Back To The Beginning

I have almost been at Post Ranch Inn for a full year.  Each day when I walk from the lower part of the property to the top of the ridge where Sierra Mar is perched, I pass dozens of California Bay Laurel.   If you have been reading this blog you may have seen mention of the bay fruit, bay nuts or pickled bay blossoms.  I can't help stopping momentarily at the giant trees to pinch a few leaves between my fingers and release their enigmatic aroma.  This week has brought a new phase of transformation, tiny green and red leaf shoots that are so tender you can eat them like lettuce and mild enough to only leave a trace of aromatic bay on your palate.  Tiny green fruits are beginning to emerge, and there are only a few more weeks until the trees return to the same state they were in when I first arrived. 
Will these incredible trees have any more surprises in store for me?