Rising Mist in San Juan Valley

It's Wordless Wednesday. Click here to check out other posts with me.

For Sale -- One Door

If you like shopping for antiques and collectibles, then stop by San Juan Bautista, about seven miles west of Hollister. That's where this collectible -- or antique -- door is hanging.

Today is Our World Tuesday. Click here to see what bloggers around the world are sharing about their neck of the woods.

Drying Out

The other day I saw a bunch of crows hanging out in a tree around the corner from Vertigo Coffee in San Juan Bautista. The crows looked like they were trying to dry their feathers before it rained again.

By the way, Vertigo is a comfy, cozy place to hang out and sip a cup of coffee and eat some yummy croissants, pizza, and other food, rain or shine.
 

Finally Going Green

Thanks to last week's rainstorm, the hills and mountains are going green. Hurrah! This is a view of Santa Ana Peak (part of the Diablo Range) from Highway 25.

Overlooking the Gabilan Range

The Husband and I climbed up the tallest hill in the old mission city of San Juan Bautista yesterday to catch a wonderful view of the rainy day.

Today is The Weekend in Black and White. Click here to check out other b&w photos by bloggers around the world.

The Morning After

Yesterday's rainstorm was the best one in the longest time. It started raining around mid noon and was still steadily going at midnight when I nodded off to sleep. We could have more rain today. Hooray!

As I'm writing, clouds are sweeping across the Diablo range to the east of town. Lovely!

Today's link is Skywatch Friday. Click here to check out other parts of the world.

The Holiday Sparkle in Downtown Hollister

One of the lovely holiday traditions of Downtown Hollister is the sparkle, sparkle that brightens up San Benito Street at night.

Happy Holidays, One and All!

The View through the Vault's Windows

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Signs of San Juan Bautista

About seven miles west of Hollister is the second biggest city in San Benito County -- San Juan Bautista. In 2013, the U.S. Census estimated its population to be 1,922.  It's a quaint town to wander around, especially if you're into exploring California history. The city was named after Mission San Juan Bautista, the fifteenth in the chain of 21 missions that the Spanish Franciscan friars built between San Diego and Sonoma.

The grounds of Carl Martin Luck Memorial Library and the adjoining Carl Martin Luck Museum and Carl Martin Luck Memorial Park were donated to the city by Francisca Luck, the daughter of Mr. Carl Martin Luck, when she passed away in 1974. She stipulated in her will that the property be used for a library, museum, and park complex in honor of the memory of her father, who operated a gas station there. Today, the renovated gas station is the museum. 

Every holiday season for the past 30-some years, the city puts up its beautifully hand painted wooden icons along Third Street, the city's main street. Restored in 2010 by local artists, the icons honor the saints for which the California missions were named.

Along with its history, San Juan Bautista offers visitors a richness in art and theater -- El Teatro Campesiño is based here, as well as a variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy. To start your exploration, check out this online guide of San Juan Bautista.

Today, I'm linking up at Our World Tuesday. To see what's going on in other parts of the world, please click here.

Late Afternoon Light

I like how the late afternoon light looks in downtown Hollister as the sun makes its way home for the night.  It pays to look up and see buildings bathed in yellow light. This is the southern face of the once-upon-a-time Pendergrass Hotel on Fifth and San Benito Streets.

Today is Monday Mellow Yellows. Click here to check out how bloggers around the world feature the color yellow.

The Historic Path Below Old Mission San Juan Bautista

Below Old Mission San Juan Bautista is a short and easy walking path that overlooks the San Andreas Fault. We've been having some good rocking and rolling lately, by the way. Small healthy earthquakes in the threes and fours on the Richter magnitude scale to ease the tension of the fault. So, I hope.

Okay, back to the path which is actually a segment of the original El Camino Real that ran between the 21 California missions, from San Diego to Sonoma. You can access the path either by the stairs next to the mission or from the south at the end of Franklin Street. The path swings behind the mission and up to First Street by Casa Maria. Unfortunately, you are only allowed to walk part way on the path.

It's worth the venture, considering that you'd be briefly walking on the historic El Camino Real alongside the amazing San Andreas Fault as well as seeing some gorgeous views of San Juan Valley.

Changes

That's Sunnyslope School in the background. I attended Fourth and Fifth grades there several decades ago. I remember looking across the street and seeing a small house surrounded by fields. Parked on its driveway was one, maybe two, rusted 1930s vehicles. Those fields are now covered by a medical complex and a neighborhood.

Today, I'm checking out black and white photos from bloggers around the world at The Weekend in Black and White. Come join me by clicking here.

Waxing Gibbous Moon

This past week, the moon has been in a waxing gibbous phase. That means it gets lit more each day by the sun as it approaches Full Moon. And, that is tomorrow!

I took this photo on Monday by the Methodist Church on Fifth Street in Hollister. The word gibbous comes from the Latin word gibbosus, which means humpbacked.  What do you think? Does the moon look like it's a humpback?

Today is Skywatch Friday. Click here to check out how the sky looks in other parts of the world.

Appreciating Local Military Men and Women

Lined around the Veterans Memorial Building and nearby streets in downtown Hollister are signs honoring local U.S. military men and women currently deployed overseas. The signs went up this past Veterans Day.

I'm linking up at the weekly meme Signs, Signs. To check out posts by other bloggers around the world, please click here.

A Late Afternoon Flight Around Downtown Hollister

Today is Wordless Wednesday.

The Yuletide Trees in Hollister

Decorate a Tree was one of the wonderfully generous projects of the 2014 Lights on Celebration that took place last Saturday, November 29, 2014. More than two dozen trees were donated by Bourdet Christmas Trees and decorated by various non profit organizations, such as the Girls Scouts and the Friends of the San Benito County Library.

The Christmas trees were on display in front of the Briggs Memorial Building at the corner of Fourth and San Benito Streets. They were recently distributed to families in need within the community.

The 2014 Lights on Celebration is an annual event, sponsored by the Hollister Downtown Association.

Today, I'm linking up at Our World Tuesday. To check out blogs from other parts of the world, please click here.

Autumnal Mellow Yellows

Yellow leaves in the Fall. Of course, lots of them on the ground with red and orange leaves. But, yellow flowers in Autumn? Of course not. They pop up in Spring and Summer.

Wrong! Yellow daisies and yellow daylilies greeted me as I walked around the perimeter of the Sunnyslope Medical Center yesterday.

Today is Monday Mellow Yellows. That's where I'll be, checking out other posts featuring the color yellow. Click here to join me.

More Rain!

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain. That's two days in a row.  Yaaaaaaaay!

How good of a rain is it? Water is pushing the colorful dried leaves down to the storm drains!

If the weather forecasters are to be believed, it'll be raining over the next five days. Whooo-hooo! Maybe our drought won't be completely over, but this will certainly help!

Afternoon Shadows

Taking photos allows me to get my exercise in the fresh air. How else would I have ever seen the shadows on the corrugated metal building near the railroad tracks on Hillcrest Road?

Check out black and white photos from other bloggers around the world at The Weekend in Black and White.

Seeing and Hearing Autumn

One of the best ways to experience autumn in Hollister is to take a walk through the neighborhood just a block west of Downtown Hollister. You can see the colors on the trees and hear the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet.