Now We Lay Ourselves Down to Rest

It was bound to happen. I would take a photograph or two of one of my favorite local haunts as a kid—the Calvary Cemetery.

We moved next to the cemetery when I was a fourth grader. We lived on El Camino Paraiso. The English translation: The Heavenly Road or The Road to Paradise. I always thought whoever named the street had a wonderful sense of humor. Or, he was just perverse.

Since my deceased sisters were buried in the cemetery, my family visited it often. As I got older, I found myself pedaling my bike through the cemetery on my own. Where else could I find peace and quiet to think? Today, the remains of my dad and a few other relatives and friends of the family are also there. So, I continue to pop over now and then. I no longer live next to the cemetery, but it’s still only a few minutes away.

San Benito County has several cemeteries. Not such a big deal until I consider that the population was about 18,000 when I was a teenager, many years ago. Currently the population is around 56,000. Only three cemeteries may actually be in use, but what do I know. If you want to know more about some of the other cemeteries in this county, check out these links. Those interested in genealogy will be happy to know that some of these web sites provide a listing or database of the deceased.

• Calvary Cemetery serves the local Catholic Church parishes in Hollister and Tres Pinos.
• I.O.O.F. Cemetery belongs to the Oddfellows Lodge. I understand that many of the old-time county movers and shakers are buried there.
• San Juan Bautista (or Larios) Cemetery is up on a hillside, just outside of the village.
  
• Mission Cemetery at San Juan Bautista Mission is said to have over 4,000 remains of local natives (like in Indians) and Europeans buried there.
• San Benito County Cemetery is described as being a potter's field.

• Cherry Hill Cemetery is between Paicines and Mercey Hot Springs.
  
• Pinehill Cemetery is way down in the southern part of the county, in the Bitterwater area.
• San Benito County Cemeteries, is a list by ePodunk.com, which also provides directions to the places.
  

Veterans Day

Versaille. Somme. Verdun. Argonne. Trieste. Marne. Calais. Black Forest. Liege. Those are all names of streets in a Hollister neighborhood. I’ve often wondered why they were picked. They are also all names of cities and other locales where battles took place and treaties were signed during the Great War.

The Great War? Sure you've heard of it. The Great War took place in Europe between 1914 and 1918. Yup. World War I. Oh-oh, sounds like a history lesson coming on. It'll be brief.

This Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day. How many of you know that this holiday was originally observed as Armistice Day?

On November 11, 1918, the Allies—which were France, Italy, the British Empire, the Russian Empire, and the United States—signed a truce with Germany to end that Great War. Hence, Armistice Day.

People called that war the Great War because it was the largest, most devastating war up to then in history. Over 20 million civilians and military members were killed and another 21 million were wounded. Some teachers tell us we study history so that we can learn from our mistakes. Just what are we not getting right?

Until 1938, when Armistice Day became a federal holiday, the President proclaimed a national observance every November 11. In 1955, federal legislation was passed to change the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day. The reason was quite obvious—to honor the millions of veterans who had served in two more wars, namely World War II and Korean War. Since then, we have added to the veteran rolls, millions and millions more of men and women who had served in Vietnam, Persian Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and numerous other military conflicts. Thank you, all!

In Hollister, the local VFW branches will honor all military veterans from San Benito County with a parade through downtown. It'll take place at noon this Tuesday. Check it out, if you happen to be there.

If not, wherever you are on Tuesday, take a few minutes to reflect on all the courageous men and women who have served and are now serving in military services throughout the world. Also give pause to think about this thing called war, and another thing called peace.

Homecoming Parade

There’s a parade happening down San Benito Street this Friday afternoon. It’s the homecoming parade for Hollister High (officially known as San Benito High School).

Yep, lots of energy going on in this town this week. Big election (Hurrah for President-elect Obama!) and homecoming week. The JV and Varsity teams will be playing Palma High School, from Salinas, for their last home game.

