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With less than a month until the June election for Santa Clara County Sheriff, the campaign between four-term incumbent Sheriff Laurie Smith and her opponent, retired Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Jensen, has reached a boiling point.

Harvey Bear County Park, the high ridge east of U.S. 101 between Morgan Hill and Gilroy, is only the first in a succession of parallel topographic wrinkles that recede into the inner Coast Ranges. Beyond it, Coyote Reservoir, then Timber Ridge, Sheep Ridge and Palassou Ridge line up like an incoming set of seaside breakers.

When our family moved to Morgan Hill in 1983, my hubby’s parents moved here, too, arriving in the area about a month before us. Moving all the way from Indiana, it was quite a transition for them, especially because they were by then in their late 70s. They left behind an extended family, old friends and a lifetime of Midwest experiences.

Tickets sold out for Morgan Hill’s sixth annual Wine Stroll held Saturday making it one of the most successful events ever for the Morgan Hill Downtown Association. Trying to keep up with the ever-increasing demand, the MHDA offered 1,250 tickets for the event, 250 more than last year.

Several months ago I wrote about the probable consequences to wildlife of the anticipated drought. The drought has now officially arrived, and there is no longer much hope for any significant rain for the next six months. When water is lacking, plants do not grow, insects and rodents do not thrive and large animals that eat small animals have a difficult time finding a meal.

Over the course of our common history, brave men and women of all racial groups--whites, blacks, Latinos, Asian and all other nationalities- have served in the armed forces and given their lives to protect our First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and to protest. We all cherish those two rights. The question is under what circumstances can those two fundamental rights be restricted? The federal courts have ruled that those rights are not absolute and can be restricted in a school setting to curtail threats of violence or disruption of school activities. That is what the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held when it affirmed a lower court ruling in Dariano vs. MHUSD that the administrators at Live Oak High School acted properly on May, 5, 2010. The court upheld a finding that administrative actions were motivated by concern over the safety of all Live Oak students when they requested four then enrolled students to remove or turn inside out clothing that had images of the American flag.

It is basic to the First Amendment's free speech guarantee that ideas everyone can agree on aren't threatened with censorship and therefore don't require protection against it. But ideas that are opposed are frequently the object of censorship and consequently in need of protection. Summing up the essence of free speech, Evelyn Beatrice Hall famously wrote: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

For an engaged couple in which one person belongs to a religious congregation, the choice of wedding venue is relatively simple. But a couple with no connection to an organized religion that wants something more than a simple civil ceremony, the choice can be quite difficult.

I love the warmth conveyed by the saying from our friends to the south. As you know, the direct translation is “My house is your house”—although what it means is that you are “always welcome.” In reflecting on the actual expression, it reminds me of the relationship between a home seller and a potential homebuyer.

Need a hideaway with all the luxurious amenities of a first class hotel but with the flavor of a French styled country inn? La Residence Inn rooms fill the bill. Sitting on two acres of glorious heritage oak and redwood trees in Napa is a converted mansion built by a river captain in 1870 and across the spa pool and the mini vineyard is a French style barn. 26 rooms house finely redecorated, luxuriously, comfortable rooms. Each room is individually decorated and has tasteful antiques scattered throughout, it seems each time you turn around there is a surprise, a lovely period antique lamp, an armoire from another era, an inviting fireplace with logs and matches in place and very readable books. French doors that open out to a verandah that overlooks a lovely garden add to the romantic setting. The modern touch is a CD player in each room with a collection of disks for every taste. (A very welcome touch.)