Wednesday I spent a good part of the day in Santa Barbara, California, on my way up to Nipomo where I would be spending the next two nights. First stop when I got into town was the Old Mission, built in 1786:
And if you think this place looks big from the ground (and trust me, it is) you should see it from the air. This photo was inside, near the gift shop:
And of course we can’t let you leave until you say hello to Friar JohnBoy (aka Friar Tubby):
This large tile circle was embedded in the sidewalk near Stearns Wharf. It was done by members of the Chumash Community (a Native American tribe, I believe) and is comprised of more than 200,000 tiles.
I spent a good part of the day Wednesday in Santa Barbara, California on my way up the coast to Nipomo. Here are various things I saw throughout the day.
In North Carolina we have hurricane evacuation route signs. Last year in Washington and Oregon I saw volcano evacuation route signs. Now this:
An interesting house (or apartment building, perhaps) downtown:
The pier, near Stearns Wharf:
Part of this pier burned on November 18, 1998. This photo on the new pier shows the damage from the air. The fire started in a restaurant. It took the city almost two years to rebuild the pier:
I had lunch (a yummy bowl of clam chowder) at another popular restaurant on the pier.
As I walked out onto the pier I noticed a young lady starting what will be an elaborate sand sculpture. I made note of her website and will wait and post pictures from it once this is complete. I won’t tell you what it will be.
Further out the pier, on the sand off to the side, was this quiz, written on a large piece of fabric:
And more things from around town:
There are a number of ways to get around Santa Barbara – both on and off the water.
Or in this case, BOTH on and off the water…
This is an amphibious vehicle, often called a “Duck,” which is street legal but can also “drive” right out onto the water and become a boat:
Here are some more conventional methods:
Or how about this stylish ride?
As I drove north of Santa Barbara on Wednesday on my way up to Nipomo I saw a sign along the highway which mentioned that Buellton, California was the home of split pea soup. I love pea soup (a memory of working at the company my father worked for during the summer when I was in high school and we went out for lunch at either of the two restaurants in that small town, where the lunch special was often a hamburger, a bowl of pea soup and an ice cold Coke. To this day I often buy a can of Progresso pea soup, go to one of the better burger joints in Durham and get two hamburgers, and enjoy them with an ice cold Coke) so of course I had to stop at Andersen’s Restaurant in Buellton. It was yummy!! Probably the best pea soup I’ve ever had. Nice and thick, not watery like canned soup often is.
Their logo (splitting pea’s… the guy on the right looking nervous….)
I spoke with a friend of mine in Pennsylvania today who mentioned that sometimes he has trouble seeing the pictures I post. I think it is a good time to review some pointers to enhance your blog experience.
First – do NOT open the blog using e-mails you receive indicating that I have posted something. I often initiate a series of posts from my phone, then populate them with pictures and written text using my computer (and must upload each photo I plan to post). Sometimes that process takes 2 to 3 hours. If you open a post and it says “Photos and/or More” then that post is not complete. The best way to open the blog and review posts is to bookmark it and open it via a web browser. You will get to the Home page first, then scroll down to see posts – from the most recent, backwards through time. Continue scrolling down until you see something you’ve already read.
Second – If you are tired of getting so many e-mails every time I post things, simply take your e-mail address off the list. I appreciate having loyal, or even just periodic, followers but totally understand if you don’t want to delete a series of e-mails every day. If it were me, I wouldn’t have my name on the list! But rest assured that when I am traveling I try to post something every day. Sometimes I have reasons for not posting (poor or unsecure internet access, my shoes are hurting my feet, I have hat-hair from being out in the sun taking pictures, etc, etc). If nothing else, I will posting something (as I did earlier today) indicating that posts will be delayed.
Third – You may contact me via the “Contact” link at the top of the Home page with questions or private comments. You may comment publicly on posts up to 14 days after I make the post (I am going to increase that timeframe).
UPDATE – I just changed it to 28 days. That may be too late for my contest, but people may send me their guess via “Contact” on the Home Page and I will update the post with their information. For contest info search “While you’re waiting” from the Home Page.
Fourth – You may go back and look at old posts at any time. I started the blog a few days after July 5, 2017. There is a calendar grid on the Home page where you may select a date and see the posts for that day. You may also enter a word or phrase in the Search box on the Home page (i.e. Grand Canyon, or Meow Wolf) to see post(s) containing that word or phrase.
Fifth – I highly recommend you view the blog on a computer or tablet, not your phone. The pictures will be much bigger and you will see more detail. I believe you can save pictures I post to your computer. I can right-click on a photo and save it. I use Windows 7 on my laptop. I don’t know the procedure for Apples.
I hope this is helpful. If you can think of a question I haven’t addressed, please let me know. And as always, please SHARE the blog with anyone you think might enjoy it.
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