Cloudscape

Heavenly indeed.
We've had rain, humidity, thunder, lightning and beautiful clouds this week.  Especially with the media coverage and all the 'one year later' stories, one can't help thinking about the hot, dry windy conditions of last year which created the perfect conditions for a firestorm.  A good soaking rain alleviated a lot of anxiety for many of us. 

I went out in search of a nice picture of the clouds and  liked the lines of the road, the vineyards, and the sky. The rain isn't always a good thing. It's all about timing. There has been a lot of action in the vineyards, getting the harvest in before the rain. The temperatures have been warm enough for the sugar content of the grapes to build without getting so hot that they burn or so cold that there's not enough sugar for a good vintage. This year as the weather and the sugar count, or Brix , have lined up well. Rain and humidity  near harvest time causes  botrytis, or bunch rot. It is always a gamble...which will come first the ideal Brix level or the rain?

We had lunch with our friends Jerry and Mary who lost their house to the Tubbs fire in Fountaingrove. The foundation on their new house was supposed to be poured this week, but the trenches are now full of water and will have to dry out before it can happen, so the rain wasn't great for them, but they have gone through so much and waited for so long that they are just happy that their building permit has been approved and construction is beginning.

Talk over lunch was of insurance as we have an appointment with our insurance company tomorrow and Mary has become something of an expert on getting the most out of theirs. I told her there was a job out there for her advising people on their insurance coverage. She shuddered.

It's been quite a year for them, but it was nice to see them with things looking up for a change....