Glancing Through a Cranny

Sitting between the Juan de Anza House and La Cosa Rosa Restaurant on Third Street in San Juan Bautista is a cute little fenced-in garden. Sometimes wild chickens like to roost there. That's what got me looking through the fence when I took this photo. I heard the chickens, but I wasn't fast enough to take a picture of them. This wooden dude, however, was going no where. He reminds me of Paul Newman.

Today is Monday Mellow Yellows, and that's where I'll be.  Come check out other mellow yellows with me by clicking here.

Hollister Through an Artist's Eyes

Original painting by Pen King
The photo is courtesy of Cindy Mackie.

Okay, dear Take 25 to Hollister Readers, you certainly recognize this block in downtown Hollister. That's right. It's the east side of San Benito Street, between 4th and 5th streets. Isn't the painting beautiful?

This oil painting of Hollister is owned by Cindy Mackie, who bought if from Ebay about two years ago. She said that she plugged in "Hollister California" in Ebay's search box and Voila!

The painter is Pen King. Through Google, I learned that the artist was born in China in 1964 and is now based in the United States.  He studied at the Guangxi Arts Institute in Nanning and became a full-time professional artist in the mid 1980s. Pen King creates original-knife textured paintings and does custom commissioned work from photos. Click here to read an article about the artist. 

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing the painting with us.

An Elephant of a Branch

The magnolia tree (at least that's what I think it is) in the center of O'Neill Drive is humongous. But, I had no idea its branches were so thick and enormous. I wonder when the tree was planted.

Magnolia trees are native to Southeastern United States and can grow up to 100 feet tall. California doesn't have the rainfall that the South does, so the heartiest trees in the right conditions may reach 80 feet tall.

Click here to see a full shot of the evergreen tree on O'Neill Drive, which I took last March.

A January Sunrise in San Benito County

I saw the sun peeking through some clouds over the rooftops this morning. I sooooo lucked out.

Want to know what the sky looks like in other parts of the world? Check out Skywatch Friday.

You Don't See Many of These Anymore

"Look, look," I said to the Husband, as we approached the corner of San Benito and South Street. "Newspaper vending machines!"

I get excited when I see blue mailboxes, too.

I've gotten old.