Paso Robles Wineries

We spent one day touring the wineries of Paso Robles, the newest  wine growing region of California. This area has acres and acres of vineyards and olive trees and pistachio orchards. Beautiful to look at…… and tasty products! With over 200 different wineries in this area, we could only hope for a small sampling……. 

One of the wineries that we enjoyed touring was Sculpterra, which was unique in blending outdoor sculptures and art work with the business of wine making…..starting with this elaborate iron work gate.

Sculpterra had beautiful gardens……

With outdoor seating areas for events.

Then, there were the sculptures………here a cat, their logo, and a bucking horse….

A cheetah lounging in a tree…..

Elephants and Pumas……

And a flowing mermaid…..

After a wine tasting at Sculpterra, we went to another winery for a lunch of crab cakes.

Next, we stopped by the Eberle Winery for a tour of their underground caves where they store their wine.

And conduct wine tastings and other events………so cool!

We enjoyed discovering a few new wines, and loved touring this area which may one day be as well known for their wines as the Napa Valley………..

San Luis Obispo City–the Mission

We spent one day visiting the smaller towns in the area. In San Luis Obispo City, we happened upon this old Spanish Mission. Founded by Fr. Junipero Serra in 1772, this mission was one of 21 missions stretching from San Diego to Sonoma.

The church had a wonderful ‘folk art’ type of décor…….

And one of the more unique ‘Madonna’ paintings that I had seen…..

and outside, in the square, a lovely fountain……

As we headed for lunch at a small café nearby, we were stopped by the mission bells chiming the noontime hour…..

Morro Rock

Aug 1st – 4th – We left Encinitas and headed north (again through Los Angeles) towards San Francisco and Emeryville, CA. On the way, we spent 4 nights at Morro Bay St. Park in San Luis Obispo County. The campground was OK, but crowded. It was, however, very convenient! We spent the next 3 days exploring the central California coast, and finally realized why people say that the coast drive is really beautiful. (We had not shared their opinion, thus far, as we had only seen the very traffic congested and overpopulated areas around Los Angeles.) Over the next few posts I will share some highlights, but, I am afraid that my picture taking does not do the area justice.

One of the most prominent landmarks in this area is Morro Rock. It looks like something that fell from outer space, but is really what was left from a volcanic cone after everything else had eroded away.

Morro Rock sits off the coastline, and is surrounded by water. It has a very nice beach…..

And a population of sea otters. This one was soo cute….he spent a long time floating on his back and grooming himself…..’washing’ his hair…..etc..

Morro Rock also has a very large population of sea gulls….and is a protected nesting area…..

We saw many gulls nesting on the rock ledges. They seemed undisturbed by the number of people watching them.

Visiting with Mike and Pam–Encinitas, CA

July 24th – 31st – We left Oxnard, CA and headed south, through Los Angeles to Encinitas to visit with Fred’s brother, Mike and his wife, Pam. Let me just say, there is no love lost on these Los Angeles roadways. We did take the now infamous 405 (this was after the ‘car-magedden’ weekend) and, because it was Sunday morning, we did not suffer too much from the traffic. That means that the 5 lanes of steady cars never came to a stand-still. But, give me the good ‘ole Farmerville roads any day!
Mike and Pam live in a section of Encinitas just walking distance to the cute downtown and the beach. Our days fell into the daily rhythm of Mike and Pam’s lives, with activities or a bit of work in the morning (they are both landscape architects), or a fun outing, then an afternoon walk with their dog, Romer. We would usually walk down to a grassy area by the library where Romer could chase a ball, then on to the downtown, where we might stop by the Whole Foods to pick up a needed item for dinner.
Dinners were always a treat….both Mike and Pam are excellent cooks, and the selection of organic and locally grown produce is excellent. Speaking of food….we sampled fish tacos for the first time…and loved them! You can get a fish taco with either fried fish (like in ‘fish and chip's’) or grilled or blacked fish. They put this in a soft tortilla with lettuce or cabbage slaw and maybe corn or bean salsa. Delicious!
One evening, after having staked out our table and fire pit earlier in the afternoon, we walked to the beach for a picnic dinner and bon fire.


The fire was beautiful…..and provided a nice warmth…….believe it or not, it was chilly down by the ocean! I feel your pain, Louisiana and Arizona (even Iowa)!

I can’t imagine living where one can walk on the beach everyday………


One of our outings was to the Encinitas Botanical Gardens. It was lovely…….

With so many different kinds of plants……..

Beautiful….and unusual……

I also learned about dichroic glass……these light catchers were made from this special glass which is clear, yet reflects various colors when the light shines through them.

Another day, we went to the horse races! You don’t have to worry …… we were only placing $2 bets, which was good, because we sure can’t pick the horses!

Thanks so much to Mike and Pam for the wonderful hospitality. It is always special to be able to become part of your day to day lives for just a bit…….

Andy and Quinn’s Wedding Celebration

July 21st – 23rd - After visiting with Sarah and Jason in Chandler, AZ, we drove on to Oxnard, California, just north of Los Angeles, to celebrate another wedding. This time it was our nephew, Andy and his fiancée, Quinn who were getting married.

My sister, Missy (Andy’s mother) and her family rented a house near the beach in Oxnard, where everyone gathered to visit………

Missy’s children traveled from all over to be together – the oldest daughter, Jessie and her husband, James are living in Singapore. Second daughter, Katie and her husband, Nick live in Tucson, AZ with their two children, Emma and Jack. And Andy and Quinn are living in New Orleans, but Quinn’s family is from the Los Angeles/ Camarillo area. Missy and her husband, Tim live in Monroe, La, as does our Mom, Ruth.

This picture was taken at the wedding celebration……from left, Jessie and James, Quinn and Andy, Katie holding Jack, with Emma on the ground in front, and Nick standing behind, our Mom, Ruth with Missy on the end with Tim behind.  A great looking group!       : )

The rented beach house gave everyone a great place to ‘hang out’ and visit……

My Mom, and my brother Roy……  Fred and Roy’s wife, Ellen. A great chance to ‘catch up’…Roy and Ellen and their son, Joseph, live in Louisville, Kentucky.

Roy and Ellen and Joseph take a turn holding baby Jack……a favorite activity    : )         

And, James and Jessie get some visiting with Andy and Quinn.

Friday evening, an open house was planned…….We have wonderful cooks in the family! Katie and Jessie and James out did themselves! I didn’t get any photos of James – he was so busy scurrying around….cooking and grilling on the rooftop!

That evening, all of Quinn’s family and all from out of town dropped by to visit and get acquainted. The food was delicious and the beach house worked beautifully.

On Saturday afternoon, we gathered at Quinn’s grandmother’s house in Camarillo for a wonderful wedding celebration. The garden was set up with tables and we enjoyed a buffet dinner in this beautiful setting.

Maid of Honor- Quinn’s younger sister, Riley…… and Best Man - Andy’s best friend from college, Eliot.

And I just couldn’t resist including this photo of Emma….