Birds I'm Watching: Spring Lake, Santa Rosa

I took a walk around Spring Lake again today. Didn't see much, but got a great shot of a yellow-rumped warbler with my new camera lens. Sooooo much better than trying to shoot through the spotting scope. This is an incredibly lightweight 140mm - 600mm zoom from Olympus for my E-3. Perfect for birding.

Birds I'm Watching: Bodega Bay

Took a quick run out to Bodega late this afternoon (the 19th). Didn't have much time, so I just raced through the usual spots. The tide was very low. I don't think I've ever seen it so low. Not a lot of birds were around. Not a single bird at the farm pond to the left side of the road as you approach from Sebastopol.

At Porto Bodega, I saw: Belted kingfisher, snowy egret, Western gull, ring-billed gull, double-crested cormorant, Western sandpiper, a second sandpiper species (least sandpipers I'm guessing because of their smallish black bills and yellow legs), willets, whimbrel (1), long-billed dowitcher (1), black-crowned night heron (2, one immature, one adult; the adult is pictured here), brown pelican, Clark's grebes, surf scoters, and greater yellowlegs.

At bodega harbor, I saw: Common loon, Pacific loon, Clark's grebe, surf scoters, and a great blue heron.

At Campbell Cove, I saw: Great egret, snowy egrets (4), Clark's grebe, and surf scoters.

So, nothing out of the ordinary, but many more ducks and grebes than in the recent past (I hadn't been out in about a week and a half). Tomorrow I'm hoping to go out to the Las Gallinas ponds, Rodeo Lagoon, Point Reyes area--if work permits.

Miscellaneous: More Rain

Following the three inches of rain we got during last week's storm, a morning of rain today added 0.45 to the 2009-2010 total. That gives us a total of about 3.55 inches for the season so far. A great start. I just hope it clears up tomorrow. I'd like to go out to Pt. Reyes to look for birds.

[Update] I did go. Didn't see that much, but was able to add three new birds to my life list: Horned Grebe, Savannah Sparrow, and American Wigeon--all at Rodeo Lagoon. Saw a Whimbrel up close--amazing blue legs--and observed a pair of Dunlins in winter plumage up close. There was also a lone female Common Merganser.

Wines I'm Drinking: 1998 Château Mont-Redon Côtes du Rhône

Opened my last bottle of 1998 Château Mont-Redon Côtes du Rhône tonight. Wow. It was beautiful when it was new. It's even more beautiful at eleven years old. Inexpensive (about $11 a bottle), I bought this wine by the case when I first moved back to California from Tokyo (in 2000). It was so good then, it was hard to resist. This was the only bottle that survived. Wonderful scents of figs, violets, licorice, and meat. Perfectly balanced. Good fruit, mellowed tannins, soft acidity. Mature, but very much alive. This could easily pass for a Châteauneuf-du-Pape costing four to five times as much. Beautiful wine. Just goes to prove that great wine does not have to be expensive--but 1998 appears to have been a truly great year in the southern Rhône.

Birds I'm Watching: Spring Lake (October 17, 2009)

Went on a walk around Spring Lake this morning with some experienced birders from the Madrone Audubon Society. Cleared up a few birds I was wondering about and got two new ones for my life list--the band-tailed pigeon and Wilson's Snipe--making 160. Bird species sighted by the group totaled 71, 41 of which I saw. I did not count birds I heard without seeing, unless I was very familiar with the call already. Today's sightings included: Redwing Blackbird, Turkey Vulture, Crow, Steller's Jay, Scrub Jay, California Quail, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Gold-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Great Blue Heron, Kildeer, Wilson's Snipe, Great Egret, Mallard, Canada Goose, Common Moorhen, Double-crested Cormorant, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Cooper's Hawk, Hutton's Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Band-tailed Pigeon, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Oak Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttal's Woodpecker, Red-shafted flicker, Belted Kingfisher, and House Finch.

Forty one species in one day at Spring Lake is a new record for me. The photo shows the scenery early in the morning.

At home, afterwards, there were a lot of birds around. In the space of 10 minutes I saw: Crow, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Golden-crowned Sparrow (heard), Bushtits, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco, Scrub Jay, Black Phoebe, Nuttal's Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, and a Hermit Thrush--fifteen species without even leaving my yard.

