Joani wanted to see the morning light on our favorite cliff side, Shell Beach, CA. We planned on having a breakfast burrito while we sat on the cliff top, but the deli we were going to visit was not open or maybe no longer in business. It clearly needed more research. We stopped for a few quick shots before heading on to San Luis Obispo for alternative breakfast options.
Early morning light is hard to beat.
Colors are so vibrant and shadows add such depth.
After breakfast, we spent some time exploring the Cal Poly campus. Joani's dad earned his Electrical Engineering degree here in the '50s. Wish he could have been with us to see how it has changed.
The Old Powerhouse was built in 1908 and is the oldest building on the Cal Poly campus. From 1910 to 1940 it supplied all the electricity and steam heat for the campus. It is difficult to imagine that a power plant building would have originally had a stained glass entryway.
This is probably the only building on campus
that my daddy would recognize. According
to Wikipedia: "...it also held
Mechanics and Electrical Engineering classes." It is the only building left from that era.
Christopher
Cohan Performing Arts Center
Christopher Cohan Performing
Arts Center (from the back)
Just about five miles north of the campus, on highway 1, is the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden in the El Chorro Regional Park on Dairy Creek Road. What a hidden gem! We spent several hours wandering among the beautiful and exotic plants.
Found this by Googling (is that a word?) "San Luis Obispo must see."
Ceanothus impressus-var. nipomensis, Nipomo Mesa Ceanothus
Mimulus aurantiacus, Sticky Monkey Flower
Romneya ccoulteri, Matilija Poppy
Babiana villosa Baboon Flower, Blou Kappie
Aloe distans
Aeonium arboreum Atropurpureum
"Two-Can-Tagious Bass" by Fred Pasion
Hakea laurina, Pincushion Hakea
The building that housed the gift shop and activities room was of straw bale construction.
This is a little framed peek into what lies beneath the stucco.
This looks more like a sea creature than a cactus. (about 3.5 inches across)
Arbutus unedo, Strawberry Bush (This "bush" was about 10-12 feet tall and looked suspiciously like a tree.)
In the park, there was also an off-leash dog park that was probably one of the largest and nicest we have visited.
Sam made a friend at the dog park; a sweet lab mix named Mercy.
Dickie's BBQ for lunch. Love their onion tanglers and their jalapeno baked beans and their brisket - who are we kidding, we love it all! Joani caught me looking very suspicious as I ordered lunch, but I promise I was innocent.
I think he is feeling guilty about the carbs we are about to consume?
We walked to the butterfly grove later in an attempt to compensate for the ice cream cones at lunch. Everyone comments on what a cute puppy Sam is - good thing he doesn't take offense (it's about the equivalent of people mistaking me for a teenager - how humiliating would that be?) He gets plenty of attention, which he always appreciates, although he usually is ready to move on after a few seconds, unless snacks are involved.
Sam made a friend at the Butterfly Grove.
The clustering was a little more apparent today, but there was not a lot of activity since it was a bit cool in the grove.
On the way back from the grove, the clouds thickened, providing some interesting skies. Joani caught the sun's disk next to the trees in the shot below.
A few hours later, I left Sam and David at the coach and ran back to catch the sunset.
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