Monarch Grove

"Each year thousands of vibrant orange and black Monarch Butterflies flock to Pismo Beach, seeking shelter from the freezing northern winters. From late October to February, the butterflies cluster in the limbs of a grove of Eucalyptus trees at Pismo State Beach."(http://www.monarchbutterfly.org/grove.htm)

 This past Friday I decided to visit Monarch Grove in Pismo Beach.  I hadn't been there in years.  I can't remember if it was on school field trips or if my mom took my brother and I, or both, but I remember seeing the thousands of butterflies and being in awe.

This visit, while not quite how I remember it from my childhood, was still fascinating.  Sometimes things seem bigger and grander when you are a kid and it is just a matter of perspective.  Sometimes things actually change and things really aren't quite the same.  This visit would fall into the latter category.

The butterflies were still beautiful, but there weren't nearly as many as I remember.  Looking at the historical counts listed on the Monarch Grove website back in 1990-1991 the butterfly count was around 230,000; this year it is only 26,060.  Definitely as massive change.  I'm not sure why the significant drop, I should have asked one of the park docents.  I thought that the information would be on their web page but I can't seem to find it.

During my visit I followed the park trail out to the Pismo dunes to enjoy the fantastic view in addition to checking out the butterflies.  Here are my pics from that afternoon.  I hope you enjoy them!

Bridge to nowhere

Beach wood, a fallen log that I sat on to enjoy the view

Its hard to tell in the smaller picture but all of the orange spots in the tree are butterflies!

Farmers Market Night in SLO

Last night mom and I went downtown for farmers market.  Farmers market in San Luis Obispo is an experience, one where you can buy all of the fresh produce that your heart desires, and one where you can eat your way from one end of town to the other. There is live music every block or so and anyone and everyone with a cause has a booth set up.  Many of the stores stay open late and it seems like the whole town comes out every Thursday night.  It has been that way as long as I can remember and it is oh so much fun!

 We started out the evening by actually opting out of street food for with dinner at Thai Palace.  Not that the street food isn't delicious, but Thai food was calling. We ordered all sorts of yumminess and left the restaurant an hour or more later very full and happy.

After eating we walked the length of the market.  I did take my camera and though I didn't get may pictures of the market itself I did take a few shots of the neon signs around town.  Their bright colors are so much fun to photograph!

We didn't buy much but we did have fun. If you ever find yourself in San Luis Obispo on a Thursday night, Farmers Market is an event that shouldn't be missed!

The quintessential beach town

quin·tes·sence, \kwin-ˈte-sən(t)s\
1 : the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies
2 : the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form
3 : the most typical example or representative
— quin·tes·sen·tial \ˌkwin-tə-ˈsen(t)-shəl\ adjective
— quin·tes·sen·tial·ly adverb

Why the definition? Well, I used the word in the title of this post and then considered that I was pretty sure I was using the word correctly, but wanted to make sure. The parts of the definition that suck out most was "the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form" and "the most typical example or representative" When using this word in relation to a beach town I am describing my perfect beach town - Pismo Beach.

Pismo Beach is clean and well maintained but lacks the shine of many southern California coastal towns. It doesn't have the big chain stores or a Starbucks on each corner. It is quaint and maintains its charm with locally owned businesses with a bit of roughness around the edges that comes with being right next to the water, weathered by the spray of the ocean.

Is Pismo Beach really the most typical or representative example of a beach town? Maybe, maybe not; but it is my perfect beach town. This could be because of its laid back atmosphere, warm sun and cool breezes (to name just a few of the reasons I love it), or it could just be because I grew up here, literally five minutes down the road and I'm a bit biased.

Yesterday I spent a few hours in Pismo Beach. I started by grabbing a cup of coffee at Mon Ami, a coffee shop that use to be called the Black Pearl when I was a teenager. It was a favorite hangout for my friends and I. It is a bit different now having changed owners a handful of times over the years, but the coffee was still good.

I continued down the street toward the water, taking a few pictures as I went along.

I decided to walk out onto the pier before going down the to the beach.

Same shot as the one above, just a zoomed in on the surfer

The end of the pier

I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll down the pier watching the birds, surfers, and other people who were out enjoying the beautiful day. Once I had walked back up the pier I headed down the stairs to the sand where I turned north and made my way up the beach.

