ElegantKB

A well done TheatreNow production of The Spitfire Grill

This musical has a great story, wonderful music and this production was fantastic!  There are still shows coming later in July --so you should see this show if you are local in Marin.  These actors are so full of talent.  We heard about the production because our friends are TheatreNow members. Here's a link to the TheatreNow site with more information about show times and productions.  I think this show deserves the critics choice award. We really enjoyed this.  Now I might read the book and see the film too (I hear the film is not as good as this show). 

Italian Street Painting, inspiring chalk art

It's just amazing to see the colorful quality of art at this Festival.  It's an annual festival in San Rafael, California.  The theme is Italian Street Painting.  It's all about supporting Youth in Arts and I love it.  There are large blocks of black top finished with a special surface where artist express themselves in full color chalk.  We went on Sunday when most of the art was finished or close to it. Both adults and children participate in this art expression freedom fest.

At the end of the day I asked a young man taking pictures with his a camera on a pole how to find his shots.  And I am glad I stopped to talk to him because he graciously posted on Flickr. I think you will agree the results are way cool.  He is the second person I've met recently who does PAP.  PAP means pole aerial photography, done with about 25 foot pole and a timer!  Here's a link to see what I mean. Amazing.

Here's a picture I took of a lovely memorial piece. Enjoy!

Jane Austen movies last weekend, KB enjoyed these!

I recommend both of these movies.  I watched then with my daughter last week end.  First, we watched the Jane Austen Book Club.  One of those interwoven story lines with interesting people all coming together to share the Jane Austen books.  There is plenty of drama in this one--some happy, some sexy and some sad.  I love the actors in this movie. It features the elegant Jimmy Smits in a not-so-elegant role and a blond Maria Bello are some of my favorites in the Jane Austen Book Club. Of course this movie is even better if you get the JA references.  Hopefully you have read at least one of her books?  If not, add one to your summer reading list.  You will not be disappointed!  Reading JA is not pre-requisite for this enjoyable film.

Next, we watched Becoming Jane, my daughter loved this one.  She watched it twice while we rented it.  I thought it was great. Anne Hathaway looks stunning and so does the handsome James McAvoy.  I'm starting to like everything I've seen with James McAvoy.  This film is based on Jane's life as a woman living by her pen.  It surely was uncommon in her day.  It's a fascinating story, a love story, and it keeps getting better towards the end.  I highly recommend this film.  So move them to the top of your netflix queue!

Health and Harmony Festival, Sonoma CA- what a blast!

This is a great Festival. The health and harmony movement is so ALIVE! Here is a link that describes the event.  It is major for Music, Art, Crafts, Food, and People Watching! There were different bands in every corner. We only went on the last day but would definitely recommend going for 2 days next year. There is so much to see!  It's a feast for your Bohemian senses. We found BBQ oysters, Thai food, pesto pasta, strawberry ice cream, and iced Chai lattes.  We love the reggae music.  It's a sound the whole family agrees on and we saw some fantastic musicians.  I enjoyed walking through the artists booths to see creativity on display. There are so many different kinds of people all gathered together to have fun and do no harm. It's all good! Here's a photo I took--a mask hanging from one of the music stages.  It's the harmony mask!

Wine Tasting Party Results- a favorite red wine under $10

And now I have a chance to recap the "blind" wine tasting results from the Girls Night Salut to Summer 2008....What a fun game this turned out to be!  We purchased a 1 oz pour spout at BevMo called the Posi Pour.  This was a great way to measure out the tastes.  Each bottle was labeled by number and disguised in a paper bag.  I let each one breathe a little before bringing it around to our tasters.  We had 8 "cheap" red wines to taste and about a dozen tasters.  Only one wine was from France...all the others were California wines. The comment cards were filled out anonymously.  Even though we live about 20 minutes away from Napa most of us are not wine snobs or sophisticated tasters. We all like to know about an inexpensive wine that we can have whenever and not worry about the cost or it being a special occasion.  So the winner?....It's a California red table wine with a funny name...a blend of reds that is a real crowd pleaser..Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Red '06.  You can find this for about $8.99 at Safeway, Costco and Bevmo. Here are the comments:

This wine tastes like:

• Vanilla, currants
• SUPER
• Nummy, Yummy
• Yum, I want more
• Best so far...Smooth like Ice Cream
• Silky
• Like water- so easy!
• Blackberries
• Sex
• Smooth, a little spice
• Salty lemons in a bed of roses

11 people wanted to drink more of this!

• 8 people said they love it!
• 3 people said they like it a lot!

Here's a picture of the "hidden bottles".

Good bye to Yves Saint Laurent, Womens Fashion Genius!

I was sorry to hear one of our most celebrated Fashion Designers passed away yesterday.  Here is a link to a very nice tribute to Yves Saint Laurent.  I always appreciated the extravagance, wit, style and pop-art interpretations of St Laurent.  His designs should be celebrated for years to come as well as his lifetime achievements. So long to one of the last real couturiers...a fashion genius!