FYI: The Hollister High varsity team is said to have the most unique mascot in the United States—the Haybaler or ‘Baler. I don’t know. I think the JV team’s mascot is rather matchless as well. It’s the Hayseed. To learn about how the ‘Baler mascot came to be, click here.

I haven’t been to a Hollister High homecoming parade in nearly 40 years. As a sophomore, I marched the mile or so of the parade barefoot as a bandaged up “Indian” holding an end of a blanket in which a fallen mate (made out of straw) laid. I was part of the Red Cross Club and we were pretending to be members of the opposing team who were clobbered by the ‘Balers. The other team had some kind of Indian mascot. I’m sure it didn’t make sense then either.

Ah, the memories. Anyway, if you happen to be in downtown Hollister this Friday, stay around for the parade if you can. It'll start at 2 p.m.

Hey 'Balers!

The Best of Bests Awards

The Pinnacle News published the results of its best of bests in San Benito County survey—aka the "2008 Pinnacle Awards"—last Friday. Click here to learn about the restaurants, stores, services, places, and events that Pinnacle News readers thought were the best.

The Fruited Plains Mural

The next time you’re wandering in downtown Hollister, stop by Browns Alley. It’s on the west side of San Benito Street, between Sixth and Seventh. Right across from the Veteran’s Memorial Building, if you need me to be exact. And if you need to have even more precise directions, click here for those coordinates.

There, in Browns Alley, on the side of the historical Grangers Union Building, you can view a truly awesome mural that celebrates the agricultural heritage of Hollister, San Benito County, and, for that matter, the whole state of California.


The mural was painted by students from the Gavilan College Art Department, under the direction of Muralist and Gavilan Art Instructor Arturo Rosette (also known as the artist r2row). It was completed this summer.

Because of the narrowness of the alley, it was difficult for me to get the full effect of the mural. The best view, I think, is from inside Knife and Fork, while sitting and sipping a cup of coffee.

There are several murals to view in Hollister. For another downtown mural, click here.

Pedaling around San Benito County

One of the first things that hubby Dick and I did after moving down to Hollister was to buy ourselves beach cruiser bicycles at Muenzer’s, which is the oldest sports shop in town. Hey, I can imagine I'm heading to the beach. :-)

Sometimes as we're riding around, we hear a guy call out to Dick, “Cool bike!” The guy can be a young geezer or an old lad. I think it's something to do with the manly flames on his bike. Now and then I get a middle-age gal say, “Cute bike.” And I know she's just taken herself back in time to when she was pedaling away on her precious pink bicycle.

Whenever we can, Dick and I hop on our cool and cute bicycles to do errands or to just tootle about for fun and sun. Our longest cruise has been to and from Tres Pinos. We think about going to San Juan Bautista, Dunneville Corner, to the end of Lone Tree Road, and other places around the county.

Since gas prices have gone up, we’ve noticed more people on bikes. Maybe with more bicycle lanes, even more kids and adults will choose to pedal to the store, church, library, wherever. Now, that’s a nice segue to the fact that the San Benito Council of Governments (COG) wants and needs public input into what the county Bikeway and Pedestrian Master Plan should look like.

If you'd like to put in your two cents about this plan, you can take a survey online at COG's web site. There’s a deadline on the survey that has come and gone, but since the Hollister Free Lance reports that COG is still seeking public opinion, I’d say go ahead. If you don’t want to assume, which is probably a good idea, then e-mail or call COG about the survey.

As a reward for taking the survey, you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a $100 Target gift card. Who couldn't use that? If I win, one of the things I would buy is a bicycle bell. Ding. Ding.

If It’s Saturday, It Must Be Farm Day

We live in an agricultural area where some organic produce is grown. Yet, when Dick and I moved to Hollister five years ago, one of the things I really missed about living in the big city area was being able to buy organic produce year round. Ironic, isn't it?

