More Springtime

DW received a pre-birthday present yesterday! Please meet Mr. Murphy, whose job is to overlook the gardens in front of HiltonHouse.

And there is plenty to overlook, with the roses starting to bloom and the cherry trees beginning their annual April blossom explosions.

Meanwhile, DD's two West Lawn cherry trees, much different varieties, are in blossom at the same time.

It's fun to watch. Lots of fun.

THIS is what is was all about

I actually saw the Benny Goodman Band on the Boardwalk at Atlantic City.

Honda Hybrid Insight

 

  Just click here 

It's a  whole lot of fun, but I'm not sure how environmentally conscious it is.

New Addition to the Extended Kikuchi Family

Please meet Jue & Satoshi's new daughter, Yuna. Welcome, Yuna!

(note the Kikuchi nose :-)

More Spring 2009 Stuff

Seen from afar, under cloudy skies, DD's weepingcherry tree appears dormant. Close inspection, however, reveals little buds with signs of life. Even closer inspection reveals even more...real cherry blossoms!

Thank you, DD.

More Signs of Spring

(I'm having trouble placing text)

Anyway, up at top is the first red leaf of the Japanese Maple.

The groundcover is Periwinkle, now in full bloom.

The white cluster is from the potato bush (?) on the side of the garage.

And the white thingy with the beautiful center may be a zinnea (help!) and it opens to sunlight.

Lots of Spring fun so far.

Springtime 2009

I shall have some new pics of the red-leaf Japanese Maple and, perhaps, the cherry trees soon. In the meantime, I was struck by the following:

"Lonely Red Umbrella"

Another Early Sign

Those are the first leaves of the season on Hisako's Japanese Maple. Soon, there will be more. (Perhaps, from another tree.)

(Click to enlarge. This is important for this pic, since the detail only shows when enlarged.)

For Dog Lovers

 

Something to make you chuckle on a foggy Sunday.

All Publicity Is Good (as long as they spell my name write)

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/uh-oh-white-house-seeks-economic-advice-from-twitter-2009-3

(at least Twitter uses tinyurl)

Thursday's Moon Halo

The halo is apparently caused by zillions of ice crystals in the sky. Some say that the number of stars inside the halo indicate the number of days before the next storm. Don't know about that; just know that it was a wonderful sight.

American Toilet Paper Is The Best!

 

The UK Guardian disagrees:

"People just don't understand that softness equals ecological destruction."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/26/toilet-roll-america

sheesh

USAir 1549 Animation

You go, Sully!

It's Almost March!

Akiko's peach tree is showing definite signs of life.  Can the cherry trees be far behind?

ABC "Nightline" 25 Feb 09

Here's the show.  7:40 minutes:

Aquaducts. viaducts, etc.

The Romans discovered the beauty and utility of the arch. Once discovered, the arch began showing up everywhere, for every imaginable use.

The Greeks had used columns and slabs, much more limited than the arch. Remember the Parthenon. But, arches are much more flexible.

That last one certainly took some guts!

Idle Thoughts

I don't think I can go that fast.

Calm Between Storms

We have a couple of sun days between storms, and guess who opened her eyes to look around. That's Akiko's peach tree above. Lots and lots of buds, and a few flowers.

All in all, a very good sign.

Friends, there are serious problems around us

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/4642259/Eastern-European-currencies-crumble-as-fears-of-debt-crisis-grow.html 

The world, as we knew it, is slowly dissolving. These are dangerous times.

Not to be too sad, however, the daffodils are blooming as usual.

Stimulus

Just what are these lady and gentlemen laughing so hard about? Think about it.

Winter February 2009

That's kind of pretty, isn't it? Not quite like Mts. Lassen & Shasta, however.

Couldn't Resist

 

Everyone's showing off! (Was St. Valentine Irish?) (Just asking.)

Some Have Survived

for Seventy-Five (75) years. And, not only me. :-)

Bowing in appreciation to the kind folks in Missouri.

(Murray says "thanks" also.)

More Golf

If Equador is not your style, let's go the Scotland, the birthplace of the game.

Oops! I think that's Ireland. Let's go back, a bit further East, to:

A bit better, but there's no seaside fairway. Hey, what do you do in an open field if you don't have golf clubs?

Ha! That, I understand. You go, girl!

Rainy Friday

It's raining today, and the Lord knows that we need rain, with its accompanying snow in the Sierra.
But the rain means no golf (at least in California.)
So, let's go to Ecuador.
First, the tee shot:

Followed by the oh-so-gentle putt:

Damn! A Birdie!

Mass Transit in Bromsgrove?

Algore must be right!

Remember when?

 

Truly, I used to have two of these. Marvelous devices.

Our Glorious Leader

 

is definitely multi faceted.

Changing of the Guard

 

January 20th 2009. A peaceful transition. Pretty neat!

There Shall Be Spring

 

The splendid roses had to be pruned, actually about a month late, to provide for new growth (soon!) Meanwhile, up to the right, hints of soon-to-come daffodils look promising.

 

 The Hardy Camellia bush is looking very healthy, and its vagabond illegitimate child nearby is blooming like crazy.

 

Two Nites in Red Bluff

 

Visited a dear friend, her daughter, her new house, her grandkids and friends, and a golf course in Red Bluff CA this week. Mt. Shasta (above) and Mt. Lassen were always on the horizon.

Lots of fun. 9 holes of golf (with a starter who remembered our name from 6 years ago!) plus home cooking (brandied chicken) and steak/liver at the Green Barn.

On the way back home, we stopped (long story) by the new Links Course at Sevillano, near Corning CA. It looks like an interesting golf course.

Winter in Northern California

Let's see. Last week at this time, it looked like this outside:

Today, we hit 59F (and may go a bit higher tomorrow.) I checked the outside plants. First, of course, are Mieko's roses, which have been blooming all winter:

 

And then, a quick check of our camelia, next to the barn. This hardy bush is always the first to bloom in the Spring. Voila! There are young buds:

  

Spring can't be too far away.

Choices

This is for beginners...

Just Thinking Creatively...

 

Country Estate. River views, in-ground pool, fenced back yard. This is a horse property. Totally fenced acreage. Act quickly, as this listing may disappear quickly!