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 . . . Low Clouds!

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

Heads up!

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.

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.

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 Sandwich Sign

I spy with the my little eye a billboard advertising sandwiches far beneath the near distant Santa Ana Peak.

I took this photo earlier this week from San Felipe Road as the Husband and I were slowing down for  the stoplight at Highway 156. A few days later, we went searching for the sign because I was curious: Who is selling the sandwiches?

We couldn't find the sign. Hmmmm.

I Spy . . . a Dancing Cactus

I spy with my little eye a dancing cactus on Fourth Street in San Juan Bautista. Actually, I saw quite a few cacti dancing over there that day the Husband and I were taking a stroll after eating breakfast at Vertigo Coffee. Giggle.

I Spy . . . Jerry Garcia?

I spy with my little eye Jerry Garcia walking down San Benito Street on Farmer's Market Day last week.

Just kidding.

It was the Husband. Giggle.

I couldn't resist. At a recent Relax! Grillin and Chillin' gig, featuring Moondance Band, folks kept coming up to the Husband and saying how much he looked like Jerry Garcia. Giggle.

Not anymore. Not since he got a haircut and a pacemaker.

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.

I Spy . . . an Old Coke Machine

I spy with my little eye a once-upon-a-time Coca Cola machine at the Ivancovich's cherry stand on Buena Vista Road. It's where you can wash any cherries that you just purchased and want to eat immediately. Who doesn't want to do that?

The cherry stand is open every day, from around 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. until the cherry season ends. The season doesn't last long, so get your fresh cherries soon. Yummm!

I Spy . . . Bongo Drums

I spy with my little eye bongo drums in the park on top of Park Hill.  Yes, you can play them. They make a pretty cool sound.

When Pigs Fly

One HUGE pig flew about Highway 25 on Monday. Hope it brought a lot of smiles to people.

Spotted: Sleepy Bear!

Come on. Doesn't that look like a bear's face in that pepper tree trunk? Maybe it's trying to wake up from its hibernation.  The Husband and I spotted it as we walked on Fourth Street in San Juan Bautista. giggle.

Egads, A Phone Booth!

This remnant of olden times (lol) stands on the southeast corner of Fifth and East Streets. I remember a phone booth being on that corner since I was a teenager many decades ago. This same one? I don't know.

Interestingly, the phone booth still has an attached phone book. Hmmm, I don't recall there being a phone.

I wonder what Superman would've done if this was only type of phone booth around. Giggle. 

Flamingos in Hollister!

Giggle.

Pink flamingos are perched at the corner of Fourth and San Benito Streets!

Soon, they and more of their friends will find their way to front yards around the county. Giggle.

Who are you going to call if it happens to you?

Call the Flamingo Busters, aka the Women's Club of Hollister!

By the way, if you'd like to have flamingos take over someone's front yard, the Women's Club of Hollister is at your service, too.

Window Reflections

What can I say? I like checking the window reflections while walking down San Benito Street. giggle. This is what I saw in one of the windows of Mars Hill Coffeehouse the other day.

From Open Fields to Blocks of Houses

This could be the last year that we see Spring in the fields east of Fairview Road, between Hillcrest and Sunnyslope Road.

The Santana Ranch development is in the works. Construction began on the southeast end in 2015. A few of the Anderson Homes are already up and ready for sale. According to the developer's website, it offers five floor plans. Interestingly four of the names reflect a seaside setting—The Carmel, The Monterey, The Cypress, and The Big Sur.

The fifth name is The Bixby. At first, I thought it was chosen to honor Lewellyn Bixby, one of the men who purchased the San Justo Ranch way back when. But, wouldn't there then be houseplans named for the other co-purchasers? You know, like  The Flint (for Thomas and Benjamin Flint) and The Colonel (for William Welles Hollister).  There are none. So, maybe The Bixby is named for the Bixby Bridge.

How did I get onto that subject?

Anyway.

When the construction is all over, 1,100 houses will be standing upon once was open fields. Let us enjoy the unobstructed view while we can.

From the archives: November 13, 2011

From the archives: February 18, 2011

Driving at Twilight

The Husband turned right from Highway 156 onto Union Road. I leaned out the window and the camera went Click!

Being Spontaneous

The last time the Husband and I were in downtown Hollister, we suddenly decided to pop into the Fifth Street entrance of the old Elks Lodge building, climb the three flours to the top, and walk down the other side of the building to exit on San Benito Street.

It's been awhile since we young old fogeys climbed more than one flight of stairs. Puff, puff, puff.

Alas, we couldn't complete our spontaneous plan. The glass doors at the top floor were locked. Oh well. The floor tiles up there are gorgeous as you can see.

By the way, we took the elevator down. Yup, an elevator, one of the few elevators in Hollister. Giggle.