My appreciation to San Juan Bakery, in San Juan Bautista, for reminding me about the joy and wonder of October. The Husband and I have had lots of fun adventures in, around, and out of Hollister this month. Who knows what these next three October days shall bring.
Hollister, California is a real town that has been around since the 1870s. Unlike the fictional town created by a corporate clothing company, Hollister is no where near a beach. The town is about 45 miles east of the Pacific Ocean. Seagulls occasionally make their way over the mountains. Hopefully, they are able to find their way back.
Showing posts with label San Juan Bautista. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Juan Bautista. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2015
October—Full of Wandering and Wondering
My appreciation to San Juan Bakery, in San Juan Bautista, for reminding me about the joy and wonder of October. The Husband and I have had lots of fun adventures in, around, and out of Hollister this month. Who knows what these next three October days shall bring.
Labels:
365(2015),
author's note,
bakery,
San Juan Bautista,
walks
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Dia de los Muertos with El Teatro Campesiño
This weekend, El Teatro Campesiño will start off its 50th year with its annual Dia de los Muertos celebration in San Juan Bautista. Through dance, music, art, and altar offerings, the locally-based, renowned theater company will honor and remember the dearly departed. The event will begin on Friday, October 29 and go through Sunday, November 1.
Joining in the celebration is the Esperanza del Valle Folkloric Dance Troupe, which will perform throughout the weekend at the Playhouse on 705 4th Street.
- Friday, 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
- Sunday, 4:00 p.m.
El Teatro will also have traditional and artistic altars on display at the Playhouse. The public can view the altars, for free, during these hours:
- Friday, 7:00 p.m. with Altar Blessing and Danza at 7:15 p.m.
- Saturday, 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- Sunday, 1:00 p.m. with a closing Danza Blessing
Labels:
365(2015),
arts,
Events,
local theater,
San Juan Bautista
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Chocolate To Go, Please
This is the large chocolate that the Husband ordered to go from Vertigo Coffee in San Juan Bautista yesterday. After seeing it, I wished I had, too.
Labels:
365(2015),
cafe,
local business,
San Juan Bautista
Monday, October 5, 2015
Open House at the Luck Museum
This Saturday, October 10, 2015, the San Juan Bautista Historical Society will be holding an open house at the Carl Luck Memorial Park on the corner of Third and Monterey Streets in San Juan Bautista. The free event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Here's the schedule for the day.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
A Jumping Coffee Roaster
Have you ever seen the 1930s cartoons in which inanimate objects, such as tables, chairs, and coffee pots, are dancing to popping music, such as "Jumpin' Jive" from Cab Calloway? The coffee bean roaster at Vertigo Coffee reminds me of those cartoons.
See you tomorrow.
Labels:
365(2015),
local business,
quirky stuff,
San Juan Bautista
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Hacienda de Léal
The Husband and I experienced another first yesterday evening. We attended a function in the courtyard of the Hacienda de Léal in San Juan Bautista. It was quite pleasant, sitting beneath the Manzanillo olive trees as we talked with friends, ate pizza and desserts from The Grove Restaurant, and watched the night fall.
Labels:
365(2015),
local business,
San Juan Bautista
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Brewery Twenty Five
Yesterday morning, the Husband and I read on Facebook that Brewery Twenty Five delivered a freshly brewed keg of stout beer in Hollister. Our quest was on to get a taste of the beer handcrafted by local brewers Sean and Fran Fitzharris. We knew it could only be deliciously out of this world. And, if we didn't act fast, we would miss out yet again on tasting their brew.
Although the young couple established Brewery Twenty Five a couple of years ago, it has only been in the last few months that they have started selling their beer to retail outlets. Because the beer is brewed in small amounts, Brewery Twenty Five is not at the point yet to have a regular delivery schedule. When you hear that so-and-so has it on tap, be sure to get there tout de suite. It won't be available for long.
So, where can you find Brewery Twenty Five on tap from time to time? Running Rooster in Hollister and Bear's Hideaway in San Juan Bautista. And, soon, Vertigo Coffee in San Juan Bautista will be serving it.
Yesterday evening, the Husband and I did end up drinking a pint of the brewery's Many Moons Stout. It was absolutely amazing and very smooth. After a couple of sips, I was no longer in a grouchy mood. I think it tastes better than Guinness, and at one point the stout reminded me of Courvesier.
The delightful Sean and Fran happened to be at the Running Rooster bar last night. They told us that beer was made with an expresso blend from Vertigo Coffee and cacao nibs from TCHO, a chocolate company in the SF Bay area. I can imagine making an ice cream float with Many Moons Stout. Yummm!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Mission Burial Ground
The Mission San Juan Bautista cemetery overlooks the San Andreas Fault and the San Juan Valley. This burial ground is accessed through the mission. Historians say that over 4,000 people of the Mutsun tribe were buried in the cemetery during the mission period. The last Mutsun was buried there in 1930.
Labels:
365(2015),
cemeteries,
history,
San Juan Bautista
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
All Things Vertigo in San Juan Bautista
In this instance, not Vertigo Coffee, but Vertigo, the 1958 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. And, that is what Vertigo Day at the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park on September 26, 2015 will be all about.
The event is sponsored by San Juan Bautista State Historic Park and the Plaza History Association and features a tour, a lecture, and a showing of Vertigo.
- 3:00 p.m. — a 1.5 hour guide tour of the mission and park, highlighting Vertigo stories and film locations.
- 4:30 p.m. — "Mastery of Hitchcock," a talk by Luis Camara, CSU Monterey Bay film professor, at the Plaza Saloon.
- 8:10 p.m — Vertigo on the Plaza lawn. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. It may be chilly, so bring jackets or extra blankets.