Wines I'm Making: Sangiovese Rosé Racked and Topped Up

Racked and topped up the Sangiovese rosé this morning. Topped it up with the remaining three bottles of last year's rosé and a couple of bottles of a local Sangiovese rosé. Unfortunately, the grapes yielded well over three gallons, but not as many as five--always an awkward amount. I sure wish somebody would make 2- or 4-gallon carboys. Sulfited very lightly, but it still seems to be working, even though it tested at less than 0 Brix yesterday. I'll let it go, if that is its wont. After it stops completely I'll rack it again and sulfite lightly once more--or maybe not. This is not wine designed to last. It usually doesn't survive more than a year. I hope we will have some excellent rosé to drink at Thanksgiving. So far, so good. The fermentation ended up being two full weeks (assuming we call it stopped today)--much longer than the furious four-day fermentations of the past with this yeast (Epernay II).

Music I'm Listening To: Itzhak Perlman and the San Francisco Symphony

Just got back from hearing Itzhak Perlman play with and conduct the San Francisco Symphony. Perlman played the Bach Violin Concerto No. 2, conducting as he played. He later led the orchestra in Elgar's Introduction and Allegro--one of my favorite pieces of music--and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6. Had an early dinner at Café Delle Stelle, on Hayes St. beforehand. Solid, but not great. Still, it was fairly priced, I'd say. Actually, considering that they were packed, it was not bad at all. I had grilled shrimp with tuscan white beans for a starter and then Tagliatelle. Enjoyed a tasty Verdicchio along with it.

It was fun to see Perlman live again. I have seen him in person once before, in 1983 or so. That was a long time ago, but it is a concert I remember vividly. He played one of the Bach solo partitas or sonatas, at Mershon Auditorium, in Columbus, Ohio. I remember paying $8 for the ticket--and it was a good seat. Tonight he played a Violin Concerto, not a solo piece. I'm afraid it was a bit disappointing. Perlman was difficult to hear against the backdrop of the orchestra. The playing seemed highly competent--as it always is in San Francisco--but it lacked spark. Perhaps it was just me. I had the feeling that Perlman was tuned a trifle flat, as well. That's probably my imagination, or related to the muddy sound. Whatever the reason, I was disappointed.

No matter. I have learned to cherish the gems of live performances and not worry too much about the disappointments, and the Elgar Introduction and Allegro was wonderful. Perlman took the orchestra through a somewhat more lush interpretation than the one I'm used to (on Edward Elgar: Works for String Orchestra, William Boughton conducting the English String Orchestra, Nimbus NIM 5008). Despite Perlman's interpretation being a little more romantic than the one I know, it was disciplined. Perlman managed to make the music feel both lush and restrained at the same time. While that may sound contradictory, a nice balance of the romantic and the restrained seems just right for Elgar somehow. I had never seen this piece performed before. I enjoyed watching the hand-offs from section to section in the fugue-like section toward the end of the piece. Very enjoyable. The concert was worth it just for this.

Like the Elgar, the Tchaikovsky was fun to watch. There's a lot going on in this one, especially among the woodwinds, in the brass section, and in the percussion section (and the woodwinds of the San Francisco Symphony are always particularly good). It was interesting to see the bass drum player rotate the drum back and forth between vertical and horizontal positions, the latter for the loudest strokes. I wonder how that's written into the score? The Fifth Symphony is still my favorite of the Tchaikovsky symphonies, but this was a solid performance. I hadn't realized Perlman was conducting as much as he seems to be these days.

Photo of Itzhak Perlman used with permission: Courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony.

Miscellaneous: Storm and New Neighbors

Well, they were right about a storm coming in. We haven't had one like this for several years. Heavy rain and high winds. My rain gauge already shows 3 inches last night and today. In other words, we've had a tenth of our normal annual rainfall already in less than 24 hours. That bodes well.

In other news, the house next door to us is in escrow again. We'll see if the sale goes through this time. Sounds like a younger couple with a one-year-old daughter. It will be strange having neighbors on that side for the first time in the nine years we've lived here. As long as they are quiet and don't have noisy dogs, I'm happy. It would be nice if they were educated, artsy, wine enthusiasts, but you can't have everything. We'll see.

Wines I'm Making: Pressed the Second-run Cabernet Today

Checked the fermentation of my experimental second-run Cabernet today and the hydrometer read zero. With a big storm coming in tonight (so they say), I decided to press the wine and get all the season's wine-making equipment cleaned up and packed away. We ended up with a little more than three gallons of the wine. It's light, but respectably colored. It doesn't taste too bad, either. I added in a little of the zinfandel now undergoing malolactic fermentation in the hope of getting it going in this wine as well. We'll see.