Between May and late August, we are fine. The local farmer’s market comes to downtown Hollister every Wednesday afternoon. It’s a small market, which seems to get smaller each year. The unfortunate thing about farmer’s markets is that the cost of fruits and vegetables are higher than in the stores. I think it’s worth paying the extra pennies for lettuce, tomatoes, squash, onions, potatoes, apples, artichokes, and so forth to feel, smell, and taste them the way that they are created to be.

A couple of winters ago, we learned that the Pinnacle Farm (aka Phil Foster Ranch) in San Juan Valley opens it farm stand every Saturday morning. FYI: Pinnacle Farm sells its certified organic produce to Whole Foods Markets. The farm stand is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's located on Duncan Avenue, between Bixby Road and Lucy Brown Road. For specific directions, click here.

We go this farm stand almost every Saturday, throughout the year. Early or late, it doesn’t matter. The produce is fresh. If some things are low, just ask, and they’ll replenish the stock if they have more on hand.

I wrote a note back in September that we had bought potatoes, onions, garlic, yellow cauliflower, watermelon, cilantro, carrots, apples, zucchinis, and a few other things for just over $20. I would've spent much more for the same amount, if I bought the food at Whole Foods in Monterey or San Jose or at the Staff of Life in Santa Cruz.

There are a few other farm stands just outside of Hollister. Along with produce, which may or may not be certified organic, they sell other food products. Swank Farms and Casa de Fruta also offer fun activities for kids and adults to do.

• Bertuccio's Fruit Stand
• Swank Farms
  
• Casa de Fruta

Today is Saturday. We’re off to the farm.

Maverick BBQ Restaurant and Lounge

If you’re drooling for some delicious, slow-smoking BBQ the next time you’re in Hollister, I’ve got the place for you. The Maverick BBQ Restaurant! Most times, when Dick and I need a BBQ fix, we head there. We like the light, but rich BBQ-y, taste of the meats. To put it another way, the meats don’t taste greasy or feel heavy in the tummy afterwards.

The Maverick has been around since 2004. It’s located in the former train depot, at the end of Fifth Street. You can eat your BBQ in the restaurant or lounge (the bar), or order take-out at the window. The Lounge is also where we like to go when we want to drink a martini or some other drink that’s not a margarita. The bartenders make a drink worth coming back for. It’s a good thing we don’t drink much anymore. The restaurant part is at the north end of the building, while the lounge is on the other side of take-out window.

New owners took over the Maverick this summer. I didn’t think it was possible to improve on the best. But, hey, they did! The tri-tip is more moist, the pork ribs have more meat. The garlic bread, beans, coleslaw, and potato salad—Oh, my! They all taste better. More oompfh. Sorry, former owners.

The portions are still huge. Dick, my mom, and I share a two-meat combo take-out dinner, usually the tri-tip and pork ribs combo. The order comes with beans, garlic bread, and your choice of coleslaw or potato salad. We go with the coleslaw and ask for a pint of potato salad. Depending on how huge an appetite Dick and I have, we may or may not have leftovers.

The downside about the restaurant is that if we want to eat BBQ on Monday or Tuesday, we can’t. (Well, we could, but why should I spend hours cooking for a mediocre result.) Maverick is open from Wed to Sun for both lunch and dinner. The new owners have expanded the menu to include other delish items. Here are the links for their menus:

• Lunch
  
• Dinner
  

For a review of Maverick by others, check out either of these links: Yelp and Yahoo Travel.

For reviews by yours truly of other restaurants, check out: Progresso Tamale Parlor and Happy Cafe.

(Thank you, Dick, for checking my grammar.)

A little bit of thunder and rain. Yippyy!

A loud Ka-POW! woke me up early yesterday morning.

“Is that thunder?”

Dick reassured me it was. I was happy. It has been a long while since I had heard something like that.

A few seconds later, I heard a steady beat on the roof. “Is that rain?”

“Yes,” said Dick. “Rain.” Deliriously joyed, I fell back to sleep.

