Cool Stuff from Napa Valley

Classic Jerome Arizona

2009-07-05T10:16:00.001-07:00

A series of nine photos I picked out of many I took on our field trip to Jerome. I have more of the women I went with, but I'd have to ask all their permissions before I post those....

Get 10% OFF the Cabernet you wanted anyway...

2009-03-05T16:54:00.001-08:00

2005 GustavoThrace Cabernet Sauvignon

A Napa Valley Wine ~ $70.

From the Winemaker:
"This is the first time that we have sourced Cabernet from the Atlas Peak area of Napa. This vineyard is at the base of Atlas Peak. We brought in 4 tons of fruit, producing just 240 cases. The harvest was interrupted by the rain that year so we harvested on two different days and then blended the finished wines together when they were both through fermentation. It was aged in new French oak barrels for 30 months. It is a big, fruit-forward wine. The lush nose opens up with aromas of cherry-cola, dark chocolate and licorice. There is a full mouth that finishes with just the right tannin management to leave your mouth dry but full of flavor, ready for the next taste. This wine will continue to improve in the bottle for the next 10 years."

This wine is very limited, however, for a short time only, you can get 10% OFF the retail price by using this link to email the winemaker - GustavoThrace

Pahrump in the Winter of 2009

2009-02-24T08:12:00.001-08:00

Here we are in Pahrump, at the Seven Palms RV Park and Campground. Last night I came to realize the severity of the chemtrails that are being put into our skies. I watched an educational video on the subject after watching them criss cross the sky with their poisons. They explained the science of clouds and air, or what used to be our air. They also had analysis of the STUFF that was in those trails, ew, yukky, pew. Anyone with even the slightest curiosity, please watch this video:

Detail of Dewdrops on a Mushroom

2009-02-16T10:38:00.001-08:00

Do you believe it? Perfectly aligned dewdrops... like they were placed there. Colored, no PhotoShop filters were used in this photo. Nature made this pattern. Something about mushrooms intrigue me. The zoom out:

Camp Pussy

2009-02-01T12:02:00.001-08:00

So, who was that, got up at 4:30am and started their car at the campground? Camp Pussy did, you d'camp pussy? When your bones are so cold that you can't even sit still and you can't build a fire in the dark, you go warm up the car... Start d'car! Warm that sucker up and you can finally thaw out and relax, dang, frozen fucking fog? I be d'camp pussy, in d'car. When the leaves crunch when you walk on them and your tears of laughter are making ice cubes on your eyelashes, you'd be d'camp pussy too. Burn some petrol and warm up or else you be d'ignorant camp pussy and I'd much rather be a warm pussy than clenched up frozen pussy. The sun is coming up and warming everything on this magnificent day, but not soon enough for my pussy dog and me. We're somewhere near the Merced River with all the ducks and geese. Not many campers out this weekend, pussies.

Camping photos.

Champagnes Anyone?

2008-12-26T16:30:00.001-08:00

So, if you're going online to get your champagnes for the new year, you might as well get them at personalized wines. This place will customize your wine with labels that say anything you want them to. You can even customize your own personal label with graphics. They ship to most wine destinations, and their website is very comprehensive. The good life at a great price, what could be better?

Art Gallery Review

2008-12-24T06:02:00.001-08:00

This is the kind of thing that is hard to take one photo of because this sculpture is a holographic 3D animated fractal fucking THING that is huge and ever changing. I find myself gazing at it for unknown minutes, and I've never seen it the same, so if it's looping, it's a REALLY BIG loop. So I shot five:

The artist is Gleman Jun and his Gallery in Second Life is in a place called Hazel. I've spoken with him, a very nice young Italian man. I'm hoping to ask him more questions about his art the next time I see him.

That's me posing in my new dress, the first one I've made. I bought a dress kit and apply my paintings to the fabric and I'm experimenting with scripted clothing. I know, I must have better things to do, right? This is MY spare time and believe me, inspiration in any form is welcome.

What are fractals? What is fractal art? (by Second Life artist: Spiral Silverstar)

Simply put, fractals are shapes which show similar features at different sizes. Much as a very close inspection of a rock can show similar features to an aerial view of a mountain, fractal shapes are characterized by this property of self-similarity.

Much of what goes into fractals is based on mathematics. Sometimes the math is complicated; sometimes it isn't. But you do not need to know or understand the mathematics behind the art to appreciate it. The basic images are created using fractal generating software.

There are some who will feel that if this is all just based on mathematics, that it cannot be art. Fractal art does not pop out of nowhere, mathematics notwithstanding. To produce an aesthetically pleasing fractal image requires enormous input on the part of the artist. It also requires patience, and an eye for form and color—skills that are required for virtually any artistic discipline. (Damien Jones)

Can't Anyone produce fractal art? The simple answer is Yes. However, Anyone can buy a camera and take snapshots, but very few can produce photographs that can be appreciated as art.

The images created in this gallery were made using the Ultra Fractal and Fractal Explorer software programs, with post-processing work done in Photoshop.

I hope you enjoy my work and realize that the finished products here are not simply the result of clicking a few random buttons. Thanks for taking an interest in my art, my passion.

