Joe Johnston Photography

Forrest Scott looks out at the burning Hill Fire from his home near Santa Margarita. The property where he lives was surrounded by the flames, but his home and all but one small outbuilding were saved by Cal Fire crews.

Two streaks in this long exposure photo show the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off, left, from Vandenberg Air Force Base as seen from Pismo Beach and then its first stage returning, right, to Earth at a nearby landing pad. It deployed a SAOCOM 1A radar imaging satellite for Argentina and is the first West Coast return-to-launch-site mission.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge John Trice will soon retire after a long and storied career as a judge and prosecutor.

Gumby creator Art Clokey describes how the inspiration for the shape of Gumby's head came from the hair style of his Father Arthur Farrington pictured on the wall in the background at his home in Los Osos.

Kavi Holmes Harbour, 9, poses for a picture at his home in Santa Margarita. Kavi has a sensory processing disorder and his family is hoping to get him a service dog for companionship and to help him with stressful situation.

An air tanker flies in front of the plume of smoke rising from the southwest front of the Chimney Fire.

The massive Mud Creek Slide was the biggest in the history of the Big Sur Coast, burying Highway 1 under a 40-foot layer of rock and dirt, closing the road for over a year.

Volunteers and participants ride the surf in Avila Beach during Operation Surf, a week-long program for wounded-veterans and active-duty military.

A man is comforted by friends after learning his wife was killed in the collapse of the two-story Acorn Building in Paso Robles during a magnitude 6.5 earthquake.

Robyn Babcock gets a hug from her daughter Sierra as the pair sift through the remains of Robyn's home that was destroyed by the Park Hill Fire.

Brian Hodgson, of Morro Bay, just makes it over the top of a breaking winter wave, avoiding having it crash on him and his surf kayak. Hodgson says Morro Rock is his favorite place to surf and tries to get in the water there almost every day.

A long exposure captures the pastel tones of sunset in Shell Beach.

Police pull a Ronald Reagan mask off of Austin Ross after he surrendered to authorities following an hours-long standoff.

A cheerleader peaks out from inside the entry tunnel for the Paso Robles High School football team before their game against Fresno's Central High School.

Triston Gailey, 3, is in perfect form as he surfs a few waves in Morro Bay with the help of his dad Todd.

Junior Lifeguards from the Cayucos, Oceano Dunes and Pismo Beach programs compete in the tug of war competition in Pismo Beach.

Bryan Thompson of San Luis Obispo sends some heavy metal guitar licks through his bike-mounted amplifier during rush hour traffic. "I'm trying to get signed," he said.

Aerosmith

Pitbull

Fergie

A couple watches as firefighters respond to a fire at the Madonna Inn.

Cal Fire firefighter Ryan Anderson keeps a close watch during the final stages of a training fire in San Luis Obispo.

A firefighter pauses after a long day of battling the Poly Fire.

Firefighters Allen Scott, left, and Jonny Traber of the Burbank Fire Department enjoy a lighter moment on the scene of the Hill Fire in Santa Margarita.

Dorothy Mishalanie, 3, plays doctor at her San Luis Obispo home, she was recently diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer.

Myesha Thomas holds her hand high as she crosses the finish line in the 100m motorized wheelchair event at the Special Olympics San Luis Obispo Spring Regional Games at Cuesta College.

Lilly Thompson, 6, of Creston poses with her mille fleur bantam hen Sadie at the California Mid-State Fair.

Shane Simonin, 13, of Templeton with his goat Willie.

A competitor gets a helping hand during the Special Olympics San Luis Obispo Spring Regional Games at Cuesta College.

A fisherman casts his line into the stormy surf north of Morro Rock as El Niño-fueled storms arrive along the Central Coast.

A lone cloud hovers above Bishop Peak.

A man is seen through a rain covered window as he walks past Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa under the cover of his umbrella.

Adelaida farmer David Osgood says he is in favor of an oak tree ordinance as long as it's simple and gives farmers a healthy amount of freedom to use their land.

Foremost Wine Co. executive chef Julie Simon butchers a ram sourced from Pepper Creek Farm in Arroyo Grande.

A cyclist looks back at a loose bull he just passed on the Madonna Inn bike path, as a worker tries to tear a hole in the fencing to get the animal back home. Shortly after, the bull was corralled with the use of an ATV.

Amanda Ormonde, center, and her fellow Arroyo Grande High School graduates celebrate at the end of their commencement ceremony.

The entry from Mutt and Jeff's Pig Farm was a crowd favorite during the annual Fourth of July parade in Cayucos.

John Gajdos' wife Tracy Hunter-Gajdos was seriously injured in a traffic collision at the intersection of Wellsona Road and Highway 101. He is hoping for safety upgrades to the dangerous intersection.

Jason Holland, an Air Force veteran who facilitates the Veterans Falconry Initiative, with his red-tailed hawk Honey.

Larry Desario, owner of Santa Maria Neon Electric Signs, crawls into the Madonna Inn sign to make repairs to the neon lettering which was on the blink because of water damage.

Asst. Chief Probation Officer Robert Reyes, right, keeps a watchful eye as deputy probation officer Isidro Soto enters a sober living facility in Atascadero to check on an AB109 probationer.

Barrelhouse Brewing Co. lead brewer Mathew Jacobs prepares to load 3000 lbs of pluots mixed in with a few plums into a tank for brewing a sour beer.

Late afternoon light peeks out from between the stormy skies as a surfer waits for a break in the waves to paddle out into the sizable winter surf in Shell Beach.

Horologist Phillip Ehorn works on a Mickey Mouse watch at Once Upon a Tyme in Cambria.

This composite image made from seven separate images shows the stages of the April 2014 lunar eclipse from full Moon to total eclipse as seen from Hwy. 46 West of Paso Robles.

Fred Collins, the tribal administrator for the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, is advocating for a marine sanctuary off the Central Coast. It would stretch from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to the Channel Islands.

Surfer Matt Mohle is ready for his close-up as he speeds past an unidentified photographer at the Pismo Beach Pier where good-sized surf and offshore winds combined for fast hollow waves.

Seniors Zach Costello, right, and Jesse Read paddle their boat the "Krista Ackermann," named after their psychology teacher, to a theatrical last place finish in the 5th heat as they and other Arroyo Grande High School students compete in the Cardboard Boat Regatta at the school's pool as part of a series of events for Greek Week.

A member of the San Luis Obispo County Gang Task Force stands in front of a Paso Robles home where the team served a search warrant as part of an investigation into a recent gang-related assault.

A firefighter exits a home during a house fire training exercise in San Luis Obispo.

Benito Maldonado, with Davey Tree, works on cutting down one of several drought-stricken eucalyptus trees along Dana Foothill Road in Nipomo to prevent it from falling across the street and into power lines.

San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon.

Tribune Press worker David Trout poses for a photo a few weeks before onsite printing at The Tribune came to an end and was moved to its sister paper, The Fresno Bee.

Hannah, the family cat, steps through the front window of the Elton family home after the winds from a powerful January storm toppled trees throughout the California town of Cambria. One of those trees sheared off a side of the home.