Unfortunately, the next time I woke up, the day was brightly shining. The ground and pavement were wet so that was good. Needless to say, the plants were happy, happy.

You bet rain is a big thing. We're going through a d-r-o-u-g-h-t, again. Normally, the rain would’ve stayed throughout the whole weekend and maybe even into the following week. For now, we look at the billowy clouds with hope.

The 25, The Bolsa—Same Difference

The route into Hollister from the north is via the two-lane Bolsa Road. California State Highway 25, to be more precise, says hubby Dick. That, I suppose, is a difference between having lived here as a kid and now as an adult. Also the difference between being an old-timer and one fresh-off-the-highway. You say "Highway 25," I say "Bolsa Road." Potay-toe, po-ta-tah. Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-tah. By the way, there are tomato fields on the Bolsa. Not the road, but the area.

Bolsa is the Spanish word for pocket. No doubt it comes from Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe, of which the route and surrounding land were part during the once-upon-the-time of Spanish and Mexican dons. I've read that this pocket of land was known for its swamp, willow grove, and ravine. During heavy rains (remember those?), Bolsa Road can get so flooded that it has to be closed. That can be maddening when you need to get in and out of town, but still the flooded plain is a beautiful sight to behold.

It's 12 miles between Hollister and Highway 101 by way of the Bolsa. Twelve miles out to the real world. Twelve miles back to living far, far away. I’m not kidding. When movers from the Bay Area drove our belongings here, they panicked at the instant sight of no buildings, no freeway exchanges, and no sound walls as they turned onto the Bolsa. One mover called his honey and said he was half-way to Los Angeles.

On the Bolsa, you drive 12 miles of flat land, first viewing row crops, next cows out standing in their fields, and then row crops again. As you get closer to Hollister, you see a few orchards too. And, yes, there used to be a lot more orchards and on both sides of the road.

Being older and having lived for many years of adulthood out in the real world of freeways and noise, tall buildings and noise, urban crowdedness and noise, I appreciate the drive through space that is the Bolsa to seemingly far, far away of Hollister. Who knows how much longer this luxury of nothingness will last. Just within the past five years different developers tried putting up an Indian casino and a Sun City along the Bolsa. There’s still talk about building a brand-new town on the Bolsa, nearer to highway 101. I don’t even want to try to imagine it.

Progesso Tamale Parlor

The Progresso Tamale Parlor on Third Street is definitely a part of Hollister’s history. It has been around since 1939. For many old-time and once-upon-a-time locals, it is the restaurant to go to for Mexican food. For me, it was the first sit-down restaurant that I ever dined at. I was probably in sixth or seventh grade. My brother was taking my parents and me out—his first treat, of many.

Being a rather shy kid who stressed out when in public, I don’t remember much of that first restaurant outing, other than small tables, night fall, and lights that reminded me of Christmas (maybe it was around Christmas). Last Saturday, after a fun day at the county fair, Dick and I decided we’d eat at Progresso. All I can say is: What took me so long (over 40 years) to go back to eat there?

Right off, we got a basket of chips and salsa. My first chip was a flour one. Nice surprise. Never had that before. Several chips later, I came across a corn one. How cool to have both. The salsa had just the right amount of heat.

I ordered the chile relleno dinner, one of my standards for testing out new restaurants. The dinner came with rice, beans (refried or whole), and either salad or soup. The choice that night was cactus soup. Dick’s order was a combination of chile relleno, cheese enchilada, and beef taco. A lot of food, but he managed to polish all but a bit of rice.

The cactus soup was double yummy. The beef broth was rich and tasty with cactus bits in every spoonful. I’ll be sure to have that again. The refried beans were the kind I like. Thick and flavorable. They would be perfect to wrap in a tortilla and then deep-fry. I don’t normally like the rice that comes with a Mexican meal. It usually tastes bland and I think it shouldn’t because it’s red. Progresso's rice was yummy. To top it off, the cook had put a black olive on top of the rice. That made me feel warm and comforted. Black olives were treats when I was a kid, and my Auntie Virginia always put black olives in her tamales.