The end of the strand

Once I reached the end of the beach I crawled up onto a big rock and just sat awhile. I marveled at the beauty around me and took in the warmth of the sun, the cool ocean breeze, and the salty smell in the air. It was heaven. Eventually I decided it was time to head back so I began my leisurely stroll back down the beach.

Once I reached the pier I decided to see if I could catch any good shots from underneath the pier. The lighting is tricky and I had fun trying to find places to steady my camera to get a crisp shot. The shadows and reflections were beautiful.

After taking all of these pictures and walking up and down the beach I had worked up an appetite. I headed to my favorite Pismo Beach eatery, Splash Cafe. They are famous for their amazing clam chowder (best in the world that I have found) but I have also discovered that they have a tremendous seafood salad which is what I ordered. It was delicious as usual!

After lunch I headed back to my parents house to get cleaned up for the evening. We had big plans to go to farmers market that night which is a big deal in San Luis Obispo...more on that in the next post.

Another day on the Central Coast

This past weekend we finally got a break from the stormy weather.  My mom and I decided to head up the coast and enjoy the scenery. As we were about to leave we got a call from my brother who lives about 40 minutes up the road in Paso Robles. He didn't have anything going on so we decided to go pick him up and take him with us on our adventures.

We drove from Paso Robles on Highway 46 toward Cambria.  Along the way we stopped to take in the breathtaking view of the California coast.

My brother taking a few pictures

A panorama of the view, stitched from four shots

My adorable "little" brother

 Taking advantage of my zoom lens I was able to capture Morro Bay! (The big rock and the smoke stacks)

My bro, again

My mom, checking to see if she got "the shot"

Once we reached Cambria we stopped for lunch at Robin's Restaurant.  The food was fantastic!   I would definitely eat there again. Everything was very fresh and they had an eclectic menu that was right up my alley.

After lunch we wandered in and out of little shops in Cambria.  I took a lot of pictures inside of a very cool garden shop.

A glass ball

A very unusual planter

Planter Man #1

Another glass ball

An adorable bird house

Planter Man #2

After leaving Camria we drove south through Cayucos and into Morro Bay.  We stopped at a few shops and continued to enjoy the sun, ocean, and cool breezes.

A pinwheel outside of a shop

A neat garden decor thingy, I love how everything around the glass ball is reflected

Once we left Morro Bay my brother decided it was time to get back home so we dropped him off at the bus station and my mom and I did a bit more shopping.  Once we were thoroughly exhausted and ready for dinner we stopped for some Sushi at Sushiya in SLO.  Our meal was fantastic! With full tummies we headed home and settled in for the evening with a glass of wine.  Yep, another great day in California!

Stormy Morro Bay

Wednesday afternoon my mom and I headed to Morro Bay to take pictures of the massive waves produced by the storms that have been pounding the California coast.

Waves smashing against the north side of Morro Rock

It is hard to see from the photo how big those waves were but they were huge, really!

My beautiful mom!  You can get a bit of perspective from this shot as to how turbulent the ocean was.

Out in the Bay there were insane surfers - yes, those dots in the water are people!

Waves breaking over the seawall that protects the bay

In the picture above you can see the rain coming in over the ocean, past the seawall.  We had arrived during a break in the storm but we could see the rain coming.

 Mom, taking pictures

More big waves

Suddenly the rain that was coming hit with a vengence!  We quickly hid our cameras under out coats and ducked for cover behind a big rock.  The wind was blowing the rain horizontal so we were able to stay somewhat dry behind the rock.  Others weren't so lucky!  People who had walked farther out on the point came running and were drenched.  We had probably 20 people with us trying to take cover behind the rock!

After the squall, looking back toward the town of Morro Bay

As fast as the rain hit it passed by and we witnessed a pair of beautiful rainbows!

The aftereffects of the storm produced a fantastic sunset.  Although it cleared up a bit toward the end of the day we could see the next storm on the horizon.

Mom and I had a great time.  After taking pictures we met up with my dad, grandma, and grandpa for some fish and chips.  YUM!  What a great afternoon in a beautiful place.

Back in CA

Today marks two weeks since I left Sicily for an extended stateside visit.  I'm happy to report that I'm having a fabulous time!

