SLO County News BlogGolf, Wine, Real Estate, Business & Travel NewsWinter Solstice on the Central CoastSaturday, December 24, 2005 Morro Rock Originally uploaded by hua bing chong ji. Tonight, five local members of the Salinan Tribe will spend the longest night of the year atop Morro Rock. The winter solstice ceremony won't end until the sun peeks over the eastern horizon the next morning. "It's like seeing a rebirth," said John Burch, a tribal official, describing the sunrise. Tribal members will gather at the base of the Rock at 3 p.m. today, along with Morro Bay city dignitaries and other supporters, before starting the hike to the top. Members of the tribe have been celebrating the summer and winter solstices from the top of Morro Rock since last year -- a result of more than 10 years of wrangling with state agencies for access to what the tribe considers a sacred location. It is a peregrine falcon nesting area, so access is limited to tribe members. Meanwhile, the Dunes Center in Guadalupe will hold its seventh annual Winter Solstice Celebration in the Guadalupe Dunes Preserve starting at 6 p.m. today. The center said the reservation-only event will be sold out. Today is also the first day of winter and the day with the fewest hours of sunlight. Days will progressively get longer until peaking next June on the summer solstice. SLO and Paso Wines in Top 100 for 2005Wednesday, December 21, 2005San Francisco Chronicle Wine Editor Linda Murphy lists Top 100 Wines 2005.On The Chronicle's Top 100 Wines of 2005 list, many Paso Robles and Edna Valley wineries are represented. Gray Franscioni, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate, has an amazing eight wines selected for his Rosella label — seven Pinot Noirs and a Syrah. Twenty-two Pinot Noirs make the top 100. Murphy notes, "It's a fact that the very best wines on Earth are expensive, though not all expensive wines are great. Quality commands top dollar, and demand regulates what top dollar is. The post-"Sideways" consumer rush to buy Pinot Noir, low yields, the gentle handling the Pinot Noir grape requires and the custom farming done by the Franscionis and others make buying stellar Pinot Noir mostly a costly proposition. Read entire article and get Top 100 Wines for 2005 in this article by Linda Murphy - San Fransisco Chronicle Wine Editor: Top 100 Wines 2005 101 South Near Avila BeachMonday, December 19, 2005 101 South 2 Originally uploaded by Skip Hansen. Click on photo to view more photos of the Central Coast by Skip Hansen. Dumpster Diving Lands Family in SLOThursday, December 15, 2005Danielle is no stranger to diving into dumpsters. "You'd be amazed what they throw away at Trader Joe's, it's like whole meals over there," says the young nanny from the Philadelphia area. But when she heard that the garbage outside Wendy's restaurants had free airline travel in it, "it just seemed too good to be true."The world's first fly-thru restaurant was set up at Altanta's Hartsfield airport to announce the cup-coupon promotion. Yet, on a recent icy December evening, Danielle and a friend spent nearly two hours digging through dozens of grease- and ketchup-smeared garbage bags outside two Manhattan Wendy's restaurants searching for soft drink cups with AirTran frequent-flier coupons printed on the side. In all, the pair collected about 330 cups, more than enough for two round-trip flights for each of them. "It's pretty disgusting work, especially when you grab a handful of chewed meat," says Danielle, who asked that her full name be withheld to ensure that AirTran would honor her claim. "But it's about the only way I can afford to see my family in San Luis Obispo." Read entire article at: One man's trash is another's free ticket The Christian Science Monitor, Greg Bensinger Average "Nest-Egg" Index in SLOWednesday, December 14, 2005Despite the huge, ever-growing aggregate personal accountants held in San Luis Obispo County financial institutions, local folks are below average in savings and investing, according to a study released Tuesday.A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. has published a first-time listing of 200 metropolitan areas. The St. Louis investment company said the "Nest Egg Index" will track the savings and investing habits of Americans by measuring a dozen statistical factors, including participation in retirement savings plans, personal debt levels and home ownership. Using a national average score of 100, The San Luis Obispo area placed 142nd on the list with a mark of 99.57, a lower tally than many of California's metros included. However, eighty of the 200 national metro areas were within 3 points of 100. San Jose ranked first with a score of 128.37, followed by the Nassau-Suffolk region outside New York City, at 128.17. The New Jersey trio of Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon was No. 3, at 125.67. San Francisco was fourth, at 122.13. New Jersey's Bergen and Passaic rounded out the top 5, at 119.81. Jamestown, N.Y. was in the basement, at 95.71, just a smidgen worse than Houston. Sacramento scored 174th with a 97.5, the lowest tally of all California metros included. Near Sacramento, Oakland was No. 14, with a tally of 114.72. Santa Rosa placed 46th, at 108.25. Vallejo, Fairfield and Napa combined to claim the No. 90 spot, with a score of 103.94. Reno weighed it at No. 122, with a tally of 101.64. Other California scores also varied widely. Ventura was 21st, at 112.58. Santa Cruz-Watsonville was seven steps below, at 110.42. Orange County took the No. 36 ranking, at 109.46. Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc were rated at No. 125, with a 101.55 score. Salinas registered at No. 138, with a tally of 99.83. San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Paso Robles was four notches below Salinas, with a figure of 99.57. San Diego was second-worst to Sacramento, claiming the No. 150 spot, with a 98.87 score. "With the U.S. Department of Commerce reporting a negative national personal savings rate in October -- its lowest level in decades -- it's apparent that many Americans are not setting aside enough personal savings," said Robert Bagby, chairman and CEO of A.G. Edwards. "As millions of baby boomers enter their retirement years, this situation -- if left unchanged -- will have a profound impact on the economic well-being of millions of Americans." SLO's Neuvation Cycling sponsoring Tour of CaliforniaMonday, December 12, 2005Neuvation Cycling has signed on as an official Festival Supporter of the Amgen Tour of California. Neuvation Cycling has committed to a booth in the rolling festival area for all eight days of the event."The Amgen Tour of California is going to be one of the premier cycling events of North America right out of the gate and I wanted to be a part of it," said John Neugent, Neuvation's president. "The combination of the quality field, venue, media coverage and timing make it a perfect beginning to the 2006 season. The fact that it stops in my home town makes it even better." Neuvation Cycling is located in San Luis Obispo. www.neuvationcycling.com Monarch Dunes Golf Course to Open New Years Day!Friday, December 09, 2005 Monarch Dunes Golf Course Opens January 1st! Be The First To Play - Book Your Tee Time Now! Monarch Dunes is Woodland's tribute to the origins and tradition of golf. Surrounded by windswept dunes and eucalyptus trees, coastal vistas and amber-colored hillsides, Monarch Dunes Golf Club is reminiscent of the true links-style courses found in Scotland and a "must-play" for those who seek a challenging, yet amiable, unspoiled golf adventure. Journey through California's coastal highlands and discover the evolving conditions and natural beauty that inspire an unforgettable golf experience... one that calls you back time and again.  Visit Golf SLO to make online tee time reservations and to sign up for their Royal Rewards Club Membership. Join today to receive discounted green fee and cart rates, 2 hour early twilight, 6 member-only tournaments, SCGA membership and 1 dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls with course logo! Monarch Dunes Golf Course Buyers Sold on Second Homes in SLOThursday, December 08, 2005The beaches of the Central Coast of California have always captivated visitors.Recent San Luis Obispo County homebuyers are often families from the Central Valley, Bay Area and Southern California who have taken advantage of the booming second-home market. A recent study by the UCSB Economic Forecast Project shows that about 37.5 % of San Luis Obispo County homebuyers come from outside of the area. Baby boomers, many at the peak of their earning potential, are snapping up second homes either because they want a weekend vacation escape or a solid investment. Last year was a record year for second-home purchases nationwide, with sales rising 16.3% from 2003 to a total of 2.82 million units sold, according to the National Association of Realtors. Second homes account for more than a third of all home sales. It's unclear where second-home purchases stand in San Luis Obispo County, although anecdotal evidence suggests that the trend is likely to continue well into the future, despite an increase in interest rates and a gradual slowdown in the housing market. Read entire article at: Buyers Sold on Second Homes in California, RISMedia Nipomo's Eufloria Flowers is star of the Rose ParadeTuesday, December 06, 2005Eufloria Flowers in Nipomo will be featured on Home & Garden Television's "Making of the Rose Parade 2006."The show, set to air Jan. 1-2, will feature the company's award-winning Black Magic variety, a dark, velvetlike red rose. The documentary describes how the flowers are harvested in the greenhouse, and then used to create and decorate the FTD float. It is the first time HGTV has followed a rose from cultivation and harvest all the way to the Rose Parade. The South County floral business has won numerous awards from the Society of American Florists for its Black Magic roses. "We feel honored to be chosen," said Rob Barber, a marketing representative. "The network had seen our variety and wanted someone that grows Black Magic." Eufloria Flowers' roses have been featured in the Kentucky Derby, The Master's golf tournament