north county life - march 2012

FFEEAATTUURREE

SSPPOORRTTSS

WHAT LUCK!Community events

for the family(pg. 10)

SHAWN VARNERRoad-ruling pastor

(pg. 15)

HEARTHSTONESpring pairing

(pg. 12)

WWIINNEE

Presorted StandardUS PostagePAID

Permit 163 AMSPaso Robles, CA

Paso Robles Press

P.O. Box 427

Paso Robles, CA 93447

Dance!Main Street Dance

expands to Atascadero(pg. 6 )

MARCH 2012

Happy lambsCome from Paso Robles

(pg.13)

TALKING A LITTLE ‘BULL’The rough art of raising bucking bulls

Jandy Jones

Clint Hayes, Scott Silveira andSteve Neitzke look like an un-likely group to be business part-

ners, but when the subject ofbucking bulls is brought up, onecan see exactly how the triomeshes. While each has his niche inthe business that they “oversee,” allagree that the objective is bulls thatbuck.

“Our goal is to have some of thebest bulls on the West Coast or atleast the Central Coast,” Silveirasaid. “Hopefully, we can get theminto Professional Bull Riding(PBR) and the touring profession-als.”

Between the jesting and thejokes, the three are able to still getbusiness done. Raising buckingbulls is considered more of an “ex-pensive hobby” than a profitablebusiness in the beginning, but thetrio is willing to wait it out. Their

Photo by Jandy Jones

UNLEASH THE FURY – Raising bucking bulls is a long process that includes loading the bulls into chutesand letting them simmer for some time. Raising the animals right is “like catching lightning in a bottle,”according to those who know best.

By Josh Petray

If you're thinkingabout relocating tothe Paso Robles

area and need a chic,suave and aggressiverealtor to representyour interests, per-haps Sylvie Beaure-gard is the person toseek out.With so many realtors to choose from –

many of which will aggressively seek yourbusiness with the current state of the real estatemarket – one may wonder, “Where to begin?”Beauregard perhaps makes the decision an

easy one.If you're looking for energy and efficiency,

Beauregard of Keller Williams Realty NorthCounty is your friend in Paso Robles, as hermarketing collateral can attest.The former computer analyst entered the

real estate market after moving to the UnitedStates in 1992 and later becoming an Ameri-can citizen in 2007. Roughly 20 years ago,Beauregard left her native country of Canada

Lay down roots with Sylvie B.

BULLS pg. 5

SYLVIE pg. 7

Photo by Josh Petray

SYLVIE B. – computeranalyst-turned-realtorSylvie Beauregard,

pictured.

LifeNORTH COUNTY

LifeNORTH COUNTY

NEWSCOMMUNITYSPORTS

PUBLISHERJason [email protected]

EDITOR IN CHIEFHayley [email protected]

STAFF WRITERSJandy JonesCreig P. SherburneNena BensonHeather YoungLisa PrettyJosh PetrayJudy Bedell

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NORTH COUNTY LLiiffeePublished monthly by Paso Robles Press & Atascadero News

www.YourNCL.com

Paso Robles PressP.O. Box 427Paso Robles, CA 93447Ph: (805) 237-6060Fx: (805) 237-6066www.PasoRoblesPress.com

Atascadero News5660 El Camino RealAtascadero, CA 93447Ph: (805) 466-2585Fx: (805) 466-2714www.AtascaderoNews.com

LifeNORTH COUNTY

NEWS: 3

LOCAL BUZZ: 8

CALENDAR: 10

GOOD EATS: 12

COMMUNITY: 4

SPORTS: 15

PUZZLE: 11

March couldn’t have come quickly

enough! It’s time to get outside, smell the rosesand check out the newborn animals roaming thesefragrant hills. If that sounds too syrupy-sweet foryour buds, you just haven’t spent enough time out-doors lately. If you’re looking for a fresh start,check out our calendar and get involved. There’s always something new to taste and try!

Hayley Thomas, Editor

March 2012 North County Life

North County Life March 2012 page 3

Hayley Thomas

“Ohana” is the Hawaiianword for “extended fam-ily,” and when you step

through the door at Ohana Bodywork &Massage Therapies you’re part of thattradition – whether you’re two or four-legged.

Ohana Bodywork & Massage Thera-pies, located at 212 Main St. in down-town Templeton, is clean, bright andtranquil with a large open space forworkshops, two rooms for human mas-sage and one very special room for ani-mals in need of a little TLC.

After eight years in Atascadero, Eliseand Thomas McMasters recently relo-cated their business to Templeton.They’re longtime locals who love thesmall-town feel and friendly atmos-phere.

Both are accomplished massage ther-apists and the couple and business part-ners also work together on a competitiverowing team.

“We’re both athletes, and we’re bothgood at studying body movement, whichis key to therapeutic massage,” Thomassaid. “The type of work I love is unrav-eling the puzzle of the body.”

That investigation begins with so-matic massage, what the McMasters be-lieve leads to a more self-aware andencompassing road to health. The cou-ple praise the work of Thomas Hanna, apioneer in the field.

According to Hanna, somatic therapyis a holistic experience that combines themental, spiritual and physical aspects ofbeing. The therapy teaches participantsto become aware of their bodies and howthey experience sensations. Soma hasbeen defined as “the body experiencedfrom within.”

As we all know, when people bottleup stress inside or are injured, there arephysical manifestations in the body. Thecouple said many times the issue is acontracted muscle or group of musclesthat have been tensed so long that theycan no longer release. At this point, thesufferer generally learns to move his orher body in a different way, avoiding theproblem.

That’s where Ohana comes in.Instead of simply physically working

the muscle until it releases, the professi-

nals aim to also give their patients men-tal tools that will help them understandand change the way they move. This canunlock what Thomas calls “the myth ifaging.”

“Whether you’re 17 or 80 on thetable, the only difference is that the 80-year-old has been contracting [the prob-lem muscles] longer,” said Elise. “Theydon’t realize they can take control.”

Thomas echoed that idea.“Your muscles are involuntarily con-

tracting, and [through somatic therapy]you’re voluntarily elongating them,” hesaid. “It’s brain work – not just musclework. For about the last 15 years, wehave worked on muscle to brain. Thiswork is from brain to muscle. It opensyour world.”

Thomas said this work can also beperformed on animals, whether they bedogs used for agility, horses used forpleasure riding or competition and be-yond. Elise takes the helm in this de-partment with 13 years of animalmassage training under her belt and areal rapport with animals.

Noted Thomas, “Animals are in-stantly honest and communicative.”

Elise said that before doing surgeryon an animal, one may want to figure outwhat’s really going on. A whopping 60percent of in-office visits are from dogs(and the occasional feline).

“It’s a continuum. The anatomy isdifferent, but over years, I’ve adapted allmoves for humans to work on dogs andthat translates to horses,” said Elise. “Tome, equine somatics and human somat-ics became a missing link, taking peopleand animals further and helping them gofrom a place of restriction and pain to aplace where that doesn’t exist for themanymore.”

Whether you’re a person or a pooch,the couple said you’ll notice results inthe first session. However, it takeswork. The couple aims at guid-ing patients back to the road ofhealth by working with theirhands and communicatingdifferent ways of movementand awareness with theirminds.

Elise quoted Hanna eloquently:“When there’s nothing wrong with thestructure – a bone isn’t broken – thenthere’s something wrong with the func-tion.”

