I Spy . . . an Unlikely Pair of Friends

I spy with my little eye a palm tree and a pine tree in the parking lot of Hollister Super, a.ka. The Baler Market, on Third Street. The pine tree sits partly in the shade of its neighbor, the palm tree, while casting its own shadow on the palm tree's mighty trunk.

It's an interesting duo—the palm and the pine. But, not unusual. Check out this story of the palm and the pine trees that mark the center of California on Highway 99.

I Spy . . . Stripes of Different Hues

I spy with my little eye fantastic strips of pinks, yellows, browns, and whites on a eucalyptus tree next to the San Juan Bautista Library on Second Street.

Today I learned that the eucalyptus tree, the largest flowering plant, is a rainforest tree species. Poor tree must miss the coolness like us, humans.

I Spy . . . a Tree with Knobby Knees

Yup. That's right. I spy with my little eye a tree with knobby knees on Hawkins Street by the Hazel Thrift Store.

A Tropical Vibe

Close my eyes for a second. Feel the sun's warmth on my body. I can almost believe I'm in Hawaii, rather than traveling along Union Road looking towards the Gabilan Range. Sweet Aloha!

Wooden Lace

The trees across from the San Benito County Free Library were looking quite splendid in all their lacy glory in yesterday's rain. It won't be long before their branches are dressed in green.

It was a foggy day. . .

Kinda spooky, huh?

I wonder if the branches may be bearing blossoms now. I took this photo out the car window as the Husband was slowing for the stop sign at the corner of San Benito Street and Union Road.

Afternoon Reflections

The Husband and I were driving north on West Street when I noticed the trees' reflections in the windows of the San Benito County Administration Building. Do you think trees preen before their reflections like many of us humans do? Giggle. 

The Last of Autumn

This gorgeous old tree is slowly loosing its leaves. Just think, by spring it'll be wearing new sprouts. Amazing.

A Happy Goof of a Tree

Here's my giggle of the day. See if you can find it on East Street.  Until tomorrow.

Autumn Loveliness

Hope you take some time to enjoy the autumn colors between your Black Friday and Small Business Saturday shopping this weekend. This brilliant colorful tree is on the NW corner of Monterey and South Streets.

See you tomorrow.

A Very Striking Tree

Here is another handsome, and rather dramatic, tree that graces the front of the former Courthouse on Fifth Street.

See you tomorrow.

Standing Guard. . .Kind Of.

What's with all these tree photos, you ask?

Beats me. I'm simply walking along and bam! A tree shows its uniqueness to me. And, we have quite an amazing lot in and around Hollister, thank goodness.

This tree—some kind of conifer, which I want to say is a Monterey Cypress—hangs out in front of the San Benito County Tax Collector's Office on Fifth Street.

A Happy Palm Tree

Isn't that a gorgeous palm tree? It's huge, too. Quite huge. The Husband and I came across it as we were walking through Briggs Alley the other day. I like how it happily waves over the fences.

See you tomorrow.

See Dar Tree?

Okay, a bad pun. Seriously, have you ever noticed this very, very tall and beautiful cedar tree on Fifth Street?

Bertha Briggs (as in the Bertha Briggs Memorial Youth Center on Memorial Drive) planted the tree as a sapling in her front yard in the 1900s.  Sharlene of the San Benito County Historical Society said Mrs. Briggs brought the cedar sapling back from a trip to Lake Tahoe.

A Hollister native, Mrs. Briggs lived from April 3, 1874 to August 13, 1962. Her parents were Hollister pioneers William and Delia Johnson. Mrs. Briggs was known for her many wonderful community deeds, including donating generously to Hazel Hawkins Hospital and organizing the Girl Scouts and Women's Club in Hollister. You can read a bit more about Mrs. Bertha Briggs in the book Hollister by Joseph M. McMahon and Peter Sonne.

This is a Western Red Cedar tree, which is indigenous to Western North America. Experts say that this species can live over a thousand years old. Mrs. Briggs' tree is a baby. Wowza!

Handsome Old Oak Tree

This handsome oak tree—a blue oak, I think—hangs out in the parking lot in front of the Bolado Park Pavilion.  It's one of several mature oak trees throughout the park. I wonder how old it is.

Looking down into the oak tree.

Looking up the oak tree. 

See you tomorrow.

A Tree for a Tree

Lately, I've noticed the demise of long-time trees around town. That tree stump, for example, was on San Benito Street last week.  Neighbors on my street pulled out several handsome Italian cypress more than 20 years old because their roots were starting to disrupt the neighbors' water lines. The other day, I saw trees laying on their side in an orchard and wondered if the owners took them out because they couldn't water them.

Hopefully, the trees will be replaced with other types of trees or some kind of plant life that are drought resistant. We need plant life for the simple reason that they produce the oxygen we breathe.

Old Courthouse Sentinel

The old magnolia trees on Monterey Street next to the old courthouse make wonderful shade—delightful on very hot days like today. Look closely at the sturdy trunks of these handsome living things. See anything? This one, for example, looks like it might be a guard in stealth mode.

100+ Year Old Palm Trees in Tres Pinos

These very, very tall palm trees stand in front of the old Tres Pinos School, which today is a private residence. Designed by Frank Delos Wolfe, the building is a beautifully crafted example of California prairie architecture. The trees were planted when the school was built around 1915. Click here to see a photo of the old school 100 years ago.

By the way, generations of Tres Pinos School children left their marks on the trunks on the old palms. Some of them are still visible.