The Darling Buds Of May ... Oops, I Mean February

Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:

... Shakespeare, Sonnet No. 18

While the whole rest of North America is freezing its butt off, and there are record snowfalls in areas that never get snow -- ever -- we here in the "frozen north" have roses blooming in February. Yes... The photo above was taken three days ago, a couple of blocks from my house. A budding rose, resting against a wall with a southern exposure, just ready to bloom.

Athletes, journalists and tourists from all over the world are pouring into Vancouver this week, only to find Vancouverites jogging around the seawall in their shorts and T-shirts. This is Canada? What's going on? Was Al Gore right, after all? The fact is, we are 1,700 miles from Alaska, but only 700 miles from California -- less than half the distance -- and we share much of the same weather as San Francisco and northern California.

These are all pictures I took as I went on my walk the other day. So, while all you folks are posting your wonderful pictures of snow and ice -- *sigh* -- these are photos of my world at the moment. Everyone here has been praying for snow, but there's not much chance of that happening now. I hope you enjoy your visit to Vancouver folks, but remember to bring your shorts and flip-flops.

Cheers,