The View through the Vault's Windows

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Signs of San Juan Bautista

About seven miles west of Hollister is the second biggest city in San Benito County -- San Juan Bautista. In 2013, the U.S. Census estimated its population to be 1,922.  It's a quaint town to wander around, especially if you're into exploring California history. The city was named after Mission San Juan Bautista, the fifteenth in the chain of 21 missions that the Spanish Franciscan friars built between San Diego and Sonoma.

The grounds of Carl Martin Luck Memorial Library and the adjoining Carl Martin Luck Museum and Carl Martin Luck Memorial Park were donated to the city by Francisca Luck, the daughter of Mr. Carl Martin Luck, when she passed away in 1974. She stipulated in her will that the property be used for a library, museum, and park complex in honor of the memory of her father, who operated a gas station there. Today, the renovated gas station is the museum. 

Every holiday season for the past 30-some years, the city puts up its beautifully hand painted wooden icons along Third Street, the city's main street. Restored in 2010 by local artists, the icons honor the saints for which the California missions were named.

Along with its history, San Juan Bautista offers visitors a richness in art and theater -- El Teatro Campesiño is based here, as well as a variety of shops and restaurants to enjoy. To start your exploration, check out this online guide of San Juan Bautista.

Today, I'm linking up at Our World Tuesday. To see what's going on in other parts of the world, please click here.

Late Afternoon Light

I like how the late afternoon light looks in downtown Hollister as the sun makes its way home for the night.  It pays to look up and see buildings bathed in yellow light. This is the southern face of the once-upon-a-time Pendergrass Hotel on Fifth and San Benito Streets.

Today is Monday Mellow Yellows. Click here to check out how bloggers around the world feature the color yellow.

The Historic Path Below Old Mission San Juan Bautista

Below Old Mission San Juan Bautista is a short and easy walking path that overlooks the San Andreas Fault. We've been having some good rocking and rolling lately, by the way. Small healthy earthquakes in the threes and fours on the Richter magnitude scale to ease the tension of the fault. So, I hope.

Okay, back to the path which is actually a segment of the original El Camino Real that ran between the 21 California missions, from San Diego to Sonoma. You can access the path either by the stairs next to the mission or from the south at the end of Franklin Street. The path swings behind the mission and up to First Street by Casa Maria. Unfortunately, you are only allowed to walk part way on the path.

It's worth the venture, considering that you'd be briefly walking on the historic El Camino Real alongside the amazing San Andreas Fault as well as seeing some gorgeous views of San Juan Valley.

Changes

That's Sunnyslope School in the background. I attended Fourth and Fifth grades there several decades ago. I remember looking across the street and seeing a small house surrounded by fields. Parked on its driveway was one, maybe two, rusted 1930s vehicles. Those fields are now covered by a medical complex and a neighborhood.

Today, I'm checking out black and white photos from bloggers around the world at The Weekend in Black and White. Come join me by clicking here.