Road Trip with Lee

One of the stops we made on our journey south was Nipomo, CA. Chris’ brother Lee and his wife, Julie have a new townhome there where they reside during the winter months. They have a lovely home in Florence, OR but they, like us, prefer a sunnier clime to the normal winter gloom of the NW. Their new digs are part of a planned community that centers mostly around golf. There is a beautiful golf course close by as well as tennis courts, a pool and a lovely clubhouse with workout facilities, spa and library in addition to dining and bar areas. The homes are beautiful and Lee & Julie are really enjoying the weather, their friendly neighbors and, of course the golfing. Chris & I have a great time playing golf on our new Wii but our outdoor passion, as you know, is more water oriented.

While we were in Nipomo, Lee took us on a drive to show us around some of the nearby sights. First stop was Pismo Beach. This is a typical California beach. A beautiful palette of long, flat, golden sand accented by blue Pacific waves cascading onto the beach in perfectly timed displays of white lace surf. An irresistible invitation to surfers, sand castle builders, shell hunters and beach walkers. A pier that extends 1200 ft. out over the water is replete with benches on which to rest, enjoy the beauty and contemplate whatever it is you are contemplating. About halfway out the pier is a small kiosk where fishing gear can be rented for those who would like to try their hand at catching dinner. The main street is lined with assorted restaurants and boutique shops where you are free to leave behind a monetary contribution as a reminder of your visit.

After perusing Pismo Beach we were back on the road for a short jaunt to a special small grove of Eucalyptus trees. I’ve always wanted to see the annual gathering of Monarch Butterflies and one of the primary groves where this happens was our next stop. A talk presented by a Docent gave us a good deal of information about the butterflies. It seems the main reason they come to this particular grove is for the abundant supply of Milkweed which is the only food source for the caterpillar stage of their development. This plant is considered a weed so it is being removed in most places on a grand scale. That means the butterflies must work harder to survive…as if a 2500 mile migration weren’t work enough! Following the Docent’s talk, we wandered around looking for butterflies. It was chilly so there weren’t many fluttering about but when we looked up there were hundreds hanging in the trees in what looked like bunches dead leaves. Butterflies aren’t able to fly when it is too cold but just before we left the sun came out and the little snowbirds began to get a bit more active. They are just so pretty and this was a really special experience.

The last stop on our itinerary was a visit to the picturesque anchorage Avila Beach. Chris & I enjoyed wandering around the boatyard there, looking at the boats that were in the process of being repaired. One that was hanging from the slings of the lift looked an awful lot like our friend, Michael’s, Mariner but a bit smaller. We weren’t sure it was the same but one sure thing was that the owner has a lot of work ahead of him/her, especially given the amount of sea life on the bottom. We were pretty happy to be reminded that even though we have what we consider a lot of work to do on “Faith” it is really not much compared to other people’s projects.

It was a delight to let someone else do the driving while Chris & I just did a little sightseeing. This year we are late getting our southward journey started so it feels like it’s been a constant push. Even Abby has felt the stress. We were in Tucson for two days and when Chris & I returned from several hours of errand running and put her outside for a bit, the first thing she did was stretch out in the sun. As if to say, “Ahhhhhhhh…finally it is warm.” And that, my friends, is why we are happy to be snowbirds!