Big, Bad & Ugly Surf Contest 2009
by Kevin Cole

Morro Rock by Dennis Young

USCG Surf Boats by Malcolm Riordan

Great Blue Heron by Nan Carder

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Peregrine Falcon Image on Banner by Cleve Nash

Atascadero Writers Group

Remember in my last letter I was telling you about how my life had changed forever? Well, that was because the Second World War started and I was twelve years old – I wasn't even a teenager yet - and the war was being fought in far away places. Sometime we don't realize that the consequences of far off unrest comes home to roost too. It sure touched my dad and me first- hand. Read More

Frustrated Local Writer by Rose Marie Zurkan

By the time I get out of the shower he is awake. "I'll be home late," I say. He says okay. As always, I am curious. "What do you do all day?" Read More

Genie's Pocket by Jeanie Greensfelder

Sipping my café cortado
I notice a silver-haired man. 
He wears jeans and a Patagonia fleece
and studies his New York Times  Read More

Great Shots by Jerry Kirkhart & Steve Corey

Our photo editors bring you some of their favorite coastal images for the month. This month's featured local photographers are Linda Tanner, Marlin Harms, Howard Ignatius, Mike Vieira, Elizabeth Haslam, Don Henderson, Mimi Ditchie, Bill Bouton, Steve Corey, Ronnie Goyette, James Crawford, Donald Quintana, Dagmar Collins, Nan Calora, Teddy Llovet, Patrick James, Sylvia Sanchez, Rob DeGraff, Dave Lawrence, Lace Anderson, Dave Johnson, Ashala Tylor, Jerry Kirkhart, Michele Maani, Anita Ritenour, and Beth Sargent. See More

Mostly Music by Dawn Starr

Jody Mulgrew has come full circle — returning to his home turf of the Central Coast, where he woos audiences with his stirring vocals and deftly-played guitar.  He performs solo, as well as in a number of groups, including Jody Mulgrew and the Skeleton Crew, and the Girls and Boys. He also enjoys writing music and performing with other individual musicians.  Read More

Musical Notes by Kathryn Bumpass

Let me introduce you to a relatively new classical music group in our area, Symphony of the Vines. Established in the summer of 2010 the ensemble has performed in numerous venues, especially in north San Luis Obispo County.  I was eager to know more about them, so I got in touch with the founder and music director, Dr. Greg Magie. Read More

One Poet's Perspective by Jane Elsdon

It does. It does. It absolutely does. Spring sings. It sings songs of whole orchards of popcorn trees appearing. It sings songs of bird trills, mating calls, songs of daffodils, magnolias, poppies, sweet peas, and wild mustard. It sings green hills into being. It sings nursling leaves into emergence on formerly bare boughs. Read More

Opera SLO by Kathryn Bumpass

Cal Poly Student Opera Theater and Opera San Luis Obispo celebrate the second "Co-Opera" collaborative partnership in a full production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, according to Dr. Brian Asher Alhadeff, artistic and general director of Opera San Luis Obispo. Maestro Alhadeff notes that the "Co-Opera" pairs outstanding student singers from the Cal Poly Music Department in several lead roles side by side with internationally acclaimed opera singers. Read More

Practicing Poetic Justice by Deborah Tobola

Conflict Solutions Center in Santa Maria has helped thousands of people find constructive and healing solutions to conflict since it began in 1989. Through mediation, CSC offers an alternative to the expense and animosity of litigation, opening doors of understanding and communication. Read More

Shutterbugs, Featuring Ken Bondy

My photographic specialty is underwater photography. However, I do occasionally take a picture above water.  It is impossible not to notice and photograph the incredible topside beauty of the Central Coast — the gorgeous coastline, the stunning flower fields that bloom along Los Osos Valley Road in the late summer, the bird life, the otters, and the elephant seals. Read More

Slo Coast Cooking by Elise Griffith

Warnings from the March sequester in D.C. said meat prices will rise. Yet you needn't worry! Careful shopping, combined with a little planning and preparation, will help you stretch your grocery dollars while still providing healthy, balanced meals. Think of it as making your own convenience food. Read More

Valencia Peak Panorama by Howard Ignatius