Columbia Crest Reserve wines are usually winners but I think the Columbia Crest 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was an unfortunate victim of global warming. As the environment has been heating up so have the grapes leading to more sugar and more alcohol. This 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon  had silky smooth tannins and a lovely complex [...]

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Gas prices are painful. They have limited me but not as much as Sean Diddy Combs. Gas prices cut into my food budget and other expenses. No summer road trips this year. I consider myself lucky though that I am not pawning grandma’s ring to get gas money.  My sacrifices, and those of my community pale in [...]

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After listening to the pundits prepare and obsess before Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democrat’s National Convention, I thought there was no way she was going to pull this off. I was pleasantly surprised by the grace, enthusiasm and conviction that she displayed. I have never thought of her as an engaging speaker and believed that it [...]

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Talk about your birthday beer! I started with an African spicy mead, which was good but not as good as I had remembered it. Ed started with Silver City Whoop Ass. A bright and hoppy beer, designed for the “IPA lover”, Silver City Whoop Ass Double IPA was a great choice for a delicious summer brew. They [...]

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I hold long resentment and anger about the hypocrisy of telling adults they are old enough to decide who should lead our nation but not old enough to drink. I get infuriated that these young adults are asked to serve and die for their country but are not deemed mature enough to handle a glass [...]

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On a 107 degree day, Chef Leo Haas and his staff labored to prepare an exquisite feast. Icicle Ridge family and staff scurried about to transform the pond side lawn to a summer spectacle of lush flowers, foliage, lighting and exquisite table settings. All of their efforts paid off in a delicious feast, that delighted [...]

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2006 Ken Wright Cellars Chardonnay, Celilio Vineyard is continuing its winning streak of being the perfect wine to enhance certain foods.  (Read about some other great Ken Wright pairings here and here.)Last night, I whipped up up a salad of bitter greens, blue cheese crumbles and sweet red cherries. I cut the fresh red sweet cherries [...]

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It’s been over a month since Washington state cell phone while driving law went into effect. Passed last winter, the law was delayed six months to give people plenty of time to get themselves a headset.  Drive down any main drag today and you are more than likely to see someone holding a cell phone to their ear. [...]

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