Calavera Coffee

Yippieeee!

Hollister has a new go to place for a cup of rich, hand roasted specialty coffee. It's called Calavera Coffee, run and owned by local coffee guru Evan Morris. Today was his second day in business. As the Husband and I walked through the door, we were welcomed with infectious happy smiles.

Evan and his assistants serve coffee from Vertigo Coffee Roasters in San Juan Bautista and Cat and Cloud in Santa Cruz. You can purchase your latte, Americano, mocha, and other coffee drink to go or to enjoy in the patio.

Calavera Coffee is located at 364 7th Street in downtown Hollister. It's in the cute grey house with the gorgeous garden that's home to The Garden Shoppe n' Bar, a fun loving plant boutique and wine and beer bar established by another local entrepreneur, Marci Huston.   You can't miss the red and white awning in the front to tell you that you have arrived.

Currently the coffee bar is open Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to noon. As Evan and his assistants get settled in, they plan to stay open until 2:00 p.m. Visit Calavera's Facebook or website for updated hours.

Shimmering Yellow Mustard

Finally!

Mustard is growing in the empty field near the corner of Chappell Road and Santa Ana Road. The yellow mustard was practically glowing in the afternoon sun today.  Normally, by now, the mustard would be several feet high. Better late than never.

Hurrah for the rain!

Book Browsing for Book Lovers

Once upon a time, when I was a much younger thing, Hollister had the best bookstore around. It was called Henry's. (Or was the bookstore called Henry or Henrys? That's how long ago it was.) It was on San Benito Street in an old storefront a couple shops to the south of Fisher's Restaurant. The bookshop was run by Mr. and Mrs. Henry, a sweet couple, who had no problem with a much younger me regularly roaming the aisles and checking out random titles, without buying a thing. Ah, the yearning.

Today, Hollister doesn't have a bookstore, independently owned or a well-known chain store. Still, there are places in town for book lovers to browse for a good book or two for fun reading.

I know for sure that Target sells a small selection of new titles for adult and children readers. You can also find a few new books at Nob Hill and Safeway. Maybe Save-Mor, KMart, Walgreen's, and Rite Aid does, too.

The Farmhouse Cafe (615 San Benito Street, Suite D) has a smattering of cookbooks and food-related books for sale. The other day I noticed The Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Mayor and Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes on the shelves.

Next door at San Benito Bene (615 San Benito Street, Suite B) you can find a few books by local authors such as John Chadwell. The store also sells Hollister, a photo book about the history of our area by Joseph M. McMahon and Peter Sonne. While you're in the shop, be sure to check out the cute blank notebooks and journals for sale. A perfect gift for any writer of any age, novice or professional. (Hint, hint, you know who.)

As for used books, we have several sources in town for fiction and nonfiction books. Two places are nonprofit thrift shops. Forgiving Paws Thrift Shop (195 Meridian Street) is one such store. Another is Hazel's Thrift Shop (898 San Benito Street). It has a room called The Booknook in the back of the store. If you're into collectible publications, you can sometimes find some at Hazel's Treasures Boutique on Hawkins Street behind the thrift shop.

The Friends of the San Benito County Free Library resells used book donations. Often, you can find current titles among their offerings. This nonprofit group maintains sale shelves in the library next to the magazines. Hardbacks are $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents. You can't beat that price. 

This group also holds regular Saturday morning book sales behind the library on West Street. Currently their sales are monthly. The next one is Saturday. On March 11, 2017, from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact The Friends of the San Benito County Free Library for further details about future book sales.

Bloomingdale's in Hollister

It seemed that whenever a woman in a 1960s or 1970s movie wanted to go shopping in New York City, she went to Bloomingdale's. When I was a young thing shopping at Macy's in San Francisco, I wondered if that was what it would be like to shop in Bloomingdale's. That thought came to me the other day when I noticed again the Bloomingdale's container alongside San Juan-Hollister Road near the San Benito River.

I Spy . . . Delightfulness in Downtown Hollister

I spy with my little eye the darling window display in the ARTspace Gallery, 240 Fifth Street, in Downtown Hollister. It is part of the Joy of Art Soup Exhibition that features students from San Benito High School and Hope Services participating in the Life Skills Art Program. The exhibit continues until February 24, 2017.

