Grapes, vineyards, and grape growers in Sonoma county.

Rows and rows of grapes.

Sonoma County Wine Grape Grower.

Beautiful bright red colored grape leaves.

Green grape leaves, black grapes, and red grape leaves.

As a child I lived for a short time, in Sonoma county, and still have family there.  I love this area of California.   The days can be hot, but for the most part, it always cools down at night due to it's proximity to the ocean and the bays.  Sonoma county and the surrounding counties have lots of water, rivers, creeks, and lakes nearby, in addition, there are grape growers, and wine productions everywhere. 

Beautiful symmetrical rows of grapes.

Green grass, and beautiful rows of grapes, Sonoma county.

Beautiful grapes in Healdsburg, California.

These are not young grape vines, these are very old. :-)  Well taken care of also.  The area I was in was pristine, clean, and very well manicured especially the grapes.  

Red Hot Poker, Weaverville, California

This flower is so distinctive and different from ther flowers.

Red hot poker is the name and it looks exactly as it sounds.  As if you were to poke it into the fire.

Roses at Rollins lake Inn California

Roses, color of fire.

I love this color of roses, they remind me of fire.  

Rollins Lake Inn, located on Rollins Lake, close to Grass Valley, CA, has some beautiful grounds with gorgeous roses, such as these.

I particularly love these bright orange red roses, which look like fire to me. 

Great job to whoever is taking care of the roses, they really looked nice while we were visiting the Inn.

Pink roes, and Rollins Lake in the background.

Roses at Rollins Lake Inn

Pomegranite Tree in Chico, Butte County

Pomegranate blossom in the sun.

I love pomegranates, they are so delicious.  I remember eating them when I was a child, and eating the seeds sometimes but not all the time.  

Recently, I read the seeds are really good for you.  Pomegranates in general are very good for you.  Wonderful as an addition in salads. 

Pomegranate just starting.

My friend has a pomegranate tree in Chico, California.  The blossoms were just turning to fruit in early July.

The pomegranates are probably about ready now, and I should call my friend and see if they are ripe yet.  

 

Pomegranate just starting and blossom dying off.

This is the tree which is quite dainty.

Dhalias that look like daisies, Trinity county, California

My cousin's mother in law owns this house that has a nice garden, it's very old.  It has huge old rose bushes, and huge fruit trees, and it is somewhat of a "garden of paradise". 


I find all kinds of flowers here for photos.  There is also a separate garden area, which actually someone has planted vegetables and herbs.

My cousin planted these dahlias which kinda look like a daisy of sorts.  I never saw this flower before, but thought it was very neat.

Shasta Lake, Bridge Bay Resort and Tail O the Whale

View from Tail O the Whale restaurant deck.

We went to the Tail O' the Whale for lunch as a meeting point for friends.  The weather was great, and the view was wonderful!   Shasta Lake is so full!  


Summer is here finally! Time for swimsuits, sunscreen, water sports, and fun with family and friends.  Northern California has so many lakes and rivers to offer it is one of the most gorgeous places in the United States.

View of mountain, I-5 and Train bridge.

These photographs were taken from the Tail O' The Whale restaurant and also the dock out to the lake. It's a great place to have a meal and take in the breathtaking views.   

In the distance is the Interstate 5 which goes from Mexico to Canada.  

View of the bridge at Lake Shasta at I-5.

View of houseboat, Lake Shasta.

Whiskeytown Lake, Oak Bottom Water Ditch Trail.

This weekend is going to be a great one for hiking and getting outdoors.  We went for a hike last weekend out at Whiskeytown lake and it was quite warm.  The trail we chose was a beginning level trail, mostly shady and very pleasant overall.

Whiskeytown lake is full up to the shore with water, as well as other lakes in northern California.  Lot's of rain and snow this year, and late in the season. This is going to be an excellent year to enjoy our rivers, creeks and lakes for sure.  

Oak Bottom Water Ditch Trail was originally a  canal system that provided water to the mining operations in Clear creek.  The Water Ditch Trail, meanders, along the lake and also highway 299 west towards Clear creek.  The trail is well shaded, and right on the lake for the most part.  We did not hike the whole trail, it is 2.75 miles one way.

 

Beautiful day on Whiskeytown lake in Shasta county.

Portion of the Oak Bottom Water Ditch Trail.

We found these quaint man made steps from stone and cement.

A dead tree in the sea green colored part of the lake.

 

Lots of wild flowers in the spring at Whiskeytown lake.

Here is a link to the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area website.  There you can view information about the different trails and more.

Whiskeytown Hiking Trails

Persimmons a Winter Fruit

Apparently there are two types of persimmons the kind you cook with and the kind that you eat like a fruit.  They are also called astringent and non astringent, the latter are the kind that you can eat.  They are in between and an apple and a pear, and but with more texture similar to the tomato. Below are pictures that I took of some persimmons at my Aunt's house over Thanksgiving. 

The astringent type has high levels of tannins.  You can taste what tannin is if you peel a dark grape and eat the skin alone.  That is the taste of tannin, which is also in wines.  So when there is high tannin the taste is more bitter, and therefore the astringent persimmons need to be very very ripe, or you just cook and bake with them.   Persimmons are a beautiful color, you can find the persimmon trees full of fruit in the winter.

Basket of persimmons for decoration at Thanksgiving.

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Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta County, Oakbottom

I went to Whiskeytown Lake off of Highway 299  a while back.  It was a very hot day and the lake was spectacular as usual.  We swam near the same spot that my parents would sometimes stop at during my childhood.  It is the north end of the lake, near Oakbottom Recreational Area.

I was almost to my neck in water with this shot.

Moth, Whiskeytown Lake, California. What kind of moth is this?

I was at the lake and a little kid rescued a moth from the lake.  He put the moth in the mazanita bush.  It looks very interesting.  It seems to be injured and maybe at the end of his lifespan.  I tried to look up the type of species, but low and behold there are many many types of moths out for Shasta County alone there were 20+ types.  I had no idea.   So I thought I might be able to publish the photos, and see if anyone already knew.

Please if you have any idea what type of moth this is leave a comment.  Thanks.  I appreciate your efforts. 

  

 

Riverview Restaurant on the Sacramento River, Anderson

Are you looking for a new restaurant to test out this weekend?

In the beginning of June we had a lovely brunch out at the Riverview Restaurant.  Located right on the the Sacramento river, and not your average restaurant.  They are open for special events, and you can also book the restaurant and patio for your event, weddings for instance.  

They are open for brunch every Sunday.  It was a gorgeous spring like day, and lunch was fabulous.  The food was good, the service great, and the view, well, let's just say, you should go and see for yourself.  Make a reservation and tell them you want a river view.

http://www.riverviewrestaurant.com/

Sundial Bridge, Sacramento River, Shasta County

This bridge is fantastic! I think that it was one of the greatest structures to be built in California. I have visited it numerous time and it is just wonderful to visit. My grandpa will argue with you till the sun comes up about what a waste of money it was. If you want to get him riled up just mention the Sundial Bridge. :-)

"Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava conceived the Sundial Bridge’s unusual design, his first free-standing bridge in the United States."