See What the Paso Robles Library Has for the Holidays

Whether you need to do some last minute shopping or just need something special for Christmas reading, you can find it at the Paso Robles Library. As you see suggested in this poster on the wall in the library, reading is a great family activity. One can  pick out a Christmas story as suggested in the poster and make a tradition of reading it on Christmas Eve. The library has several seasonal displays scattered throughout its reading areas. Please click to enlarge any photo you want to see more clearly.

Holiday Poster at Paso Robles Library, Photo © B. Radisavljevic

If you haven't finished your shopping yet, you may find a small gift at the Friends of the Library Gift Shop. Besides all the new items inside the store, there is a wider selection than usual of used books outside the store in the hallway. If you can't find exactly the gift you had in mind, just walk around the corner to Studios on the Park on Pine, across from the park and find something unique. Here are some photos of a selection of their special gift items.

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

A little past the main door of the library, on the right wall, are the new books. If you won't be visiting family or hosting them and you have some spare time to read, you are sure to find something entertaining on these shelves. I always look here first to see if there is anything new from my favorite authors. Here is a link to my  reviews of   some of the books for adults I have found there and in other places around the library. The library may not still have all of them.

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

As I walked toward the stacks, I saw this display of holiday music, mostly associated with Christmas. This is a good way to supplement your own supply of music for a couple of weeks without having to buy more. It's always nice to have something new to listen to while you sit around the tree or work in the kitchen.

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

If you have children, you won't want to miss getting a special holiday story to read to them while they wait for Santa to arrive. Here is what was on display less than a week ago. I'm sure more books have come and gone from it since then. Be sure to click if you want to see the titles more clearly.

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

Remember to bring a few books you haven't read yet into your home for the holidays, or revisit some old favorites.

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G is for General Store

Until  yesterday, I didn't realize Paso Robles had such a thing as a general store. However if you rid yourself of preconceived ideas of what a general store is, Paso Robles does have one. My idea of a general store was more in line with the ones found in small towns or in the early pioneer towns where a general store tried  to carry everything a family might need to survive -- food, blankets, tools, seeds, fabric, kitchen utensils, whatever was essential for living daily life.

The General Store in Paso Robles is a bit different. It carries instead an assortment of goods that make life more pleasant and more fun -- for yourself or someone you want to gift. Its window says is has "local goods and provisions for pantry and home." Many of these are gourmet foods like jams, candied nuts, local vinegars, seasonings, olive oils, and wines. They also have a dairy case of local cheese and salami. As I was browsing, I was given a sample of the Paso Almond Brittle, and it was very tasty. Did I mention that the owner and the others manning the store were very helpful? No one will ignore you here.

Browsing the shelves is a lot of fun. It was especially so for me. I've had many years of experience selling books and buying them wholesale. I've been to Book Expo a couple of times and seen all that publishers have had to offer bookstores. Naturally my eyes were drawn to the book displays.  I saw at least two of them. One had a lot of books on cooking and wine -- a wise choice for this area where foodies abound and wine tasting is a favorite leisure activity. But since I've specialized in children's and educational books for the past twenty years, I especially liked this display.

For nine of my years in retail I was a greeting card buyer. I attended gift shows twice a year and sales reps for card publishers called me often. My goal was to have beautiful tasteful cards that were uplifting and often humorous, but never in a mean or vulgar way. Naturally when I saw a card rack in a corner on the walls, I had to check it out. I'll just say that if a sales rep had showed me these cards, I would have bought them. They are a rare find. And they have some great ones for mothers. These are just a few in the display. You can make the photo larger by clicking it to read the words.

There's not enough room to show you the whole store. You will just have to  go downtown to 841 12th Street see it for yourself. You can also preview the General Store website and their Facebook Page for a close look at some items I didn't show you here. It won't show you all the baskets, hats, books, wall hangings, towels, tote bags and other goodies you will find if you actually visit the store, though. Next time you are downtown, just stop in and look around. If you go before Mother's Day, you're sure to find something your mom or grown daughter would love -- even if it's just a bag of this scrumptious almond brittle.

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E is for Earthtones

Earthtones in Paso Robles is one of those stores that doesn't wait quietly for you to discover it. Rather, it sort of grabs your attention as you walk by and you can't help but notice it. If you don't pay careful attention to its sidewalk and outdoor hanging displays when you walk past, they just might connect with you in a physical way.

Earthtones seems to be mostly a gift store from the outside, but it is also a spiritual mediation and massage center offering workshops and classes in such things as Yoga. It portrays itself to be a healing place where massage therapy, Yoga and Reiki circles are available, along with a variety of inspirational gifts. You will find it on Park Street, just west of 13th Street. If it's open, you can't miss it.


Follow Barbara Radisavljevic's board Scenes from Paso Robles on Pinterest.

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Sculpterra Is a Great Place to Find Unique Gifts from Local Artists

See Large Sculptures by John Jagger and Dale Evers at Sculptera

Sculpterra Winery  is known not only for its wine,  but also for its art. As you enter from the parking lot you are greeted by this big cat sculpture, "Golden Morning," by John Jagger. As you enter the garden, you see even more sculptures by John Jagger, and some newer ones by the new resident artist, Dale Evers.

