In mid February, with the vernal equinox still weeks away, spring was already in full flower here in Northern California: almond blossoms in the Central Valley, plum trees in the wooded hills, and cymbidiums at the Pacific Orchid Exposition. So we went exploring… 

Spring has been bustin’ out all over these parts since mid December, when our neighbor’s magnolia tree — usually a reliable harbinger of the change in seasons — suddenly burst into bloom. More than a month early. And this while the liquidambar trees on the next street over were still wearing their autumnal raiment of red and gold. Then the neighborhood narcissus began popping out fragrant flowers.

Everything was showing up before its time, it seemed, and so we missed the narrow window for our annual hike to the secret daffodil garden in the Oakland hills (link below). But there were — and still are — lots of other flowers to enjoy.

Off to Modesto!

A few weeks ago, on a flight over the Central Valley, Craig noticed that the almond orchards around Modesto were in full bloom, and he discovered an “Almond Blossom Cruise” (i.e., an audio driving tour) that would guide us around the orchards. Like everything else, the almond trees were flowering earlier than usual and were already near their peak. So on the next Saturday morning we rounded up our friends, Chris and Judith, and set off, ready for a bloomin’ good time!

Nearing Modesto, we turned off the main highway onto a smaller road bordered by orchards, and immediately spotted two large raptors at the top of a (walnut?) tree right next to the road. We stopped the truck, and Craig and I grabbed our binoculars and camera and jumped out for a look, thinking excitedly that the birds were golden eagles. Wow!

But of course, they weren’t — though we enjoyed that delusion for the rest of the day. Later, however, when I looked at the photos on my computer, the tell-tale red tails were obvious: these were not eagles but “only” a pair of red-tailed hawks. Which we should really have guessed, since most of the raptors you see perched on fence posts and telephone poles and trees in the Central Valley are red-tails. I suppose our excitement blinded us. Even so, they were impressive birds, and it was unusual and fun to see two of them together. An auspicious start to the day.

Cruising almond-blossom country

The blossom tour (on the Wayfarer app) was well-designed. Working with my phone’s GPS, it provided directions, along with cultural and historical information, whenever we reached certain predetermined points along the way. Printable maps showed the route, highlighted the best spots for photos, and suggested places for eating and shopping.

Our first official stop on the tour was Rodin Farm’s produce stand, where they sell almonds in every conceivable flavor, from jalapeño-cheddar to cinnamon toffee. A colorful array of fruits and vegetables, along with local honey, salsas, preserves, and dried vegetable chips rounded out the offerings. We bought a few treats to munch in the car, including some baked garlic “chips,” which were actually whole cloves of garlic, roasted to nutty crunchiness — and addictive.

The farm stand was situated on the edge of an almond orchard where, contrary to local norms, visitors were encouraged to walk and take photographs. It was a perfect almost-spring morning — and the pink-and-white blossoms, humming with bees, were sunlit and photogenic. We spent a happy half-hour exploring and taking pictures. Here’s a sampling.

From the farm stand, we continued our drive through many more acres of almond trees, eventually winding our way out to Knight’s Ferry. Here, a covered bridge was built in 1863: at 330 feet, it is the longest one west of the Mississippi. This bridge replaced an earlier structure, which was swept away in an historic flood in 1862. And that first bridge had replaced the ferry service established in 1849 by the eponymous Dr. William Knight and his partner, James Vantine, to ferry gold rush traffic across the Stanislaus River. Hence the name of the town. Judith, Chris, and I explored the bridge and the remains of a grain mill, while Craig — our designated driver — napped.

More blooming orchards followed, as we continued our tour. On the guide’s recommendation, we made a stop at a cheese shop in Oakdale, which was founded in the 1980s by immigrants from the Gouda region of Holland and now specializes in various kinds of gouda cheese: original, aged, special reserve, flavored… (I foolishly chose to take home some cheddar!) The tour guide also urged us not to miss the local almond-butter milkshakes, but we instead made our way to Doc’s Q’in Pit Stop (a name that took me quite a while to decipher!) for some terrific barbecue.

