Well and truly Spring in California...

SO cool!

How special, thanks for posting, Randy - you're a brave man! LOL

At first I thought, well, why can't he post that here, then I remembered. ;-)
I had a Western Scrub jay dive bomb me yesterday while watering because it's baby was hopping around on the ground by the back fence, actually hit my head twice! Now I have to stand at a distance and jet the water to my pots. My puppers must have already been hit too because they avoid the area.

One of our female orioles keeps coming to the living room window, clinging to the little ledge. Yesterday, I thought it was because the feeder was empty and she was just looking around for another one, but she did it again today. It's hard to not think they know someone/thing is on the other side of the window when they do that. :-)

Do you think she sees her reflection?

Am I amazed or what? Randy, I loved the video of the baby Hummer. It brings back lots of memories. It also woke up two cats when they heard the baby Peeping. LOL!
Buddy Holly is in trouble for chewing on my guitar. He won't be doing that again. He also worried me silly last night by disappearing. The last few nights the coyotes have been close to the house. Buddy showed up about five this morning. Is currently sleeping off his night out on my bed.
Spirit has been keeping an eye out for him. Up to and including sitting on the cat and barking hysterically for someone to come get The Budster. Buddy of course doesn't like that. Oh well! :- )
Maybe it does see it's reflection. Lots of birds fly into windows because they see their reflection.
Have 2 pretty photos to share of the Chinaberry tree blooming.
WIB!
SW

I was kind of disappointed that the flowers weren't as clear in this photo, but I was aiming at the berries. Last one for now. : - )
WIB,
SW

Last Thursday I saw something black falling from a large Eucalyptus tree just across the back fence from the campus where I work. It landed on my side of the fence and started running/hopping toward one of my beds. This 'bird' jumped up into a Photenia bush and got its wings caught up in the branches. I extricated him/her from the shrub and pulled out the cutest baby crow you've ever seen. It's a little larger than a typical blackbird and has slate blue eyes. I'm not sure if that's normal in young crows or if it's just an anomaly.

Hopefully the 'bird' forum won't arrest me for doing that.

Hmmm....I dreamed I said something different, but I guess I didn't.....

This message was edited May 17, 2010 10:59 AM

I doubt they will, but the State might - shhh....

Missed you all, and have some photos to share.
We had a good time at my son's prom. We had a great view of Seaport Village and the Coronado Bay Bridge from our room.
I got yelled at for feeding a bird. By DH and YS. I guess there was a sign I didn't see . . .

My YS really enjoyed his Prom and Danced all night (His words). Then he escorted his Dutch Date to the room where her family was staying and came home by 11:00. Which was sweet and cute and funny. Dang, it's a hard thing to watch them grow and to let them go.

I annoyed my DH and son by insisting on taking photos like this one! I made the kids laugh.
I didn't get as many as I wanted, but I did get some good ones.
WIB!
SW

Her Corsage.

Me holding his Boutineer.

The view from our room upon arrival. Those people in the pool look like ants, almost. LOL!
You can see the scariest bridge around, the Coronado Bay Bridge in the distance, and if you look to the left of the pool you can see an open balcony. That's where the prom was held.
The kids would come out on the balcony to cool off every once in a while. No I didn't watch. I didn't care at that point, I was tired. My son told me. : - )
You can also see part of the marina.

Does anyone know what kind of tree that is with the red flowers? I really like it.
We walked around Sea Point Village and checked out their shops.

This is the bird that I got in trouble for.

No one yelled at me for taking a photo of this Bird. : - )

Nice looking couple. Glad everyone had a good time. :-)

The Magnolia's are blooming, and I wanted to see what they looked like close up, and there was this one on the slope about 30 feet up, so I took it's picture! Amazing.

I'm glad they had a good time. I was beat though and I have a supposedly low maintenance boy.
Still it was worth it. We had dinner with her family before the Prom. It was good. : - )

DH made me take this photo of the stadium. It was through the window and almost dark and I don't know who was playing there on Saturday night.

Seaport Village on the right, the bridge, and the marina. Just before dark.

The view the next morning when we woke up. Sea Point Village. Way different than the night before!

Wow! A field full of Corvettes sprang up overnight!

Speaking of which, I must go for now, but I hope you enjoyed this brief picture show of the San Diego area. We did have fun.
WIB,
SW

Glad to hear you and your son had a nice time. That hotel looks awesome from the pics.

The red flowered tree is a Coral Tree.

Thanks SoCal. I really admire it's color, and I've seen a lot of them around the San Diego area.

DH had fun too, but who would think that the hotel would not only charge for internet, (son was outraged), but also for parking to stay in their hotel. Still worth the cost, knowing the kids were safe.
I'm glad to be home where it's not as chilly, but the weather followed me home. Rats!
Do you think it's going to rain at the beach this weekend, SoCal? We're going to the Blues Fest at Doheny. I need to know how to dress warm enough for the weather. My GF's and I have saved all year for this weekend. Sigh. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
WIB!
SW

It was the Dodgers who played Saturday night.

Why was the prom so far away from where you live?

