Oh, Napa Valley

When you go to Napa Valley, the moments are so magical that maybe only photos can halfway capture the fleeting luminosity of it all. Herewith, some snapshots from last weekend's work trip to Napa...

Sweet Beach Day

It's mid-July in Southern California, so I hightailed it to the beach!

The rays were glowing, the soft crashing of the tides soothing, the gobs of sand in my toes reminding me that yes Niki, the weekend was here...

Pre-beach salad in progress -- fresh lettuce, check! Artisanal salumi with chili flakes and fennel, check, check!

The Pacific Coast Highway from above, and deep blue ocean gliding toward the horizon as far as the eye can see

What a lovely secret walkway, going over the PCH and plopping me down to the sand

Pattern play of neon hues on my beach towel

The raddest street sign ever, completely on edge...

Saturday Sippin' at Little Dom's

It was even more delicious than it looks. My cocktail is on the bottom, the peach-hued circle of goodness with a floating spring of toasted rosemary (it's called the Rosemary's Baby, with mescal instead of tequila).

On Saturday I hung with friends at Little Dom's, an adorable Italian restaurant in Los Feliz with bistro tables that spill onto the sidewalk like a scene out of "Lady and the Tramp." It was an off-hour, maybe 4 pm, so we crammed into a leather booth near the vintage bar and sort of felt like the place was ours.

Two of these drinks in, and it pretty much was!

The laughs got louder, new inside jokes became sillier (right, Kristen and Nabihah?), and we even coined some cool catch-phrases.

But another week of hard work was long gone -- we had earned every fun moment, and yummy sip, that Saturday brought to the table!

Car Jammin'

Tough, this past work week was. Some long hours -- in at 7 am, out at 9 pm on Tuesday -- and a flurry of "immediate-now" to-do's meant that by Wednesday, my brain was dreaming of counting more sheep, my taste buds craving an exotic drink like a frothy pina colada or a tropical tiki concoction with a bright paper umbrella.

OK, maybe I'm exaggerating. Just a tad...

But come Wednesday during my after-work commute on Olympic Boulevard, I was listening to 89.9 KCRW (a given, I know) when DJ Garth Trinidad played a duo of songs back-to-back that shook me out of head-down mode.

The first song was an airy, gospel rendition of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" by The Brothers & Sisters that seemingly floated from the hallowed confines of Sunday church in the '60s South. Listen here, to be uplifted.

After being transported to Sunday church, sun-drenched visions of an island jam session suddenly swayed into view -- courtesy of this irresistible reggae roots song called "A Message to You Rudie" by Grant Phabao, The Lone Ranger & Carlton Livingston. If there's any true justice in the world, this ditty better be playing this very minute at a toes-in-the-sand happy hour in a place far, far away. Its zippy beat dances with pure joy!

My spirit soared as I jammed in my car to these two songs, time zones and terrains away from the concrete jungle of Olympic Boulevard in West L.A. And it's these songs that played on repeat in my head as I hopped into bed, eager for tomorrow's adventures following a dreamy night's sleep.

Pinata Inspiration

My eyes were supposed to be glued to the Mexico-Holland World Cup game at Loteria Grill on Sunday. And they were (they really were!), though I glanced up at some point and was dazzled by this candy-hued starburst of a pinata -- dangling above me, perfectly ripe for its candy fillings to topple upon us.

My eyes turned back to the game and even though Mexico ended up losing when Holland scored twice in the final 10 minutes, this soaring rainbow of papier-mache made me smile from the inside each time I looked up.

Morning Becomes Eclectic, at KCRW

When I was invited on a behind-the-scenes tour of the KCRW public radio station in Santa Monica, I think I smiled for miles. I've been an ardent fan and supporter of this groundbreaking, independent station for years, and I was invited to check out their digs since I'm a monthly subscriber.

KCRW is groundbreaking since it tempers rare music gems and the forgotten songs of yesteryear with the most progressive, independent and underground music that most radio stations in America aren't playing today, all from a humble basement studio beneath a cafeteria at Santa Monica College. They have developed a knack for breaking some of today's biggest and brightest artists -- think Coldplay, Beck, Norah Jones -- and its weekday morning music program, "Morning Becomes Eclectic," inspires and sets exciting new standards for top artists, dee-jays and record labels.

Can you tell, I'm a bit of a fan?

All this incredible prestige, though as I moseyed through the studio I felt like I was back in my young '20s, hanging out in the college newsroom where a special buzz landed on your shoulder every so often because you knew really exciting things were playing out:

This instant photo wall greets all guests, a who's who of influential artists, bands, actors and thought leaders who have visited KCRW for the "Morning Becomes Eclectic" program and other shows

Me playing it, err, cool at the photo wall

A music lover's lair, the station's music library is a sacred space for vinyl (all music is also digitized)

A killer in-studio performance from singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten concluded the tour, as gut-wrenching heartbreak songs sent me back out into the sun to finish my day of work -- listen to Sharon's KCRW set here!