A Whimsical Sculpture in San Luis Obsipo

Every now and then I have appointments that take me down the grade to San Luis Obispo. That gives me some photo opportunities I don't have in the North County. Often when I have to wait for a car to be repaired, I just walk around town to see what I can see.

On one occasion, I was walking downtown past the the San Luis Obispo Little Theater and I saw this fanciful sculpture beside it. So this is what I will share with you today. You can click to enlarge this photo.

I'd also like to show you a close-up of the base, with the artist information and more detail. It's amazing how many times I had been in San Luis Obispo and never noticed this.  In case the photo doesn't expand enough when you click it, it was a tribute to Bill Beeson created by Carol Paulsen and Stephen Plowman.

Are there any sculptures in your area you especially like to see?

Related articles

• San Luis Obispo's Iconic Fremont Theater
• My Fine Art Photography Featured in Four Publications

Hometown Nursery Is Now Lonesome Town

It saddens me to walk downtown in Paso Robles and see how many businesses are no longer there that use to thrive. It's especially sad when a business used to be one of my favorites has disappeared. Such is the case with Hometown Nursery. 

Of all the general nurseries in the Paso Robles area, Hometown was my go-to place for gardening inspiration. It was a place of beauty, with bright flowers everywhere, a whole section of shade-loving plants, and perky herbs and vegetables in season. They also had a good selection of organic seeds.

One day, they moved to the other end of town and although they probably thought it would be a better location, it was harder to get to them and harder to find a place to park. It seemed not too long before they were gone from that location never to reopen in Paso Robles. Now they are just gone. And this empty house and its grounds remind us that Hometown Nursery is no more. Click to enlarge the photo and see the poppies. 

                                                                                                                                   

The plants that loved the shade used to live here.

The grassy areas between the paths used to hold tables loaded with colorful flowers and seasonal vegetables and herbs ready to move to your garden. Now only  the trees, that have seen even the town itself begin, mark the place. 

As for the bright flowers, only two remain. The poppies in the second photo from the top above, and the bushes loaded with these pink flowers you see below. The only ones still working here are the insects who take what they need from the flowers and the birds and animals who harvest the acorns from the oaks. 

Has your town lost any businesses you used to patronize? 

Related articles

• The New Clock Tower: A Paso Robles Landmark.

Surprised by a Hidden Trail

I had been very busy inside today and by 5:30 I still hadn't decided where to take my photo walk -- especially since I had a meeting at 7. I finally had no choice but to go to the meeting area a few minutes early, drop my husband at the meeting place, and take a walk, knowing the meeting would probably start late, as usual. So that's what I did.

The meeting was in a home on Oxen Street in Paso Robles. As I was coming down the hill to the home, this was the view at the top of the hill before I went down. (Above)

I had walked in this residential neighborhood before, but not very far. I parked down the road past the house where the meeting way and then started to walk up. I saw some children coming toward the sidewalk from what appeared to be a path to the right. When I asked, they said it was indeed a walking trail. So, of course, I decided to explore it for a few minutes.

As I started down the trail, the first thing I noticed were the wild flowers in bloom. There was clover, and a lot of yellow flowers I can't name. But the most beautiful flowers were the lupine. I look forward to having them bloom every year.

As I continued down the path I saw a bridge ahead, so I continued on. It turned out that it was over a creek that actually had water in it. That's a rare site during this drought.

Naturally, I crossed the bridge to see the creek. There was a tall oak on the other side of it that reflected into the water. I was torn as to whether to get the reflection or the height of the tree. I chose the reflection.

Because I was trying to capture the reflection of the tree in the creek, the camera was too low to capture the sky, which was beginning to display the setting sun. The path back to the car led me through the wild flowers again and I kept pausing to take pictures of the sky.

I shot it through the trees, with the tops of the trees, and with buildings in the background -- however I could only capture the pastel colors, since the sun itself was already down. I will leave you with this final photo of the sunset as I climbed back up the hill toward my car and the meeting.

To me, a sunset is God's final blessing to mark the end of day. Have you had any surprises or special blessings today?