Art on Wheels: 2009 Alameda All-Italian Car and Motorcycle Show

I showed my 1978 Alfa Romeo Spider at the 2009 Alameda All-Italian Car and Motorcycle Show today (first picture--just washed and ready for the drive to Alameda). Here are a few pictures of cars at the show--three Alfa Romeos, a Ferrari racing car cockpit, and a little Fiat 600. The turn out was excellent this year and there were more cars than I remember seeing in the past. It was mostly Alfas, which is why I enjoy the show, but there were cars from Fiat, Lancia, Maserati, Lamborghini, and Ferrari among others. Art on wheels.

Wines I'm Making: Malolactic Fermentation (2009)

The winery activity around the house has peaked and slowed for the season. Next I need to think about harvesting honey, but I doubt I'll have time ahead of the rains predicted for early next week. At present, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Zinfandel are quietly undergoing malolactic fermentation in the living room and the Sangiovese rosé is still fermenting in the garage on day nine. This fermentation is already more than twice as long as what has been normal using the Epernay II yeast. Typically, the rosé has fermented in about four days--rather violently. I'm hoping the slow, extended fermentation this year will make the wine even better.

Once again being left with still useful-looking pressings from the Cabernet this year, I decided to make a second-run wine. It may be horrible, but at least I'll know it's not worth doing twice. Into the skins and seeds left over after pressing, I added 6 gallons of water, 10 pounds of sugar, and just over 2 ounces of an acid blend (combining tartaric, malic, and citric acids). Fermentation began again spontaneously. So far, it has behaved just like a normal fermentation. It's remarkable how much color is left in the skins. The wine is already a respectable red. I hope there is enough flavor left in them to make the wine at least palatable.

Wines I'm Making: Pressed Cabernet this Evening

Pressed the Cabernet this evening. 10 gallons of must yielded six gallons of pressed wine. Beautiful deep purple red. Smells wonderful. Inoculated with Enoferm Alpha to start malolactic fermentation. Celebrated by opening a bottle of the 2007 Cabernet, which keeps getting better. Also inoculated the Zinfandel for malolactic fermentation. The wine is resting in the living room, wrapped in a blanket and a heating pad.

Birds I'm Watching: Shollenberger Park

Spent a couple hours out at Shollenberger Park this morning, in Petaluma. The areas closest to the paths are mostly dried up by now, but there were a fair number of birds in the distance. Using my new spotting scope, I was able to identify a few things--song sparrows, black-necked stilts, marbled godwits, willets, turkey vultures, Western sandpipers, a paler sandpiper (probably sanderlings), killdeer, snowy egrets, great egrets, ring-billed gulls, and a few long-billed curlews. These last were a first sighting for me. The bird in the photo is a Black Phoebe.

Birds I'm Watching: Bodega Bay (Oct. 3, 2009)

After pressing the Zinfandel this morning, I went out to Bodega Bay to look at birds. The wind was fierce, but saw quite a lot--28 species, including Red-winged Blackbird, Brown Pelican, White Pelican, Turkey Vulture, Scrub-jay, Elegant Tern, Forster's Tern, California Gull, Western Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Semipalmated Plover, Western Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Sanderlings, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Turnstone, Black Turnstone, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Surf Scoter, Black Oystercatcher, an unidentified murrelet (looking most like a Xantus's murrelet, but possibly an ancient murrelet--all black back, white up to the chin), and Eurasian Collared Dove. The Forster's Tern was a first sighting for me--as was the Murrelet, although I'm not counting that, as I can't decide what it was.

[Update: I wrote this when I first started birding in Sonoma County. I've learned a lot since then—six years ago now. As evidence, see my website Sonoma County Bird Watching Spots.]

Wines I'm Making: Pressed Zinfandel This Morning

Pressed the Zinfandel this morning. Pressed 14 gallons of must, which yielded nine gallons of wine, although there was so much sediment in it that I passed it once through cheese cloth. The end result was 8 gallons of wine which is now resting, ahead of malolactic bacteria inoculation, which I will do tomorrow. The primary fermentation was a fairly short eight days.

