PHILLIP 66 TRAIN SPUR

While I was driving around this past weekend I noticed the No Oil Train Signs posted here and there. Perplexed as to what they mean. I spent a few hours learning what the issues are. Bottom line is the Phillips 66 refinery in Santa Maria is petitioning to link a track from their current location to the mail line track which travels along Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo.

The organization who is mounting an effort to stop the spur from attaching to the mail line is ProtectSlo.org click here for the website

Of all the lings I read this exserpt from Calcoastnews.com's opinion piece By LAURANCE SHINDERMAN and TOM RYAN

More than 56 public and private schools are in the blast zone as well as major hospitals and public safety facilities. These hospitals that are in the blast zone would have to be evacuated should there be an explosion with a debris field of toxic ash raining down; thus where would those needing treatment go?

That’s why more than 22 municipalities and school districts along the mainline including: Santa Barbara, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Fremont, as well as the National Education Association and the local Lucia Mar Teachers Association and California Nurses Association have written letters to the SLO Planning Commission and County Supervisors in opposition to this dangerous project. Simply stated; lives matter, not profits.

Phillips 66 has repeatedly included comments in their corporate publications that higher profits from cheaper crude oil are the reason for bringing in oil by rail. This is a project that benefits the singular interests of one large multinational company, Phillips 66, the sixth largest company on the Fortune 500, while putting at risk the health, safety and financial well being of thousands of residents along the UPRR mainline.

Click here for the full article.

If this many residents are speak out against the spur it can't be good for the locals but the oil companies are well versed in getting what they want. 

MORRO BAY TSUNAMI VIDEO

photo courtesy of the Morro Bay Historical Society.

Mike Jones owner of Azhiaziam (surf and apparel shop) who is a Morro Bay resident filmed the Tsunami which hit the Central Coast on March 11, 2011.

The footage is quite interesting to watch. For those of you that know the bay, the water comes in via one small opening near the town's famed rock. When the tide is moving either up or down it is more like a river. Imagine what its like when there is a massive wave. Video below.

Tidal Wave From the Japanese 8.9 Earthquake

FOOTBALL PREVIEW - LOMPOC AT ARROYO GRANDE 2015

Every week I will look for the best match up of the week and provide interviews, statistics and who should win the game. This Zero Week contest pits

 The Arroyo Grande Eagles varsity football team will be favored on Friday night for both teams 2015 season opener. But the Eagles have struggled while playing the Braves in past years. This match up pits two of the areas elite football programs. AG is led by a Junior QB while the other is led by an All-League MVP senior QB. The Eagles signal caller is a much better passer than his counter part but the Braves QB can do a bit of everything including outrun most players who will try to contain him. The running game for AG will be a power one while Lompoc will use multiple options as they have in years past.

  

Here is the full  interview by Joe Bailey of the SM Times. The final few minutes the players discuss the zero week contest with Arroyo Grande.

Santa Maria Times interview - Torry Smims LPL MVP QB and Toa Taua RB/LB 

2014 CIF Playoff Preview Story

2014 CIF Playoff game story

SLOCALSPORTS- High School Football - 21 November 2014 
CIF Southern Section - Northern Division Quarterfinal 
Doug Hitchen Stadium - Arroyo Grande, CA

AG 28 - Lompoc 3 

The CIF Northern Division Quarterfinal contest was the first time the senior class was able to defeat a Lompoc football team. While AG is the favorite, they are the home as well as ranked #1 in the division. 

AG should win by double digits.

SOUP BOILS OVER - DAY TWO 25TH STONE SOUP FEST - GROVER BEACH

Day two of the 25th Annual Stone Soup Festival in Grover Beach California 2015. Video enclosed. This is Sunday's performance. English Beat was the night prior.

 

ENGLISH BEAT VIDEO - GROVER BEACH

I arrived at the 25th annual Stone Soup Festival near 5:45 as I was interested in getting a good viewing location for the closing band the English Beat. My early arrival payed dividends as I stood 3 feet from the stage. I have added a few video clips below. You will see Annie in the white shirt dancing on stage!

The falafel was outstanding.

SOUP IS ON IN GROVER BEACH - ENGLISH BEAT

Saturday and Sunday's musical acts on two stages.

The musical line up for the 25th annual Stone Soup Music Festival and Street Faire is sure to get Grover Beach locals out to Ramona St. Park today. The kicker is it is FREE! The English Beat played in July to a standing room only crowd at the Slo Brew in San Luis Obispo. The ticket price for that event was $25. The event  is scheduled for Saturday, August 22: 10 am to 9 pm & Sunday August 23: 11 am to 5 pm

The Festival is designed to celebrate diversity though music, food, arts and crafts. World class musicians from throughout California are scheduled to perform. Two stages ensure music flows uninterrupted from 10 am to 9:30 pm on Saturday and from 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

Beer and wine are served 

Doggy Parade on Sunday, August 23. Visit www.aggbchamber.com for more info. Retail Vendors still needed. Contact the AGGB Chamber office to reserve your spot now.