I arrived in Virginia on January 9 in the wee hours of the morning.  A dear friend who I met while living in Sicily now lives in the Norfolk area and was kind enough to pick me up at the airport and transport me to her home where I stayed for a night & a half.  I had a great time catching up with her and playing with her adorable girls.

On Sunday, January 10 I flew to San Diego, CA where I was met at the airport by my mom & grandma.  I nearly cried when I saw the city from the plane.  I was home!  Mom & grandma cried when they saw me and I nearly teared up too.  I was so happy to be back in CA!

I have said it many times, and I'm sure I will continue to say that I have the best family ever!  After a quick phone call with my aunt in San Diego my mom, grandma & I were off to meet my aunt and get pedicures! My first stop after the airport! I think I will need to end every flight with a pedicure from now on.

I was in the San Diego area for a week and managed to spend time with my grandma, aunts and uncle, and a close friend.  The week flew by and then I was on my way up to San Luis Obispo and my parents' house.

On my way to SLO I thought I was having a serious allergy attack, but it turned out to be a cold and was in full swing by the time I walked in my parents' door.  But, I have to say, if I am going to get sick, getting sick where my mommy can take care of me is the best!  The next day she even made me homemade chicken noodle soup. YUM!  My cold didn't last long, thankfully, and after just a couple of days I was fit again for human contact. Being housebound for a couple of days really wasn't too bad.  My parents' house is oh so comfortable and the weather has been stormy so staying indoors by the fire was perfect.

Now that I am feeling better I am ready to get out and about...but the storms just don't want to cooperate.  We need the rain, though, and it is making the hillsides beautifully green!  I haven't taken many pictures so far this trip but I did get some on mom's and my excursion to Morro Bay....more on that in the next post!

A New Photo Blog

There is a new photo blog that everyone should check out!

http://2010-52.blogspot.com/

Why should you check out this blog?  Because my husband is writing it!  He has committed to taking at least 52 pictures (one each week) to share with the world in 2010.  Isn't that awesome?  I love that he is getting into photography more.  It is an awesome hobby and I'm so excited to share this with him!

So, visit his blog often and comment much!

Photo Club Challenge: Collections

This month's Photo Club Challenge was collections.  When I initially came up with this topic I had planned to take pictures of one of my Christmas collections such as my silver reindeer or perhaps ornaments.  However, the holidays came and went and suddenly it was New Years Day and time to take down the Christmas decorations.  I never got around to photographing my holiday stuff so I had to find another collection to take pictures of.

I had two options in mind: my blue glass and my Starbucks city mugs.  A couple of days ago my  mom posted her challenge pictures and guess what...they were of blue glass!  Like mother, like daughter. :)  So, I went with my Starubucks mug collection.  In addition to the theme of collections part of the assignment was to utilize post processing and show the before and after.  So, without further ado, here are my photos:

Before processing:

After processing:

How I achieved this look:

• Removed Dust Spots
• Adjusted exposure & highlight recovery
• Cropped angle to straighten
  
• Added PH Light Dress Lightroom Preset

Adobe Lightroom presents are an easy way to add a different look to a photo.  There are several resources online where different presets can be downloaded for free.  Preset Heaven is one that I like.

Before processing:

After processing:

How I achieved this look:

• Adjusted exposure and highlight recovery
• Cropped angle to streighten
• Moved clarity, contrast, recovery, and fill light sliders all the way to the right
• Bumped up the blacks bit by bit until I got the look that I wanted

I got the idea for this processing technique from my mom, and she learned it in a Lightroom class that she took.  I think it is pretty cool!  It almost makes the colors and edges look metallic.

In case you were wondering I did all of the processing above in Adobe Lightroom, an awesome program that I think every photographer should have!

World Nutella Day is just around the corner!

Oooh, chocolaty, hazelnutty, gooey excitement!  The 4th Annual World Nutella Day is coming up on February 5, 2010!!

