Saturday, October 26, 2013, "Pumpkins on the Pier" in Pismo Beach, CA

There was something called "Pumpkins on the Pier" in Pismo Beach, CA, so off we went. We exited the boardwalk and headed through the dunes to the beach for most of our walk into town.

 It is such a pretty walk into town.

 Crossing over the dunes and heading to the beach.

There was a Halloween costume contest for the kids. The kids were grouped by age and there were a lot of pretty elaborate costumes. It appeared that some of the parents were more into the competition than their kids were, but it looked like everyone had a good time.

 Yikes!!!

 The parents seemed more into the festivities than the young ones.

 Perched high above the crowds, watching the fishermen at the end of the pier.

It seems the surfers sit and wait for the right wave about 95% of the time.  

 This pair shared the third place - from the movie Dumb and Dumber.

 This adorable little robot took second place. He never cracked a smile.

 This spooky little lady took first place.

 This was my favorite. Have you seen the movie "Up?"

Hoagies was recommended for their fish and chips which seemed perfect for lunch - it was excellent! Outdoor seating meant Sam could dine with us. He was mostly interested in cookie crumbs left by the baby at the table before us.

 Our timing was fantastic - we had no wait. But, the line was out the door by the time we were leaving.

 Such an unusual rose.

 The electrical wires have mated with this eucalyptus tree. It has grown around them.

Of course, we had to check on the activity at the Butterfly Grove. There was a noticeable increase in the number of butterflies and with the warmth of the day, we saw a great many of them flying around. 

They were fairly active today.  There are more every day.

Friday, October 25, 2013, Luffa Farm, Nipomo, CA

About ten miles south of Pismo Beach, in Nipomo, CA, we toured a Luffa Farm. As many people do, we both thought that a luffa was a sponge from the sea. Clearly, it is not. We learned all about the luffa plant - growing, maturing and processing the plants from seeds to finished product.

Who thought a luffa sponge came from the sea? (Me!)

First, a blossom (edible) much like a gourd. (It is in the gourd family.)

Once the flower has done its thing, the luffa starts its magic and begins to grow. When it is young, it is edible (also known as Chinese Okra).

If conditions are just right, luffas can grow 1 inch a day.

When a second one starts to grow on the same vine, it sucks nutrients from its vine mate, which will start to dry up.

The luffa is allowed to dry on the vine. If you pick it too early, the fibers will not have formed properly. Shake it and the seeds rattle.

When the bottom drops off (allowing the seeds to fall out) it is ready to be removed from the vine.

After soaking the dried luffa, the skin peels off easily.

The Luffa Farm sells online, too.

"Tour the farm...   fine."

"Walk in my house...   not OK."

There was a dog park in Nipomo where Sam could run free with other dogs. Sam doesn't really do much running and, sadly, there were no other dogs for Sam to sniff. There was one other dog there at first, but its owner said it did not play well with others, so she left. Sam did enjoy biting water from the hose bib - ahh, the simple things in life!

 

Sam finds dripping water entertaining.

He kept it up for over ten minutes.

A quick stop by the Butterfly Grove found things a bit more active in the afternoon sun.

When it's warm, the butterflies move around a bit.

Thursday, October 24, 2013, Thursday Night Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo, CA

We had a pleasant visit at Pismo Beach, CA, with Joani's relatives - sadly, they are heading home, but we had a very nice time with them this past week! It was great that our schedules overlapped so we could spend time together at the beach. 

Had to say goodbye to my very favorite Aunt and Uncle.  (very, very favorite!!!)

Checked in at the Butterfly Grove - we definitely saw an increase in their numbers with the slightly warmer weather and some sunshine.

Every Thursday night there is a farmer's market in San Luis Obispo. It was the first time I remember visiting a nighttime market. Even with the cool evening air, there was quite a crowd. It was a carnival atmosphere with at least 50 places to eat. The longest line was probably at McLintock's for barbecue. I looked at the plates they were serving up and I was tempted, but we had already had our dinner.

New Orleans style street entertainment.

On the way home, we walked around the streets of Pismo Beach for a few minutes. Not quite the party atmosphere of San Luis Obispo, but still pretty active.

Meanwhile, back at Pismo...

Wednesday, October 23, 2013, Walk Around Pismo Beach, CA

The walk into Pismo Beach was just about the perfect length - just over 2 miles each way. It was a very pleasant walk along the boardwalk through the dunes, and then the trail through the State park (passing the butterfly grove) and finally the sidewalks through town.

I looked at real estate prices on Zillow -  you don't even want to know how much little bungalows like these go for (over $400k). This one was very well kept.

Is nothing sacred?  Magnolia trees belong in the south!

Everywhere, there were murals painted on the buildings which added a nice whimsical touch to the beach atmosphere.

A lot of folks "painted" their yards with flowers. There was quite a variety and beautiful colors. I guess there are flowers that bloom year round in the mild coastal climate.  

This hummingbird has become a regular fixture on our walks into town - always on the same fence near the same flowers.

The clam festival was over so the giant concrete clam was painted for Halloween. What will they do after that? We should be here to find out - we will post the next clam outfit later.

Since the butterfly grove is just off of the path from town, we checked the butterflies again - not really much change in the butterflies or the weather. We will stop in again often.

The new refrigerator part (the control thermistor) arrived. I snapped it in place and checked what I could. The unit started operating normally (no more back-up mode). I will keep my fingers crossed to see if it completes a 12-hour cycle with no issues!