True Colours Thursday / "Violet"

From the little "wine tasting" town of Los Olivos north of Santa Barbara, California.



True Colours Thursday is "violet" for this week.

Kreativ Blogger Award

I am happy to accept the Kreativ Blogger Award from Martha Z at (Martha's Musings). Thank you, Martha! I am being asked to write 7 things about myself that would not necessarily be known by the blogging community. So...here I go:

1. I have been married to my husband since 1972. Hmmm...that makes 37 years, pushing 38 in February.

2. We have 2 grown children with one young grandson who is 2 1/2 years old. His daddy is wonderful and we have loved having him and his family as a part of our family since the summer of 2002. We knew him for several years before he married our daughter. She is also a teacher in the same school district where I worked for so long. Our son has just completed Los Angeles Film School and we are all hoping he will land a career in the film industry...it will take some time in this economy, though.

3. I worked in the same school district as an elementary and middle school teacher for 32 years and am now retired and loving my new status. Although I do miss being in the midst of students with all of their combinations of personalities and skill levels. They really do enrich the life of anyone in their midst!

4. About 10 years ago I had the honor of having many of my students pen-pal with Korean and Japanese students. Their letters were sent by snail mail in the beginning and then soon evolved into e-mails. Because of these connections, I have a long standing friendship with the teachers of these two countries and have visited Korea and Japan multiple times each to meet these amazing people and their families. Both have visited us here in the U.S. as well. Maintaining these friendships is very important to me, as well as for my family.

5. I have lived in the same local community all of my life, however, my husband was born and raised in southern Illinois. His family now lives near Chicago and I love to play in that city every couple of years!

6. I have traveled to England, Wales and continental Western Europe in addition to Mexico, Canada, South Korea and Japan. We are hoping to take a trip to Australia this spring...I do hope that is possible!

7. We have spent many vacations in Hawaii. We enjoy staying in condominiums on the Big Island, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. We had our daughter's wedding on Kauai and were surprised that 55 friends attended. We thought it would be just immediate family in the beginning but the event soon changed into something somewhat larger. We had so much fun kayaking, hiking, and going to the beach with our guests prior to the wedding day.

8. (I'll add one more) I am a Jimmy Buffett fan. We attend every show we can when he is out here in California or Las Vegas! I truly believe, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" is a very good philosophy to live by!

So...those are 8 things about myself.

The next part is that I am to pass this award on to bloggers that I have enjoyed following and would like to get to know a little better. Some who come to my mind have all ready been selected by Martha...so, I will look further. And, that won't be difficult because I have been so amazed with the blogs of many.

I would enjoy passing this award along to:

Cher at Simply Cherrific
http://simplycherrific.blogspot.com/
Cher blogs from Singapore and shares the beauty, traditions, art and daily life and concerns of that far-a-way place. I look forward to her posts and would enjoy getting to know her better.

Carol at Photo Phase
http://photo-phase.blogspot.com/
Carol blogs from Ohio, USA. She captures amazing sights that include old barns, bridges, water scenes, reflections, people...to name a few. Her photography is an inspiration to me and I hope to get to know her better.

Tammie Lee at Spirithelpers
http://miztlee.blogspot.com/
Tammie captures the beauty of the natural world with true magic! Her photography is also an inspiration to me and I so look forward to her posts.

Kenkichi at Ken's Daily Photo
http://kenkichisdailyphoto.blogspot.com/
Kenkichi is my friend from Yatsushiro, Japan. He involved his students to pen-pal with my students some 10 years ago. His posts reflect the natural beauty and culture of Japan. He, too, is an inspiration to me and my emerging serious interest in photographing beautiful places, people and things.

The guidelines for accepting this award are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. List 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5. If you wish, pass this award to other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to those you select.
7. Leave them a comment to let them know of the award.

SkyWatch Friday / U.S. Highway 101

These skies were found last Friday along U.S. Highway 101 just south of San Luis Obispo, California. There are some spectacular scenes of the grape vineyards, farming and pasture lands along this route. I took these photos from the car as we made our way farther up the Central Coast of California.

Click on images to enlarge for greater detail!