By the time we’d finished our late lunch it was nearly four o’clock, so we had just enough time to squeeze in a little wine-tasting. Despite the tour guide’s assurances that Gallo, which is headquartered in Modesto, is now making high-end wines, we opted instead to drive up to the Lucca Family Winery in Ripon, a few miles north. Lucca has an extensive tasting menu with affordable and agreeable wines. We relaxed on their patio, trying different varietals and blends, and finally chose a few bottles to take home.

The winery is set on the edge of yet another almond orchard, so we took advantage of the golden light of late afternoon to get a few more pictures before heading home. It was a long day, especially for our driver (thanks, Sweetie!), but interesting and satisfying.

Buckeye Creek in bloom

I have mentioned before the little hike along Buckeye Creek that Craig and I love so well. We do it in all seasons, and every trip rewards us with something new. On the Sunday after our Modesto blossom tour, we decided to stretch our legs with our favorite walk.

Lots of green still remained from the December rains, and the plum trees were coming into early bloom. In some places the trees cluster along the path, but my favorites are the ones that intermingle with the buckeye and oak and eucalyptus trees, the dainty plum blossoms offering a delicate counterpoint to the surrounding greenery.

Now, two weeks later, the blooms are all but gone — a short season — but the blossoming trees reminded me of a round that I call “Signs of Spring.”

Blossoms on the plum,
Wild winds and merry,
Leaves upon the cherry,
And one swallow come. 

Florabundance!

The weekend after our blossom adventures, Chris and I made our way out to Golden Gate Park for the Pacific Orchid Exposition. It was my first time at this show, which is now in its 70th season. Proud growers showed off their latest hybrids, and I was amazed that they’d been able to coax their plants into such glorious bloom just in time for the show. Ribbons indicated the prize-winners, but I found it difficult to see why some of these beautiful plants had been deemed more deserving than others. All were spectacular to my eyes.

Chris and I both took quite a few pictures of the amazing orchids in the show. As I look over my photographs, I am inevitably reminded of the fact that flowers are the reproductive organs of plants. These orchids were positively seductive in their vivid colors, their gaudy patterning, their sweet or musky scents, and their come-hither looks. I suppose pollinators were the wild orchids’ original seducees (yes, that is a real word), but the main targets of these hybridized and carefully-cultivated blooms are undoubtedly of the human kind.

Orchids for sale

Chris and I browsed happily through the lavish displays for the better part of an hour before heading over to the much larger and more densely populated sales room. Wow! So many varieties — and such high prices!

Of course, I’m no expert, and my expectations have been set by Trader Joe’s, my principal source of orchids. I always scan their shelves in hopes of finding something beyond the usual pink or white phalaenopsis — not to disparage those — and sometimes I get lucky. But I’ve never paid more than twenty dollars for what passes at TJ’s for an exotic orchid.

At the Expo sale I had the chance to take home something more unusual, and I decided to bite the bullet. I picked six plants of different colors and varieties and brought them home to see if they would acclimate to life on a sunny windowsill. So far, so good. Whether or not they will thrive over the long term is yet to be seen, but for the present, they are beautiful and fragrant and make a lovely addition to the living room.

Orchid inspirations

Last year, as I’ve mentioned previously, I took a couple of drawing classes through our local community college. One project in the second semester was called “Names of Beauty,” an exploration of concepts of beauty from different cultures. Using a single object as our focus throughout the entire project, we made multiple pastel drawings, each borrowing from a different aesthetic tradition. We explored form and color, tried multiple drawing techniques and compositions.

I chose to work with a small orchid plant, and at first I found inspiration to be elusive. But as I read more about wabi sabi and yapha and ashe concepts of beauty, I began to enjoy trying out different styles and approaches. Without the prompts, I would certainly never have come up with such a wide range of drawings. So here they are — “8 Views of an Orchid” — grouped as I presented them to the class. (It’s funny, but I think these digital images actually look better than the original pastels!)

• Wayfarer Driving Audio Tours
• Rodin Farms
• Oakdale Cheese and Specialties
• Historic Knight’s Ferry: History
• Doc’s Q’in Pit Stop
• Lucca Winery
• San Francisco Orchid Society

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