On the road again to Morro Bay and Pacific Grove

Morro Bay has always been a favourite place to stop and enjoy The Cotton Ball quilt shop.

 The outside graphics of this shop are lovely

 The detail of the nautilus shell is lovely in the rainbow of colours.

 Here is an inside view of the stained glass window on the second floor.  It used to be fill with fabrics and trim and is now an office.

 The ceiling as you enter is filled with sea life.

 They have a lovely collection of silks and embellishments to choose from.

 They are stocked from floor to ceiling with fabrics and samples.

 A colourful silk corner

 Love those shadow boxes.

 Some yummy vegetable on that top quilt.

 Beautiful sea life and other critters to make.

 A lovely new bird of paradise flower just in bloom. Come and check them out, but be aware the shop is on sale after 43 years of ownership.  Check out their website at http://www.thecottonball.com/

 In Pacific Grove I went to Back Porch Fabrics and got some lovely pictures.

 Lovely use of colour.

 Beautiful quilt show in this room

 Lovely applique.

 Mary Lou Weidman inspired quilts.

 Beautiful paint job on an old sewing cabinet.

 Doesn't this quilt top look like a stained glass window?

 Beautiful use of a Kaffe Fasset fabric.  For more inspiration check them out at http://www.backporchfabrics.com/

 Another favourite stop is Tessuti Zoo http://tessutizoo.com/

 Yes the shop was open.

 Lots of colour and whimsical fun.

 Great flowers that are always bright and welcoming.

Enjoy your time in the area.

We left Santa Barbara and drove into Buellton and had breakfast at Mother Hubbards, this large Aloe plant was outside. They estimate is is over 30 years old. The blossoms on it are very interesting. In Arroyo Grande we stopped in at the Quilt Attic, it has a new owner and he seems to be changing the attitude of the shop. I liked the welcome banner outside his shop.

At Pismo Beach we stopped in at Quilting Cousins and then went for a walk along the beach. It was interesting to see the green hills at this time of year, usually everything is very brown when we visit.

It was very windy, people had large umbrellas up to try and block the wind while others were flying kites.

All along the way you could see California poppies in bloom. In Atascadero we stopped at Sew Fun, but missed Quilter's Cupboard. Onto San Luis Obispo where we found the second location of Betty's Fabrics, the other store is larger.

This time we chose not to go out to Morro Bay and The Cotton Ball quilt shop.

These calla lilies were so graceful in their appearance. There are many to be seen along the way.

In Paso Robles we found Wine Country Quilts and The Quiltery. Both are great shops and due for a return visit on another trip.

We made our way out to the coast and Pacific Grove where we went into Tessuti Zoo, check out the neat chair with a fish sitting on it. They have some amazing gift items to enjoy, definitely a lot of eye candy.

We went for a drive along the beach and found some deer feeding by the Asilomar Retreat centre gate as sunset neared.

We stopped for a dinner at Fishwife, their seafood combo fettuccine Alfredo was yummy.

We found this lovely park and sat and enjoyed some of the sunset, the trees along the coast are some of the most interesting windswept shapes you will ever see.