Better health, better balance through somatic massage therapy

Ohana Bodywork & Massagewelcomes all creatures into extended family

Your muscles are involuntarily contracting, and [throughsomatic therapy] you’re voluntarily elongating them.

It’s brain work – not just muscle work.Thomas McMasters

Ohana Bodywork & Massage

““””

MORE INFO

Ohana Bodywork & Massage Therapies is located at212 Main St. in Templeton. Call 674-2202 for more

information.

March 2012 North County Lifepage 4

Creig P. Sherburne

George Westlund is one of thoseAtascadero ancients: His fam-ily moved to the city on April

1, 1956, when he was 4 years old. Hegraduated from Atascadero HighSchool in 1971 and then from Cal Polywith degrees in architecture and com-puter science. And with the exceptionof a brief stint in Los Angeles, he’slived his whole life here.“Just one summer,” Westlund said.

“That was it.”He’s now a systems analyst at Cal

Poly and has been for the past 34 years.He said his job is to plan softwarepatches and upgrades, working with theschool’s many computer users and itsuits him just fine.“I’m more of a people-person than

some of the others [in my department],”he said.

What Westlund has done for most ofhis life is blend people with technology.In his youth, he was part of a band —Blackberry Ridge — as the sound andlight guy and photographer. The grouphad some success playing on the Fron-tier Stage at the California Mid-StateFair once or twice.“You know how if a band has a fight,

someone leaves?” Westlund asked.“Well, we could have knock-down,drag-out fights and be practicing nextweek. It was a family.”Westlund is still very close friends

with Rick Evans, the band’s guitarplayer. They play Jeep Jamboree to-gether. (More on that later.)Westlund bought his first camera, a

35mm, from Lon Allan, who wouldlater be the editor of the AtascaderoNews. He spent the next two yearsheavily involved in the yearbook andended his high school career as theyearbook’s editor. And his first job outof high school was working for KSBYas a gopher, but he quickly learned howto develop cytochrome plates andslides. “That second summer, they sent me

out to shoot government buildings andmayors … I got to drive old beat-up ve-hicles,” Westlund said. “It was a funjob.”He never stopped taking pictures.

Photography has taken him as far as thePhilippines, where he shot for Philip-pine Medical Society of Northern Cal-ifornia at the invitation of a few doctorsat St. William’s Catholic Church, whichhe’s attended since his family firstmoved to Atascadero.The first time he went to the Philip-

pines it was just after the big typhoonsin 2006. He said that 300 medical pro-

fessionals treated 9,700 patients in 41/2 days. Many cleft palates were fixedalongside hundreds of other ailmentsboth large and small and of every type.Full-blown surgeries were performedand Westlund has the photos to proveit.What he said might have been the

most surprising part of the trip was theattitude of the people.“People were still cleaning up [from

the typhoon],” Westlund said. “Build-ings were buried in mud, but the peo-ple would see the tourists and smile. …It made me appreciate how much wewaste here [in the U.S.]”Another place he now shoots profes-

sionally is at the Los Angeles ReligiousEducation Congress, an enormous reli-gious event held annually in Anaheim.Westlund’s first time there, he tookphotos because, well, he takes photos.“I wanted to make a slideshow and

thought I should get rights to themusic,” he said.So he called up one of the event’s or-

ganizers with the hope of barteringphotos for music. “I got an email back asking if I would

be the official photographer,” Westlundsaid.He’s been shooting the show ever

since. That was five years ago.Westlund told a story wherein a

friend asked what his secret to goodphotography was. His answer: “I guessI have a very good muse.”His friend’s daughter, a high-school

student, piped up with “your muse wasthe Holy Spirit,” a statement that West-lund said has stayed with him eversince.Westlund bought his first digital cam-era in 2000, and his first DSLR in 2004.He now uses two camera bodies: a2004 Canon 20D and a 2009 Canon50D. The 20D’s shutter is rated for40,000 releases and he’s over that byabout 10,000.And he recently bought two L-series

lenses with f2.8 through their entirezoom range. He also has three flashes,but prefers to shoot with available light.It’s why he got the f2.8 aperture lenses:they let more light in in a dark situation. And he’s justifiably protective of it.

A new L-series lens will put a buyerback between $1,000 and as much asthe buyer wants to spend. Yet he bringsit all with him on his off-road expedi-tions. In fact, about the only thing hereally doesn’t like to photograph isweddings.“It’s a one-shot deal,” he said. “You

can’t fix it. I haven’t blown it yet, butI’m afraid I could.”So Westlund focuses his attention on

events, landscapes and loves shootinglittle kids who simply don’t care thatthere’s a camera around.

Putting it all together is the JeepJamboree, a nationwide organizationfor all-wheel-drivers that puts togethergatherings wherein groups of off-road-ers drive difficult roads from Point A toPoint B. Westlund said he generallytakes the trip from Luna Lake to LakeTahoe over the Sierra Nevada Moun-tains.

Looking West:Looking West: George Westlund’s view

Photo by George Westlund

A BEAUTIFUL WORLD – Westlund captures the natural beauty of San Luis ObispoCounty. The Atascadero resident can be found snapping photos of just about anythingwith his trusty Canon EOS 50D, pictured at left.

PHOTO pg. 8


long-term goal is to have aherd that not only bucks, buthas a unique genetic line aswell.

“We are not trying toreplicate someone else’s pro-gram,” Neitzke said. “We aretrying to create our own for-mula.”

It isn’t just about breed-ing an animal that bucks; thetrio is also looking for crittersthat are big and athletic. Theyrecently introduced heifersfrom Hawaii to help expandthe genetic lines.

“We want to have some-thing that nobody else has,”Hayes said in reference to thegenetic lines.

The Hawaiian heifershave bloodlines that go backto some great bulls, such asHawaiian Ivory and BlackIvory and much more, Sil-veira said. The group is hop-ing to build size and agilityby integrating the Hawaiiangenetics with bulls fromTexas, Hayes added. Largerbulls allow the competition tobe evenly spread between thebull and the cowboy. Somebreeders have bred the sizeout of the bulls.

The trio relies on naturalbreeding as well as artificialinsemination. Hayes is a cer-tified artificial insemination

technician. “People don’t realize that

one doesn’t just raise a bull,haul them to a rodeo or PBRand expect them to perform,”Silveira said. There is intensetraining involved. The bullshave to be able to live to-gether and be sorted andloaded in a trailer. Bulls needto be trained to look for gatesand stay calm in most situa-tions.

Training starts whenthey’re calves. The youngbulls are acclimated tohorses, chutes and manyother elements. The triowants to be known for theirbulls’ bucking abilities asmuch as for good tempera-ment.

“We would like to have(bulls) that know their joband do it well,” Neitzke said.

It is a common miscon-ception that bulls are antago-nized or forced to buck, butin reality, some of the ani-mals just want to. The triohas come across some bullsthat just don’t want to, evenif their bloodlines boaststrong buckers.

“We can help enhancetheir athletic abilities as ba-bies, but you are not goingto teach a bull to buck,” Sil-veira said. “They’ve got towant to do it.”

Not all bulls are mean,either. The group has onenamed “Desperado” that canbe approached in the pasture

and scratched on the head. It all changes when it

comes time to perform. It isthe heifers and cows youhave to watch out for, Sil-veira said. That point wasproven when the trio loadedseveral into the trailer andone took a shot at Silveira.

