28 Jan 2014 16 Comments
in Food, Humor, On the Road Tags: Ava Gardner, food, Frank Sinatra, humor, Jim Croce, Koffi, Marilyn Monroe, Palm Springs, Riviera, Twin Palms
As if my previous post wasn’t cruel enough for readers in the American midwest and east who once again suffer the unwelcome descent of the Arctic into their midst, we decided to spend the weekend by the pool in Palm Springs.
Bloody Mary & Imogen poolside
Actually, it was a Sunday memorial for my wife’s maternal grandmother that drew us to the desert. But we thought why not make a weekend of it, and so found a swanky hotel with an atomic age theme and settled in. More
17 Jan 2014 17 Comments
in On the Road, Recipes, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: eggplant, Kusadasi, Mediterranean, Mehmet, meze, recipes, Turkey, Turkish cooking, şakşuka
It is a noteworthy thing when, having gone your entire life never meeting anyone named “Mehmet,” you meet two at the same time. Of course, it is less remarkable if you are in Turkey — as we were — were every third guy is named “Mehmet.” (The Turkish version of “Mohammed.”)
Cats in the Grand Bazaar
It was more than a decade ago, in the seaside town of Kusadasi, to be precise. Our honeymoon — a friend with a cruise line that I did a lot of work with had arranged the gift of a voyage through Italy, Croatia, the Greek Isles and Turkey. On a day in port, we had gone to see the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, and were en route back to our ship when we stopped in a bar for a beer and a bite to eat. More
13 Dec 2013 11 Comments
in Markets & Stores, On the Road Tags: California, Forestville, Nightingale Breads, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, wine, Wine Guerrilla, wine tasting, zinfandel
As many of you know and some have tasted, my family has a wine business. Specifically, we make a zinfandel called Wine Guerrilla.
Downtown Forestville from the Wine Guerrilla tasting room
It began as a project of my mom’s longtime boyfriend, Bruce, but soon many of us were involved. Our main contribution from Southern California, besides being avid proponents and consumers, has been the marketing. The labels feature my artwork and my wife’s graphic design — a brand that we have extended with some success to merchandise, marketing materials and promotions. More
08 Oct 2013 14 Comments
in On the Road, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories), Video Tags: Boca de Tomatlan, Casa Tres Coronitas, Mario's Fishing & Snorkeling Tours, Mexican cooking, Mexico, Playa Las Animas, Puerto Vallarta
Still aglow from having caught a shimmering silver bonito on a troll line with a neon Tokyo-pop squid lure during our snorkel trip, my pal Nat decided he needed to go fishing proper.
Mario and Flynn hauling in a bonito
It was our last full day in Mexico, and we awoke before sunrise to drive south to Boca de Tomatlan and meet Mario, our amigo and boat captain, for a morning of sailing. The plan was to be just Nat, myself and our two older boys, Flynn and Nat Wes. But the esposas were intrigued and some of the younger kids wanted to go, so we packed all nine of us into the Nissan compact rental, clown-style, and headed out. More
04 Oct 2013 10 Comments
in On the Road, Recipes, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories) Tags: Boca de Tomatlan, bonito, Casa Tres Coronitas, crudo, Jalisco, Mario's Fishing & Snorkeling Tours, Mexican cooking, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Yelapa
El pescado y yo
“What would you like for dinner?” the house chef, Marilu, asked us in Spanish. And we stood puzzling at her, since our Spanish is not that good.
Eventually we figured it out, and I suggested carne asada — grilled steak. It had clearly been sometime since any houseguests had requested this, since the grill was in an advanced state of rust decomposition, and much of the staff’s time that afternoon was spent scrubbing, soaking and scouring it. More
skinny girls & mayonnaise 