This is the time of year when the hills that line the Central Valley undergo a major change.

During the winter the hills green up if we have a lot of rain like we did this season.

The hills look really different when they are green.

In this picture you can see that the trees that are leafless in winter are silhouetted against the green hills of the Central Valley.

I took this picture yesterday and you can see that the hills are already starting to turn brown as summer approaches.

Here is a picture from late last spring. You can see that the hills are almost entirely brown.

Soon they will look like this again, and with the right light they will appear golden brown.

Every week day my commute takes me up and over the Altamont and the color is rapidly changing. Just a week ago the hills were a beautiful green like on the right in the picture above. Each day the hills have been loosing their color and soon they will look like the left side of the picture again.

The cycle of seasons continue and the only question is usually how green the hills will get in the winter. This year they were very green as we had a lot of rain.

Now, how long will it be until they are golden again?

Steven