Hello from Sunny California!
I'm a first year beekeeper, with two colonies. These are made from two wild-caught swarms, and a split from a friend. We're practicing organic beekeeping, and are (mostly) foundationless. We give the bees a slim vertical strip of small-cell wax foundation, and let them do the rest. We get a bit of eccentric comb, but overall it's not too bad.
The bees are doing amazingly well in our tiny urban yard. I've got loads of photos, over at my blog, but I think that as a new member, I can't post photos or links right away.
This part of the country seems perfect for organic beekeeping. The climate is mild, there's almost always something flowering, and the idea of organic beekeeping is very well accepted.