Wines I'm Drinking: Tasting at Wine Spectrum (Veraison, Krupp Brothers, Blackbart)

I recently attended an interesting wine tasting at the Wine Spectrum wine shop in Santa Rosa, near Railroad Square. Michael Heliotes, of Krupp Brothers, was showing wines from the Blackbart, Krupp Brothers, and Veraison labels. I tasted a 2006 Blackbart Marsanne/Viognier/Chardonnay blend from fruit from the Stagecoach Vineyard called "Black Bart's Bride;" the 2006 Krupp Brothers "The Doctor," a blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, from Krup Vineyard and Stagecoach Vineyard fruit; the 2004 Veraison "Synchrony" (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot), also from Stagecoach Vineyard fruit; a 2005 Veraison Cabernet Sauvignon from Stagecoach Vineyard fruit; and a 2006 Blackbart Syrah, also from Stagecoach Vineyard fruit.

I went into the tasting with a great deal of skepticism. Frankly, I can't remember why I decided to attend this one (usually the word Napa turns me off), but, despite my prejudice against Napa wines--which, in my view, are far too often overpriced--I was impressed by all of these. Michael was hands-off, but available for background information and a lot of fun to talk with. His enthusiasm for the wines shows.

The 2006 "Black Bart's Bride" had a peachy nose with hints of caramel at first, later developing scents of roses and peach cobbler. There was also a sappy sort of scent that reminded me of Roero Arneis--a very pleasant fresh vegetable-like scent that nearly all the wines had in the background. Very concentrated on the palate. Powerful. Tasted of peaches and ginger. Very rich, concentrated wine with a long finish. More finesse than a lot of California Viognier wines have. I suspect the addition of the Chardonnay helped to boost acidity and keep this fresh, despite its oomph. Can't imagine what you'd eat with this--créme brulée comes to mind--but a very interesting, tasty wine.

"The Doctor" was not quite like anything I've tasted before. It is mostly Tempranillo (37%) but is 28% Merlot and 21% Malbec, finished off with 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. A nice medium ruby color. The nose was fairly closed at first, but suggested dark berries and something volatile that I couldn't quite pin down. After a few minutes it began to strongly suggest cinnamon, or, more precisely, cinnamon balls. Rich, sweet, and fruity on the palate. The wine didn't taste like any of the grapes I knew to be in it--I'd call it more than the sum of its parts. Perhaps most striking was its balance. Good fruit, good tannins, and just the right amount of acidity. Poised, I would call it. With a little time, it began to develop some slightly exotic scents. I was reminded of ginger, crabmeat, and toasted coconut (yes, I changed my glass after the Viognier-based wine). Not my favorite of the evening--I found myself wanting a more familiar flavor profile, which is more a fault in me than in the wine--but a very well made, solid offering.

The 2004 "Synchrony" had good color--again a medium ruby red. Pronounced meaty scents and cinnamon again. Later, it suddenly smelled of anise and the meat scents became more specifically suggestive of roasted game. Remarkably well balanced. A bit lighter than the "The Doctor," but with a beautiful, pure, core of fruit. It seemed almost ethereal--floating on the tongue. Light tannins, but just enough bite. Began to suggest blueberries on the palate. Had the fresh, sappy scents I noticed in some of the other wines. Delicious. Of all things, this reminded me of Australia's Grange Hermitage (now just called Grange), from Penfold's. It would have made more sense if the Syrah had done so, but life often makes no sense, I've found. In any case, a very tasty, well made wine. Along with the Syrah, it was my favorite of the evening.

The 2005 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was much deeper in color than the "Synchrony." The nose suggested roses, green peppers, and cinnamon. There was a rather heady, alcoholic tone as well. Rich, sweet on the palate with considerable tannin. Rather closed overall, but later developed chocolate flavors and something spicy. I had trouble with this one. While I enjoyed it, I find it hard to describe. I suspect it will reward patience. I'd like try this again in about five years.

I generally dislike California (and Australian) Syrah. If I want Syrah, I try to drink wines from the Northern Rhone. Too often California Syrah seems sweet (in a cloying way), too fruity, and it has no real character. It tends to be a Kool-Aid wine. I expected to dislike the 2006 Blackbart Syrah.

