by Christina Waters | Oct 21, 2010 | Art, Home |
I refer to The Marriage of Figaro – live at the San Francisco Opera House – and Das Rheingold, via HD simulcast from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. One experience involved a procession of time, travel, anticipation, the entrance into the great hall, the darkened theater, the murmuring audience and the ineffable sense of being surrounded by a living organism – the opera – about to unfold.
The other involves considerably less cost, much less travel – the opera was screened at a downtown movie theater – incredible crisp visuals thanks to intimate hi-def camerawork, even behind-the-scenes interviews before the opera, and remarkable acoustics.
Mozart’s much-loved froth about love, deception and marriage still seduces the ears with music so beautiful, so replete with joie de vivre that it forgives (more…)
by Christina Waters | Oct 21, 2010 | Home |
A dead-ringer for author and film critic Lisa Jensen was seen last week noshing on some fruit-filled pastry and swilling coffee at the Live Oak Cafe, a surprisingly serene oasis tucked into an industrial park off Soquel Drive.
The cafe is open for coffee, pastries, breakfast and lunch (which includes a highly celebrated housemade meat loaf). This is a real gem, with plenty of room to spread out and talk, read or catch up on e-appointments, (more…)
by Christina Waters | Oct 13, 2010 | Home, Wine |
Last Friday I watched one of many busy forklifts in the immediate vicinity of Kelly’s, gently placing its load of pinot gris grapes down at the front door of Pelican Ranch Winery.
Offered a taste, I savored the robust sweetness of this future 2010 vintage, grapes freshly picked out at vineyards near the Mission San Antonio. One of the best flavors of fall in our next of the woods. Freshly-harvested wine grapes.
by Christina Waters | Oct 12, 2010 | Art |
And that means a chance to check out the paintings by Charles Prentiss, Sat & Sun, October 16 & 17 from 10am until 5pm.
To find out details and directions to Prentiss’ oceanview studio, go here.
by Christina Waters | Oct 12, 2010 | Food |
For six years the source of astounding eggs, pastured pork and an organic paradise for happily and humanely-raised livestock, TLC Ranch has become a casualty of the economy.
Jim Dunlop and Rebecca Thistlethwaite, TLC owners, explained in a long newsletter narrative that they couldn’t fight the high cost of property and farm help, and the dwindling availability of meat processing stations. Consumer reluctance to pay what it took to create handmade, free-range, pastured foods finished them off, and a multi-year dream was taken off life support.
Yes it was expensive food. (more…)
