The SBC Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade!

It was a perfect summer evening for the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade. Geri Johnson, retiring Hollister City Clerk, was the Grand Marshal of the parade that kicks off the 82nd annual event at Bolado Park this weekend.

The parade had horses and rodeo royalty, community figures and groups, school kids and youth groups, singers and bands, and more. Here's just a sampling of the participants.

I'm sharing this post at Friday My Town Shoot Out, a new meme for me. Every week participants post photo around a theme, which this week is the color red. And, there was a lot of red in yesterday evening's parade.  Click here to check out posts from bloggers around the world.

Waiting for the SBC Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade

People started putting out their chairs before 10 a.m. for this evening's annual San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade. The parade will begin at 6:15 p.m. It will start at the south end of San Benito Street and march through the center of Downtown Hollister, ending at Fifth Street.

The 2014 SBC Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade

Along McCloskey Road

It's Nature Footstep's Digital Art Meme today. Click here to check out digital artwork by other participants. 

By the way, here's the original image:

Thrills Galore at the Hollister Airshow

This past weekend was the annual Hollister Airshow with amazing aerobatic pilots, fighter jet pilots, and motorcycle stunt riders. The Husband and I also saw displays of vintage aircraft and cars, as well as remote-controlled model airplanes. There are no words that can express the awesomeness of what went on. So, here are some photos for you.

Today, I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday. Click here to check out posts from participants from around the world.

A Field of Bell Peppers

I spotted another Ag in Classroom sign on McCloskey Road. This one is for the Filice Farms. To see more signs that honor our local farmers, check this link.

Today, I'm linking up at Monday Mural, hosted by Oakland Daily Photo. Click here to see what murals other bloggers around the world are sharing.

A Sunday Flashback: Waiting for the Bus

When I was a first grader in 1960, I had to wait for the bus at the corner of Shore Road and San Felipe Road, across from Dunneville Market, in front of old rumble-tumble abandoned buildings. A lot of times I was by myself. It could get pretty spooky for a kid with a crazy imagination.

Flying to Church

It's the Sacred Heart Church steeple. For another view, click here.

Vintage Cars

Every now and then I see a pretty nifty old car or truck parked or going down a street in Hollister. If I could have one, I'd like a 1950s Ford pick-up truck, because my dad once owned one and I enjoyed hanging out in the back as he drove along. Yup, those were the days.

If you're into old cars, check out the Hollister Airshow this weekend, where there will be a vintage car display. And, on July 18, 2015 is the annual Hollister Street Festival, Car Show & Swap Meet.

The Attitude of a Reflected Image

Check out the reflection of the Veterans' Building in the windows of the Attitudes & Images Salon on San Benito Street. You might say that the reflected image has a pretty cool attitude.

Hey!

Pun intended. He-he. Or, should I exclaim, "Hay!" 

It's Nature Footstep's Digital Art Meme today. Click here to check out digital artwork by other participants. 

And, should you be curious, here's the original image:

The T-Rex on San Felipe Road

The T-Rex, as well as his companions, have been held at bay with let us hope very strong chains along San Felipe Road. Brrrrrrrrooooooowwwwwllllllll! 

They are the Swank Farms' dinosaurs. Come October, they will be resting in the corn maze awaiting the humans. Brrrrrrrrooooooowwwwwllllllll!

Today is Our World Tuesday, and that's where I'm parking myself today. Click here to check out other participants from around the world.

Another Utility Box Mural

The utility box on the corner of San Benito and Fifth Streets now wears a fun mural honoring the biker history of Hollister. It's the third of five utility boxes that are part of a mural art project funded by the City of Hollister.

The murals are painted by local artists Joel Esqueda and Roland Resendiz. Each utility box sports a theme that represents the culture and history of Hollister and San Benito County. Click here to see two other utility box murals already completed in Downtown Hollister.

If you're interested in learning about Hollister's biker history, click here.

