Today is theme day for City Daily Photo Bloggers, and this month's theme is nature. That's a pretty hard topic to narrow down to just a few shots. Most of my posts on this blog are about nature. I will limit this post to shots of three of my favorite nature subjects: sunset, the Cambria coast, and trees.
I never get tired of sunsets. It's hard to choose just one to share here, but there are more in my other posts. See smoky sunsets during last year's Chimney Fire here. You can find photos of the Salinas River at sundown here. I took these shots during sundown from the Steinbeck Winery. The shots below were taken in my own neighborhood.
Sunset in my Neighborhood
This shot contains two of my favorite nature subjects -- trees and the sunset.
"Look Down" is the theme for July 1 at City Daily Photos. I've been scouring through my photos to find something appropriate. I found many that fit the theme, but I like this one best. It was taken at Moonstone Beach in Cambria. I was looking down the stairs that led to the tide pools.
You can never predict what someone may leave on the sidewalk. This scooter was abandoned by a little girl in my neighborhood, but only temporarily. It would still be easy to trip over if one didn't look down.
Mother Nature's Surprises
Mother Nature often has surprises for us when we look down. On the day I took this photo, I was walking through City Park in Paso Robles. I was actually looking at some magnolia cones that had fallen and been raided by nature's scavengers. Then I noticed the moss growing in the cracks of the walkway.
You never know what the creepie crawlies are doing unless you look down. Or, maybe, you don't really want to know what they are doing. Try not to blush. Just what I don't need -- more box elder bugs
One can approach the ocean from Paso Robles in many ways. Probably the closest beaches to Paso Robles are Cambria, San Simeon State Beach, and Cayucos. Continue south on Highway 1 or take 101 to Highway 41 to reach Morro Bay. Just a bit farther south and you will be at Avila Beach and Pismo Beach.Each beach and coastal city has its own unique character, and most locals have a preferred beach where they like to access the ocean. My personal favorite is Moonstone Beach, and next would be Avila Beach. The photo essays I just linked to will show you an extensive look at each beach in photos and videos as I experienced them. I will introduce some different and more recent photos here. I'm glad the ocean is only a short distance from Paso Robles, and I can get to any of my favorite beaches quickly. One of my favorite places to access the ocean in Cambria is Leffingwell Landing. Below are some of the reasons why.
Leffingwell Landing is one place where I can go with Hubby, who has difficulty walking very far, where he can sit and watch the ocean while I walk the boardwalk and we are both happy. There are also restrooms easily accessible. I think the sun is in his eyes in this photo.
Leffingwell Landing is a place where children can be active while getting their own personal taste of nature. I remember how my own children loved to climb on the rocks when we went to a beach that had them. They would have loved the Cambria coastline.
If you watch my video, you can hear the ocean at San Simeon, as well as see it.
Now we will move south to Cayucos. When I think of Cayucos I think of not only the ocean and the beach, but also the seaweed and the patterns formed by the waves on the sand.
Time to move south to Morro Bay now. Morro Bay's most famous landmarks are its smokestacks and Morro Rock. Since I'm focused on the ocean, I'll show you the rock. Since Morro Bay is a fishing village, it is usually surrounded by boats.
It's time to move on to Avila Beach, which actually is two beaches. There's the one near town with a more typical sandy beach, and there is also Port San Luis. These photos were taken at Port San Luis because there is more wildlife to look at. Below is a gull on the rocks deciding whether to go fishing.
Our last stop will be Pismo Beach. It's a popular beach with people and seagulls. Don't leave your picnic food unattended. It will soon be surrounded. This is what happened to one ice chest left by itself on the beach. It's like an airport restaurant for seagulls.
Here's a glimpse of people enjoying Pismo Beach near the pier.
Here are some of my more popular Zazzle products made from photos taken at Pismo Beach, in case you missed picking up a souvenir last time you were there.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of this post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.
This is my fifteenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is Things You Can See or Experience in North San Luis Obispo County. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.
In my first garden in Templeton, 2001 - taken by my husband.
I started this blog on a theme day, February 1, 2015. The theme that day was what we would miss most if we ever had to leave where we live. I wrote then What I'd Miss Most if I Left Paso Robles Forever.
Today we are to write about why we feel we belong where we are, or where we feel our homeland is. Of course, my homeland is America. What I wrote last year about the part of it I occupy is still true this year, except that the Paso Robles area means even more to me after another year. We've now been here 23 years, and that's longer than I've lived in any other area. I grew up in Los Angeles County and spent the first 43 years of my life there. I had no idea what I was missing.
We moved up into Ventura County for 15 more years before moving here. I loved Ventura County when I was there. I've never lived far from the coast, and we lived within walking distance of Mugu State Park in Ventura County and could hike there very conveniently. If we had enough time, we could actually walk all the way to the coast. I was perfectly content.
Then in 1993 we moved to Templeton and I knew I'd really found my place. We also live in Paso Robles sometimes. Whichever place I lay my head each night is still home. The trees and vineyards are easily accessible. I feel the trees I've been photographing on the streets, in the parks, and in the vineyards are like friends I've watched as they grew larger and sometimes even fell or split. They are part of what being here means to me.
