Happy Birthday to my awesome mother-in-law Dot! (Aka Dottie the Kid, so-called by her loveable, dorky sons John and Tom, I doubt they even know why. And oh, aka M-Bear, as in Mama Bear, by same dorky sons, aka Puppy and Boogles. Got that?)

And a big thank you to Ana Scofield and Rudy Maxa for hosting another lovely dinner party last night, this time in honor of their friend and wine critic Andy Blue, visiting from L.A. Along with Louis and Susan Ainsworth, and Stu and Debbie Williams, we feasted on rosy prime rib, creamy gruyere potatoes, and garden-fresh green beans, corn, and tomatoes. Several lovely cheeses. Home-made rum cake topped with whipped cream. A pretty fabulous spread, eh? NICE! As well as a Farewell to Summer '06 dinner, what with our sunny, 80-degree day yesterday, and what was probably a last taste of farmer's market veggies for the season. Sigh. And oh, the wine, did I mention the wine? My apologies, for I didn't write one thing down - too busy talking, tasting, sipping, and laughing, what's new? But I can say this - all were very special and delicious (that's helpful, huh? Sorry...). You don't have dinner with this group - plus Andy Blue, to boot - without enjoying some serious wine! So. Damn. Fun. Loved it all.

Today? Back to moderate reality, Stephanie, back to reality. Yeah. I'm thinking...a basic tomato cucumber salad, crumble of feta, bit of grilled pita. Might as well run with this Farewell to Summer thing as long as I possibly can...