So yesterday was not a great day for photography because of the flat white skies and occasional light showers. Our outdoor activity consisted of a walk through an historic neighborhood with lots of beautiful homes. Unfortunately, all I can show you are a few architectural details because the whole house pictures just did not turn out well due to the flat light and ugly sky in the background.
This first picture is from the Guenther House where we ate lunch. Typical of the solid limestone buildings built by the German settlers who flocked into Texas in the mid to late 1800s and one of many listed on the National Register of historical places as the plaque states. But note the San Antonio twist, as the citizens prepare for th
eir annual fiesta, homes and businesses are decked out with brightly colored ornaments to celebrate the occasion. I believe the flags on this next home with beautiful arched window served the same purpose.
Steinbeck is often quoted as saying Texas is a state of mind and so it is. They are proud of their state, proud of their history, proud of their flag and proud to tell you how many generations their family has lived in Texas. They love it that much. I can only be proud to tell you I am a fifth generation Vagabond as my ancestors just couldn’t get enough of moving west, though somehow they 
managed to miss Texas altogether. Maybe that was the problem.
I may have lied just a little
about it not being a great day for photography. It
was a great day
for macro photography wha
t with no wind, no shadows and lots of raindrop
s. So here are a few of my favorites.
I ended my free afternoon at a great modern vibe restaurant with a southwest twist called Acenar. Overlooking the riverwalk I dined on the patio. My entree was duck crepes made with serano peppers and for desert, pineapple flan. So much fun to try new tastes!
Next up Lyndon Johnson and the Texas Hill Country.
Today has been fraught with frustration. Largely because of my nemesis on the left here. I am still puzzling over how it is possible that I could pick the one day in two months that the cruise ship comes into Santa Barbara to be my one day to explore the city. Curses, curses, curses.
Well, I did make it to the courthouse in spite of them but before I had finished capturing it’s amazing beauty my battery ran out. And I immediately realized I had forgotten to charge the spare. So, one caution about the M3 is that it is a real battery hog and you may need three to get through a day of serious shooting. The tile roof shot is taken from the clock tower which also offers great views of the town.
s also impressed with this spiral staircase and the gallery was my first peek inside. Unfortunately the battery crapped out before I finished shooting the exterior.
possibilities but is losing its Funk to trendiness. I finally stopped into a wine tasting room for a little attitude adjustment. I did find a little funk, including this bicycle sign and its shadow.
And somewhere on my walk I found these stairs that spoke to me of the essence of Santa Barbara. I can see now that one or two days is not enough time to get to know this city. Guess I will just have to come back again, and again, and again. Don’t think I would want to live here though. SLO town is more my speed.
I had a busy day of touristing yesterday and was too tired to process any images so had to make up for lost time this morning. My first stop enroute from Pismo Beach to Santa Barbara was the Santa Inez mission in Solvang. There I found the kind of detail I love in the old missions. Solvang itself is fascinating with a Scandinavian theme but I decided to save that for another day.
beautiful of the missions and you can see that this may be true.
Roman columns and such. I don’t know if this is true but it does make some sense as this does not look very Spanish.
It was another full day today starting with a bird walk at a place called Oso Flaco, or Skinny Bear. We saw Scaup, Ruddy ducks, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shovelers, a green heron, juvenile black crowned night herons, and white pelicans as well as some shore birds and a few black phoebes. The Ruddy ducks proved to be the most photogenic 
though. And then there was this marauding mammal that snuck into the picture.
butterflies but it isn’t going to happen tonight so this view of the clusters where they hang together will have to do for now though it is awfully hard to see that this is really a tree covered with butterflies and not a bunch of dead leaves.
Finally, we had lunch in downtown Pismo Beach and then strolled out on the Pier and around town looking at the shops and taking pictures of the signs. By this time I was almost too tired to enjoy it. The first picture here is an artistic look at the shadow of the pier against the patterns of the waves in the sand. The shorebird just ties it all together. Then we have a great painterly rendition of the Splash 
restaurant. Splash has been providing our catered meals throughout the week.
it is located on an Army Base. Kudos to the Army for letting us get in. Unfortunately for me the mission is currently undergoing a massive rehab so the front gallery was all closed down. I did get a look in the chapel and around the gardens so all was not lost. The best part was meeting Rosario, the mission cat. He was very friendly and showed me around for awhile until I decided to go a different direction than he had in mind.
I understand that Native Americans were not treated well by the missionaries and I am not intending to glorify or romanticize them. I just think they are interesting. And isn’t most of history about some oppressor oppressing some innocent people? And how can we do better if we do not study the history that has gone before? And sorry, but I don’t think I should be held responsible for what my ancestors may or may not have done to your ancestors. OK?
OK soapbox moment over. The next mission on my route was San Miguel. Here I found
a classic gallery which seemed to cry out for black and white. And then I snuck around to the cemetery where I found this awesome gate.
I did eventually find lunch in a cute little seaside town called Shell Beach. The Shell Beach Brewery was in fact the name of the restaurant and they didn’t even mind that I ordered wine with my meal. Then I checked into my hotel for the next five nights. Check out the view from my room. If you like that wait till you see the sunset pictures I just shot!