Journeys›Photograph

Birthday Weekend Down in Napa

·Napa County, California·#bay area#napa-valley#public-art#wineries#spring#birthday
A light green two-story building with a porch, steps, and "DUCKHORN VINEYARDS" signage, surrounded by trees and landscaping.

For the birthday weekend we went up-valley first, to Duckhorn, where the vines are still bare and pruned back hard, mustard and cover crop running bright green between the rows and rain hanging over the hills the whole tasting. A concierge sign at the porch, a wraparound veranda, and the weather never quite committed to falling on us.

The birthday dinner ended with two dessert wines and a block of bread pudding under caramel and shaved chocolate, a Happy Birthday plaque stuck in the top like a flag. We got one photo of the two of us on the way out, jackets on, string lights behind us.

Downtown Napa got the clear sky. We walked the old Mill complex — the Napa General Store ghost sign still on the brick, a winged metal figure in the courtyard, mosaics set right into the sidewalk and a tiled fountain wrapped around the base of a silo. The river was dead flat under the bridge, holding every cloud. Pear trees along the street are in full blossom, most of the flowers open, the rest still in tight pink-tipped buds.

Rows of dormant grapevines with green grass between them lead toward a distant person, trees, and cloudy hills.A slice of Happy Birthday cake with ice cream, chocolate, and caramel sauce, alongside two red wines and a water glass.A slice of birthday cake with whipped cream, chocolate, and caramel sauces, two red wines, and a water glass on a wooden table.Two smiling people pose for a selfie outdoors at night, with a stone wall and a tree with lights in the background.Two smiling people pose in front of a stone wall and a tree adorned with string lights.A wide river reflects a cloudy sky, with green banks, distant buildings, power lines, and birds.A brick building with "GENERAL STORE" lettering, a "NAPA MILL" sign on a silo, spiral sculptures, and a palm tree.A geometric metal sculpture of a winged woman stands outdoors with the Napa Mill building and a silo behind.A colorful round mosaic features a monarch butterfly and a dragonfly surrounded by a blue border on concrete, with pink petals.A multi-tiered mosaic fountain depicts farming and aquatic life next to a concrete silo and brick building.A tree full of white blossoms with bare branches visible, set against a deep blue sky.White blossoms with pink centers and green buds bloom on a brown branch against a blurry blue sky and white flowers.

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