I didn't. It was delicious. No Kool-Aid here. Clearly an adult wine. Very deep red. Gamey on the nose, in the best sort of way. Hints of citrus--blood oranges, I'd say, because of something bitter in the scent--, and later hints of blueberries. Wonderfully clean on the palate. Again, very nicely balanced between fruit and tannin. If I had to quibble, I'd ask for a touch more acid, a little more brightness, but this wine was notable for the same sort of clarity of fruit that I enjoyed in the "Synchrony." Delicious. I jokingly said to Michael "Your winemaker must be Australian" just from looking at the blends. Turned out I was right. Kudos to winemaker Nigel Kinsman. All five of the wines I tasted were delicious.

I didn't ask the prices. I'm sure I can't afford them. If you can, they're probably worth it. All in all, another fun evening from Pat Moore and the staff at Wine Spectrum (with which, for the record, I have no connections except as an occasional customer).

Images courtesy of the Krupp Brothers Web site.

Wines I'm Making: Rosé fermenting, Cab off to a Slow Start

The rosé fermentation is well under way today. The yeast went in yesterday. I'm keeping the carboy in a big tub with blocks of ice to try to keep the temperature down and achieve a slower fermentation this year. We'll see how it goes. The Cabernet smells wonderful this year--very spicy and Cabernet-like. I inoculated the must yesterday, but the fermentation has been very slow to get started. Usually there are a lot of bubbles within hours, but there has been very little activity so far, probably because it was so cool in the garage last night. Brought it in the house this morning and I plan to leave it out in the sun for a bit today to get it going.

Birds I'm Watching: First Flicker of the Year

Saw the first flicker of the year in the yard this morning, atop one of the evergreen trees behind the grape vines. Also saw a ruby-crowned kinglet--the first time I've seen one in the yard. A Bewick's wren was warbling loudly earlier this morning from the locust tree in the front of the yard.

Wines I'm Making: 2009 Harvest

Harvested the grapes today. The yield was very low. We got only 86 pounds of Cabernet and 64 pounds of Sangiovese. The Cabernet yielded nine gallons of must, which means we'll get about six gallons of wine at best, which would be 30 bottles. The Sangiovese yielded 6.6 gallons of must, which will mean about 4 gallons of wine, or about 20 bottles. That's about half what we usually make. The cold weather at flowering this year caused shatter, and we lost a fair amount to the raccoons again.

The Cabernet must tested at 24.8 Brix with a pH of 3.91--on the high side--and total acidity of .051, which is on the low side. I may have to do some adjustments later. The sugar spiked over the weekend. Sulfited the must to 72ppm, which is rather more than usual because of the high pH.

The Sangiovese must tested at 21.0 Brix (1.086 by the hydrometer) with a pH of 3.70. Total acidity was again somewhat low, at 0.50. Sulfited to about 50ppm. I've decided to make all the Sangiovese into rosé again this year, as it's so nice to have new wine at Thanksgiving. I will try to keep the temperature down more, to extend the fermentation a bit, as the winemaker at Wellington suggested that would improve the freshness. I'll be pressing the Sangiovese first thing in the morning tomorrow, after taking my son to school. The upper photo shows Sangiovese grapes, just picked. The lower shows the crushed Cabernet grapes, ready to be inoculated with yeast.

Tidbits: Alicia de Larrocha--RIP

Alicia de Larrocha died today. Heard her play a stirring recital in Milan around 1994. I have several brilliant recordings by her. Sad, but inevitable.

Birds I'm Watching: Howarth Park (Lake Ralphine)

Spent an hour and a half or so this afternoon taking a break from work by walking along one side of Lake Ralphine, the boating lake at Howarth Park, in Santa Rosa. I've found that this is a good place to see warblers and other small woodland birds. I'm a novice when it comes to warblers, but I'm a quick learner. Today I saw yellow warblers and a Townsend's warbler, along with chestnut-backed chickadees, Oak titmice, bushtits, scrub jays, juncos, Anna's hummingbirds, Canada Geese, snowy egrets, mallards, a pacific-slope flycatcher, a brown creeper, a Nuttall's woodpecker, and a hairy woodpecker--16 species. Not too bad for a two-minute drive from home.

If you care to try this one, take the trail out of the far right corner of the upper parking lot at Howarth Park (far right if you're facing the lake, looking along the long axis of the parking lot). After about 100 meters the path splits. Take the left, lower, unpaved path--the path less traveled by--rather than the main, paved path that begins to rise. The lower path runs right along the side of Lake Ralphine. This entire stretch is a good place to look for birds, particularly in the more open areas toward the end of the lake.

