Fair Weather Has a Unique Meaning in Paso Robles

Fair Weather In July

The most common usage of the term "fair weather" is as the opposite of "foul weather." According to the Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, fair weather is 'FINE, dry, bright, clear, sunny, cloudless, warm, balmy, clement, benign, pleasant.'  Here in Paso Robles, though, locals have their own interpretation of "fair weather."

It seems that very year in July when the California Mid-State Fair comes to Paso Robles it is very, very hot. This week, for example, with the fair in town, we've had triple digit temperatures that are expected to last most of the week before dropping to the nineties. That's what I call fair weather.

I took the photo tonight at 8:30. The temperature was still 85 degrees when I went to get the mail. As I walked back home and looked south, those clouds looked like layers of heat to me.

I can't handle hot weather, so I rarely get to the fair. I understand that the air conditioning went out in at least one of the buildings yesterday -- the one a friend of mine was working in. She said they had to depend on fans to fight the oppressive heat.

Murder at the Mid-State Fair

Did you know that Earlene Fowler wrote a murder mystery set at the Mid-State Fair? She is one of my favorite authors because most of her Benni Harper mysteries are set here in San Luis Obispo County. I love her characters and I enjoy being able to visualize the places mentioned in the books -- even though the author disguises the place names a bit. For example, San Luis Obispo is referred to as San Celina. Any local will find it easy to figure out the settings, and some, like Paso Robles and Morro Bay aren't disguised. Read my review of State Fair here.   Why not pick up a copy at the library while the fair is happening? Or pick it up at Amazon.

Spirit , Wind, and Kite

The Spirit of Theme Day

The first day of every month is theme day for City Daily Photo Bloggers, so I try to get into the spirit of it by posting something related to the theme. This month that theme is "spirit." I will try to relate that theme to a simple kite.

Man Trying to Get Kite into the Air, © B. Radisavljevic

The Wind Lifts a Kite

Without wind, it would be difficult to get a kite into the air. In the Bible's John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asked how that was possible. Would a man have to return to his mother's womb and be born all over again?

Jesus answered: ...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit....The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. 

Just as a kite in the air lets us know where the wind is blowing and in which direction, so the actions of a man let us know whether the Spirit of God is working in his life. What people do shows us what kind of spirit motivates them.

No one has seen the Spirit of God except when it moves in the lives of people. No one sees any spirit, holy or not, unless it acts on or in something physical, just as the wind acts on the kite to move it around.

Man Flying Kite in Paso Robles  City Park, © B. Radisavljevic

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers worldwide have interpreted this theme.