The VCB

Today, I got some pretty good news. I've been elected to the Board of Directors for the San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau.

My dream job has always been to be a Marketing Director for a winery on the Central Coast. I've always thought that selling Paso wine must be the easiest job in the world since it's like selling joy in a bottle. Anyone who has ever visited here and done the winery thing would understand what I'm talking about. Under the right conditions at some quaint back country winery, a person can almost have an out-of-body experience here.

What I will be doing in this position is to assist in the marketing of the region as a whole: the wineries, the lodging, the activities, everything tourism related. I'll have the opportunity the develop relationships with the business owners and tourism directors for many different organizations with the goal to facilitate tourism for the area. In many ways, I'll be working to promote something even better than Paso wine: the entire beautiful Central Coast.

I expect to lose some amount of sleep with this but most likely it will all be worth it. Who would have expected we'd be in this situation just two years ago? Life is crazy.

Written by Chris Johns

The Big 40 at Firestone Walker Brewery Taproom in Paso Robles

Last Thursday, my family took me to the new Firestone Walker Taproom Restaurant in Paso Robles to celebrate my birthday. Despite the unpleasant fact that this occasion was my official over-the-hill milestone, the Taproom provided a truly awesome experience to help me forget about my troubles.

To begin with, we ordered a round of beers. The beer at Firestone Walker is, in my opinion, the best beer anywhere. Just this past week they were named ‘Champion Mid-Size Brewery & Brewmaster’ at the 2012 World Beer Cup for the fourth time since 2004. So the fact that the beer was fresh and cold from the tap, direct from the factory less than 100 yards away, made it taste even better. The DBA, 805, and Velvet Merlin were our favorites.

There's a different menu special every night, and this night was fried chicken night. Other nights they have steak, shrimp, fish, carne asada, and other spcieals. I decided to go for the fried chicken special.

Now, I've been to a number of fried chicken restaurants back East in Amish country that base their entire concept around their fried chicken, and this beat them all hands down. The chicken breast was juicy and crunchy with an almost Panko-like breading, not greasy at all. The mashed potatoes and gravy were superb, and the cole slaw was slivered and tasted wonderful. My father, who ordered the same dish as me, ordered a second serving of cole slaw for himself after he cleared his plate.

We ordered the kids macaroni and cheese for my daughter. The serving size was ample for a kids meal, and the taste was really good and hearty, with the cheddar cheese stringing out with each bite. She had a lot of help finishing her plate from the rest of us.

Other dishes ordered included a curry chicken salad for Audrey and a steak for my Father in Law, both of which were reported as delicious as well. We finished the meal with a complimentary birthday ice cream cake. The staff didn't sing for me, which is a plus in my book.

If you've ever had a truly awesome reastaurant moment when the cold beer, good food, and cool environment all line up in zen-like perfection, this was one of those times. Turning 40 could never be a good thing, but for 90 minutes I forgot about my troubles. The Taproom is now my official favorite restaurant in Paso Robles.

The staff was friendly and attentive and I would give the entire experience a perfect 10.  Not bad for only being open for a couple months.

Just another reason to LOVE living on the California Central Coast.

Written by Chris Johns.

Weird Weather

We've seen a few storms come through the last few weeks here on the Central Coast. Most usually gently rained for a few hours and moved on, but yesterday's was a standout.

I left work in San Luis Obispo under partly cloudy skies. As I got to the top of the Cuesta Grade, I saw the dark clouds over Atascadero.

Fortunately for me, the rain hadn't started yet when I got home. But as soon as I did, the skies opened up and it looked like a Texas snowstorm. The sound in the video below gives some idea of how hard it was coming down. Crazy weather here.

Written by Chris Johns.

Bud Break!

It's a magical time up here in wine country. It's called "Bud Break". This event marks the beginning of the new growing season. What makes it so exciting is the way the vines look so barren all winter, and then these tiny green buds break open and then things pretty much move at full speed until harvest.

This season of rebirth typically occurs in mid to late March. For a month following bud break there is always a concern about possible frost or heavy rains, which could damage the fragile buds and have a very negative impact on this years yield.


It's fun to watch the life come back into the vines after the cold season. When we lived in Southern California, there were no natural indicators of the changing of the season except for the decorations and advertisements at the local department stores.

Without the opportunity to stop growing and extend the roots deeper into the ground, grapes would not be able to become stronger and more complex for the next vintage. In life, you need some down time every now and then -- time to relax and recharge the batteries. It's what allows us to keep going and perform at our highest levels without burnout.

Take a hint from the grapes and relax for a little while. It's the natural way of things.

Rain rain rain

For the second weekend in a row, we've had rain.

 

It's ironic how we can have perfect weather for 5 days in a row then two days of torrential downpours followed by 5 more days of sunshine. The weather here on the Central Coast is like a box of chocolates...you never know what yer gonna get. It's fun watching the storm clouds roll in.

 

Actually, we really needed the rain. Totals are down 30% this year.

 

It's our 6th wedding anniversary today. We originally planned to go to San Francisco for the weekend, but the predictions of downpours killed that idea. So we're settling on a cozy afternoon watching Mad Men episodes and having Top Sirloin for dinner tonight. We're all still in our pajamas and wouldn't want it any other way.

 

Written by Chris Johns

An update of the Johns Family

Since my last real post, a lot has happened in the life of the Johns family, mostly good. Here's a rundown of the major events:

- I got a job. In February 2011 I found a job as a temporary marketing consultant for a motorcoach company in San Luis Obispo -- Silverado Stages. Largest private motorcoach company west of the Mississippi. I was brought on for 8 weeks initially, but it was understood I was pretty much auditioning for a full time marketing job. I worked my butt off and after 8 weeks I was offered a full time job as Marketing and Sales Manager with a 5 person sales department. It's been a lot of hard work but I have a great team and really enjoy where I work. I commute past ranches and vineyards every day on the way to work instead of windowless buildings and freeways. I've been blessed with a great situation.

- Audrey had 2 hand surgeries - Audrey finally got health insurance in early 2011 and had her first hand surgery. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help much, and she had another hand surgery late 2011 which to date seems to have helped a little. She suffers with chronic pain every day and it has been hell for her, but we're optimistic things are getting better.

- Audrey lost over 100 pounds. After the birth of Sophie, Audrey had gained weight. She kept it on for about a year after the baby, but last year she started cooking naturally and eating healthy, and lost all that weight. She looks amazing now, but I always thought she was hot.

- Sophie keeps growing and growing. Sophie is a precocious little sweetheart that is both an angel and a devil. She's taking dance lessons twice a week and has performed on atage at a few recitals. She's just on the verge of saying complete sentences, but not yet. God help me when she starts speaking for real, she's got a LOT to say now without actually making sense.

All in all, we're very happy here. Atascadero is small, unpretentious, and real. There are no Bed Bath and Beyonds nearby, but if we need anything we can drive 30 minutes south to San Luis Obispo. So far, we haven't missed a thing about Orange County, except our friends. We've met some very cool people here, and a couple we've become very good friends with. I'd say our roots here have definitely set in.

Back online

It's been a long time since I've posted to this blog, life sorta went on without enough time to do any updates. But a lot has happened: I got a great job as Director of Marketing for Silverado Stages, Audrey has had a couple surgeries on her wrist, and Sophie just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Now I have a new iPhone app which helps me post directly to this blog, so I hope to get this blog off the ground again. Stay tuned for more.