Chocolate Lover's Dream
(Clarification: This is unfiltered and some of this, minus the "mistress bits," will appear in my regular newspaper column, watered down for the masses. -- The Auburn Scribe.)

AUBURN -- Old Town's a Taste of Chocolate yesterday was great and, despite reservations on my part, I had a lot of fun. Arriving around noon, the first order of business was coffee from Courthouse Coffee then a quick jaunt across the street to the historic Placer County Courthouse to get checked in, receive our passport and try the first samples. With two gorgeous ladies on each arm (my wife Rachel and my "mistress" Peggy -- figuratively speaking, and no, she's really not my mistress, but give a guy break, I live vicariously through all the naughty things I'm supposed to be doing), we proceeded into Old Town to conquer the chocolate world. Pat and Pete Enoch's Latitudes Restaurant was our next stop, followed by shopping (for the ladies!) at Jamiee's A Boutique. Rachel had been shopping earlier so this was more for Peggy. As Rachel said, "You want your mistress to look good, don't you?" I love being a guy. From there it was over to Sun River Clothing Company where there was more shopping (again, not for Rachel but more for Peggy, who looked great in the two outfits she bought). Sitting at the Tom Homer bench, I chatted a while with Linda Robinson and watched other eager chocolate tasters wander the streets. I greeted Linda with the joke that my wife and mistress were shopping in her store. "It's always nice to have both," she said, taking the joke in stride. She told me that about 12 years ago, there were rumors about her and Tom Homer having a fling and that I shouldn't let the idle gossip bother me. Brian Ford's Auburn Alehouse (due to be open in early May, I hear) had a line out the door (well-deserved according to Rachel and Peggy as they sampled a chocolate turtle tart). Our next stops were Karen's Wild Women in the Garden, Reese Browning's Old Town Pizza, Catherine Rowe's Oz Gallery, Cheryl Kranich's Tea Thyme Treasures, Ross and Lynn Carpenter's Serendipity (with the chocolate provided by Don and Jai Baker's Awful Annie's), Valerie Marble's Gypsy Wind Beads, Gary and Jan Lord's Sierra Moon Goldsmith, and then back up to the coffee shop. Then it was a quick trip back around to Jamiee's and Sun River so the ladies could pick up their clothing purchases (while I balanced three "to-go" boxes stuffed with chocolate). Tom Stout, of MaryBelle's Restaurant, said I wasn't the first guy he'd seen acting as a pack mule. We finished a great day (spending about 4.5 hours in Old Town) with frosty beverages and lunch at Old Town Pizza. So, as a guy, I couldn't have been happier. In the company of two gorgeous women, plenty of chocolate, beer and a calzone. Life is good.