Super Bowl o' pics

Here are some pictures of what's happening in my yard. I've heard December and January called winter here, so does that make February spring?  These plants seem to think so.  Certainly, they have benefited from the rain that January brought. 

Plumeria, a popular lei flower.  Some smell wonderful, some not at all.  I can't really remember the smell right now (lame excuse), but think sweet vanilla.  This is what the kona airport has smelled like every time I've been there.  Totally open air, walk up to the gates without going through security, nice welcome to Hawaii.  But that's a different story.  This small tree is native to tropical America, and called Melia in Hawaiian.

Here be my avacado tree!  I thought it was dying in November, but it turns out its leaves brown and shrivel on the branches before new growth pushes them off.  Like an oak, I guess.

Not-So-Prickly-Pear? This spineless cactus is cool because it is very two-dimensional.  This picture focuses on the flower, but if you could see it, you would see that new lobes sprout in the plane of the older lobes, making a plant that looks very susceptible to blowing over. This one is about 8 feet tall, though.





Beth and I are traveling to O'ahu in two weeks to play in one of the most famous (for being so much fun) frisbee tournaments in the ultimate world, Kaimana Klassic.  She's about to get off work, and I'm going to pick her up to go for a run.  I'm feeling pretty good.  After my first ever professional massage this week, I've been icing my chronically sore back.  This would seem to have been a no-brainer for someone who has had ice on his shinsplints for a cumulative total of about 3 years, but it didn't occur to me.  My back is getting better, and if I can get and hold myself reasonably together in the next two weeks, it should be a good tourney.  I just hope the improvement keeps up, and wish I had thought of the ice earlier!  Thanks to Beth for the massage birthday present.