I will have a follow up post after the show with additional photos and video.

There is plenty of free street parking in the area. 

ARROYO REVENGE - LOMPOC - CIF FOOTBALL

It is said that defense wins championships. If that holds true the Eagles of Arroyo Grande are surely in the drivers seat as the have only given up 3 points in their two post season games.

Arroyo Grande High School prior to Friday night had not beaten Lompoc since 2010 including a week one loss. 

That is a statement which can no longer be made as they ran, passed and played nasty defense on way to a 28-3 throttling of Lompoc High School. 

The Eagles did fall behind 3-0 on the Braves opening drive. Lompoc score was set up by a 32 yard pass which set up the field goal to take the lead.

AG's Jordan Harrigan a 6'0 and 200lb running back rambled for a 50 yard bust up the middle with a cut back for a score and the kick was good. The score moves to 7-3 Arroyo Grande midway through the second quarter. Lompoc failed to drive and was forced to punt.

A second and 8 pass interference from the 16 by Lompoc and a unsportsmanlike call led to a Joey De La Rosa running play for the touchdown. 14-3 with 2:20 to play in the half.

Lompoc answered with a 45 yard pass play beating the AG secondary to the 26 yardline on their next possession. AG answered with their biggest play of the half which was a sack near midfield with 14 seconds going into the half. Lompoc was forced to punt. The scoreboard read 14-3 at the half. 

The a Eagles drive on the opening drive to a 4th and 4 from Lompoc 30. May lofted the ball that resulted in Lompoc batting the ball down. AG's Alex Cecchi defensive back picked off an errant Lompoc pass with under 7 min to play in the third. AG's Griffin Lintner bounced outside for the score moving the scoarboard to 21-3. 

Cecchi who was big on defense also dotted the "i" in win with a fourth quarter scamper moving the score to 28-3. The Lompoc fans began the adventure home as the filed out of the stands. 

JUDKINS FALLS AT BUZZER - MESA MIDDLE SCHOOL

Before you start reading take a look at the scoreboard in the photo. The final 21 seconds there were four lead changes where the rest of the game only had two. Judkins is up 33-31 with three seconds to play after they hit a turn around no look shot to take the lead. Mesa threw the ball 70 feet on the fly to #25 who had the hot hand all day with three ticks remaining in the back and forth contest hit the buzzer beater which was good for a 34-33 victory.

The game opened with Mesa only missing two shots which was good for a 12-1 open. Then it was Judkins turn. Judkins took the lead at 22-21. Then with 12 tics remaining Mesa regained the lead with an inbound take away. A Judkins inbound with six seconds on the clock led to a  Mesa intercepted pass went to a jump ball. The possession arrow was pointing to Judkins.






That's when Judkins knocked down the turn around and the rest is the books.

Judkins moves to 1-1 on the season.

The 7th grade game went to Judkins in a lopsided contest.

LOMPOC AT ARROYO GRANDE - HIGH SCHOOL PLAYOFF FOOTBALL OUTLOOK - WEEK TWO

On Friday night the Arroyo Grande Eagles will look to avenge their 20-13 early in the season loss to the Lompoc Braves. The odd thing about the rematch is where the game is being played. Usually the lower seeded team (better team) earns the home game. The Braves will travel to AG for a 7:00 kickoff.  The Braves did not drop a single game this fall while the Eagles fell to Paso Robles and Lompoc. Maxpreps.com lists AG at 63 and Lompoc at 52. Oh well. Let's look at the match up.

Lompoc 

The Braves won the Los Padres league at 4 wins and no losses along with an overall 7-0 record. They tallied 430 points  while giving up 198.

Arroyo Grande 

The Eagles finished the Pac-5 league in a three-way tie. Their league record was 3-1 and overall at 8-2.  AG is 6-0 at home and have scored 364 points while giving up 175.

Outlook

Both teams won their first round playoff contests. AG did it with defense defeating Nordoff 7-0, while the Braves did it with offense as they won 38-28 over Camarillo (6-5). Both of their first round teams hovered around .500. Round two will pit two very strong teams who played this fall but this time the Eagles will have the home field advantage. In their first meeting the Braves won the game by playing very good defense which produced two turnovers that resulted in a 20-3 lead after three quarters. 

The real difference this time around will be two fold. AG's quarterback is only a sophomore who now has 12 games under his shoulder pads. While the first time he had none. The other factor is the Eagles have not dropped a game at home all season. Lompoc's QB is a junior who is a run first option player.

 Arroyo Grande has not beat Lompoc since 2010 and over that time the Braves have scored 124 points while the Eagles have posted 70.

If defense wins championships then AG should win the contest as they have given up 23 fewer points. But Lompoc deploys 3 running backs who are nearing 1,000 yards rushing. This is a team that will run the ball down your throat. In the earlier meeting AG held Lompoc to their lowest rushing game of the season at 204. While AG was also held to their lowest rushing totals of the season during the match up at 52 yards.

