One of our summer pleasures is attending a Thornton Winery Champagne Jazz concert.  So we were in Temecula to listen to Jesse Cook perform with a most talented group of musicians.  As usual at these concerts, which occur almost every weekend from May to October at the Winery , Jesse and his guitar played to a sellout crowd.
We chatted with John Thornton asking on how he arranges to bring such outstanding talent to the concert series which is now in its 26th season.  He explained that the concerts, and the way they are presented, has given Thornton a national  reputation for being among the premiere venues for this type of jazz.
The dinner that accompanied Jesse Cook did Executive Chef Steve Pickel proud once again.  We opened with a sweet white corn bisque, then pan roasted wild Chilean sea bass and chocolate Mousse for dessert.
Our Thornton wines were a Brut Reserve Sparkling for starters, then a choice of an award winning 2013 Chardonnay or 2011 Estate Syrah.   With dessert Thornton Milk Chocolate Kiss.
This year the Jazz series will continue until October 19.  For more information call 951 699-3021.  Thornton Winery is located at 32575 Rancho California Road in Temecula.

When we stepped into  Phoenicia Restaurant we left Glendale for the shores of the Mediterranean to enjoy a cuisine that dates back to Biblical times.  Here we leisurely settled into the delightful patio of the restaurant to savor the classic foods of Lebanon.
We opened with a tray of cold mezza which included Hommos, those tasty stuffed grape leaves called Warak Enab as well as our favorite, Baba Ghanouj, roasted eggplant with tomatoes and onions. Then a salad of Tabbouleh,  a mixture of fresh chopped Italian parsley with tomatoes, onion and olive oil.
Our entrees included chicken and beef Kebab as well as marinated Lamb chops from the grill served with rice and seasoned pita bread.
The patio has been enlarged and with its old world look and decor is perfect for summer evenings.
Phoenicia is located at 343 North Central Avenue in Glendale.  On Friday and Saturday evenings there is live entertainment with a belly dance show to enjoy with dinner.  For more details call 818 956-7800. On the  web at phoenicialla.com.

With a Sommelier who is knowledgeable in wines from many countries the Renaissance Restaurant in Hollywood is able to present a unusual and different style of winemaker dinner each month.
The Sommelier is Gerald Marini, French born, and here the monthly winemaker dinners are spread over two evenings with no fixed time of arrival for guests and the wines of an entire region or country are featured.
 Then Sommelier Marini and Chef Phil Christodoulou combine their considerable talents to match the wines with the food.
This format is possible  since the Renaissance has one of the best wine lists in West Los Angeles.  There are 300 labels and fourteen pages of vintages.
On our recent winemaker event the wines were from France with many of the vintages from the Loire Valley.
These gourmet wine din ners are held on Thursdays and Fridays, generally the last week of the month.  Another interesting feature is that diners who do not want to participate in the wine dinners are also welcome those evenings.
The Renaissance is located at the Manor Hotel, 5930 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood.  Call 323 960-3222.

Obviously Griffith Observatory is one of the most visited places in Los Angeles.  Certainly that was our experience when, on the spur of the moment, we decided to make  use of a few hours while spending a day in Hollywood.
What we did not know that seemingly everyone else had the same idea on the same day.  The result was lots of cars with too few parking places.  Our eventual parking spot left us with about a quarter mile, all uphill,  from the Observatory.
We might add that we had about a half century more age than anyone else we saw that day.  So on our hike uphill we stopped ostensibly to admire the view, but really to catch our breath and chant "to rest is not to conquer" before moving on.  Not to say that the view was not worthwhile.  Actually on this day much of the City of  Angels was spread out before us.
Yes, the gift that Griffith J. Griffith gave to the people of many generations is truly worth seeing.  And since 1935 when the Observatory opened it has been visited by 75 million people.
We enjoyed  the exhibits and the people who were obviously pleased with the day and experience.
Fortunately for us the route back to our far off car was all downhill.

1919 was an exciting year in America.  The victorious Doughboys were coming home from Europe and the United States was taking its place as a world power for the first time.
Hollywood was already becoming synonymous with cinema and movie making.  And an interesting restaurant had opened on Hollywood Blvd. called The Musso & Frank Grill.  Now its 2014 and this amazing restaurant remains one of the best in the City.
James Woodin and I, representing the Southern California Restaurant Writers, were there to present Sergio Gonzales with his medal for being named Server of the Year in recognition of his 42 years of service with Musso & Frank.  We add that longevity of staff abounds at this restaurant and serving our lunch was a waiter with 30 years at the restaurant.
Musso & Frank Grill is located at 6667 Hollywood Blvd, in  Hollywood and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.  On the web at www.mussoandfrank.com.

The outdoors are my comfort zone.  Whether seashore, mountains or desert they all offer a special appeal to this Writer.  Yesterday I was once again at one of my favorite mountain retreats.  It is Cerro Noroeste Peak located in the San Emigdio range.
At its plateau summit, elevation 8313 feet, there is a campground which for us has been a perfect place for camping in earlier years and now for one day picnics.
With me were my two sons who have been coming to this mountain since they were pre teens.
The forest here is mostly Jeffrey Pines, many hundreds of years old.  Near the camp is one tree that has a massive cross carved into its trunk.  It could have been carved by Francisco Garces, a Franciscan Padre who was the first European to cross these mountains and discover the San Joaquin Valley in 1776.
I took a photo of the cross and then hiked to an outcropping where a view opens to a huge amount of country including parts of Carrizo Plain National Monument.
The weather was perfect, cool under the shade of the pine trees and warm in the sun.  It was a good picnic lunch too.

While I went to the California Science Center to view the Pompeii Exhibition I also took the opportunity of viewing the Space Shuttle Endeavor while there.  A ticket to the Pompeii exhibit also allows one to visit the Samuel Oschin Space Center  where the Endeavor sits in splendor.
Like almost everyone in Southern California I was glued to the television watching the Endeavor make its arrival in Los Angeles.  And at the Oschin Center I looked at a video program that showed it once again.
Besides the Endeavor one of its rocket engines is on display as well.
Another video program takes one through some of Endeavor's missions in space including the one to repair the optics on the Hubble Telescope. This involved replacing faulty lens with ones that cleared the telescopes images.  This proved to be a great success allowing all the wonderful photographs which we view now from Hubble.
In all Endeavor made 25 missions to space.  It bears a noble name since the original Endeavor was the name of famed English explorer James Cook's ship in the 17th century.
For more information on what are the best times for viewing Endeavor at the California Science Center call 213 744-2019, on the web at www.californiasciencecenter.org.