On The Ground

While the big plants and trees (except for the evergreens) in and around the vineyard are moving into winter mode, there are still plenty of little plants all around that thrive this time of year.

Mosses.

The mosses, lichens, and other little green plants continue to grow and provide color all through our temperate winter season. They often survive the short bursts of freezing weather we have, and our infrequent snow doesn't seem to bother them when it comes.

Lichens.

These rather warm fall days have made it easier to photograph these little guys. Normally I'm wearing gloves during our walks and that makes it difficult to manipulate the camera. And when it's cold, I don't really like to stop moving to take close ups.

Dandelions?

But sometimes I will brave all manner of meteorological stuff just to bring you the most exciting views of our little world. Sometimes. Not all that often, actually.

Grapes

Believe it or not, there are still some grapes hanging on out in the vineyard. They're not wine grapes, or at least they're not grapes that are harvested for wine. They are on more or less decorative vines up against the old cabane du vingeron (a stone storage shed).

Grapes becoming raisins in the sun.

They'll eventually be pruned by the guy who owns the shed, but not until much later in the pruning season when all the other vines have been taken care of. When we have our first hard freeze, the last grapes will rot and fall away.

During late summer and early fall, people who walk or bike out in the vineyard will stop to pick and eat a few of these grapes.

Yes, I have.

Leaves On The Dirt Road

We live on sort of a dead-end road. It's not technically a dead-end because the road continues from our house out through the vineyards. But the pavement ends after our house and the road becomes dirt and gravel for a little over a kilometer. Most drivers who aren't familiar with the area turn around at the sight of the dirt road and head back.

The dirt part of the road is mostly used by the growers who work in the vines during the year. But there are a number of cars that use the road regularly. We used to use it, too, but after bottoming out a few times on the uneven roadbed, we've pretty much stopped taking the Peugeot that way. It's also a great place to walk since most of the "traffic" out there moves very slowly.

The dirt road meets up with another paved road after a little more than a kilometer and that's the point at which Callie and I normally turn around to head back towards home. The little intersection is out among the vines and is marked by a small stand of oak trees. We don't walk Callie on a leash and I don't like taking her out on the paved road with the faster moving cars.

I've noticed for the past few weeks that, with all the rain we've been having, some of the fallen oak leaves have become "plastered" to the road surface. The town repairs potholes in the dirt road each spring with a limestone gravel that breaks down under the tractor tires to a fine powder. This powder tends to fill in cracks and "cement" the road surface, at least for the length of a season.

So what's a guy with a camera to do other than to take pictures of the leaves? Of course, they're not all oak leaves, but they're all the same brown color. I particularly like the one that looks a little like a christmas tree.

Nature provides so much entertainment. And it's all free. Maybe I need another glass of wine...

The End Of Apple Season

The apples are nearly gone from all the trees. A few tenacious pommes remain here and there, but they're mostly gone. These photos are from out in the vineyard. In our yard, I've been working on getting the fallen apples up off the ground and into the compost piles. I'm almost done.

A single apple hangs from its tree in the vineyard; our house is on the right.

This year we're trying something new. We have so many apples that they actually won't fit in the normal compost pile. We started a second pile just for apples. But that, too, is too big to take any more. So the last apples are going directly onto the garden plots for the winter.

In the vineyard, the fallen apples just lay there until they're eaten by wildlife or decompose.

We covered the bare garden plots with a leaf layer for the winter to help keep the weeds down. Next spring the decomposing leaves will get tilled into the soil. And now we've added decomposing apples to the mix. We'll see how it goes.

From now until next fall, if I want apples I'll have to buy them.

Pyracantha Or Cotoneaster?

It appears we have a little bit of both. Well, not us, but neighbors of ours. One has the plant with red berries while another has the plant with the orange berries. I assumed both were pyracantha.

I think this is pyracantha; beautiful in orange.

However, on closer inspection, it appears that they are not the same plant. The pyracantha has larger leaves that are serrated, and the plant is covered in thorns. The cotoneaster, on the other hand, has smaller, smooth-edged leaves and no thorns. If you enlarge these photos (by clicking on them), you can see the differences pretty clearly.

I believe this is cotoneaster; fiery in red.

After looking at my photos, I can see the difference. It just goes to show you, taking time to stop and look at things closely, challenging your assumptions, and doing a little research, can have interesting results. Of course, there's always the possibility that I'm completely wrong (and I invite you to please let me know if I've tripped up).

Whatever did we do before personal computers and the internet? I know. Libraries.

Ode To November

Well, I took these photos last week, so I can't really call them December pictures. Here's what the vineyard is looking like these days. Not a lot of activity out there, but I do see people here and there working on replacing posts and pruning.

A typical fall view in the vineyard.

November was very wet and windy. Since we really need the rain, nobody is complaining, and the temperatures have been pretty darned mild. But now that it's December, I keep thinking it should be getting cold.

Bare vines waiting to be pruned.

January is normally our coldest month, but December and February are close seconds. During these three months the vine pruning will pick up and by the end of February the vineyard will be neat and tidy, ready for the spring growth.

Threatening sky.

Some of the growers burn their prunings as they go. Others line the clippings neatly in between the rows. Once the pruning is done they drive a tractor through with a mulcher attached. Callie will be bringing home dead vine trunks all during the winter.

Periodic Puppy Pics

Today is December first. In one month it will 2010. That date used to seem way off in the future. The. Future. It was even the name of the movie that was the sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey. The sequel! Here's a shot of Callie in the vineyard while I try to wrap (I typed "warp" first) my brain around this fleeting time thing.

Callie on the prowl in the vineyard.

2001 was made in 1968. 2010 was made in 1984. 1984 was made in the same year as 2010: 1984. The Future is now. Or was it?