M&T Alpine-Tales: Day 9: last day in Pismo

Tomorrow we head out to join the SoCal Alpine group in Quartzsite, Arizona, for the annual Desert Rat Rally. We have enjoyed our stay in Pismo Beach, albeit short. We always look forward to coming here and with each visit, it feels more and more like home.

Alpine and Jeep

the beach used to slope gently upward towards these eroded "cliffs"
you see that Michael is walking past

At this time or year, and owing to the effects of the El Nino winter storms and king tides, the beach looked quite different. The extremely high tides have caused a lot of erosion, exposing rocks that were previously hidden below the sand. It looks as if the beach surface is now one or two feet lower than before, allowing the tidal flow to reach far higher up the beach. It has not kept us or others away from our daily walks (me) and runs (he) each morning, followed by an evening sunset stroll to the pier and back.

Today, with a high surf advisory in effect, the pier was closed. We watched the waves rolling in, crashing, and thundering far onto the beach. It was quite an awesome sight.

The weather has been quite pleasant, raining only once overnight. To Californians it feels cool and I find it amusing that the women wear boots and down coats while I stride in my usual lightweight long-sleeved top that I typically wear at home in spring and fall.

We have also noticed how very green the hills are after the recent rains in California.

When our route to the beach took us through the State Park, we stopped at the monarch grove to observe the butterflies. To keep warm, the butterflies cluster together. In this photo, what looks like leaves hanging down are actually clusters of monarchs. As the day warms up, they become more active and fly high above the eucalyptus tree tops.
What clever little creatures to call Pismo their winter home.

In the afternoons, we have spent time on various projects. Michael has worked on his favorite projects - the Alpine and Jeep. We had a leak in the storage area, which we discovered during the torrential downpours back in Washington State. Of three possible entry points, by process of elimination, he thinks it could be related to the furnace vent. He bought a new vent with a rain shield flange across the top, a bit like a deflector, and installed it. We are crossing fingers it makes a difference.
His other project is to install a new radio and speakers in the Jeep. Ever since I met this guy, he has been tinkering with sound systems, and a good one in his vehicle is a must.

As for my projects... I spent a few pleasant hours dreaming up quilt tops, and have started piecing an "I-Spy" quilt. On this trip, I also brought along my embroidery module to see if future embroidery projects in the Alpine are feasible. Yesterday I spent a successful couple of hours embroidering kitchen towels for our rally hosts.

Now that we have a "toad" (tow vehicle), we were able to drive to do some shopping and stock up for our time in the desert.

Once again, Pismo has been a perfect destination. My only complaint is that our stay was not long enough.
Here are a few beach scenes for you to enjoy as we did:

we could not walk beyond the white cliffs this visit because the tide was too high

this pelican seemed to enjoy posing for me along the pier

the view south from the pier, the tide coming in and spilling far onto the beach

a surprise in the sand as we walked on to the beach this morning - a Pismo clam and a starfish

there were dozens of these little Sanderlings, scurrying back and forth, on the hunt
for a meal... they amused us greatly, especially when one finds a snack, and others chase after it to steal it away.