Frost damage here in my garden in the foothills above Santa Cruz consists of the following: - brugs at the bottom of the hill lost some of their leaves, but are still in full bloom. Interestingly, a fully exposed brug. sanguinea has zero frost damage, so it seems much hardier than the regular brugs. Brugs at the top of the hill were completely undamaged. - mountain papaya leaves got nipped back everywhere except where there was some overhead protection. - Very fresh growth on cherimoyas and white sapotes at the bottom of the hill got nipped back, not a trace of damage on the same varieties at the top of the hill. - All banana leaves got fried thanks to a sprinkler going off in the middle of the night, but ensete ventricosum is still green/red. Ensete ventricosum leaves appear to be a degree or two hardier than regular banana leaves. My Hawaiian apple banana was unphased by the cold, but it's growing in between two buildings. - Ti plants appear to be amazingly tough, not a trace of damage on any of them! Collacacias under canopy appear to be fine, exposed ones have light damage. - Cannas didn't get damaged, go figure that one out. - All palms, including king, parajubaea, kentia, basically the works have zero damage. - tropical guavas fine, even the fruit was undamaged. (Fruit ripens in April here) - Some citrus varieties in the lower garden had really tender fresh growth nipped back. - tropical low chill apple trees that are blooming now were unphased by the cold, fruit on my pink lady apple tree were not damaged either. Someone relayed back to me that their pink lady tree in Texas took 18F two weeks ago with fruit on the tree, and neither fruit nor leaves were even remotely phased by that cold temperature. All in all, it was a very strange freeze, seems most of the damage is a result of frost/ice crystal formation on plant tissue. It never got very cold here, it just stayed right at freezing or slightly below for a good 8 hours, with lots of humidity in the air, hence so much frost formed. Pockets of the yard with poor air drainage and full exposure to the night sky got colder than other spots. Now I am in favor of removing damaged tissue. The tissue is an entry point for pathogens and fungus. So I usually will cut off any rotten tissue as best I can.

"What used to be Strybing Arboretum is now San Francisco Botanical Garden (at Strybing Arboretum). There is no San Francisco Arboretum." Who the hell cares? This is petty. IT doesn't matter. It's an arboretum IN san francisco. I'm not writing a report on the place. I'm not trying to get into specifics when 90% of the people on this board aren't going to care or know the difference. Let's keep the conversation relevant. How about those athrotaxis? Also, just found out they have a pretty healthy looking sciadopitys and two young fitzroyas (about eight feet tall), though you'll have to ask to see these as they're behind a fence and haven't been planted out yet. The SAN FRANCISCO ARBORETUM (that is, THE ARBORETUM IN SAN FRANCISCO) is located on 9th avenue and lincoln in golden gate park and is totally free and worth going to.

I laughed out loud reading this article! I donÂt know why, when people on the Net ask "What should I do when visiting San Francisco?", we natives always remember the GG Bridge, the Alcatraz tour, GG Park, the Ferry Bldg Farmers Market  but we almost never include Angel Island. ItÂs the largest island in the Bay, and the only one that is a state park. ItÂs not the most convenient to visit, but you donÂt have to have a car, which is a big advantage when staying in SF. And of course, it's the cheapest place to sleep that has a fabulous view! The photos arenÂt remarkable  heÂs a good writer, but a mediocre photographer, LOL. ******** Pitching a tent on Angel Island: An urban camping story David Curran to the SF Chronicle, June 24, 2010 (Full article at link below) (excerpted) "When you go camping on Angel Island, you presumably know before you ever arrive that you're not getting away from it all. You are in fact going to the middle of it all  smack in the center of San Francisco Bay, surrounded by Marin, the East Bay and San Francisco. If you're used to camping in what we generally think of as "the woods," there can be a period of adjustment to this. It may even last your entire stay. ...While we definitely weren't in the Sierra backcountry, we also hadn't driven five hours. Combine the proximity with the spectacular views and you get why campers have to reserve one of Angel Island's nine sites six months in advance. Yes, there are other attractions, but I doubt people spend the night in the howling winds just to be first in line at the island's Segway scooter rental. There are some oddities to Angel Island camping, which seemed to throw me for a bit of a loop when planning the trip. For one, it is an island. Surprise! This means you must take a ferry. On this note, do not, like me, spend weeks planning how to catch the Larkspur ferry because that would be wrong. What you will take is the Tiburon ferry and if you're smart, just bring backpacks." Here is a link that might be useful: Angel Island camping: SF Chron article link

I agree. Don't rush through Yosemite. Pictures don't do it justice. The place is so astonishing and you feel like a tiny bit of humanity in that valley. It's like the Grand Canyon because you know it's big but until you're there, you can't get the feeling of being overcome by the majestic grandeur of the valley. Also, some of the best intimate parts of Yosemite are on a small hike so you need a few days to do that. The upper meadows are completely different and charming, but again, you need a separate day to drive up and see them. I wouldn't want to choose what to see in Yosemite in a few hours. It would be like going and then missing out on what makes it so special. Also, there is traffic in the summer so parking is hard to find. Most of the time you need to use the free shuttles in the summer when time is limited. I like to have all day to walk around the valley. It gives me time to see everything and hear the wind in the trees, the birds, the sound of waterfalls and rivers, laughter of children. For anyone wanting to visit, please see the excellent short films online called Yosemite Nature Notes by the park service. America is incredibly lucky to have this precious valley.