Our Spring Weekend in Asti

Last weekend in the wine country was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was in the upper 80's and Spring was definitely in the air. We spent the day on Saturday cleaning and getting ready for the warm months to follow. Of course I had my camera at the ready, trying to capture the gloriousness of the day.

We ended up doing a lot of "spring cleaning." All the lanterns under the pool house, as well as the barbeque and sink area got a good scrubbing. During the winter, mice got in under the cabinets, so that was a job to clean up too. I guess that's a fact of life when living next to a field!

While Mr. A was scrubbing the barbeque, I wanted to do something fun, so I put a tablecloth on the table and staged it with lanterns and an old grain sack that I found in Texas.

Dexter and I felt like exploring, so we decided to walk down to the edge of our property and check out the new growth on the vines in the neighboring vineyard.

Just a month or so ago, there were no leaves on the vines. How beautiful are these Cabernet Sauvignon vines and the wildflowers growing below? They belong to Rodney Strong Vineyards.

Walking back, Dexter and I noticed how the fields are full of wild flowers like these wild sweetpeas.

Looking back up from the vineyard: the pool house....

.....And the pool and main house.

Time to get back to work! We harvested all the Spring garlic and planted some vegetables like these heirloom tomatoes. What a job! The soil needed to be amended, so there were a lot of wheel barrel trips back and forth with fresh soil.

I hope the squash grows. Last year, I planted too late and didn't get one squash!

Here is our raised bed garden outside the kitchen door. I found these bamboo teepees at Orchard Supply last year and they make great tomato cages. We ended up planting four heirloom tomatoes.

Looking from the pool house toward the raised bed garden is this flower bed. I planted about ten hollyhocks in here next to the existing roses and sweet alyssum.

Looking up, I see a parachuter gliding down over the oak tree. I can hear the screams of fear and exhilaration from above! There is no way I will ever do this! My feet are firmly planted "terra firma!"

This view is my exhilaration!

I'm joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday.

This is a great place to be inspired by beautiful outdoor photography, so check it out!