Wines I'm Making: Harvested and crushed 321 pounds of Zinfandel

Harvested the neighbor's Zinfandel grapes today. We took in and crushed 321lbs of grapes. We had to pick a little earlier than would have been ideal because of raccoon losses and because the grapes were not watered much, so the sugar was rising more as a result of dehydration than because of maturity. Still, the must tests at 23.2 Brix and 1.090 by the hydrometer with a pH of 3.6--not too bad. Sulfited to around 55ppm. Will inoculate with yeast tomorrow. This will be my first time making Zinfandel. The Cabernet and Sangiovese grapes in our own back yard have been better cared for. I expect to harvest them in the next week or so. Above is a photo of my grape-stained hand, looking as if cast in bronze.

Following day: Inoculated the must at around 4:30 with Rhone yeast L2226. Must tested at 1.091 by hydrometer, pH of 3.66, and total acidity of 1.080, at 70 degrees. That translates into a temperature-adjusted Brix of 22.3 for potential alcohol of 12.9%--quite respectable.

Wines I'm Making: Harvest in About a Week? (2009)

Checked out all the grapes today. The Sangiovese is at 20 Brix (although at least one berry tested higher a few days ago) and a pH of 3.51 (pH squared times sugar equals 246). I'd like to get the sugar up to 22 Brix at least, ideally 23. So, will wait. The Cabernet is at 22.5 Brix, with a pH of 3.61 (293), again, getting close, but I'd like at least another degree of sugar. I think harvest is likely to be right around the end of the month.

The neighbor's Zinfandel vines that I'm tending this year with the help of our (other) new neighbor, Steve, are at 21.0 Brix and a pH of 3.41 (244), still too early to pick in an ideal world, but, as we all know, the world is not ideal. The problem is that the grapes are fast disappearing to the raccoons, as Ben, the owner of the grapes, didn't want to bother netting them. Looks like we'll be forced to harvest these earliest of the three varieties, probably on Steve's next day off, Thursday.

Food I'm Eating: Tarts at Tartine

Enjoyed the lemon cream and coconut cream tarts at Tartine this morning. I've come to the conclusion that the coconut cream is the tastier of the two, but both are good. The layer of chocolate in the coconut cream tart is unorthodox, but a tasty variation on a classic. Thumbs up.

Later in the day, stopped briefly at Ocean Beach, near the San Francisco Zoo. Saw a small group of Sanderlings playing tag with the waves. Also saw Least Sandpipers, identifying these with certainty for the first time.

Birds I'm Watching: Bodega Bay

I spent the morning and early afternoon out at Bodega Bay today, trying out my new Orion Grandview spotting scope. It's a bit bigger than I anticipated. It's fairly heavy and cumbersome, but considering that I'll generally use it only while touring by car, I'm very pleased. Bright, clear optics. Rather hard to focus through the camera though (I got the camera adapter). In fact, it's so dark, it's hard to see what you're trying to focus on. I think that's partly a function of the focusing screen in my camera. I will have to look into perhaps changing to a more compatible one.

 The photos I took today show that I can't focus it very well. These are Elegant Terns in the photos.

Birds I saw today: Scrub-jay, Common Raven, Crow, Flycatcher sp., Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Harrier, Pied-billed Grebe, Brandt's Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pacific Loon, Black Oystercatcher, Brown Pelican, White Pelican, Black Turnstone, Ruddy Turnstone, Turkey Vulture, Black-bellied Plover, Western Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Short-billed Dowitcher, Western Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Elegant Tern, Lesser Goldfinch, and Brants.

I think the terns I've seen recently at Bodega that I've been calling Common Terns have probably been Elegant Terns. I like these birds. They look like they are balding with the hair in the back left to grow long. I can easily imagine one at a podium, conducting a seaside opera.

Wines I'm Making: Sangiovese at 22 Brix (2009)

Tested a ripe-looking berry on one of the Sangiovese vines this morning. Showed sugar at 22 Brix, which is a bit surprising for September 4. Looks like the harvest may be fairly early this year. In a day or two I'll start taking representative samples from all the plants to get an idea of where the average is. I plan to pick at about 24 Brix. The seeds of at least some berries already look mature. There is a lot of fruit, even after the raccoons. It's been three nights now with no losses, though. Putting the nets on the outside of the electric fence seems to have been a good idea. It prevents them from pushing up against the plants and stealing fruit through the nets. Wonder whether to make rosé or red wine from the Sangiovese this year?