The chile relleno was mild, did not ooze of cheese, and tasted more of the egg batter than the chile itself. The dark sauce, my favorite part, reminded me of my Aunt Virginia’s cooking. The chile relleno was not one of the best ones I’ve ever eaten, but I would order it again if I’m in the mood for a chile relleno when I’m at Progresso.

Yup. I’ll be going there again, and I won’t wait another 40 years to do so. I have heard raves about their tamales for years. That’s next up to try.

Be sure to check out the Progresso web site. Along with seeing a menu and reading about its history, the owners posts recipes for tamales and other foods.

For another Hollister restaurant review, check out: Happy Cafe.

Hanging Out at the County Fair

A pocket holder for band-aids from Hazel Hawkins Hospital.

A yellow rubber stress reliever from the Seniors Council.

A box of cute note cards, by students of San Benito rural schools, from the E Cubed Foundation.

Trail maps of Henry W. Coe State Park http://www.coepark.org.


Six raffle tickets for a hand-made quilt fundraiser by the Community Pantry.

Those were a few things that we brought home from the San Benito County Fair. That and a cozy feeling of being relaxed and protected from realities, even when passing by the NRA, the Democratic and Republican parties', and the various law enforcement booths. It was ironic, though, that no one was manning the bank booth when we passed by.

I didn’t bring home an honorable mention ribbon like I had hoped. Qué bummer. Maybe next year, I’ll enter different crafts and flower arrangement categories to expand my chances for a ribbon.

There was quite a lot of good stuff to see, especially among the children’s entries. My favorites were

. . .the vegetable animals

. . .the flag made of marshmallows

. . .the white chick who reminded me of Phyllis Diller

. . .the ceramic piggy and the real piggy named Oreo

. . .the cake made in the shape of a ladybug

. . . the humongous pumpkins

. . .and these two gentle horsemen!

Wanted: Rain!

On Friday, we had a rare sighting—potential rain clouds!

On Saturday morning, we woke up to a rare sound—rain!

The news reported about an 1/8 of an inch of rain for Hollister. Hardly enough. But it’s a start. And we hope that is what it is!

For a great local resource for water conservation, check out Water Resources Association of San Benito County. The nonprofit organization offers rebates to folks who buy water efficient washer-dryers, toilets, and other things. They also perform free assessments of leaks and such for residents.

The San Benito County Fair

The San Benito County Fair will be this weekend. I’m ready to go!

It’s not an annual thing for me, but I like to go now and then. I enjoy wandering around the commercial exhibits and picking up freebies, as well as Ooh-ing and Wow!-ing as I gaze at the arts, crafts, food, and plant entries. Checking out the goats, chickens, pigs, and cows in the livestock pens is fun, too. I would love to raise a few chickens and a goat or two. To check out the Fair schedule, click here.

The last time we went to the fair, Dick and I each paid a buck to see The Strange Thing. It was a creepy, shriveled looking thing called the Chupacabra. Yuk! The buck was well worth it though. Not because we saw something strange and mysterious, but because we got to travel through a time warp and feel like kids again waiting to be surprised and coming out of the tent cracking up at ourselves for giving up our dollars so easily.

This year, I’ve entered something in the fair. Actually three things in the novice division of the photography category. Hee-hee. First time I've ever entered something in a county fair, and I've always wanted to do so. (Thanks Linda B. “Lady in Red” for inspiring me!) For all I know, there may be an honorable mention ribbon hanging from at least of ‘em right now. That’s what I hope.

Tuesday evening, Dick and I drove over to Bolado Park so I could drop off my entries. We had no idea where to go, but fortunately a couple walked by carrying artsy-looking stuff. So we followed them. They were delivering their kids’ entries. The mom was lugging a ceramic rendering of a stack of pancakes, while the dad held a firm grip on several photographs. We passed by people who were setting up their booths and tables. We heard (and smelled) livestock as we made our way to the appropriate building.

