An afternoon of murals in Sand City

Family—David's sister Patty and their brother Geoff, with his wife Heidi—are visiting, from Seattle and Oslo. David and I had been wondering what-all we could go do together. There are the obvious activities, the ones we do pretty much every time they come: a ramble through Pt. Lobos marine reserve, a trip down the Big Sur coast, a hike in Pinnacles National Park, a visit to the monarch butterfly trees. So how delighted was I to find a notice of a new geocache in nearby Sand City—a geocache celebrating the several dozen murals in that tiny (pop. 310) but vibrant town. It's a mix of small industry, a few funky residences, and artist studios. Eclectic! And yes, lots of murals—something new to explore!

So that's what we did this afternoon: wandered from mural to mural through Sand City, with a final stop at Post No Bills, a beer bar. (And we found the cache, no problem.) Here are a few photos I took along the way. (Click on them to see them large.)

I like the fact that this is a working-class
industrial area—full of fantastic art

This is an actual decoy; spot him in the above shot?

Not your ordinary roll-up door

This fellow was pleased that he found his way
into my photo—and my timing was good,
because he was just about to roll down the door

Who knew spiders had ribs?

Brother-in-law Geoff eyeing the money

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of xeriscape (actual)
and bottom-of-the-sea-scape (artistic)

Jimi and Janis shared adjacent real estate—fitting

My ninja-warrior sisters-in-law,
Heidi (left) and Patty (right)

Outside a sculptor's studio

At Post No Bills, Sand City

Two flights of four were sampled
(no one got drunk; this is just me being
accidentally impressionistic)

We ended with a trip to the supermarket:
five people, five baskets, variously full

The sibs: Patty, Geoff, and David