i took all these pictures with my digital camera, then made them look like lomography using dumpr.net. i was just going to do a couple, but i liked the look so much, i ended up doing almost all of them. i uploaded them to flickr, and you can see the whole lomo’d set here. also, i don’t know why i decided to write in all-lower case today. just feeling … i don’t know, like doing something different. 

the ground squirrels were out in force again, begging for food.

a little further up the boardwalk, we spotted some wild bunnies hopping in the brush. this little fella stood still for a really long time; long enough for me to get this great shot!

finally we came to the rickety stairway and headed down to explore the beach, rocks and tidepools.

there were lots of mussels and shells in the tidepools.

and also: crabs! like this creepy-looking fiend here.

the seals and/or sea lions were all lounging on the rocks just off shore. i love how they just flop on those hard, sharp, jagged rocks like they’re made of rubber or something!

back on the boardwalk we admired the gorgeous wildflowers and amazing ocean views.

we decided to have lunch at the moonstone beach bar & grill where we had a gorgeous view and delicious meals. while we were there, the marine layer burned off exposing clear blue skies, and a hot sun! it was nice, though, and since i remembered to wear sunscreen, i had no fear of sunburn.

when we finished with our lunches, mom and i headed back towards the car. we took our time, stopped to sit on a random bench and just look out over the ocean. it was just so peaceful and calming. we talked again about spending a weekend up here. we could get a room with an ocean view and a fireplace and maybe a balcony where we could sit and watch the ocean and drink wine and pretend we don’t have boring lives.

i had no idea this stretch of beach was part of a marine sanctuary! huh. learn something new everyday!

there are sharks all over the place this year! they’ve been spotted at pismo beach, avila beach and now here.

it took me several tries to get this fairly good shot of a wave crashing over the rocks.

and finally, a self-portrait. have a great day, y’all!