Callie heads into a small wooded area up next to the vineyard. There are all kinds of cool deer paths running in and out of the woods. They must smell great!There are only three more weeks until winter sets in. Our temperatures have warmed up in the past week with a succession of weather systems moving in off the warm Atlantic.
Our house above the Cher River valley. That forest on the other side of the valley, called la Forêt de Gros Bois, is mostly evergreen trees.In between, we've had a few sunny days from which I profited to take the camera out on my walks with Callie. It looks a lot like winter. We don't get much snow at all, so the winter here is mostly fog or frost in the mornings mixed with the bare brown trees. The tall grass turns brown, but the short grass stays pretty green through the winter.
The rows of leafless grape vines await the pruners. The winter pruning is all done by hand.The leaves are all gone off the grape vines and the pruners have begun their work. I'll have more pictures later of the pruned vines. It's really an incredible transformation.
Your description of a relatively snowless winter makes me wonder--how long are winters there? Can you look for early bulb flowers and some greening in March? April? Earlier?
ReplyDeletelooks like Petaluma-Santa Rosa area about now.
ReplyDeleteemm, the winters are the normal length, but they can vary from year to year. Last year was warm and we saw the bulbs poke up in February and March. Otherwise it's usually March and April, with flowers in mid April.
ReplyDeleteanon, I know it doesn't really get as cold where you are as it can get here, except up in the hills.