It was a wonderful joyous, and determined, feeling in the air. So much sparking and sparkle of energy as people flitted here, flitted there to make sure everything and everyone was where it, he, or she needed to be. That is what I missed all these years of not entering something into the fair. I’m glad had a chance to experience it.

I can hardly wait to go to the Fair. Maybe, there’ll be a new strange thing to see. Maybe I will have won an honorable-mention ribbon. Maybe I will see you there!

An Art Museum? A Vista Point? It's Both and More!

We have million-dollar art to check out for free in Hollister. Head over to the Briggs Building, which is near the corner of San Benito Street & Fourth Street. That’s the parking garage.

That’s right, I wrote parking garage. You can't miss it. It’s a four-story structure, the tallest one in town. It was built in the 1990s for about $6 million with RDA funds. At full capacity, it can hold about 140 vehicles, so I’ve read. I know, that’s a lot of taxpayers' pennies.


Few people use the parking garage. Maybe the building is just too beautiful to park in. Seriously, the building itself is a piece of art. If I didn’t know it was a parking lot, I would say it was a school (Gavilan College does hold classes on the first floor). Maybe a government building or a fancy department store. Maybe even an art museum, which brings me back to the topic of seeing some fine art there.

Start your tour by the stairway next to the elevator on the southeast corner of the building. First, admire the aesthetics of the stairway design.

Now, start walking up the stairs. Sure, you can take the elevator but there’s more joy in suddenly coming upon each piece of art as you gaspingly reach the top of a floor.

Pause at the top of each floor for your breath. Also, take note of the beauty of the art piece telling you what floor you’re on.

On the rooftop, I noticed a few more of these art pieces telling me I’m on the fourth floor. So I assume that’s the case on the other floors.

To tell you the truth, I no longer was interested in seeing and viewing man-made art when I came out on the rooftop. I was immediately astounded by the view of Hollister and the mountain ranges that surround it. The almost 360-degree view of Hollister is worth an occasional trip to the top of the roof of Hollister’s multi-million dollar parking garage.


There you go. A parking garage that's both a free fine arts museum and a vista point. Plus, you can park there.

Happy Birthday to Time!

I could be in my car, on my bicycle, or shuffling along on my own two feet. If I’m anywhere near Fourth and San Benito Street, I look up to see what time it is. I don’t really care to know what time it is. I just like gazing at our town’s mini dome that houses time.

That's right. Hollister has its own clock tower. Not as big as the one in the Back to the Future movies, but impressive to me nonetheless. The clock tower is part of the Masonic Temple Building. And, today that building (and clock) is 100 years old. Happy birthday, edifice-dude!

The thing that makes the clock run is 20 years older. Amazing, I say. A few years ago, someone repaired the mechanism so that the clock would tell time accurately. It was about 15 minutes off.

Some locals see the timepiece as a symbol. The clock tower is part of the city government's logo after all. With some of the financial problems that Hollister currently has, the time must still be off. I can't say for sure. I don’t carry a watch.

Steeple to Steeple 5-Mile Family Fun Run/Walk

On Saturday, October 4th, expect to see families and individuals, children and adults, tots and the elderly, make their way west through the streets of Hollister for the “Steeple to Steeple” event. This is a fundraiser for the Sacred Heart/St. Benedict’s parish.

The steeples, of course, refer to those of the two churches.


You start at the newer church, St Benedict’s, on Fairview Road, between Sunnyslope Road & John Smith Road. (Rather nice-looking setting, doncha think? One of these days, I'll check out a mass.)

You then run or walk 5 miles northwesterly to Sacred Heart Church (at Fifth Street & College). That's the original (at least I think it is) parish church, which is a few blocks west of the center of town.

Sacred Heart is a lovely example of a traditional Roman Catholic church with stained-glass windows and an altar full of statues of saints. I remember Latin masses there when I was a kid. I also recall my dad telling us, as he was driving us home, to stop fighting cause we just came out of church.

