Olive Oil on Tap

I know Napa Valley is all about the wine, but the thing that really has me around here is the olive oil!  In this fancy olive oil boutique in St. Helena you can bottle your own olive oil, just pick your variety!  I'm very spoiled.  After we move I'm going to have to come back here each year just to get my fresh olive oil!!! *love, love, love*

Napa Valley

A short intermission from Capay to show a different valley.  The mustard flowers are thinning in the Napa Valley vineyards this weekend, but I think the California poppies will be arriving soon!

The Old and the New

Here's another stretch of old vineyard with a fresh new covering of wild mustard.  In the background is a newer more geometric vineyard.  There is a variety of vineyard configurations in the valley.  I imagine each vineyard style depends on the type of grape grown, although I don't know much about it.  It really is a science though.  Here at UC Davis you could get a bachelors degree in viticulture! 

Napa Valley Graveyard

A grapevine graveyard like this one is so rare in Napa Valley.  The wine industry is big business, and vineyard land is utilized efficiently.  I stumbled upon this field on accident when I took a wrong turn looking for a coffee shop.  It was an exciting moment!  I think these gnarled old grapevine stems are so pretty.  It turns out there's a walking path right through this field.  Of course I tried it out!  What a wonderful way to spend a morning!

Napa Grape Harvest

October was grape harvesting time in Napa Valley.  I did see some vineyards with grapes still on the vines, but they were the exception.  The thing that struck me though was that the entire valley smells like an open bottle of red wine.  I came across the Berryessa Hills and entered the valley pretty far north in Rutherford, and the fermenting grape smell filtered into my car as I descended into the valley.  Getting out of the car, the wine scent is overwhelming.  I was able to see grape crushing taking place at one of the wineries, and it was an open air event.  With over 500,000 acres of vineyards in the county, there's a lot of wine-making going on here right now!

Napa Valley Fog

The morning fog was thick in Napa Valley when I was here yesterday morning.  I'm no viticulture expert, but I understand that this pattern of morning fog and midday sun is part of the wine-making process here.  This vineyard was probably 20 feet away from me when I took this photo, and yes it really was that foggy!  I think it's a nice low contrast image.  Not at all in my style, but that's part of what I like about it. 

March 9

Also from my trip to Napa Valley last Saturday.  I just happened to drive past this scene, and had to pull over quickly.  That left balloon was up up and away, so I only got a few shots.  Early in the mornings hot air balloons are very common here.  And in fact, if it's foggy on this side of the coastal range, then the balloon tour company sends up balloons on our side of the mountains in Winters.  Although I have to say it's probably a little more picturesque in Napa, especially at this time of year. 

March 7

One of the things I forgot about, when I left for Napa Valley at the crack of dawn, was that it takes a lot longer for the rising sun to reach all the parts of a valley.  This section was still in the shade, so the colors came out much different than my other photos.  But I was drawn to the pattern.  And with this shade of green, it sort of looks like a leprechaun might come skipping through here.

March 6

 I know this is a lot of wild mustard and spring green on the blog this week.  I guess I'm just so glad for the change of color from earlier this month.   And I have to admit I'm really enjoying my "week off!"  I really like this photo, but it wasn't well received by other members of my household.  I happen to think it's easy on the eyes.  My only concern was that dark band at the top.  I considered cropping, but I decided to leave it to give a vignette.

March 5

When I was a kid, one of my least favorite crayon colors was spring green.  It seemed like such a sickly color.  In fact, we called it puke green, which hardly seems fair to me now.  Spring green was one of those crayons that always kept its point.  I don't think I ever really "saw" this shade of green when I was younger.  I guess I always saw a more generic green.  Now that I'm (a little) older, I've got an appreciation for the subtleties of green, and for this youthful first green of the season.

March 4

I had a hard time deciding between this photo and yesterday's photo, so this one was my second choice.  And actually these were the only two "row" photos I took, so I guess I should have taken more!  This one is much more scenic, and very bucolic.  Whereas yesterday's photo was much more geometric, and almost abstract.  Even now I'm not sure I made the right choice.  I guess it's just a matter of mood.

March 3

Well today I finally took a photo field trip, which I haven't done all winter.  I set my alarm for 5am, got myself a Starbucks, and drove to Napa Valley.  I've been really interested in this wild mustard growing around the roadside, and I read that it grows between the grape vines out here.  So I guess I've confirmed that.  Although it wasn't quite as ubiquitous as I was imagining.  It's been a while since I've had so many photos to choose for my blog entry.  This was one of the first I took, so the light is very low, and almost backlit.  I'll probably post a few more in coming days.