California
At first we thought this place reconditioned old propellers for use as engines on airplanes. Turns out, they are reconditioned to be used as frost protection in vineyards. The photo was taken in St. Helena, CA, wine country. They're mounted on tall supports, over the vineyards. When frost arrives, they're turned on, moving the air and preventing damage to the emerging grapes shoots in spring.
On Linclon Avenue, Auburn Ca. That's a mural on the wall straight ahead. I like how it blends in with the landscape.
When you reach the top of Prospectors Road, Garden Valley, this this is the view. Prospectors Road was used before Marshall Rd was built.
Another rainy day, with more to come. Now we hear that it may rain right through March, which doesn’t surprise this California native. Not so great for business, but in horticulture you have to roll with what Mother nature provides. Seen it rain right through May, and this would be the year it might happen again. This is now our rainiest winter, ever.
Here is a link to Ian Baldwins, “Reading the 2017 Tea Leaves”, concerning the up-coming year in garden retail. I found this quote most enlightening, “simply put, the biggest, most expensive end of the range of almost everything, sold out first. It didn’t matter whether it was wreaths for the front door, ‘everlasting’ Christmas trees or swag for the mantle, the most expensive selection sold out first. The $2000 everlasting tree sold before the $800 one, the new clever lighting set sold before the cheaper one designed five years ago and the biggest table-runners went first.” This has to be evidence from the most wealthy sections of our country? This is not what’s happening in central California outside the Bay Area, at least in my observations. I do wonder if we sometimes forget the part of the state that really hasn’t seen this kind of business. Do these various garden surveys tend to skew towards the more wealthy enclaves in the country?
Here is a video of a young horticulturist and her business in Britain. I like the enthusiasm and the pride of trade she exhibits. We need more young people to take up horticulture, and work in the garden.
Not much going on here at the garden center as it’s raining, and everyone around here is hunkered down waiting out the next storm, which the weather service named “Lucifer”. Sounds like trouble. I’ll let you know.
Last year 97,000 acre King Fire burned much of The Eldorado National Forest near where we live. To get to our secret camping spot we drive through burned trees for several miles. Along the way a turn off leads to "Freanch Meadows Reservoir", as well as "Hell Hole Reservoir. " Just below the brown sign the forest service has put a sign that reads, "A Beautiful Forest Is A Matchless Sight". Not sure if it was there before the fire, or was put up after as a sort of ironic exclamation point to the whole event.
We did see many wildflowers along the way, as well as year old tree saplings. The forest is recovering, but will take decades to look as it did before. Fortunately our favorite camping areas we're spared, so we will be passing through the burned out, but recovering forest, for some time to come.