Artist's Statement

2008-12-17T07:11:00.001-08:00

My art is an interpretation of something that flows through me, so the art neither begins nor does it end with me. The viewer might say something about it to someone else or use it to illustrate a love letter, etc. It is my belief that the art itself - has a life of its' own and just uses me like the epicurean whore that I am as it flows in from the top of my head, down through my arm, into my fingers and out through the brush.

Land of Unlimited Destiny

2008-11-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

That's JadenSkye with the Lauren Bacall hairdo, just as fabulous as ever!
Here, I visited a new project with an Atlantian theme and my NEW friend there told me the idea was to create a space for people to express their ultimate destiny, wow. The costumes were beautiful! I can really appreciate the quality in the details, good music and a DJ for us to all dance to, nice buffet table too.

If You Can Get It There, You Can Party In It

2008-11-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

I'm dancing here in a club with my friend Leonie, I'm on the left, she owns a gallery and was also really nice to a "NOOB" which is what they call newbies. She sent me an invite this night to a regge club, they have streaming music by a DJ. The originality never ceases to amaze me.

Jaden in the Skye with Diamonds

2008-11-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

This is my buddy, JadenSkye. What a babe! I was very fortunate to run into her so early in my game, she's a model at a clothing store and LOVES to go shopping. The first thing everyone should do is learn how to SHOP. I wouldn't be nearly as advanced if it hadn't been for her advise. She took photos of us one day when I caught her hanging drapes in her new beach house.

Small World

2008-11-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

I went ballroom dancing last night, these are my photos, that's me in the blue dress and my partner, there was a live performance by a Jazz singer, she was wonderful! She let me play the piano. This is the Smooth Jazz Club. The attire is formal and believe me, you don't want to show up there in a leather jacket.

Yes, ladies, you can just walk right up to a guy and ask him if they'd dance with you and they will unless they're still rezzing because they didn't get that extra RAM chip. Then say goodnight and transport home.

First Time In Second Life

2008-11-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

So, I was looking for creative marketing solutions and I heard about Second Life and that there was a captive audience, live presentation opportunities AND so far, I haven't spent a dime. I haven't MADE anything either, I've only made around $200. from Google ads since I started,oh about 5 years ago. I haven't made much from affiliate links either, I'm not much of a salesman, but I DO have an original product. I know there's someone out there looking for ME!

So, I built a gallery with the help of some friendly people there, in that world. Really all you need is a question and someone there would be happy to give you the answer if they had it, or might be able to show you where to find answers.

This is me INSIDE the gallery, it's coming along nicely. I'm going to have a gallery opening with wine and cheese... the art is available for sale on the walls, for $100 in Linden Dollars, which is more like a dollar a download, just like stock photo sites.

I call it, Art, Food & Wine because I'm going to offer free gourmet Napa Valley recipes and links to buy hard to find cult wines online. I see, an entire destination experience, there are a lot of facinating builds in this world and just when you think you've seen it all...

As you can see in the photo, I have a pet angelfish. We call him Flipper and he's faster than lightning. Thanks Wolfie, he's a fisherman, and my gallery landlord. I won Linden Dollars to pay him with by hanging out in the casinos. Here's a link to the website: SECOND LIFE

Further Investigation of Personal Wine

2008-03-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

OK! Upon further investigation at Personal Wine, the custom label feature on the website DOES allow you to actually upload your own design! The image must be square, 1200 X 1200 @ 300 DPI. That's not hard. You load the image as a background. You can either add type on top of it and/or use type in the image In this example I chose a 2007 Castle Rock Pinot Noir from Napa Valley for $31. .

Here's my label:

PersonalWine.com is your custom labeled wine source! Perfect gift for any occasion. Click here to design a personalized wine label!

Castle Rock Winery has once again created a masterpiece Pinot Noir from grapes carefully selected from California's famed Napa Valley. Acclaimed wine maker August Briggs was brought in to create this Pinot Noir which is elegant, medium bodied, offering layers of black cherry, sweet vanilla oak, spice, cinnamon and floral notes. On the palate it is silky smooth, with mild tannins, and a long harmonious finish. - From Personal Wine staff.

I called Personal Wine, maybe to see if someone actually answered the phone, I talked to a guy that told me that in fact the wine fruit comes from Napa even though the winery is in Sonoma. He knew about this wine [which scores again] and said that the reason they got this particular wine so early was that the 2005 was so phenominal. The only thing left to do is taste it.

Custom Labeled Wine ~ Is it Worth it?

2008-03-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

Personal Wine

Personal Wine is a wine company in Texas where you can make custom labels and put them on whatever wine you choose and ship it! I went online and did this. They have a custom label application that you can go to and make your own label without the usual set-up fees. Then I wondered if they had any good wine and sure enough! They had a 2002 Round Hill Cabernet from St. Helena for $18. OK, then I thought, there must be a minimum, like 6 or 12 bottles per order, right? BUT NO! I was able to buy just one. Shipping one bottle to California from Texas is $11. That's not bad.

Here's my label:

PersonalWine.com is your custom labeled wine source! Perfect gift for any occasion. Click here to design a personalized wine label!

Custom Label Samples

2006-12-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

Open and print these sample .pdf files. You can get your own custom label design at Napa Valley Graphics

Bottle Shots

2006-08-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get the hang of this camera!