Saturday, September 19, 2015
The Lonely Building Downtown on Spring
Friday, September 18, 2015
Art in Unexpected Places
Next time you are at City Park, stop by the drinking fountain and take a close look. The photo to the right shows the back view. If you click the photo, it will enlarge.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Illuminated Spirit on Display in Window at Studios on the Park
The window also reflects the view on Eleventh Street and part of the park. I've always thought reflections were fun.
This poster, which was also visible from the outside, explains the exhibit and names the participating artists. You can click to enlarge if you can't read the print. Maybe you can inject a dose of art into your weekend activity schedule if you are near Paso Robles.
Meet Heidi Franscioni Beal in this video as she explains her encaustic process to me back in 2011 in her former studio at Studios on the Park .
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
I Love Lantanas
Lantana in Bloom
Recently as I walked by the Park Cinemas Theater, I could not help but notice how tall the lantanas in their planters have grown this summer. I have always loved lantana's multi-colored flowers, but today is the first time I've ever seen their berries. Most lantanas I've planted have never matured enough to produce berries. This photo shows both the flowers and the berries.
The photo below shows the berries, both green and mature, up close. If one picks the fully mature berries and digs the seeds out of them, one can then clean the seeds and dry them for a couple of days. Refrigerate the dried seeds in a sealed container until you are ready to plant them.
They should be planted in spring when the weather warms up. Water well at first until established, and then water should be cut back to about once a week. Fertilizer is not necessary. Lantanas can also be propagated from cuttings.
Both birds and bees love lantanas for different reasons. The bees forage in their flowers and the birds eat the berries. Butterflies, especially swallowtails, also enjoy the flowers. The leaves are toxic to most animals, as are the green berries. The jury is still out on whether it is safe to eat the fully ripe blackberries. I would not advise eating them.
In mild climates, lantanas can survive all year. They should be cut back each spring to promote more blooming. They cannot survive frost, as I've learned the hard way.
Zazzle Creators Love Lantana and the Critters That Love It.
Here are some of their creations.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
The Welcome Rain
I Saw Raindrops Through My Window
As I was revising a piece of writing this afternoon, I was startled to see raindrops falling as I glanced out the window. It was hard to believe, so I dashed outside to check, and sure enough. There was a light rain falling. What a blessing! Once before I was so happy to see rain break a drought that I wrote this poem about rain.
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| Leaning Pine Tree about to Fall, © B. Radisavljevic |
I Escape from The Noise of Cutting the Tree
I took a lunch break after my headache-inducing afternoon of filling out loan applications and editing. Just as I was starting lunch, Hubby called to say he'd hired someone to cut down that leaning pine you see in the photo, and he'd arrive in about fifteen minutes. I was not in any condition to listen to a power saw for two hours, so I finished lunch quickly and was out the door almost as soon as the man arrived to cut that tree that's about to fall. As usual, I headed for the library with a book to read as my escape.
A Walk Around the Park
My head still hurt and the library was a bit stuffy and not all that quiet, so I decided to take a walk around the park. I love to walk on overcast days when it's cool enough. The clouds make the sky beautiful on days when it has just rained.
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| Eleventh Street Between Rain Storms, © B. Radisavljevic |
I grabbed my camera and headed over to Park Street from the library parking lot. I walked toward Pine Street and took this photo of the sky at a little after six.
As I walked through and around the park I saw that it really is getting to be autumn. I will show you photos later in the week to support that. Nature is putting on quite a show. But today I cared mostly about the sky. As I approached Spring Street from the park, I focused on the clouds above and to the left of the Paso Robles Inn Coffee Shop.
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| Sky Above Paso Robles Inn Coffee Shop Between Rain Storms, © B. Radisavljevic |
After I took the picture above, I decided to go back to the car and read a bit more until it was time to head for the gym. It began to rain again about seven. I decided to skip the gym to avoid being out in the rain. I went home only to discover the tree cutter's saw wasn't working and the tree was still there. So I guess we will go through this again soon after the saw is fixed
Below we see San Luis Obispo in the Rain. I took the picture from the car while we were stopped at a traffic light.
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Monday, September 14, 2015
Just a Lazy Sunday and a Movie, The War Room
Though it was still a bit hot and muggy Sunday, I was able to spend a couple of hours on some serious writing, see that we ate a simple but nutritious lunch, and get a couple of things crossed off my to-do list. After lunch we managed to get to the 4:15 showing of The War Room at the Park Cinemas Theater.I'm really not a movie person. I'd rather read, but we have friends talking about the movie so we went. The hardest part of the movie theater experience for me is having to sit through the previews of movies I would never want to see. At least today the previews were compatible with the movie we went to see, but I still did not enjoy having violence in my face.
The movie itself shows how prayer can change situations that seem impossible, such as the failing marriage focused on in The War Room. I believe the message of The War Room is an important one as marriages and families keep crumbling in America. I hope those in troubled marriages will see that there is an alternative to divorce that can actually heal marriages and restore the relationships that have been hurt by arguing and even betrayal. There is a way out of the hopelessness some couples feel when their relationship has deteriorated. There is always hope. If the movie isn't playing near you, you can get it here.
When we got home, I opened the windows to catch the slightly cool breeze. I took the photo you see above of the sunset, and then I watered. It would be nice not to have to arrange my schedule around watering times.
How did you spend your Sunday?
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Sunday, September 13, 2015
Take Your Family to Leffingwell Landing
Leffingwell Landing is Cool
Cambria is often twenty degrees cooler than Paso Robles during a heat wave. What's not to love? Anyone can enjoy Leffingwell Landing in Cambria. Some people enjoy napping in the park. Perhaps these folks first enjoyed a picnic in the shade of this enormous tree.
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| Napping at Leffingwell Landing in Cambria, © B. Radisavljevic |
Leffingwell Landing is Accessible to All
The park and the ocean views are accessible to almost everyone, even those in walkers. One can just sit under the shade of a tree and look out toward Moonstone Beach and watch the ocean and the seagulls. This couple appears to be spending a relaxing afternoon doing just that.
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| Looking Out at the Sea at Leffingwell Landing in Cambria, © B. Radisavljevic |
I didn't have time to walk the boardwalk on my short visit, but I didn't even need to leave the parking lot to get this view and many others of the ocean. If you're not doing anything special today, why not take someone special to Leffingwell Landing and have a cool afternoon?
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| A View of the Ocean at Leffingwell Landing, © B. Radisavljevic |
Can't go to the beach? Take it with you in this iPad Mini Case.
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