Saturday, July 4, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009

Turnbull Winery


Here is a shot of the beautiful pansies at Turnbull Winery in St. Helena.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Garden at di Rosa Preserve

 

It was a beautiful warm day today. Mid 80's. Stopped at di Rosa Preserve on Hwy 121 just west of Napa and took a few pictures on their gardens.
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Monday, June 15, 2009

Spanish Steps

 
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A friend of mine lives in a cool old Spanish style apartment complex. Here is a shot of the steps up to his apartment.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Mondavi


I have been off the grid for so long. Sorry. I will now resume my regular daily postings. Here is a photo to the entrance to the Robert Mondavi Winery.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Wildflowers Close up


Here is a closer shot of the wildflower from yesterdays post.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Wildflowers


Here is another shot from my hike with Napa Land Trust. These yellow flowers were about the size of peas. There were many wildflowers, but they were hard to photograph since I do not have a macro lens.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I'm Melting


It has been so incredibly hot here the last couple of days. It was 97 degrees today at 3pm. So tomorrow I am leaving work early and going out on the bay. Life can't get any better than that !

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Madrona Manor


Here is a a shot of the lovely Madrona Manor Wine Country Inn and Restaurant near Healdsburg in Sonoma County. This is the place to take out of town guests if you want to impress them. The grounds are beautiful and it is a popular place for weddings.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Lake Sonoma


Here is another shot from Sunday's picnic at Lake Sonoma

Monday, April 13, 2009

Lupine River


On the way home from my wildflower hike on Saturday we stopped off at James Creek Road and saw some magnificant displays of spring color.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The Easter Eagle


Went with my sister and brother in law for a Easter picinic at Lake Sonoma. As we were sitting in the park at at a picnic table a bald eagle flew into the huge oak tree right next to where we were sitting. In all the years I have lived in California I have never seen a bald eagel in the wild. The park ranger said there is a nesting pair that keep house on the lake.

LUPINE


I went hiking today with the Napa Land Trust. We went for a wildflower hike up at Snell Valley up by Pope Valley. On the way back we stopped on James Creek Rd to look at hillsides that were covered in Lupine.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

WYSTERIA

Z
I never realized until this year how much wysteria is growing around the valley. I took this photo last Sunday at Turnbull Wine Cellars in Oakville which is 12 miles North of Napa. Turnbull is small and unassuming when seen from the road, but the grounds are quite beautiful in the spring.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

The CIA


When I first moved to Napa, I met people who said they worked at the CIA. I thought how strange that they live in Napa and not Washington DC. I now know when locals say CIA they mean Culirnary Institute of America. CIA's Napa Valley Campus has occupied the former Christian Brothers Winery — Greystone Cellars “the largest stone winery in the world.” Greystone is on Highway 29, just north of the town of St. Helena.
Greystone's exterior walls are 22-inch thick tufa stone. Built in 1888 it has survived two major earthquakes. Greystone was used by the Christian Brothers to make sparkling wines from 1950 to 1989.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Zinfandel Lane Bridge


The casual tourist might not realize this, but Napa County has approximently 60 bridges. Many of them are from the turn of the century and are on the National Register of Historic Places. I took this shot yesterday at the Zinfandel Lane Bridge, built of stone in 1912 across the Napa River.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

The Golden State


California's state motto is The Golden State. Maybe these are some of the reasons: , the California Gold Rush of 1840's, The Golden Gate Bridge, Our state flower the California Poppy California. Indians cherished the poppy as both a source of food and for oil extracted from the plant. Its botanical name, Eschsholtzia californica, was given by Adelbert Von Chamisso, a naturalist and member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, who dropped anchor in San Francisco in 1816 in a bay surrounded by hills of the golden flowers. Also sometimes known as the flame flower, la amapola, and copa de oro (cup of gold), the poppy grows wild throughout California. It became the state flower in 1903. Every year April 6 is California Poppy Day.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

April Theme - Yellow


The valley is a blaze with yellow every spring. The wild mustard is everywhere and tourist can be seen along country roads snapping photos.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Apple Blossoms


The apple tree in the side yard is beautiful right now. The entire yard is blooming.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

The White House Inn and Spa


Took this photo this morning of the White House Inn and Spa in downtown Napa.
There are many beautiful B&Bs in Napa. To find out more about this one click here.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

SUNFLOWER


Here is a nice sunny picture of a sunflower.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Strolling


Strolling Yount Mill Rd in Yountville, the town just north of Napa.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

SUNNY DAYS !


