I didn't know California had a lilac, always loved the ones we had when I lived in Minnesota. It is so lovely, thank you so much for posting it.
My neighbor has a lovely plant in the corner of her yard and it does remind me of lilac. I must check it out more thoroughly.

It's not a Lilac as such Pegi, I guess the flowers are similar so that's why it was given the common name. Ceanothus is in California though ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

It's in a different family to Lilac..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

They are a beautiful shrub to have though! Many of them grow into quite large shrubs so you need space for them.

Thank you JR for the information. I do miss a lot of plants that are grown in the cold regions of the USA, but I don't miss the freezing cold of winters.