The trio has a long butfun road ahead of them. Try-ing to find the right geneticcombination for good buck-ing bulls and then waitingfor the bulls to prove them-selves is just part of thegame.

“It is like catching light-ing in a bottle,” Silveirasaid. “You have got to gothrough so many to find thatgood one.”

Jandy Jones

A DAY’S WORK – Bulls are let into the arena to move around and get a little exercise. Like all athletes, the bulls need to stay in good shape. Warm sunshine andan almost-full belly make a perfect combination for this cow, pictured bottom right.

ROUGH RIDE – Top: Scott Silveira loadscows into a trailer so that they can be relo-cated to another pasture. Sometimes thecows have more attitude than the bulls.

BULLSContinued from pg. 1

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Heather Young

Six months afteropening a dancestudio in down-

town Templeton, YvetteDel Monte-Madrigal andJoe Madrigal expandedtheir business to Atas-cadero.

“She’s the operator, I’mthe janitor,” Madrigal said.“I’m her backup, unnder-study.”

Del Monte-Madrigalowned Academy of Artsand Ballet in the Bay Areabefore moving to Temple-ton five years ago. Aftermoving here she workedfor the Paso Robles JointUnified School District asthe district dance teacherfor sixth-, seventh- andeighth-graders. Due tobudget cuts, her positionwas cut.

Without a job, shelooked at providing danceclasses for area childrenand adults, but at a more af-fordable price.

“We know what we areworth, but we want to makeit where everyone candance,” Del Monte-Madri-gal said. “We’re striving to

be very family friendly. Irealize a small percentageof them want to dance pro-fessionally.”

Currently, Del Monte-Madrigal has 100 studentsat her Templeton locationat 105 South Main St. andhas added more than 20classes at her Atascaderolocation at 5930 El CaminoReal.

Del Monte-Madrigalsaid she and her husbanddecided to open the dancestudio because they arepassionate about workingwith youth. With the stu-dio, she said they offer re-hearsal space for free tothe God Squad, a mis-sionary team dedicated toreaching youth in thecommunity by sharingthe gospel through dance,music and testimoniesthat was founded byMatthew and JocelynWillis.

Del Monte-Madrigalsaid she works with agesstarting at age 3 throughadults, as well as specialneeds children.

She said that afterteaching the general pop-ulation of children dance,

she realized that shewants to reach all chil-dren because it teachesthem self-esteem, confi-dence and poise.

She said that for somechildren, if they weren’tdancing, they’d be infront of the computer orTV.

“They need healthythings with their bodiesand minds,” Del Monte-Madrigal said and addedthat care is taken tochoose age-appropriatemusic. “We’re really con-scious about the costum-ing too.”

The new location forDel Monte-Madrigal’sbusiness is in the Old PatJackson Studio.

“The studio in Atas-cadero feels like the stu-dio I trained in in SanFrancisco,” Del Monte-Madrigal said. “It’s to-tally old-school.”

The studio was mostrecently used for a karateschool, which closed dur-ing the summer of 2011.

Del Monte-Madrigalsaid the studio was move-in ready and so far the en-trance is the only part toget a fresh paint job.

“Little by little we’llfix it up,” Del Monte-Madrigal said.

The studio opened

Feb. 1 and offers a varietyof classes for all ages.

“I like it a lot becauseit’s very close to where Ilive,” Atascadero JuniorHigh School eighthgrader Madison Nix said.“It’s very convenient.”


Templeton dance studio twirls into AtascaderoTempleton dance studio twirls into AtascaderoMain Street Dance expands to historic building

Photos by Heather YoungTOP: Atascadero JuniorHigh School eighth-grader Madison Nixpractices a leap.

Templeton High School ninth-grader Courtney Truhitte practices on pointe inMain Street Dance’s new location in Atascadero.

Above: Teen ballet studentspose in Main StreetDance’s new studio indowntown Atascadero.From left are TempletonHigh School ninth-graderCourtney Truhitte, Temple-ton Middle School eighth-grader Reilly Blair,

Atascadero Junior HighSchool eighth-grader Madi-son Nix, THS 10th-graderRebecca Sligh and THSninth-grader Anna Weinberg.

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and traveled to Bop-uthaswana, South Africa,living there until 1992.International travel hasgiven her a unique per-spective and appreciationfor the world's culturaldiversity.Now an American

citizen, the real estateaficionado truly valuesher freedom. But morepotently, she values thecommunity of Paso Rob-les and the wonderfulpeople who make it herhome.Since relocating to the

United States, Beaure-gard has taken her citi-zenship and stewardshipseriously, joining thePaso Robles Chamber ofCommerce, Paso RoblesMain Street Associationand North County New-comers Club, amongother professional groupsand affiliations. Born in Quebec,

Canada, Beauregard dis-covered Paso Robles forthe first time in 2005while attending the PasoRobles Wine Festival,moving permanently in2009. With her cameroughly 10 years of realestate experience in the

Los Angeles area, repre-senting buyers and sellersalike."I immediately caught

the magic," Beauregardsaid of her first experi-ence at the festival."Since then, Paso Roblesand the Central Coastcontinue to impress mewith their strong sense ofcommunity and constantstream of activities."I fell in love with the

wine country, the rollinghills, native oak trees and

its European flair; so I de-cided to 'put down myroots' here in this beauti-ful place.”In retrospect, Beaure-

gard said that at one timeit was a strangely foreigndream that's blossomedinto reality – the thoughtthat she, once living inSouth Africa, would relo-cate to California's bu-colic Central Coast.The dream is now re-

ality. American citizen-ship is a proud

accomplishment for Bu-reaugard, and she takesnothing for granted."I take it very seri-

ously," she said. "I'm re-ally proud of it."Being a relative new-

comer to the area, it's nowonder that Beauregardfinds herself catering toprospective homebuyersfrom big cities like LosAngeles and San Fran-cisco.

She can relate."I try to focus my busi-

ness on people like mewho are newcomers, peo-ple who are coming toPaso to fall in love withPaso," Beauregard said. "Iknow it happened to me,and I know that the popu-lation is growing. It'sgrowing from the outside-in, not the inside-out."

Her expertise in thelocal real estate marketlends credibility forprospects looking to takethe big leap from metro-politan life to the oak-stud-ded wine country lifestyleof Paso Robles.

The magic that en-chanted her upon visitingPaso Robles was enoughto spark her permanentresidency here. Her back-ground in the computersciences, meanwhile, hasenabled her to take the lat-est tools of the trade andput them into practice.

She's no newcomer tothe ins-and-outs of the realestate market.

She's witnessed thefrenzy of the real estateboom where paperworkwas signed on the hood ofthe car. She's also nostranger to the labors ofmarketing homes andproperties in a distressed

real estate market.Outside of real estate,

one can find Beauregardvolunteering at the PasoRobles Festival of the Arts,Olive Festival and other

local events includingthose of the AmericanHeart Association andAmerican Cancer Societysuch as Relay for Life. Theexperience has proven notonly beneficial to her im-mersion into Paso Roblessociety, but an integral toolin the networking involvedin client-building.

"I love to volunteer,"Beauregard said. "What-ever is happening, I wantto be there – it's so fun. Ijust love that about Paso,’ithas a strong sense of com-munity. People come hereand they love it here, and Iwant more people to comehere because they love it."