Today [September 5] I tested one of the riper-looking Cabernet berries in the yard. It, too, was at about 22 Brix. The seeds still looked a little green, but the fruit is well on its way to ripeness. I'll need to bottle last year's wine before too long to make room for this year's production. Looks like it'll be time to pick in about a week or so, maybe a little longer.

For more on the wines I make, use the Wines I'm Making tab.

Birds I'm Watching: Bodega

Spent a very productive day birding at Bodega with a group from the Madrone Audubon Society, the first time I've ever been out with a group of people who know the area well. Usually I go out on my own. Saw a total of 35 species, six of which were first sightings for me--Vaux's swift, long-billed dowitcher, short-billed dowitcher, Wilson's warbler, semi-palmated plover, and pied-billed grebe. Other birds sighted were an immature red-tailed hawk, crow, American goldfinch, turkey vulture, scrub jay, song sparrow, Osprey, Western grebe, Western gull, whimbrel, willet, Western sandpiper, black turnstone, ruddy turnstone, black oystercatcher, brown pelican, white pelican, great blue heron, great egret, Brandt's cormorant, pelagic cormorant, double-crested cormorant, common murre, common loon, pacific loon, brandt, barn swallow, violet-green swallow, and black-bellied plover.

Food I'm Eating: Blackberry Pie

I took a walk around Lake Ralphine and Spring Lake today, to collect blackberries. The bushes were heavy with them. Although picked over, we managed to bring home a couple pounds of fruit. I'm in the process of making a blackberry pie as I write this. I've made the dough and rolled out a crust (now in the oven baking). I've made custard. When the crust is ready, I'll line it with custard, then berries and then throw the whole thing back in the oven. An excellent excuse to try all three of the ice creams I brought home from Whole Foods today.

While collecting berries was my purpose, I managed to see quite a few birds while walking. Besides the usual--Mallards, Canada Geese, California Towhees, Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, California Quail, Scrubjays, Red-winged Blackbirds, Snowy Egrets (many of these), Great Egrets, and a Great Blue Heron, I saw what I think may have been a female Wilson's Warbler and what was definitely a Black-throated Gray Warbler, a first sighting for me. He was in the willow trees between the path and the water about thirty yards before the eastern end of Lake Ralphine.

I ache from the work yesterday of re-setting the nets on the grapes in the backyard and raising the electric fence around them. Those dastardly raccoons are still stealing fruit. Last night nothing disappeared, though. I think I may have finally thwarted them.

Miscellaneous: Musings about Mad Men--Season Three

I've just finished watching the third episode of Mad Men this season (Season Three). Mad Men is slow as molasses. There are many untied loose ends. It's essentially a soap opera with only one hour a week to do what a 30-minute daily drama gets two-and-a-half hours to do each week. I'm beginning to wonder how long it will sustain my interest if it never rises above the soap opera level. There's only so much dallying and office politics people can take. (Maybe I'm wrong about that. Isn't The Guiding Light going off the air this month--after 72 years? And, if pressed, I'd admit that I am wondering what will come of Don's eyeing the teacher dancing round the maypole, I am wondering about the man with his hands on Betty's pregnant belly--will he appear again?) Still, I enjoy Mad Men. It's the only show on TV I make time to see each week--and that's something I haven't done in decades (in fact, since Star Trek--the original Star Trek). I'm asking myself why does Mad Men fascinate?

It's partly style. From the first episode, the creators made it clear they would attempt to faithfully reproduce the period. I was born in New York in 1960, living in Brooklyn. Although we left when I was seven, my earliest memories are of New York, from late 1963 to 1967. My New York memories are those of a small child, but I still feel that the people of Mad Men inhabit an era and a place that I know. I feel like I'm filling gaps, getting glimpses of the backdrop to the earliest period of my life that I can remember.

I take it in, but always with skepticism. Are they getting it right? I hope they are. It's hard for me to say. The people of Mad Men are not the people of my childhood. We moved in different circles. Peggy's mother and sister are most like the people I remember from our apartment in Brooklyn. The cramped living spaces of their home and Peggy's are familiar. In these scenes and others I sometimes find myself looking at objects in the room with more care than at the characters that people those rooms. There's an odd comfort in things like the foldable wooden drying rack that Peggy uses, in a container of spices wearing the package I remember from our Brooklyn kitchen.

