It’s that time of year again. I’ve packed provisions and printed out my e-ticket, my photo ID is in hand, and I’m heading out. If there were a way to do it, there’d be a big red circle on this weekend’s dates in my computer calendar.

The hound and I walked up the center of Redwood Creek recently, without getting a paw or a shoelace wet.

Since we are now officially in autumn — a great time for planting hardy trees — I want to mention a common problem, which never seems to go away. In part, it has to do with our wishes, as thrifty consumers, to get the most for our money. It also has a lot to do with nursery container-growing practices.

A struggling economy and the high cost of rental housing in the city of Napa has added  greater pressure on those seeking a rental unit here in the valley.

Seafood gumbo, jambalaya, fresh boiled crawfish — those usually get people’s mouths watering and their mind’s thinking about New Orleans (or, Naw’lins, as the locals say.) But on Oct. 6, it’s all about downtown Napa.

I truly believe that all of us are born with certain genes that control and influence our skills, activities, emotions, decisions and even our taste in foods throughout our entire lives.

Last weekend Mike Rippy and Frank Lassen of Napa took off for a deer hunt in Lake County.

We recently reported on wine that was alleged to have been made for Adolf Hitler, and this drew a response from reader Frank Green of New York City, who “tried this vintage” and sent us a review:

When it comes to putting off essential tasks, I’m not exactly world class, but slack I can.

On numerous occasions, discovering an exceptional bottle of wine comes when we least expect it.

Dear Len & Rosie, My aunt passed away in January.

Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley issues a report on the Napa real estate market twice a year, and some of its statistics are very interesting:

By any standard, the 13th Staglin Family Music Festival for Mental Health was a huge success.

The subprime mortgage problems we've all been reading about are getting larger. Last week I met with a young couple that may lose their home because they were caught in the complexities of a variable mortgage.