a grumpy mood into something hopeful.  Today, my husband left this saying on my desk, Something Wonderful will Happen Today.

* For a dog, there’s something wonderful around every corner.

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My hubby and I have similar views about Valentine’s Day.  We see it as an opportunity to spoil each other a bit & be romantic. Yesterday I bought red Gladiolas and pink Tulips for the house.  Who cares who bought the flowers? The point is to enjoy them together.  (He did say, hey, I was going to buy you some flowers…and I said, so what’s stopping you?!)

This morning, I delivered this cookie with his coffee in bed. (Tulip ate it while B was watching Maverick’s Surf Competition on the laptop, so she got a present too.)

We’ll spend the whole weekend just doing whatever, but we’ll be together.  This is what it’s like when people are in love. I see this weekend as a time to be together, hold hands, sit close, and say I love you in lots of little ways.

* For other Valentine’s ideas, click here.

Stolen Cookie, Valentine's 2010

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I took this photo with my old Canon Powershot at the Napa Valley Mustard Festival Kick Off party.  I didn’t photoshop it because the graininess adds to the illusion that this is a painting.  Instead, as my title suggests, it’s a live model within a theatrical painted set.

I was touched by this modern woman modelling (in a body suit).  With so many women being shy about their body (myself included), it’s lovely to see a strong curvy gal showcased in modern art.  Kudos to the model, the artist responsible and the producers of the Festival.

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This post was inspired by my Guidebook being a speed dial gift on KQED’s Winter Pledge Drive. I’m so proud to be part of the great tradition of public radio!

Before television (and Twitter) people gathered around the radio for entertainment.  I’m too young to have those memories directly, but I loved the TV drama The Waltons, about a depression-era Virginia mountain family.  Also, firmly in my memory bank is the War of the Worlds Play read by Orson Welles in 1938. (Available as a podcast.)

Today, I’m hooked on radio story-telling.  I love This American Life on my local public radio station, and even if it’s getting a little long-in-the-tooth, Hubby and I still listen to the Sunday edition of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion.

There are a lot of interesting new shows on Internet radio but I have a hard time finding them–there are so many it’s overwhelming.  Any suggestion are welcome.  I’ve done a few interviews (audio & video)…fun Tips & Picks from Girl with a Glass!

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Imagine a soft, feminine voice that agrees to (almost) every crazy suggestion that Hubby makes. He loves it, and I have the bruises to show for it. Our first date, I went white river rafting with him. Our second date he rented a mountain bike for me and I rode up and down Mt. Tamalpias (not flat!), the day after our wedding, I rode down Squaw with him, before that I gamely followed him down the treacherous, expert Downieville Downhill. I’ve scubaed into caves and wrecks, become a runner and took up off-road motorcycling at age 35. I’ve loved it (especially after surviving) and at times, I’ve had complete meltdowns brought on by fear, heat-exhaustion, and self-talk.

A few years ago, Bobby’s back had degenerated so badly from all the crashes (especially the motorcycle head-ons into trees), he could no longer do any sports at all. His athletic endeavors are now limited to short “family walks” (with Tulip and I) and physical therapy.

As this change in our lives unfolded, I did two things, I bought a puppy to distract him and make us laugh; and I encouraged him to pursue his long-time passion for photography. Tulip is three years old now and he loves her, brags on her and is happily wrapped around her little paw. As for the photography, he has passionately immersed himself in it, just like every sport he has ever taken on. And of course, I’ve agreed to go along.

So now I have a retired motorcycle, mountain bike, surfboard, scuba gear and running shoes and new photo equipment. But Lord knows, this isn’t point and shoot photography. We have “shoot offs” (did I mention he’s competitive?); I receive books and instruction on lighting, macro shooting, aperture, shutter speed, etc. and we have to get up insanely early on weekends to catch the perfect light. The only thing that has changed is I have far less bruises.

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Taking down my Christmas decorations the first week of January.  What a fabulous holiday it was!  Hubby and I took the last two weeks of the year off–went to the zoo, took family walks, cooked, drank fine wine & bubbly, slept in every day, read books by the fire, went to my favorite jewelery store & picked out my gifts and just enjoyed each other.

**Bobby set up quite the little photo studio & took some pix. His Santa collection is a lot bigger then this!

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This holiday season has been topsy-turvy. Our Thanksgiving vacation was cut short by a call from the Sheriff notifying us that our house was burglarized.  Time usually spent decorating the house & making travel plans went to meetings with law enforcement stopping by daily to collect more evidence.  Then there was time spent viewing found items, discussions with the D.A. and buying new security systems.  We had no time to think about Christmas until December 20th.

I keep thinking about Little House on the Prairie, when people were working to survive and truly didn’t have extra time.  On Christmas Eve, the kids would wait anxiously for Pa to tell them it was time to go pick out a tree.  Pa would chop down a beauty, it was only 4′ tall because the cabin was small, but it seemed huge to the kids. They decorated with simple homemade ornaments and cranberry strings, laughed together and then went off to bed, thinking about whether it would snow on Christmas Day more than about presents.

We made our annual family trek to McGovern’s Christmas Tree farm on the 20th.  Even the visit was different this year.  I’ve always chosen a flocked tree because it’s a beautiful background to display decorations. Mr. McGovern is getting on in years, so he decided not to flock any trees.  Bobby thought I’d be disappointed but no, for whatever reason this year, I love the idea of a green tree.

With other stuff already scheduled, we have a tentative date to decorate the tree on the 23rd.  As my Mom says, change is good. And, a great opportunity to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

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I have a friend from New York City who started a tradition of “soup” nights at his flat. Everyone was so busy, had so many plans, places to go, people to see, (you get the picture) that traditional dinner parties sported revolving doors.  All Arthur wanted was to have people sit down and enjoy meaningful conversation & each other’s company.  Soup nights at Arthur’s are one of my fondest memories.  We would sit down around 8pm and we would leave after 3am–time disappeared as we easily shared short stories from our lives.

When I sit down for Thanksgiving this year with my parents & my husband, we’ll enjoy the food & wine, but it will be a backdrop for storytelling.  A short story has lots of details that allow the listener to “see” the experience.  It’s a lost art in some circles.  Storytelling creates an atmosphere of discovery, brings laughter, and infuses our imagination.  Just watch a young child being read a story.

I’m looking forward to encouraging story telling & laughter.  An added bonus is that those pesky differences of opinion that pop up regarding current events, politics, etc., don’t come up; because we have more important things to talk about.

*This is a page from a scrapbook I made for my Dad. (Photos from their China trip.) There’s always plenty of stories to tell!

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