Winter in Pictures

This winter in inland Mendocino county was probably too good to be true. I'm sure next winter will give me a real kick in the pants, and I do wish we'd gotten more rain, but I have to tell you - this mild, sunny winter was a delight from start to finish.  Here are some pictures to illustrate it, in no specific order. 

Unexpected snow storm while visiting friends in Trinity
county. It all melted by that afternoon (this was a 7 am
"holy crap it's snowing I better get a picture!" shot).

Glass beach in Fort Bragg (site of an old dump, the only
remnants of which are smooth glass and strange
odds and ends buried under the sand). 

Melissa and Joe walk ahead

Typical Fort Bragg weather - sunny one minute, foggy the next.
Despite the weather, Fort Bragg is one of my favorite places in
Mendocino and I could easily see myself living there at some
point (if Ukiah's sheen ever starts to dull). 

Helping Whitney and some teens she works
with make crab cakes for a festival in Ft Bragg.

They were muy delicioso (we made 500 of them!)

View from my bedroom desk.

A pillow cover I made with soft flannel. Considering my
general lifelong crafting failure, it will come as no surprise
to those of you who know me well that I was REALLY 
EXCITED and, I’ll admit it, very proud of myself.

The front is a gorgeous mola that Mary Anne brought
back from Panama - "early bird gets the worm." It's made
from layers and layers of fabric that are cut out to reveal
each fabric's color in the broader design.

Bowling with Melissa, Timin, and Carson at Yokayo
bowl. We had a little wager...

...the losing team had to affix a temporary tattoo...

...and Melissa and Timin lost twice, ending up with
two fake tattoos each. 

Getting ready for the Farmers Convergence at Barra winery.
It was perfect weather for a perfect day! 

Chinese New Year celebration in downtown Ukiah.

Sara enjoys a rad slide at Todd Grove Park.

Carson makes himself at home. (I never
thought that two futons would work in our
small living room, but magically, they do!)

Shawna stopped by for a few days on a road trip. This was
one of several delicious meals we shared, not to mention
the good walks and conversation we had.

Enjoying a lavender latte at Black Oak coffee
while live music plays on a Saturday. (Not
pictured - Meagan, who I never manage to
capture via photo when she's here.)

Carson tries Thai food for the first time. I was impressed
by Ukiah's Ruen Thong. (Carson liked it, too!)

Susan and I enjoy a sushi feast at Walter cafe. 

Everything started to bloom in late February.

So many beautiful trees in bloom!

Even the rain is beautiful when it comes.