The Giving Tree

Join Spa Dee Dah for another spectacular spa event on Sunday, November 12th, 2006 for delicious pumpkin and ginger spa treatments! 20% of all proceeds benefit Conservation International. Check out Spa Dee Dah's website for all the details!



THE GIVING TREE
Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come to play
Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade
Laughing all the summer’s hours away.
And so they love,
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said,
"Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I’ve found?"
"I have no money," said the tree, "Just apples, twigs and leaves."
"But you can take my apples, boy, and sell them in the town."
And so he did and
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree,
"I’m now a man and I must have a house that’s all my home."
"I can’t give you a house" he said, "The forest is my house."
"But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home"
And so he did.
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes.
"My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days."
"I’ve nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down
And build yourself a boat and sail away."
And so he did and
Oh, the tree was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.
"I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift."
"I’m nothing but an old stump now. I’m sorry but I’ve nothing more to give"
"I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,"
The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile.
"Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that."
"Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while."
And so he did and
Oh, the trees was happy.
Oh, the tree was glad.

This is a MUST see!

If only this were acceptable or isn't it?

Crush party at Pope Valley Vineyards!

Yesterday Jay and I hung out with Dave and Andrea (Andrea is my business pardnah!) and headed out to wine country to Pope Valley Winery. We didn't know too much about this place except that they had decently priced wines, it was a small winery way out in the middle of wine country (closer to Napa) and the tasting was $15 for an all day tasting and barrel tasting.

We arrive (after speeding through twisty, windy roads in Dave's little race car)to this beautiful place to lush, green trees, about to turn and vines filled with grapes! The tasting room off to the left was no bigger than my bedroom and definately nothing fancy, but it was cozy and the tastings portions were a bit more than most of the tastings I've been to. Upon arriving to the tasting room where we check in, a large sticker of a known celebrity name is slapped on your back by a funny woman wearing a shirt that says "The liver is evil and must be destroyed!". Your job is to find out who the celebrity is by asking people questions and once you get the name right, you can wear it on the front of your shirt. Great drinking game!
I ended up being Tom Cruise. The word "Scientologist" gave it away.

Better yet, how would you like to be this guy! His sticker says "Jeffery Dahmer" on it!:


Once we checked in, we walked back to an area where they were cooking up BBQ with an enormous amount of food. I felt like I had just been invited to my friend's back yard for lunchtime barbeque and unlimited drinks!

After eating, we were then whisked off for barrel tasting. This was interesting as it doens't look like wine. More like pink lemonaide and pineapple juice. I can't really explain what it tasted like, except very sweet.

On to the tasting room where we tasted 6 different wines from white to red. And in the end, they let us sample the Zinfandel Port that our friends were raving about. It was quite tasty!

I really liked their Chenin Blanc and Syrah so I bought some of that. Nice thing is that the wines were reasonably priced at $20 and under.....unless you buy the port which is worth the $35.

Throughout the day, we could pick the grapes from the vines and place them in the tub for the grape stomping which happened later in the day. Here are some episodes from that! And of course I jumped in and stomped!








All in all, it was a good time! And then the karaoke came out so we had to leave. Many a toasty wanna be disco singers got up and sang their hearts out while enjoying BBQ, good wine and people. Even one of the owners just started breaking out his bud light collection. He reminded us of a thin Uncle Jessie.

I liked this winery and the folks running it. I'm just not impressed by stuffy, over priced tasting rooms. Bottom line is if the wine and presentation is good (and fun!) I'll be a life long customer!

Now, I must rest my belly today as I have over stuffed it from BBQ and good wine. And those damned chewy chocolate chip cookies!

Great Photo!

I was looking through my friend Splat's food porn photos. (Well, that's what Jay and I call it.) Anyways, he has some really awesome photos of fruits and veggies that give the illusion they are suspended in air and definately something I'd love to have displayed in my kitchen and dining room!

This is one of my favorite of the food porn collection!

I heart fall!

It's not the same as being in the Pacific Northwest. I loved the crisp mornings there with the frost on the ground and fog lifting from the Columbia. Here in the bay area, it's Indian summer. The days are very warm, the nights are kind of chilly. But it's beautiful here and the leaves are falling. Today I was visiting Monterey Market, one of the best produce markets in Berkeley, where there were boxes upon boxes of large pumpkins waiting for someone to take them home to carve. In fact, you'd probably need a large cart to these abnormally large pumpkins away!

So while we're on the subject of fall and pumpkins, I'm going to boast about a couple products that I love and will be using on my clients.

Pharmacopia has a wonderfully yummy ginger oil for massage. This oil is perfect for dry skin and increasing circulation for detoxification. Use a few drops in your bath water or even better.....your laundry!! At $9 per bottle, it's a great price to pay for this all natural and organic body oil.



Rhonda Allison's fabulous facial care line will cause you to drool in anticipation of pumpkin pie when you try their pumpkin line which contains a gel cleanser, pumpkin parfait mask, rinse and moisturizer. Aroma's of nutmeg and pumpkin are not only easy on the nose, but highly antioxidant and nourishing for the skin!