While recuperating from even relatively minor surgery is, by design, ridiculously boring, it’s necessary so that one can do stuff afterward. And because there’s a lot of stuff that I want to do, I’m following doctor’s orders to the “T.” Mostly.

I discovered that the 2006 Vines on the Marycrest ‘Round Midnight, nicely chilled, makes a luscious and decadent summer drink when the temperature is high, the AC is blowing, and the meds unneeded.

My plans on July 14 was to talk about the Vegas Wineaux Wine Club party and French wine tasting celebrating Bastille Day. I have pictures, was going to put together the slide show, talk about the wines, yadda yadda yadda. Jake changed all of that.

I found myself falling into the habit of constantly purchasing "okay" wines because I want to save my "good" wines for "special occasions."

I had learned about the wine event through Vegas4Locals, a company that keeps us locals up to date on events going on in town. I'm always looking for wine stuff, so this was a treat. At $25, the price was more than reasonable, especially for a Strip property. As soon as I strolled into the pool area, I knew I'd done the right thing. The venue was gorgeous.

This wasn't a one-time, in-one-sitting tasting. This turned out to be a three-day adventure for him and a nearly identical adventure for me. And most of it's 'cause we don't know everything we should know about Mourvèdre. But we do know just enough to be dangerous.

My Las Vegas project is actually going to be much more long term than just the summer, and I'm still working on organizing the details. While this could easily turn into an encyclopedia of wine, architecture, food, people, landmarks, blah blah blah, I'd rather keep it simple-ish.

One of about 62 stores in 11 states, it is the first in Nevada, and takes up a sprawling 27,000 square feet. Started in 1991 by brothers David and Robert Trone in Delaware, Total Wine & More states that it is the largest retailer of fine wine in the United States - which may be disputed by Costco. I don't particularly care.

So I became an ABC (Anything But Chard) gal. It was quite a few years before I found the Chard character my palate desired and, as I discovered, you had a spend a little money to get it. Nowadays - whether it's because you really don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy a good Chard or because my palate has matured - I enjoy it on a fairly regular basis. Yup. Me. Liking white wines. Who'da thunk?

Along comes digital photography! I've had fun with it over the years, but very recently I purchased a digital SLR and my artist's heart is soaring. This gave birth to the idea of the Gallery at Vegas Wineaux. While I have been using some of my work to showcase my wine reviews - you'll recognize my kitchen wall if you've been to my home - I have been busy behind the scenes doing some pretty serious photography. Yeah, I think it's that good.