F is for Family Farms

San Luis Obispo County is an agricultural community. Much of our local economy in the North County areas of Paso Robles and Templeton is based on wine and tourism. Although the wineries get most of the publicity, I prefer visiting the more family oriented farms -- small family owned farms such as Jack Creek Farms and Finley Family Farm, which is now Finley Family Nursery. I guess the old commercials for Finley Family Farms I used to hear on the radio were twisting too many announcers' tongues. It's also true that that the Finleys are now known for selling plants rather than crops. F is for Family Farms

The photo on the right is an emu who lived with chickens and other fowl at Finley Family Nursery when I took the picture in 2011. 

The Finley Family Nursery's website I linked to above will tell you how to get there. You will know you have found the right place when you see this reminder to drive carefully on these rural roads.

The Car that Crashed Beside Finley Family Nursery, © B. Radisavljevic

My husband and I visited the nursery shortly after we moved here to buy some fruit trees. They had a wide variety. You can see it on their website. On my last visit, I was more interested in watching the animals. Besides the emu, they had goats, chickens and maybe some others I've forgotten. I don't know if they are still there.

Almost all the farms I have visited have had chickens, goats, and other animals to help produce manure. I used to love watching the goats at Fat Cat Farm when it was still in business. You can also see goats at Jack Creek Farms. They have Nubian goats. They also have chickens, turkeys, and other animals.

Nubian Goats at Jack Creek Farms, © B. Radisavljevic

They also have cats -- lots of cats. I guess farms need working cats. I think they must do the work on the night shift. When I visit, they are usually resting. They have at least seven cats, and probably more. This is one of them.

Farm Cat Asleep on the Job at Jack Creek Farms,  © B. Radisavljevic

The cat above is sleeping in the area next to the buildings where the farm store is located. It has an Old West theme, and it's always fun to see the old Model T pickup truck (see collage at end of post) and the vintage farm machinery. There's also plenty to keep the kids busy. A large wooden train is there year-round, and there are planned activities seasonally. These are announced on the Jack Creek Farms Facebook page (linked to above), along with information about what's in season and for sale. I think this is an ideal rest stop for families traveling to the coast on Highway 46 West from Highway 101. Everyone can stretch their legs and grab a snack -- maybe fruit or one of the many varieties of farm-made fudge.

Entrance to Jack Creek Farms,  © B. Radisavljevic

This is a farm, but the drought seems to have affected what crops are grown now. They used to  have a superb squash and pumpkin display in the fall with more varieties than I've seen anywhere else,  but I didn't see anything in the squash family last year.  I took this next photo in 2013. They sometimes have U-Pick days for crops in season. I picked heirloom tomatoes here several times.

Rows of Heirloom Tomatoes and Corn at Jack Creek Farms,  © B. Radisavljevic

I've also picked apples there. They still have apple trees. Most of the apple trees are in orchards behind the buildings.

Apple Tree at Jack Creek Farms,  © B. Radisavljevic

One of the most interesting events I've attended at Jack Creek Farms was a Threshing Bee in 2013 when they were still growing and harvesting wheat. The drought put a stop to the wheat crops after that, at least temporarily. I don't know if they have resumed. But you can see what I saw at the Threshing Bee in this previous post. It includes photos of classic cars and a video of the threshing machines at work.

One of the best things about these small local farms that let the public look in on them is that children can learn where their food comes from and how it is grown. That's another reason I recommend that families stop here on the way to the coast. There is always something interesting for children (and their parents) to see and something delicious for sale that they can taste.

A growing number of families are tired of the urban rat race and are buying acreage for homesteading or a small family farm or vineyard. If you would like to find out more about what's involved, consider getting one of these books on family farming or homesteading skills for self sufficiency . I own and highly recommend this one.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living has everything you need to know about rural self sufficient living. Everything. I have one of the earliest editions. I never actually had the opportunity to raise even chickens or goats, but this book tells you how to raise just about any animal you would want on your small farm. It also tells you how to produce and preserve your food once you grow it. That's just a taste of what's in the book. Just click the photo to get more information and reviews on Amazon. The author has lived what she has written.



If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of this post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.

© B. Radisavljevic

This is my sixth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is Things You Can See or Experience in North San Luis Obispo County. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Acorn
B is for Barney Schwartz Park
C is for Cattle in Wine Country
D is for Dark Star Cellars
E is for Electric Wires

It's International Kite Day

Will You Fly a Kite Today?

Maybe where you are the sky is blue and the weather is just right for International Kite Day. Where I am it's raining.  It seems this day should fall on a sunny weekend. Then I could go to Moonstone Beach and try flying a stunt kite as this family did. This photo shows one of the kites they were flying.

Stunt Kite, © B. Radisavljevic

Frustrating Kite Flying Experiences

The kites I remember from my childhood were nothing like these dual string stunt kites. My own kites and kite-flying experiences were more like the ones that Charlie Brown had. I think I may have met his kite-eating tree. When I was a child, we didn't have anywhere nearby to escape trees and wires in our neighborhood.

All Ages Can Enjoy Flying Kites -- Even Together

The family we met flying stunt kites at Moonstone Beach were having a family reunion of sorts and flying the kites was an activity everyone from the kids and the grandparents could enjoy together. This man is flying a dual string stunt kite, and his kite is flying so high I can't fit it into the photo below. All you can see are his hands manipulating the strings.