Style, in the sense of fashion, is another aspect of the same. I love the men's suits. The women, however, seem overdressed most of the time, which feeds my skepticism, a nagging skepticism I wish I could let go of. It's a shame Mad Men is not actually a show of the era. I wish there were no room for doubt. Perhaps it's no coincidence that the only other TV show I'm vaguely passionate about is the Dick Van Dyke Show. Likewise set in an office and in the homes of its main characters and again in New York in the early 1960s. The Dick Van Dyke Show, too, is a fiction, but at least we can be certain its props are period-correct--no room for doubt. I keep wondering if Rob and Laura Petrie will appear within Mad Men. That would be a nice touch. The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted in October 1961. Don and Betty could be watching it now--but it was slow to take off and it ran five years. There's time. What year is it in the Mad Men timeline? 1963? I noticed that the marriage of Roger's daughter is set for November 23.That won't go off well. JFK will have been assassinated the day before--the first day I remember in my own life.

Perhaps my fascination with the physical details allows me to be less concerned about the authenticity of the interpersonal relationships. I question these less, but I question them nevertheless--especially the office interactions. Would these people really have been as rude to each other as they sometimes are and then, upon next meeting, have behaved as if the slights were never delivered? Would the women really have been treated with so little respect? Are we being fed nothing more than stereotypes--pictures of what we think we already know about the 1960s?

There are so many loose ends. The most bothersome is the relationship between Pete and Peggy. Is Pete so dull that he is entirely unaffected by Peggy's revelation about her baby? Has he forgotten that she told him? He behaves as if he never heard the news. It was never clear what he felt about her in the first place--I'm as confused about that as Peggy herself was (at least while she seemed to care). Roger's health is another loose end. He had two heart attacks and nearly died, but he lives his life as if it never happened--still drinking, still smoking. His lifestyle choice is not the issue. Maybe a man in his position would choose to make no concessions, but he looks far too healthy for a man that has made that choice. What happened to the character that openly announced he was gay? He has disappeared. Where did Ken Cosgrove the short story writer go? There are others loose ends.

There are details that bother me--especially the airline crew in Episode 1 this season. Having been married to a stewardess--excuse me, a flight attendant--for 18 years, I know a thing or two about the habits of airline crew. I can't imagine they would have gone to dinner in their uniforms. Surely they would have checked in to their hotel rooms, changed, and then gone out again. No? A detail, but one that continues to bother me. I'll have to ask my father. He worked for British Airways (B. O. A. C.) through the 1960s and beyond. [Update: My father says this would have been normal until a somewhat later period. As stewardesses got a reputation for looseness, airlines apparently started forbidding them from wearing their uniforms except on the job and to and from the job. Interesting.]

Still, I enjoy watching the story lines unfold. We'll see where things go. We already know there will be a Season Four. I wonder if there will be a Season Five? I think that will depend on how well the creators transition from soap opera to something of a little more substance. [Still looking for an appropriate credit for the photo above, which, fairly obviously, is not by me.]

Books I'm Reading: Physics of the Impossible

I just finished reading Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku (Anchor Books, 2008), a rather engaging writer who looks at the physics behind the stuff of science fiction--examining everything from Harry Potter's invisibility cloak to the phasers of Star Trek to that venerable impossibility, the perpetual motion machine--and classifying each as a class I, class II, or class III impossibility.

The first of these classes he defines as something impossible today but that does not violate the known laws of physics and is likely to become reality this century or next. Among these he lists teleportation, antimatter engines, and certain types of telepathy, psychokinesis, and invisibility.

Class II impossibilities are phenomena that he describes as being at the "very edge of our understanding of the physical world." These, too, do not violate the laws of physics, but are unlikely to be realized for thousands, perhaps millions, of years. He puts time machines, hyperspace travel, and travel through wormholes in this class.

Class III impossibilities violate the laws of physics as we understand them. Kaku points out that there are relatively few of these and that even these may prove possible, but that that eventuality would have to be accompanied by fundamental changes in the way we understand the universe. I have a feeling that affordable health care for all in the United States comes under this last heading. Sad to hear of Edward Kennedy's death last night. It's a shame he wasn't around to participate more in the efforts to achieve reform. But I digress. A good read. Recommended.

Also recently read Stewart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster (Viking, 2007) and Richard Bausch's short story collection called The Fireman's Wife (Norton, 1990). I particularly liked the last story, Letter to the Lady of the House.