Carrizo Plains

On Monday we took a drive on Hwy 58 out to the Carizzo Plains National Monument. I heard the wildflowers were in bloom so we went to take pictures. We had a great day.

We were barely out of Santa Margarita when we had to stop and take pictures. The rolling hills were bright green and the flowers were everywhere.





Carizzo is an amazing place. The center of the plains is an ancient lakebed called Soda Lake. The hills around were covered in yellow, orange, and purple patches.





Even the highway was beautiful.



See the whole set here.

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Driving home from TJs

I happened to have my camera with me one Friday when Mae and I drove to SLO to go shopping at Trader Joe's. On the way home we stopped along Los Osos Valley Road a few times to take some pictures.

The cows were enjoying the green grass.



The side of the road is lined yellow mustard flowers and poppies.





There were also several fields full of the yellow flowers.

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Jellys

We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Friday. It had been a couple of years since we were there last. I was mesmerized by their new Jellyfish exhibit. I had to try to take a few pictures. Despite curved glass, reflections everywhere, and some fast moving jellies, I did get a few pictures of these amazing creatures.









See the whole set on my Flickr page.

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Ahh... Spring

It's not like we really have "winter" here but I am so excited when the warmer weather returns and the plants start blooming again. We decided to get out and enjoy the day and, of course, that meant taking some pictures for me.

We thought a nice walk down the Bob Jones Trail in Avila beach would be a great start to the day. Right away I spotted a solitary tree on a cliff that I had to capture.



Not too far down the trail you encounter a strange looking forest of metal. A local hot springs resort started a building here years ago and never got any further than this.



The trees were all in bloom in Avila.



After our walk we headed home and enjoyed time in our own garden. All of our trees and flowers are in bloom too so I took a few pictures.







I'll have many more flower pictures as the season continues. :)

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Five year olds' birthday party

Laura's best friend turned five just 4 days after Laura. We decided it would be fun to have a birthday party together. Living in California you get used to assuming any weekend will be sunny, even in February. So, of course we planned a party at the park. Thankfully, we planned ahead and also reserved the old schoolhouse at the park, because a big storm came just in time for the party. The night before the party we put together the party favors by candlelight since the storm had knocked the power out.

Just as we had worked out what we'd do with 36 kids + parents in a one-room schoolhouse for two hours, the weather decided to take pity on us and the rain stopped for the party. The girls had a great time. Here are some pictures from the party.

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Last day of snow

Ok, yes, I am perpetually behind with my pictures these last few months.

Our last day in the snow began when we woke up to find 18 inches of snow had fallen since we went to sleep that night.



It was still snowing in the morning and the girls took their umbrellas for the walk to breakfast to keep the snow from falling on their faces.





We did one more walk around the Grant Tree loop after breakfast.



Then it was time for the drive home. I am always sad when we leave since I know it will be a year before we see snow again. Even the roads looked beautiful covered in snow.

General's Hwy:



Hwy 180:



The clouds were covering the valley as we drove down the mountain.



As if to welcome us home and remind us how beautiful the central coast is, we were treated to a stunning sunset as we drove in to Paso Robles on Hwy 46.

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