Sunny All Day

This evening we had a gathering of a handful of people from church who came to visit with a former member who's moved away. So many folks said the same thing: we need more gatherings like this, the kinds of events that really bond the community. That's just the way I grew up, drenched in Southern hospitality. I have to admit, I miss that here sometimes. More gatherings? I'm all for it! I should post a picture of all the guests, but this bright, cheerful image captures the feeling of the day...

Forget Me Not...

Every time I see these minute blossoms springing up in the wild, I'm reminded of one of my favorite family stories, about the courtship of my great-great grandparents. Sarah was very young, 14, when John (rather older) fell in love with her. Her parents told him he would have to wait until she was sixteen to marry. He was bold enough to ask permission to write to her, but not so forward as to sign his letters "Love"; instead he wrote "Forget Me Not"...

When they married, her rings were a little blue flower crafted of turquoise petals with a citrine center, and a band with the phrase engraved on it. The flower ring is long since lost, but I still have the band. I may not remember the details precisely, but the sentiment is one I'll never forget...

Signs of Spring

It's coming!

Pop Art

These water bottle flowers, strung from ceiling to floor in a shop window, just stopped me in my tracks as Laura and I were running errands in Berkeley today. We watched a couple of women making them, their hands cut to smithereens by the sharp plastic. They were using spray paint and heat guns to create the final product, so technically it's not recycling, but still: you have to give them points for ingenuity and beauty.

Soul and Flowering

A beautiful day at Osmosis in Freestone...

Fawning Over Flora

These startling passion flowers are growing in profusion on a pergola that shades the walkway leading to our public library. I've passed them a thousand times, and even stopped to admire, but never thought to take a picture. The blossoms don't last long, but they're spectacular.

Perfectly Beautiful

Gorgeous lilies from my adorable Grandfather. Divine. First photo taken with my new iPhone 3Gs, birthday present from my adorable husband. Also divine. I'm spoiled!

Les Eaux de Mars

The abundant waters of March have brought our seasonal levels back into a respectably healthy zone and the rainy days, alternating with warm sunny ones, have provided a profusion of flowers everywhere. The single tiny plum blossom I posted a photo of recently now has thousands of companions.


Seeing all the rain in March reminded me of a wonderful lilting song that became one of my favorites while living in France, Les Eaux de Mars, sung here in French by Georges Moustaki (click the "preview" button on this MP3 download to hear a snippet). Perhaps you know it in the original Portugese version, Águas de Março by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The song is beautiful in any language -- captivating, just like raindrops swelling on tree branches.

Think Spring

This tiny plum blossom caught me off guard -- a harbinger of Spring, despite the fact that the season is officially still a month away. It crept through the rails of the side porch, reaching for the sun and crying "Look at me!" in its whispering wabi-sabi way. It's refreshing to be brought back into focus by an unassuming, imperfect flower. To everything there is a season, and I'm willing to wait: just the promise of the fruit this budding tree will yield is enough to make me positively giddy.

Flowers for Francine

I had lunch today with Francine, an old friend I too rarely have a chance to see. She's smart and funny and opinionated and reminds me that I do still have a brain, however addled it may be at this point in my life.

I took this photo to mark the passing forward of a personal treasure: my Francine flour tin from France. Farine Francine is the French equivalent of Gold Medal all-purpose flour, and I had to save numerous UPC codes from little paper packages in order to send away for the tin. Call me silly, but it became one of my completely-worthless-but-totally-priceless possessions, probably because of the charming watercolor reproductions printed all over it.

Well, it just so happens that I completely overhauled the pantry yesterday, and I finally decided that I could part with said tin and give it to someone who would appreciate it as much as I have. I plopped in a red primrose and presented it somewhat unceremoniously, but Francine seemed to really love it, and later emailed me to say that it has a place of honor on the sill of her red-curtained kitchen window. Much better than hidden away in a dark pantry. How serendipitous!

Happy New Year from Animal Kingdom!

Animal Kingdom offers us a "peaceful" respite

from the last couple of days.

Long in the tooth! This cheeky llama kept

swinging around to get a closer look at us.

The gang lets loose somewhere on the African plains.

Pssst, Chloé, this isn't really Africa...

This morning at the pond in front of our hotel I was delighted to see a
blue heron, harbinger of prosperity and good fortune,
putting his best foot forward on the first day of the new year.

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

The choral group that Chloe sings with, Les Etoiles, took part in the annual Singers Marin holiday concert this afternoon. I would have posted a picture from the concert, but it was too dark and I was too far away. But I heard two beautiful renditions of Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming today, and it reminded me of this photo. Although, now that I actually look at it closely, I think those are camellias... Anyway. Not to brag or anything, but when Chloe sang her solos, it brought tears to my eyes. Where did she get that amazing, angelic sound? I don't know, but I can truly say her voice is her gift, and I'm so glad she gets to share it.

Hübsche Blumen

Spring Glory

April turned into a hectic month for us, with lots going on and everyone going in different directions, but little time to reflect or write. So it was great for the whole family to get away last weekend to the Bishop's Ranch in Healdsburg for a brief retreat. The kids love this annual event and enjoy the countryside, picking flowers, watching for snakes, hiking up to a hidden treehouse and playing with friends. Spring was in full bloom, and I was lucky enough to stop for a moment to "smell the roses"...