Trader Joe's In Templeton is my Favorite Grocery Store

I Love Trader Joe's

I rejoiced on the day when Trader Joe's opened their Templeton store. It meant we no longer had to drive all the way to San Luis Obispo to get favorite products no other store has. Trader Joe's is my favorite grocery store. (And they aren't paying me anything to say that.)

What I Buy at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is the only handy place to buy goat's milk at a reasonable price, for example, and I love their white teas. I combine these teas for my every morning beverage of choice, and  I can't get them anywhere but Trader Joe's. It's also the best place in the area to buy Ezekiel bread, which we need for the diet plan we use.

Trader Joe's has many delicious treats that I no longer buy because they are not on my diet plan anymore, but instead I buy the many fruits and vegetables they offer. I also regularly buy their toasted slivered almonds to throw on my salads and into my stir fry dishes. We are addicted to their frozen sweet potato fries, but sometimes we also  buy their sweet potato chips. Those are really hard to find anywhere else.

I have started buying some products I had never tried because Trader Joe's is always providing samples of something when I go in. I almost always try it, and sometimes that makes me buy what I tried. I also appreciate the snack, because I often shop when I'm hungry and that snack gets me through the shopping trip.

Trader Joe's is Child-Friendly

Have you ever taken children into a store only to have the employees follow them around as though they were little criminals? These kinds of stores often have signs on their shelves like “You break it, you bought it.” Granted, there may be good reasons for this. As a store manager I was taught that women who came in with children who scattered throughout the store or hid in the clothes racks, or created havoc in other ways often brought them in to distract clerks from the mother's shoplifting . It's also true that children like to touch, and they sometimes break valuables. That's why many kinds of stores try to make shopping a very supervised experience for women who enter with children who seem unruly.

But there is one store I know that actually welcomes children. Look at the photo below. If you only saw the photo, where would you guess it was taken? A kindergarten? A preschool? It would be a typical scene in either place. 

But no. It's a corner near the front of the Trader Joe's store in Santa Maria, California, where we often stop on the way to destinations in Southern California. How many small children do you think would rather run around the store than play here? Or see their work on displayed in the window? (These activity centers may have changed since I took the photos, but they always have something for children.

Closer to home, at the Trader Joe's in Templeton, California, we see this area near the front of the store. It's another magnet for preschoolers. Again, the activities change from time to time.

I love what Trader Joe's provides for children – except for what you see below. I didn't see this in Santa Maria, but it's a shopping hazard at the Templeton store. Children do not have to pass a driving test to get one of these carts for “shoppers in training.” I have seen some frail senior citizens nearly run over, and I've also seen cart races between siblings. It's one thing to welcome children. It's another to give them weapons of destruction. Of course, alert and caring parents will teach their children to drive responsibly. I just wish clerks would act as traffic officers when parents don't supervise. 

Do You Shop at Trader Joe's? 

If you live in California, there is likely to be a Trader Joe's near you. Do you shop there? I guess it's obvious that I do. That's my cart not quite full yet on one of my shopping trips.

 

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. The top part of the collage is a photo taken in autumn of one of the Trader Joe's pumpkin displays.

This is my twentieth 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
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards
Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast
Paso Robles Police Vehicles
Quiet Places Near Paso Robles
Red Soles Winery at Dusk

Shale Oak Winery at Dusk

***

Shale Oak Winery at Dusk

Shale Oak Winery is right across the street from Red Soles Winery, and I explored both Red Soles and Shale Oak wineries at dusk. I enjoy the solitude and the view of the sunset I get when I make my vineyard visits as the sun is about to go  down. I usually don't stay as late as I did on this evening, January 14, 2014.  I was just in time to see the oak,  for which I assume the winery was named, reflected in the tasting room window. It made me wonder if the window was placed there just to catch that reflection.

Here is the oak that's doing the reflecting. If you look across the street, you will see Red Soles Winery and vineyard. You can also see my white Volvo wagon parked on the street. The parking lots were, of course, closed when I arrived.

Oak in front of Shale Oak Winery, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's another view of the tasting room. From this angle, the reflection is much different. It extends into the water below, which is part of the winery's advanced water circulation system. You can read more about Shale Oak's use of water on their website. 

Another Reflection in Shale Oak's Window, © B. Radisavljevic

If you walk all the way around the building, as I did, you will not only see most of the water system and the oaks on the hill behind the tasting room, but you will also pass a number of patios where customers can sit and enjoy their wine. One of them is pictured below.

