Trees Blooming on 13th and Spring Street, March 10, 2012
Look anywhere in downtown Paso Robles this week and you will see a city in bloom. Did you notice? Walk around the downtown area and even on Oak and Vine. You will see pink or white blossoms everywhere, or new green leaves that have followed them. Some, like the ones below, are taller than the buildings they adorn.
Tall Blooming Trees on Spring Street, March 10, 2012, Paso Robles
Our trees in the North County are treasures we often take for granted. Maybe we notice them more when they are in bloom or when their leaves change color in autumn. I asked my husband today if he really pays much attention to them when he’s doing his errands, and he normally is so busy thinking about other things that he doesn’t. I do pay attention, but that’s because I grew up where we didn’t have such trees, and almost no oak trees.
Here we have gorgeous oaks everywhere of all shapes and sizes. Some lose their leaves in the winter and some don’t. Either way, they are majestic.
The ones below are easily visible from Spring Street. Their leaves will soon be appearing again, but sometimes I love them more when I see just their skeletons as they are below.
Oaks just off Spring Street in Paso Robles, March 10, 2012
The trees above, and many in City Park, are probably older than most of us. They are so tall you have to be pretty far from them to see all of them at once. Yet sometimes we overlook them because we simply don’t pay attention. We lead very busy lives, and our thoughts go in all directions when we drive downtown to do shopping and banking. How many times have you walked right under the oak by the library entrance and not really seen it? Have you noticed the blossoms in the library parking lot for the past two weeks?
Trees in City Park, Paso Robles, March 10, 2012
The trees in the North County are one feature that makes our county special. They are a gift someone gave us long ago, hoping they would add pleasure to our lives. So next time you go downtown for shopping and errands, take time to really observe them and take the pleasure you were meant to have from their presence. Add some beauty to your day just by seeing what’s right beside you and in front of you. You will be richer for it.
Trees Blooming in Library Parking Lot on March 10, 2012