Joshua Inn Bed & Breakfast

Want a great place to stay while visiting Hollister, San Juan Bautista,  Pinnacles National Park, and the surrounding area?

Check out the Joshua Inn Bed & Breakfast at 712 West Street in historical downtown Hollister, only two blocks from main street, aka San Benito Street.

Joshua Inn, owned by Tricia and Greg Harvey, opened last summer. It's a gorgeous, happy yellow Queen Anne built in 1902. It was designed by the infamous California coast architect William H. Weeks and constructed by local builder Edward J. Sparling, according to The Historic Downtown Walking Tour booklet by Sharlene Van Rooy. The original owner was Judson Hamilton, who owned a harness and saddle shop in town.

Right now, the B&B has four bedrooms available. Wouldn't you love to stay in that tower? For more information online, check out the inn's Facebook about page.

San Juan Bautista

Have you taken more than a glance at the cool sign in front of Windmill Market in San Juan Bautista? It most definitely tells the truth.  

San Juan Bautista is about 7 miles west of Hollister. If you're driving south on Highway 25 from the 101 exit, you would turn right at the traffic light where 25 intersects with Highway 156. It's a nice drive through San Juan Valley to the second largest city in San Benito County. In 2012, its population was about 1,900. If you love very small cities, then take a stop in San Juan Bautista.

Some Websites to Check Out
City of San Juan Bautista: History
Old Mission San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista, California, USA
City-Data.com: San Juan Bautista

FYI: I'll be blogging about San Juan Bautista this week. Here's yesterday's post about The Cross on Pagan Hill.

A&W Restaurant

The root beer floats from the A&W on the corner of South & East Streets are delicious memories. One of these days, I'll give in to the A&W bear's invitation and see if the A&W's root beer float  tastes just as good as I remember.

A Nice Sign of the Times

Have you noticed this agricultural sign on the east side of the Highway 25 bend just north of Santa Ana Road?

I've seen another sign in San Juan Valley. I hope more signs will be popping up throughout our county.

A close up on the sign shows that it's from the Ag in the Classroom project sponsored by the San Benito County Farm Bureau.

Can't Believe Everything You Read

Thank goodness, it's not that cold!

By the way, Walgreens is now open.

One 'ell of a Law Firm

Lawyers! Many can't stand them. That is,  until one is needed. And, then, they hope they've found one 'ell of a lawyer.

The View from 5th & San Benito series
Click here if you want an answer to "Huh. Series?"

"The Plane, The Plane"

Who knows where this shop is in  historical downtown  Hollister? Who remembers what shop was there before it? (I don't know.) And, hmmm, who said, "The Plane, The Plane" and in what TV show?

The View from 5th & San Benito series
Click here if you want an answer to "Huh. Series?"

New Stores Coming Soon

Who else is surprised how quickly Walgreen's is going up at the corner of Highway 25 and Tres Pinos Road? When they first began construction, I could not see how a big pharmacy like Walgreen's could fit in that seemingly awkward space. When I saw the building the other day, I was  amazed at how big  it is.

 A Toy Store

Have you heard about Zeebee Toys near Staples? It's not open yet, but it does have a Facebook page. Check it out.

Available Parking on the Moon

As I was walking on East Street towards the Vet Building last week, I happened to glance up to see this alignment of the moon and the sign. Just imagine.

By the way, have you seen the moon the past few days? It has been full of light.  It'll be completely full tonight. And, it's a blue moon, too. No, it's not the second full moon in August. That interpretation of some long ago theory is incorrect. Check out this article if you want to read about what a blue moon actually is. 

Now, don't you want to hear the song "Blue Moon" now? Here are Julie London's version, the Mavericks' version,  and Harpo Marx's version.

Wordless Wednesday -- Gone Away

 

I'm having fun today and participating in a couple of Wordless Wednesday blog hops. Check out other participants, why don't you?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday @ The Jenny Evolution

Y is for Yummiliciousness

Yeah, I know. I could've just said yummy. But, hey, might as well put all that learning about suffixes to good use. Besides, the food at Heavenly Bakery is exactly that.