You can pre-register or sign in at 8 a.m. on the day of the event. And no, you don't have to be of the denomination to join in on the fun. At least, no one has told me differently.

Pinnacles National Monument

My mom loves to visit the Pinnacles. It reminds her of the Philippines. I don’t know if it’s the starkness of the mountains, the smell of the air, the feel of the breeze, or the way the sun warms your body as you trample along the trails. She’s never said. I just know that besides her gardens, the Pinnacles National Monument provides her with a sense of calm.

The Pinnacles is about 30 miles south of Hollister. It generally takes us (hubby Dick and I) about 45 minutes, but that’s because we are old farts who like to rubberneck the scenery. Not to worry. The traffic is sparse, but you do need to pay attention to curves the nearer you get to the park. You head south out of town on Highway 25. Depending on the time of day, we may stop at Flapjack's Country Café in Tres Pinos for breakfast. That’ll be a story for another day.

According to the scientists, the Pinnacles is actually part of the Neenach Volcano that erupted waaaaay down south near Lancaster, California. The volcano was split by, yes, the San Andreas Fault. Over 23 million years, more or less, the Pinnacles was slowwwwwwwwly carried northwesterly to where it stands today. At the same time that it was inching up, wind and water carved out the spires and crags that someone in modern-day history decided to call the Pinnacles. Then President Theodore Roosevelt came along and established it as a national monument.

This year, the U.S. National Park Service celebrated the monument’s 100th anniversary. Since 1908, it has grown from 5,000 acres to approximately 26,000 acres. (Thank you ranchers and rancher descendents.) The park service is currently developing a general management plan for the next 15 to 20 years. Public input is appreciated. If you’re interested in being heard, you have until October 31, 2008.

You can do a lot of things at the Pinnacles. Depending on the time of year, you can scramble through talus caves, which are home to Townsend’s big-eared bats. But you can't go through 'em if the bats are there. You can bring your ropes and things and climb on the spires themselves. And of course you can hike easy paths and not-so-easy ones, which may make your hands sweat at certain HIGH points. If you’re lucky, you can see a California Condor or two circling above you. You can also hang out at a picnic table and enjoy the day, while the rest of your party are getting sweaty and tired.

There are actually two entrances to the Pinnacles National Monument. The west gate is off Highway 101, near Soledad. You can’t drive west to east through the park. But you can easily hike through it. Camping is on the Hollister side only.

Hmm, I think it's time to take out the hiking shoes.

The Mexican Independence Day Parade

In Mexico, as well as in the United States States and worldwide, Mexicans and their descendants celebrate September 16th as Mexico’s Independence Day. On September 16, 1810. the Indios and mestizos in the small village of Dolores, Mexico, under the helm of a Catholic priest, took up the battle cry of independence. That was the start of the 11-year long Mexican insurgency against 300 years of Spanish colonial rule.

Today, the Mexican-American community in San Benito County held its annual Mexican Independence Day Parade and Festival. The parade was a breathtaking sight of caballeros and señoritas dressed in full splendor as they perched proudly upon their ponies, mares, and stallions of all types. Also in the parade were dancers, Festival queen contestants, and local public officials.

We didn’t make it down to the party, but according to the story in a local newspaper, it sounded like we had missed out on a good one.

Time Marches On

This mural, by Carol Ann Huboi and David van Hassell, depicts the agricultural heritage of San Benito County. It's one of several murals that grace the sides of buildings in historical downtown Hollister. Beautiful mural, isn't it? I believe the artists painted the peaceful scene from a photograph of a once-upon-a-time orchard in the area.

As a kid in Hollister, all I knew were orchards and vegetable fields. The town was surrounded by orchards. Apricot, peach, walnut, plum, cherry, prune and so on and so forth. Our county was particularly known for its Blenheim apricots, which beats the taste of any other apricots any day.

