Italy Comes to California

Do you love Italy? The food, the landscapes, the people? I sure do! It was during a tour of Napa and Sonoma, California, wine country, where we found a bit of Italian charm right outside our door. No, it's not Epcot (or even Westcot). Even the cloudy skies can't hide the charm!

The gorgeous Castello di Amorosa is a family owned winery. This beautiful plaza and its fortress walls were built from scratch. No, they weren't there before. The look was lovingly recreated from the minds of the family working with similarly minded architects and designers. The end result? Something you would easily find in those Tuscan hillsides thousands of miles away!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Patiently or Impatiently Waiting

I want to see fruit harvested! When you work hard and plow the land and plant and tend to the crop, you expect there will be benefits.  But I'm impatient for the season in my garden- and for growth in my spiritual life as well. God reminds me to be patient as I wait:

"My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me. They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

(Photo from "Experiencing Wine.)

Snapshots of Napa and Sonoma

Almost a week's adventure, running away from responsibilities and the ordinary to Napa Valley and Sonoma, San Francisco and the East Bay. The Pacific Ocean (whale sitings) and more. The best of Northern California.

Shopping, dining, site seeing and winery tours. My feet in the Pacific Ocean for Father's Day. Sleeping in. Leisurely breakfasts with coffee in bed. 

Beautiful resorts and private homes along quite roads through the numerous vineyards. Serene. Beautiful. A taste of Italy in California. See the next three photos...

Just what the doctor ordered!

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)