Monday, November 4, 2013, Butterflies and a Sunset, Pismo Beach, CA

It warmed up quickly this morning - no early morning fog - so we thought a walk to the Butterfly Grove, Pismo Beach, CA, was in order. They were beautiful, as always, and ever increasing in number.

On the way, we saw this Union Pacific passenger train. Previously, everything had been Amtrak or freight trains. I wonder how often one of these goes by.

Later in the afternoon, we walked along the beach at low tide.  

At our end, there were probably 20 sand dollars per linear foot of beach. Now we know how people have been able to collect huge bowls of them (and we have a collection of our own.)

How can you tell if a Sand Dollar is alive? They look nothing like this when they are.

You can see there was quite a bit of wind.

This little creature was moving so slowly, you had to strain to see it move at all, but he persisted.

The sun was getting low and reflecting in all the windows.

The setting sun is casting a pink glow.

No clouds to add drama, but the low tide allowed for interesting patterns.

Sunday, November 3, 2013, Sunset at Grover Beach, CA

How about this sunset Joani caught just a few feet from our door in Grover Beach, CA. The beauty of nature all around us is truly astounding!

Saturday, November 2, 2013, Exploration of San Luis Obispo, CA and Tide Pools at Shell Beach, CA

It was a beautiful day for an in-depth exploration of San Luis Obispo, CA.

Consulting a map from the Visitor's Center, everything we wanted to see was within easy walking distance. We found free parking on a residential street just on the edge of the downtown area. It was in front of a house with several hummingbird feeders that were exceptionally busy. I guessed there were at least 20 birds flitting around at any given instant.

The mission at the heart of San Luis Obispo was well preserved and was a good start for our exploration of the city. There was a museum with a lot of displays showing a little bit of what life was like at the mission in the late 1700s.

We found an alleyway that had been converted into a shop with lots of unique gardening items and plants - can you say Christmas shopping opportunities?

A warning label on a building. How unique!

There was a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house, now used as a medical office, that we studied from every angle (the office was closed for the day.)

Kundert Medical Clinic

Yes, I peeked inside. It was really very different, but pretty dated. It seemed small but then compared to our coach it was expansive.

Low tide was pretty close to sunset, so it was a great opportunity to study the tide pools in the afternoon sun and catch some sunset color at the same time. The coastal access stairwell on Ocean Boulevard, at the end of Pier Avenue in Shell Beach, was our favorite for tide pools. Lots of sea life posing for pictures!

Don't worry, be happy!

Is it just me? I see Big Bird every time I look at this picture (complete with wing).

This creature was so slow moving we almost missed it. It is a California Sea Hare. It was about the size of my forearm, oozing around in the seaweed. The big surprise was the mouth full of teeth which appeared to be nearly the same size as a person's mouth! 

Friday, November 1, 2013, Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach, CA

Walks each day, usually including at least a short stop in the Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach, CA, have become our habit.  Every day the number of butterflies has grown.  The first weekend in November is the official opening of the butterfly grove each year.  This year the butterflies were early, so there were thousands on opening day!  Here's another picture of the Monarchs clustering.