Thanks, Uptown Gal and Michele. He was a character. I got him at a Baltimore animal shelter. He was two years old, a beagle collie mix and he had the sweet temperament from both those breeds. He was about 14 when he passed.

Fun2BHere, if the mountains you photographed with Palm Springs in the photo are north of Palm Springs, then they are most likely the San Bernardino Mountains. The San Jacinto Mountains are right next to Palm Springs, to the southwest and cast shadows over the city in the late afternoon. You are probably right about the Santa Ana Mountains, but it is very rare for them to have snow, since they are much lower in elevation than the San Gabriel Mountains. I'm not that familiar with Orange County, however. But the San Gabriel Mountains are probably too far from Newport Beach for that view.

Nickel_kg, Thank you for your comment. Yes only 70 years ago. This is how they built houses there for hundreds of years. Many are still intact. Unfortunately not his. Since the early 1990's our relatives there who had looked after the house left for greener pastures. The missing stones were used elsewhere in the village to build other structures.

What better way to kick off Earth Day than with beautiful photos of our planet and a plant sale at our Botanical Garden. That’s where I have been most of today and previous days getting ready.