FedEx floral delivery on Sunday (impressive), Mother's Day (photo by Kenn Stearns)
This Mother’s Day was made special by thoughtfulness: fresh lilies via FedEx Sunday delivery and homemade Chocolate Ganache. Way to go kiddos.
Homemade Chocolate Ganache Cake (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Fantasmic! is a night-time show staged on the waters of the Rivers of America at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA (photo by Kenn Stearns)
I’ve been spending the week in Southern California and whenever I’m here Disneyland comes to mind. Before there was a Disney World, my family would visit Disneyland for summer vacations. My father usually combined our visits to the greater Los Angeles area with business. One year we stayed with business friends in La Cañada Flintridge – their daughter was in a music group that Disneyland had signed on as an act and we watched them perform at the park. Little did I know that decades later my own daughter would perform at the park during the summer of 2009.
You're Invited! Celebrate Today! Main Street USA at Disneyland (photo by Kenn Stearns)
The Clay Pit restaurant on Guadalupe in Austin (photo by Kenn Stearns)
When we met friends and family at The Clay Pit, many of them remarked they’d seen the sign when driving by and had always wanted to stop. I’m no expert on Indian food, but I like bread, attentive service, diverse menu choices, and the ability to throttle spiciness. The Clay Pit delivered in all cases. Our group included a vegetarian, queasy stomach, low tolerance for spicy food, and enthusiastic support for extremely spicy food. Our waiter accommodated everyone’s requests. The Naan was hot, crisp, and tasty – we tried garlic and basil, onion and cilantro, and regular. We particularly enjoyed the Somosas (we tried chicken and vegetable), Tandoori Vegetables, and any Biryanis.
We read the criticisms from online reviewers claiming the food was not authentic, too spicy, not spicy enough, spotty service, etc. We didn’t have those problems and were delighted with the overall experience.
The Clay Pit's expansive main dining room in the old Bertam building (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Get ready for Open That Bottle Night 2010 on February 27 (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Wall Street Journal columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher invented Open That Bottle Night on the last Saturday of every February to encourage us to open that special bottle of wine we’ve been saving for a memorable occasion. For us, most of those special occasions never came and by the time we got around to opening it, that bottle of wine we’d been tenderly caring for had turned into expensive vinegar. Over the years my wife Karen contributed our stories to Dottie’s and John’s column – we’re not really on a first name basis with them but their writing is personal enough to make us think we are. Sadly, thanks to Rupert Murdoch Dottie’s and John’s last Tastings column was December 26, 2009. The column ended with this mysterious unexplained paragraph:
This is our 579th—and last—”Tastings” column. The past 12 years—a full case!—have been a joy, not because of the wine but because we had an opportunity to meet so many of you, both in person and virtually. Thank you.
We encourage all our friends to actively participate in Open That Bottle Night. If you don’t have a special bottle of wine hidden away at home there is always a friendly wine merchant or Sommelier who will gladly provide artful assistance. And to Dottie and John, where ever they are, cheers!
Kickapoo Kamp for Girls (photo by Kenn Stearns)
We have been connected to Kickapoo Kamp for decades. And so this idyllic summer camp in the Texas Hill Country is woven through our lives from childhood in Houston (see photo from ’60s below) through this summer, and future summers. My son, nephew, sister, niece, and countless friends have been ‘kampers,’ pawnees, work boys, counselors, nurses, and directors. Choctaw or Cherokee, young or old, male or female, somehow our family has been part of the Ford/Findlay family for decades.
Kickapoo Kamp in the '60s (photo by Mac Stearns)
Note: That strikingly handsome kid on the left is me holding a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder/player, the iPod of the ’60s.
Mike Milat with family-owned Milat Vineyards (photo by Kenn Stearns)
We met the Milat family in 1984. Back then Mike had a day job and also sold grapes from the vineyards surrounding his modest home to the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery and other local wineries. Mike and his wife Carolyn started a bed and breakfast operation that their daughters helped with to save money for college. Peach trees in front of their home yielded fruit sweater than sugar. A couple years later they transitioned to vintners and opened Milat Vineyards.
Over the years we have maintained contact with the Milat family. We came to know Mike’s brother Bob and his wife Joyce. Our Texas-California connection was even documented by the CBS Evening News when Internet wine purchasing became briefly controversial. Their wine has been repeatedly recognized by The Wall Street Journal and you’ll almost always find a family member pouring in their tasting room on Highway 29, just south of St. Helena.
Mike Milat has a quick wit and an infectious smile. His down-to-earth talk about viticulture and life in Napa Valley is disarming, particularly for Monday morning oenologists. He’ll not hesitate to tell you where to go, even if it’s to a local restaurant. 
We still book a room when we can get in at the bed and breakfast. There’s always a bottle of Milat in our home.
