Grand canal in Venice on Tuesday February 21 – a lone Snowy Egret is waiting for prey in the rain.
The rain is still with us here in California and an atmospheric river seems to hold steady over us – The rain is badly needed after years of drought, but the amounts are on the upper end of what we can handle and we are now hoping for an end to the rain. In the water year starting October 1 2016 and continuing until September 30 2017 as of January 31 we have received 11.69 inches which is 182% of the 30 year average amount at this time of the water year. This is not including any rainfall in February of this year which has also been very substantial.
Tree that was damaged by the storm as seen on Tuesday February 21An almost deserted Venice Boardwalk on a rainy Tuesday February 21 2017A nice space heater fire at the Terrace in VeniceSmall river in VeniceVenice at the end of Windward Avenue this morning Sunday February 26 – no rain at this moment, but it’s in the air.The debris from the tree damaged in last weekends storm was cleaned up by a city crew this morning.
We need the water, but this below picture shows the California weather we love so much!
Sunny Venice Beach with the pier in the background and with a nice surf after the storm earlier in the week.
The Oxford MS film festival concluded today, Sunday February 19 after another successful festival that started on February 15. This was the 14:th year of the festival and it will be back in February next year. We can highly recommend attending this festival as it is a true example of Southern Hospitality and there are some excellent films being showcased every year. For you filmmakers among us, Mississippi has some wonderful and very helpful citizens and if you couple this with an excellent state program for film production rebate – it is very clear that Missisippi is a great place not only to watch movies, but to make them as well!
British telecom model K6 phone booth dating to the 1930’s in the town square Oxford MS
Oxford Missisippi is a university town, home to University of Missisippi or “Ole Miss” as it is generally referred to. When the city was incorporated in 1837, the name was chosen after Oxford UK with the hope that this might help persuade the state to located the state university there – this worked and the university was established in 1844.
Oxford town square with the Lafayette County courthouse
The film festival is a true Indie film festival and you can watch a full range of movies, from shorts to features with a Missisippi connection. Since Oxford is in close proximity to the Mississippi delta, music plays a big part in many of the films in the festival – the delta is after all the home of the blues.
Oxford was also the home of author William Faulkner and being a university town it does have bookstores, one of them being Square Books which actually has three different stores on the square and hosts as many as 150 author events every year. They have a large selection of signed and collectible books as well. There is also a nice balcony up on the second story overlooking the square where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and read your book.
Tommyland in Venice at the Boardwalk and end of Windward Avenue
For a few days now crews have been busy setting up a “Tommyland” along the Venice Boardwalk. Tonight February 8 2017 Tommy Hilfiger will hold a spring fashion show in Venice CA and a strecth along the Venice Boardwalk has been transformed into “Tommyland”. The model Gigi Hadid is scheduled to appear as she is the new “Global brand ambassador” for the Tommy Hilfiger brand.
Tommyland as seen from the end of Windward AvenueTommyland from Windward Avenue close to PacificCleanup underway for the fashion show in Venice this afternoon
The Boardwalk is being cleaned and there were no homeless camps or tents seen this morning, if that is due to the rain or the event – we are not sure, but it would be nice if this was how it looked every day.
Tommyland slideTommyland in Venice California Wednesday February 8 2017
The latest this afternoon around 4:00pm is that we are having pea-soup like fog out by the coast, hope Tommy can find his way to Tommyland! Sorry about the weather – but yes we have gotten the badly needed rain and now the sun can come back out!
