A Day at San Simeon

More about Milton:

Through the winter I dealt with his health issues (he had a few) but he's been a treasure, every bit of his 4 lbs. His unceasing attempts to bring out Buddy’s playful side has finally worked, and they now rough and tumble (Buddy being surprisingly gentle with the little guy).
Back to traveling off the cuff:


We visited Hearst Castle in San Simeon on Feb. 13. The weather was beautiful and since neither Fred nor I had ever visited the Castle, it was a real treat—one I want to repeat again on a different tour (there being four).


We took tour #1 which included the downstairs and some of the grounds. This picture is a detailed view to the entrance of Hearst's main house. It is reminiscent of churches in Europe.

The outside pool is familiar to most people but did you know that the pillars holding up the "temple" on the far side of the classic Neptune swimming pool, are fourth-century Roman columns (the one on the right being fatter and shorter had to be built up to fit in the structure).

The inside pool was the last room we got to view. Lovely.

(More about the tours at: http://www.hearstcastle.org/tours/ )

This picture of the coast was from the balcony in front of the front entrance.
After finishing the tour, we visited the ocean and the dock where Hearst had his treasures delivered from around the world.

The surf seemed higher than usual that afternoon. As it turned out, there was a surfing contest up the coast in Half Moon Bay that afternoon and the waves became so strong that spectators were knocked over.

To watch the video of that event go to: http://www.dipity.com/timeline/Mavericks-Rogue-Wave

Never underestimate the power of the ocean, both to inspire and to devastate.