Agapanthus

It's agapanthus time in my backyard again. They look so dramatic against the gray foggy sky that we've been having lately.

Oxalis

Oxalis in my backyard. I thought the holes that insects chewed made an interesting pattern in the flower.

Spring

It's starting to look like spring in the hills. Everything is turning green and growing like crazy. Fortunately we've had rain this year, unlike last year, when there were no wildflowers at all.

More Rain

It's raining here again, even though it never rains in California, and this was supposed to be a very dry year. I love the patterns the rain drops make on the windows. This is the view from my kitchen.

Rain in Southern California

We're finally getting some significant rain, after a year or more of drought.

Fall

The light was especially beautiful in the backyard today, and it's starting to look like fall.

Rain

We got a little rain last night, and I love the way the rain drops look on the leaves in the morning.

Spring Has Sprung

My backyard is in full bloom, and even the ground looks lovely scattered with fallen flower petals and buds.






The wisteria is particularly beautiful this year, and its sweet scent seems stronger than usual.



You'd never guess we're in the midst of a drought.

Spring Is In the Air

This is one of my favorite flowering plants in the backyard, and it's just beginning to bloom. I don't know what it's called, but isn't it gorgeous?

Click on image to enlarge.

Rainbow at Sunset

There was a double rainbow at sunset today.

Spider on Drugs

Have you ever seen a spider web that looks like this before? I haven't.

Grasshopper

I hardly ever see grasshoppers here, so I was kind of excited when I saw this one of one of my screens today.

Fire

This is a composite panorama of the smoke in the sky at about 5:30 today -- an hour and a half before sunset. You can't see it here, but the sun was blood red. It was dark out, and it was raining ashes. I guess this is from the fire burning near Ojai, sixty or so miles away. It's amazing that the ashes can travel that far. Very sad for the wildlife.

Woolly Blue-Curl

I love these Woolly Blue-Curls, and I did some impressionistic photos of them today, before they're gone and no longer in bloom.



They look so fanciful and fun -- a bright spot of color that jumps out at me whenever I spot them on the trail.

Parker Mesa Overlook

I went on a hike last night with the Temescal Canyon Association. We hiked up the Paseo Miramar Trail in Pacific Palisades to the Parker Mesa Overlook, where we would have been able to see views of the city from Pasadena to the Channel Islands, if it hadn't been foggy! We were up above the fog, but the fog below kept us from seeing anything.

It was 5.3 miles with a 1200' gain, and I'm definitely feeling it in my thighs today. We came down fast, because it was getting dark, and I think the downhill got me more than the uphill.



One of the other hikers had a watch with a GPS system that told us our precise mileage and altitude. Wow! That is so cool. If I had one of those I'm sure I'd spend more time fiddling with the watch than watching the scenery unfold around me. That's also why I can't have a TV. Too easily distracted and hypnotized by fascinating technology. I probably shouldn't have a computer, either.

More Rain in Southern California

It rained again today. I guess our dry spell is over. The weather report said showers, but instead we got another deluge. This is one of my camellias, photographed through the rain-spotted window:



Today I started a couple of paintings on watercolor paper. I usually work on canvas, but I've had a few people ask for works on paper, so I decided to try it. It gives a whole different look, because some of the paint soaks into the paper. The brushstrokes are much more evident than they are on my paintings on canvas.



We had a visitor on the patio tonight. I think these guys are so cute! Kind of a like a cross between a teddy bear and a big rat. The cats were not impressed, however.

More Blooms

I don't know what these flowers are, but they're some sort of bulb, and they bloom at this time every year. Aren't they gorgeous? This is the prettiest time of year in Southern California.

Sweet Violet

The sweet violets in my backyard are beginning to bloom. I love this time of year, when the oxalis, violets and camellias are blooming, and then in another month the wisteria will start to bloom. They hold the promise of spring.