I'm participating in Monday Murals, hosted by Oakland Daily Photo. To see other murals from around the world, click here.

A Sunday Flashback: The Man-in-the-Moon Swing

Once upon a time, the playground on top of Park Hill featured a very cool swing that I knew as the Man in the Moon. As teenagers, my friends and I would go up there and take a turn on the swing. Of course, when no children were around. Round and round I went as I swung back and forth. . . .

The photo was taken in the late summer of 1973. It was the last hoopla around Hollister for my best friend and me before we left for college, after two years at Gavilan. She to San Diego and I to San Francisco.

What fond memories of once-upon-a-time come to your mind right now?

The Mural Behind the Sports Posters

The next time you sit on the patio at the Third Base Burger Bar on San Benito Street, check out the mural on the wall behind the sports posters. This beautiful mural, titled Fruited Plains, was painted seven years ago by art students at Gavilan College under the direction of Dr. Arturo Rosette. To read more about the mural, as well as see additional photos of it, please click here.

The Fruited Plains mural in Brown Alley.

More than Just a Banner

A banner announcing a big-time coming event above San Benito Street is one of the things that reminds me, again, how Hollister is a friendly, sweet, and inviting community.

The 2015 Hollister Airshow

This year the spectacular Hollister Airshow will be on Father's Day Weekend again—June 20 and 21—at the Hollister Municipal Airport.

Aerobatic pilots Vicky Benzing, Spencer Suderman, and others will take to skies and perform such amazing death-defying maneuvers as loops, rolls, spins, and upside down flying. And, Kevin Walker of Fox 3 Jet Warbirds will demonstrate the power of a former jet trainer that was used in the Romanian Air Force. Among others scheduled to perform are pilots flying P-51 Mustang fighters and other warbirds.

Performing on land before the audience will be Jason Pullen and his colleagues, some very amazing motorcycle stunt riders.

The air show will also feature a display of historic and experimental aircraft, as well as a vintage car show. This year, it will have several kid zones that include a rock climbing wall, water rollers, a parachute rocket, and more.

The air show will have a raffle of terrific prizes including ground and flight lessons, tandem skydiving, a glider ride, and radio-controlled drones. The prize drawing will be on Sunday. Organizers say you don't need to be present to win.

For more information about the 2015 Hollister Airshow, visit its website or Facebook page.

Swelling in Hot Weather

Monday afternoon got outrageously h-o-t! in Hollister—103 degrees! That's very unusual for us. Fortunately, the temps went down 10 degrees within the hour when the winds picked up. Also strange in my book.

I'm participating in Nature Footstep's Digital Art Meme today. Click here to check out contributions by other participants.

By the way, here's my original photo:

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Mary Poppins is coming to Hollister!

The musical play, that is. The San Benito Stage Company will be presenting it in July at the Granada Theater.

It's Tuesday and that means Our World Tuesday. Click on the link to check out other participants from around the world.

San Jose Train Station

The San Jose Diridon Station on Cahill Street is a hub for both Amtrak and Caltrain. One day, BART will reach there. Yesterday morning, the Husband and I were sitting at the station waiting for my godmother to board the train. I was excited just sitting there, wishing I was going off on a train somewhere. Riding a train makes me feel like I'm on a grand adventure, even if it's just up to San Francisco and back.

I've probably ridden the train less than 10 times in my life so far, but I think it's the most civilized way to travel. Get on, find a seat, enjoy the scenery, chat, read, nap, enjoy the scenery, and get off.  No hassle of traffic jams, tailgaters, and aggressive (or timid) drivers. Too bad Hollister no longer has a train station.

Above Riverside Road

The last of the fog breaks over the hills above Riverside Road. Yet another short country lane to ride bicycles. It's only a few miles west of Downtown Hollister.

Best Road

Best Road is a short country lane outside of Hollister that connects John Smith Road to Airline Highway, also known as Highway 25. It's a fun loop of a bicycle ride.