A cameo experience ina video produced by JuiceMarketing, entitled "ComeDiscover Paso Robles,"lends credence to heraffinity for the area, whereone can see her amongstthe healthy vines, pickinggrapes.

Combine that dedica-

tion with her vivaciouspersonality and genuinelove for meeting new peo-ple and one gets a blend ofoutside experience withthe integrity woven intolocal community.

Beauregard, a residen-tial real estate specialist,utilizes the latest socialmedia and tools of thetrade to communicate withher clients, lending a mod-ern flair to her marketingapproach.

"I embrace technologyas it comes along," Beau-regard said. "Keeping in-formation fresh, relevantand current with a consis-tent presence on Face-book, Twitter, LinkedIn,StumbleUpon, Yelp andYouTube."

She also subscribes toDocuSign, an electronicsignature service designedto facilitate long- distancetransfers.

According to her mar-keting collateral, when itcomes to your real estatetransaction, you can counton her personal integrity,dependability, responsive-ness and exceptional serv-ice you can trust.

"They can certainlycome to me because I canput them in touch with theright product, and I havethe energy and the ability,"Beauregard said. "I have alot of time and energy todevote to my clients."

There's no reason tosugar-coat it – Paso Roblesis fantastic, according toBeauregard."This area sells itself

in a way," Beauregard,"It's a matter of findingthe right product forthem."

"I fell in love withthe wine country,the rolling hills, native oak treesand its Europeanflair; so I decidedto 'put down myroots' here in thisbeautiful place."

-Slyvie B., Realtor

DROP A LINE – Visit www.SylvieB.com for unlimited access to propertysearch and more valuable information or call her at 369-7777 or 712-4278. You can also e-mail [email protected] or visit her office at 1314

Spring St. in downtown Paso Robles.

Courtesy photos

VINE TIME – Sylvie Beauregard works the vines during a recent video shoot for Juice Marketing's promotional video for Paso Robles, "Come Discover Paso Robles." Inset, the hard-working local cleans up nicely.

SYLVIEContinued from pg. 1

Creston sawmill is a‘One man, one forklift, one dog’ operationCam Berlogar offers both logging and milling services, as well as providing a variety of custom sawmill

products such as fireplace mantels, siding, interior paneling, furniture and more

Judy Bedell

On a crisp day lastmonth, members of theCentral Coast Wood-

workers’ Association andthe Central Coast Wood-turners’ Association metwith Cam Berlogar, ownerof the Creston Sawmill.

The group was given aunique behind the scenestour of his one-of-a-kindoperation.

The Creston Sawmill isa one-man, one-forklift andone-dog business.

Berlogar takes pride inhis work, and whether he islogging local timber,milling lumber for a high-end Hollywood shoe storeor carefully selecting andmilling Old Growth Red-wood for interior siding,customer service and satis-faction is of prime impor-tance.

“I get a lot of callswhere someone has someproperty and have a treethat they want to fell andmill to use to build an out-building or for a project,”said Berlogar. “I offer log-ging with minimal impactto your land, not an oldfashioned ‘hack andslash”‘operation. Using abulldozer with a winch andlogging arch I can mini-

mize the ‘equipment foot-print’ on your property.”

He has all the heavyequipment to do the jobfrom start to finished lum-ber. And, being a well-known collector of antiqueKenworth trucks and parts,you will get to see a bit ofhistory when he drives upin one of his many refur-bished Kenworth bigtrucks.

So how did Berlogarget into this unique busi-ness venture?

"When I bought thispiece of land, there werethree giant Digger Pinesdead standing where all thetrucks are parked now. Icouldn't see just pushingthem into a pile with theCat D6 and burning all thatwood. I had chainsawmilled with my bestfriend’s brother up northnear Covelo a few yearsprior. I figured I could turnthose trees into benchesand picnic tables. I boughtmy first chainsaw mill andthat's just what I did. Therest is history," saidBerlogar.

Berlogar offers bothlogging and milling serv-ices as well as providing avariety of custom sawmillproducts such as fireplace

mantels, siding, interiorpaneling, furniture and cab-inet lumber, picnic benchesand tabletops and closetcedar. If you need customlumber for a gun stock,cabinet, table, or otherneed, he probably has it.

“The other day I wasmilling some incense cedarfor a customer and thiswhole ranch smelled likecedar,” said Berlogar.

Berlogar keeps a goodselection of logs and lum-ber on site including red-wood, black walnut,cypress, red oak and whiteoak. Meticulously driedout of the direct sun andrain, the lumber is top qual-ity.

“Customers can comeout and either choose fromrough cut planks or startwith a log and go fromthere,” said Berlogar.

In addition to offeringOld Growth Redwood lum-ber, Creston Sawmill alsooffers old-fashioned handsplit Old Growth Redwoodin four inch by five-inchposts and two-inch by two-inch pickets.

The posts have beenused by high-end wineriesas end posts in order to en-hance the entrance road tothe facility.

Berlogar loves what hedoes and enjoys workingwith customers to maketheir plans and dreams real-ity.

“The way I look at it,once you really get intosomething you enjoy

doing, work isn’t work, it’syour life,” Berlogar said.

To learn more, call Cam Berlogar at

438-5005 or e-mail [email protected]. - Crestonsawmill.com -

Photo by Judy Bedell

Cam Berlogar and hispartner, the forklift,work to position a logon the mill. It’s a

small-time, Crestonoperation that’s big on

hard work.

“You bring everythingbut food,” he said. “Youhave to bring all yourwater, camping stuff,fuel, everything.”Westlund’s vehicle is a

2004 Wrangler TJ Rubi-con with quite a bit ofcustom work. In additionto being significantlylifted, Westlund said thaton each Jeep Jamboree,something breaks andhe replaces it with“something bigger.”He also drives the Jeep

to church every weekand spent one weekendday with his fiancee,Theresa Robertson, driv-ing back roads and tak-ing pictures all aroundSan Luis Obispo County. The pair met more than

30 years ago at Robert-son’s 21st birthday. But

time and distance camebetween them, and itwasn’t until 2007 thatthey began dating.“One of our favorite

things to do was go for adrive,” Westlund said.“We drove all the backroads. We took sand-wiches and putteredalong enjoying thescenery.”Westlund popped the

question on Saturday,Nov. 5 2011, under a“beautiful sky. I got thequestion out withoutcracking my voice,” hesaid.

Robertson said yes.She died a week later,the result of a brainaneurysm.Westlund said he does-n’t know what his planfor the future is. He is ofan age to retire from CalPoly, but he’d plannedon staying long enough

for his health benefits tocarry over to Robertson.Now he’s not so surewhat’s in store for him. “My old pastor told

me not to sign anythinguntil I felt like myselfagain,” he said.And so he busies him-

self with photographyand with administeringthe audio-video systemat St. William’s. And hisfaith helps quite a bit,too. Between that and alesson taught by his par-ents, Westlund’s futureseems pretty solid.

“When [my] momdied, she left too muchbehind,” Westlund said.“She should have donemore fun stuff. She andmy dad always hadthese dreams but neverrealized them. My phi-losophy is to try toenjoy it.”

Courtesy photo

George Westlund shares a fun moment with his late fiancée Theresa Robertson. Thisis the last photo taken of the couple. Westlund’s philosophy is to live life to the fullest.

