Sunrise ~ Sunset At Ventura

Sunrise this morning from the Crown Plaza in Ventura, CA.

Sunset from Ventura waterfront this evening.

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

11th Annual Autumn Cayucos Gem & Mineral Show - Day Two

Day Two was even more beautiful than Day One if that were possible as an offshore wind event developed and a bona fide Santa Ana Wind was in effect this morning into this afternoon. Unlike a year ago this morning I did not have to be on-site to deal with a late vendor showing up for Sunday only so I shlepped in late with David Richter with whom I carpooled today and yesterday. I had more time today as Marybeth Shears was present in the Showcase Displays booth which freed me up to move about and take more photographs and get some of my own inventory priced to be sold in Mike Lyons booth from which I made a small amount of money yesterday and today.

Of personal relevance to me today was the fact I purchased two small Ernie Porter jade pieces from the lot he is selling lately by way of Keith Olivas who is functioning as a broker. Later in the day I traded those two back in and upgraded to a larger and better single beach-tumbled jade pendent piece. I then recruited Diana March Enscoe to make me a wire-wrap pendent necklace which she will ship to me upon completion. This will be my first jade necklace and it is perhaps long overdue given my proximity to the Big Sur Coast and my many times going up there to explore and search for jade and my now-seven year connection to the Big Sur Jade Festival.

See Day One of this show!

The following images were taken in the order shown below.

At the intersection of Cayucos Drive and Ocean Avenue in downtown Cayucos. Note the Santa Winds blowing the American flag towards the sea.

Some of Kirk Brock's local jade carvings.

Jewelry vendors Josie and Diana.

A Diana March necklace pendent.

A selection of Diana March necklaces.

Bumblebee Jasper (really more of an agate) from Indonesia.

Main Hall looking northeast towards the entrance.

Cayucos Vets Hall earlier today.

Botryoidal Pyrite

Fat 'Ol Me manning Marybeth's booth in honor of her late husband Steve Shears.

Kirk Brock in his Rock Solid Jade booth.

Cameron in his Crystal Palace

Mike Lyons (left) and Marcella and Keith Olivas.

The Sittingers of Wonderworks

Sonia DeLong still won't divorce Andy and marry me but she is considering it. ;-)

Diana March and her husband.

Main Hall looking north from the east end of the stage.

Main Hall looking north from the west end of the stage.

Main Hall looking east from the west end of the stage.

A Diana wire-wrap pendent.

And another...

.... and another.

Cameron's display case.

October is perhaps the prettiest month of the year on the Central Coast of California. This is the scene from next to the Cayucos Vets Hall

Cayucos Pier this afternoon.

That a scene this gorgeous could be so uncrowded blows my mind and yet I have the privilege of living  in this area.

Area in front of the Vets Hall at the approach to the Cayucos Pier.

Main Hall looking southwest.

David Richter's Rocks & Relics booth had its best Cayucos Show ever including any June shows which are typically stronger than October shows (we do two shows a year here).

Josie's Jewelry by Josie booth sans Josie.

Main Hall looking north from the stage.

View of the Main Hall right before we left tonight. The show seems as if it were merely a mirage.

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

11th Annual Autumn Cayucos Gem & Mineral Show - Day One

Today was was Day One of this year's 11th Annual Autumn Cayucos Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show at the Cayucos Vets Hall next to the Cayucos Pier in Cayucos, CA. Last year I covered that year's installment of this show labeling Friday (the set-up day) as Day One and going from there through Day Three on Sunday. This year I elected to not cover set-up day and instead focus on the three-day cut-off low passing out of the area. By today the weather was as beautiful as it gets on the Central Coast of California any time of year. October is one of the most beautiful times of year to be in this region and following three days of unseasonably inclement weather it was nice to see the Sun again. It was that sense of feeling cooped up and wanting to get out and blow off some steam that might have contributed to today's strong show performance. The crowd showed up and they spent money in our dealers booths in a fashion that seemed to surpass last year's Saturday performance and perhaps match a typical June Cayucos show (we do one on Father's Day weekend each year as well which is always better than a given year's October show). I was busy today wearing four different hats. I am the Minister of Propaganda Publicity Chairman for this show. I am working in two different booths in this show; Dave Richter's Rocks & Relics booth and the late "Show" Steve Shear's Showcase Displays booth with the help of his widow Marybeth. Lastly, I am selling some of my remaining show inventory in my friend (and show chairman) Mike Lyon's booth. This material is left over from back in the day when I was a vendor myself. Today, as you might imagine, I was fairly preoccupied all day so I did not get the opportunity (nor found the inspiration) to take more images than the following which are shown in the order taken.

Cayucos Pier

Cayucos State Beach

The main hall at the show.

Past-president (and show chairman) Bob Hurless showed up slim and svelte. Look at him last year HERE!

Cam's Crystal Palace

A cool faux rose quartz crystal: actually a carved and polished chunk of massive rose quartz from Brazil.

Kirk Brock's Rock Solid Jade pieces from Clear Creek in nearby San Benito County.

This locality is now closed to mining and collecting due to Bureau of Land Mismanagement policy.

Ernie Porter's prize-winning piece of naturally-polished pocket vulcan jade from last weekend's Big Sur Jade Festival pocket jade throw-down.

Jade-diving legend Ernie Porter at today's show showing off the aforementioned piece of jade he found back in the day.

Photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

San Simeon Point & Cove Trek

Today a contingent of El Ejercicios met up in Cambria, CA.  After walking the full length of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (formerly known as the East-West Ranch) bluff-top trail (and back) we proceeded to head up to William Randolph Hearst State Beach and park and walk out to the end of San Simeon Point. We saw no gray whales today but did see a seal. Below is what I saw.

A fog bank lurked just beyond the point.

San Simeon Pier

An old Hearst-era structure.

There is an idyllic and enchanted quality about this scenic and tranquil cove.

Trail out to the end of San Simeon Point.

This wave angled into the cove in precisely the correct angle such that it broke upon the beach simultaneously across the entire length of the shore within the cove.

A most remarkable cluster of eucalyptus trees such as I have never before seen.

From the main trail this appears as one giant tentacled tree but is actually four such trees with serpentine boughs.

An unposed image of Blake Burgess, Jonathan Garcia, Kameron McMeekin, and Tanner Smith.

I like the way the trees framed this scene with the pier in the background.

A posed image of Blake Burgess, Jonathan Garcia, Tanner Smith, and Kameron McMeekin.

This angle brings to my mind the mental image of a mythological kraken.

Perhaps the most scenic scene here.

San Simeon Point looks a lot like the coast further north in and around Carmel, CA.

Kameron (left) and one of today's guest hikers.

This rock formation is actually greatly undermined by the ocean which surges up under it creating cavernous explosive noises as water surges up into the caves it has carved out of this rock.

Half our party elected to watch from the bluff-top the other half whom climbed down onto the beach.

Blake and Kameron climbing atop one of the picturesque rock mini-seastacks.

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