We kicked around a little in the morning, caught a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg, and then took separate cars to an avocado farm, and then into Morro Bay to stop off at Becky and Jack’s for a little visit and home improvements tour. Then Susan went on to the yarn store and I headed home.
Susan is a crafting master, and Fred is always making something too. Susan sent me home with this beautiful thing. I see I missed the base in the photo. It all sits on top of a nice big pumpkin!
We got up at 6am this morning to start our day at the Franklin Hot Springs. It was a total blast and I would go there again any day of the week. (Fred had coffee ready every morning no matter how early we got up. Yay Fred.) They introduced me to the drill: bathing suit on, coffee in a thermos, a towel, a robe, flips, and we’re off.
Susan and Fred have an annual pass and come often. It’s good to be there early when it’s quieter and the steam is rolling off the surface of a perfectly sulfered pond.
There’s the soaking ponds and the bigger pool where you can get in some good laps if you’re of a mind and where Fred got us the mud for our face masks. Beyond the pool there is a lake popular with migrating birds and year-around ducks.
Floaties!
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After a couple hours of delight we went back to the house and had a yummy brunch, and then Susan and I decided to enjoy a tour around the area and some wine tasting.
First stop: Sculpterra.
Fall in the vineyards.
And the sculptures for which they are known. They tasting was nice too, entertaining, plenty of choices, informative. Well done Sculpterra.
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And our last stop, Still Waters Winery for sunset.
And then a dash back to the house for the last rays from the balcony and to be greeted by dinner that Fred made while we were gone.
You can visit this wonderful installation too, just google Sensorio Paso Robles for stories and links to everything there is to know. I did see the first iteration of this project in Australia, in the land below Uluru.
We, Susan and I, got to the site just as they opened, 30 minutes before sunset. We both think that’s a key, to get there before sunset and watch the lights come on.
The view from our seats on the terrace. There were levels of seats and fire ‘pits’ behind us. We had paid big bucks for the Primo tickets, seats on terrace and food all ready to enjoy. It wasn’t great food but it was great to have it, and a beverage is included. I did like having the warm place to sit and a table from which to watch the sunset and eat. You can however spend less, get food at the food trucks, enjoy the live entertainment, so there are options.
Here we’ve headed out for the walk. The whole outing was about 5,000 steps so pretty available to anyone. They say “it’s a very easy walk, about .5 miles” and maybe that’s true if you do nothing else, but walking from the parking, back to the start to use the bathroom, milling around in the towers, it’s all much more than .5 miles.
The artist’s name is Bruce Munro. He has many installations around the world, worth a google if you’re of a mind, and this site (you can click on it) was a nice review of the Paso Light at Sensorio.
The site opened in 2019, had a pretty major expansion in 2021, and is going strong as a permanent tourist attraction with many more projects in the works.
All of the lights change colors just slowly enough that you’re not sure. I stood in this one place for a while to get this.
Be sure to check the weather (duhh) because it can be hot hot and get seriously cold, especially if the wind kicks in.
Becky and Jack invited the whole gang up to their beach house in Morro Bay. Ann and Ljubica couldn’t make it and Lourdes is back in Arizona, but the rest of us did!
Marija, Becky, Alicia, Marsha, Maxine, me
Everyone else came on Thursday and left on Sunday but I came on Friday and left on Monday. This is the picture Jack took of everyone on their balcony. Mighty nice view of the iconic Morro Rock. (btw, from what I heard, the Big Event of Thursday was shopping!)
We ate early at a nice place on the bay. We were cozy on the patio surrounded by the forest of heaters.
And after dinner Becky and Jack taught us a card game and lively competition ensued!
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In the morning we ate a big breakfast and then headed out for the Big Event, an electric boat ride around the bay.
Maxine was COLD but three hoodies did the trick!
After the boat ride we all went shopping along the bay, and then went back to the house for a yummy left-overs lunch. And then Marija, Marsha, Alicia, and Maxine went shopping Again up to Cambria. I stayed back with Becky and Jack for a most pleasant and relaxing afternoon.
Alicia, with the help of her sous chefs, made us a beef stew dinner and it was delightful.
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Everyone else was off in the morning and Hazel, Becky, Jack, and I went for a nice walk down by The Rock.
