Two Valleys

Both pictures we taken from high vantage points. The top one is from the hills above our own street, vines growing almost to the top of Wildwood Mountain. The grapes have all been harvested and they will soon be losing their colorful raiment and go dormant until bud break and flowering in the spring followed by fruit set and veraison (the onset of ripening when the fruit changes color. We get to watch it all from our kitchen window.

The bottom picture is part of Rincon Valley taken from Spike's walk above Spring Lake. The houses nestled in the foothills are part of the large Skyhawk development where Dana and Jim live and is  only about a mile west of where we live. There are a lot of  Chinese Pistache trees planted as street trees which change the most spectacular shades of fiery red and yellow, but most of the leaves have been blown to the ground by yesterday's wind rain and wind. The path of the Glass fire can still be seen along along the hills.  All these hills were on fire as we drove westbound that night out of Rincon Valley. The eastbound lanes were solid with fire trucks. The path of the fire is fading but my memory of that night never will.

For reasons known only to him, Spike insisted on getting up at five o'clock this morning. The thermometer on the porch said it was 35F (1.6C). The furnace was set to go on at 6:45. I made some coffee, wrapped myself in blankets and shivered until the heat went on. Don't ask me why, but sleep deprivation could be the only explanation for why I didn't just turn the heat on early. I'm falling off my perch now despite a vigorous walk with Spike and a grueling Pilates class. 

The election and who controls Congress are still near deadlocked in many states. The best news I have heard is that the majority of the Trump endorsed, election denying candidates lost. At least it would appear that even in heavily Republican states, people are fed up with the 'big lie' and the ugly divisiveness....