Travel: The journey begins

We left San Francisco and headed to Mexico on a remarkably clear day (Jan. 19). I always feel special when I get to fly in a plane above the Bay Area when you can actually see the curves of where land meets water and even make out the faint tide marks and wind lines in the water. Oh Bay Area, you're so pretty.

Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade

The annual Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade and Fireworks was on Dec. 11. We went out on Geronimo this year. The turnout was super impressive this year (almost 40 boats) and they were more decked out than i've seen them in the last few years. Happy holidays!

Our skipper, Michael.

There was an amazing sunset that evening. My favorite part of the parade was waiting along the shores of northern Sausalito with all the other boats in the parade. We motored backed and forth until it was time to start. It provided great photo opportunities of the boats, plus the sky was amazing until it was dark.

The above photo is Geronimo all decked out.

Travel: Boise snow

Went back to Boise for a long Thanksgiving weekend. It was something like 14 degrees when I arrived, so it shouldn't be that surprising i'm now recovering from a cold. But figured I could muster up the strength to put up this picture of the snowy Boise hills, taken on Sunday. Nov. 28. (As i'm posting this, i've heard there's even more snow in Boise today - enough to cancel school.)

Travel: Tannerie de Fes

The tannery in the heart of Fes (or Fez), Morocco.

Taken from the "terrasse de tannerie" in April 2007.

Travel: Venice

I took this in June 2007

Food + Travel: A Food and Wine Affair

As if wine tasting in Dry Creek Valley isn't amazing enough, Wine Road (an association of wineries and such in Sonoma County) adds food to the mix with the annual Food and Wine Affair, which includes Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander valleys. The group I went with stuck to Dry Creek Valley.

We were lucky, because it was pouring the morning of November 7, but the rain had stopped by the time we made it to Healdsburg. It was beautiful.

Kokomo Winery paired wild mushroom risotto with camembert + butternut squash (above) with a 2007 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. (Best. Pinot. Ever.) Fun side note: Kokomo is named after Kokomo, Indiana (sorry Beach Boys), which is where the owners/founders are from. And the majority of the people in our group (below) were from Kansas.

Papapietro Perry Winery had wild mushroom soup (delicious but not photogenic) and these pretty chocolate truffles (above). They were tasting pinots and zins.

Bella Winery (above and below) had some kind of cornbread patty with a fig compote on top and a Louisiana gumbo that went really well with their Russian River Primitivo.

Bella also had hula hoops ...

Pedroncelli Winery had a leek and goat cheese torte flamiche with apple-endive salad (bel0w). Most people in our group liked their Mother Clone Zinfandel the best. They also had a port tasting with homemade truffles. Amazing.

Our final stop, Truett Hurst , had meatball sliders and was tasting a variety of wines including a zinfandel rose, zinfandels, a petit sirah, a blend, a cabernet sauvignon and a pinot noir, but their goats stole the show.

The sunset as we drove home. (Early sunset, I might add, as this was the day after daylight savings).

VIDEOS: Giants World Series mania

I've never been a baseball fan. But I am a fan of extreme spirit that emerges for teams, such as, say, the Giants when they have made it into the World Series. I decided I needed to live it up on the bandwagon and check out the scene near AT&T Park for the first game in the World Series. Fortunately, we made it into the packed back room at Tres Agaves just in time for the string of scores (see way bottom) and made our way closer to the park in time for the end of the game and the Giants big win.

Outside AT&T Park after the game ended

Inside the Giants Dugout Store.

Right after the game was over:

The scene inside the Giants Dugout Store

Gorillas leaving the Dugout Store

Outside AT&T near the end of the game

People were spilling out of bars and such during the game

The back room at Tres Agaves

Style: Sarah's latest

My friend Sarah Rosandic recently graduated from FIDM and has joined many others in looking for work in fashion. Here's some of her designs. She did a little photo shoot in her LA dining room. You might remember her from the special fashion show she did in August.