Smileywine Party @ the Bel Air Vineyard

So the morning after Halloween (yes I am seriously behind in blogging) I rolled out of bed off the couch still wearing my taco costume and tried to get myself together for the Annual Brown Gala at the Bel Air Vineyard.

The wonderful family that owns the vineyard (which produces Smileywine) also happens to be family of Brown alums!

Their home (which is also the vineyard) was gargantuan.



Honestly these pictures will never do the property justice, but here goes.

You walk in through the main entrance...



And you're in the grand foyer...



Walk through the foyer, through the dining room...



Through the kitchen...



Out onto the back patio...



Once out on the back patio there's the pool and an incredible view of the vineyard.



Also there's a pond of very happy Koi.



Beyond the pool lies the tennis court...



And beyond that lies another elevated terrace, beyond which finally lies the vineyard.



We brunched to the music of a delightful string quartet.



The food spread was epic.



Finger sandwiches...



Tuna-cucumbers.



Smoked salmon thingys...



And of course, MEATBALLS.






YUM.

Lots of Brown alums from all years attended.






And though there was no Smileywine in sight (they opted to break out the nicer, pricier varietals) there was plenty to drink.



I love Browns!






In the late afternoon there was a raffle, with prizes ranging from fancy dinners to a trip to Hawaii to a photo session with a really amazing photographer (me)...



My friend (and super-successful voiceover artist) Amanda ended up winning the photo session.




Yay! It was such a great Sunday. I really wish there had been Smileywine because everyone was all smiles all day long.






We did, of course, have to take at least one obligatory fierceface picture because (a.) we are assholes and (b.) fierce-facing is FUN!



Best week ever!

The Bentley and the Beckhams

My buddy/former headshot client Mark is an actor/dancer/partyboy but also works for a Hollywood baller who owns one of the main concert venues in LA. Back in the 80s this man was I think somehow responsible for launching a couple of legendary rock bands into superstardom.

Needless to say his estate is not shitty.



Mark works out of the pool house rolling calls, running errands, and doing other random stuff.



While we were having lunch today a certain owner of the Palms Casino called to see if Mark's boss had his Halloween costume ready for the party at the Playboy Mansion tomorrow night.

I thought it was funny because it was like any pre-Halloween conversation I would have, but on a much more epic scale...with assistants.



After lunch, Marky and I played with Morty, the cuttest little Westie ever.




And then we tried to spy on their superstar neighbors David and Victoria Beckham.



Unfortunately a shot of some railing is all I could get, as their property is about 99% paparazzi-proof, though I think you can just barely make out the outline of their gargantuan house through the foliage.



Still, we prowled the perimeter and lurked in the bushes...



..............................

After Mark's boss left we continued to play around his property...




And then we decided to do something kind of naughty...



And we borrowed his Bentley for the afternoon.








Bentleys are pretty cool.