Don't let anyone fool you; even me. Distraction is always just a stone's throw away, and even the most pressing problems can dissolve into the background in an afternoon on South Beach. Eating and drinking yourself into oblivion on beaches of The Atlantic Ocean is one way to assure that.

The rich, the famous, and just about anyone with taste trudged through the dunes to get to the Wine and Food Festival. The Saturday Grand Tasting has gotten to be the best way to forget everything and just indulge your senses on a grand scale.

Just five years ago you couldn't convince anyone that a bachannal of eating and drinking on the beach would gather such momentum and become a national event. Today, 30,000 people swarmed on to South Beach to engage in a particularly blatant form of conspicuous consumption.

My date this year was the vivacious Patrick, assistant director of The New World Symphony. A veteran of many a Mardi Gras from New Oleans, he taught me a thing or two about "elbowing" your way through a crowd. One of the most endearing thiings about Patrick is the way his gracious, Southern voice can turn into a growl when cutting through the masses; he always looks back to make sure you are safe, and following.

Warm breezes, fluffy clouds, and an overwelming amount of distraction made the afternoon dance on by.

If your mind wasn't making sand castles, there was someone who would.

TV anchoman, neighbor, and friend, Craig Stevens (blue shirt) with Patrick. We laughed about being right across the street from the up-coming 4PM drag show; diversion of all types exists just a step away.

Perrier Jouet's "table" embodied good taste.

Of course, Patrick agreed with our established rules of drinking: champagne is NOT alcohol when consumed in the day time; it is a mood enhancer. He kept me sober because he was conducting tonight and giving a recital at 4 on Sunday.

Back at The Palace, Jeremy was cuddling with an adorable boy from El Savador, Federico. Federico was impressed at one point when I remembered his name while introducing him to members of Court. (It is really quite hard to do that with Jeremy's cortesans.)

Donnie and Jay. I was compelled to re-establish Jay as Court Favorite. That didn't take much thinking on an afternoon like this. And, I can't seem to get through a weekend without the tech support of everyone's favorite Asian, Donnie. My grandmother used to say, "A family needs one doctor, one lawyer, and one auto mechanic to get through life"; I have to add "One Asian to advise you on how to operate your camera." (They can also walk on your back when needed.)

Even Riley gave himself over to the madness of a warm afternoon in February.

His pierced nipples acted like a lightenig rod.

It was still Ricky's birthday weekend, too. (I told him that anyone who served in the Spanish-American War should not lie about his age.)

And--in the end--perhaps dancing in the afternoon is not such a bad idea. There was one period there where nothing seemed to be wrong and everyone was happy.