Since the 1980s, one by one the orchards have been sold to developers. I’m living in what was once a walnut orchard, for example.

The last of the orchards on Sunnyslope were pulled out last year to make way for the Highway 25 bypass. It’s a good thing, someone is thinking about painting murals to remind us how the world used to look for us.

Happy Cafe

We have five Chinese restaurants in Hollister. Our favorites are on the other side of town. When we’re in a hurry, we like to go to The Wok and get something from their buffet counter. When we’re not, we call up Happy Cafe (191-R San Felipe Road, next to McDonald’s) and then go pick up our grub.

Tonight, we ordered four dishes. General Tso’s Chicken, our favorite, was delish as usual. Deep fried, golden-chicken breast strips with a tinge of sweet heat. Better than KFC anytime, and we like KFC.

The vegetable chow fun was a hit, too. But then it’s hard to wreck chow fun for me. Wide strips of rice noodles coated in sauce and grease. Yum! All scrambled up with other ingredients. Tonight the mix was bean sprouts, snow peas, zucchini slices, and other veggies.

The snow peas, mushroom, water chestnut dish was so-so. Maybe if the cook had thrown in a few straw and shitake mushrooms, I would’ve been happy. Just your regular white button mushrooms, and too many of them. I'll be adding garlic and chives to the leftovers tomorrow for more pop.

The fog had started to roll in late this afternoon, so we decided to go for hot and sour soup. Happy Cafe usually makes it the way we like it. Tonight, it was missing something. Both the hot and sour were too subtle. We added a bit of the delicious hot sauce that the waitress gave us. Ah-ha! That did it.

Like any restaurant, Happy Cafe doesn’t score a triple heavenly yum all the time. This was one of those nights. We were still yummily happy. We shall return.

What's Happening?

We no longer have a daily local newspaper. So, Hollister residents no longer have the convenience of knowing what fun things are about to take place in our county. Just by chance, a couple weeks ago at a grocery store, hubby Dick and I saw a poster announcing that a Banjo-ologist was coming to town. $5 for advance tickets. What a deal. That’s even less than senior citizen rates at the local theater.

Mr. Banjo-ologist, Gordy Ohliger, has come and gone. He was here last Friday night at the San Benito High School auditorium (which, by the way, still has red velvet curtains for the stage and windows). It was a delightful show. Mr. Ohliger performed several types of banjos, including one built out of a gourd and goat guts. He sang, banjo-ed, and charmed the audience through American history, from the banjo’s African-Yankee roots to the 1930s jazz era.

Dick and I will definitely look at the grocery store’s bulletin boards from now on!

In addition to grocery stores, we can learn about coming events in and around Hollister at any of these on-line sources:

• Hollister Free Lance Community Bulletin
• Hollister Downtown Association Event Calendar
• San Benito County Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events
• San Juan Bautista Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events

What a Cute Town!

Welcome to Take 25 to Hollister, California!

This blog will be all about my hometown and all the other nooks and crannies in San Benito County, of which Hollister is the county seat. Whatever suits my fancy, I shall write about it.

What better way to introduce you to Hollister, then a bird's eye look of the city of about 35,000 people. The photo below (© by Richard A. McDavid) was taken in the Spring a couple years ago, but it could've been this year. The building moratorium is about to be over. Hopefully, the view won't become too drastic of a change for the birds.

Hubby Dick's cousins came to town last week. Practically their first words upon tumbling out of their car was "What a cute town!" And, it is.

Here's a look of San Benito Street, our main street. (A spring photograph taken by me.) For at least another couple of months, it is also Highway 25, which is the north-south passage through San Benito County.

San Benito Street, usually between 5th and South streets, gets closed for several hours for special events, such as the Christmas parade, the summer festival, and the annual Horse Show and Parade. Once the highway bypass is complete, merchants hope this will bring more pedestrian hustle and bustle downtown on an everyday basis. Hope so. It's too cute of a town to not hang out in.