Revisiting Los Osos

A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO LOS OSOS, CALIFORNIA

Happy New Year!  I hope 2015 holds much happiness for you and yours, as well as lots of travel!

Now onto our journey to the West Coast.  We called Los Osos home while our house was built in Pismo Beach. In fact, we almost bought a lot in Los Osos rather than Pismo. I wonder what turn our life together would have taken if we’d gambled on that steep outcropping rather than the more sedate hilltop in Pismo.

Sally and The Great Skin Company

One of the first things I did when I moved to Los Osos was join South Bay Women’s Network.  I loved that group of women and had the honor of serving in several offices for them – from Historian to President.  It’s through SBWN that I met the lovely Sally Brooks and made my way to The Great Skin Company.  In Sally I found a wonderful friend and at her salon I enjoyed some of the best facials I’ve ever had.  Should you happen to go to the Central Coast, book something at The Great Skin Company and tell Sally I sent you.

On this particular morning, I didn’t have an appointment for a facial, but Sally had arranged for several of my friends from SBWN to drop by for coffee.  I loved that the group is still doing great things for the South Bay area.  I have to confess that I was proud that my presidential year still holds some record accomplishments, but I was lucky, I was working with an amazing group of women.

Cabrillo Estates

I hugged a lot of necks and loved catching up at Sally’s, but the road was calling.  We had lunch plans in San Luis Obispo and things we wanted to see before that.

First we stopped in Cabrillo Estates, a subdivision of homes at the edge of Los Osos.  That’s where we hung our hat for a few years.  We particularly liked Cabrillo Estates because the streets were all named after heroes of the Alamo.  Not sure of the reason, but when we lived there our house was on Bowie Drive.

When we were looking for lots, there was one we loved in Cabrillo Estates, but we ended up choosing a lot in Pismo Beach.  The lot in Cabrillo Estates had the most dramatic view by far, but Los Osos is a sleepy little bedroom community, while Pismo was a happening beach town.  We chose the beach town, but lived in Los Osos while the house was built.

Looking back, I was much happier in the Los Osos rental house than I was in the luxurious home we built in Pismo Beach.  There are many things which contributed to my season of discontent, but I can’t help but wonder how life would have been different if we’d built in Los Osos instead.

The lot in Los Osos was intimidating – virtually a sheer wall cliff to hang a house on.  Some one did eventually build a very contemporary home virtually made of glass and it had nearly a three million dollar price tag.  Crazy for a house with less than 2000 square feet, but the view, as you can see, is out of this world.

The top of the hill was also for sale when we were looking for lots, but it was an acreage we knew we couldn’t afford.   Here’s what they built up there.

From Cabrillo Estates we went to an old favorite, Montana de Oro State Park.  Come back next week and I’ll tell you about it.