SW, we LOVE that bridge. When DD was little, she would put her hands over her head and ask to go over the 'roller coaster' again. There certainly are lots of fun bridges, but after seeing the Oakland BaY Bridge pancake from the '89 SF earthquake, I think twice about some of them.

Kelli, we don't have much to chose from out here. so it is more appealing for them to have the dances 'over the hill'. Too bad as it is such a long drive. And, now with current teenage driving laws, a lot of kids cannot drive their dates to these dances. even in town. DD will be a senior before she gets her license and will be 18 when she can have kids as passengers.!

QG, I see, makes sense. Also, I keep forgetting that this isn't 1982 when the prom was held in the high school gym. Well, actually, I didn't go, so I don't remember where they had the prom when I was in high school.

I have a San Diego placemat that has a photo that includes that bridge. I have never been on it, but it looks scary to someone who is as afraid of heights as I am. It might be o.k. in a car, but I'll bet I couldn't walk across it.

You certainly wouldn't WANT to walk across it. Every time I've crossed it, it's been like a NASCAR race. Wouldn't be caught dead walking on that thing. (Actually that's probably the only way I'd be caught walking on it.)

Okay, I truly am afraid of that bridge. Think panic attack! I admit it. Due to bad balance I have a fear of heights. The scariest thing about that bridge is the HOV lane. They move it to accomodate the peak traffic. Since they used those big concrete dividers and the machines that move them aren't exactly small, it scares me even more. (Shuddering & shivering!)
I like getting dizzy, it's a cheap high (like spinning in circles on a swing), but I close my eyes on that bridge and on roller coasters, when I could still ride them. Once I got stuck upside down at the top of a ferris wheel for like a half hour. I'm scarred for life. : - (
Poor Jerry McG, was on the ride with me, and he'll never forget it.
It's a beautiful to look at, bridge. Just scary to drive over. I'd never even think of walking over it. I don't have a death wish. Too funny, DP! : - )
I have to admit my current favorite bridges in the area are the old bypassed bridge near KC's, and the Lilac Bridge over the 15 Fwy.
RE: Prom
A lot of kids do car pool, if they can talk someone into driving. A lot of us parents chose to stay overnight either there or in the vicinity. Some kids went in together and rented a limo to take them to and from the prom. A very few were able to drive themselves.
I don't know why they didn't think to rent a bus for the kids to ride, but they didn't. The Jr. Class is the one that planned it, and I'm kind of ticked off at the cost. It wasn't cheap, and stretched our budget, especially with all the other things coming up.
QG was right, Kelli, when she said we don't have a lot of choices out here for venues for a prom. Do you want your kid to go to the prom at a Casino/Resort or in one of the many wine tasting Venues out in Wine Country? Probably not.
If I was going to plan the prom, I'd have gone to Palm Springs so all the girls wouldn't freeze, but I guess they weren't cold when they were dancing. LOL!
I think that when I graduated the Prom was in the Multi-purpose Room/Gym. I didn't go either. When I was a Sr. I was dating a college guy and his band was performing some place else that night, so I went with him.
I did go to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, and I figured it was pretty much the same, except for a bit more formal until the Officers left. They held that at the Enlisted Men's Beach Club off of Basilone Road and the 5 fwy, right next to Trestles Beach. I enjoyed it.
I am glad the kids had a good and safe time at their Prom. No one was hurt, no one got caught doing anything they shouldn't have been doing. It was a beautiful location.
I found this on a wall, and thought that you'd like to see it. They renamed the Ballroom the kids prom was in for this Hero. (Photo taken the following morning, my son is very tired and it shows!) A couple more to follow.
Enjoy,
WIB,
SW

A closer view of the center frame, on the wall. Sorry about the flash light reflection, but it's kinda cool that it shines right where it does.

A close up of one of the Certificates inside that Memorial Frame.

This is the other Certificate.

Please note that the California Flag is in the background under the uniform, and badges he earned.
I'm a patriot, and I thought the history of the tower Ballroom was interesting. I hope you enjoyed seeing that even big business honors our Heroes.
WIB!
SW

Our senior prom was in the teacher's lounge at UCSB (yes, I lived in Santa Barbara then). As I recall, it was not very glamorous. It was the same year as the big oil spill offshore SB from the Union Oil rig. Fast forward 10 years and it is the year people are waiting in line to get gas (yes, I am that old) and our 10 year reunion is a dinner and dance at the same teacher's lounge. Only now I live in LA County and work downtown for Union Oil. Hmm, what to say when someone asks where you work, what do you do (I was working on Union's Allocation program). Not one to start some big political brou-ha-ha, I said I was a secretary for an insurance company. Funny thing no one asks you further questions.

Try to not tell them you work at the womens prison. That's always fun. A real conversation stopper. Unless they want the gory details (weird!).
I used to work for the Dept. of Corrections. I pushed a lot of paper. It wasn't fun, but the bennies were good. Maybe too good. I was really happy to retire and have kids and grow trees. I'd just tell people that I pushed a lot of paper and left it at that.
WIB~
SW

Thanks for the tour Jules. I'm so glad that you had a great time!