Clear Skies

It was one of those absolutely beautiful valley winter days. Because it rained yesterday which was later accompanied by a light breeze, today my valley sparkled brilliantly. I was on my way to the water polo tournament at UOP. The teenager plays winter polo. Headed south on Davis Road, I took notice of the vines all neatly pruned with their canes scattered askew in the rows. I wondered about the farm labor hands and the skill it takes to properly prune each and every vine. There was so much to contemplate. A red tailed hawk swooped down toward the vines. He obviously was looking for lunch. The valley oaks along side the road were round and fat. Even some cherry trees were pink with blossoms. It was a very good ride. Then just as if God opened my eyes even wider, I looked to the east and saw the clarity of the day. The Sierra Nevada mountains ringed the valley with snow all over their tops. As I glanced west, the coastal range stood out every so clearly with Mt. Diablo standing tall and important in its place. Wow! I almost missed it because I was driving at eye level. It was beautiful. Sometimes it's a rarity to see both mountain ranges so clearly, but today was the day. To make it even better, a scissor tailed flycatcher was resting on a utility line. I passed the Holland Dutch nursery and chuckled at its "check out our new greenhouse" sign. It's been there a few years. Martin's dairy came up over the railroad intersection and there were several all white calves resting. With my Honda's moon roof open, there was no cow smell. How awesome is that? I just smiled. I know my children think Lodi is backward, silly, too small town, too slow, too conservative, too boring, but you know, in spite of that, the drive down Davis Road today was just too incredible to even think of the negative. Yes, I live in a little place that's 90 miles from San Francisco and the Coastal Range and 100 miles from Lake Tahoe, snow, and the Sierra Nevadas. It was a beautiful day. Oh, and the teenager, his team won 3 out of 3 games, and he scored a bazillion goals. I love my valley.