I always do these posts when I visit my mom in the Bay Area.

I love that steep garden, where I played as a small child.

And the view of San Francisco and the bay, seen over the roof from the top level of the yard.

The yard does look a little different.

When my three brothers and I were young, there were a lot more forts back there. And underground hiding places, and tunnels, and random holes, and army men scattered about.

Uh… that one is almost sexual, I just noticed.

This is supposed to be a family-friendly blog.

None of that plant porn here, oh no.

Then again, as my 95-year-old mother says: ‘Nature in the wild is seldom mild’!

The weather has been very nice… especially for the Bay Area in December.

It has been t-shirt weather in the middle of the day, something which doesn’t always happen here, even in the middle of summer.

Okay, I am going to get my new Christmas toy… the digital microscope… and make you guess what I am taking super-close-up images of. Come on, play the game. Nobody even tried to guess on the first post.

Maybe some things from this post will make it into the next post. HINT!