Man Flying Dual String Stunt Kite, © B. Radisavljevic

To see the full intergenerational experience kite-flying experience, watch the video the family gave me permission to make of them enjoying this outdoor recreation. It was my first time to see a dual string kite in action, and I was mesmerized. Enjoy. If you'd like to try flying a stunt kite yourself, Amazon has a great collection of stunt kites to choose from. 

Zazzle Products with Stunt Kites

I made these Zazzle products from a photo of one of the most impressive kites they were flying that day. There are many more products to choose from with this design, and you can customize the text to convey your own message.

 Decal Stunt Kite in the sky, Soar! Wall Stickers Stunt Kite Flying in the Sky Square Pendant Necklace I'd Rather Be Flying a Kite Sleeve For MacBook Air I'd Rather Be Flying a Kite Classic White Coffee Mug

January 19 is Good Memory Day

Jason after a Long Day at Disneyland
© B. Radisavljevic

When you get to be my age one has accumulated many memories. So which should I pick for Good Memory Day? I think I'd have to go back in time to when my son was alive and sharing my life. He joined our family when he was five years old, and we'd known him as a foster child next door for the year before that. We met as friends who talked outside in the front yard, and then we began to invite him in. He was my friend before he was my son,  and he always remained my friend. He lived with us for nine years before an accident took him off to heaven. This photo was an early one, taken after his first trip to Disneyland.

Jason in Clown Costume
© B. Radisavljevic

After he'd been with us about two years, while he was still a foster child, he dressed as clown for Halloween. It suited his personality perfectly, because he loved to make people laugh. I will always treasure this photo. He was seven when  it was taken.

In the summer of 1985, after the adoption, we took a trip to Washington, D.C. We planned to spend a week there playing tourist with friends of the family who had moved to Massachusetts and didn't know Jason yet, since they had moved away from us before he joined our family. It was in Washington, D.C. that Jason met Abraham Lincoln.

Jason at Lincoln Memorial, © B. Radisavljevic

Jason Pinning Me at Webelo Court of Honor,  © B. Radisavljevic

The next year,  Jason moved to a new school and joined a troop of Webelo Scouts. I was very happy the night pinned me at a Court of Honor to signify that I had helped him to advance.

Jason at Valley Forge,  © B. Radisavljevic

When Jason was twelve, our family took a trip to Massachusetts while my husband was on a temporary contract to work there. Since we were homeschooling by then, we wanted to see all the historical places we could. It was a wonderful trip where we made many good memories. Jason always liked interacting with the docents and others playing parts in living history reenactments. Here he is interacting with a soldier at Valley Forge. If he looks a bit tired it's because we had a long ride that day and would go even farther -- all the way to Massachusetts with a stop in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell before we finally reached our destination.

Jason at Point Lobos,  © B. Radisavljevic

The next summer, the summer before he died, we had the opportunity to take a mother / son trip that had several purposes. We wanted to provide the setting for earning two Boy Scout badges, and one of them involved visiting the state capitol. I also wanted us to see more of California along the way. It was a trip I'll never forget, and I'll always be grateful we were able to have the time alone. This photo was taken at Point Lobos.

Jason Panning for Gold in Sacramento,  © B. Radisavljevic

After a few more side trips, including camping at Clear Lake State  Park, we got to Sacramento. We stayed at a motel along the American River, and Jason fulfilled a long-held desire to pan for gold. Unfortunately, he didn't find any. He still enjoyed the experience. I will always treasure the memories made on our trip. I had less than a year to make more, since after eleven more months, Jason was gone. This is the photo the newspaper used for the obituary.

Which good memory would you like to celebrate today?

M is for Moonstone Beach

Although Moonstone Beach is in Cambria, not Paso Robles, it is the closest beach to Paso Robles and  my favorite place in the North County to view our coast. I like to walk on the boardwalk,  or on the beach as this man is doing. If you can't see him, you can click to enlarge this or any photo here.

One thing I enjoy about Moonstone Beach is watching what people build. There is always driftwood in interesting shapes, and people make huts or other structures to demonstrate their creativity. Another favorite occupation is looking for interesting stones or rocks. I have often found jade there.

Moonstone Beach has many interesting trees. One of them hides this secluded bench that I call the "lovers' bench." I very often come across couples sitting there where not many people are looking as they walk along the boardwalk  above. It's a great place to view the ocean.

It seems I most often visit Moonstone Beach in autumn or winter when there aren't  as many people. This photo was taken in January and picks up some of the color from the flora. You can see the most common of the fauna below.

One of our most interesting Moonstone Beach experiences was observing a family celebration where three generations were flying stunt kites together. They graciously allowed me to capture them flying the kites on video. I had never seen stunt kites before. It was really fun to watch two in the air at once. You might enjoy watching the video that shows not only what it's like to play at Moonstone Beach, but also how much fun these kites can be as a family activity.

Some of my other Moonstone Beach photos are in my Zazzle Barb's California Card and Gift Gallery Store. Here's a sneak preview.

 Moonstone Beach Surfer Postcard Build Your Dreams Decal Moonstone Beach Jigsaw Puzzle