The View to the East from Vista Park Hill

Vista Park Hill is a curiously that rises above downtown Hollister by Third Street. It's a lone hill which the Calaveras Fault skirts along the west of it.  The other day the Husband and I walked up the hill, but this time instead of turning left, we went right to check out the county buildings and what was behind them.

Whoo-weee! Behold the peaks of the Diablo Range to the east of Hollister. 

Today, the letter P is being featured on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. Click here to read other P posts by bloggers from around the world.

More Rain, Please

It rained yesterday morning.  A light rain. But, enough to make the streets wet and to drive about with the windshield wipers on. Because we're in a drought, any amount of rain, however slight, is something for which to be grateful and happy.

Weather.com predicts a good chance of rain next Friday and Saturday. Think positively that it will pan out.

Tree Sculpture

Wow!

This amazing tree trunk is just one of the wonderful sights to see while walking around the downtown neighborhood.

Rain! Yaaaaaay, Rain!

The sound of rain in the streets, the drain pipes, the roof, and all over is a very welcoming sound and sight for us who are experiencing a severe drought. And, it's really splashing and dripping and splattering with happy gusto right now.

I thought it was just fog out there so when I finally looked out the window this morning, voila, wet sidewalk. I quickly went out the front door to get the newspaper and, of course, to take photos of the rain.

Thank you, Great Spirit of the Universe!

Can you see the rain drops?

Sunset Over the Gabilan Range

I took this photo from the San Juan Oaks Golf Golf last Friday. As the sun was setting, the moon was rising behind me.

I'm hooking up at Skywatch Friday. Please click here to see sky views from around the world.

A Rocky Hillside

This hillside on Lone Tree Road is riddled with rocks all the way to the top. It reminded me of the hillsides to the east of Lassen Volcanic National Park, in Northern California, that are landscaped with rocks, which had been spitted out of a volcano millions of years ago.

Seeing this hillside got me wondering if the rocks had hurled out of a long forgotten ancient volcano in San Benito county. What do you think?

I'm hanging out at Our World Today. Want to join me? Click here.

Rain, Rain, Please Come Our Way

No, it hasn't rained. I caught this reflection on San Benito Street during one of the rare showers back in Spring.  Just thought it would be nice to see some rain, even if in a photo.

Long ago, I read that weather comes in cycles of seven—seven years of heavy rains, seven years of drought, and so on.  If that's true, I hope this summer  is the worst part of the drought  for California and we see rain soon. Let us continue to hope, wish, pray, and dance for rain.

Hanging out at Weekend Reflections today. Come join me by clicking here.

Beyond

 I was back up on Cienega Road, again, enjoying the sights.

Hanging out at The Weekend in Black and White. Come join me, by clicking here.

Poetry in Motion

The fog was breaking up over the Gabilan range to the southwest of Hollister. Amazing, huh?

It's Skywatch Friday. Click here to check out what the sky looks like in other parts of the world.

California's Gold

Someone once told me that he knew I was a native of California because I described the summer hills as being golden. Not brown. Not yellow. But, golden. Because they are.

This golden scene is off of Airline Highway, also known as Highway 25, as in Take 25 to Hollister. It's just a few miles south of Hollister, in which you'll find none of those Abercrombie & Fitch's Hollister Co. stores. Thank goodness!

I'm hanging out at Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. Come join me by clicking here.

The Sky Has Fallen

If Chicken Little saw fog like this seemingly nestled on a hillside, would he have thought the sky had fallen?

Today is Skywatch Friday. Want to see what the sky looks like in other parts of the world?

Look What's Growing on East Street

This lone volunteer tomato plant is growing up through the sidewalk on East Street, right next to the tomato cannery. Ha!

I'm taking part in ABC Wednesday. This week is the letter "E" as in East Street.

Watch Out for Deer

On Sunday afternoon, the Husband and I took an out-of-town friend on a drive down some of the country lanes in our county. On Comstock Road, we came across a bunch of deer hanging out at the end of the road. Interestingly, the three males standing on the road were separated from the four females by a wire fence. The females were grazing on the grass. It looked like the males were saying to them, "You've got it going on."

As we drove closer, two males ran across the street and up the hill, while the third jumped the fence and  nonchalantly walked pass the females. The ladies? They stood their ground, munching away at the grass as they kept an eye on us.

Today, I'm hooking up with Our World Tuesday. Click on the link to check out photos and posts from other parts of the world.

Conserve Water!

As we go through this drought, some farmers will allow their fields to lay fallow and some homeowners will let their lawns go brown or die completely.  It's only common sense.

Yesterday, August 1, the emergency state regulation to restrict water use in California went into effect for 270 days.  To learn more about what that means for residents of San Benito County, read the article, "State Water-use Rules Allows $500 Fines" by Adam Breen at BenitoLink.com.

How's the Weather?

We've been having some interesting weather lately. Strong winds whooshing through. Mugginess in the air. And amazing cloud formations.  I saw this glorious cloud pattern above downtown Hollister yesterday at the street festival. Maybe rain is on its way.

A Gnarly Octopussy Tree

The trees in front of the old courthouse are definitely spindly and gnarly. I think it gives them character. This one makes me think of an octopus. What about you?

A Fleeting Moment

Do you recognize this section of Highway 156, between Hollister and San Juan Bautista? It's on the south side of the highway, near the turn off to Mission Vineyard Road.

Whenever I see this clump of trees, I think I'm somewhere like Lake Tahoe. Of course, the moment passes when the vegetable fields come into view. How about you: Are you momentarily transported to another place when you see a certain view in San Benito County?

Stop and Smell the Roses

It took a flat tire to get me to "stop and smell the roses" last week. Here's more of the scenery along Airline Highway, aka Highway 25, that I saw as I was walking my bicycle home. What other things have I missed on that stretch of highway between Enterprise Road and Tres Pinos School? How about palm trees? And, a yellow barn?

Aloha!

Did I take this photo in Hawaii or Hollister?

Pushing a bike with a flat tire along Highway 25 the other day allowed me to notice things I might not while whizzing by in a car or on a bicycle. There was that yellow barn, for example, and these palm trees one top of a hillside in Ridgemark. 

If Injured Plants Had a Say

I don't get why people have to carve out messages on trees, cactuses, and other plants. Do you? Plants are living creatures, too, just like us, humans. After all, they perform an essential role in our ability to live everyday.

This particular tree is on Fourth Street in San Juan Bautista. It actually looks like its hurt, sad, and a bit angry. If it had a say in the matter, would it agree to have been carved? Would it retaliate by sending word to all the trees and plants to stop making oxygen for those persons who maimed it?