Related articles

• Exploring a Small County Road
• 3 Tips for Enjoying a Picnic in Paso Robles Wine Country
• Spring in the Vineyard
• Walking to Birdsong
• Back to Exploring "My Territory" on Foot

Happy Bees Enjoying March Flowers

I'm always happy when I see bees digging into my plants. I expect to see them on the rosemary, since it blooms sometimes when nothing else will. The problem with taking their pictures is that as soon as you aim your camera at them, they move to the next flower. They seem to be in perpetual motion.

The second plant in my garden that is covered with bees is the holly. This is an interesting season for holly. As you can see, some of last year's red berries are still there, even as the flowers that will produce the next batch of berries are in full bloom.

What are the bees enjoying in your garden this month?

Related articles

• New research finds queen bee microbiomes are starkly distinct from worker bees
• How Much Would You Pay a Honey Bee? - Food News
• Feed a Bee Commits to Grow 50 Million Flowers and Acreage for Bee Forage in 2015

Apricot Blossoms Make My Heart Happy

One of the first things we did when we moved into our Templeton house was to plant fruit trees. Few of them we planted were successful because we had never before shared our orchard with gophers, deer, squirrels, and other critters that not only want to share the crop, but also can damage the trees.



One of the trees we planted was an apricot tree. It has not produced a good crop since 2010, though occasionally we get a few pieces of fruit if the critters don't get it all first. I was delighted to see blossoms last time I went home. That means we just may get a crop in July. If this photo is too small, you can click it to enlarge it. I'm surprised some of the blossoms are a deep pink this year.

This is our apricot tree on July 19, 2010, the year it was really loaded. I'm hoping we will have such a crop this year, since we love apricots, and they are never as good as they are just off the tree at the peak of ripeness. I was spoiled as a child because my dad grew all our peaches, plums, berries, and apricots, and I learned what fresh fruit was supposed to taste like.

Have you ever grown your own fruit or had parents who did?

Related articles

• Welcome March Blossoms
• Do Warmer Winters Mean Less Fruit?
• Exposed bloomers > Is a fruitless spring around the corner?
• Surprised by the Fragrance
• Almond Trees are in Bloom Everywhere

Exploring a Small County Road

Miner's Lettuce Growing in Tree Crevice

Today I stopped to explore a place I've always wanted to photograph. I just never knew where to park that was not on private property. On the way from Paso Robles to Templeton today I discovered there was a public road where I could park and walk in. Time was limited, but I still got some photos. What I was delighted to see was an abundance of Miner's Lettuce. It was even more fun seeing it grow in the tree.

In fact, there was Miner's Lettuce everywhere along the road. I took the liberty of picking some of it and taking it home for salad tomorrow, since it didn't look as though anyone would care. I've never tried eating it yet because I've never been able to find it where it was not growing next to poison oak.  As you can see, there is plenty of it here. It is supposed to be very tasty.

As I continued down the road, I found myself with forest on both sides. The road is called Ambush Trail, which I thought was interesting. It's supposed to lead up to a vineyard. I wanted to explore more, but I was pressed for time. I will go back the first chance I get. I want to find out if it connects with Twelve Oaks Drive at some point. I love exploring the roads less traveled.

For more information about Miner's Lettuce and other edible weeds, see

Foraging California: Finding, Identifying, And Preparing Edible Wild Foods In California (Foraging Series) by Christopher Nyerges. It's the best book I've seen on recognizing and preparing California wild foods. It has all my favorites. 

The Lake at Barney Schwartz Park in Paso Robles

Yesterday I pictured some children enjoying the  various levels of Barney Schwartz Park they could use for riding their scooters. I also discovered there is a small lake (one million gallons) where children can fish without a license. (Adults do have to get licenses.) I was surprised to see a lake here considering how short Paso Robles is of water. (They are rationing when and for how long we can water our landscaping, and the Board of Supervisors is imposing new ordinances that prevent some farmers and vineyards from planting new crops.)

The lake is attractive, and the many turtles make it even more so. Most of the rock tops are occupied by the turtles.  I'm guessing that they help keep the mosquito population down by eating the larvae in the lake before they hatch into adult mosquitoes. Here is a closer look at the turtles on a rock.



One of the most attractive features of the lake is the small waterfall that seems to fill it or recirculate the water from the other side of the bridge.

Do you have lakes, creeks, rivers, or oceans near you?

Related articles

• Barney Schwartz Park is Paradise for Kids