Life On The Central Coast

My sister Lynn really went out of her way to make sure her husband Mike had a great 50th Birthday. She sneaked into his work after hours and did all kinds of decorating and had it ready when he came to work. Can you believe the walker, Depends and all those black balloons!!?? He must have been duly embarrassed and surprised. Happy Birthday, Mike...Happy Birthday to You!!

We went camping at Lopez Lake this past weekend. It was us with our motorhome, our daughter and her in-laws with tent trailers. We had such a good time relaxing, eating, sitting around the campfire and just doing nothing. The baby was really good and seemed to enjoy the great outdoors too. We went down to the little kids park and let him play on the slide, swing set and merry-go-round. The slideshow is Scott, his Mom, Dad and Uncle Cullen. We saw so many deer, turkeys, racoons, quail, red-headed woodpeckers and crows. Nature really can rejuvenate your spirit! http://www.slocountyparks.com/activities/lopez.htm

Treasure bracelets are a collection of glass beads, charms, buttons and baubles all put together to make one stunning statement. This treasure bracelet is adorned with buttons, lampwork beads, charms and 100's of glass beads all in shades of green, aqua and purple. To read more about this type of beadwork, please see http://www.robinatkins.com/ . It was through her book, Beaded Treasures, (ISBN 978-0-9705538-6-7) that I learned how to do this fun, eclectic bracelet.

The moment we've all been waiting for has happened! Scott started taking his first steps at 10 1/2 months. He is tentative at best, walking between furniture and short spurts between his parents and grandparents. Click on the picture below to see him go about 3 steps. Scott is walking!

Shell Beach is one of the Five Cities of the Central Coast. It is located between Pismo Beach and Avila Beach. It is a great place to rent kayaks and explore the coastline. As you can see from the picture, the Brown Pelican colonies are taking over the tops of several coastline rocks and their groaning and screaming calls can be heard on the shore. Each evening they go out to the feeding grounds about 1/2 mile off the coast and they can be seen diving from heights of 30ft into the water to feed. Shell Beach also has several really beautiful hotels and motels lining the bluffs complete with some of the best seafood restaurants in the area. http://www.virtualslo.com/attractions/Attraction.php?id=14

Ode To Chocolate Chocolate is so sweet and good, Some say fattening, I say misunderstood. A gift from the Gods of Old Mexico, it helps our hearts and makes us glow. Tastes GREAT in Cakes, Puddings, Drinks and Pies, Chocolate helps mankind be happy, healthy and wise! I think chocolate's saving grace, Is how cute it looks when it's... ALL OVER YOUR FACE!

From 6:00 to 9:00 pm on Thursday nights, the bell rings and the open air Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo goes into full swing. The local farmer's can begin selling their fruit, vegetables, plants, honey, eggs and other local tasty food. It's a great place to just grab a couple of BBQ ribs or a roasted ear of corn and sit down on the curb and listen to music. You can't beat the freshness of the local produce and it's just plain FUN!! The side streets host various local talent venues such as bands, choirs, gymnastics, belly dancers, even face painting and a bounce house for the kids to enjoy. This week was especially busy because of the nice weather and a local car show in Arroyo Grande this weekend. Can you believe the size of that crowd?? Farmer's Market San Luis Obispo, CA