I've been going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Tomorrow will be my last day.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

X is for Xanthic

Xanthic? That means being of a yellowish color.

Just so you don't have to wonder, the preschool is not in that building.

Curious about the whereabouts of the sign? It's on the north side of Union Road as you approach San Benito Street.

I'm been going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Two more days left.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

S is for Schwinn

Most people who grew up in Hollister got a Schwinn as their first bicycle. And, most likely it was bought from Muenzer's.

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Want to read other blogs? Click here.

L is for Lido Hotel

Whenever I walk by Lido Hotel on East Street, I wonder what it looks like inside. Would I shudder in disgust or gasp a "Wow!" at a sight of ghostly splendor

I'm going through the alphabet this month as part of the A to Z Blogging Challenge.  Click here to check out some other A to Z Challenge participants.

The Railroad in San Juan Bautista

Until the Southern Pacific built the railroad in Hollister in the 1870s, San Juan Bautista was the bustling metropolis in this area. But, that's a story for another time. In 1907, a railroad did eventually come to the mission city. Originally run by the San Juan Pacific Railway, it became part of the California Central Railroad several years later.

An E Clampus Vitus plaque (the photo above) on Mission Vineyard Road (next to San Juan Inn) marks the southeast portion of the railroad. Here's what the marker states:

The San Juan Pacific Railway was incorporated May 4, 1907, becoming the California Central Railroad in 1912. Some of the locals referred to it as the San Juan Terrific. Built to haul the expected large quantities of Portland cement from the old Mission Cement Company Plant nearby, the mainline extended 7.94 miles from Chittenden to San Juan Junction. Ceasing railroad operations in 1930, the track was ripped up after the last locomotive, Ocean Shore No. 5 was steamed up and shipped to Nevada in 1937. A narrow gauge 'road' reached the limestone quarry up the San Juan Canyon.

February 25 to March 3 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: Trains and Railroads 

The Old Train Depot

The theme this week, February 25 to March 3,  is Trains and Railroads. . .

You can find this plaque, which was placed by two chapters of the E Clampus Vitus, in front of the old train depot at the east end of Fifth Street. It states:

Hollister Train Service

The Tres Pinos branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad began train service to Hollister on July 13, 1871. Train service was a main reason the population grew from 300 in 1870 to over 2000 by 1873. Besides passenger service, major commodities shipped have included hay, produce and beer. The final passenger excursion occurred on October 30, 1955. The depot, originally constructed in the late 1860's, was fully restored by the Rodriguez family in 1991. 

Today, the depot is home to a restaurant and a few other establishments. Click here to see a photo of how it looked in 1968. And, here's what it looks like a few years ago.

American Red Cross

Do you know where the local American Red Cross office is located?

The  Hollister American Red Cross office is part of the Monterey Bay Chapter.  The local office is at 357 Fifth Street, next to the City Hall. It's open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

February 11 to 17 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: Red in Downtown Hollister

Shop and Play Locally

The theme this week, February 11 to 17,  is Red in Downtown Hollister. Today, we'll see the red in  eating, shopping, and playing locally. Yep, indeed.

A sign in the window of DLG Printing at 435 San Benito Street.

Breakfast at the Pendergrass Restaurant, 500 San Benito Street.

The signature shopping bags of San Benito Bene at 615B San Benito Street.

The musical Spamalot will start this week at the Granada Theater.

A Vintage Sign

The Mobilgas Pegasus in the Cloud sign is a classic. Mobilgas (before it renamed itself as Mobil in 1963) introduced the red winged Pegasus in the 1930s. You can see the sign in its vintage glory at the historic village in the San Benito County Historical and Recreation Park. It's hanging on the outdoor wall of the first floor of the Ferrando House.

February 4 to 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: San Benito County Historical Park

What Direction?

One of these days I'm going to remember to look for this particular spot in Tres Pinos so I can read what the sign says on that building. I had no idea there was a sign until I was cropping this photo. I took it a few months ago, most likely for the fact that the steeple of the Immaculate Conception was peeking over the roof and the birds were flying by high above it.