For more than 25 years, donations from the Napa Valley have poured into El LLano and Patzimaro for restoration and beautification projects, and for the elaborate December fiestas that reunite Napa Valley families with their friends and relatives.

When veterinarian, Dr. Joanna Robson treats a horse, people take notice. It could be the two-inch stainless steel acupuncture needles she's inserting into the horses back. Or maybe it's the electrical clamps she's connecting to the needles, used to stimulate the muscles.

Karin Ashford and Kim Kocher, the second couple to receive a same-sex marriage license in Napa County, refused to wait another day before they married after 21 years together. "We wanted to be part of history," said Kocher, who married Ashford Tuesday afternoon during a ceremony officiated by Tuteur.

Big bottles of cult status wine, no-stone-left-unturned trips all over the world, lavish wine parties, automobiles filled with collectible wine and old-fashioned star power combined to push Auction Napa Valley 2008 proceeds past the $10 million mark.

More photos from Auction Napa Valley 2008.

A 20-acre brush fire alongside Highway 29 near Highway 121 closed both highways for more than two hours, creating quite a traffic mess.

Off-leash dog owners at Alston Park are again flexing their political muscle, seeking to have virtually the entire park set aside for pooches who want to roam unfettered.

High temperatures did not dampen the enthusiasm of volunteer artists at La Strada dell'Arte, the annual street art festival at Copia, a fundraiser for New Technology High School.

"People can't seem to remember my name, but they know me by my shoes," said Stefan Nissen, a registered nurse who joined the Queen's ER staff in 2004.

In a spacious, fresh-smelling playroom on Napa's south side, 11 dogs are romping. Some are small - a sleek pug, a shy Chihuahua - while others, like Black Labrador siblings Jack and Jill, are large and sturdy.

The streets of Napa came alive Thursday evening with the cries of "Si se puede" as an eclectic group of protesters took to the streets in the name of immigrant rights and ending the war in Iraq.

Under the mid-April afternoon sun, vineyard workers clip shoots of young sprouts, two to a bunch, in an Oakville vineyard.

When Jose Mendez wants to take a tiki trip complete with mai tais, zombies and jungle vibe music - he doesn't have to go any further than his back yard. Mendez is a tiki geek.

As long as she can remember, Lilia Navarro has liked to dance. She began performing in school as a young girl, and in elementary school first became exposed to ballet folklorico.

Four times a year, on a Saturday morning, a crowd of devoted book shoppers converge on the downtown library. Lugging boxes, bags and carts, the group queues up early and waits for the clock to strike 10 a.m.

About 950 visitors attended the 5th Annual Day at the Farm, a free event organized by the Napa County Farm Bureau and the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's Office in honor of National Agricultural Week.

The night before New Year's Eve, a tragedy in the Napa hills left five brothers alone and orphaned. Before he could ring in the New Year, eldest brother Tony Gonzales of Napa was effectively the father of four.

All Star Guitars on Jefferson Street commands a loyal following as eclectic as the store itself.

With development closing in on American Canyon, the once thriving horse community has become something of a one-horse town.

Justin-Siena girls basketball beat No. 5 Modesto Christian 60-48 on March 6, 2008. Vicky Deely scored 32 points as the team's defense shined in the CIF Northern California Regional championship game.

The top-seeded Justin-Siena girls basketball team responded to a packed crowd by crushing No. 8 Santa Cruz, 80-55, in a CIF Northern California Regional on March 4, 2008.

Four runners qualified for the Olympic trials in Boston by finishing the Napa Valley Marathon with speedy times on March 2, 2008.

The Justin-Siena girls basketball team withstood a furious fourth-quarter run by defending champion St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo to win March 1, 2008's CIF North Coast Section Division IV girls basketball championship game, 60-52.

Bruce Martens's journey to save the Napa-made warship, USS Bolster.