Find Smaller Replicas of the Sculptures for Sale in the Tasting Room

Not only does Sculpterra feature these impressive large sculptures in its outdoor sculpture garden, but you can find smaller replicas of some of them inside for purchase in the tasting room. This display in the window show some of Dale Evers' work for sale. John Jagger's work is displayed in other parts of the tasting room.

Sculpterra Also Displays and Sells Wall Art by Local Artists

Art on display at Sculpterra is not limited to sculpture. Each month there is a wall devoted to a visiting artist.  The Artist of the Month for April, 2015, is Jack Oliver and you can see most of his wall display here. The work of other artists using different media can be seen throughout the tasting room. If you enjoy art or giving art gifts, you are sure to find something unique there as you are enjoying your wine.

Find more photos and a video tour of Sculpterra.

This book features beautiful color photographs of Sculpterra and other spectacular central coast wineries. I first saw it at the Lavender Festival one year at the Sculpterra booth, and that's how I decided I wanted to pay Sculpterra a visit.
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Day in the Shade Memories

One thing I love about my county is the opportunity to see local artists exhibiting their work in multiple places. One annual exhibit happens at Templeton City Park on the Saturday before Mother's Day every year. By that time the weather is nice and people are often looking for just the right Mother's Day gift. They know they will see many one-of-a kind items. The man in the picture to the left has probably seen a lot by now and is trying to decide if he should buy here or at another booth. This booth is Barry's Woodturning. To see more detail, click to enlarge a photo.

All kinds of artists come to exhibit. We see photographers and painters. People bring what they have created from glass,old flatware, old wine barrels, and any number of other inventive materials. There is always lots of handmade jewelry, as well. This booth features recycled metal objects. Things made from old flatware are very popular and were seen at more than one booth.

Besides the art exhibits, which I've barely introduced here, there is music on the stage and face painting and art activities for children. There is also wine tasting for the adults who want to relax and recover from all that "window" shopping. In the photo below you can see two of my winery neighbors exhibiting their wares.

These photos came from Day in the Shade 2012, but many of the same exhibitors come each year. If you'd like a more comprehensive tour of this event, I made one for Day in the Shade 2011 that give you a better idea of what there is to see, Besides the photos you will see a video of Dan Shattuck's very crowded booth of recycled flatware products, and an interview with glass artist Rachel Tamagni. 

Oh, Deer!

Exploring a New Neighborhood with Active Deer

I decided to take my daily photo walk somewhere different today. So I drove to a road I normally can walk to, and then turned left and drove a few blocks to explore the hills on the south side of the street.

I've been in the tract homes on the north side, but the south side is like a different world. It's where the horse people live. And where there is lots of grazing for horses, the deer are sure to find it, too. I just never knew they were so close to my city home.

The deer below had been on the other side of the fence but decided they wanted hop over it to cross the street.

They are now about jump the fence they are standing beside in this photo below.

The conditions in this area were ideal for deer. Not only were there huge grass lawns and wild meadows, but there were also forested areas still undeveloped. Today the deer preferred the territory meant for horses.

 In the photo above the deer have gotten across the fence to join the rest of their herd. I think there were close to eight deer there in all, and many appeared very young.

Do deer roam your neighborhood or somewhere close to where you live?

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Templeton Farmers Market March 21

One of the things I love most about living in Templeton is its Saturday farmers market. I got a late start today, so the strawberries I'd wanted were sold out,  but I did get some lettuce, tomatoes, and broccoli. I also took a look at the craft and plant vendor tables.

One booth I can never pass without stopping to look is Serena’s Grown from the Heart. I normally buy my herbs and vegetable plants from her booth when I have a place to grow them. I did buy several herbs from her today, but I have no idea yet where I will plant them. I also bought some lettuce and another chard plant. I like Serena's plants because she grows them from organic seeds. I've been buying from her  for years.

Right next door to Serena was Ralph Johnson. He was selling tomato and pepper plants, also organic, but I'm afraid to put them in the ground yet. One year I was sure it was warm enough, I planted when the weather was in the nineties in April, and we got a freeze the next weekend. Here's what I did to try to revive my near-dead tomato plants that year.  Anyway, I decided to pass on buying tomato or pepper seedlings from anyone this early. 

Ralph did have something I wanted though. He sells organically grown seeds, and I bought a pack for growing quinoa. The nice thing about buying from the people who actually grow your plants is that they can give you lots of advice on planting and raising them. 

Although I rarely need or buy craft items, I love looking at them and would know where to go if I ever needed a special gift for someone. Today I was intrigued by Barbara Hope's handcrafted soaps and other handmade gift items. I suggest you click on this photo (or any other here) to enlarge it for a closer look at all the goodies on Barbara's  table. 

Since you can't really get a good look at Barbara's soaps in the photo above, I'm going to show you a close-up one of them I especially liked -- the frog soaps. Barbara also sells handmade greeting cards, essential oils, and other gift items. Although she doesn't have a web site yet, she will ship anywhere. She sells locally at various  farmers markets in Baywood, Pismo Coast Plaza, Templeton, and Morro Bay.

This is only a bit of what I saw on display today besides the produce. Probably half our market at this time of year consists of craft items and ready-to-eat foods. I will show you some of those products on another day. When you see too much at once, you can't focus on anything very well. 

Do you go to a farmers market in your town? If so, does it have more than produce?

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