Extreme Weather can be Quiet

Most extreme weather is rather spectacular.  Rain pours down; snow buries cities; wind howls, and creates dramatic effects with either rain or snow.  Extreme heat or cold has extreme effects on people and plants.  Hurricanes and tornadoes are natural spectacles.  But there is one type of extreme weather that is very quiet and unobtrusive.  Much of the time, in fact, it is very pleasant.  I'm talking about drought.  We are in one right now on the California coast, and it's deepening day by day, week by week.  The weather is beautiful here; for the past week it's been mostly sunny every day, with afternoons warming into the 65-70 degree range.  It's perfect weather for any outdoor activity.  In some areas, drought is marked by strong winds, high temperatures, maybe a dust storm now and then.  Not here in Monterey.  The sea is calm; the air is mild; the weather is tranquil. 

But rain is scarce.  Since the first of the year, we've had only about four inches of rain in Monterey.  San Francisco has had barely five; the normal to date is eighteen, and barring a wet December, SF will have its driest calendar year on record...and the records go back over 150 years, to Gold Rush days.  Even Santa Rosa is parched; they've had barely 8 inches this year, less than 30 percent of the normal of 29.

I hiked at Point Lobos the other day.  The sea was calm and glassy.  We've had no storms yet, and there are none in sight. 

The cormorants at Point Lobos are probably enjoying the drought.  They don't have to battle the elements, and I imagine their food supply is as abundant as usual.

It's too early for this meadow at Point Lobos to be completely green, but by now there should be many short tufts of green grass emerging beneath the old dead stalks.  But there's not a trace of greenery anywhere.  It's rained only twice so far this autumn, totaling well under an inch, and in most places the moisture was just sucked up by the thirsty earth without triggering any new growth.  There are a few patches of green grass emerging near where I live, but not here.

Odd rock formations are common in the soft rock at Point Lobos.  I've seen similar rock erosion about 200 miles north on the Sonoma coast, and also at Cape Otway, near Melbourne in Australia.

Bay Area Fall Ramblings

Home from Italy, but that's OK...there's no shortage of interesting spots to visit in the Bay Area.  Last week I hiked up to the spot from where the Spanish explorer Portola first sighted San Francisco Bay in 1769.  This is it.  Imagine his shock when he topped the crest of the ridge...and saw SFO airport!  Well OK, I guess the airport wasn't there yet, but the Bay Area wasn't a wilderness...50-100 thousand Indians lived there, growing crops, fishing, hunting, and generally living the good life.  The Bay Area has been well populated for a long time.

In the background, San Francisco Bay.  In the foreground, Crystal Springs Reservoir, which marks the San Andreas fault.

Up on Sweeney Ridge, near the bay "discovery" site, there was a Nike missile base from 1959-1974.  It was designed to shoot down Soviet bombers early in the cold war, when both sides had nukes but not ICBMs.  By 1974 the base had been obsolete for awhile and was closed.  Taggers have decorated the ready room in recent years.

This is the road up to Sweeney Ridge and the Nike site.  It's now a hiking/biking trail but 50 years ago it carried military traffic.  It was a fine, warm day when I hiked up, but this area gets a lot of really dense fog, especially in the summer.  So, a "fog line" was painted on the road for vehicles to follow when visibility was really bad...so folks wouldn't drive off the road and tumble down the mountainside.

Sunset at Moss Beach, about 15 miles south of San Francisco.  I think this is a contrail, illuminated by the sun which is not below the horizon far to our west.

Made a wine run to Sonoma...bought some nice bottles at Sebastiani and Buena Vista.  Fall colors were bright next to my motel in Sonoma, and there were some nice murals there too.

The Sacramento River just below Rio Vista. 

Sunset at Discovery Bay, in the Sacramento River Delta.  My friend Sandy and her dog Hula are on the dock.

Sometimes you don't have to go far to fine a nice picture.  This tree is right next to my townhouse in Monterey!

Chianti Ramblings

Didn't post many pix of Chianti during my Italy trip...they loaded slowly into the blog.  Back in Monterey, they're filling in with lightning speed.  This is a typical scene in Chianti.  Rolling countryside, vineyards, olive groves, Tuscany cypresses rising gracefully into a bright sky.

Several days were showery.  The olives are getting nicely watered after the warm, dry summer.

Towering thunderheads enhanced the sunsets.  The countryside around the villa was perfectly quiet at such times, except for birdsong.  Sipping a glass of wine, soaking in the peace and beauty...La Dolce Vita indeed.

As night falls, the grounds of our villa sparkle.

La piscina at dusk.

The villa in the evening.  We spent a lot of time on the patio, which was almost enclosed by brick and glass and stayed warm well into the evening.  Meals were often taken alfresco.

The town hall of Radda in Chianti, an enchanting village in the heart of wine country.  The noon bells were ringing as I shot the photo.

The countryside around Radda features many vineyards on hillsides.  That location subjects them to less frost than if they were located on valley floors.

The wild boar is the marquee critter of Chianti.  They've been hunted here for at least 2500 years, since Etruscan times.  On Sunday mornings shots echo through the hills as the locals continue their porcine quest.  Although in high demand for prosciutto, the boars have continued to thrive...this is a big one, at least 150 kilos, I reckon.  He was nice enough to graze right by the highway.