May has quickly come to a close and the wildflowers are appreciating the rain and occasional bursts of warmth this past month.  Now what lies ahead for the Napa Valley?  I know the wildflowers will continue to paint the landscape with their beauty and the vineyards will soon begin to flower with fruit set following shortly. 

Will the buzz (not from bees) of tourists return to our hotels and inns?  2009 tourism was off only slightly from 2008 while overnight travel was down significantly.  This meant we had a lot of day trippers …

Video proof  that I was there : Tractor pull

On a recent visit to see my daughter at Cal Poly I got to witness my first tractor pull event.  Walking towards the entrance, I could only imagine what this was going to be.  Tractors pulling what?  I know NASCAR goes around an oval track with lots of horsepower, but a tractor?  When I first saw some of those tractors on steroids, I started imagining a drag race.  Now that would be cool.  John Deere vs. Kubota, now there’s a classic showdown.

But it wasn’t in the cards. This was about pure muscle.  Some of the …

On a recent fieldtrip into a Carneros vineyard I got to experience first-hand the pruning process.  It was a chilly morning and some vineyards had the wind machines running.  It was time to test them before the upcoming frost season.  As the sun’s rays began to warm me up I was anxious to discover more about the tasks before us.

Dubbed as the most important activity of the year, pruning requires a focus on each vine.  Understanding the life stage of the vine and what you are trying to accomplish …

Growing up in the Sacramento Valley I had plenty of opportunity to experience  fog so thick you couldn’t see the house across the street.  In the Napa Valley, we only experience ribbons of  fog that lace a vineyard together or tuck into a hillside.  I captured the picture above on my way to work this week.  It struck me how quickly the fog formed and meandered amongst the vines and trees.  Unlike the tule fog that sticks low to the ground and makes it …

Unlike most commuters, I enjoy my drive to the office each day.  It’s no surprise since rather than being stuck in traffic watching motorcyclists zip by my mirror, I get to drive by vineyards, between hills, and some days under hot air balloons.  One of the benefits of life in the Napa Valley is the ever-changing scenery. 

Earlier this week, I was traveling the back roads to work when I saw the clouds tucking into the hills.  I tried stopping in the middle of the road to get a picture but wouldn’t you know, just …

I arrived at the airport parking lot to see the dark clouds moving closer. Before I could exit the car the lightening began to strike all around.  Not being a big fan of flying, I felt my anxiety level rise.   I scurried off to the terminal to get out of the downpour.

I quickly forgot about the threatening weather as I moved through the security line, then fumbled to get my shoes on, and looked up to read the monitor one more time in search of the correct gate number. Off I …

 I recently packed  up the SUV and headed to southern California with my family to spend Christmas with my oldest son.  On the morning of Christmas Eve the kids and I headed up the road to the local ski resort.  It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t wait to get onto the snow.  After a few warm-up runs at the lower part of the resort we took a chairlift, to the top of the mountain.

At 8,000  feet I skied off the lift  to the trail head.  …

My journey resumes in the Napa Valley, more specifically at the top of Spring Mountain above St. Helena.  Yes, that is snow along with some “lovely” graffiti.  Love and romance go perfectly in the Napa Valley.  In this case, the love is being spread throughout the vineyards.  This actually makes sense to me because the real love for wine begins in the vineyards.  So let’s explore further this love affair beneath the vines.

Not often thought of as romantic –  it’s the dirt that makes the difference.  We don’t  …

Welcome back to my journey into Virgina. I last blogged about my visit to President Madison’s estate.  Just down the road is Monticello, home of President Jefferson.  This visit was more like Disneyland for history buffs and those  who are curious about Jefferson.  Once again I was thrown back in time and asked to imagine what it was like to live on this massive mountain-top estate.  No matter what your political slant this self-taught man was a genius. 

For instance, he designed the home and water collection system based upon his self study of …

During a recent business trip to the East Coast I had  a chance to explore part of Virgina.  The photo above was taken from the balcony of President James Madison’s home.  I must admit, growing up history classes bored me to tears so the thought of another history lesson wasn’t at the top of my list. 

Boy was I surprised!  The inspiration I received while on the tour of the Madison’s estate was unbelievable.  I guess this is why I always liked field trips more than the classroom.  Then again, who wouldn’t.  As our docent described …