Cutting Across the Field

There's nothing liking than taking a shortcut across a wet field. This is near the intersection of East Park Street and Highway 25. I saw mustard plants sprouting through the grass. Shouldn't be too long before yellow flowers will be blooming here.

Take 25 is participating in ABC Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and her friends. Today is the letter C. To check out other posts, please click here.

Veterans Memorial Building

The Veterans Memorial Building stands on San Benito and Seventh Streets.  How has that building figured in your life so far? Here are at least three for me:

• Long ago, I used to donate to the Red Cross blood drives that were held there.
• I have attended the annual Christmas balls hosted by the Filipino American Community of San Benito County.
• The husband and I have listened to the Christmas concerts given by the Watsonville Band.

It's the Wrong Way

Who or what went the wrong way? A bird? A flying squirrel?  A remote plane? A person's head?

Two Novels Featuring Hollister

The Octopus and There's Something in a Sunday are two novels that are connected to Hollister in some way.  Does anyone know of another fictional work that has part or all of its story based in our area?

The Octopus: A California Story by Frank Norris was the first title in his planned trilogy, The Epic of Wheat. Unfortunately, Norris died in 1902, a year after The Octopus was published. The story is about the conflict between California wheat growers and a railroad company. Norris based The Octopus on the events of a tragic dispute that took place between Hanford, California settlers and the Southern Pacific railroad in 1880.

Norris conducted research for his story in Hollister. One of the places in his fictional place was the Quien Sabe Rancho. For more about Norris, check out this 2006 article by Martin Cheek in the Gilroy Dispatch. 

There's Something in a Sunday, published in 1989, is part of the Sharon McCone series written by Marcia Muller, a thrilling storyteller. Sharon McCone is a private detective who works out of San Francisco. In this adventure, Sharon's case takes her to Hollister to investigate clues.

Unlike Norris' novel, Muller actually mentions Hollister and describes locations that many of you may recognize.

An Orchard Full of Yellow

One of the things I like about the winter rains is the beauty of the mustard that pops up all over the county. There's also nothing like the taste of wild mustard.