Something You Don't See Everyday

This image was taken by NOAA's GOES-West satellite at 4:45 p.m. yesterday. It clearly shows what once was Tropical Storm John but now (and yesterday) was only a post-tropical cyclone spinning off the coast southwest of California.  Although fairly devoid of any convective activity (thunderstorms) it looks rather ominous so close to California in light of the context that tropical weather systems rarely reach California. This weather system has been throwing subtropical clouds over the Central Coast the past couple of days even right now as I type this it is partly cloudy and humid and windy here in Paso Robles, CA.
A tip of the hat to Gary Robbin's blog post about this in the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday which in turn featured a tip of the hat to NWS Forecast Office San Diego forecaster Mark Moede who spotted this image and passed it along to Robbins.
Similarly but less-spectacularly this happened again next month as I shared HERE.

A Man Said to the Universe

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However", replied the universe,
"That fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

~ Stephen Crane

(1871-1900)

Picture of the Day - Paso Robles Inn Weather Station

To treat myself for all my labors and all my frugality this year I treated myself to a modest but rich breakfast at the Paso Robles Inn this morning partaking of it in the old diner section at the counter. On my way there I turned into the north entrance to the rear parking lots with the intent of snapping a good shot of the above sign. I had spotted said sign while doing some research here earlier this year as you may or may not recall. I did not get any shots I liked then so I posted none deferring to come back later and do better. This image does not particularly please me but at least the sign is readable in this one. The shadows bother me but then I suppose they tell us it's sunny as much as the rock being hot to the touch.  Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Scripture of the Day - Agur

As I was working yesterday doing some rather dusty work I variously got nasally-congested and had to sneeze which forced me to blow my nose into my grubby shirt. I soon realized that there was some blood involved to a greater degree than I recall ever having on my shirt as a result of blowing my nose on it (something I would ONLY do to grubby shirts while doing grubby work). As I pondered upon this the following verse came to mind loud and clear:

"Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood: so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife."

~ Proverbs 30:33

I immediately recognized that I was being communicated this passage and immediately (or nearly so) knew in my heart to what my Creator referred. Of late I have seen a supposed-friend be a real assmonkey and I have contemplated playing the Alpha Male with him and light him up on the phone putting him in his rightful place lower down the pecking order from me. From this I realized I am being instructed to continue to play it cool and turn the other cheek and remain above the fray and simply let this clown be a jerk and hang himself on his own petard. For you non-believers out there I want you to know this is one of the ways the Creator communicates with His children in this life. 

Picture of the Day - Moonshine Mountain Fire

View from the Mount Wilson webcam of the Williams Fire burning on the Angeles National Forest  in the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Canyon Area above Azusa, CA. At right is the city-glow of the San Gabriel Valley collaborating with the moonshine from above to cast an eery glow upon sky and mountains and Mount Wilson Observatory dome and smoky inversion layer in the canyons adjacent to the fire. Image courtesy of UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Tonight's Hotel Cheval Indulgence

Following four days of grueling Gem Faire action with less-than-usual culinary "cutting loose" I needed a break from the mostly monastic living (with the exceptions of breakfasts at Petros in Los Olivos and Anderson's in Santa Barbara) before resuming a more ascetic lifestyle myself (but for very different reasons than my boss). Earlier this evening I elected to indulge my craving for a nice glass of wine for a mere $7 (their two-hour happy hour deal makes that the price of ALL glasses of wine they serve) at Hotel Cheval here in downtown Paso Robles, CA. Having never tasted it before I selected the Dark Star Cellars zinfandel (I believe this is a 2009 vintage) and I loved it. I also splurged even more and ordered my own $16 cheese plate with all the fixings. I fully intended to make this my dinner.  It turned out to be a delicious accompaniment for my wine. However, it did not fill me up as would typically be the case as I was watching the Food Channel (or other similar "foodie" cable network) playing on the large television in the wine bar the whole time I was there. Ultimately, I could not resist walking into Mission Pizza on the way home and having some all-you-can eat pizza slices before ambling home a few blocks away. Anywho, for $28  (including a generous tip) I felt I got a bargain considering the quality of the ambiance, wine, food, and servers (Jessica gave me a lesson on TCA and Travis and I talked movies and music). Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Things That Caught My Eye Last Thursday

Last Thursday evening after finishing working on the booth at the Summer Santa Barbara Gem Faire at the Earl Warren Showgrounds my friend Dave and I headed for Ventura where we stayed the night and the following scenes caught my eye and I am sharing them here with you.

Riding south on Highway 101 in the Summerland area I passed this tree in filled with roosting cormorants.

We were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on southbound Highway 101 for over and hour, traffic caused by this wrecked RV trailer near the Padaro Lane overpass.

Sunset over Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura, CA.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).