In Addition To The Shark

I wrote a little already about the fun times we had when our good friend D. and his three amazing kids came to visit us last week. There's no way I can write about everything else in as much detail as I did about my few scary seconds facing down that leopard shark. But, I do want to give a little summary of our other activities. We did SO much in a few days.

Of course, we went to the beach. The water was too cold for actually getting in and playing in the waves. But that was no surprise, it's ALWAYS too cold. Some visitors don't quite want to believe this, but it's true. Even in August...you will want a wet suit.



But one doesn't need to get into the ocean in order to enjoy it. We had an awfully good time exploring Spooner's Cove in the Montana de Oro and eating a picnic supper at the public access area off the 24th St. exit in Cayucos.


And here is something we learned: Don't ever let guests leave the house without bringing along

1. towels
2. a jug of warm water to wash sand off with
3. dry sock, shoes and pants.

This is especially true if there are kids in the party. I can't remember how many times we went somewhere thinking we would just take a walk along a pretty stretch of oceanfront...and ended up with soggy, gritty, tooth-chattering children.


One of the only adventures we all managed to stay dry and warm for was on the day we headed inland to see Karen at work, and the Cal Poly campus. It is such great school to visit. The buildings and landscaping are beautiful. Interesting events are happening all the time. And, because it is a polytechnic school with a motto of "learn by doing," the campus itself is surrounded by land devoted to student projects. Most of it is agricultural: orchards, crop fields and livestock, or viti-cultural: vineyards and a winery. But my favorite project is the architecture trail.



During the 70's...and maybe into the 80's, I'm not exactly sure...engineering and architecture students built a dozen or so structures along one of the hillsides in Poly Canyon. Some of them seem to demonstrate just one or two principles of construction theory. For example, there is a raised platform using what looks to me like a tri-pod and cable suspension. And another that creates a shaded space using some technique reminiscent of the white roof peaks at the Denver International Airport. But several are complete buildings with roofs and walls, windows and doors. There is even a house with people living in it! I really wonder about who they are and why they get to live in this amazing location.

It's not just the student projects that make this place so special. The canyon itself is magical, with live oak trees spreading into the sky and a rolling carpet of fresh grass covering acres and acres of gentle hills.


This is typical of my feelings for the Central Coast. I love the things that people do...the public art, the farmers' markets, the drive-in movie theater... but the real treasures are the land itself, and the water that meets it, and the living things that thrive there. So far, all of our out-of-state visitors seem to feel the same way, and the H family was no exception.

I know they were as delighted as we were to spot this young Bobcat strolling along the trails in the Montana de Oro State Park,


this California Sea Otter floating on its back and playing with it's flippery feet and,



this beautiful Great Blue Heron slowly swallowing his fresh catch...even though it appears much to big for his slender neck!









Sadly, it was too late in the season to take them down to the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo. All the monarchs have mated by now, and the females are busy spreading their eggs at milkweed plants all over California. And, while they did go up to see the Elephant Seals, they didn't see much but some fat babies lounging around in the sand. Soon they will get hungry enough to start teaching themselves to swim in the shallow water. That might be fun to watch, but for the moment there's just not much activity happening up there. All the adults are already out to sea, hunting and eating.

But tide-pooling at San Simeon is fun any time of year, as long as you go the right time of day. We did, and we saw all the usual wonders including:

Bat Stars,


Green Anemones,


Gooseneck Barnacles,


and Acorn Barnacles.


As usual, I also saw one brand new creature that I'd never seen before. A teeny tiny baby sea star! Look how little and perfect it is!



Actually, I don't know for certain that it is a baby sea star, and not some kind of permanently diminutive species...but it seems like a baby. They must start out little at some point, right? I mean, they don't just appear on the rocks fully formed and fully sized. And furthermore, I can't find any teeny tiny sea stars in my field guides.

Also as usual, we were in San Simeon at the wrong day and time for visiting the Coastal Discovery Center. But we did manage to visit the Nature Museum, back in Morro Bay. No matter how many times I visit that place, I always see something I haven't noticed before. This time, I was shocked to realize there was a stuffed brown pelican floating just over the arch that separates the museum from the gift shop. I must have walked right under it twenty times, and never looked up to notice.


Also, this visit, I spent a good deal of time studying this map which shows the location of the deeper channels in the back bay. Maybe next time I go canoeing I can use this information to keep from getting stuck!


Of course, the whole time they were here with us, I tried to remember to bring my camera with me everywhere and take lots of pictures. Even though I often don't feel like taking them, I know I'll enjoy having them later. But when this visit was over, I had something even better than photos to look at! The kids worked together to make this wonderful drawing. It's kind of like a giant 2-dimensional charm bracelet, covered with beautiful little tokens of our wonderful vacations together.



It's hard to pick favorites, but I want to show you just a few of the drawings up-close. Here are:

the kayak I was in when



the shark came at me, and



one of the California Sea Otters we saw down by The Rock.


I just love how much they were able to communicate with just a few crayon lines. I mean, look at this one. It's tiny (that's why it's kind of blurry in this blown-up version.) And it's just a few simple shapes. But anyone who has been up to Hearst Castle can recognize it immediately as the Neptune Pool!



We were lucky to end up with it. A few hours before their departure, I overheard the kids discussing among themselves whether to leave it here or take it home with them. (It was incredibly difficult to keep my own mouth shut and let them come to a decision on their own!) Finally, they did decide to leave it and here's the reason why: so they can add to it during they next visit!

I can hardly wait.