Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Pismo Beach Pier at Sunset (sort of)

Next to last Central California coast post. We had been fogged in for a few days and were so happy that we finally had some sunshine. I had planned this shot weeks before we got there and even checked the Internet to find out the exact time for sunset as I wanted to photograph it from under the pier, looking through the pilings.  When I got there, this is what I saw...

There wasn't going to be any sunset! That tsunami looking thing is a HUGE bastard of a fog bank waiting to come onto shore. Why couldn't it have come in earlier? Why did it have to mock me like that?
 A closer look at the size of the fog bank.

Well, here is the final product. It's the best I could do on that day (please embiggen!)

On a positive note, we discovered this skateboard collection in a surf shop by the pier. This is only about a fifth of the collection. Does anybody out there still have scars on their knees, elbows, etc., from riding a skateboard with old metal roller skate wheels?  There is one on the wall in the middle of the bottom row. Those things were killers because a blade of grass on the sidewalk would stop it and send you flying. Today's coddled children ride skateboards that will roll smoothly in the street, even on light gravel!  Us early skateboard riders, were a tougher breed...

Oh yeah, I bought an awesome pair of sandals there, that have a  bottle opener built into each sole!


.

57 comments:

  1. Despite the fog, those are amazing shots! I love them all. And the skateboards are so cool! Totally what I think about when I think about California...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful, Pat... I think the fog actually makes it!
    Bottle openers on your shoes? Now that's novel :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now that I am nearly single, I will be looking for a man who wear those kinds of sandals. Very, very classy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. laughing at the sandals!

    and that 'bastard' of a fog roll!

    ReplyDelete
  5. that fog bank is really spooky looking. Great pics! love the colors in the sunset.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the composition and colours in the first shot.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sarah - Thanks! They don't seem to be quite as popular as before, but I'm happy to say that I was a pioneer. Made my first one out of a two by four and a set of metal roller skate wheels.

    Nat - Thanks Nat! I agree about the fog, but I can still picture what I wanted. That was the sunset being sliced up by the pier pilings. Oh well, maybe next time!

    Bossy Betty - Hey, you always gotta be prepared. You never know when you'll find yourself with a bottle of beer and no opener!

    TexWisGirl - You just never know! Maybe I have a little survivalist mentality in me! Or maybe I'm just weirdish...

    Budd - Thanks Budd! I thought it was kinda creepy also.

    Kitty - Thanks so much! Just imagine how it would have looked with a little sunset in it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, I want the skateboard collection. Yes, used to hit the payment on a regular basis, without a helmet. Guess that explains a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love sandals with bottle openers! Your pier photo is mesmerizing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is one heck of a fog bank! The photos are still great and the final one is spectacular!

    My dad made my first skateboard. I loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. very nice pics even with the fogbank and LOVE the sandals. very practical :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Too bad about the fog bank, although the pics of that are cool. I love the sunset one you picked. Those sandals sound very handy!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Pat, but those photos are still cool! It does look like a tsunami is headed your way.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ah Pismo Beach, one of our family's favorite haunts when we lived there. Pat, your California blog posts and photos are making me so homesick. I miss California!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Well here we are! Pismo beach and all the clams you can eat!!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agLwIxiEk_c&feature=related

    ReplyDelete
  16. love these sunset photos- and the new header-

    ReplyDelete
  17. Pat you must be getting forgetful...you made a comment months ago on a post I did showing the pictures of my Reefs with bottle openers on each sole. You don't remember raving how you wanted a pair...I even offered to get them for you at my wifes shop at her discount! Anyway..glad you finally got em. Great shots even with the fog bank...just made it that much more unique. Now go find a beer to open...

    ReplyDelete
  18. sorry you didn't get the shot you wanted but you know Pat...the best laid plans.
    the fog bank shots are pretty awesome. so too is your new header photo. and I'm a bit disappointed you didn't provide a photo of the bottle-opener equipped sandals! happy day to you.

    ReplyDelete
  19. altadenahiker - I'd love to have it! Or even the one's I owned. Helmets are good!

    Brenda - Thanks Brenda! I did the best I could.

    Ms A - It was huge! Well over a hundred miles long also. Thanks!

    mshatch - thanks! Yep, never know when you'll have an emergency and have to open an ice cold bottle of beer!

    Belle - Thanks Belle! I'm happy with them (both the photos and the sandals).

    Alex - Thanks for say that Alex! I want no part of any tsunami!

    KarenG - I don't live too far from there and I still miss it when I'm not there.

