Open! Open! OPEN!!!

"Every normal man must be tempted, at times,

to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag,

and begin slitting throats."

H.L. Mencken

Or...you could take the convertible out for a ride to Napa and stop

at the Cutthroat Bar (formerly known as the Cutthroat Saloon)

in a charming little town (and I do mean little!)

called Markleeville!!!

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Two Degrees of Separation...

"It's a profound thought...

How everyone is a new door opening into other worlds

Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet.

But, to find the right six people..."

Unknown

It's funny though...

here in Mammoth there's only 2 degrees of separation...

everybody up here knows someone you know...

the guy that built our railing on our deck is from our home town and married to 

a woman related to and working for the owners of the pet store...

our favorite wine bar owner was a fraternity brother of TheChief...

our realtor is best friends with the realtor TheChief used to buy and sell six houses...

and on, and on, and on!!!

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It Was a Lovely Setting....

:) :) :) :) :) 

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Our Little Corner of the World...Expanded!!!

"By making this wine vine known to the public,
I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the national debt."
Thomas Jefferson



No...we're not in Europe!!!
Napa, California....WINE COUNTRY!!!

Castello di Amorosa to be exact...
an authentic medieval Italian Tuscan castle...and winery...right here in California!!!

Built by Daryl Sattui, 4th generation Italian winemaker.
It took over 13 years to build and was fashioned after the many castles and
wineries he visited in Europe.

But don't go planning a wedding here...it's not open for weddings...at least...not yet.
But it's a pretty cool spot to visit and imagine yourself in Tuscany!!!


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What Am I???

"I am good, but not an angel.  I do sin, but I am not the devil.

I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love."

Marilyn Monroe

The same can be said for this contraption...

Do you have an idea what this might be???

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It's Time...

...to take a break!!!

I'm heading to Napa for a wedding this weekend...

See you all next week!!!

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A Different Vantage Point...

"Life is like a landscape.  

You live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance."

Charles Lindbergh

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Our Little Corner of the World...

"Study history, study history.

In history lies all the secrets of statecraft."

Winston Churchill

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In the Pink...

"The very pink of perfection."

Oliver Goldsmith

A little flashback to the Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley...

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More Arrested Decay...

"In a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay.

And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, 

art must show the world as changeable.

And help to change it."

Ernst Fischer

Or in this case...keep it in a state of arrested decay...

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Simplicity...

"What's really important is to simplify.  

The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing:

get rid of the extraneous.

If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer."

William Albert Allard

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Keep Your Eye on the Sky...

"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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