Marching to the Dug Out

Have you seen the mural going up on the back wall of the Veterans Memorial Building? Be sure to take a quick peek when you drive by the building on East Street.

I Spy . . . Flowing Water

San Benito River by Southside Road

I spy with my little eye water in the San Benito River and in the Tres Pinos Creek. Thank you, rain!

Both the river and the creek are several miles south of downtown Hollister, far from the flooding that happened to the north of Hollister in San Benito County. Hopefully the levee in Pacheco Creek, which overflowed twice, will be fixed before the next downpour.

Tres Pinos Creek

By the way, during a heavy rain the Tres Pinos Creek flows across Southside Road. As of yesterday, you still couldn't cross the road there.  So, if you're going to the Suncoast Organic Farm Bakery today or tomorrow, you'll need to access it from the Hollister end of Southside Road.

I Spy . . . Bwak! Chickens. Kinda

I spy with my little eye cute chickens in a once-upon-a-time barn. . . except they aren't real chickens and the barn is now a bakery.

The  chickens are part of the delightful whimsical decor at the Suncoast Organic Farm Bakery on 6310 Southside Road in Hollister. Have you been there lately? It's about five miles south of downtown Hollister, on a back road parallel to Highway 25 (or Airline Highway, as we oldtimers like to say) The bakery is down a short driveway surrounded by orchards and loveliness.

Artisan breads, croissants, pastries, cookies, granola, soups, sandwiches, ice cream, and more are made at the bakery. The bakery has a patio for customers to relax and eat the goodies they purchase.  To see more photos of the bakery, please check out this post that I wrote last year.

The bakery is only open two days: Friday afternoons (from 12:00 to 7:00 p.m.) and Saturdays (from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

One more thing. Suncoast publishes its menus on its Facebook page. If you share the day's menu and mention it to the bakery's cashier, you'll get a discount on your bill. Nice, huh?

Window Shopping

I love looking into the window at  The Farm/Bertuccio's Market.  You never know what reflection you'll see.

Have you been to the farmstand recently on Airline Highway, just before the Union Road intersection? They now sell organic vegetables along with regular vegetables, eggs, dried fruits, apricot jams and syrups, artisanal olive oils, and other yummy packaged foods. And, when they're in season--fresh, local artichokes. Whooo-hooo!

I Spy . . . Low Clouds!

I spy with my little eye very low clouds crossing Sunnyslope Road.

Heads up!

I Spy . . . Raindrops and a Schoolbus

I spy with my little eye this morning happy raindrops and a happy yellow elementary school bus.

Didn't you love all the rain this morning? Hope there's a lot more on the way.

I Spy . . . New Hiking Trails!

I spy with my little eye a new place in Hollister with trails for hiking, horses, and bicycles. Whooo-hooo!

The place is called Mudstone Ranch, which is part of the Hollister Hills State Vehicle Recreation Area. Not to worry. This section of the park is dedicated to non motorized activities, meaning you won't come across any dirt bikes, ATVs, or other motorized vehicles.

Having opened this summer, Mudstone Ranch is located on Cienega Road, a couple miles north of the main entrance to the Hollister Hills SVRA. If you're traveling from the north on Cienega Road, you'll find Mudstone Ranch soon after seeing the Hollister Hills Barn.

Happy trails to you.

I Spy . . . a New Restaurant Opening Soon!

I spy with my little eye activity going on in the old Pendergrass Hotel at the southwest corner of San Benito and Fifth Streets.  The sign says that a new restaurant is going up. A little bit of research uncovered a Benitolink article written this past July about the upcoming Hollister House Bar & Grill.

The article stated that the owner hoped for an October 1 opening. That's okay. Hollister's ready when you are!

I Spy . . . a Dinosaur!

I spy with my little eye one of the Swank Farms' dinosaurs from the sky. Roarrrrrrrrr!

By the way, the Swank Farms' corn maze and pumpkin patch are now open until October 31, 2016. If you haven't yet, go check out the fun. Swank's is located on San Felipe Road, just north of the Hollister Airport. Look for the dinosaur. For more info, visit the Swank Farms website.

Soaring Above Hollister

Last Friday, the Husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary by soaring high above our fair city. Yup. Through Groupon.com, we purchased discounted tickets for scenic sailplane rides with the Bay Area Glider Rides/Hollister Soaring Center, located at the Hollister Airport. The local outfit has been offering scenic rides, soaring lessons, and glider towing services at the airport since 1993. About four or five years ago, it was purchased by Bill and Sharon, who are originally from Vermont.

