2022-'23: A San Joaquin Valley Winter

Winter 2022-23

    We've had a real Central California winter for the first time in quite a few years--rain, cold, fog, and frost in the Valley and snow in the Sierras. We wanted to share it in pictures.

December
    At Christmas, our kids and grandkids were occupied with other branches of their families. We were still recovering from covid, which caught up with us despite all the vaccines and boosters, and were happy to hold down the fort at our friends' house in Los Osos on the Central Coast. They were home with their family in foggy and cold Visalia.

Kayaks on Morro Bay at the Nautical Bean Cafe, Los Osos.

Boats from the dock on the bay.

Walking the beach at Morro Bay between storms.

Snowy Plover walking the beach.

Doug relaxing some more on our friends' back patio.

Doug drove up to Cayucos one day, but high tide curtailed his beach walk. Morro Rock is in the distance.

    After Christmas, we drove about an hour north to the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery.

Elephant seal cooling off with sand.

Male elephant seal.

It was birthing season. Seagulls were at the ready for the placenta. Young males sparred.

Wharf at Hearst San Simeon State Park.

Hearst Castle sitting on the hill. No zebras were out that day.

Morro Rock & Morro Bay's triple towers, now dormant.

In California, we measure distance in time, not miles. If you ask someone how many miles it is or how long it will take to get somewhere, they will ask what time you are leaving. 

January

    Jan 2, we drove the hour-plus to Kings Canyon National Park, site of our first date 20 years ago. 

Kings Canyon National Park.

Icicles on park buildings.

   The potential for ice on the roads dissuaded us from driving the half hour further to Hume Lake, which we'd walked around on our first date and have walked around and kayaked on numerous times since.

Boulders are a common site in the Sierras.

    We always enjoy meandering through farm land on our way home.

Lemons & navel oranges ripen in winter.

Farmworkers park by the orchard they are picking.

Fruit is picked when packing houses request it.

Forklift picking up boxes of oranges...

...to load on trucks headed for packing houses.

Green fields & the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Flooding from recent rains along road by almond orchard.

New Zealand isn't the only source for kiwi--it's grown in California's Central Valley, too.

Cattle sileage under wraps.  This will ferment &  we will have happy cows.

Dairy farm near home: it's been said that Tulare County is an island surrounded by cows.

Normally dry St John's River.

Is there anything like an oak silhouetted against the sky?

Sierras taken about a quarter mile from home.

And there was more rain: our poor garden lamb was soon going to have to swim!

Our flooding back yard.

And our flooding street. Doug really wanted to launch his kayak, but the water went down before he could. We carry flood insurance for the possibility of major flooding, which many nearby communities suffered this winter. 

Rain pouring down the back yard rain chain.

The two ditches that flow through our neighborhood were filling.

 

Oak-lined walking paths in our neighborhood are especially pleasant when water is flowing in the ditches.

    On January 10, Doug drove up to Lake Kaweah to check out the kayaking potential.

There looked to be plenty of water...

...but not enough water yet to launch from the Slick Rock boat ramp.

    Two days later, Doug and friend Steve drove up to Lake Kaweah, parked at Slick Rock, and hauled their kayaks down to the water.

Steve & kayak. Are you sure we want to do this? It's cold!

Looking up at boat launch from water.

They paddled upsteam--a satisfying outing even though they could not go as far upstream as will hopefully be possible in a couple of months.

Looking up the Kaweah River.

Doug's foot pointing at the Sierras & the snow.

  Later in January, we spent a grand weekend with Marilyn's younger son and his wife in San Rafael. 

San Francisco from Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, 6:15 AM.

Marilyn was still recovering from covid, so we left San Rafael early and drove the four hours home. 

Happy California cows along I-5 on the west side of the Central Valley.

And happy California sheep.

Soggy pistachio orchard along 198 between I-5 & home.

Demise of an orchard, a not uncommon site.

Palm trees marking driveway. There's a certain love of palm trees in the Valley. Not sure why--they aren't natives & they don't really fit the landscape or even offer shade, but...

Soggy peach orchard.

California Aqueduct runs 444 miles from Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near Stockton to LA.

Row crop irrigation ditches filled with rain water.

Kings River.

So green!

    Arrived home, Doug showered then at 11:00 AM turned the van north for Seattle to visit his kids and grandson. He made it to a rest stop out of Eugene, OR, that day and Bellingham, WA the next. Along the way, he dropped off 11 bags of fresh oranges, mandarins, and lemons from home with friends and family.  Marilyn flew to Seattle a week later to join him.

February
    We made our annual trip--actually two this year--to Intermountain Nursery in Auberry to get new plants for our yard. The variety of sages seems endless, and we brought home a half dozen, plus lettuce.

Rolling clouds & foothills.

More happy California cows.

Ominous cloud over the Sierras.

Doug & new friend at Intermountain Nursery.

San Joaquin River mesas.

Oak.

Hint of pink in a peach orchard along 99.

    Meanwhile, back at the homestead, we decided it was time for the artichoke to go. It took up too much space for fruit that paled in comparison to its partner, which had died.

Doug vs artichoke.

The artichoke trunk was about 4" in diameter.

    We also decided that the mandarin tree had to go. After years, it actually put out a splendid crop this year, but  we spent more time spitting out seeds than chewing. A potting bench will take its place.

Mandarin tree we'd originally thought was a navel orange.

Now to fix the broken sprinkler & drip lines & fill in the hole.

     Otherwise, our yard is in its winter splendor.

Lemon tree that Doug always says should be dead produced another bumper crop.

Sadly this is a Valencia orange, better for juicing than eating, so we give them away. Yes, living in our area makes us fruit snobs.

Yellow daffodils are showing off...

...as are the white & yellow ones...

...& miniatures.

Paper whites spread their perfume from the street corner.

Lavender grosso rarely stop blooming.

Hummingbird sage with Doug's Pi rock sculpture as backdrop.

Bearded iris à la Van Gogh.

    And last for now, but far from least, Doug has acquired a 14.5-foot kayak, so he can keep up with his buddy Steve.

Doug in new 14.5-foot kayak in Morro Bay.