With the ocean just over the hill from us, the snow a few hours drive away, and plenty of open spaces right in our backyard, there’s no question as to why I love living here.

I remember hiking with Cindy and theMAN once and giving them a hard time for marveling at the view of the houses below us. The beauty, I insisted, is on the trails right in front of us. Of course that is true. But I will admit, it’s also pretty looking at where we live off in the distance.

We don’t have to go far to get away from it all. And that is pretty darn cool.

It’s hard to believe that it’s still Winter. This weekend, we have been blessed with the most gloriously sunny weather. This photo is from yesterday’s hike in the open space a few short miles from my house.

The greens are lush, and the flowers are everywhere. On the roads, the cyclists are out in groups large and small. And the trails are filled with more runners and hikers than we’ve seen in quite a while. It’s a real nice change.

You all probably recognize this stuff.

Right?

It’s ALL over the trails now — turning the color of my favorite wine. That would be Cab Sav for those of you who don’t know me well. [The photo doesn’t do it justice.]

So my friend, Cindy and I were out on the trails again… stopping to snap photos of the fungi, newts, and wildflowers when my camera goes flying into the brush down along side the trail.

Of course, I had to go in after it. Cross your fingers that I don’t get to a case of poison oak rash.