Columnists

The new and improved Exploratorium is like no other place on earth. Touch everything, explore, ask questions and lose yourself in displays in the six galleries with mind stretching exhibits. It covers 330,000 square feet and sits in a lustrous $300 million new home with a Ph.D. around every corner to answer your questions and head up the different displays.

Death Valley is the earth bare bones and naked. The light smattering of creosote bushes and cacti does not begin to disguise, even to a beginner’s eye, some of the simple features of the valley’s construction.

Oscar Wilde's “The Importance Of Being Earnest” was considered a hit in the 1800s and had been played just about everywhere since. His sharp wit and mastery of comedy in just the right places made this piece a gem and appreciated in the theatre world.

Before I formally begin this edition of The Flavor Chronicle, I would like to share with you that Sunday is the 53rd annual Morgan Hill Haru Matsuri (spring festival), which starts at 11 a.m. This is one of my favorite local festivals where you are surrounded by an abundance and variety of wonderful Japanese foods. Some of the food items include udon, sushi, manju and, of course, the much sought after and well-known chicken teriyaki boxes. If you don't already have plans for this Sunday, consider a visit and bring your appetite.

According to census data, Morgan Hill is a prosperous community. Even the casual observer will notice the million dollar homes lining many streets and expensive luxury cars choking parking lots.

Last month I got as close to heaven as any oenophile has ever been. I’m not much of a camper, but when Matt Levy, public relations and marketing manager, invited me to attend Camp Schramsberg, a three-day sparkling wine seminar at Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga, I jumped at the chance. Schramsberg Vineyards has been producing sparkling wine since 1965 when they became the first U.S. producer to use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in the méthode champenoise (where a secondary fermentation occurs while the wine is in the bottle - thus producing bubbles). These sparkling wines are so good that in 1972, the Blanc de Blancs was served at the historic “Toast to Peace” in Beijing, between President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai. To this day, Schramsberg’s wines are still being served in the White House.

It was bad enough that, to avoid the looming April 15 tax filing deadline, I was forced to gather up receipts for my annual sacrificial offering to the tax gods by pawing through my well-designed, er … highly functional … ummm … OK, dubious “filing system.” (Hey – I’m running out of shoeboxes over here!)

Q: Michael, our 1-year-old pomeranian mutt, has a few extra teeth. The vet tells us that he never lost some of his baby teeth. Now they want to pull out all of those extra teeth, and I wonder if this is really all that necessary. Should we go along with the vet’s plan? Or can Michael live with a few extra enamels in his mouth?

Our local movie theaters – Gilroy Platinum Theater and Morgan Hill CineLux - are a couple of my favorite places to spend my extra time (and money). There’s just something about sitting in a darkened theater with a group of friends - and strangers - eyes glued to the big screen, laughing or crying or jumping out of our seats.