and at presidential inaugurations. The show's producers began shooting footage in late October, Barber said. The company has participated in previous parades. The flowers have been used to decorate the grand marshal cars. Eufloria flowers are sold to wholesale retailers across the United States and in Canada, as well as at local farmers markets and on the Web. For details, visit www.eufloria flowers.com. Christmas at the Hearst CastleSaturday, December 03, 2005 Hearst Castle Originally uploaded by Aindrila. California State Parks Department staff is hustling to place handmade garlands, red poinsettias and two 18-foot Christmas trees with enough lights and ornaments to make even William Randolph Hearst awe-stricken at their extravagance. The final touches went into place yesterday. Christmas 2005 at the castle means one thing - the embodiment of over-the-top lavishness in a modern-day setting. Visitors at this year's celebration can get a glimpse of the castle in all its holiday decadence, minus the coveted invitation sent to Hearst's original Christmas guests. "We do it every year, but each year gets a little bit bigger and better," said Dan Eller, public relations specialist for the San Luis Obispo Coast District of State Parks. As Christmas was Hearst's favorite time of year for entertaining, so the tradition continues for the public to enjoy. Eller recommends the Experience Tour, which takes visitors by bus five miles up to Hearst Castle and offers a glimpse of holiday decorations inside Casa Grande. The Refectory, Assembly Room and Morning Room are decked with handmade garlands, lights and bows in traditional Christmas-theme colors of green, red and white. Two 18-foot Christmas trees, fully decorated with lights and ornaments, hover over dozens of gifts wrapped as they were in Hearst's days in the Assembly Room, along with hundreds of decorations. Hearst would have settled for no less than the best when it comes to holiday decorations. A number of cut Christmas tree varieties in different colors and sizes likely would have abounded in Hearst's day. Handmade garlands, ornaments and decorations would have adorned the castle, along with a host of guests from around the world. But some things have changed since Hearst died and California State Parks acquired the property. The guests still arrive from all parts of the globe, but the decorations have changed. California State Parks has opted to display artificial decorations instead of the traditional handmade and hand-picked Christmas treasures. While it's a historic re-creation of what times were like when Hearst was around, what Hearst considered the best Christmas decorations are not necessarily the most prudent for a parks system seeking to preserve the cultural and natural integrity of the historic pieces there. Mildew, mold spores and moisture could damage precious artworks. As a result, the decorations are fashionably artificial in their magnificence. Up until about four years ago, the castle had cut trees, but it was too difficult to maintain a museum environment, Eller said. The artificial trees make cleanup easier as well. "It's a California state treasure," said visitor Shea Kelly, who plans to take the Experience Tour this Christmas season. Each year, the State Parks staff and docents maintain the annual tradition by building upon previous decorations and adding more. Nighttime isn't necessarily the best time to observe Christmas 2005 at Hearst Castle, staff members note, because the decorations are inside a museum where light levels are kept low to preserve the artworks. Daytime is a better time to see the decorations because they really pop out, Eller said. "It's a very special, magical time of the year," said Maryann Carson, executive director of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce, noting the holidays are an opportunity to spend that special time at a very special place. Freelance writer Josh Petray is a producer at KVEC radio and lives in San Luis Obispo. He can be reached through the Times-Press-Recorder at 489-4206. Experience Christmas at the castle. Tours of Hearst Castle are offered daily all week except on Christmas and New Year's days. Reservations are highly recommended because of limited availability. Prices for the Experience Tour are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 6 through 17. Experience Tour participants receive 20 percent off an additional Tour 2 or Tour 3. For more information, visit www.hearstcastle.com or call toll-free (800) 444-4445. Christmas at the castle Times-Press-Recorder, Josh Petray Pismo Pier SunsetFriday, December 02, 2005 Pismo Pier sunset 1 Originally uploaded by Skip Hansen. Click on photo to view more photos of San Luis Obispo County at flickr.com by Skip Hansen. Jan Kris Winery, TempletonThursday, December 01, 2005 Jan Kris Winery, Templeton Originally uploaded by Skip Hansen. This was the site of the photographer's daughter's wedding in June. These young Zinfandel grapes have now been harvested. Click on photo to see more photos at flickr by Skip Hansen. Read More
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