April Showers Bring May Flowers, or so they say

Roses in Mar Vista on Grand View street. This home has The Best greenway rose garden.

I must make this quick [late for work, what else is new?]

Here's a new Link-up Party for May.
The theme is FLOWERS

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking this party to these parties:
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #ShareAllLinkup

BLOOM!

I'm writing this instead of doing my taxes.
I'm pretending I don't have to do them. La la la la la.

Last Wednesday, I skipped work and went north to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve with Anita and Nancy.
It was INTENSE!

Nancy and Anita -- it was the first visit for both of them.

Like my "hiking boots"? I had to tie down my hat with my scarf -- it was so windy!
Photo by Anita

Photo by Nancy

Anita and Nancy -- strike a pose, girls!

Selfies are hard work.

Anita and Nancy with Bob, a volunteer at the Reserve.
He told us many interesting facts. I don't remember any.

This was only the start of our adventure.
More later!

Linking with Patti's Visible Monday nope, she's on vacation. Lucky! She's back!
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

The Poppy Geezers

Anita and I decided on Friday to drive up the coast Saturday and rendezvous with Stephan to go look at the poppies. It was a beautiful day and a lovely drive. But let's get to THE POPPIES!

See them? Here we are in the Santa Ynez Valley, approaching our target: Mt. Figueroa.

First stop.

Selfies! Geezers can take selfies too!

"Stephan, go stand in the back."

Yah!

 On to the next photo op.

Mt. Figueroa and oak grove.

Anita brought many accessories. She's a professional poser.

 Next.

"Girls, climb up that hill and I'll take pictures."

"Wait, I'm coming up."

"Go stand by that rock."

Random car photobombing. You can see how narrow the road is.
It got gnarly when large SUVs and trucks drove by.

The view from the hill.

 After a VERY SLOW descent, we posed in a bare spot next to the road.
A lady admonished us to not crush the flowers. We didn't. This was an existing bare spot.

Add caption

Final stop at the end of the road.

Our last spot had a handy posing log. Easier than posing at the Fowler with Silvana.

"That's a wrap."

This is the path that we ascended in part 3.
It was the most crowded area, but nothing compared to the 100,00 people that went to Lake Elsinore.

The return to sea level.

Ahhhh! I had SUCH a poppy hangover yesterday!

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

52 Pick-me-up: Sunflower / Joy

••• 

It's Sunflower week on 52 Pick-me-up!
Also Sunflower (ie Golden) Yellow is Coreopsis seen here in an old photo from when I lived on Hudson Street in Pasadena (1988?-93):

Another flower this same color is the California Poppy, a flower that never fails to give me great Joy.
If you live in SoCal, now is the time to plant it, before the rains start.
Hopefully, there WILL be rains this year.

(From the same garden) 

It's also the color used on highways and streets:

My street was recently repainted.  I witnessed it. 

This was my "Halloween" outfit for both Thursday and Saturday.
I bought the scarf exactly 25 years ago in Patzquaro, Mexico.

The tee has a graphic reminiscent of a Día de los Muertos sugar skull.
It's from Bleeding Heart Bakery, Chicago, now closed.

Today is Día de Muertos, a day to remember loved ones who have passed.

Both pictures from the ofrenda at the Farmers Market in Mar Vista.

I'm taking my joyful self on over to Patti's Visible Monday.

How about you?
Sunflower Yellow and/or Joy -- link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Queen Anne's Lace

PURCHASED/ 

Robert Wallace Queen Anne's Lace [source] 

It's a flower power week again, Queen Anne's Lace is our muse.
Do I own anything white and lacy? No.

I rummaged around and put this disheveled mess together.
Sorry, too lazy to press out the wrinkles.
It will not be leaving the back yard!

"Why," you ask?
The huipil (tunic) was pulled from my pile of "art studio" garments.
That's the place where the stained or holey-yet-still-comfortable clothes go.
This is so frayed at the neck and shoulders, I'm not even sure some boro style patching would remedy it. Maybe I'll cut it down and make a new neckline. The fabric has a nice open mesh weave and it's super soft. I got both the huipil and the rebozo (scarf) in Oaxaca in 1982.

Then I'm wearing another pair of shoes pulled from storage in the garage. I had quite the cache in there!
These were already uncomfortable in the short walk from the dining room to outside.

I think these will make a trek to my Poshmark Closet.

Anything in your closet white and lacy? Link and tell!