 Patio outside Shale Oak Tasting Room, © B. Radisavljevic

Here is an entirely different view, taken from the back of the patio from the hill above. From this vantage point, you can look straight out at the oak in front.

 Patio at Shale Oak from behind Patio Wall, © B. Radisavljevic

All patios are not the same. Here's one that's a bit cozier.

A Cozy Patio Corner at Shale Oak, © B. Radisavljevic

All adventures and explorations must end sometime. I took the rising moon as my cue to leave and get a quick look at Red Soles Winery across the street before dark.

Rising Moon as Seen from Shale Oak Winery Grounds, © B. Radisavljevic

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.

This is my nineteenth 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
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards
Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast
Paso Robles Police Vehicles
Quiet Places Near Paso Robles

Red Soles Winery at Dusk

 ***

Red Soles Winery at Dusk

I like to walk in the late afternoon and early evening, just before it gets dark. On one such walk I decided to explore some new wineries I'd noticed on Oakdale Road off Highway 46 West. I discovered Red Soles Winery at dusk and decided to walk up from the road for a closer look. The tasting room had already closed.

Red Soles Tasting Room at Dusk, © B. Radisavljevic

I was actually greeted by a friendly dog, but I couldn't get it to stay still long enough for a good photo. I couldn't even get a good video because I couldn't   move the camera fast enough to keep up with the dog. Maybe next time I'll get a better photo. The only one that came out well was the one I took of the dog doing its business, and I didn't think it polite to publish it.

I wondered how Red Soles got its name, and found the answer on their web site, linked to above. Owners Randy and Cheryl made their first barrel of wine the old fashioned way -- by crushing it with their feet. Afterwards, they noticed they had red soles.

Since it was already late when I'd arrived, it started to get dark and I  thought I'd best go home. Before I left,  I got this shot of the moon over the vineyard.

Moon Over Red Soles Vineyard, © B. Radisavljevic

The photo below, especially designed for sharing on Pinterest, does show the dog. If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Sharing buttons are at the end of the post, just above the comment box. 

This is my eighteenth 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
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards
Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast
Paso Robles Police Vehicles

Quiet Places Near Paso Robles

Quiet Places Near Paso Robles

Quiet Places Help Me Stay Sane in the Midst of Stress

One thing I really appreciate about living in Paso Robles and Templeton is the number of quiet places one can find close to home when one needs a short retreat from stress or noise. If neighborhood power machinery gets to me, I can hop in the car and be somewhere quiet in five or ten minutes. That was not the case when I lived in southern California. Here are some of my quiet places to destress near my homes in Templeton and Paso Robles.

Quiet Meadow Across from Industrial Park on Linne Road in February before Rain, © B. Radisavljevic

Paso Robles Quiet Escapes

The River Walk

I have written extensively about the Salinas River Trail and Larry Moore Park elsewhere on this blog and on HubPages. Check out My Search for the River and How It Found Me and Short Walk to the River to get a feel for how secluded the park and riverbed can be on weekdays. The park is busier on weekends, and our peace may not last too much longer after the city builds new ballfields and parking lots there. For now, though, it's a short walk from home when the gardener comes with his power machinery.

Tree Hanging over bed of Salinas River, Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

Oak Lane

I can also take a ten-minute walk to Oak Lane, a road with small farms just outside the city limits. There I can see a variety of farm animals and huge oak trees on this quiet country back road that ends beside the river.

A Large Oak Tree on Oak Lane in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Vineyards

When I'm in Templeton, there are too many quiet country roads to even list here. My favorite quiet places when I walk in the late afternoon or early evening just at dusk are the vineyards. I prefer those that don't have gates to lock me out when the tasting rooms close.  One of my favorites is Peachy Canyon Tasting Room. The grounds are beautiful and also quiet after the tourist have left for the day.

This is one of my favorite spots there. I love the oaks, in which the squirrels often play.

Peachy Canyon Gazebo Behind Tasting Room,  © B. Radisavljevic

After finishing a visit to the grounds of Peachy Canyon's Tasting Room, it's often about time for the sun to set. If there are a lot of clouds to make that sunset interesting, I usually head a bit farther south on Bethel Road and park by the windmill at Castoro Cellars. The entrance gate is usually closed by then, but Bethel Road is peaceful and sunsets are beautiful there. Here is one of them.

