Hey, Jane.

It's not too hot if you water them. Greenview Place is out here in East County, definitely hot, but the trees on that street get a lot of water from all the home owners. The more water they get, the more awesome the tree when it flowers.

Hey, Michael.

I've been having so much fun taking pictures since I joined ActiveRain that I'm just about ready to buy a digital SLR camera, some cool filters, and some special lenses.

Hey, Lou.

I think May is the finest month for touring San Diego because of the jacaranda, ice plant, sea lavender, and pride of madeira. We should be called "The Purple City."

Hey, Michael.

All my pictures -- bar none -- are taken either with an HP M547 Photosmart ($99 at Wal-Mart) or a GE A735. All pictures are taken at one megapixel, 640x480.

Hey, Jack.

I have to talk it over with a certain other person, because when either of us spends over $50, the other has to know about it. There are disadvantages to being married -- LOL.

Hey, Rita.

I have the sweet pea tree pictures that you sent me last year, but for the life of me I couldn't remember who I got them from. Now that I know, I can do a blog on them, but I'll wait for some updated pictures from you. I've seen three of them here in San Diego County over the years, but the one closest to me is now gone, and I don't remember where those other two were. I can picture them in my mind....

Hey, Shirley.

I grew up in Kingsville, 45 miles south of Corpus Christi, which is pretty south in South Texas, and although all my books say that it grows in South Texas, I had never seen one until I came to San Diego. Maybe they mean Brownsville, and every time I went to Brownsville was simply the wrong time of the year to see them blooming down there.

Hey, Dona.

I have about six $99 cameras that employees used to use. I used to have nine because each home inspector had his own company-provided camera. I broke one, and the other employees who took over to no-state-income-tax states took theirs with them. I just deducted the depreciated camera cost from their final paychecks. But a cool digital SLR camera would mean that when I push the button, there is no delay, so I would always get the picture I was aiming for. Wide angle and telephoto lenses, along with some cool filters, would allow me to capture some pictures that I could then sell at istockphotos, dreamstime, and other places.

I believe Vegas Bob uses professional camera equipment, and the photos he regularly posts are awesome, far superior to mine. Of course, mine are usually meant for home inspection reports and blog posts here at ActiveRain.

Hey, Susan.

The other drawback is that the flowers are very acidic, so parking an unwaxed car under one of them can result in some interesting paint patterns after just a few hours, especially if the sun is shining.

Zoey the Cool Cat gets in all sorts of weird positions that just don't look like they could possibly be comfortable.