Brass monkey weather.

There are no monkeys in Vinoland, but if there were, well, they'd be cold.  Yesterday and today, the Napa Valley has experienced its first real frosts of the winter.  There was one chilly day after the new year, but in no way was it cold enough to discommode any cannonballs.  We have been having a good amount of rain, though.
It was a crisp 29°F when I got up, nevertheless I ventured out into the vineyard to take this photograph.  I love it.  My drive to work revealed that the Mayacamas and the Vaca Mountains both had a light dusting of snow, beautiful.  And, at the top of the valley, Mount St. Helena was adorned with a white cape.  I felt like I was in Lake Tahoe, not the Napa Valley.  Very pretty.

Baby, it's cold outside.

And I'm loving it.  The past five mornings have been white and bright.
After so much rain last Thursday, 3.5 inches fell in just under 5 hours, the sunny, dry, crisp weather has been a more than welcome respite. Of course, all that rain meant there was plenty of moisture about to actually freeze and the resulting 1/8 inch of hoarfrost over every surface, including Vinoland's grapevines, made for some spectacular sugar-sprinkled vistas on my early morning walks with Vinodog 2.  And it made everything seem just that little bit more Christmassy.  Love it.

The frosty light.

At last, a welcome frost in Vinoland. I am so tired of rain, one could be forgiven for thinking California was actually England of late!
Everywhere looked so pretty when I woke up this morning that I almost didn't want the sun to rise, above the eastern hills of Vinoland, and banish Mr. Frost from my deck. Each breath I took was crisp and fresh and everywhere glistened in the frosty, thin air. I wish it had been like this on Christmas day, but the festivities went on in spite of the downpour. I'm hoping it stays like this for the New Year.
A glass of something hearty with dinner tonight is in order methinks. We are expecting low temperatures tomorrow morning also, hopefully the plummeting mercury will finally finish off the 3 million pesky fruit flies that are living in my compost bin. See ya, Drosophila melanogaster. It's not been nice knowing you!

Jack's back.

Brrr! It was 20.5 F when I got up a little while ago. Everywhere is white with frost, it looks very pretty. The Vinodogs are curled up in bed, but I unfortunately have to go to work. It does mean, however, that I get to see how beautiful the Valley looks cloaked in a veil of frost. Poor me!

Dogsicle.

Vinodog 2 is enjoying an early morning snack of...frost. That dog will eat anything.
It's 23 degrees F right now, unseasonably cold for Napa. The leaves on the vines from a couple of posts ago are now all on the vineyard floor, having been blown off in brisk winds on Tuesday. Last season's wood, trained up through the trellising wires, is white with frost. The scene from my window all looks very festive...if only a robin red breast would appear and bob through this tableau.
Alas, I just have V2, (V1 is in her bed, the old dog is not so daft).
Look at those ears!!!