THE MISSED INTERVIEW
A few days after Christmas I was contacted by the SLO Tribune. They wanted to interview me for a "possible profile piece" due to the "interesting" nature of pasorobles-usa.com and my online blog. I was happy to oblige them, saying that it would have to be a long-distance affair since I don't live in the area.
A few weeks later a follow-up letter canceled the offer because I wasn't a Paso Roblan. So here is the interview that never was nor will be.
TRIBUNE: You haven't lived in Paso Robles for over 30 years. Why would you create a website called pasorobles-usa.com?
WORDYDAVE: The site began back in about 1996 or '97 when AOL started letting users have a bit of webspace. You could design a simple page with their simple tools and mainly impress your relatives and friends with puerile graphics and text. This is where the Paso Robles Boomer Page originated. It was aimed at people like me who had moved away and would get a kick out of seeing pictures of the 'old' days and reading some history. I guess the family started spreading the word about it and the counter clicks got higher and higher. It was all very surprising to me.
These were the days when information about Paso was extremely limited on the Internet. At this time a search would result in about 2500 or fewer hits. So when my counter reached 1000 I still couldn't believe it.
Since then the name of the website has changed, the theme is somewhat different, the design has changed a few times and the numbers keep climbing. I'm still surprised. I'm also surprised that there are no other sites authored by locals who could do a far better job. I try to keep informed about Paso related stuff online and report it when it interests me, like Don Wilson's site about the history of Highway 101.
TRIBUNE: How do you keep up with Paso's current events?
WORDYDAVE: We subscribe to the Paso Robles Press and probably know more local news than many who live there and don't receive it. We visit the area a few times each year, talk to friends and relatives and usually attend a local event like Pioneer Day. There are a number of online resources, as well.
My focus at this point is one of commentary, not news. Former Roblans can get local stuff online, so why repeat it?
PASO ROBLES IN 1926
12TH AND PARK STREET IN 1910
