Beach Trip

A week or so ago Mike surprised me with a trip to the BEACH!
 

I love it...probably in part because I'm not bothered nearly as much by allergies when we are near the ocean.

I love the sound, the smell, the beauty and yes, even the sand.   



  







Sunrise in Santa Cruz

 

Beach and trees in Carmel.

And dinner in Monterey.

It was a refreshing break from our in-land location.  Especially because it was unseasonably warm at home that weekend.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Actually today is sunny and beautiful; but this week we have had days of record rainfall.  We had mid-west type thunderstorms in a typically dry climate.  The rain woke us up in the night and drew us to the windows during the day.  Since most of the rain we get is light and spread out over longer periods of time this was a newsworthy event.

 Here are a few photos from a midday storm on Wednesday. 

  Our street was flooded, up over the sidewalks.  Two hours later the street was dry.

 




at this point there were
dark clouds, sunshine,
rain and hail....all at once

 

rain pouring 

over the gutters

rain and hail mixed

looking out the
front door, happy
that I didn't have to

go anywhere that day

Blossoms, Bursting and Fading

Spring is teasing us.  We have had some beautiful weather and some flowers have already come and gone; now we are having wintery weather again.  Here are a few photos from the yard this week.

It is the he end for some...

The last two blossoms on the camellia bush and the fate of the earlier ones.



     
 

 (you can see the bush in the last post, just one
week earlier).

 

 

...and just the beginning for others:

  Some new blooms and leaf buds on the hydrangea.

 

More signs of Spring....

 In our yard this morning....

OK, the one above is a reminder of last Summer and what Spring leads to.

Spring (almost Summer)

We have had a good week. Visited an antique store, did a bit of thrift shopping, enjoyed all the flowers blooming in our yard & welcomed Charlie & Sarah home from their honeymoon.

Enjoying the antique shop we discovered in Escalon.

Some house plants I am rooting to plant in my new pots from the thrift store.


Gerber Daisies & Bird of Paradise in our front yard.


More of the Green Pea Boutique

A pot of petunias

Cherries from our tree out back.


Alyssum and a Martha Washington Geranium

Thrift store finds

indoor plants

First Hydrangea blossom of the season

And last but not least, a small quilt & pillows for Charlie & Sarah (ok, mostly Sarah) from fabric used on the tables at their wedding dinner

Another week

I took a couple of Spring-like pictures of the yard last week.

Almond blossoms in the back yard...

and the tulip tree out front. It has since lost most of it's blossoms due to wind & rain.

The dresser is painted and I really like it!

Here are a couple of photos of the bedroom with the new carpet. We are really enjoying being back on the main floor with a lot more space.



I got a few other chores done this week, inside & out.

Today I applied for a job at Joann's. They said they would call on Monday if I am to get a second interview. I'm not anxious about it and just figure what will be, will be.

Harriet (2) & Spring

I had to take a photo through the window in order to get one of the cat sitting still. She heard me and sat up to stare at the front door.

We have more signs of spring:

Geraniums ready to burst into bloom
& new fronds on the fern;

Freesia, which continued to bloom all winter;

And lilacs on both sides of the backyard.