Lines and Shadows

An unseasonable "trough of low pressure" seems to be stalled off the coast of Northern California which means we awaken in the morning to the very fog and drizzle we moved here to escape. I couldn't face another day of herding beads while OilMan designed a "fractionation column", so we took Ozzie to the lake to chase the sticks which he carries from home to charm passersby. As he dog paddled and huffed and puffed his way in and out of the lake, we made the decision to head north to the Alexander Valley for lunch and warmer weather.

There are barns of every size, color and description in Sonoma County. Some are still used to house livestock, some have been repurposed into upscale wineries, artists' studios and guest houses, still others have become garages and workshops. I'm keeping a folder of barn photographs, just because I love the look of these practical old buildings, even though some of them no longer house livestock. Today I caught a big saltbox style wooden barn with a corrugated metal roof and a barnyard with cows in it, and a beautiful old stone barn with wooden doors, lintels and gables and a peeling red tin roof.

By the time we got to Diavola in Geyserville, the sun had come out and we were led by the hostess around the back of the building, down an "alley" lined with potted citrus trees and flowers and ,above our heads, a working clothesline. Seated under a beautiful arbor, I loved the patterns created by walls of old barn wood and an intricately designed "ceiling" of metal topped with shade cloth and bamboo .

I am now confronted with a choice--the old stone barn or the modern patterns of the arbor. OilMan refuses to choose saying only that one is "artistic" and the other is "classic". I think I like the sound of artistic....