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An outing at the local botanical garden…

A terrifyingly large staghorn fern…looks like an alien life form with bad intentions.

The color of these primroses was wild!

Just a bee doing helpful bee stuff.

Poppies…

Protea…

The water lilies were lovely.

It was a nice afternoon of flower-peeping at Sherman Gardens with a good friend.

If you’re in Southern California and haven’t been there, you should go. It’s cheap and one of our underrated gems.

On Brightwater Trail…

A nice cool day on the trail…

There were lots of flowers, even though the superbloom is fading…

Even the humble little blooms at the side of the path are beautiful…

The cactus flowers were just about ready to go off…

A golden poppy…

So I have these binoculars that are supposed to be able to attach to your camera so you can really get good zoom shots. This is the best picture I was able to get, lol!

2024 Movie Diary, Part 6

16. THE QUIET MAN (1952)

One of my favorite movies, and my favorite female character in any movie, ever. Pure, joyful blarney.
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame

17. RISEN (2016)

This has become an Easter tradition at my house. Joseph Fiennes is sensational as a Roman centurion tasked with solving the mystery of the disappearance of Jesus’ body. Starts out as a kind of Biblical police procedural and evolves into something far deeper and more meaningful.
Verdict: Excellent and recommended.

18. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945)

It’s far from perfect, but when you’ve got the divine Gene Tierney pulling out all the stops as one of cinema’s great sociopaths, Ellen Berent, it’s easy to forgive its flaws. Miraculously, in addition to being a monster, she’s almost unbearably vulnerable. She is sensational, and makes this an absolute must-see.
Verdict: It’s Gene Tierney’s show. The rest is just window dressing.