Beautiful Spring in Review ... Southern California

Greetings friends!

I did a fare amount of running around Southern California, over the Spring. These are a few of the "out of town" shots I took, in April and May.

First up, my parents house in Ojai ... everything was blooming in April, especially the fruit trees.

Some music ... (I just saw James Taylor last Saturday!)

Even the cactus was flowering!

Those previous photos were taken the weekend of my cousin Jennifer's Bridal shower.

Yes, I already posted another bridal shower, but that was the family shower. This, was the shower for her friends. I ran to the Los Angeles Flower Mart, before heading up to Ojai. There were several dozen roses involved (9 dozen? 10?) and my mom and I created little bouquets and put them in her silver tea pots, and little silver creamers.

This is one of the tables ...

 

I found the fans, which we put at each place setting, in a little shop in Chinatown, and my Mom tied pretty chiffon ribbons on them. 

My sisters yummy chocolate, chocolate chip bunt cake ...

I will never understand how some people don't love chocolate. I mean, I know it happens, but how? They must have completely different taste buds. It's just beyond my comprehension.

Anyway, I also love cheese (see below) though I can't say it loves me back. 

The bride enjoying the lilacs, which were also in bloom, in my parents' garden ...

After the shower, the bride sat with her sister and a few friends, relaxing under my favorite sycamore tree.

It was such a beautiful day!

My cousin Alli on the tree swing ...

The Wedding was four weeks later ...

 

Jen and Phil, are both artist/designers and they made everything by hand. Everything. This included the flower bouquets, and centerpieces on the tables. They used recycled sheet music, which was so lovely, because music plays such a big role in their lives.

My adorable nephew was the ring barer ...

O.K., back to Ojai, to my sister's place ...

Lucy the Labradoodle. Can you even handle this face?

My sister, Penny, finally got her chickens this spring, which she's been wanting since they moved to Ojai 9 years ago!

They got 6 full grown Chickens, that were already laying eggs. No messing around here. They end up with 5 or 6 eggs a day, I think. Perfect for carbonara! yay!

This is Minerva ...

Penny also threw their big BBQ, they put on every 2 years. This year was a Luau theme.

Penny and I, in our vintage dresses. Her dress belonged to her mother-in-law and mine was my Grandma's from the 1950s. Fun, right?

I don't know what kind of voodoo magic goes on with my sister's kangaroo paws, but they go crazy in the spring! 

Now is the time to know 

That all you do is sacred ...

Now is the time for you to deeply 

compute the impossibility 

that there is anything but grace.

~Hafiz

Blessings and light!