New hat, new gardening shoes, and a backyard filled with flowers! Mothers Day in Cali aint so bad!

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Grandpa and Sumi :) She's prettier than these roses by far, and such a joy!

"Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother."
~G. Norman Collie

Hit the Kern River Bike Trail again last sunday, what a treat! Things have greened up even more since they have released more water over the Lake Isabella Dam (out in the Mojave), the river is running high and fast. The last time we viewed one of the 4 (I believe) dams along the bike trail, the water was just a slow meandering stream, take a look at it now (below)! Really charging thru those gates!

It was one of those "perfect" day, temps in the high 80's but with a lovely breeze and a "coolness" generated by all the surrounding water. We rode all the way into Bakersfield, think it was about 22 miles roundtrip, stopping for lunch at California Pizza with some friends. A gourmet pizza of Gorgonzola cheese & pear, topped with a mountain of mixed baby greens and gorgonzola dressing was perfect, washed down with lots of fresh lemonade! The trip home was a little slower going, needless to say, but just as enjoyable.

Water Hyacinths by the dozen! I came across a pondfull of these so "adopted" a few for my water feature. I used to have to purchase these babies for several dollars each back in WA state! Here they flourish on every river and pond. My little fountain is still burbling (bubbling and gurgling) in the center.

I am anxious for them to bloom.

How I spent my day...it gets soooo hot out on this deck most summer days, and the "misters" alone (that Rod installed last summer) don't quite cut it, so we purchased a lovely ceramic pot, small pump and fountain head, and voila! A gurging water feature. Just the sight and sound manage to shave a few degrees off a hot day!
p.s. Thats my orange tree you see, all in bloom. The scent that wafts across the deck is intoxicating! Seeing lots of tiny little oranges emerging.

Memories of Whidby Island. Most years we would always manage to fit in a quick trip over to Whidby Island, just off the coast of Anacortes, WA. The sounds of the gulls, and the eternal music of the surf never ceased to erase all stress and worries, we left those behind. There are several small towns on the island, these pictures were taken in Coupeville (there was a movie with Nichole Kidman and Sandra Bullock filmed there several years ago).

If you enlarge the last picture you'll be able to see this wonderful little coffee shop we used to regularly visit most mornings. They had shelves of old books we could browse as we ate a warm scone and sipped hot cappucino's out on their little deck.

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea." ~Isak Dinesen

More scenes from along the bike path. The "pods" you see in the first picture were a real mystery. Enlarge it to get a better view. We found ourselves remembering back to Invasion of the Body Snatchers! The pods were scattered all over this field, all dried out and cracked open, like some small creatures (miniature aliens?) had emerged from within, and who knows, may be walking amongst us now. Dee dee dee dee....

Next shot has a rubber tree in the foreground, and an old abandoned railroad trestle crossing the river. The red you see in the river itself is some sort of plant life, it was only growing in this particular patch of the river. Hmmm.

And lastly this little "island" of lavender wild flowers. Perhaps this is where the "Miniature" alien pod people are hiding?

"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." ~Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat

There is a wonderfully long bike path that runs from Hwy 43 all the way into Bakersfield, and then I understand it meanders through a good section of the city. We took our new bikes out for their "maiden voyage" and were amazed at the awesome "nature trail" it really is. The river, large water reservoirs, various dams, plant and bird species revealed a hidden world we had stumbled upon. Who knew this cool, lush oasis existed in the midst of this dry desert that is Bakersfield. This last picture (click on to get a better view) shows a black heron looking for his lunch. In contrast there were hundreds+ of snowy white eagrets and herons as well. We only made it about 12 miles our first trip but we'll be back!
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." ~John Burroughs