Spring, is that you?

 I was walking home from the bus stop with the kids last week and smelt the sweetest smell. I stopped to see what it was and realized it was the blooms on the tree in my neighbors yard that we were walking by, so I grabbed my camera-

 then i looked at another neighbors yard and saw these bushes full of bright yellow flowers-

 in my own yard we have flowering rosemary bushes right now. in fact, they are all throughout the neighborhood- thank you to the developer/landscaper who built our subdivision!

 we also have 4 bushes with these pinky-purple flowers right now-

the very next day macy and i had to drive to napa to have my car serviced. it is normally a pretty drive, but right now all the mustard is in bloom in the vineyards!

 this is what the mustard looks like-

 Apparently the mustard helps repel insects in the soil. it was amazing to see!

For the past year, every time we go to Napa I say I am going to go find the entrance to this statue that we drive by-

 So, guess what? Macy and I did!

 I was disappointed to find that there wasn't any type of marker with information about it though! So in my google research, I have learned that it was constructed in the 1988 by Gino Miles of Sante Fe, NM, weighs over 6,000 lbs and stands over 20 feet tall (it is HUGE!). It's title is "The Grapecrusher" and is a tribute to the vineyard workers in the Napa Valley. I just love roadside wonders!

And I also love February in California!