A quick online search for “fastest growing sport in the U.S.,” yields some surprising results: ultimate Frisbee, Mixed Martial Arts, rugby, and pickle ball. The top of the heap seems to be rugby. A 2010 survey by a sporting goods industry group ranked rugby as the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., and a recent Boston Globe article reported that rugby enrollment grew 81 percent from 2008 to 2013, beating out both lacrosse and hockey. With its addition to the 2016 Olympics, the trend will likely continue.

Those who grew up with something like a “Main Street” in their home towns may remember the excitement of strolling down the street the day after Thanksgiving to see all the Christmas-decorated store windows. The window decorations ran the gamut from a few poinsettia plants to a small Victorian village display with a train continuously running an on an oval track. That window was the one most kids begged their parents to stop at so they could watch for a while until the parents finally exclaimed, "Come on! We’ve got to get going – we have a lot of shopping to do!”

A new series offering a behind-the-scenes peek at the myriad of Visual and Performing Artists living and working in the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley

Outside my window a Townsend warbler feasts on suet. It’s a rainy day and my obsession with low water use plants is momentarily taking a break. Each day the soft colors of my fall garden are becoming brighter and more vivid. Backlit leaves take on a whole new look. There are so many ways of combining plants in the garden. I’m taking notes so I remember my favorites to include in my own garden and future designs. Fall is a good time for planting or planning.

John “Jack” Ralph Hutchison, Jr. passed away peacefully at home in Soquel on October 18, 2015 surrounded by his loving wife, Alice Elizabeth, and four of his children. He was 96 years old.

Andrew Burgess was born on November 28, 1953 and deceased on October 15, 2015.