February 18th: Rain and Rainbows

I got up early enough to watch the moon set and the storm clouds gather (shades of Close Encounters of the Third Kind)!

And then . . . the darkness gave way to color!


. . . As the rainbows faded, it began to rain in our yard.

Alan Returned to Ventura Just Before Flying Home

After spreading the record warmth to Oakland and the Silicon Valley, Alan returned to Ventura for one last SoCal sunset walk and photo shoot. Unfortunately, the weather was definitely changing and it was COLD AND WINDY by the time we walked back in the dark!

The next morning, it was cool yet still warm enough to sit and have coffee by the pond before I left for work.
But by the time Tom and Alan returned the rental car, it had begun to rain at UCSB, and the wet stuff followed them as they headed down to LAX. Alan's vacation and visit was really over :-(

We Seem to Celebrate Whenever Alan Visits!

When Alan visited the last time, we had our first party since starting our house remodeling. Since Craig & Renee decided not to have their annual Super Bowl party in Anaheim this year, we decided to stay home and throw our own party - two days after Alan's arrival!Like most Super Bowl parties, it was a great excuse to get together and enjoy everyone's company with food, drink, and music. This year, the Rolling Stones played during halftime, and Mark and Seth played during part of the 2nd quarter.

Alan and Dillon spent some time on the computer (although the Super Bowl appeared to have caused an internet overload and knocked out our connectivity during the game.)

Happy Valentines Day!

I am a great fan of whoever is responsible for decorating the big metal Tyrannosaurus rex in front of the Ojai Nursery. The big guy looked especially festive this weekend!

Alan Brought Us Sunny Days!

When Alan left Zurich on February 2nd (that's Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania), they had to de-ice the jet wings twice before take-off! Back East, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, but as I predicted, when Alan arrived at LAX, our cool and cloudy weather turned warm and almost summer-like! In fact, both Oxnard and Los Angeles hit record highs of 85 and 88 degrees while he was here. While Alan was up in the Bay Area this week, Spring sprang at our house!