Spring is in the air

Technically we're still in winter for three more weeks, but when I was driving south through California's Central Valley this week, it sure seemed like spring!  The rural San Joaquin Valley is a large producer of almonds, and all of the trees were in full bloom.

I couldn't resist pulling off the highway to take some photos and wander through one of the groves.  These farmers have been hard hit, first by drought and then by a strike at the Port of L.A.

 Still, it's hard to imagine a lovelier place to be than surrounded by these beautiful, flowering trees.  Now that the strike is over, hopefully the farmers will start seeing some returns as well, and in the meantime, hellooo spring!

Nor Cal Winter

Since coming back from Budapest last month, I've been spending some time in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I can't complain too much about the winter!  It's not the Southern California winters I'm more used to, but this year has been unseasonably warm.  Of course we're in the midst of an epic drought here in California, so some more rain would be appreciated, but there has been enough to make the hills green anyway.

Here is yesterday at Briones Regional Park in the East Bay:

I've also been doing a fair bit of surfing up here this winter, in my brand new 4 mm wetsuit, just right for the Nor Cal conditions.  Recently I braved the temperamental locals down at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica.

Overall, Northern California is a pretty nice place to spend some time and I'm getting a fair bit of writing done, too.  Maybe I'll write a post about my favorite writing cafes that I've discovered while I'm here...

For now, I'll hope for rain (and snow in the mountains), but still enjoy the sunshine while I can!