Just south of my house on Johnson Avenue the neighborhoods begin to dissipate and green hills spotted with cows come into view. A little farther down Orcutt Road and on into Edna Valley, the vineyards blanket the landscape causing a color shift with each new season. During the winter the vines look bare and dead. With the arrival of spring green leaves grow quickly throughout the vineyard. In the fall, everything seems to burst into radiant reds, oranges and yellows. A mile more towards Arroyo Grande, the land goes flat in places and the cash crops start popping up. As you go by you might notice the scent of bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes, strawberries, and right now, lots of tall green wheat.
Overlooking the rolling hills, vineyards, volcanic uprisings that make up the San Luis Obispo landscape, Andrea and Ilario laid down some gravel, created an altar and lined up enough chairs for their Californian and Italian families to come together and celebrate their decision to marry. It was a day I will never forget.