Bay Area Glider Rides is the only operation in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas to offer glider rides to the public. Depending on the ride, you soar over 4,500 to 6,000 feet. Two of the scenic rides fly around San Benito County, while the third soars above Monterey Bay.

The sailplanes can accommodate two passengers, but the Husband and I purchased individual rides. The weight limit is 328 pounds for passengers, which uhm the Husband and I exceed. That was fine, more room in the back to sit.

For the Husband's trip, the sailplane was towed to the west, where Pilot Bill and the Husband glided above Fremont's Peak. I was interested in seeing what it looked like above the Diablo range, so that's where Pilot Bill took me.

Here's how ditsy I can be: I thought that the Central Valley starts immediately behind the Diablo Mountains. So, I was very surprised to see a narrow valley beneath the eastern side of Santa Ana Mountain, and that there were a couple other ridges beyond that valley.

Pilot Bill and Jake, one of the Bay Area Glider Ride employees, said it was a clear day for soaring. One of the best days in a long while. From the sailplane, Pilot Bill and I saw the San Luis Reservoir. I thought I could see the Sierras.

Another thing I didn't realize is how near we really are to the ocean. The Husband says that Hollister is about 23 miles from Monterey Bay as the crow flies. Caw, caw. 

Would I soar again?

Is Hollister the county seat of San Benito County?

I Spy . . . A Yellow Door

I spy with my little eye a happy yellow door around the middle of Downtown Hollister. Open the door at 615 San Benito Street and enter the Farmhouse Cafe, a restaurant that opened recently.

I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard many good things about it. Fresh local organic ingredients, friendly people,  and delicious food. What's not to like about that, right?

Farmhouse Cafe is open from Monday to Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check out the Farmhouse Cafe website to learn more about them.

I Spy . . . a Blimp

I spy with my little eye a blimp going across the sky.

That was yesterday afternoon. Actually the Husband and I heard it before we saw it and then it took me awhile before I thought about getting my camera. Better late then never.

What's Happening: Free Entry Days to the Pinnacles

Tomorrow, August 25, 2016, is the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service.  Happy Anniversary, NPS! 

To celebrate its centennial, NPS is offering free admission to its parks for four days, from August 25 to August 28. That includes our own Pinnacles National Park.  Whooo-hooo! Enjoy!

I Spy . . . A Lot of Fun to be Had.

I spy with my little eye so many possibilities of things to do in San Benito County.

Just today, the Husband and I headed over to San Benito Bene in Hollister to purchase our tickets for the Gourmet Roasted Chicken Dinner Take-Out Fundraiser on August 23, 2016, for the San Benito Olive Festival.  Yummmm. We also bought our tickets for the Downtown Beer & Bacon Crawl on September 17, 2016.  I saw on the tickets that the LTD Sedan & Limo Service is offering free rides that day. Trés cool!

What else?  Well, how about. . .

• hiking the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
• wandering around the Pinnacles National Park 
• exploring the various San Benito County wineries
• discovering the history of San Juan Bautista
• entering flower arrangements, crafts, baked goods, photos, and a whole bunch of other things at the San Benito County Fair
• hanging out at the Hollister Farmers Market
• playing golf at the Pinnacle Hills Golf Course, Ridgemark Golf & Country Club, or San Juan Oaks
• jumping out of a plane with Skydive Hollister above Tres Pinos
• driving the back roads and stopping here and there to take photos of the gorgeous scenery

And, lots, lots more. I could write a book. Maybe I ought to. What do you think?

I Spy . . . A Little Old Cute Airplane

I spy with my little eye a classic single-engine airplane proudly on display at the Frazier Lake Airport in Hollister.  Actually, I saw several sweet antique aircraft last month there.

Frazier Lake Airpark is a small, private airport several miles to the north of Downtown Hollister. It's located on Frazier Lake Road, off Shore Road.

On the first Saturday of the month (which is tomorrow, August 6, 2016), the airport has an exhibit of antique aircraft, such as the Cessna 180, Stearman, and Stinson, on its grounds. The display is free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For for information about Frazier Lake Airpark, check out its website.