Here is an example of not-quite-sping in the Bay Area. Traffic, of course (it was not raining so many people were out), but the tree is what I was trying to get a picture of. I was in a moving car and the batteries in my camera were tired so this is the best I could do. The tree, a Chinese Magnolia I think, was spectacular with its flamboyant pink foliage.

But this day, the first Friday in February, was my day with my eldest child. We went museum hopping - the De Young for the Amish quilt exhibit and the Palace of the Legion of Honor for the Cartier exhibit.

The Amish exhibit was stunning! And, as luck would have it, the owner of the quilts was there and we got to talk to him. The quilts were very well hung and lit. They glowed! If you have the chance, go see this exhibit. It is amazing what can be done with plain fabric!

The Cartier exhibit was also stunning. The jewels of course were gorgeous and the designs fabulous. There were several tiaras. My daughter choose the very first one we saw which was all diamonds and done in the Bel Epoch. Very swirly with LOTS of small diamonds. I liked a black metal one with red jewels.

Even though each exhibit was different, at their core they both reflected excellent design and unique creativity. It showed me that beauty doesn't need to be expensive to be valuable.