The MarriageMobile is Blown North by The Howling Wind Blues: Monday, February 19th!

Architecture is inhabited sculpture. -Constantin Brancusi, sculptor (19 Feb 1876-1957) 

David Kessler Wishing you, Lady Dar, and Patrick James Dunn a smooth trip north today, and that the thought of pizza and Zinfandel awaiting you on this end spurs Stealth VII to great, but not excessive, speeds! Patrick James Dunn Thanks for the good wishes, everyone. However, won't need excessive speed as the seeming gale force winds of last night will be send us zipping north along the 101. Woke at 2:45 am when I heard a very loud bang and blinds were fluttering like Costa Rican hummingbird wings. Had no idea what caused this noise. A backfire! A gang shooting? No, the large deck chair Ayn has standing upright, to save space when not in use, on her balcony had come crashing down, missing my Trek by mere millimetres, [Thank all the Cycling Gods!], and a potted cactus. Her Bella lilies didn't fare quite as well and were blown over by gusts. As soon as I've posted this I will tie Winston's leash around my waist, [I'm afraid Lady Dar would let go and I'd plunge over the railing!], tie it too the steel banister, up to Ayn's loft, before venturing outside to set things right!
 

Photo: Jason Comely

Hi Patrick Loved the youtube at Jungle Beach Hotel. Monkeys were so cute!
Thanks heaps Jo-Anne Hi Marps! Glad you enjoyed the Titis! What wonderful, delightful creatures. Thank you for your more than newsy message. I apologize for not replying in person but have been very busy over last little while. Will leave for Berkeley this morning. Had loaded most of our possessions yesterday so in pretty good shape as far as packing goes. Alex will come for breakfast after he is off his 24 hour LAFD shift, [In fact, he just walked in!], since he was not able to join us for dinner last night. 
 

Hi Patrick, My last emailed failed again so persistence is the key I will see if this works the new timber kitchen, and floating Black but wooden floor instead of tiles and Claire’s handmade lead light in the updated bath room vs the old kitchen. The whole interior is of course hand made by us. Got your valentines Cheers from down here

Won't need excessive speed as the seeming gale force winds of last night will be send us zipping north along the 101. Plan to stop at Caparone, near Paso Robles, one of our favourite wineries in the area. Woke at 2:45 am when I heard a very loud bang and blinds were fluttering like Costa Rican hummingbird wings. Had no idea what caused this noise. A backfire! A gang shooting? No, the large deck chair Ayn has standing upright, to save space when not in use, on her balcony had come crashing down, missing my Trek by mere millimetres, [Thank all the Cycling Gods!], and a potted cactus. Her Bella lilies didn't fare quite as well and were blown over by gusts. As soon as I've posted this I will tie Winston's leash around my waist, [I'm afraid Lady Dar would let go and I'd plunge over the railing!],  affix it to the steel banister, up to Ayn's loft, before venturing outside to set things right!
 

Must away as breakfast will soon be served and I have some last minute packing to do as well. Fondestos from Lady Dar wide-eyed with love and admiration for her youngest grandson! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Pierre and Shannon, his girlfriend, over for dinner last night. Samantha, Alex's wife; Lady Dar with The Kids! Sam came over earlier; Ayn with The Sisterhood! Shannon had been out very, very late, on Saturday night, with a visiting girlfriend, so she fell asleep after her first glass of wine! Catastrophe on balcony! LAFD responds to emergency call! Alex and Sam on Saturday night. He feel asleep as he was still recovering from his latest 24 hour shift!

On the way north from LA we took 101 and stopped by Caparone Winery just for fun. David Caprone, the original owner/winemaker has retired, more or less, and his eldest son, Mark, has taken over much of the business, although David still is involved in most aspects, from vineyards to wine making. About ten years ago was the last time we stopped by and Mark's wife was working in the tasting room on that visit. She is quite an accomplished singer and preforms with both Mark, (trumpet), and David, (trombone). She had a number of CDs for sale and I bought both. While we were tasting I asked Mark if she had released any more. He said that she hadn't although he had been trying to "prod" her to do so. I mentioned we both enjoyed her voice and the swing-style of Benny Goodman and had attended the Pentastic Jazz Festival last September, being almost overwhelmed by Dave Bennett who brought two bands to the event, his Quartet which plays aforementioned swing and The Memphis Speed Kings, Rock 'n' Roll music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Chuck Berry and on and on. Simply superb, extraordinary musicians with an almost unbelievable stage presence. 

