Wine, Food, Sightseeing, Smoke

The plane bounced around as the wheels hit the Sacramento runway.  The wind was roaring out of the northeast.  Brown dirt blew up from the barren dry fields patching this agriculturally quilted landscape of central California.  By the time we got our car and found 101 North, the smoke cloud cut through the sky above.  The Paradise Fire roared to the north; we would learn of its devastation later that night.

The four of us set out to see the countryside, taste new wines, splurge on delicious food, and enjoy a break.  We set off with lofty goals and we not disappointed.  The air-filled with smoke which became a diffuser for the light the remainder of the trip.  The soft yellow sunlight filtered by smoke.  Ash fell on our car overnight.

Todd and Janet have been friends for years.  They live down our road and are volunteers for the Hoback Fire Station.  I fondly refer to Janet as my "loud mouthed obnoxious Italian friend."   I heard rumors that many in the fire department were surprised we were vacationing together.  They predicted a very good experience or a very bad one, knowing the personalities of each of us.  It was very good, indeed!!  From Thursday mid morning to Sunday mid morning, we put 450 plus miles on our rental car and enjoyed so many sites in wine country.  We met a really cool man named Kent.  Found a new favorite wine label.  Played game after game of Pitch (Todd and I being the distinct winners!).  Saw a bobcat run across the road in front of our car.  Made a trip to the coast to choke on the smoke and marvel at the disappearance of the sun long before sunset into that thick layer of smoke.  We howled at a pack of wolves in someone's front yard.  Only in California.

Did you know the airport by Santa Rosa is named after Charles M. Schwartz?  Janet is a huge Charlie Brown fan.  As we rolled south through Santa Rosa, we discovered there is a  Charles Schulz Museum which went on the "Next Time" list promptly!

We walked down rows of rotting grapes, smelling sweet and grape juice-like.  Fruit flies buzzed about the browning, dehydrating orbs.  Why would one leave grapes on the vine, we pondered, as we picked them and ate them!  Later, we learned 2018 was an exceptional harvest.  There are only so many vats to make wine in and if one grew more grapes than one sold and could not find a buyer for these grapes, well, that farmer would most likely leave them on the vine.  Oh, the jam I could make!!

Here are some images of a great trip!  I was dubious about what seemed like such a short trip, but it was just right.  We all were kind of glad to get out of there before more fires got on the ground.  It is dry and windy in California.  This will be a long, hard week there and hopefully the weekend rains will come through for the tired crews.