Want to participate? Here are he instructions, direct from the World Nutella Day website:

1. Do something, anything with Nutella. Make a recipe, take a picture of yourself eating it with a BIG spoon, make art, wax poetic, re-live your first experience eating Nutella. Have a Nutella-eating contest or even a Nutella party!
2. Take pictures and/or upload a video then blog about it ON February 5th, 2010. In your blog post, include links to Ms Adventures in Italy, Bleeding Espresso, and World Nutella Day as well as the World Nutella Day 2010 badge/button (above). Please try to post ON FEBRUARY 5 so that we can create a true chocolaty hazelnut wave across the blogosphere on World Nutella Day!
3. Email nutelladay [at] nutelladay [dot] com with the subject “Nutella Day Entry” and include:
   

   • Your Name
   • Your Blog’s Name
   • Your Blog’s URL
   • Your Post URL/Permalink
   • One 100×100 pixel photo

   
   
   Hmmm....how will I participate this year?  I better get started :) as if I needed an excuse to eat more Nutella!
   

Feeling the need to rant

Usually I like to keep a positive tone on my blog, but today I feel the need to warn my friends and everyone who reads this blog about a restaurant to avoid.  I'm a foodie, a food snob, and I don't like to eat mediocre food.

This past weekend we were invited to a friend's birthday party.  Now I will say that I think the birthday girl had a very good time, and that is what counts, but I seriously doubt we will ever set foot into this restaurant again. I will also mention that I was really looking forward to a good dinner and was quite hungry.  I didn't enter this place with a negative attitude of any kind.

The culpit: Paradise Restaurant in Motta S. Anastasia.
Strike one: the name of the restaurant.  We are in Italy, shouldn't it be Paradiso?  This was a big red flag for me that they cater to Americans, not to locals.
Strike two: the menu was exclusively in English.  Seriously? See strike one.
Strike three: the food, the service, the cleanliness (or lack thereof).

At first glance Paradise seems like a decent restaurant, but on closer inspection I noted that the paper napkins were wrinkled (not so nice on a set table) and the white tablecloths were a bit dingy and stained.

I ordered Penne with Crab in a creamy tomato sauce.  It sounded good!  The price was a bit low for seafood so I just expected there to be a very meager amount of crab in the dish, which would have been fine.  What I got was VERY different. My pasta had a massive pile of FAKE crab on top of it! YUCK YUCK YUCK! We are on an island with fantastic seafood, how dare they use fake crab?  And even worse advertise the dish as crab?  I was horrified.  I ate some of the pasta, the sauce was okay, but I was pretty much disgusted by the fake crab.

In addition to the horrible food the service was abysmal.  My pasta took forever and I sent back my second dish because they brought it out after everyone else was already finished.  We were about to cut the birthday cake!

In over three years I had NEVER had a bad meal on this island.  My favorite thing about Sicily is the food.  Even the low-end eateries have always served decent, even if not memorable dishes.  Paradise restaurant is the worst in Sicilian cuisine that I have experienced.  Please, please, please avoid this place. It is a total waste of money!

There, I think I have the rant out of my system now.  Please go and enjoy the food of Sicily, just not at Paradise!

Reflecting on 2009

Christmas Eve was a week ago. I can hardly believe it. Time just seems to keep accelerating and tomorrow will be 2010.  As I sit here indulging myself with a bit more Christmas music (I give myself through New Years' Eve) I am reflecting on what I have done and accomplished in 2009.

Sometimes I feel like I am just spinning my wheels being a housewife, at home too much, accomplishing too little.  However, when I sit down and list out what I've done in the past year I feel pretty good. I have a friend who includes a year by the numbers section to his Christmas card/letter.  I thought I'd try that this year, so here it is:

• Masters Degrees Completed: 1
• New Countries Visited: 2
• Books Read (not including textbooks) : 27
• Years I have lived in Sicily: 3
• Photos taken (not including the bad ones I deleted) : 3,382
  
• Stampin' Up! Workshops/Classes held: 11
  
• Portrait photo shoots: 4
• Craft fairs participated in: 3
• New Computers: 1
• Guests from the States: 2
• Trips off of the island of Sicily: 5

I have done a lot more than the items listed above, but I can't think how to quantify them.  It has been a busy, full year and I'm excited to see what 2010 holds for me. I don't really make New Year's Resolutions, but I do have a few broad goals in mind.  I hope to be able to live up to them. The fresh start of a new year is always energizing.

I wish all of my readers a happy and prosperous new year! May 2010 be full of joy!