What does she credit with her rise to the top in food and wine travel destinations? "It's always been a passion of mine, and I think you do well because you love doing it," she says. "Your passion becomes your business."

Garrett is listed in the top 125 A-list of super travel agents nationally by Travel & Leisure. She's the only consultant in the South Bay to be so recognized. Garrett has been selling travel for 25 years. Her husband's grandfather, Tom Bohner, started the company and named it Alpine for two reasons: he was from Germany--Alps country--and liked the idea that his company headed the travel listings, thanks to that A.

Lynda's husband Rick is president of Happy Vacations in Watsonville, a travel wholesaler who sells to travel agents. The two met on a travel safari to Kenya. They live in Aptos and have two children, Blaine, 10, and Kate, 7. Lynda is now becoming a specialist in travel with children.

The three trendiest destinations for food and wine travel these days are Australia, New Zealand and Chile. The really fine wines in those countries we don't see on these shores, she says.

MOVING AWAY: Audrey Thompson, widow of Walter Thompson, an early electronics entrepreneur in Santa Clara county, is moving from her Fruitvale Avenue home to Roseville to be nearer her daughter, Laura Thompson-Carpenter. The Thompsons came to Saratoga in 1962 from St. Louis.

Walter became a partner in Hexem Corporation in Los Gatos. He later joined Varian Corporation's accelerator division, where he was responsible for installation and tech support for cancer radiation systems in hospitals around the world, including Bethesda Naval Hospital. He died in 1983.

The six Thompson children were raised in Saratoga and went to local schools, including Saratoga High. The family boarded horses for many local families from 1965-1990. Audrey was very active in Christian organizations and the Republican Party's Woman's Group of Santa Clara County.

Here's where the surviving offspring have landed:

Dr. Kathleen Thompson-Dwyer lives in Monrovia. She and her husband Jim work for USC Medical School as epidemiologists. Her daughter, Alicia, is a documentary editor in Hollywood.

Marcia Thompson is married and lives in Saratoga. Craig Thompson, a contractor, is married and lives in Manteca. Before moving to Manteca, he was a local painting contractor.

Laura Thompson-Carpenter lives in Rocklin in the Sierra foothills. She and her husband Scott have three children in college. They met at SHS, and have been married 28 years. Laura took up the violin again on her 50th birthday, and still rides horses.

Laura and Cathy Ebert (daughter of Bill and Rachael Ebert of Saratoga) rode bareback together throughout the Sobey Road area when they were children. They recently rode together again at the 2,000-acre Ruby Dome ranch near Elko, Nev. What makes that reunion amazing is that Laura nearly died in 1968 when her horse threw her onto Highway 9 at Fruitvale, and she suffered serious head injuries. Dr. Greg Fox's longtime hygienist, Polly Colvin, was the first to find Laura, and gave her first aid while waiting for the ambulance. Years later, after a teeth-cleaning, Laura related that incident to Polly, who had never realized who the girl was that she helped.

MAESTRO'S PICK: Saratoga High School senior Ashley Lau is the featured soloist in the California Youth Symphony new recording, The Maestro's Pick: Orchestral Showpieces. On the CD she'll perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto. The CD will be released Nov. 13, the same day the CYS performs at 2:30 p.m. at Flint Center.

The gifted violinist was the winner in last year's CYS Young Artist Competition and was chosen as this year's concertmaster for the symphony. This is the 54th year for the California Youth Symphony.

LOCKS OF LOVE: Beth Fuqua-Parks, medical assistant at Community Hospital of Los Gatos, recently cut 10 inches of her golden brown hair to donate to "Locks of Love." Locks of Love, a national organization, collects donated hair to create wigs for patients undergoing chemo. Its website is http://www.locksoflove.org.

Fuqua-Parks wanted to help cancer patients, but more specifically children with cancer. She'll be studying for her RN once her daughters, Jessica Fuqua and Brandy Parks, graduate from their respective colleges in May. Son Dereck Parks goes to De Anza College and works at Yahoo.

Fugua-Parks and her husband Brand live in Almaden. Beth works in the hospital's outpatient department, checking in and ministering to patients in pre-op. Beth lived in Saratoga until she was 10. She is the daughter of Jim Fuqua of Monterey and Peggy Coleman-Delbuono of San Jose.

Got a tip for Saratoga Sampler? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.