PHOTOContinued from pg. 4



Wine Lips & Beauty Tips

Brought to you by Vino +Therapy Studio.The skin and body wine experience is

located at 5990 Entrada Ave. in downtown Atascadero.

FEATURED WINESTANGER VINEYARDS

Stranger Vineyards is located on theWestside of Paso Robles in the Tem-pleton Gap. Its fossil-enriched, cal-

careous/shale soils sit above the valleyfloor at 1,500 feet. above sea level. Thesteep hillsides face the southern skies andpick up full sunlight and cool oceanbreezes daily. The winery honors the en-vironment; therefore farming standards arestrict. Stanger farms by using sustainablepractices and does everything by hand. Ir-rigation is very minimal and productionsare low. All of Stanger’s grapes are handharvested. Their estate wines are fermentedin open-top fermenters with punch downsthree-to-four times a day. Once dry, thewine goes through extended macerationfor 10 to 14 days. The wine is pressed offin a state-of-the-art basket press and agedin 60-80% new French, American, andHungarian oak barrels for 22 to 28 months.

For the whole month of March, comeinto Vino+Therapy Studio and taste someof these artistic and unique wines.

SIP NOW

MAY 4TH @ CLAYHOUSE WINES 5-9PMJoin Clayhouse on the first Saturday ofevery month in Downtown Paso Robles.Visit other tasting rooms and gallerieswhile walking. The winery will feature fineart photographer Georganna Dean and livemusic by Canadian singer/songwriter,Michael LeClerc. Enjoy cheese & wine bythe glass/taste. Price: $5/Tasting feewaived with purchase.

CHAMPAGNE, CUPCAKES & BOTOX EVENTMarch 10 @ Vino+Therapy Studio noon -5 p.m. RSVP required.Rebekah DeMoss has been a registerednurse for over 16 years, beginning her ca-reer in the Emergency Department then ex-panding into the surgery department. Shemaintains national certifications in boththese areas. However, her nursing passionis in aesthetics. She obtained her certifica-tion in Botox, dermal fillers and lasers in2007 and has been working in aestheticsever since. She resides in the San JoaquinValley with her three children, one dog,two cats, and three turtles. Come toVINO+THERAPY Studio on March 10and receive discounts on Botox, Fillers and

No-Down Time Safe Chemical Peels. Lim-ited spots, so RSVP. Call 466-8466. Thisevent will fill up fast, so if you’re interesteddon’t hesitate.

MARCH 10 @ STILL WATERS VINEYARDS 6PMStill Waters Vineyards loves their homewinemakers and each year are blown awayat the quality wine they produce. This isthe winery’s sixth home winemaker dinnerand organizers are looking forward to en-joying a bottle of homemade wine with thecommunity. Also enjoy dinner and a blindtasting competition. Invite only. Contact:237-923.

MARCH 16

FIRST CRUSH WINEMAKING EXPERIENCE @ SILVER HORSE WINERY 11AM-5PMCheck out Three for All with First Crush,Silver Horse and Tassajara Cellars. Enjoya wide selection of estate and award-win-ning wines in one beautiful location.Gourmet artisan cheese pairings andgourmet treats all weekend. Bring a pic-nic and enjoy panoramic vineyard views.Price: $10/person; Free for club mem-bers.

MARCH 17 ANNUAL ZIN FEST @PASO ROBLES FAIR GROUNDSMarch 16 – 18, Paso Robles Wine Coun-try celebrates the historical and continuedsignificance of Zinfandel in Paso RoblesWine Country during the 20th AnnualZinfandel Festival. This 20 year mile-stone is brought to life on Saturday,March 17 through the vibrant Zin Tasting& Wine Country Auction, showcasingZinfandel wines, complimentary gourmetbites, and Wine Country Auction lots.Taste the wines, enjoy the cuisine, andbid on Wine Country Auction items - acomplete Zin experience to commemo-rate two decades of Zin Fest.

VISIT THE WINERIES

Continue the Zinfandel celebration by ex-ploring the wineries and vineyards of PasoRobles Wine Country. Join more than 150wineries for a selection of barrel tastings,winemaker dinners, vineyard tours, laid-back barbecues, live music, and more.Many wineries offer a special treat to ZinTasting ticketholders, so keep your ticketat hand throughout the weekend to take ad-vantage of these special offers. Use the on-line tour booklet or search by day, winery,and activity to help plan your memorableZin-filled weekend in Paso Robles WineCountry.

by Nena Benson

VINO pg. 11


Get involved, see, taste and play

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FRIDAY,MARCH 2

PRHS DINNER THEATREThe Paso High Theater Com-pany and Kiwanis Club ofPaso Robles present the re-turn of the dinner theater Fri-day, March 2 and Saturday,March 3 with a 5:30 p.m.seating at the Culinary ArtsAcademy, 1900 Golden HillsRoad. Visit www.ticketleap.com or wwwprhdrama.com for more info.

SATURDAY,MARCH 3

STARS FUNDRAISERSTARS Infant PreschoolCenter is gearing up for itsSeventh annual fundraiser onSaturday, March 3 at thePavilion on the Lake in Atas-cadero from 5 to 11 p.m. TheMardi Gras themed dinner"A Night of Laughs Behindthe Masks" will be followedby a professional comedyshow. Call 238-0200.

ATASCADERO COMMU-NITY BANDThe Atascadero CommunityBand will have its winterconcert, “Invitation to theDance” on March 3 at 1 p.m.at Atascadero Bible Church,6225 Atascadero Mall.

SUNDAY,MARCH 4

WOMEN'S SHELTER BENEFITA benefit concert for theNorth County Women's Shel-ter & Resource Center featur-ing Delaney Gibson withspecial guest Steve Kay willtake place on Sunday, March

4 at 7 p.m. at Bethel LutheranChurch Fellowship Hall, 295Old Country Road (3rd andCrocker) in Templeton. $10suggested donation at thedoor, For more informationon Bethel Lutheran Church,please contact Pastor AmyBeveridge at 434-1329.

WEDDING EXPOThe Paso Robles DowntownMain Street Association isholding its Wedding & Spe-cial Event Expo on Sunday,March 4 from 11 a.m. to 3p.m. at the Paso Robles InnGrand Ballroom. For moreinformation, visit www.pasoroblesdowntown.org.

WEDNESDAY,MARCH 7

CCWES SHOWThe Third Annual CentralCoast Winery EquipmentShow at the Paso Robles Fairand Event Center will takeplace on March 7 and 8. Thisis an event which showcasessuppliers of equipment, serv-ices and accessories to thewine industry. Visit our website at www.ccwes.com foradditional details.

NORTH COUNTY NEWCOMERSNorth County NewcomersClub is open to all residentswho have lived in the NorthCounty for two years or less.Monthly general meetingsare held the first Wednesdayof the month from 11 a.m. to1:30 p.m. For more informa-tion, go to www.northcountynewcomers.org.

FRIDAY,MARCH 9

AHS CHOIRSThe Atascadero High Schoolchoirs will present their

spring concert on March 9 atthe Atascadero Bible Churchat 7 p.m. The concert will in-clude contemporary and clas-sical choral pieces presentedby the award-winning ShowChoir, Men’s Choir, bothWomen’s and AdvancedWomen’s Choirs and thecombined 100-plus-voice-strong Concert Choir. Someof the pieces will be taken bya select Festival Choir to theannual Heritage Music Festi-val in Anaheim later inMarch.

