Early Morning

Kendall-Jackson 15th Annual Heirloom Tomato Festival

We were down in Santa Rosa this weekend with my wife's brother brother-in-law Jim and his wife Tina to attend the tomato festival at the Kendall-Jackson Winery. First off, it is a very well organized event with a huge variety of vendors. As you may expect, everything had a tomato theme, and everything was tasty. I really did not have one sample that I did not like. The vendors that attend this event are all top notch, and they really showed off their creativity with the dishes they put forward.

The weather was great, not too hot with a light breeze that kept us comfortable. If you have never been to the Kendall-Jackson property, it is a real treat. The well kept grounds are not only inviting, but very pleasant to spend a nice afternoon in. They grow their own vegetables and fruits in a very large garden area that you are free to roam through, and I highly recommend you take the time to do that if you are there at the right time of year.

I would also like to thank Bud and Linda for extending a warm welcome to us, and for extending us VIP privileges. They helped make a great day even better. Thanks!

Guy Fieri even showed up for a bit. It is interesting seeing him there, as we grew up in the same area, and I had a more than a few of his pretzels. I did feel bad for him though, he was not free to enjoy the day like we were, fans with pens would not let him be. That is the price though.....

So, final thoughts. I will be back next year, that is for sure. Just a great event, made even better by good company. Oh yea, the tomatoes, almost forgot. Spectacular. Heirloom tomatoes have a quality all their own. Simplicity in a sense, and complex in another. Subtle flavors, wonderful colors........And a full stomach.
Great wine, really what more could you ask for?

I should mention the berry smoothie. WOW! The berries of course are grown by Kendall-Jackson, these things were just bursting with flavor. Recipe is available online, I am going to leave that up to you, but I think it was at the Kendall-Jackson site. Worth the effort.

                                                 Heirloom Tomato Tasting. Yum!

Our Favorite: Mozzarella, tomato, and basil infused balsamic vinegar with a touch of olive oil.

Tina, giving me the look.

Jim hanging around after a great day. 

Take care, Dave

Molly & Parker

Going through some older images and found a few of my niece and nephew. Natural light for both.

Molly

Parker

Kinetic Sculpture Race

Just getting around to processing some of these. Here is the first one. Flatmo's ride.

Art Show

My daughter will have her artwork hanging at Couple Cups in Arcata until August 15th. If you enjoy coffee and fine art, then you will enjoy the trip to a Couple Cups. I highly recommend making it a point to get up there and enjoy the show. A few picuteres below.

Strong Side Light

This picture was taken with very strong sidelight provided by evening sun. We were inside a pizza parlor, but that is not apparent due to exposure and aperture settings.

Regards,

Dave

Welcome Natalie Grace

The newest addition to our extended family, Natalie Grace. Born this morning to Gustavo and Hannah. She was born around 8 am, weighs seven pounds and is 20 inches long. Congratulations!

Graduation

My daughter Andrea graduated from college this weekend. We couldn't be more proud of her. Thought I would get one picture up of the proud graduate. Congratulations Kiddo. We love you.

Derek K. Miller: The Last Post

You owe it to yourself to read this. It will put life in perspective.

The Last Post

All the best, Dave

The Player

I took this at the St Joseph Hospital Large Donor Dinner. It is a dinner at the Ingamar Club to thank the community for donating to the new hospital tower. They had live music there and so this is one of the captures.