The Tulips Are Sprouting!

While much of the country is blanketed in snow and ice, here in the Pacific Northwest our Spring-blooming plants are popping up out of the ground and thriving in the mild temperatures. Seeing the foliage of daffodils and tulips everywhere, it isn't hard to imagine the spectacular scene that's just around the corner at places like the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon, just south of Portland.

French Vineyard in Winter

Ever wonder what the vineyards in France look like during the off season? Well, if you were in the Languedoc-Roussillon region right now, this is likely what you would see. . . Empty, mature vines that look more like twisted arms reaching up from the ground. The stone shed is a "Capitelle" or, "shepherd's hut", which once provided shelter for the field workers from the scorching Mediterranean sun.