One of the Most Painted Buildings in Paso Robles

I have seen a lot of businesses come and go in downtown Paso Robles, but Bistro Laurent has been here almost as long as I have. It is on the corner of 12th Street and Pine across from the park.

It is a great favorite of the Plein Air Quick Draw event artists in the morning in the park during the Paso ArtsFest. Each of them has a couple of hours to paint something they can see from the park or the streets bordering it. Someone paints Bistro Laurent almost every year. I imagine it is chosen because of its style and its contrasting colors, as well as its location.

At noon all the paintings in previous years have been are auctioned off to support the arts and other local causes. I think new events have been added this year and another auction may replace this. More information on the 2015 event is available on the Paso ArtsFest website. Take my visual tour of the 2012 Festival of the Arts to experience the scope and variety of this event.

Jack Creek Road in West Templeton

One of my favorite walking routes is along Jack Creek Road in West Templeton. It runs from Highway 46 West over Jack Creek, past Jack Creek Cellars, and around the bend until in places it parallels Highway 46 West until it ends at Vineyard Drive to the east. As you enter from 46 West you will pass a forested area. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you will actually see 46 west to the far right with trees on both sides.

I usually park near the entrance to the left along a frontage road. Then I walk across this bridge over Jack Creek. Sometimes it even has water in it.

You can already see that this walk will take you past some large oak trees. One of them is not too far along the road after you have crossed the bridge. It is draped with Spanish moss, as are many of our oak trees here

As you continue on your walk you will  soon pass Jack Creek Cellars and its vineyard and tasting room. Remember, you can click any photo to enlarge it.

Shortly after you pass the vineyards, the trees are farther apart and the road curves. You will then pass some fields and an occasional house. It is here you have the best view of the mountains on the other side of 46 West.


From here to Vineyard Drive there will not be much shade as the trees get more scarce by the road. The closer you get to Vineyard Drive, the more houses you will see. You know you will be getting into that section soon when you see these trees ahead. From a distance they look like one large tree, but this is what you see up close. We did this walk in late afternoon, so it appears my shadow left its mark.

Which part of the road do you like best?

Candlelight Vigil at Church in Preparation for Easter Sunday

Tonight our church had an GreatVigil of Easter service for Holy Saturday, the Saturday before prepare Resurrection Day. It was the first time I had ever attended such a service. This is the second year they've had it, but I was recovering from foot surgery last year and couldn't leave the house. Although  there is light in the photo, it was turned on after the service. We were in the dark except for candles people carried in before the service.

The church is almost set up for Easter Sunday. We aren't a fancy church. The table shows what was left after we finished the communion service. In case you are wondering, this is a small church in Paso Robles, Covenant  Presbyterian Church. We used to share this building with a preschool for many years and only recently are able to use the building all week.

Tomorrow the cross will look like this. The white cloth represents purity and the Resurrection of Christ. I took this photo after church two years ago Easter. Since it is already Easter Sunday by the time you see this, I wish you a wonderful celebration. This banner hanging in the church says it all.

The First Churches In Templeton

I'm writing this on Good Friday, so I did not get out for a walk today. I thought, instead, I would show you my photo of the oldest Lutheran church in California still worshiping in its original building,  Bethel Lutheran Church, here in Templeton. This building was completed in 1891. It was the second church in Templeton to be organized and was born on August 27, 1887.

The first church to be organized in Templeton was the First Presbyterian Church. An article on the website of the Templeton Historical Society has photos of the original buildings of both churches as they looked in their early days. Take a look at the difference in the trees around Bethel Lutheran.


What historic churches do you have in your town?

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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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I Saw My First Butterfly This Year Today

It's amazing how almost all my sages are blooming now, but the one that gets the most visits from the widest variety of insects seems to be this black sage plant. The bees always flock around it. At dusk swarms of moths have been flitting from blossom so fast I couldn't see more than the whir of their wings. Today, though, I saw my first butterfly. It was camera shy and fast, but I did catch it in a few poses. This first one is a side view with the wings slightly spread.

This view shows how skillfully the butterfly can camouflage itself in the blossoms of the black sage. Although it shows a completely different color when its wings are spread and you can see the upper side, it blends right in when it's wings are closed like this.










I finally was able to capture this butterfly with its wings spread, and that helped me identify it as a Painted Lady. It may be an American Painted Lady. But it's definitely not the Monarch I had thought it was before I looked it up.




What butterflies are you seeing this spring?

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My Camera-Shy Selfie

My Camera-Shy Selfie © B. Radisavljevic

On the first day of every month, the City Daily Photo Blog site has a theme day, and all associated  bloggers join in. The theme this month is to post a camera-shy selfie. This is the one I have chosen. I had many shadow photos I could have posted, but I believe hiding behind my camera is sufficient disguise. Besides, I've always liked this picture, even though it is the result of an accident.

This photo was taken long ago as I left a medical building. Another patient had left her dogs in the car, and I wanted a picture of that black lab you see in the window. As you can see, I got the picture. So intent was I on the dog, that I didn't see until I got home that I had also inadvertently gotten into the picture myself.

Have you ever taken an accidental selfie?