    Warren - Been there and done that! I'll check out the video.

    Ren - Thanks on both parts Ren!

    Chuck - Getting forgetful? Geez, I'm already there. I remember now that you said it! I wasn't even going to get mine, but my wife she hads the flimsy flip-flops I wear. I already tried it out. It works! I'm pretty sure homeland security wouldn't let us board a plane with them on.

    Ms. Becky - Yep! I guess I'm pretty happy with what I got. It was in a great place anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The pictures take me back to my California youth...I could almost smell the ocean!

    ReplyDelete
  21. What the blazes are you whining about!! That's a GORGEOUS shot of the fog bank through the pilings! And so are the rest. I missed out on skateboarding... but I did roller-skate in the streets. Although I agree in general kids today are coddled in the "risk" department, still I watch Xtreme sports and shake my head... I thought I was a dare devil as a kid, but it was nothing compared to what they do today. Your sandals? There's a niche market for everything! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love Pismo and have spent a lot of time up there. I love the shot of the fog bank with the orange reflection of the setting sun on the wet sand. Are the butterflies up there now? Those sandals sound like they will come in handy!

    ReplyDelete
  23. laughing at the sandals..haha!


    what a lovely set of photos!

    ReplyDelete
  24. #1Nana - I totally unerstand! Even when we go there these days, it sparks old memories.

    California Girl - Thanks so much!

    Francisca - Whine whine whine! I'm only whining because I had a particular shot planned out for more than a month! I know what you mean about the Xtreme sports, but I guess there are crazies in every generation! Thanks!

    Stickup Artist - The butterflies are there, when we were there this time, they were just arriving. Still plenty though. Here's a link to my post on them.
    http://www.patricktillett.blogspot.com/2011/10/snowbirds-of-sorts.html

    Betty M - I know! You'd think I was a youngster. Thanks Betty!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hehehehe, LOL on your skateboard can openers. Sure is a good business!

    I think the West coastal and beaches have one of the breath taking sunsets!

    Did you feel the wind gust last night?

    Hope everything is well with you.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh yes, I remember those early skateboards ... kids today have no idea!
    And that's a pretty awesome fog cloud!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ebie - I agree with you about the west coast sunsets. We are sitting on top of a mountain for a couple of weeks and there was very strong winds for a while. At about 3:30 in the morning it started snowing. It didn't last until morning though! Too bad... All is well, thanks!

    missing moments - I remember them also, so do my knees! it was a huge fog bank. I don't know how wide it was but it was over a hundred miles long!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Bummer that the sunset was not what you had in mind. Your images are still beautiful. I like the color from behind the pilings.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Pat, You should be jumping for joy! You captured the shots of the year with that huge fog bank rolling ashore.

    Great collection of skateboards, my son lived at the skateboard park when he was young.

    Don't trip over any bottle caps in your new sandals.

    Happy trails,
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi, Pat. Great photos, as always. And I love your latest header photo!

    You just commented on my post: "Hi Ann! I’m sitting on top of a mountain for two weeks in mostly bad weather and getting some reading done." I think it would be lovely to be on a mountaintop even in bad weather and reading! I am also VERY glad you liked Ozark Memory. Isn't Grace Duniven wonderful. I hope to meet her one day in the "next world." Svetlana's story is also amazing, and I'm so glad you're enjoying that one too!

    Enjoy the mountain. I'm now about to call my friend in L.A. and see if she and her husband got hit by that awful windstorm. Take care! I assume you and your family are safe.
    Ann Best, Memoir Author

    ReplyDelete
  31. p.s. Keep working on your mother-in-law's story. It needs to be written. I had a difficult time getting more info from my 90+ mother so I could finish her story before she couldn't remember; before she passed away. It definitely requires persistence!
    Ann Best, Memoir Author

    ReplyDelete
  32. Those sunsets are breathtaking shots....glad you are having so much fun.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Beautiful pictures Pat! I think the fog makes them even more interesting. I'd love to have a pair of sandals with built in bottle openers!!
    BTW, every time I hear the name Pismo Beach, I always think of the Flintstones!
    It's always a treat to look at your work.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Your photos never fail to inspire. And love the idea of those sandals! Roland

    ReplyDelete
  35. How very Baywatch.. lol

    Great work as usual Patty..

    =]

    ReplyDelete
  36. For a bastard, he's rather photogenic. Great pictures, Pat. I especially like the colors in the last sunset one.
    xoRobyn

    ReplyDelete
  37. Carly - Thanks Carly! I'm happy the way they came out, but the shot I had in mind was a whole different thing.

