Chaenomeles

Quincy's quinces are in bloom all around town.

Mixed Marriage

Actually, they're just living together.

Barn Quilts

I grew up in Pennsylvania, so I know about hex signs and distelfinks and such.

But today, walking to the grocery store with my canvas bag (it is Earth Day after all), I noticed that barn quilts have begun to appear here in Q-topia.

This one is a Japanese lantern motif on the Hop Sing cottage at Ada's Place.

Mike & Valerie caught in the act of "quilting" another Ada's Place cottage.

Con Way

Must be a truckload of convicts on their way to or from the courthouse.

April shovels

You can see where it was; and where it was, it wasn't going to melt any time soon.

Spring Ups (and downs)

Snack up (chow down).

Sod up (bent down).

Sawed up (and down)

Tangled up (broken down).

Built up (cut down). Look here for last year's photo (and before).

Powered up (bills down).

Chipped up (ground down).

Mixed Messages

March Lamb

Finally, and just in the nick of time, gentler weather has arrived so that March can go out in the prescribed manner **.

Crocuses in a corner, tulips in a row.

** In the evening at the beginning of March, Leo the Lion rises in the east just after dusk to bring March in.

After the vernal equinox, the Sun is in Aries the Ram (lamb), the first sign of the zodiac. Therefore, at the end of March "the lamb" is setting in the west at dusk, and taking March out with it.

So from an astronomical point of view, the saying more correctly would be, "March comes in with the lion, and out with the lamb." However in this case meteorology trumps astronomy and so we say, "March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb."

Only a Day Away

When Spring was only a day away ...





The forecast says that more of this is on the way.

Longboards Sesquicentenial

I have posted about the historic Longboard ski races before: here and here (both with video links); but this weekend is something even more special: It was here, 150 years ago, that the first downhill ski races in the world were held. As described in Forbes magazine a few years ago, "... raced by drunken miners with boards the size of telephone poles strapped to their feet". This weekend that spirit (and those spirits) will be revived again. Come join the fun if you can.

There are several events planned, but the Longboard World Championships are Sunday, March 20th from 11AM to 4PM at the Plumas-Eureka Ski Bowl (map). As the poster above says, it promises to be "The world's greatest ever gathering of longboard revival ski racers".

Paddy's Wagon

If you were wondering what to be on the 17th, here is a suggestion.

Winter Breakdowns