Photos of a Wet North County

What's Wet in the North County?

North San Luis Obispo County, California, is not known for its frequent rain. Most of the year non-irrigated land is not wet. Sometimes even our lakes and rivers are dry. Currently the sun is shining brightly and no rain is expected soon. But for City Daily Photo Bloggers, this month's theme is "wet" and this is the day to illustrate it. To do that I have have looked back to my rainy season photos.

Atascadero Lake, January 28, 2017

Atascadero Lake

Atascadero Lake is one spot in the North County that usually contains water, but even it was dry in 2014 during the worst of the drought. I'm happy to see it full again. See Atascadero Lake at its best and worst here. The birds are happy to see it full again after the winter rains. We all hope it stays that way. 

Waterfowl at Atascadero Lake, 1-28-17, © B. Radisavljevic

The Salinas River

The Salinas River is sometimes wet, but most of the year it is dry. For more wet season photos, see The Salinas River in Paso Robles: Now You See It. The photo below was taken in February at sundown. The recent rains had been good to the river.  I'm hoping it will stay visible and wet until at least the end of April, but that will depend on getting some April showers. 

Salinas River at Sundown, 2-26-17,  © B. Radisavljevic

Since I love seeing the river full and flowing, I've made a lot of my photos of the river into products at Zazzle. Here are some of them.

 Salinas River Flowing through Paso Robles, CA Canvas Print Bench Looking Toward Salinas River: Miss You Card Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles Salinas River, Paso Robles, January Postcard Salinas River from Vineyard Bridge, Templeton, CA Jigsaw Puzzle

The Cow Parade at Halter Ranch

In February I went on a search for cows in the Cow Parade, an international event. Businesses sponsored artists who made life-size cow sculptures, and the cows were scattered over many locations in our county. I wanted to find all I could in the North County. I found this one on a rainy day at Halter Ranch Winery. It's titled Cowvee Alice. It was created by Jack Foster and sponsored by Halter Ranch. Many of the cows from the cow parade have been made into collectible figurines you can find at Amazon

Cowvee at Halter Ranch, 2-19-17, © B. Radisavljevic

 It was not easy to get this photograph. When I arrived in front of the tasting room, the cow was surrounded by people with umbrellas. They weren't moving. I discovered they were all part of a tour of the winery and were gathered in front of the tasting room (and the cow) to listen to the tour leader speak. I decided to join in and learn something. When the tour moved on to the winery, I snapped my photos and then followed the tour. Find out more about this tour here. I recommend it.) If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the sidewalk around the cow sculpture is wet. So was the cow, but it's hard to see that. The vineyards and grounds were also wet. 

Puddles Near the Park

On January 9,  I walked to Larry Moore Park to check on the river after the rain. I took a short cut from the J.C. Penny parking lot across a vacant lot to a back park entrance. On the way I passed many puddles. This is one I liked because of its reflection of the trees near it. It was quite a large puddle and the ground around it was so wet I sloshed as I walked.

Puddle Near Back Entrance to Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

The Sunken Gardens In Atascadero

I took this photo of the fountain at the Sunken Gardens Park on a very windy day after the rain. It was wet in many places around the fountain because of the wind's splashing. Of course, the fountain is wet, too. 

Overflowing Fountain  after Rain in the Sunken Gardens, Atascadero, © B. Radisavljevic

My Own Backyard

Until last winter, I had never seen my yard this wet. Usually the rain is quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground. After several rainy days, the ground was not so thirsty anymore. Thus the puddles appeared. The white streaks are the falling raindrops.

Which photo illustrating this month's Wet theme do you like best? 



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Reflections and a Sliver of Sunshine

A Rare Bit of Sunshine

The sun has been a rare sight during these days of rain. It was gloomy most of the day but in the late afternoon I looked in the back yard and saw this bit of sunshine among the shadows. 

In the front yard, I could see the sun hidden in the clouds behind my neighbor's oak tree. 

The Reflections

On my side of the street, the tree was reflected in a small puddle next to the curb. 

The palm tree across the street in the other direction was reflected in the same puddle when I faced it in the other direction. 

Here's a closer look at the palm reflection in the puddle.

In the back yard, a very shallow puddle in the former lawn reflected part of the blue sky and a tall tree at the back of the yard. 

Gift Items Featuring Lovely Reflection Photos

 Poster: Reflection of Trees in Puddles Poster nature photography winter tree reflection iPhone 7 case Yellowstone Grand Teton Reflections Jigsaw Puzzle Winter Reflection at Yosemite Postcard Seattle skyline at night with reflection jigsaw puzzle

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Related articles

• Palms in a Golden Sunset
• Looking at Deciduous Oak Trees in Winter
• Ah, There's No Sound As Sweet As Gentle Raindrops on My Roof
• Majestic Oaks at the North County Transit Center
• Just How Big Is That Oak?

Rain, Rain, and More Rain in Paso Robles

No More Drought Right Here, Right Now

It seems it's been raining for days now. When it's not raining, it's getting ready to rain. The cloud formations are beautiful. Below, the sun is just peeking through a cloud. 

Below is a path to the river through Larry Moore Park between storms. 

I shot this from my back porch during the rain today. This used to be my dead lawn when I stopped watering it during the drought. I've never seen such puddles there before this year. 

I taped this video at the same time I took the photo above. I turned the sound way down because a very noisy vehicle went by while I was shooting this. 

After I shot the video, we ate lunch. Then the sun came back out again for a few minutes before the sky went gray again. It has been raining off and off since then. More rain is expected during the next two days. 

Preserve the Memory of a Full Atascadero Lake and Salinas River

 Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles iPad Case: Inspirational with Salinas River iPad Mini Cover Poster of Salinas River in Paso Robles Salinas River, Paso Robles, January Jigsaw Puzzle Atascadero Lake Park Pavilion Coffee Mug Atascadero Lake Park Pavilion Jigsaw Puzzle

Local Lake Levels and the River are Rising Again

I haven't been out to take my own photos of the local lakes yet, but this video shows how the level of Atascadero Lake has come up since I took pictures during the drought. You can see those photos in the related posts below for comparison. I was happy to see the island surrounded by water again. 

I have been out to see the Salinas River flowing and I took lots of photos. Here are a few. 

Salinas River Overflowing Banks, January 9, 2017

Finally a River View from this  Bench Again

Looking North Toward Veterans Memorial Bridge

Although I miss the sun, we will see it soon again. Meanwhile,  I'm thankful for the rain that is filling our lakes and the river again and watering our oaks, street trees, and landscaping. We won't need to water again for weeks. 

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Related articles

• Atascadero Lake Has Some Water Again
• The State of Atascadero Lake Breaks My Heart
• It's Sad to See Atascadero Lake So Shallow - A California Life