The amazing Coronado Hotel.

Wandering the beach here made me think this is Southern Cal's answer to the Hamptons on the east coast...just another playground for the very rich and famous. The beach "cottages' you see here, below, run around $2300 a nite (thats if you wanted one in september, not sure about June through August, yikes!) for a two room suite. A smaller Junior suite for one only runs around a grand a nite :)




All that glitters is not gold!

Although for these prices one could almost expect that! The sand beneath my feet sparkled like gold dust, I was ready to dig out my pan and start sluicing! (dbl click on the picture to see it for yourself) It must just be crushed/powdered sea shells. Beautiful.

Downtown Coronado Island...we had such fun last friday exploring this island off San Diego. Chatted with a delightful shopkeeper/owner who had relocated from Seattle 14 years ago and says she's never had the slightest desire to go back! I can see why, the weather here, year round, has to be the best in the world!

The small downtown area on the island is filled with wonderful boutiques and eateries, the beaches incredible!

Crossing the swooping bridge to the Island one has incredible views of the entire city of San Diego and its beautiful harbors. How I'd love to tow our little sailboat (20 footer) down and let it make friends with these guys! I actually did see a few the size of ours!

ZACA FIRE

During the huge Zaca fire, now 95% contained (it started July 4th in Santa Barbara county, about an hour and a halfs drive west towards the coast) every day here in Taft would start out clear and sunny but by noon the huge smoke cloud would have made its way here, to hover over the town for the rest of the day and evening. These pictures were taken around 4 pm and you can see how dark it was having shut out the sun. It was miraculous that mornings started out clear and sunny though! Where did the smoke go in that time?? The fire continued to burn. But it was our brief repreive from a fire that burned for almost 2 months, destroying over 240,000 acres.

I took these pictures just a few blocks from our house, near the center of town. You can see the brown cloud with the clear blue skys in the distance where it hasn't reached yet. Ash from this cloud would drift slowly down, covering all that lay beneath.

On the pier at Santa Cruz...

Its been several months since we've been back to Santa Cruz, but I wanted to revisit the pictures I took last trip and post a few more. Like most coastal california communities the atmosphere is laid back and relaxed, everyone is very friendly and you want to just buy a beach shack and stay forever. Unfortunately, these days, one has to have very deep pockets for even (in the most literal sense of the word) a beach shack, here and in most cali beach towns.

Ah but the beaches are still free for all of us to enjoy!

So this is progress! This once beautiful, untouched area in Oroville, where local families would camp, boat, and frolic in the warm shallow waters, is now a huge developers dream.

Upon every return trip I lament the open fields where once apple orchards held vast domain, now fallen prey to deveopers. Once it becomes all housing, then what? I read once where mankind was likened to a virus, slowly spreading over the earth. Here, in this once anonymous little dot on the planet, I see the virus has taken hold.

I have always loved this view - just outside of Nespelem, WA as one heads north on Hwy 97. I had to stop and capture it to bring back with me.


Lovely Osoyoos, B.C as seen coming off the Richter Pass Hwy after a lovely repast with good friends. The Okanogan Valley was a lush sight for sore eyes after the deserts of Bakersfield/Taft. Click on images for a really great view.

Tired of your 10 minute commute to work (those of you spoiled brats in rural america)...imagine this every day for hours coming into and going out of the city (and this actually wasn't too bad, we were STILL moving). Click/enlarge picture for a better idea of the experience.

On the way to LAX my last trip home.