The 5 Cities Swim School was founded by Jeff Purchin with the goal of not only teaching children and adults to swim, but also to eliminate drowning deaths in the community. The pool, which also hosts exercise and physical therapy classes, is indoor and warm to allow students to relax and learn without discomfort.
To learn more about the 5 Cities Swim School, click here to link to their site.
Locks of Love is a terrific organization that gives wigs to children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions. As a teacher I was aware of some students who would cut their hair and donate it for a wig. It’s a commitment. It may take two years to grow hair long enough. Not enough good is said about our younger generation. So many are giving their time, talents and hair to worthwhile organizations.
This narrated gallery was born from a before, during and after photo session with the O’tooles, who had, as a mother-daughter team let their hair grow so they could cut and donate it together.
From the Locks of Love Website:
Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.
Donors: The O’toole Team, Photography by Alan Fraser
For more information, visit the Baywood Navy’s site. click here
To learn more about the band, Gillie Wheesels, visit Central Coast Celtic. click here
The focus at Avila’s Farmer’s market is seafood, but really it’s having a great time on the coast, in the sun, walking, dancing, eating and people watching. You’ll find 25 vendors selling everything from lavender soap to strawberrys and cream. Get there early if you want a seat at Mr. Rick’s, a very convenient watering hole.
Check out this recent afternoon at Avila…
Spring is here when the wildflowers are in bloom, and the among the places most know for blooms in San Luis Obispo County is Shell Creek Road just off Highway 58.
If starting from San Luis Obispo, head North on the 101 get off on the Santa Margarita Exit and stay on the 58 until you arrive at Shell Creek Road.
The Bob Jones trail is one of the many jems of the Central Coast. It’s a casual 1.5 mile meander from just off the 101 to Avila Beach that’s great for family biking, jogging, strolling or rolling on a skateboard or skates — bring back rollerblades!!!
Suggestions – plan a pit stop on the East end of the trail at the Woodstone Marketplace. Or head out on a Friday afternoon and arrive in Avila in time for the Farmer’s Market.
The best place to start is from the parking lot on Ontario Rd. just after the San Luis Bay Dr. exit off the 101. Eventually, this lovely jaunt will connect San Luis Obispo to Avila, but for now enjoy the relaxing pace of this comfortable trail.
The El Camino Art Association has been supporting arts on the Central Coast for over 50 years. Much of their efforts during the year go to raising money for student scholarships.
From the El Camino Art Associations website:
Our Mission Statement
The El Camino Art Association’s Mission Statement is to promote art and encourage support of the artists in our local communities. Of special interest to the Association is encouraging upcoming young artists to continue to develop their artistic talents.
ECAA Scholarship Fund
ECAA has established a scholarship fund to encourage young artists, the ECAA Scholarship Fund. High school seniors at Arroyo Grande, Nipomo and Lopez High Schools are invited to enter in a juried art show and the art students chosen receive a cash award on behalf of ECAA.
Link to El Camino Art Association’s website.
Sal’s Chevy has been through a lot and hasn’t looked better since it rolled off the assembly line. It would be easy to go on and on about The Phoenix, but Sal says it much better. AGHS photo students took all of these fine pictures and recorded the audio.
On a budget? Oceanfront dining can be expensive, so why not take advantage of the one of many on the water picnic tables that can be found along the coast from Pismo to Cambria? Pair this idea with a trip to one of the weekly farmers markets and you’re eating heathy and in style.
One of our favorite farmer’s picnic table combos is the Cambria Farmer’s Market on Friday with what ever deliciousness we pick up and a table just beneath the pier at the Hearst Cove. Also excellent and one stop lunch, is the Baywood-Los Osos Farmers Market on Monday and a short walk to one of the bay-front tables just on the other side of the Back Bay Inn.
Cambria Farmer’s Market, Veterans’ Memorial Hall Parking Lot, Cambria, CA Fridays 2:30-5p.m.
Baywood Farmer’s Market, 1300 Block of 2d Street, Baywood, Monday 2-5pm
