In early May my phone rings and it’s my dad.  He says, “Hey! Want to take me white water rafting for Father’s day?”  Knowing full well that he is footing the bill, I say hell yes!  And so bright and early Saturday morning Mom, Dad, my sister and I drive up to Groveland, just outside of Yosemite National Park, to meet our group.  We stuff our sleeping bags, pillows and clothes for the trip into dry bag and change into swimsuits and wetsuits.  A little side note on the Tuolumne River: all class IV+ rapids, the water temp hovers around 47 degrees Fahrenheit and is currently running at 3700 cfs.  The pic is of my family’s boat and another boat behind us!

After the safety talk we load into our boats and start our journey down the river.  Within minutes we hit our first rapid.  My dad and I are in front and getting slammed in the face with water.  As we struggle to breathe, we have to keep paddling as we hear our guide yell out “Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!”  It was an exhilarating rush to say the least!  After many many rapids, we stop for lunch and the crew puts out a gourmet feast.  Fresh cut fruit, veggies, a make-your-own-sandwich bar fit for a deli and cookies!  After filling our bellies we hit the water again.  We camped for the night on a rare sandy bank and enjoyed another decadent meal.  We had a blast sitting around the camp fire and swapping stories.  And the next day we did it all over again!  Great trip with great food, great fun and great people!

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning sun + to stand still. As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

In early celebrations, the Celts and Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing and bonfires to help increase the sun’s energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids’ celebration of the day as the wedding of Heaven and Earth, resulting in the present day belief of a lucky wedding in June.

Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.

I like to call myself a wino.  I’m pretty confident in my wine drinking abilities at least!  And I like to pepper my conversations with fancy words like terroir, fruit and nose.  But I hate it when someone calls me out on my bluff, then I just have to skirt away and pour my self another glass!  Do you think you are a wine know-it-all?  Well listed below are the top ten wine myths, yes that means that ALL of them are FALSE. So make note of these pesky misconceptions, and now you can be the one to educate others!

1) Wine goes bad and starts turning into vinegar about a day after popping the cork.

2) Uncorking a bottle for a few hours before drinking to “let it breathe” will improve and soften the wine.

3) Wine “legs” or “tears” indicate high quality in wine.

4) Smelling the cork can tell you something about a wine’s quality.

5) You need a different wine glass for different types of wine (Burgundy, Bourdeaux etc.).

6) “Old Vine” and “Reserve” have specific meanings that guarantee quality.

7) Dom Perignon invented Champagne.

The first winery in Napa was Mondavi.

9) The first winery in California was in Napa.

10) The first winery in the US was in California.

For the true answers and explanations of these myths go to: Pionotblogger.com.

What is cocktail attire anyways?  I hate showing up to an event underdressed!  I always think, “If I would have known, I could have worn those fabulous new heels!”  Well below sums up a little bit about cocktail attire from About.com, in hopes of helping you be well dressed for your next event…

Cocktail attire technically means a suit for men, and a cocktail dress for women, which usually means a short dress (preferably not career wear). I prefer a little black dress — and depending how formal you think the event is, you can glam it up with accessories. Of course you have lots of leniency in what you wear — a dressy pantsuit, a lovely skirt and top, etc. Everyone interprets the meaning of dress requests differently.

Located in the North Beach district in San Francisco, famous for many delicious Italian restaurants, is a tasty little treat called The House.  The House features Asian Fusion dishes that almost look more like art than food.  With almost 1300 raving reviews on Yelp.com the line for The House is getting quiet long around dinner time.  To avoid long waits, try out their lunch specials for a midday meal.  Check out their reviews on Yelp! and their website www.thehse.com for more information.  Happy dinning!

By the Editors of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine

They’re prosperous, innovative, and they’ll generate plenty of jobs, too.

We live in challenging times. Unemployment remains high, and the U.S. lead in technology and science is slipping as many foreign countries gain ground. But some U.S. cities, though slowed by the Great Recession, still thrive by lifting good old American innovation to new levels. And that will help put more Americans back to work and keep our international edge.

