Old Vines

This morning dawned clear and crisp after yesterday's rain, so we took ourselves and Ozzie for a walk around Spring Lake. The shallow inlets have become coated with a bright green algae, making the surface look solid and discouraging the ducks, egrets and herons which usually hunt for food in the shallow water.

We stood aside frequently as groups of runners in a cross country race went toiling sweatily past. The finish was in a wide meadow at the head of the lake, where other groups of runners donned warmer clothes and recovered from their labors, or stoked up on drinks before setting off in their own heats.

We dropped off Ozzie to dream in his (faux) leopard skinned "bagel bed" and drove up the Calistoga Road into the head of the Napa Valley, passing an endless succession of wineries, some in old historic stone buildings, some very new ones with fountains, gardens and tables with umbrellas, all surrounded by vineyards overshadowing all the winery finery with their fall foliage. We stopped somewhere between Calistoga and St. Helena for a shot of some very old, head-pruned vines' red leaves against a backdrop of golden foliage and Sterling Winery, perched on top of a hill, visitors carried up to it in a series of little gondolas.

The Culinary Institute of America, housed in the original stone Christian Brothers' Winery is an impressive building, as is Beringer in what appears to be a 19th century hunting lodge. The older wineries rest gracefully on their laurels while the dozens of newer ones vie with each other for the most pretentious, eye-catching structures.

The town of St Helena, filled with charming Victorian houses, it's single main street jammed with traffic didn't tempt us as we made our way toward Yountville, and a store called Napa Style where we hoped to see some bar stools for our kitchen counter. It is in a huge brick building which has been divided into shops and restaurants, and has all manner of crockery, cutlery, condiments and a cafe but nary a bar stool. Seeking help , an assistant finally located one piled high with baskets, cookbooks and candles. Once all these items were removed, a very scratched and worn seat was revealed. It continues to amaze me that so many people will buy all manner of things sight unseen (or untried) on the Internet. After peering at her computer for a long time, she finally allowed as how we could order it, something we already knew.

It was just an excuse for a pleasant outing anyway, so we had crab cakes and Moroccan skewered beef on the terrace of a busy restaurant, and made our way home through the glowing colors and shaded hills of the Oakville Grade.