The rain blew in and out between dusk and dawn, so Tom and I drove out past Santa Monica and Malibu to Point Mugu to celebrate that perfect post-rain air. The ocean was bluer than jade, and greener than cobalt, but as intense as either. More flowers were in bloom than I expected, this early in the year, and they were mostly yellow-- sunflowers and deerweed, of course, mustard and oxalis, which are more weed than wildflower, and the fabulous giant coreopsis.

For those of you not in the know, giant coreopsis in bloom is something I look forward to each year. The transformation of the plant is total. In bloom, it's a juicy, vivid yellow bouquet of perfection. Out of bloom, the plant looks like a stick. That's it, just a stick-- no leaves or anything. It's very rare in the cosmic sense, as it lives only on a narrow strip of the Southern California coast, and a few offshore islands, but in those spots it's gloriously easy to spot.

Tonight, we're going to see Sligo Rag(s?) at the Coffee Gallery in Altadena. Poor Tom had to work late, last time we had tickets, and only managed to catch their last two songs. They're good, so I'm glad Tom is going to have a second chance to hear them.

Yes, I did knit on the blanket before hitting the road.