MARKING TIME IN NOVEMBER

COMPANY

Dickie and I are expecting company this week. Her sister, Mary, and husband, Richard Smith, will be arriving on Thursday to spend a few days with us before they travel on down to Arizona to celebrate Thanksgiving with their daughter, Margaret, and her family. We don't get together all that often, since Mary and Richard live in Belleville, Illinois, so it promises to be a real treat. Hopefully, we'll be able to show them a bit of the fall countryside here in Sonoma County, if the sunshine prevails.

WINERIES, VINYARDS, AND FALL COLORS

According to the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, there are now some 200 wineries in Sonoma County. One doesn't have to go very far in any direction to find one. Dickie and I have driven out to Alexander Valley several times in recent week to feast on the changing colors in the vineyards. Here's a sample of what we've seen:



One of the wineries we've visited recently is the Field Stone Winery near the end of Chalk Hill Road. It's about a ten-mile trip, but it's worth it. I took this next shot looking south from the winery. I didn't notice the little bird resting on a twig in the center of the picture until I got home and enlarged the photo, but I thought it was a nice touch:





The other day after one of our fall rains, I spotted a flock of sparrows bathing in the puddles at the local park. This little fellow let me get close enough to catch his reflection in the water:




One thing I’ve always liked about this part of the world is the fact that flowers bloom all year round. At the entrance to the gated community here in Windsor there is a bed of poppies that are flourishing just at the moment. That’s where I took this next picture:




ANOTHER NEW CAMERA

By the time you read this, I hope to be the proud possessor of a Canon 400D SLR. I’ve been intrigued by its specifications. It’s not a large upgrade from my present Canon 350D which our daughter, Gretchen, is taking off my hands. Gretchen is a good photographer and has taken some stunning photos on her hikes in Yosemite. I posted one of her winners last July. Here’s another one of her shots that won her a “Picture of the Day” this past summer:




That’s it for today.