A Spring Day in Napa Valley
Yesterday we had one of these wonderful California spring days. Bright blue skies, a little chilly close to the ocean and well into the 70s inland. We decided to drive up to Napa Valley, hoping to find some wildflower displays on the way and also to visit the photo exhibition at the Mumm Winery. It was a bit breezy, the aftermath of a recent cold front that moved through on Friday, so for sure it wasn't the best day for wildflower pictures. The drive over the Golden Gate Bridge was breathtakingly gorgeous, the Bay below filled with yachts, the white triangles of the sails bulging in the wind and white caps on the waves. There was a regatta around Alcatraz, with the racing boats heeling dramatically. The air was clear and crisp, views extended over to the Bay Bridge, the Berkeley Hills and Mount Diablo in the distance. The tourists on the bridge were shivering in the strong wind. It's part of the yearly ritual of San Francisco: millions of tourists expect to find warm California weather and get surprised by the cold air from the ocean. This in turn generates an endless demand for the local sweatshirt industry. This is a classic win-win: the tourist stay warm and take home a nice souvenir while the dealers make a decent profit on sweatshirts imported from China. Sustainable micro economics with global impact.
On the way to Napa we encountered some nice displays of iceplants, unfortunately all at busy highway intersections and some occasional small stands of poppies. None of the usual hill sides in Marin county showed any remarkable display of wildflowers, and many of the green hills are already turning brownish. In a few weeks they will show the wonderful yellow-brown color of the famous Golden Hills of California, sprinkled with the green of Oak trees.
Our first stop was at the Mumm Winery on Silverado trail. I finally
got to see the entries of my fellow photographers and the winning pictures. The winning picture in the digital category of the Silverman's is spectacular: very early morning light over a vineyard just south of the Mumm Winery. The sun just begins to break through early morning fog, the trees in the background silhouettes in the fog. It's a wonderful use of light, fogs and warm early morning colors. Check out their website for an impression on their use of light. Similar in dramatic use of light to Galan Rowell. The winner in the classic category is a smart and funny collage base don the board game "Clue" and hints around a murder story involving "Captain Mustard" - nice work. The entries in the creative category were truly amazing, the winner created a surrealistic composition based on the style of Rene Magritte. Very funny, very creative.
Of course we had to take a flight of tastings at Mumm's bubbly on the patio between the photo gallery and the tasting room. We will be back next year again ... 
On the way down the Silverado Trail we encountered this old wind powered water pump. This engineering marvel made it from Kentucky to Napa Valley, who knows when and how ... but it must have been quite a while ago. Luckily, the use of wind energy and alternative energies is now moving again into focus, as California is turning around and is promoting the use of alternative and "green, renewable" energies. Both wind energy and solar power are among the fastest growing business segments now, many of the VC companies established or are in the process of establishing green funds and pouring dramatic amounts of money into green start-ups, and Silicon Valley icons like John Doerr are spearheading this new trend. Between the 2nd dot-com business wave and the green-energy wave, it is an exciting time to live and work in the Valley. 
Before turning south to head home we stopped at the Oakville Grocery. They have the best sandwiches of Napa Valley (and a good Latte as well), and on the backside they have several tables and benches were you can enjoy your food with a view over the vineyard to the temple of wine, Opus One Winery. There I finally managed to sneak in a few pictures of California poppies swinging in the breezy wind. The end of a gorgeous day ....
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