The Birds and the Bees and the Flowers and the Trees

Love is in the air. The birds are singing, and I know many downy chicks are coming my way soon.

This robin sings from the Harvard Medical School Quad every morning as I walk in to work.

Below, an Oak tree starts again.

I used to see large groups of geese. Now I see pairs almost exclusively.

See the wispy ends at the top of this tree? That's new growth.

Maybe it's hard to see from these photos, but the tulips opened up so much in only one day.

The tree below is already losing its flowers, and making room for new leaves.

Another goose pair. I can't wait for the goslings!

Look at all of this green!

Commonwealth Avenue

Along the Boston Marathon. I saw Greg at mile 6.2 and mile 24.5, then I went to meet him at the finish line. He was wiped out, but what a great day!

Everyone plants daffodils.

Can you imagine being the window washers for the Hancock Tower? At 60 stories, it's the tallest building in Boston. (I don't know what that smudge is...)

I've been seeing lots of romance between the geese. And with several pairs, one of them was sitting. I can't imagine they sit on eggs so far out in the open. Hmm.

This is in the Victory Gardens near my apartment. You can rent a lot and keep a garden if you don't have your own yard. As the weather gets nicer, I will wander through there more.

Boston vs. San Diego

Today, Boston was warmer than San Diego. It was 68 degrees in San Diego, and 69 degrees in Boston. This afternoon, some friends and I left work and went for ice cream at JP Licks (named for Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood here). People were playing whiffle ball and frisbee and laying on the grass of the Harvard Medical School Quad. People enjoy the sunshine in San Diego, too of course, but there's more of a sense of rejoicing here, as it's been such a long time since the weather's been so nice.

And Mom, the flowers outside my apartment are magnolias.

A Garden, Everywhere

It's so beautiful here now. Spring is happening very slowly, but since I get to walk a mile to and from work, I can watch it all happen a little more each day. It's so beautiful.

Above and below are the same tree. Susan always identifies her flowers by genus and species, plus the common name. I'm not going to do that, but I hope you appreciate the flowers just the same.

The shrubbery below looks ratty and yuck...

...but look closely - something's happening.

There are several Magnolia trees on my block.

There are daffodils blooming, and they're very sunny and cheerful, but I love the flowering trees.

Here's a blossom from a maple tree in Greg's parents' back yard in Connecticut.

Squirrels love spring, too.

More Spring

I guess I've never seen a robin before. Do we have them in San Diego? Here's one with his big red chest.

This massive puddle from yesterday's rain is almost dry today. It's amazing how well the ground absorbs the water.

Perhaps it's a little hard to see, but there's a Red Sox flag flying above a tower near Fenway Park. The Red Sox season opener was postponed from yesterday at 2pm to today at 4pm because of the rain. I'm so glad, because if it had started at 2pm, it would be pretty much over by the time I walked home from work. Today, a little before 4pm, jets flew overhead, and now that I'm home, I can hear the cheering crowds, the announcer, and the music, all from my apartment. It may get old (the season is six months long), but for now I enjoy the sounds.

Finland Pictures

I went to Helsinki, Finland, March 19-25 to visit my dear friend Anna, her husband Matti, and their 9-month old daughter Leila. It was a fantastic trip - thanks Anna! If I did this correctly, you should be able to click this link to view the 93 photos. (That's the abridged version.)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=genoa76&target=ALBUM&id=5319885685011278865&authkey=Gv1sRgCIfv_Lya2fG82gE&invite=CPzIk6oP&feat=email

Spring Takes a Little While, But It's Happening

The Finland pictures are coming. There are so many; I have to organize them all.

I guess people were planting bulbs when I wasn't looking. They're just starting to pop up. And the birds - they're everywhere. I hear them singing and see them tending to their nests.

The apartment building owners hire people to maintain the properties. They cleared fallen leaves in the autumn, plowed the sidewalks of snow in the winter, and now they're putting down mulch in the gardens. They also just steam cleaned the carpets in my building's stairwell and halls. I guess they know there won't be much more salt, sand, or gravel on people's boots. The city's street sweeping resumed on April 1. By the way, in reference to my apartment building, my management company wanted to know by February if I was going to renew my lease September 1. I'm sure many of you are settled into your homes, and know you'll be living their next year, and the year after. But as a single renter, my life is in more of a state of flux. I was able to get some wiggle room out of them, thankfully. I don't know if I'll want to move out of this apartment five months from now - geez.

My parents have a huge avocado tree in their backyard, and my mom sent me eight beauties. I took some to work and made guacamole for my co-workers (who loved it), but also kept some for myself.

Billy loves getting in the tub - even if it still has water in it.

Above, can you see that those guys are playing frisbee on the Quad? Below, the Red Sox opening night at Fenway Park is Monday. I'm looking forward to hearing the excitement again from my apartment windows.

Magnolia blossoms are on their way.
The worms have started coming out.

Susan's Flowers

My old roommate Susan recently went to Glorietta Canyon to see the blooming desert flowers. This photo, of Phacelia crenulata, desert phacelia, is so stunning, I just had to share it.
And check out these ones, too:
Ghost flower above and Beavertail Cactus below.And look at this Eremalche rotundiflora, desert five-spot. I don't get homesick for Southern California very often, but ooh, there's nothing like these flowers in New England. Thanks, Susan, for sharing your wonderful photos.