Jack and Hazel the Dog.
For a final delight Becky and I went to a very good concert at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Check it out. 100 voices with a crazy rare 47 men, a full orchestra, a comfortable and welcoming venue. It was fun!
Susan and Fred living off the grid in Paso Robles in a house They Built.. By Themselves. What?!
And it’s a big house too! Below are some pictures of the great room that is indeed a Great Room! (Hey, SELF, lighten these pictures.)
Susan gathered each of these stones from so many special places and built this labyrinth that we walked on. It’s name is The Santa Rosa Labyrinth and it has a story. You can look it up and google will tell you.
More of the labyrinth.
One of the many special rocks outlining the labyrinth’s paths. All the rocks are special…
They call that small building in the back the pump house. All the solar collections are on the building and on the frame behind it feeding into the batteries inside the pump house that then feed the whole property. Their water is from a well and held in a huge tank, the waste goes to a septic tank, there must be some other off-grid accommodations I’m forgetting right now.
A water feature and The Dog!
Susan sent me home with a crocheted-by-her dish washer and a jar of liquid gold, also made by Susan, to dissolve in water for the garden.
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They call this sunset view from the back patio ‘The Burning Bush’.
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Before we went to the house we did a drive-about in the area.
We visited Kiler Ridge Olive Oil where we had a tasting and enjoyed the views.
I always enjoy this patio in Steve and Celina’s home in the Camarillo Leisure Village.
Bagel and Marley wishing Steve a Happy Happy Birthday!
Sam, Gideon, Celina, Steve
Celina has a plot here in the community garden as well as..
..so many flourishing herbs to go in her FABulous food.
A view from the community center. The whole village is like this – one story houses set in large rolling lawns with all the wires happily underground. There are so many activities available too.
Celina is taking advantage of Tai Chi!
After a lovely night’s sleep I’m off to Paso Robles.
I just found this on the internet and I need to put it here!
“Several unique museums are based in Camarillo, including the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing’s World War II Aviation Museum, the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, the Pleasant Valley Historical Society Museum and the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House.”
Bakeries, so many bakeries, a highlight of Solvang along with the restaurants, shops, and wine tastings. We did notice that the bakeries all had basically the same items on offer and it would be fun to buy the same thing in each of them for a blind tasting.
These guys said they were the first bakery in Solvang and all the others were opened by people who worked here first.
Early-ish, meaning before 10 when the shops open, this is the main pedestrian drag, Copenhagen Street.
A view from the edge of town. It’s wonderful countryside living and the weather has been perfect.
Approaching Mission Santa Inez (19th of the 21 California missions).
A mission has gotta have bells.
Not much original left here but this is a piece of one of the original arches.
Lunch at Coast Range.
We enjoyed a visit to the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art. We also had a swing through the Hans Christian Anderson museum.
We’ve walked everywhere since arriving yesterday but now we picked up the car to drive to this Must Do bakery (oh my oh my we had a delicious treat!), then a buzz through Los Olivos and Santa Ynez, and then we stopped at a market to pick up some dinner. What a lovely day.
Windy and I are making a little outing to the Santa Ynez Valley, staying for two nights in Solvang.
The most photographed corner in Solvang. Google Solvang and then do images, you’ll see. The wikipedia article is very good too.
On this day we mostly wandered around the streets looking in the myriad shops that make up the core of Solvang since I am after all with my little sister, a shopping maven of the first order. Shops, restaurants, wine tasting…we didn’t go to any of the fancy-pants wine tastings but at the end of the day we enjoyed a mulled wine at the High Roller Tiki Lounge across the street from our hotel.
A picture through the window of Robert trying to shoo the tarantula off the front door handle. Carl got the shot of the tarantula itself.
I spotted the thing and pointed it out to someone, I don’t remember who, who thought it was fake and blew on it. The tarantula responded with a very not-fake not-dead wave of its huge hairy legs.
A long weekend of R&R in the Santa Ynez valley with Robert and Joanna, and Bob and Desda, down from SF way, and Carl and Lynn, and Ben and Bonnie, and Richard from around LA. Unfortunately Emilia was very ill and couldn’t make it.