SATURDAY,MARCH 10

ST. LUKE'S EVENTSt. Luke's annual event witha St. Patrick's dinner, auctionand entertainment will takeplace on March 10 from 4 to7 p.m. at Robert Hall Winery,3443 Mill Road. Cost is $25per person, $15 for childrenunder 12.

DANCING WITH STARSAtascadero: Dancing withour Stars will take place onMarch 10. While the event issold out, dancers are collect-ing votes until the end of theevent. Each vote is $5 andcan be made through thedancers, at the Martin PolinRegional Library or online atwww.atascaderofriendsofthelibrary.org.

SUNDAY,MARCH 11

CRESTON DINNER BUFFETThe Creston Women's Clubwill be hosting their 12thAnnual International all-you-can-eat dinner buffet onSunday, March 11 from 4 to6 p.m. at the Creston Ele-mentary School Cafeteria/Multi-Purpose Room, locatedon Adams Street. All pro-

ceeds used for a scholarshipfund, benefiting all Crestonarea residents. Tickets are$12 adults, $5 children, andmust be pre-purchased.Please call Ann at 438-3543,or Sheila at 239-0917 orvisit www.CrestonNews.org for more details.

TUESDAY,MARCH 13

CHAMBER SEMINAROn Tuesday, March 13,theNorth County Business Re-source Center and the NorthCounty Tech Alliance willhost a special seminar featur-ing Dan Baum, founder ofShutterfly, the number oneonline service for sharingphotos and videos beginningat 6 p.m. at the Courtyard byMarriott. Tickets are $10 andshould be purchased in ad-vance at the Paso RoblesChamber of Commerce of-fice at 1225 Park Street or bycalling Tiffany at the Cham-ber of Commerce office, 238-0506. Seating is limited..

SATURDAY,MARCH 17

LUCKY LEPRECHAUNEVENTFollow the Rainbow to thePaso Robles Children’s Mu-seum, 623 13th St. and bethere when Lucky the Lep-rechaun gives away his pot ofgold. Enter a free drawing towin a birthday party at themuseum. Children who weargreen will receive a $1 dis-count on the price of regularadmission. Cookies, punchand St. Patrick’s Day crafts.Adult regular admission feesapply. Call Sarah Davis at238-7432 for more info.

FRIDAYMARCH 23

A-TOWN ART & WINEThe next Atascadero Art &Wine Tour will be held onMarch 23 from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. in downtown Atas-

cadero. Local stores will hostlocal wineries and artists foran evening of wine, art andfood. Typically more than adozen wineries are involved.Wine tasting bracelets will beavailable at the event for $10.For more information, call462-0177 or go to www.atas-caderomainstreet.org.

SATURDAY,MARCH 24

DOG JOGA Dog Jog to benefit theSherwood Dog Park of PasoRobles will take place on Sat-urday, March 24 with checkin at 8 a.m. at Paso KennedyClub Fitness, 4K and 2Kstarting at 9 a.m. and contestsfor Best Dog-Owner look a-like, Best dressed, Tallest andShortest dog and most un-usual tail at 10 a.m. Prizes forwinners and raffle drawings.Bandanas, medals and goodiebags for all racers. Registra-tion is $15 until March 20and $20 until race day. Toregister, visit Paso KennedyClub Fitness at 500 SouthRiver Road orwww.parks4pups.org or call239-8488 ext. 33. Race isopen to runners and walkerson any route.

NORTH COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY LUNCHEON

Come celebrate with theNorth County Humane Soci-ety at the 2012 Annual Mem-

ber Appreciation Luncheonand Silent Auction on Satur-day, March 24 from noon to3 p.m. at the Culinary Insti-tute of Paso Robles, 1900Golden Hill Road. Enjoylunch, a silent auction andmeet the 2012 Board of Di-rectors and NCHS Staff.Tickets are only $20 forNCHS members and $25 fornon-members. To donateitems and/or purchase a ticketcall 466-5403. Please RSVPby March 13.

WEDNESDAY,MARCH 28

CATALYST SOCCER

Catalyst Soccer is proudto announce its Spring2012 youth developmentprograms taking place atlocations throughout theCentral Coast. In theNorth County, mentoringstarts Wednesday, March28 in Templeton at Ady'sField. For more informa-tion, visit www.catalyst-soccer.com or call541-3031.

SATURDAY,MARCH 31

EASTER BUNNY TRACKSThe Easter Bunny will be theguest of the Downtown PasoRobles Main Street Associa-tion on Saturday, March 31from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. Everyone is invited tocome downtown and followthe Easter Bunny’s tracks –find him and he’ll give youcandy. He’ll be in and out ofdowntown shops leaving hisEaster Bunny tracks for youto follow. Bring your cameraand if you find him, you mayalso take your picture withhim. Start in the City Park atthe gazebo to get a list ofstores where the EasterBunny will be visiting. Formore information, call 238-4103.

Family Owned and Operated for Two Generations

Over 60 Designer Colors — 5 Year Work WarrantyCustomer Satisfaction Guaranteed! — Service & Maintenance Available

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www.FiveStarRainGutters.comLic.#876930 • Bonded & Insured

DOG JOG!A Dog Jog to benefit the Sherwood Dog Park of PasoRobles will take place on Saturday, March 24 with

check in at 8 a.m. at Paso Kennedy Club Fitness, witha 4K and 2K starting at 9 a.m.


FARMER’SMarkets

Atascadero Farmer’s MarketWEDNESDAYS 3PM - 6PMAlbertsons parking lot

Atascadero(805) 239-6535

Paso Country Farm & Craft Market

SATURDAYS 9AM - 1PM11th and Spring StreetsDowntown City Park

Paso Robles(805) 238-4029

Paso Robles Farmer’s MarketTUESDAYS 3PM - 6PM11th and Spring StreetsDowntown City Park

Paso Robles(805) 237-9254

Paso 101 Open Aire Farmer’s Market

THURSDAYS 3PM - 6PMSan Paso Truck Stop

(off HWY 101)Paso Robles(805) 286-1436

Paso Robles Farmer’s MarketFRIDAYS 4PM - 7PM

Golden Hills Plaza at Lowe’sPaso Robles(805) 610-5023

Templeton Farmer’s MarketSATURDAYS 9AM - 12:30PMCity Park at 5th and Crocker

Streets, Templeton(805) 239-6535

MARCH 18

VINO+THERAPY STUDIO@ CASS WINERY11AM-2PM

Enjoy a mimosa & wafflebar. You can also enjoy a re-laxing massage. Library tast-ing with Ted from 2 to 4 p.m.$10; waived if you join thewine club (reservations re-quired). Price: $18/Brunch;$10/Library Tasting Contact:239-1730

MARCH 23

ATASCADERO DOWNTOWN ART & WINE TOUR

Taste 20 plus wines, shoplocal boutiques & view someamazing art. Price: $10.

BEAUTY TIPS

Nothing cheers peopleup more than theweather turning

warm. The coming of springcan be noticed all around,from ever shrinking piles ofsnow, to small green budspopping out on tree tips. Thechange in weather and envi-ronment also means it is timeto re-evaluate your skin careregimen. Changes made inpreparation for winter's harshreality will not be suitable forthe freshness of spring. Hereis how you can make sureyou put your best face for-ward as the world outside be-gins transforming from grayto green.

