More Fluffy Kittens

The North County Humane Society has about 50 kittens who are looking for new homes.  Most are too small to leave the shelter right now, but they will be growing up quickly, so if you want one, the time to look is now.  They have all colors - black, white, tabby, orange and several Himalayan kittens.  The little ones are incredibly cute right now, so don't be surprised if you end up taking more than one.

Rose Colored Glasses

My sunglasses are a few years old now, and they seem to have grown darker with age.  The optometrist describes them as "empurpled" as the lens hue has changed to a rosy red purple with time.  This really make for a photographic challenge, as I see colorful sunsets where there are none, and I'm always amazed that the light on the golden California coastal hills even when my friends only see dry grass.

So I've been trying to capture the colors that I see with the camera.  Some of it I can do with processing, but I can't seem to get the combination of polarization and color just right.  So I bought a new filter for the camera - a daylight fluorescent filter that I can stack with a polarizer to the get the effect I'm looking for.  Here are some of the results.

I think it looks pretty good on the grassy landscapes, but don't care for it that much on the seashore.  I have not yet had a chance to try it with a sunrise or sunset.

Vintage Camping - Pismo Beach Style

Pismo Coast Village RV Park hosted the 5th annual Vintage Trailer Camp on Saturday May 19. We could not have asked for better weather as the fog burned off early and the winds stayed calm. My sunburned nose attests to the abundant sunshine on the beach Saturday.

Pink flamingos dotted the landscape among the more than 300 restored trailers, campers and vans.  Trailers from the '30's through the '60's were prevalent including Airstreams, Shastas, Silverstreaks and a variety of teardrop campers.  Campsite decor often matched the trailers with vintage gear and colorful table settings.

My favorite was the pop up teardrop trailer below. It is amazingly roomy inside, and the owners have added wonderful woodwork and upholstery to the interior.

I've been toying with the idea of getting a small trailer to pull behind the Jeep for photo expeditions, so I looked at a lot of the teardrops.  Many of the owners have restored their campers to better than new condition, adding nifty features to maximize use of the small space.  The craftsmanship on most of these custom trailers was incredible, and many owners had photos documenting the restoration process from the "pile of junk found behind the barn" to finished hand crafted camper.

Tent trailer camping - like our family did in the late '60's

Teardrop built from the ground up by the owner - great cabinetry work

Airstream mini bar matches the trailer - you don't need a mirror around this rig

Custom graphic wrap on this trailer

North County Views

So much for that Old Schoolhouse Vineyard - make that former vineyard











Above - Mailbox along Ranchita Canyon Road



Right - Old pump house  - Hog Canyon Road

Photos at the Morro Bay Museum

The Morro Bay Museum of Natural History is hosting a photo show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the museum.  Located in the Morro Bay State Park, the museum has a variety of family friendly exhibits on Morro Bay area wildlife, ecology and history.  You can read more about the museum at the Central Coast State Parks Association web site  http://www.ccnha.org/morrobay/index.html.

The photo exhibit, titled Golden Treasures in honor of the golden anniversary, features over 50 photographs by local photographers, and all of the photos are taken within 5 miles of Morro Bay.  Photographs include wildlife and scenic nature pictures, all with a common "golden color" theme.  The exhibit runs May 12 through July 25 in the museum activity room.

The  photo below is one of several of mine on display.  It was taken at Morro Strand State Beach during a fall extreme low tide that coincided with sunset.

You can view a preview of the show at  http://www.flickr.com/groups/50th_museum_anniversary/

Sparkling Golden Sand - Morro Strand Beach

Wildflowers in the Hills

It hasn't been a great year for wildflowers in the usual locations - Shell Creek or the Carrizo Plain.  But flowers are still blooming in the coastal hills, like these Sticky Monkey Flowers photographed late last week as the morning fog was clearing..