Golden Sunset with Castoro Cellars Windmill, © B. Radisavljevic

Another peaceful place to walk is actually quite close to the 101 Freeway, just west of South Vine -- Twelve Oaks Drive. The first thing you see there is Doce Robles Winery. It has one of the best views of the sky from any direction. The vineyards are quiet and the views are scenic. Sometimes I get no farther than the vineyards, but sometimes I walk quite a way south on Twelve Oaks Drive, which is a dirt road that leads past other vineyards and small farms.

Oak Tree Beside Doce Robles Vineyard, © B. Radisavljevic

I put one of my favorite shots of the Castoro Cellars Windmill on these two Zazzle products.

 Windmill at Castoro Cellars Vineyard Wine Bag Windmill in Castoro Vineyard at Sunset Throw Pillow

& 

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.

This is my seventeenth 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
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards
Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast

Paso Robles Police Vehicles

Related articles

• The Paso Robles Area is Where I Belong
• What I'd Miss Most If I Ever Had to Leave Paso Robles Forever
• Spring Has Sprung in Wine Country
• A Windmill on My Mind

Paso Robles Police Vehicles

Most of us are familiar with police patrol cars -- the ones which stop to ticket us for traffic violations and the ones that whiz by us on the road as they rush to the scene of an accident or a crime. Most of us don't see the more specialized police vehicles unless we are at one of those scenes or see them on television. Last year I had the opportunity to see several of the Paso Robles Police vehicles during events the police department sponsored for the community. 

The Police Car You Don't Want to See Behind You With Flashing Lights On, © B. Radisavljevic

National Night Out

National Night Out is observed by communities all over the country as a way to promote understanding and cooperation between the police and the citizens in a community. The second one ever in which the Paso Robles Police Department participated was held on August 4, 2015. It is usually held on the second Tuesday of August. The department hosted a block party in front of the police department and had most of its police vehicle types on display, even some I did not get a chance to photograph. The public was allowed to inspect them, something the children enjoyed the opportunity to do. Here are some of them. 

Police K-9 Car and Swat/Rescue Vehicle, © B. Radisavljevic

A Closer Look at the Swat Rescue Vehicle,  © B. Radisavljevic

Paso Robles Police Vehicles on Display,  © B. Radisavljevic

Heroes on Display

I had another opportunity to see police vehicles up close at an event for children who had  been participating in the library's summer reading event. I had gone to the library and noticed all kinds of emergency vehicles parked along 11th Street, next to the library. Curious person that I am, I had to check it out. 

It seems that the children had been reading about firefighters, park rangers, police officers, and others who respond to people in emergency situations. The city wanted to give the children the opportunity to meet some of these heroes up close and ask them about their work. The vehicles got their attention. One of the most popular was the K-9 unit below. 

Paso Robles Police K-9 Unit on Display,  © B. Radisavljevic

Of course, no K-9 unit is complete without its canine officer. 

Paso Robles Police K-9 Police Dog on Display,  © B. Radisavljevic

Police Vehicles in Your Neighborhood

Most of us don't mind seeing police patrol cars cruising our neighborhoods, since we know they are keeping watch to protect us. What we don't want is to find them parking along the street, because then it is probably because a crime has been committed or someone is in trouble. No one really welcomes a visit from the coroner, for example, or wants to hear the police knocking on their door in the middle of the night when they know they have done nothing wrong. 

We see police cars most frequently in our neighborhood when there has been a robbery. They are there because we call them. I had to call them when my house was burglarized one day. Only a day or two later another house was burglarized and I saw this car in front of it. The supervisor comes out only if something needs his or her opinion when officers are already responding to a call. 

Paso Robles Police Supervisor's Vehicle,  © B. Radisavljevic

How many police vehicles have played a part in your life?

 Motorcycle Policeman on Duty, 1923. Vintage Photo Poster


Do you like vintage vehicles? I find it interesting to look back at older police vehicles and see how they have changed through the years. They are featured here on Zazzle posters and postcards. Just click on images for a closer view.

& 

 1954 Chevy D.A.R.E. Police Car Pine Hill NJ Poster Police car - old Iron IV Canvas Print Buick Le Sabre Poster Police Paddywagon, 1909. Vintage Photo Poster Classic_1947_Plymouth_Police_Car_Texturized Postcard Old Fifties Highway Patrol Police Car Postcard Classic_Old_Police_Car Postcard '51 Chevrolet Police Car Postcard Police Paddywagon, 1909. Vintage Photo Postcard

& 

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.

This is my sixteenth 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
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards

Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast

Related articles

• Akron police fill a cruiser for the Akron-Canton regional food bank
• Heroes on Display
• Paso Robles Police Vehicles on Display at National Night Out Event