SLO Snow & Sun

It snowed last weekend, ever so briefly.  No photo evidence here; you'll just have to believe me.  I do have proof of food aplenty and scenery from strolls.  Cold and gorgeous.

Super tasty broccoli

Ames' potato galette

Local abalone: tender and tasty

Dreamy Brussels sprouts

Working off the excess (I lie)

Remedy for cold ears

Could this be a Hooded Merganser?

Lookouts

Mighty resourceful given where the acorn fell

Gophers are officially off the protected species list.

A Quick Roundtrip

While hubby was home working his hiney off (so we can have TV heads like the dude below), I took the train to SLO for a quick family check-in and hair chop.  Ironically, I learned that you don't need TV to be entertained.  Yeah, already knew that, BUT didn't realize Amtrak could do the job so well.  I was left wondering if I had been punk'd.  Greyhound flashbacks.  I'm not much of an elitist but can we really be the same species, these train people and me? 

Napkin art at SLO's new coffeeteria; makes me think of the hipster hubster.

Turkey takes flight from the ranch roof (notice friend in background).

Felipe of Palm Street

Pic of relative, DW Brophy (2nd from left), my Dad's namesake (SLO RR station).

Beached sailboats along the Lompoc coast.

Chef Ames does it again.

White Wedding

Megan and Mark - Wedding Story from www.bluephoto.biz on Vimeo.

High On More Than Helium

Ain't nothin' like a wedding parade. Oo la la.
Thanks to the master of parade ceremonies, MG, complete with boom-boxed bike, Austrian horn (right?) and orange socks (out of frame, too bad for you). Props to perhaps the best guests in the West. And kudos to the B&G who led the procession, rallied on the badminton court, cut the cupcake, made it through the B's amplified 6th grade flute recording, and brought everyone together.
Keep love rollin!

Fashionista Segue

Check it out: the sunglasses, the stripes (following the maternal example set way back when). But it's the smile that's the big segue -- cuz it's a happy day! More on that in the next post.

Home Sweet Home

Lovin' the side-by-side rusty tanks (4-wheel v 2-wheel), and the Hawaiian Ice crews.

BEAST!

I'm talking about the human who put a felt bonnet on this poor dog and has the gumption to wear navy socks with black flip flops... all while hanging out at and handling a public phone, next to a ripe garbage can. Anyhoo, forget about the beast, check out these cool critters: California long-horned beetle, wild turkey, juvenile black-crowned night heron, adult black-crowned night heron, and a way cooler dog than Sir Felt Bonnet. Not great pics but all spotted in one lovely day.

Coasting

Beaches, bikes, bulls and buoys. Note the 6th photo down -- car parking adjacent to sea mammal parking -- gives you a little perspective on the massiveness of the magnificent elephant seal. Bulls typically reach 16 feet in length and weigh 6,000 pounds. They are deep divers (1,000-5,000'), and can stay under water for several hours. While they spend most of the year traveling the open ocean, they are here in December/January to give birth (calves are weaned after only 3-4 weeks). They're protected along our coast (after nearly being hunted to extinction) but are not protected in Asia.