1. Austin, Texas

2. Seattle, Washington

3. Washington, D.C.

4. Boulder, Colorado

5. Salt Lake City, Utah

6. Rochester, Minnesota

7. Des Moines, Iowa

8. Burlington, Vermont

9. West Hartford, Connecticut

10. Topeka, Kansas

To see why these cities made the top ten and what they have to offer, read the full article here.

Soju has been enjoyed in Korea for many centuries, but has just recently made a splash in the world market.  Soju can be used as a substitute for most types of alcohol in popular drinks such as Martinis.  Most brands of modern soju are made in South Korea. Though traditionally made from rice, most major brands supplement or even replace the rice with other starches such as potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca. Soju is clear in color and typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter because of the sugars added in the manufacturing process. It is widely consumed, in part, because of its relatively low price.

Drink: Fallen Angel

• 45 ml soju
• 15 ml green crème de menthe
• 30 ml lemon juice
• a dash of angostura blitters
• maraschino cherry.

Many of us wish we could be Carrie Bradshaw dashing around the city from one glamourous event to the next in her Christian Louboutin heels.  However, we are not all Carrie Bradshaws, at least I know I don’t have $700 to spend on a pair of heels!  But good news ladies, there is hope for us single gals.  There are numerous (non e-dating) ways to meet your Mr. Big.  And on this fine Tuesday I’m going to give you the scoop on some hot events going on in SF!  As the song goes, I left my heart in San Francisco.

1. Attend a wine tasting

We all know wine is one of my life essentials, so I HAD to make this one my number one.  You get to learn a little bit about wine and taste its deliciousness.  (Plus I love toting out my “wine expertise” and big wino words!)  UncorkedEvents.com has a great listing of classes going on in SF.

2. Signup for a cooking class

Would you rather have a stuffy, awkward first date dinner OR have a blast cooking up a storm and getting to know each other? I know I would choose the latter!  I can just see it now… feeding each other finger food, a mini food fight maybe, maybe we’d cook an aphrodisiac food!  You can find out more info and signup for classes at www.partiesthatcook.com.

3. Head to the Fort Mason Event Center

Fort Mason Center, an historic Port of Embarkation, is now a waterfront destination for thought provoking programs, events and organizations which support and reflect the evolving cultural fabric of  the Bay Area.  The 13 acre campus is a partner of the Golden Gate National Parks. For more info visit: http://www.fortmason.org/

4. Grab a pooch and go to a dog park

We all know that a dog is a man’s best friend, so why not head to where a man and his best friend will be??  Described as the mecca of dog parks and doggie heaven Fort Funston combines the best of grass,  sand, dogs, beach, trees, sewer tubes (dry, of course), and trails!  Click on the link for more reviews and directions.

5. Chow down at a sports bar

Guys love nothing more than a girl grubbin’ down a burger and a beer while cursing at the TV (well I might be able to think of one other thing but for now we’ll stick to this scenario).  So throw on a jersey, make sure it’s for the right team/sport, and head to the nearest sports bar!  Visit www.yelp.com for locations and reviews of sports bars near you.

It’s almost quittin’ time and I know I’ve been think about that 5 o’clock exlicir to celebrate the beginning of another glorious weekend.  What will it be this Friday? Wine, Lemon Drop, Margarita?  Hmm I just can’t decide so I looked to my friend the Webtender.  The Webtender is a very useful site for everything from recipes to the history of popular drinks to bartending tips and tricks.  This time I checked out the list of the Top 100 drinks of all time.  So this week I’m paying my respects to el numero uno: El Mojito.  For more recipes and info check out Webtender.com

Ingredients:

• 2-3 oz Light rum
• Juice of 1 Lime (1 oz)
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2-4 Mint sprigs
• Soda water

Mixing instructions:

Lightly muddle the mint and sugar with a splash of soda water in a mixing glass until the sugar dissolve and you smell the mint. Squeeze the lime into the glass, add rum and shake with ice. Strain over cracked ice in a highball glass. Top with soda water, garnish with mint sprig and serve