Mark replied that he knew Dave very well and had seen him a week ago! Mark plays in The High Sierra Jazz Band and had been on a Jazz Cruise in the Caribbean this past January with his wife, as one of the vocalists, along with Dave and a couple of the bands we'd seen in Penticton. Mark knew about Pentastic although he has never been. I checked the 2018 line-up and Dave will be back with both his groups so we are looking forward to going in September. You should come up!

Knew from past visits that David worked on vintage cars and Mark showed us his latest project, another Lincoln. Car had been fully restored when David purchased it but he didn't like work so he is in the process of fully redoing it! He and his wife live but a short distance from the winery and he spends a couple of hours a day working on the car or in the vineyards. What a Renaissance Man! An earlier project, The 1937 Lincoln Zephyr V-12, was used as a prop in The Green Hornet as a "perfect" restoration was required and David is known, in vintage car circles, as one of the country's most accomplished craftsmen. Bought six bottles of wine, three Merlot, three Cabbage and three Aglianico, a varietal David was the first vinter in California to introduce. [I wanted one bottle for David Coffaro, in Healdsburg, as he also produces an Aglianico.] Thanking Mark and inviting him to bring High Sierra to Penticton we waved goodbye.

By this time it was close to 3:00 pm and we had about three hours left before we reached Berkeley. Ordinarily this would not have been much of a trip but traffic heading north was horrendous as it was President's Day and people were returning from long weekend. Around Gilroy we could have walked more quickly but once into San Jose itself, things eased up and we pulled onto Vicente Road at around 6:45 pm, having hoped to be there by 6:00 pm. Anyway, we were greeted warmly by Nancy and David who introduced us to their good friend, Rachel, over for dinner. Once we had unloaded what we needed we sat down to David's wonderful home-made pizza, dough and all, as he is a very accomplished bread maker, from scratch. Loads of wine and and visiting over dinner and then malt for the Lads, while The Sisterhood stuck to red. Fairly early night so we said goodnight to one and all around 10:00 pm and made for our respective beds.

Ted update: To family and friends, We are writing to give you an update on Ted's condition. As expected, the disease has progressed. He is no longer able to walk and his cognitive function has significantly declined. He's also spending more time sleeping everyday.

As it had become too difficult to keep Ted at home, last week we had moved to St John Hospice on UBC campus. The hospice is lovely, the staff are warm, Ted really likes the food, and we are very comfortable here. 

Visitors are welcome anytime and Ted has still been enjoying seeing his friends, eating chocolates and cookies, and going for coffees in the morning. If you would like to come by to visit, you can reach out to Elaine on her cell. Again we would like to thank everyone for their love & support. You have all played such an important part in our lives. Lots of love, Elaine, Kristina, Stephanie, and Laura Dear Elaine, Kristina, Stephanie, Laura, Alex, Will & James ~ Thank you so much for sharing this journey with all who care so very much for your family. Lana & Carl

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder. It affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide; in the United States there are about 300 cases per year. CJD usually appears in later life and runs a rapid course.

Sweet note Patrick! Swear to god Bruno sleeps just like that! In fact just last night I couldn’t resist giving him a pet under the chin and the poor animal jumped out of his skin he was so deeply asleep. I felt badly about that since it was suppose to show my affection. Looking forward to our book club meeting/wine drinking/intense discussion about all things. Take care, Lou Thank you, Patrick Hope your Costa Rica trip was all that a  vacation should be. Love to the Family—- Nancy Hi Patrick Loved the youtube at Jungle Beach Hotel.  Monkeys were so cute! Thanks heaps Jo-Anne