Today letter is "W." This is what winter looks like in my part of the world. These are the low mountains of the Diablo Range that makes up the eastern border of my town and county. (Check out my other blog, Take 25 to Hollister , if you'd like to know more about my town.) We've had a few rainy days during the last few weeks, which to me means that everything is starting to get green again. Yes, I'm spoiled. Winter in my area is mild compared to the Sierras, the Midwest, New England, Alaska, Europe, and other places that get lots and lots of snow, and sometimes blizzards. I really can't imagine living a full winter in such cold. Now and then, snow covers the mountain tops around us, but it melts within a few hours once the sun comes out.  In good years, our winters are cold enough to make the fruit tree orchards in our area happy. The good years also give us lots of rain to fill our reservoirs. This looks like it could be one of those good years. We can only

Setting: The Monterey Peninsula. It was a very windy afternoon. It's a wonder, we didnt' fly away. Suddenly we're in fog, then suddenly we're not. Today, I'm blog hopping at Wordless Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday . Come join me and check out photos of other bloggers. I know you want to.

San Juan Bautista is the next town over to where we live . And, in that darling mission town is where you will find these trees. What kind of trees are they? How old are they? That's what I want to find out. These photos are my contributions to this week's Wordless Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday . Click on over to each site for more contributions on its theme. That is, after you check out mine. :-) Do you see the face in the tree? Can a gnarled tree be gnarly? Anyone else see a figure hugging the tree?

For this Wordless Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday , I give you a look at the Mama's garden. This is how the mama's garden looked in April of this year. The mama's garden as of last week. Can you see her at work? The mama gave her first gourd of the season  to her friend. The mama chops the banana plants back every winter. By summer they are in full bloom again. The Mama's sunflowers had to be over 12 feet tall, three times taller than her. Today, we celebrate the mama's first day of starting another trip around the sun. Joy!

Clippity clop, clippity clop. Earlier this summer, the husband and I watched the  Horse Show and Rodeo parade that takes place in our town every year. While waiting for the parade to start, I aimed my camera at the sky. Snappity snap. This was my favorite shot. If you'd like to see photos of the parade, clickity click here to be taken to my Take 25 to Hollister blog. For more Wordless Wednesday photos by other grand bloggers, click here for a list of links.  For photos by other bloggers participating in Outdoor Wednesday , click here .