Amazing Weekend in Calistoga - 1st installment

I recently took a long weekend in Calistoga, and came back refreshed and inspired. Many moons ago, when I was young and foolhardy, I often insisted on visiting the picturesque town for my birthday. Unfortunately, since my "big day" falls in November, each getaway was inevitably dreched by deluges of biblical proportions. Despondent, I reluctantly relinquished the ill formed Autumn-in-Calistoga concept.
So it was an incredibly pleasant surprise when I returned, two weekends ago, under gorgeous sunny skies and warm, yet crisp weather. Strolling down the well maintained, dare I say quaint, main street, I encountered a few of the disarmingly quirky locals. In fact, I hardly made it across the road before I was drawn into Hurd Beeswax Candles, a candle shop/wine tasting room run by the garrulous and animated host, Mary Sue. The only other attraction that rivaled her for buzz was the built-in bee hive. Yes, a bee hive was built into the wall and Mary Sue described the inhabitants as though they were her favorite soap opera characters. She also extolled the virtue of beeswax candles (versus paraffin) quite convincingly. So persuasively, in fact, that I left the shop with two bags of candles - not to mention the gorgeous bottle of Zin from her family winery, On the Edge.