Summer, is that you?

Because it was a bajillion degrees in San Diego on Monday any kind of post-work cardio was completely out the question (I love me some excuses). Instead, we welcomed the summer weather with open arms and a plate full of caprese/rosemary toast for an early evening snack. This, to me, is a quintessential summer snack and as such we enjoyed it outside with bounteous amounts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

{best snack ever}

{aftermath}

Wine Weekend

Finally Getting Caught Up.  

Last weekend, briefly: nothing of note from last weekend other than a slightly profligate yet glamorous limo ride with friends to Temecula for a birthday-wine-tasting-marathon.

 {Ponte winery} 

{Francis snuck his way into this barrel room for a few photos}

{enjoying my cabernet in the sun}

{Zin}

*Not pictured: various colors and styles of stick-on mustaches that each of us donned for some incriminating photos.

**In other news: how does everyone like the overdue blerg remodel? 

SLO: Fin.

We spent our last afternoon enjoying the awesomeness of the sand dunes just north of Montana de Oro State Park. If you have never been, I highly recommend making this little jaunt next time you're in town. Totally worth the climb.

{warrior shot}

{steep post-jump sand dune climb}

{nobody's tracks but ours}

{hubs-to-be all hwindswept}

{looking south towards Montana de Oro}

{he jumped}

{I jumped}

{me, dunes, ocean}

{Morro Rock in the distance}

{Morro Bay}

{Francis the giant looking down the sand dune}

{dune, late afternoon sun}

{splendorous}

{fin}

*Not pictured: a mostly enjoyable drive south save a laborious 2-mile stretch of the 10 that almost made me kill someone.

SLO, Part III

On our next day in SLO we grabbed some late morning sandwiches and headed to Morro Bay. We saw Morro Rock, spied some very cute sea otters, watched the surfers and taunted the squirrels.

We kept heading north to Moonstone Beach for some pebble skipping and driftwood collecting, then we pressed onto San Simeon to find us some elephant seals.

{he boldly went...}

{...where no squirrel had gone before}

{...and his friend came too}

{pebbles of Moonstone Beach}

{looking north}

{diligently collecting driftwood in the background}

{sunbathing}

{more sunbathing}

{self portrait of sunbath}

{green pebbles}

{huh?!}

{the famed San Simeon elephant seals}

{these elephants have the oddest sleeping habits*}

{ladies lounging}

{some people don't know this about me: if there is a puppy within 100 yards, I will find it}

{and I will love it}

{and if there is a puppy within a 5 mile radius, they find him}

{sparring, I think}

{this many elephant seals = worst smell ever}

{action shot of the flipper-sand-toss}

*F and I watched the elephant seals sleeping in the puddle, amazed. Here's what they do: they were all sleeping on their sides with their noses and mouths half in the water. We would watch their noses sink slowly into the water until they were completely submerged. After about a minute of having their noses under water the seals would startle awake unable to breathe and look around, dazed. Then they would settle into the puddle again, makings sure their nose was out of the water. Then they would slowly doze off like a baby, relaxing..deeper... and then their noses would be under water again. This was repeated over and over creating what appeared to be the least efficient way to nap in the entire world.

SLO, Part II

After Poly Canyon we went downtown for some wandering before making the obligatory late-lunch stop at Firestone Grill. After lunch a sudden downpour of hail (hail, people) made us dash for the nearest movie theater (not knowing how long said hail/rain would be falling). We spent our evening walking all over downtown, by the creek, having ourselves a little dessert/open mic night, and messing around with the camera.

{the surf shop stop is always necessary}

{hail! watching the storm from under the Firestone awning}

{used books galore at Phoenix Books}

{we had a hayday in there}

{view of the creek from above}

{long exposure of the creek}

{rushing water}

{can you find all 3 Christinas?}

{cookies and hot chocolate at Linnaea's}

{trade forum at Linnaea's. a lot of people were offering "advice, good" for trade}

{just clicking my heels in the famed Bubble Gum Alley}