After many weeks of rain, the sun is finally here. Went sailing with
the Vallejo boys on Sunday. There was very little wind but we still had
fun sailing in tee-shirt weather.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Rain


Nothing has been going on here the last couple of weeks except rain, rain, rain. And the forecast for the next couple of weeks....Rain. Here is a shot between the fronts. We needed it though, we are now in 90 percentile of average rainfall.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

March Theme Day - Glass

HAWTHORNE VASE

I love art glass. My tastes in art glass tend to be on the traditional side. I received this glass vase with a Hawthorne tree as a gift many years ago. It was purchased from Orient & Flume Art Glass in Chico California. If you are ever in Chico check them out. The master glass artists create their work right there in the kiln house behind the gallery. You can even go in and watch the artists at work. This place started in 1972 as a little art studio in a small house on the corner of Orient Street and Flume Street in Chico. Pieces from Orient & Flume can now be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum, the Smithsonian Museum, the Chicago Art Institute, the Chrysler Museum, and the Corning Glass Museum.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Thursday, February 26, 2009

SATTUI WINERY again


Here is another shot of the Sattui Winery. This shot was taken about 20 yards from yesterday's shot, but looking east instead of west.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

SATTUI WINERY


Any visitor to the Napa Valley will recognize where this picture was taken. This is a shot of two of the most popular places to eat lunch in the Valley. Sattui Winery in St. Helena has the best picnic grounds and, a grand cheese and wine picnic shop. You can only buy their wine at this facility or online. The grounds are beautiful with lots of picnic table below huge vintage oaks. Then just across the street is Dean & Deluca, fantasy land for those who like food. D&D has produce grown on local farms, local artisan cheeses and the 1400 wines they sell are from California. If you are ever traveling north on Highway 29 though the Napa Valley, V. Sattui is a highlight.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Alameda Marina


Here is another one from last summer. This is for Raf of Port Townsend Daily photo who like I appreciates all things sailing. This Marina Village Yacht Harbor in Alameda where I leave out of when I go sailing on the weekends.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Valley


Here is a shot I took a couple of months ago when the fall colors were still out. This is looking Northwest across the valley from the Silverado Trail north of Mumm.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Dreaming of Last Summer


It has been pouring rain for the last 7 days. Nothing to take a picture of but rain, rain, rain. So I pulled out a favorite from last summer. This is a photo taken at Wednesday night races at Vallejo Yacht club last June.

Monday, February 16, 2009

GOATS PLAYING CARDS


On Highway 121 on the way from Napa to Petaluma there is a small mom and pop dairy with a country convenience store next door. On the wall of the store is this mural of goats playing cards.

Art


Sculpture at entrance to Artesa Winery.

Friday, February 13, 2009

HAPPY V D


HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Skywatch

ITS SKYWATCH FRIDAY


FOR MORE SKYWATCH PHOTOS CLICK
HERE and scroll to the links at the bottom.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Yountville Mustard


Here is a shot from a couple of weeks ago of the mustard near Yountville.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Sunday's Hike


Here is another shot from my hike to Linda Falls on Sunday. This was my 1st try with my new wide angle lens. I was pleased with the depth of field.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Linda Falls


Today I got up early and went on a great hike with the Napa Photographic Society. It was a cool and foggy morning as we drove up to Angwin and hiked to Linda Falls which is part of 39 acres of old growth douglas fir and Manzanita chaparral that was donated to the Napa Land trust. Napa County has some of most beautiful places to hike. Thanks to the Napa Land Trust over 50,000 acres in our county are preserved openspace.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Ramblin Road


Here is a shot of my favorite road. This is Yount Mill Road up in Yountville, just north of Napa. This country road is is a favorite for bicyclists, walkers, dog walkers and photographers.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Ducks at Dusk


I took this one a couple of weeks ago at the Napa River. As I was driving out of the parking lot, I saw these ducks out of my side window. I stopped the car real quick, but did not get my camera out quick enough to get a good shot of them.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Peju Province Winery


Here is a photo I took today at Peju Province Winery. Peju, founded in 1982 by Tony and Herta Peju, is a family-owned boutique winery located in the Rutherford Appellation in St. Helena, just North of Napa.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

More Clouds


Clouds in the glass wall at Artesa.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Clouds over Artesa


We have not had that many cloudy days so far this year and when we do I never seem to be in the right place at the right time. Here is another shot from Artesa Winery.
The water in the background is Tomales Bay.

FOR MORE SKYWATCH PHOTOS CLICK
HERE and scroll to the links at the bottom.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Veterans Home


This huge campus is the Veterans of War Home in Yountville. The grounds are beautiful and it has its own golf course. In 1882 the Vet home's association paid $17,500 for the 910 acres where the Vet home was built. Prior to that is was Salvador Vallejo's Napa Rancho. For some better photos click here.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Green vineyard


Went to my favorite view point yesterday, the patio at Artesa winery. It was a beautiful day with lots of pretty clouds. When I got there I realized I did not have my polarizer with me so I blew out the sky which was disappointing.