Oakville Grocery in Napa: An essential stop for any wine-trekking adventure
by Loni Kao Stark on Sun, 01/4/09 | Leave a Comment

Oakville Grocery is legendary in Napa and has been the inspiration of not only many picnics and wine tastings, but also of many art pieces created by those that have fallen in love with its charming exterior and sensory delights inside.
Along the sometimes rushed Hwy …

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New milestone for StarkSilverCreek as over 11,600 people visit in December!
by Clinton Stark on Mon, 01/5/09 | Leave a Comment

loniandclint-thanks-2009.jpg Loni and I received a pleasant surprise today when we were told December was a record month for this little web site. Over 11,600 unique people (counting each person only once even if they visit multiple times) dropped in to StarkSilverCreek last month.

This is way beyond anything we could have imagined. In the grand scheme of the gigantic Web though it’s still a minuscule drop in the bucket. Certainly we never expected this kind of response.

While it’s easy to know how many people visit, it’s more difficult to understand why.

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View from a tower in the Loreto Bay Baja resort development
by Clinton Stark on Mon, 01/5/09 | Leave a Comment

Loni gives an update on construction in the Agua Viva neighborhood in Loreto Bay. This video clip is from the tower of our little casa which should be completed sometime soon.

Costa Loreto Marina & Residences: A marina is the heart of this master community
by Loni Kao Stark on Mon, 01/5/09 | One Comment
Costa Loreto Marina & Residences: A marina is the heart of this master community

I don’t know how I missed this development in Loreto, BCS.
As luck would have it, I stumbled across the Costa Loreto Marina & Residences development a couple of days ago and when I realized it was being built in the Loreto area, I became intrigued.
The …

Black Chocolate from Hanayama: Expectation with little satisfaction
by Loni Kao Stark on Mon, 01/5/09 | Leave a Comment
Black Chocolate from Hanayama: Expectation with little satisfaction

While waiting for Clint to get his hair cut at the salon, his hairdresser showed me a Japanese game she got from her husband called “Meiji Black Chocolate”.
Meiji is the Japanese equivalent to “Hershey” in the US, or “Cadbury” in the UK.
Packaged like a bar …

In Review: ‘The House Bunny’, predictably fluffy
by Loni Kao Stark on Mon, 01/5/09 | Leave a Comment
In Review: ‘The House Bunny’, predictably fluffy

The House Bunny (2008)
Rating

Loni says:
“Predictably fluffy, only watch if you are in the mood for some pink cotton candy.”
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Category
Movie reviews

After watching “Dark Knight” the day before, I couldn’t think of a movie with greater contrast than “The House Bunny”, which is exactly why I …

Les Chapeliers, Belgium: A restaurant with many hats, but no rabbit tricks
by Loni Kao Stark on Sun, 01/4/09 | Leave a Comment
Les Chapeliers, Belgium: A restaurant with many hats, but no rabbit tricks

I rested my head on the seat, imagining where Paige, Vivek and I would be had we missed the tour bus in Bruges. Perhaps another type of adventure would have awaited us?
On the bus, I was feeling the effects of the long day of roaming …

StarkSilverCreek week(s) in review: Loreto Guide updated, Stark Naked Report, recipes and wine
by Clinton Stark on Sun, 01/4/09 | Leave a Comment
StarkSilverCreek week(s) in review: Loreto Guide updated, Stark Naked Report, recipes and wine

2009 is off to a flying start. We just wrapped a trip to Napa that had Loni sending tweets on the fly from Artesa, Turbull, Cakebread, Sequoia Grove and other scenic spots along the way. More on that trip to come.
We’ve updated the StarkSilverCreek Loreto …

2009 Loreto Calendar: Animalandia writes back
by Loni Kao Stark on Sun, 01/4/09 | Leave a Comment

I wanted to share with you a note I got back from Animalandia for all your support of this year’s 2009 Loreto Calendar. The calendar is still available for purchase here.

Dear 2009 Loreto Calendar Supporters,
Your purchase of the 2009 Loreto Calendar has made possible …

JW Marriott Residences Loreto: Penthouses provide high-style luxury in little Loreto
by Loni Kao Stark on Sat, 01/3/09 | Leave a Comment
JW Marriott Residences Loreto: Penthouses provide high-style luxury in little Loreto

A couple of days ago, I announced the availability on StarkSilverCreek of the JW Marriott Residences Loreto floor plans (JW Marriott Residences Loreto, Baja: Floor plans now available). In that post I thought the penthouse floor plans would be custom.
Greg Campbell, a Sales Associate, with …

Follow our Saturday Napa wine country tour with Loni’s Twitter updates
by Clinton Stark on Sat, 01/3/09 | Leave a Comment

If you’re interested in what’s happening in Napa today, you can follow along on our trip. Loni will be sending out ‘tweets’ throughout the day from wine country. 
On the right sidebar you’ll see a red heading and live updates below. Just refresh your browser to …

Loreto restaurants: So many temptations, so little time
by Loni Kao Stark on Sat, 01/3/09 | Leave a Comment
Loreto restaurants: So many temptations, so little time

Clint and I were able to eat and review quite a number of restaurants on our last trip to Loreto, BCS. To check them out, click here.
Unfortunately, there were many we missed.
However, as we were strolling by, we did snap away and got a glimpse …

Mamma Mia! I’m the spouse of a woman on a “diet”!
by Clinton Stark on Fri, 01/2/09 | 2 Comments

Two things concerned me this week. The first was Loni’s Isagenix diet program. It’s one thing when two people go on a diet together, but a whole other story when just one does. More on that in a sec. 
My second concern was the inevitable viewing …

HGTV’s 2009 Dream Home is in California’s wine country
by Loni Kao Stark on Fri, 01/2/09 | 2 Comments
HGTV’s 2009 Dream Home is in California’s wine country

This is the thirteenth dream home that HGTV has built and this year, it’s in Sonoma Country part of California’s famous wine country.
For those of you unfamiliar with Home & Garden Television’s (aka. HGTV) dream home, it’s a once-in-a-year event where the network partners with …