We're two weeks from spring here in the central valley in Cal. Our early blooming trees (plums, apricotts, almonds...etc) begin blooming in mid Jan. Its quite a sight to see hundreds of thousands of fruit orchards blooming at the same time. My one lilac is about to leaf out and my citrus are putting out new growth and flower buds. I was out today doing some yard work and the weather was perfect (60 for a high and 40 for a low). lets just hope that we dont get another freak arctic blast like we did last January.

"Eureka ain't San Diego, but it does have warmer winters than up here" Yes but the CA entire coast has a ridiculously low variance between winter & summer highs: 65F to 77F in San Diego; 55F to 66F in Eureka. Santa Cruz really goes out on a limb with 60F to 74F. Your summers actually manage to be warmer than Eureka's, as well as your winter being cooler. (I wouldn't say colder in the grand scheme of things. You're not Fargo! Seattle's high is 45F in December.) I'm just surprised they bother to seasonally color there; particularly since winter has more rain and you'd almost expect that to make them to start growing at that time. It's interesting how quite a few East Asian plants will cotton to summer dry/winter wet places - in Barcelona there are giant Pittosporum tobiras including some that looked semi-wild and certainly not watered. (they might have been another species, but that's what they looked like) Their winter wet is a little different though; peaking earlier but lasting longer into the warm season. This post was edited by davidrt28 on Thu, Feb 21, 13 at 13:59

Yours were not the only weather bones making complaints. I told several people that this was not going to be pleasant. We had a forecast of over 1/4 inch rain today, getting icky tonight. Well, it was about 35F, raining, soaking everything thoroughly after lightning and thunder and a good bit last night. Next thing I know that rain was WHITE! Over half an inch of white rain later, it decided to get "clear" again, and now it's coloring up again. IT IS APRIL darn it! All my daffodils are lying face down in their beds! Now that I think of it, I might go bry my head in my bed too!

Lars..that is where my clients lived for a while with their daughter who is an actress..they visited her frequently..I have seen many photographs.. I hope you are going to the Artist's tour.. I have seen your brother's work in a post you made and I loved it.. We have our own little one..But unlike Venice..we get smaller crowds..and our real estate is actually affordable. Our climate does not compare:) I know.. I really don't travel a lot.. but who knows what the future holds...You always look like a good time is had by all at the get togethers. And our dollar is on the upswing. I remember over 30 yrs ago..our dollar was at par..then worth a touch more..then downhill from there on..until recently.. Cross border shoppers are flocking to the States again.. I have always enjoyed that. Here is a clipping from our local paper this week.. Artists welcome Studio Tour's return Now in its third year, The Hudson and Region Studio Tour is back again this fall after two very successful seasons. Last year, over 1100 visitors came from 40 different communities to check out our local talent. This year's tour will include 16 artists/artisans, ten of who are returning from last year. Six new artists include two sculptors, two mixed media artists and a bird carver. The Tour will be held September 23-24th and, again this year, admission is free. Other mediums include photography, ceramics, quilting, stained glass, painting, paper-making, telescope carving and jewelry design. Here is a quick first peek at the artists in this year's tour: Ian Coristine's aerial photography has been featured in publications including Gourmet, Canadian Geographic and France's Le Figaro. His first book, "The 1000 Islands" is a multi-year bestseller. His second book, "Water, Wind and Sky" was released last year. Heather Dubreuil is a quilter who works with both original and traditional designs. Heather has produced award winning quilts, wall hangings and pillows in her sun-filled studio overlooking Lake of Two Mountains. Heather favors rich, saturated colors in her "country style" pieces and in her contemporary batik works. André Floyd, ceramic artist and potter, creates decorative tableware using hand-thrown porcelain featuring glaze paintings of picturesque moments of Canadiana. Gérard (Gerry) Fuentes is a bird carver who started out by carving ducks and then discovered raptors. This new passion brought immediate results in prizes at all levels, including first prize at the Quebec Championship in 2005. This year Gerry took blue-ribbon honours at the World Bird Carving Championships. Gerry also gives carving courses in his studio in St Lazare. Normand Fullum is an award-winning telescope maker who has carved scopes from rosewood, birch wood and cherry wood. His artistic carving style ranges from Victorian to Shaker to Modern. Joanne Kielo is a paper artist who explores the potential of flax (linen) in her handmade paper art. She grows her own flax and operates her papermaking studio "The Barn" in Hudson. She will begin exhibiting her work this month in Ottawa in a show entitled Subtle Body Revisited. Rosalie Levi's sculptures and jewellery reflect the spirit and energy within the form, with fluid and sensual lines. They are cast in bronze, silver, resin or ciment fondu. Her works have been exhibited in galleries in Montreal and Toronto. John Marok is an artist who adapts and develops each visual act of motifs, themes, rebuses and symbols toward a sense of wholeness. The print media he employs are woodcuts, serigraphy and intaglio using papers from European and Oriental sources. Joanna Olson creates paintings using water media and oil, traditional and experimental as well as handcrafted jewelry. Using a torch and glass rods from Venice, she designs and creates glass beads and pairs them with handmade sterling silver components, freshwater pearls and semi-precious stones. Denise Paquette is a colorist for whom nothing exists but her concentration on the application of colors when she is at work in her studio. She takes the lead when beginning her painting but soon the paint, paper and water have their say and give her something excitingly unexpected. Sylvia Portner has a pottery studio making wheel, thrown and hand-built stoneware in blue and earth-tone glazes. Her work is oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Adèle Reeves is a sculptor who celebrates the symbiotic relationship of humans and the natural world through ceramic sculpture, big, small and wearable. Suzanne Reid's prints have been exhibited extensively since 1970. Her prints are renowned in Canada as well as abroad by the originality of her woodcut using a reduction method technique. She has been represented in prestigious public and private collections in Canada and abroad. Monique Verdier is an intuitive artist/artisan using mixed media in her studio in response to her environment. Monique will show you how the combination of canvas, paper, watercolor, acrylic, collage and stamping can produce images either realistic or abstract with rich surfaces and surprising complexity. Her garden art is original and charming. Solange Villeneuve is a painter whose work has a bright and luminous style and is superimposed with linear graphics. She has had her work exhibited in Quebec, France and the USA. Her paintings come from the heart and all who have seen them experience a renewed interest in the arts. Shernya Vininsky derives her inspiration for her paintings and stained-glass works from nature, whether it's horses, birds, flowers or panoramic landscapes. With 16 artists to visit this year, there is sure to be something to please all art lovers. Keep an eye open for more information about the tour in upcoming issues. The organizers, Al and Georgia Jared and John and Betty Marok will once again soon have their website up and running. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joanna Olsen is one of my favorite artists:) And Mrs.Villeneuve is my daughter's friends mom.. Mrs.Dubreuil is one of our physician's wives..It's a small town what can I say?:) There are similarities..all through the world aren't there!