Bottom line - Lompoc finishes +6

Home field AG + 6

Defense AG + 6

Head to head LO +6

Senior Leadership LO +6

Running game LO +6

This could be a classic smash mouth contest between two teams that know each other well. The team to make the least mistakes will win. A low scoring game will go to AG but if Lompoc scores more than 20, they are a lock.

LAGUNA AT LOS OSOS - BASKETBALL

The theme of the match up between Los Osos Middle School and Laguna Middle school 8th grade basketball teams was for the visiting Laguna to pressure the ball on defense. Which resulted in an early lead. Los Osos fought back at the end of the first 16-13. But once Laguna put the starters back on the floor the lead was extended to 35-17 at the half way point. The lead was extended to as much as 26 points as Laguna went on to win the contest.

Team high points- The Los Osos point guard has great vision, speed and ball handling skills. He can shoot from  the perimeter but his foray is to push the ball up the floor as well as finding the open man. Laguna on the other hand doesn't have a clear standout in their lineup. They are tall and athletic across the board. The kill the glass and score in transition. They control the defensive boards by sending 4 to the glass and cherry pick the available player. The only weakness the team showed was their perimeter shooting. Pack a zone, box out and always keep a man back on defense and you may have a chance to stay close.

The 7th grade score was 47-22 in favor of the visitor.

Morro Bay High School dance team

ST. PATS AT JUDKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL - BASKETBALL

On Monday afternoon St. Pats traveled to Pismo Beach for a 7th and 8th grade basketball double-header versus the Judkins Panthers.

The 7th grade contest went to the visitors by a lopsided score of 44-27. St. Pats shot the ball well behind the arch as well as pushed it in transition. Number 11 for the visitors can dribble in the open court and knock down three which Judkins had no answer. 

The 8th grade game went in the other direction. The home team jumped to a 12-0 first stanza lead on way to a 22-6 score at intermission 

The remainder of the game went the same as the first half. When the final horn sounded the scoreboard read 37-17.

The Panthers travel to Mesa Middle School on Thursday.

CAL-POLY PIER OPEN HOUSE

The Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo pier held and was the place to be on Saturday morning. The visitors were given a rare opportunity to peak into what happens on the private 3/4 of a mile environmental studies dock in the San Luis Bay.

The students of Cal-Poly have the opportunity to share what they have learned with the community two times per year. Once in November and another time in April. The pier was open from 9 a.m. to noon.

The event was free to all-comers. The pier itself is constructed of 4 inch metal grates which allows rain to pass right through as well as very small feet. It also made pushing strollers difficult. The visual perspective was hard for those who are afraid of heights as you could see the oceans surface some 50 feet below.

Cal-Poly put on a really nice event. The students were kind, articulate and very knowledgeable. They offered information regarding the local ecosystem including; fish, mammals, vertebrates and invertebrates. The two hands on events that had the most participation were the water samples which were viewed under a microscope and the scuba diving booth. Kids had the opportunity to put on a diving mask and an oxygen tank. They then proceeded to put their heads under water in a tank where they viewed star fish coral and other indigenous species.

This event was attended by many children but if you are a local grown-up who frequent Avila Beach it's well worth the walk. Your next opportunity to see what happens on Cal-Poly pier is in the spring.

The history of the pier is rather extensive. In 1868-1878 John Harford builds Harford Pier (now Port San Luis Pier) for exporting the County’s products.  The first pier is 540 feet long.  A narrow gauge railroad to the pier is constructed, which eventually became part of the Pacific Coast Railroad.  In the late 1870’s the pier is extended 1400 feet to deeper water and the Ocean Hotel is built for passengers waiting for ships.  The Ocean Hotel is purchased by the Marre family and becomes the Hotel Marre. Click here for what happened next.

BEAR RIVER POWDER PUFF RESULTS

Bear River's senior powder puff football team scored on an 80 yard run on their first play from scrimmage and looked as if it was going to be a blowout. The juniors tightened up their defense and forced the game into sudden death. The senior class did score in OT while the juniors did not. The final score was 28-21.

The junior team moved the ball on the ground but the fans were most impressed with their passing game while the seniors ran a traditional Wing-T offense.

Both teams wore matching black shirts due to an ordering mishap so when looking at the photos the junior team has the blue duct tape.

I'm not sure who was running the game clock but it seemed to run when it shouldn't have. Also the two boys in the photo below were smoking at the game. Really?

These two boys brought their own puff to the Powder Puff game.

The 2014 contest was a great game.

TRUCKEE RIVER - GAME CHANGER

Game Changer fly

Arriving at the banks of the Truckee River at 7;30 am with anticipation of a big brown was a let down. My fishing buddy Doug and I fished the Game Changer fly for six hours without a fish. We did not stop swinging the new concept in fly fishing which was created by  Blane Chocklett. While we did not hook up, the fly swims perfect in the water. I have fished streamers for years. But none that has action like this. 

 Doug swinging his fly through a deep pool.

The recent rains as well as the cool nights have helped lower the river's temperature but it is still very low. The exposed rocks are normally submerged.

 The morning was cold and windy but the by 11am we took off our jackets.

 The sun was so warm Doug fished only in his waders.