The meal-deal worked out very well I thought. We each had our assignment to bring everything for, prepare, and clean-up after a particular meal. Everyone pitched in to help, as much as they felt like doing. It really did go very smoothly.
Time for dinner, but first wine and challah and a few words for Shabbat.
I was delighted so many times through our stay by the amenities provided at the house. It seemed as though anything we wanted, there it was. The kitchen, the pool and patio, the bathrooms, not a thing was missing. They even had, as well as the wifi with a couple of boosters, a wifi connected printer should you need to print a boarding pass or a recipe for example.
And there were a dozen colors of lights in the pool and the spa, to choose as the mood struck.
At 10 this morning I took the ride back down to LA for Rome’s birthday and then returned around 5 so I don’t have any pictures from Saturday’s daytime pleasures.
Richard! our organizer (yay Richard, great job!) and weekend Mixologist was able to make it up on Saturday night. Fortunately Emilia was on the mend but unfortunately still not well enough to come.
Several times throughout the day various ones would head out for a walk down the oh-so-very long and steep driveway and along the peaceful roads nearby.
We’re getting all dressed-up for our big dinner out.
You can tell I am dressed up because I am wearing my shiny-silver-strappy wa-hoo Kate Spade shoes. You can tell Robert is from Europe because he is wearing red pants.
There’s another dog just like this one, also the color of the road only 10 years younger, both so friendly and lovable.
In the morning the dogs wandered through the house with thick, caked mud on their ‘legs’ up to their ‘knees’, shedding, licking, and passing gas, the state of so many dogs of my acquaintance.
I took a buzz into Los Olivos for a look-around. I would not have recognized Los Olivos as it is now many streets wide and deep of small quaint-designer buildings all occupied by wine tasting establishments.
Back in town now to go with Michi to the harbor to watch her ukulele group play. It was fun, and an inspiration!
Michi is always trying to get folks to say ukulele as you would in Hawaiian…oo-(as in moose)-coo-leh-leh. She’s about as successful as I am pronouncing karaoke as you would in Japanese…kah-rah-oh-ke. It’s just not going to take with the folks. How karaoke turned into care-ree-oh-key looks to me like a nice topic for a term paper.
I arrived around sunset and headed right up to Meditation Mount. What they say: “Our Mission is to promote the building of an enlightened and compassionate world through the power of creative meditation, inspirational educational programs, and community-based events focused on the practical application of the following universal spiritual principles.”
It’s a wonderful setting and speaks to the whole sense of Ojai and perhaps what it is Beatrice Wood found so inspiring.
…at a very cool guest house in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Valley where I failed to catch any pictures of the many extremely colorful and extremely entertaining residents and guests.
Santa Ynez is predominately a wine making area (think Sideways). It got so cold and so windy that by sunset I was already snug in my room at the guest house and didn’t emerge until morning.
The Presidio and some details from their website: ‘Founded April 21, 1782, the Santa Barbara Royal Presidio was the last in a chain of four military fortresses built by the Spanish along the coast of Alta California, then a wilderness frontier. Others had been established at San Diego, San Francisco and Monterey.
‘Padre JunÃpero Serra, well known for his leadership in founding the California missions, blessed the site of the Santa Barbara Presidio four years prior to the establishment of the Mission of Santa Barbara in 1786. El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park encompasses much of the original Presidio site and is located in modern downtown Santa Barbara at the intersection of Santa Barbara and East Canon Perdido Streets.’
Ms Wiki, abridged: Founded December 4, 1786, as the tenth mission for the religious conversion of the indigenous local Chumash—Barbareño tribe of Native American people.
The earthquake on December 21, 1812, destroyed the existing buildings, after which that the construction on the current Mission was begun and then dedicated in 1820. The towers were considerably damaged in the June 29, 1925 earthquake, but were subsequently rebuilt in 1927.
Today was one of the most bird-a-delic day Ever in my whole long life. So many many…many of them and many different kinds.
These were pelicans skimming across the waves in exact lines and the lines waving up and down like a roller coaster. It was the first thing we saw first thing in the morning and SO much more to follow.
We had a nice wine tasting at the Harmony Cellars Winery just down the road from Cambria and just up the hill from the glass blowers and the pottery work shops.