One thing I love about this area is being able to stroll through the quiet vineyards with my camera, exploring them and discovering some remarkable trees and birds. The photo above was taken where a strand of trees separates upper vineyards from lower ones closer to the highway. Some of the most beautiful oak trees in the area live at Zenaida. One day I saw a group of turkey vultures in the trees. Later that day I saw my first acorn woodpecker. Birds love vineyards. Some like to steal grapes and others help keep the rodent population down.
I also love the coastline here, especially the north coast which is closest to me. We had beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura County, but I love the character of our rugged coastline here. This was taken as I walked the boardwalk at Moonstone Beach.
To get a better idea of why I love this area so much you'd need to follow the blog and see the photo or photos I post each day as I walk around with my camera. As I take my pictures, I turn some of them into postcards and posters in my Zazzle Store. Here's a sample postcard from the collection linked to below.
Maybe where you are the sky is blue and the weather is just right for InternationalKite Day. Where I am it's raining. It seems this day should fall on a sunny weekend. Then I could go to Moonstone Beach and try flying a stunt kite as this family did. This photo shows one of the kites they were flying.
The kites I remember from my childhood were nothing like these dual string stunt kites. My own kites and kite-flying experiences were more like the ones that Charlie Brown had. I think I may have met his kite-eating tree. When I was a child, we didn't have anywhere nearby to escape trees and wires in our neighborhood.
All Ages Can Enjoy Flying Kites -- Even Together
The family we met flying stunt kites at Moonstone Beach were having a family reunion of sorts and flying the kites was an activity everyone from the kids and the grandparents could enjoy together. This man is flying a dual string stunt kite, and his kite is flying so high I can't fit it into the photo below. All you can see are his hands manipulating the strings.
To see the full intergenerational experience kite-flying experience, watch the video the family gave me permission to make of them enjoying this outdoor recreation. It was my first time to see a dual string kite in action, and I was mesmerized. Enjoy. If you'd like to try flying a stunt kite yourself, Amazon has a great collection of stunt kites to choose from.
I first met squirrels when I was about six years old with my mother at the Capitol Park in Sacramento. They were so tame they would come and eat out of my hand. They were tree squirrels. I thought they were cute and always enjoyed seeing them.
I still always look for them when I'm around trees. I've seen many of them in the oak trees behind Peachy Canyon's Tasting Room On Highway 46 West and Bethel Road in Paso Robles. (Or is it Templeton? It's one of those in between places.) I was unable to get a photo because the squirrels were moving to the next tree before I could get them in focus. They are very nimble and very quick. They are fun to watch. I support Squirrel Appreciation Day for tree squirrels most of the time. The squirrel in the photo above was found in a tree on Oak Lane in Paso Robles.
I Have Mixed Feelings about Ground Squirrels
I continued to enjoy and appreciate squirrels until one summer they destroyed most of my garden, plant by plant, very systematically, until there were no tomato or cucumber plants left. I never saw the culprits, but my husband finally saw the tail of one whisking away one day. Before that we had no idea of what had hit us. These culprits were ground squirrels, and they are very active in our area. I can appreciate how cute they are at Moonstone Beach, where I photographed this one, or almost anywhere but in my garden. Those who venture into my garden, however, I declare war on.
I loved this photo of two ground squirrels I saw checking each other out at Moonstone Beach in Cambria.
In case you ever see a tiny ground squirrel that appears to be orphaned and you want to help, my friend Rex Truelove has written this article on Caring for Orphaned Ground Squirrels. I have never run into this problem on my property because the neighbor's cats would have found them before I would have.
Products to Help Fight Squirrels, Learn More About Them, or Express Squirrel Appreciation
Squirrel Traps
If you have a destructive squirrel, you might want to look into one of these traps. I've been told the Squirrelinator works very well. Whichever solution you try, you can expect a tough battle. Before you buy a catch and release type trap, be sure it's legal to release the squirrels in your area. Many areas forbid releasing the squirrels because they aren't appreciated everywhere. They can carry diseases and destroy crops.
Although Moonstone Beach is in Cambria, not Paso Robles, it is the closest beach to Paso Robles and my favorite place in the North County to view our coast. I like to walk on the boardwalk, or on the beach as this man is doing. If you can't see him, you can click to enlarge this or any photo here.
One thing I enjoy about Moonstone Beach is watching what people build. There is always driftwood in interesting shapes, and people make huts or other structures to demonstrate their creativity. Another favorite occupation is looking for interesting stones or rocks. I have often found jade there.
Moonstone Beach has many interesting trees. One of them hides this secluded bench that I call the "lovers' bench." I very often come across couples sitting there where not many people are looking as they walk along the boardwalk above. It's a great place to view the ocean.
It seems I most often visit Moonstone Beach in autumn or winter when there aren't as many people. This photo was taken in January and picks up some of the color from the flora. You can see the most common of the fauna below.
One of our most interesting Moonstone Beach experiences was observing a family celebration where three generations were flying stunt kites together. They graciously allowed me to capture them flying the kites on video. I had never seen stunt kites before. It was really fun to watch two in the air at once. You might enjoy watching the video that shows not only what it's like to play at Moonstone Beach, but also how much fun these kites can be as a family activity.
before. It was really fun to watch two in the air at once. You might enjoy watching the video that shows not only what it's like to play at Moonstone Beach, but also how much fun these kites can be as a family activity.
