The most memorable hostess gift I have ever received was a live piglet! Little, 80-pound "Bacon," as I named him, was darling–until he grew to 500 pounds and was so big I had to give him away. (Don't worry, he was maintained as a pet and, despite his name, wasn't slaughtered.)

For many of us, summer is joyously crammed with visiting friends and family and being a guest in their homes, on their boats or in their summer houses. An essential act of being a gracious guest is giving a gift of thanks to your hosts. And you don't have to bring a barnyard creature to make a good impression!

When it comes to etiquette, there are two schools of thought. The first is to bring your host a present when you arrive for an over-night stay or special occasion. The alternative is to send a thank you gift after the event. Both ways are suitable, though I tend to show up with something in hand, even if it's a small gesture that will be followed up later by something grander. To me, it just feels right to bring an object–or a basket of flowers from my garden–that shows the hostess how much I appreciate the invitation and that I am excited to be there. With this in mind, I have created a unique line of hostess gifts in a variety of themes and colors to suit different tastes and situations.

Sometimes I know just the perfect token to give the hostess based on her decor or something I know she's keenly interested in. Other times, I like to give gifts that are not germane to the environment that I am visiting. Books, DVDs and CDs are always appropriate and are a nice way to share your own personal tastes. I tend to give classical music because I love it and like to stay up on new recordings. Other gifts that are nearly always appropriate include wine (buy a special case if you want to go big), smoked salmon or other foods that can be consumed over the time you are there, and personalized stationery from an off-set printer (for something different than the host's name or initials, go with the address and phone number of the place you are visiting).