A Sunday Flashback: Waiting for the Bus

When I was a first grader in 1960, I had to wait for the bus at the corner of Shore Road and San Felipe Road, across from Dunneville Market, in front of old rumble-tumble abandoned buildings. A lot of times I was by myself. It could get pretty spooky for a kid with a crazy imagination.

A Sunday Flashback: The Man-in-the-Moon Swing

Once upon a time, the playground on top of Park Hill featured a very cool swing that I knew as the Man in the Moon. As teenagers, my friends and I would go up there and take a turn on the swing. Of course, when no children were around. Round and round I went as I swung back and forth. . . .

The photo was taken in the late summer of 1973. It was the last hoopla around Hollister for my best friend and me before we left for college, after two years at Gavilan. She to San Diego and I to San Francisco.

What fond memories of once-upon-a-time come to your mind right now?

A Sunday Flashback: Not Too Long Ago

Once upon a time, not too long ago, a couple of horses grazed in that narrow field that ran alongside Black Forest Drive (north of Sunnyslope Road). These friendly horses shared the field with the gophers, bugs, birds, and other creatures that roamed the grass.

Today, construction is going on in that field. The last set of houses to be built in the neighborhood with the streets named after WWI battles and agreements, which went up in the late 1980s. Before the housing development? I remember an orchard as far back as the mid-1960s. Someone said a chicken farm was once there, too. And, before that? I don't know. Does anyone recall?

A Sunday Flashback: A Sign of the Past

I've always liked the sign "San Juan Gardens" that graces the side gate at Vertigo Coffee in San Juan Bautista. I like to imagine a donkey playing under the sign.

A Sunday Flashback: A Once-Upon-a-Time Bank

As you look at the photo, imagine it's the 1960s. A bank counter goes across the floor, which is parallel with the wall, just a few feet in front of the reflections on the floor. Equally spaced across the counter are teller windows and behind the windows are female clerks helping Bank of America customers.

Once upon a time that's what took place in this building on the northwest corner of San Benito and Fifth Streets. Bank of America built the building in the early 1930s.  Today, it's home to The Vault, which rents out the first and second floors for social and business events.

A Sunday Flashback: The 19th Century Fire Station

In 19th century Hollister, fire stations were known as hose barns and the new city had two of them. This was Hose Cart #2 and was located on Swope Alley, near Monterey Street.

A few years ago, this historic building was moved to the San Benito County Historical and Recreation Park in Tres Pinos.

To learn more about Hose Cart #2, check out this link.

A Sunday Flashback: The Mission Bells

NOT Mission San Juan Bautista in April, 2006,
but Mission San Antonio de Padua

Dear Readers, I'm introducing a new weekly feature called A Sunday Flashback today. Last week, I needed to go through my photo archive for Take 25 to Hollister and I was quite overwhelmed by the number of photos, as well as amazed at how some things around the county have changed just within the past 10 years.

Mission San Juan Bautista, for instance. Who remembers the bells being out in front of the church entrance? I don't, even while I look at the photo I took in 2006.

So, when did the change take place? In 2010, the mission went through another restoration and a bell wall was added to the church.

FLASH UPDATE: The husband has just informed me that the above photo is not of Mission San Juan Bautista, but of Mission San Antonio de Padua! He said that he'd always seen Mission San Juan Bautista as painted white, so he started looking back at all the missions we have visited. Thank you, Husband!

No wonder I couldn't recall Mission San Juan Bautista looking that way before 2010. So much for the the first Sunday Flashback. LOL!

This is definitely Mission San Juan Bautista!