The foremost characteris-tic of spring is the transfor-mation. Early months ofspring will have weatherconditions similar in style towinter, and the later months

will make you wonder if itisn't summer already. Whenyou start to notice more of anoily feeling throughout theday, it is time to begin work-ing in a lighter weight mois-turizer instead of the heavyone needed to fight the coldweather dry conditions.

It is also a good idea toswap out any other productyou use on a regular basis ifit hasn't been replaced sincebefore winter. The shelf lifeon skin care products is notinfinite, and you will receivebetter results with fresh prod-ucts than ones where the for-mula inside has been subjectto light and varying tempera-tures. Nothing is better thanspring cleaning your toi-letries and cosmetic holders.

If your skin is lookingdull and lackluster after thelong winter, or you want toeliminate those fine lines andwrinkles that seemingly ap-peared overnight, it’s time

for a mini-skin-makeoverwith a skin rejuvenationtreatment. Some of the latestskin rejuvenation proceduresonly require a single treat-ment, and you can see pro-gressive results within a fewweeks after your first ses-sion. Come in for a free skinEvaluation today to see howVINO+THERAPY Studiocan help you with all yourbeauty and skincare needs.Call us at 466-8466.

Bring this article in ormention it when booking,and receive a free gift.

GIRLS NIGHT OUTBACHELORETTE

& PRIVATE EVENTS(4-8 people)

$30 per person: A glass ofwine, wine foot soak &champagne sugar scrub foottreatment, port infused truf-fles, 10 min. chair massage

$55 per Person: A GlassOf Wine, Wine FootSoak & ChampagneSugar Scrub Foot Treat-ment, Port Infused Truf-fles, 30 Min VinoMassage or Coco-CabFacial.

$75 Per person: A glassof wine, wine foot soak& champagne sugarscrub foot treatment, portinfused truffles, an arrayof appetizers, vino mas-sage or facial. Then youhead next door for morewine tasting at the BarrelRoom (A multi-winerytasting room).

WINE TASTING & SPA TOURS

$150 per person: Yourday starts off atVINO+THERAPY Stu-dio with a glass of wine,wine foot soak & cham-pagne sugar scrub foottreatment, port infusedtruffles, an array of appe-tizers, vino massage or fa-cial. Then you head outon a three hour wine tast-ing tour of Paso Roblesaward winning wineries.

All tasting fees are in-cluded. We also providea gourmet lunch on oneof the vineyards (Thispackage includes localpickup and drop off).

VINOContinued from pg. 9


LifeFOOD & WINE

Photo by Lisa Pretty

ALL DRESSED UP – Lamb ascends tonew levels of grandeur when rubbeddown with fragrant spices and herbs.Pop open a bottle of Hearthstonewine to finish off a decadent feast.

Lisa Pretty

Lamb is such a tasty meat and is my favorite tomake on special occasions. I have to confess tonot knowing very much about the different

breeds or what makes some lamb taste better thanothers. After spending a little time with Kevin andJosslyn Wagster, owners of Quality Southdown Lamb,I have a much better appreciation for what makes atasty lamb.

Kevin and Josslyn purchased their first sheep sothey could train their dogs. Working with cattle can bedifficult, so they decided to purchase sheep knowingthe smaller animals would be easier for the dogs asthey learned to control the herd. Kevin grew up inproduction farming and Josslyn majored in animalscience at Cal Poly. It wasn’t long before they decidedthat if they were going to have sheep, they may as wellincrease the flock size and produce quality lamb.

KNOW YOUR CHOPSThere are more than 40 different breeds of sheep

in the USA. Some are known to have high qualitymeat, and others high quality wool. After a great dealof research, the Wagsters decided to go with theSouthdown breed. The animals are moderate in size,do not require as much grass, mature earlier, aredocile/easy to move and produce the best tastinglamb.

They are currently building their flock. At this

point, they have 50 ewes and three rams. Those ramsare very busy since it is their job to naturally impreg-nate the ewes. A ewe is bred once a year and can pro-duce lambs for seven-to-eight years. The ewes areselected for breeding based on detailed records ofgrowth rates and breeding history. Rams will be busybreeding in both the fall of 2012 and the Spring of2013 – delivering 100 lambs next year. Eventually,based on their 10 year plan, Quality SouthdownLamb will have between 700 to 900 lambs to selleach year.

Here are a few fun facts I gathered during our con-versation. A lamb is no longer considered a lambwhen the front teeth are lost (that happens at around1 year of age). Rams that are going to be raised forfood are neutered at 30 days old. The lambs areslaughtered at between 5-8 months. The fat in thelamb is what gives the meat the gamey flavor, so theWagsners feed only grass for a lean lamb. What theyeat determines how they will taste and grass is con-sidered the best feed for producing tasty lamb.

Quality Southdown Lamb sells whole animals butworks with the butcher to have the meat prepared theway the purchasers like it. For small families, the legscan be cut in half, chops can be packaged into smallersets, the amount of ground meat can be predeter-mined, etc. A lamb will weigh approximately 120pounds when it is slaughtered and that will result in50 pounds of meat. The Wagsters will often find peo-ple who do not want a full lamb and are willing to

work with people to share an animal. The animal issold at $2 per pound based on live weight, and thenthe butcher is paid as well. On average, the cost ofhaving the custom meat will be $6.50 per pound – agreat deal for quality meat that has been raised with-out hormones or antibotics and only fed grass.

PAIR ITJosslyn shared her Herb Rubbed Lamb Loin

Chops recipe with me so I could try the lamb. It wasabsolutely delicious. I served the chops with the 2007Hearthstone Lodestone blend. The blend is 50%Syrah, 33% Grenache and 17% Mourvedre. Only 298cases of this estate-grown wine were produced. Thewine was the perfect pairing with the lamb.

Local Delicacy Quality Southdown Lamb“After spending a little time with Kevin and Josslyn Wagster, owners of Quality Southdown

Lamb, I have a much better appreciation for what makes a tasty lamb.” – Lisa Pretty

For additional information about QualitySouthdown Lamb, or to order a lamb, visit

www.qualitysouthdownlamb.com.

For additional information about the Hearthstone wines, visit www.heartstonevine

yards.com or visit the tasting room on Vineyard Drive in Paso Robles.


GATHER

1/3 + one cup olive oil (save some for the pan)1 tablespoon basil, fresh chopped ½ tablespoon ground coriander ½ tablespoon fennel seed2 teaspoons rosemary, fresh chopped1 teaspoon ground cuminDash of cayenne pepper1 teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pepper

GET COOKIN’

Combine olive oil, basil, coriander, fennelseed, rosemary, cumin, cayenne pepper, saltand pepper in a bowl. Dip the chops into themixture to coat, leave in bowl, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Heat a skillet on the stovetop, add olive oil,make sure this is sizzling hot. Sear on oneside for 4 minutes on medium high, then flipchops and cook for another 6 minutes onmedium, cover for the last 2 to 4 minutes.

Visit us on line at www.rbsmokinbbq.comwhere you can even place an order for pick-up!

1467 Creston Road, Paso Robles • 805-221-5863Located in the Food-4-Less Shopping Center

NEW MENU ITEMS:TRI-TIP • FISH & CHIPS • SALADS • VEGETABLES

FRESH RB GROUND BEEF BURGERS

Happy Hour Monday thru Friday – 11am to 6pm$2 PINTS - BUD LITE & SMOKIN’ BLONDE DRAFT

$2 DOMESTIC BOTTLED BEER

SLO Home Show BBQ ContestPeople’s Choice Winner

PatioDining!

Family owned and operated, we offer a world of BBQ under one roof. Youwill find slow cooked classics in a range of styles from Texas, Kansas Cityand the Carolinas. We take great pride in our Angus Beef Brisket, meatyand tender dry-rubbed baby back ribs, premium quality pork butts, tenderyoung smoked chickens, and all the great side dishes including fried pickles andfried green beans. Our meats are smoked low and slow with our signature dry rub.

Relax on our covered patio and choose from 8 premium draft beers,a couple of dozen bottled beers and several local wines.

DeliveryNow

Available!

1st Place Tri-Tip • 1st Place Ribs • 2nd Place Chicken

Happy lambs come from PasoA romp through the ranch at Quality Southdown Lamb

recipe

Herb Rubbed Lamb Loin Chops

Courtesy photos

Lambs graze on fresh,green grass at QualitySouthdown Lamb, locatedin Paso Robles. From thehillside to the table, qualitylivestock means the bestflavors for your family.

Creig P. Sherburne

Shawn Varner hasdone and fixed justabout everything

that can be done or fixedon a bike.

Raced road bikes?Check. Done jumps onBMX bikes? Check.Worked in a bike shop?Check. Owned a bikeshop? Check. Mountainbiked with his son?Check.

While Varner’s lifemay be filled withchange, evolution anduncertainty, bikes re-main a constant for him.They have been since hewas 10 and he says theywill be until the day hedies.

“Biking is low-im-pact,” he said. “You cando it forever.”

Now a resident ofTempleton, Varner rodethrough his youth, butthings really began to getinteresting in 1996. Thatwas when, just beforethe birth of his son, hegot sober. He’s stillsober to this day, a facthe took zero credit for.Instead, he thanks God,his family and cyclingfor keeping him on thewagon.

Varner worked atBike Masters in PasoRobles from 1997 to1999. In 1999, the ownerof the shop offered tosell it to Varner, who saidhe and his wife, Becky,were really torn: buy thebike shop or send Varnerback to school with thegoal of going into min-istry?

In the end, they splitthe difference andbought the shop whichwas used as a ministry.

“I remember hangingout in bike shops when Iwas a kid,” Varner said.“We thought, ‘why notturn hanging out in abike shop into a min-istry?’ So that’s what wedid. … It was a reallygood time in our lives.”

Four years later — tothe day — Varner soldthe shop to K-ManCycle & Run’s KeithSchmidt.

The shop moved andwas sold again and isnow Best Bike Zone onPaso Robles Street inPaso. In the interveningyears, K-Man alsomoved to a larger loca-tion near El Camino

Real and Santa RosaRoad, but Schmidt stillowns and runs it.

Varner sold the shopto take up a position as ayouth pastor at FirstBaptist Church in PasoRobles. Varner eventu-ally left the church be-cause it wantedsomething else from itsyouth pastor, and ratherthan turn it into a strug-gle, he vacated the posi-tion so a moreappropriate pastor couldcome in.

He immediately wentback into the bike busi-ness, working forSchmidt at K-Man inAtascadero where hestayed for two years,doing itinerant preach-ing on the side.

But, he said, goingback to a bike shop waslike dropping a duckback on the lake.Though he no longerworks there, he stilldrops by on the occa-sional early morning be-fore the staff has arrived,and, like the shoe-maker’s elves, will fixbikes under the cloak ofnight.

“I love Keith,” Varnersaid, and added that heliked both working forand selling his shop tohim.

Though never a pro-fessional, Varner racedquite a lot from the early‘90s to the early 2000s.During that time, hisbiggest achievement waswinning the Santa Bar-bara criterion in 1997.

“I wasn’t a prolificracer,” he said. “I wasnever a pro, but I lovedit.”

Varner doesn’t raceany more, but he stillrides frequently — fourtimes a week most of thetime — and rarely doesrides less than 20 mileslong.“If I’m going to put allmy gear on and fill mywater bottle, I want to beout an hour, hour and ahalf,” Varner said. “Fif-teen miles is only 45minutes.”

But don’t let that ap-parent intensity paint apicture of an elitist biker.Varner said one of his fa-vorite things in thewhole world is mountainbiking with his almost-10-year-old son, Chris-tian. Christian rides a

24-inch SpecializedHotrock hardtail moun-tain bike alongside hisdad’s 29-inch version.The duo spend most oftheir time riding aroundtheir hometown of Tem-pleton, but will head outto Montaña de Oro aswell.

Varner’s other son,14-year-old Smith, isn’tmuch of a cyclist, spend-ing his time on his skate-board or playingbasketball instead.

“He gets out thereand comes homesweaty,” Varner said.“We kick our kids out ofthe house a lot.”

And he kicks himselfout a lot, too. Varnerrarely says no to a casualride with friends on hisroad bike. The problemis he doesn’t get as manyinvites as he’d like.

“People are intimi-dated because I’ve rid-den all my life,” Varnersaid sadly. “They thinkthey’ll slow me down.But I like riding slow. IfI want to ride hard andbeat myself up, I’ll goalone.”

In fact, Varner saidthe last really great ridehe went on was with anout-of-shape friend.What made it so great,he said self-depreciat-ingly, was that the friendwas huffing and puffing,so Varner had a captiveaudience to talk aboutwhatever he wanted andthe friend just gruntedand nodded the milesaway.

Varner now hasdecades and tens ofthousands of miles be-hind him. With all thatexperience, he said the

best thing a cyclist canget if he or she wants toride faster is proper cy-cling shoes and cliplesspedals.

“Shorts are impor-tant, but it’s crazy not tohave shoes and pedals,”he said.

He said it’s also crazyto not wear a helmet.

“I’m a helmet freak,”he said. “Get a helmet ifyou don’t have one.Decorate it. Ride with ahelmet always. Always.”

Now a youth pastor atRefuge Church in Atas-cadero, Varner said he’s

working on getting a dirtarea of the church pavedso the skateboard rampsthe church owns can beput to use. In the mean-time, he keeps on ridingand doing what he can toget others involved inriding.

“I’m going slowernow,” he said. “But Ipush myself. I go as fastas I can. Sometimes I getto the top of a hill, and Ithank God for makingthis place and that I getto enjoy it.”


SPORTS

Life North County pastor and all-around bike man

Courtesy photos

ABOVE: Shawn Varner wonthe 1997 Santa Barbara

Criterion, his biggest racingaccomplishment to date.

RIGHT: The Varner familyposes for a photo after

church recently. From left,Smith, 15, Shawn, Becky

and Christian, 9.

At H&R Block, we believe you should never have to settle for anything lessthan the best tax preparation. That’s why we require our tax professionalsto take more than 84 hours of specialty tax training. And then require themto pass hours of continuing education on all of the tax law changes eachyear. So you can feel confident you’re claiming every credit you can andtaking advantage of every deduction you have coming.

If you discover an H&R Block error on your return that entitles you to a smaller tax liability, we’ll refund the tax prep fee for that return. Refund claimsmust be made during the calendar year in which the return was prepared. ©2011 HRB Tax Group, Inc.

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north county life - march 2012

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