Wondering where to eat before the movie? San Juan Bautista has several restaurants, including Vertigo Coffee which serves awesome handcrafted, oven baked pizza. For info about places to eat and drink in San Juan Bautista, check out this link.
I can't leave you without a clip from Vertigo. This scene is from the imaginary bell tower of Mission San Juan Bautista. By the time Hitchcock came to San Juan to shoot, the mission no longer had a bell tower, so he built one for the movie. And, a taller one at that.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Streets of San Juan Bautista
It's fun to walk around San Juan Bautista to see the Mission San Juan Bautista and other various historic sites and buildings, as well the shops, galleries, gardens, trees, valley views, and more. I'm glad I live nearby so I don't have to see it all in one day.
A good source to have on hand as your stroll through town is the San Juan Bautista Historic District Walking Tour Pamphlet. You can download a copy from this link.
Here are a few more random street scenes of San Juan Bautista.
Labels:
365(2015),
neighborhood walk,
San Juan Bautista,
walks
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Trees of San Juan Bautista
How does that poem by Joyce Kilmer start?
"I think I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree."
San Juan Bautista has many lovely trees of all sorts up and down its sweet, quaint streets.
To read the rest of Joyce Kilmer's poem about trees, please click here.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
More Photos of San Juan Bautista
This past week I've been posting photos of San Juan Bautista, the second biggest city in San Benito County. The biggest? Hollister, of course.
Here are a few more random look-sees around this grand old town of San Juan.
Labels:
365(2015),
buildings,
local business,
San Juan Bautista,
walks
Friday, August 14, 2015
Flowers, Everywhere
Roses, roses, and all sorts of flowers are every where in San Juan Bautista. In personal gardens. On restaurant patios. At the mission and parks. On sidewalks. Everywhere. And, oh so beautiful.
Labels:
365(2015),
environment,
neighborhood walk,
San Juan Bautista,
vista linda,
walks
Thursday, August 13, 2015
San Juan Bautista Honors its Past
While I was walking around San Juan Bautista earlier this week, I kept coming across amazing things that showed how people and groups appreciate each other. For instance, the dedication of a bench to someone; the restoration of an old, old residence to its original look; and the display of a company's safety award within the community rather than at the company itself. Seeing all this made me feel good.
The Pico-Boronda Adobe on Fourth Street was built in 1840 by Rafael Pico, a Basque sheepherder. One of the four original adobes still standing in San Juan, it has been the home of the San Juan Bautista chapter of the Native Daughters of the Golden West since 1934. The Native Daughters restored the building in 1935. (Details from the San Juan Bautista Historic District Walking Tour pamphlet.) |
Located amongst the trees in the Carl Martin Luck Memorial Park is a concrete bench dedicated to Ann Baccala, who was a major figure the San Juan community. The plaque on the bench reads: "In memory of Ann Baccala who unselfishly gave her love, time, and devotion to the City of San Juan Bautista." |
Under the trees at Abbe Recreational Park is a concrete bench dedicated to Pimi Rodriquez, who was San Juan's public works chief for many years. I came across this 1993 article about San Juan in which the reporter wrote how Rodriquez worked without pay because of budget problems. |
Sitting at the edge of the baseball field in the Abbe Recreational Park is this beautiful plaque of a safety award that was presented to the Ideal Cement Company in 1960. The company operated a cement plant and quarry in San Juan Canyon from the 1920s to the 1970s. (Details from the San Juan Bautista Historic District Walking Tour pamphlet.) |
Labels:
365(2015),
buildings,
history,
landmark,
local people,
San Juan Bautista
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
The Luck Museum and Jim Jack's Cabin
The Luck Museum, more formally known as the San Juan Bautista Historical Society Luck Museum, stands at the corner of Monterey and Third Streets in San Juan Bautista. The museum is open by appointment. Check out the San Juan Bautista Historical Society website for contact information.
The museum was originally a gas station owned by Carl Martin Luck. The building and the grounds, which is today the Carl Martin Luck Memorial Park was donated to San Juan Bautista by Franchesca Luck, his daughter, in 1974. The historical society plans to restore the building to its original 1930s design.
For more about the museum, check out this article recently published in the Mission Village Voice.
During the late 19th Century, a Chinese man named Jim Jack lived in the one-room cabin that stands behind the Luck Museum. Its original location was on Mission Vineyard. Jim Jack was known as The Mustard King for his work of clearing wild mustard from the grain fields in San Juan Valley and selling the mustard seeds to French mustard manufacturers for big money.
According to the stories I've read, Jim Jack was a generous man who bought flour, potatoes, and other provisions to give away to people in need in San Juan Bautista. He also bought many bags of candy that he gave to children.
To learn more about the man, check out this article by Martin Cheek in The Gilroy Dispatch, as well as the story on page 2 in the September 2011 San Juan Bautista Historical newsletter.
Jim Jack's Cabin in the Carl Martin Luck Memorial Park. |
Labels:
365(2015),
history,
local nonprofit groups,
local people,
San Juan Bautista,
signs
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Random Shots of San Juan Bautista
This whole week is all about San Juan Bautista. Here are some random photos from my walk this morning. See you tomorrow.
Monday, August 10, 2015
San Juan Plaza
This week, I shall be featuring random digital art photos of San Juan Bautista. That sweet old mission town. Today, you're looking at the Castro-Breen House in San Juan Plaza, an original Spanish-era plaza.
Do you like ghost stories? Check out this article from the Hollister Free Lance about some of the ghosts of San Juan Bautista. The stories scared me so much I couldn't finish the article.
Labels:
365(2015),
history,
San Juan Bautista,
vista linda
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