SkyWatch Friday

Weekend Reflections / Downtown San Luis Obispo, California

Weekend Reflections












































I found these reflections this past weekend in downtown San Luis Obispo, California. This town is so much fun with a camera! There is something to photograph just about every direction you turn...

That's My World Tuesday / Wave Action!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



One of my favorite things to do is to watch the ocean and the crashing waves...the bigger the better! And even better yet, is to get memorable photographs of the action. This past weekend we were driving south on U.S. Highway 1 near San Simeon, California. We stopped to enjoy this view and I became eager to linger for quite some time. The color of the bluffs, birds, and turbulent waves made for a perfect show! We nearly had the whole scene to ourselves.

Click on images to enlarge for greater detail.

That's My World Tuesday

Watery Wednesday / Rainbows in the Mist

These shots were taken from the side of the pier at San Simeon, California. It was a bit windy so the blowing mist caught the sunlight. Here are three of the rainbows that were created! I can't admit how many waves I photographed, because, I just couldn't stop! I'll just say, a whole lot of 'em...!

Watery Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday / Cambria, California - Views With a View!

Outdoor Wednesday







These photographs were taken this past weekend in Cambria, California. Cambria is a picturesque little seaside town sitting right on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean near San Luis Obispo. The views from the bluffs are as good as a view can get! I really like the wooden board walks and steps down to the water. There are times when going down the steps would not be smart! It is windy along these bluffs most of the time and a bit chilly.

Monochrome Maniacs and The World in Black and White / Kite Surfer at San Simeon, California

"Okay...I Am Ready!" I am sure this is what this guy said as he headed out to the water. It took him forever to get his act together! We watched the wind surfers and kite surfers just north of San Simeon, California while on our trip to the Central Coast last week. I plan to post the "colorful" photos in the near future, as well.

This photo is also posted with "The World in Black and White," and Monochrome Maniacs

ABC Wednesday / "Q"

ABC Wednesday's theme this week is "Q."

These elephant seals are NOT "quiet!"

We have seen them many times over the years. They can be found at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Colony which is located on U.S. Highway 1 approximately 45 miles north of San Luis Obispo near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. The seals are viewed on the beaches from a boardwalk bluff above. And...they are NOT "quiet!"

Camera Critters / The Mighty Monarchs

Camera Critters

Be sure to click on images to enlarge for greater detail.





















































Pismo Beach, California hosts the largest Monarch Butterfly Colony in the U.S. We walked around this grove yesterday and were amazed by the numbers of butterflies bunched in clusters on mostly the Eucalyptus trees. The greatest numbers will be in the grove by mid-December and into January. They will leave to fly north by late February. Monarchs from eastern Canada and U.S. never cross the Rocky Mountains and will fly to groves near Mexico City for the winter.

The last photo shows that some get quite beat up in their journey.

Click on the sign to see the numbers over the years. They vary according to how much rain the area receives. They depend on milkweed. If milkweed doesn't flourish then the butterflies can't survive.

This is something I have wanted to see for so long! I could have watched them for hours. They became more active as the sun got brighter in the morning. What a beautiful sight it is...

Today's Flowers / Ragged Point, California

I found these lovely vines this weekend, hanging on a wall at Ragged Point, California. This is an amazing Central Coastal stop on U. S. Highway 1 in Central California. It is part of the Big Sur area which runs from San Simeon to Carmel, California. I will be posting many ocean scenes from this area in upcoming posts. Flowers are abundant year round because of the plentiful warm days along the central California Pacific coast.

Today's Flowers

Ruby Tuesday / Wine Bottles

I photographed this picture in a restroom (of all places) in Los Olivos, California. A part of the Santa Ynez Valley, Los Olivos is well known for it's grape vineyards and wine tasting. And, yes...I confess...we had some wine!
Ruby Tuesday

Mellow Yellow Monday #42 / Los Olivos, California

I took this photo this weekend in Los Olivos, California. Just north of Santa Barbara, Los Olivos is part of the Santa Ynez Valley and known for its many grape vineyards and wine tasting. A stop here is a must when we travel on U.S. Highway 101 to the central coastal towns of California.

Mellow Yellow Monday