Oh Hi Doggie

 

"His beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face. His cheeks were apple-red. He looked like a friend; like someone you had known all your life."

~Neil Gaiman

Fragile Things: Short Fiction And Wonders

 

It was a day. Yesterday we spent the whole day in search of birds in Bodega Bay. First, however, we were treated to the sights along the way in Napa, Sonoma and Solono counties. Just little roadside oddities and small bites of Northern California Americana. It felt nice to be back in some of my old stomping grounds. We will visit more now I think. It's best to not plan this stuff too far in advance. Just flow with the rustling leaves.

 

 

~Me

Life As Fine Wine...

"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle."

~Paulo Coelho, Brida

As Alan and I sat at dinner last night, on our 23rd anniversary, we did a lot of reflecting on how our marriage has taken twists and turns over the years. A lot can happen in 23 years! Thankfully, we have done a lot more laughing than crying. But don't get me wrong, we have had some dark days among all the joy. But that's just life. We are the lucky ones, we have held onto each other at all costs, and at all curves in the road. I suppose we needed some of those low points, to realize just how amazingly wonderful our love story really is! We have similar sense's of humor, and we share the same values, so that makes us great partners when things get rough! I am thankful for him... and for us. And I know, he feels the same.

 How you ask?

He tells me, and shows me, every single day!

Like he did yesterday, on a very long drive from vineyard to vineyard in Sonoma and Napa.

 

Life is a fine wine, and it's good to have the right person to share it with!

"I would pour you a glass of wine, but wouldn't it be more romantic if you sipped it from my armpit?"
~Jarod Kintz, A Story That Talks About Talking Is Like Chatter To Chattering Teeth, And Every Set Of Dentures Can Attest To The Fact That No...

~

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 161~ Now You See Them...

"It's easier to dismiss ghosts in the daylight."

~Patricia Briggs, Dragon Bones

Yesterday, we went to Quarryhill Botanical garden in beautiful Glen Ellen. I love going to the North Bay, but we don't go as often as I would like. Time just is what it is, that's why we make the most of our vacation month of October. Quarryhill was a new place for us, I had heard that it was a magnificent garden of around 22 acres. What I hadn't heard was that its trails were difficult to walk on. They were. At least for me. The grounds themselves were nice, but not the best I have seen. Through the whole place I only saw one bench, but to be fair there was a nice outdoor arbor with ample shade and plenty to see, such as the gorgeous hummingbirds.

The plants themselves were ok, but not spectacular. It was what it was. To be honest, I enjoyed the gorgeous vineyard on the grounds. The lighting yesterday was awesome! What I didn't appreciate was the many "Beware Of Rattlesnakes" warning signs throughout the garden. It would have been nice if I would have known that was a possible danger before I purchased the Groupon. Sigh. It's not like I don't know that there are such creatures in California, but it's the first time I have seen that particular warning at a public garden. Awesome! :(

"I don't suppose you have to believe in ghosts to know that we are all haunted, all of us, by things we can see and feel and guess at, and many more things we can't."

~Beth Gutcheon



Still I got some nice photos which I will be sharing over the next couple weeks. For now, I thought it would be fun to share the photos I took in the vineyard upon arrival. Gorgeous, plump, luscious, fragrant, tender purple grapes. Ripe and ready to become wine. Yes please. Oh, but lookie there... do you see the orbs? Is this vineyard haunted? That's what orbs are... right? At least that is what I have heard! If the small ghostly balls are indeed ghosts... who might they be? Ghosts of visitors to the garden who were killed by rattlesnakes? Ghosts of former inhabitants of the property? Ghost of the grapes themselves? Hmmm... If so, would the ghosts be better characterized as... spirits? Get it? Spirits! LOL.

Seriously... what are your thoughts? Are orbs ghosts, or are they a common, simple trick of light?

I usually don't photograph many orbs, but yesterday I caught them in quite a few different places in my travels. When I did, I tried to immediately take another picture for comparison. Sometimes they were there in the second photo and sometimes they weren't. Curious.

"The muses are ghosts and sometimes they are uninvited."

~Stephen King


~Me :)

Let's go see what JR is up to, shall we?

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/10/apadf6-159.html

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 110~ Autumn On A Late Summer Day

"I loved autumn, the one season of the year that god seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it."

~John Greenlead Whittier

Look what I saw today. I love it when one season get's so excited for it's day in the sen, that it jump starts things a little early. I do believe California will be putting on quite a show this year! On my list for autumn photography is Plumas, Napa, and Sonoma Counties. Plumas for the Dogwood, Big Leaf Maple and Aspens. Sonoma and Napa for the color of the vineyards and autumn fruits and vegetables. I am so excited, I can almost taste the ripe, juicy delicious pears and apples. Ahhhh! But don't think I have forgotten the coast for some Brussel's Sprouts. A little bacon, a little onion and garlic, some butter and a fine dusting of sea salt. Life Is Good!

I am an easy girl to please.

:)

~Me :)

Today's Link comes to us by way of our friend JR. If you haven't seen his marvelous photography, go check out his photo blog. He is an awesome photographer, and I learn a lot from him! :)

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/08/apadf6-109.html