July  2003 - Karnes (By contributing guest editor, Don Teator)
Puffs of classic cumulus clouds spangled a recently rare crisp July late afternoon as Dinner Party of Eight enjoyed dinner al fresco at the Karnes @ Pines. Inspections of the new stone wall and incipient waterfall/pool and recountings of our summer vacation happenings (well, summer vacations for some of us), fortified with a Tanqueray & tonic or a Merlot or a Yuengling, led to hors d’oeuvres on the Weed Rd Valley porch.
   The up side – A close-to-home ride was welcome, as was the informal feel. Tops was a repast deserving of the accolades we use for the restaurants, with Tom and Deb grilling roast tenderloin and 10-ounce lobster tails until we could eat no more. Post-dusk dessert of homemade sorbet attested to Deb’s day long preparation. A special thanks.
   The down side – OK, so Sunny Hill didn’t prepare special fireworks for us....  And there was a tad pang of guilt that Tom and Deb were doing all the meal transition stuff, not to mention the meal prep and clean-up.