California is in a drought.  According to a recent update in the LA Times, California is experiencing the third-harshest category for dryness.  I’m sure we’ve all noticed by now that creeks are drying out, water is receding from lake shores and as more of us cut back on water usage, more brown lawns are appearing in the neighborhoods.  As cities struggle to find a balanced approach to the water shortage, some home owners are being fined for using water excessively, while others are being cited for letting their lawns go altogether.  I’ve followed the news in print and TV, but kept going along in my life, busy with keeping up with my kids, work that includes a long commute that I hadn’t taken the time to look around me much, particularly in the Napa Valley.  Last week I finally took an early morning walk near Deer Park and as I looked around I was struck by how brown not just the hills, but everything around me had become.  So I snapped a picture.

The following weekend the husband and I decided to head out to a park near the American River.  It was hot.  We thought we’d find a shady, tree-lined trail to follow along. We only found a sun-driven treeless path that led down to the river.  The sounds of laughter and music drew us to the water’s edge where dozens of rubber rafts were floating down the river.  But as we made our way down to the river, we could clearly see where a creek bed had completely dried up, and water had receded significantly from the river, as signs of where the edge of the bank used to be was visible.  We didn’t stay long – being called upon to rescue some college students from their too-long raft ride – but that’s another story. After the rescue we headed to downtown Sacramento and took a walk around the Capital.  The signs of the drougt were very evident, with entire portions of the usually lush, green, capital lawn completely brown as part of the water-conserving policy.  There was even a sign proclaiming such.

So let’s do our part to keep Napa Valley safe from fire and conserve water responsibly. Whether green or brown, Napa Valley is still beautiful.