Napa Valley California vineyards

Napa Valley, California is mecca for lovers of fine wine for a reason. Visitors from around the world flock to this wonderful place year round.  There are  hundreds of wineries and vineyards located all within a pretty close proximity.  On a visit to the area, you will see a variety of people. Everyone from those that don’t even drink wine to those obsessed with it.  Every nationality, age and demographic is represented.  Visitors can explore the valley on their own with maps of the vineyards that are readily available. Or, they can visit with a tour group. On my first visit, I did the tour experience. The first winery we visited was V. Satui, one of the oldest vineyards in the valley. It is also the only winery that is grandfathered in to also have a deli. And what a deli it is, fresh cheeses, breads, anti-pasta and deli sandwiches. We ate lunch in the courtyard with a good bottle of wine, it was very relaxing.  The other highlight of the tour was Domain Chandon, a sparkling wine (American version of Champagne) winery. This place is amazing, they also have an art institute and a culinary school on the premises. And the sparkling wine was incredible, the best I have tasted in my young wine courtship. If you are ever in the area,  do not miss this wonderful slice of heaven.

The photo above was taken in one of the cellars at V. Satui. These aging barrels are a high tech science. They are made from a specific wood that only grows in one region in Europe.  Once the barrels are assembled, the inside is charred to different specs for different wines. The wine is aged in these barrels for varying lengths of time to achieve different flavors. I loved the way the light and shadows worked with each other to bring out the natural colors of the wood.

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More from San Francisco

When visiting San Francisco, one of the “must see” places to visit is Pier 39.  It is located towards the end of Fisherman’s Wharf, you will know you are there when you see the Aquarium of the Bay. After my first visit to Pier 39 I was conflicted. On one hand there are several great places to eat. On the other hand, there is about a million people trying to eat at those places the same time you are. It is actually not that bad, but can be crowded at times. Besides the restaurants, there are some neat shops with some nice jewelry, collectibles and more.  The whole thing is actually built on a wooden pier that extends for a pretty good walk along the bay. Great views of the Golden Gate bridge,  San Francisco bay and Alcatraz Island are plentiful. One thing that you will not be able to miss is the smell and sounds of the sea lions that have made the pier area their home. They attract a lot of fans from all over the world. On a good day there are over one hundred of them, lying on the man made platforms enjoying the sunshine. As you walk along the pier, you will smell the wonderful smells of the restaurants and vendors selling chocolates and ice cream. In the middle of it all is this gorgeous vintage circus carousel that has been restored to new condition.  It is very vibrant with tons of very detailed artwork. It attracts as many adults as it does children. I love the blue skies behind this colorful “merry go round”  All in all it is well worth the crowds, I highly recommend it to everybody.

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Historic San Francisco cable cars

Nothing says “San Francisco” more than the historic cable car.  Just about every article you read or video that you see about San Francisco includes some mention of these wonderful throwbacks to a simpler time.There are different forms of the cable car, the picture above is of an F-Line cable car that is part of San Francisco’s MUNI system. The inventor and promoter of the cable car line was Andrew Smith Hallidie. The line involved the use of grip cars, which carried the grip that engaged with the cable, towing trailer cars; the design was the first to use grips. The term “grip” became synonymous with the operator. The cars are very original , they look now as they did all those years ago. They are very primitive and noisy, but a whole lot of fun. They run through different parts of downtown, if you get a “muni” pass you can jump from train to train all day long.  Tourist from all over the world load these cars up all day. I made a good friend with a fellow from Vietnam on a cable car. If you get to San Francisco, you have got to ride the cable cars. The open air, the smells of the restaurants ( and Boudins sourdough bread factory), the sounds, the feel of the rumble of the cars wheels on the tracks…  Amazing is the best word I can come up with.

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Purple Persian Shield plant

The power of purple is rare in the plant world. There is no more beautiful plant the the Persian Shield plant, a tropical plant that is very picky about its sunlight. I am not a grower of plants, I unfortunately kill everything I try to grow. But I wove to take photos of beautiful plants and flowers. This one was shot in Florida and the colors have not been enhanced. They are actually that beautiful in real life.  I don’t know a whole lot about it, but I hope you enjoy the shot

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Christmas in the Florida Keys

I have lived in the frozen tundra of the Midwest my whole life. As far back as I can remember, snow has always been a part of the Christmas holiday experience for me.  As a young boy I read an article and saw a show about the Florida Keys and started dreaming about going there when i was old enough.  It took a lot of years of hard work before I was able to afford to vacation in the Keys. After the first time I vacationed there I was hooked ( it is the sport fishing capitol of the world). My next dream was to take my daughters there and show expose them to the most awesome place in the U.S.  The first time that we all went down together, we decided to do a trip at Christmas time. We loaded up the family truckster in 20 degree freezing rain and headed south. As the miles flew by the temp went up and up…  Once we got there and got unloaded we wanted to drive around and check the place out. We were staying in Key Largo at the top of the Keys and again we were driving south. As we were driving we were seeing all of these houses decorated for Christmas with the lights and plastic Santas and snowmen…  It just seemed kind of weird seeing all of these things without snow and cold.  Then we saw a palm tree with Christmas tree lights on it. The next stop was a restaurant to eat, imagine my surprise when the server approaches us in shots, a t-shirt and a red velvety Santa hat! It just didn’t seem right at first. That night we drove throughout the upper keys looking at, and taking pictures, of all the Christmas decorations. Very fascinating indeed. 10 years later we are still going to the Keys every Christmas and as I get older, I don’t miss the snow on bit.  Christmas tree lights on a palm tree with 78 degree weather? SIGN ME UP..   A couple of years ago , I came across this beautiful winter scene that you see in the post. It was in a large window display at a large outdoor sports supply store in Islamorada. It was lit up so beautiful and the scene itself represented a total winter / holiday scene. I shot several pics of it, this one being one of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy it also

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Sumi E art piece

Sumi E is the ancient art of ink drawing on rice paper. It is a very traditional art full of formal etiquette and ever aspect has deep meaning and purpose. The art itself can be very simple to very complex and even multi colored. The subjects are usually plants and animals that are very important in Chinese culture. I fell in love with this art the first time that I saw it years ago. I started reading and watching videos, trying to learn all I could.  As in many aspects of Chinese culture, this art has rituals and deep meanings for every aspect. The first ritual  is grinding the ink with a grinding stone called a suzuri. For thousands of years the ink sticks have been made the same way. The inks are made from soot and oils and then pressed into sticks. The sticks are ground on the suzuri and mixed with water to attain different shades of grays and blacks which make up the monochromatic basis for Sumi E.  Once the ink is the desired consistency, small dishes with small amounts of water are used to dilute the black ink into the shades of gray. The brushes are made of animal hair and are available in many different sizes depending on what the artist is painting.  Bamboo and small grassy plants are the mainstay of Sumi E , but many artists paint animals such as Tigers and birds. The piece that I posted in this post is my first piece that I feel is worth showing. It is very simple, but it is a lot harder than it looks. The hardest part is to get the different shades of gray. I hope you like the piece, please let me know either way. I would love some feedback.

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