The orchard used to supply fruit to a totally self-sufficient institution for the developmentally disabled. With the dismantling of large institutions, the orchard was abandoned to its own devices and is now incorporated into Jack London State Park, just up the hill from what remains of the Sonoma Developmental Center, remaining residents being too fragile to participate in the old farming activities. Though some trees have died, many still do flower stunningly (we missed that show by a couple of weeks) and produce delicious plums, apples and apricots (we were way too early for that) which local folks in the know come and pick for free. Between those brief seasons, it still provides great scenes for landscape painters, one of whom was our guide on the walk up there. Especially beautiful scenes when we were there, what with all the wildflowers blooming, turning whole patches of hillside purple ... or white, or yellow, or orange, depending on where you looked.