    Pam - Thanks Pam! My son also lived at the skateboard park. I wonder how much money the two of us spent on his skateboards...

    Ann - Thanks so much Pam. I'm with you! Yep, that lady was a classic character. We just got home last night and had quite a few broken flower pots and some stuff was broken. Nothing major though!

    Ann - I've got pages and pages of notes and need to get a lot more. I'll keep at it.


    Rekha - Thanks so much Rekha! We always seem to have some fun.

    Eve - Thanks! I think I'm starting to agree about the fog. Still, I'd like to get the shot I wanted. Maybe next time.

    Roland - Thanks so much for commenting. I appreciate it!

    Anthony - No red suited lifeguards on that beach, I assure you!

    Robyn - Yes, he sure was! Thanks Robyn...

    ReplyDelete
  38. You have such a great eye Pat. I love dropping in to see what you've posted.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I was at Pismo beach March 2010. It looks lovely and cold. The amber sunset's amazing, too :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Big, meany fog bank. The pictures still look awesome though. :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. You are so awesome--evoking so many memories--albeit painful of the roller skate wheels (THAT DIDN'T EVEN TURN or SWIVEL on a 2x4!)

    Talk about extreme sports!

    What phenomenal photos as always Pat! I never would have known that was a Fog Bank? Do they have ATM's, and Charge Outrageous fees too?

    Happy Holidays to You and Yours Bro!

    John

    ReplyDelete
  42. Well da*&*, I'm sure those bottle opener sandals made up for everything ;>)..... actually those pictures aren't bad at all, if only you hadn't had such high expectations. (Life lesson from..someone who could probably be your grandmother.. just guessing. !)

    ReplyDelete
  43. Only you would find sandals complete with a bottle opener.. how wonderful..love all the shots and the skateboard collection is tres' cool..

    as always your lens delivers awesome images!!!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I feel foggy. But it's a brain thing. I'm not "board" with your post.

    ReplyDelete
  45. The skateboard collection is some awesome art. Looks like a wonderful place to spend some time.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Sergio - Thank you Sergio.

    Gene Pool Diva - Thanks so much! I appreciate it!

    Mice Aliling - Thanks! I know the weather gets very nice there in the summer, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen it.

    Baby Sister - Thanks! They came out okay, but it wasn't what I wanted.

    John - Thanks John! Oh yeah, I can show you some scars on my knees that have lasted all these years!
    Fog banks and ATMs, that's funny!

    Sallie - They were pretty nice! About being old enough to be my grandmother, not even close! Maybe not even my older sister!

    Lynne - I've actually used them already! I don't wear warm clothing, even during winter. So they will get a lot of use.

    M Pax - Hey there! It's a great place to visit, that's for sure...

    ReplyDelete
  47. Pat, come to Northwest Oregon and let the sunsets mock you almost every day. Despite that, the results can be spectacular, even with the ubiquitous cloud bank. I love the colors in your pier photos, and I enjoyed seeing your new banner with the seagull :)

    Skateboards? I remember mine. It had a square board (just a piece of 1x6) and those narrow metal wheels. We had a pleasantly downsloping sidewalk on one side of our block with plenty of bumps and rocks. I don't remember being terribly brave, but I did ride the thing. I probably went along at less than 1 MPH. Nice memories.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Tapirgal - I did that trip a couple of times, but many years ago. I don't remember if the weather was good or bad, I only remember that the coastline was AMAZING! Metal wheels = scars!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Your lucky to get that much of a sunset this time of year. Actually, I find the pacific to be rather stingy with its sunsets. Perhaps I just have poor timing.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I think that capture (all of those) are absolutely amazing!!! What a bank of fog!
    And those skateboards....my son would be in heaven to stand there and look at 'em all.

    Haha...I want to see a pic of those sandals:D

    ReplyDelete
  51. Love the pics! And I want a pair of those sandals!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Blue Wave - Thanks so much!

    Martha Z - Sometimes the fog does get in the way, but it's still there every day!

    Dawn - Thanks so much Dawn! The fog can be a major thing up there.
    I try to stay out of photos, but maybe I'll ,ale am exception for my dual can openers.

    KaLynn - Thanks! Thay are "Reef" brand. I'm sure they are availabe on the internet (or elsewhere).

    TheChieftess - Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate it...

    ReplyDelete

This blog is word verification free.
IS YOURS?
I love your comments and will do my best to respond to each and every one.