Autumn Has Not Left Hollister. Yet.

Red, yellow, and orange leaves float through the air and cover lawns, sidewalks, and streets. A completely chaotic, colorful, comforting mess. That's one of the things I like about the fall season. 


In Hollister, the best looks of autumn can be found on Monterey and West streets. This little peek is how it looked this afternoon on Monterey Street, between Fifth and Sixth.

 

Snow on Them There Hills

Yep! Snow in Hollister. Ok, be technical. Snow on the mountains that flank us to the east. A lot of snow. Lovely snow. And cold.

The husband and I were walking downtown this afternoon when it began to hail lightly. Hard on the lips, I'll tell you that.

The 2009 Lights on Celebration

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus will be coasting through downtown Hollister this year in the annual Candy Cane Lane Parade.  Saturday, November 28, 2009, in fact.

Main street, aka San Benito Street, will be closed downtown for the celebration. Here's the schedule:

• 5 to 5:30 pm: pre-parade events

• 5:30 to 6:30 pm: Parade! Whoo-hooo!

• 6:30 to 8:30 pm:  Santa's Village, Merchant Open House, and live entertainment

For more info, click over to this Hollister Downtown Association link.

For photos of  last year's event, click here.

Local Organic Tomatoes. Yum!

Yesterday, we drove out to the Mariquita Farm on Lover's Lane to pick us almost 30 pounds of sweet-tasting organically-grown tomatoes. When I say pick, I mean pick 'em straight off the vines. And, when I say sweet, well, think of the yummiest, melt-in-your-mouth, freshest candy you've ever eaten. That's how the sliced tomatoes I roasted in the toaster for about half-an-hour tasted. Triple orgasmic sweet! The raw tomatoes were delightfully wholesome-sweet too.

The Mariquita Farm is a small family organic farm. The folks are based in Watsonville, but also do farming here in San Benito County. They grow most, if not all, their crops for the Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA). They open their tomato fields to the public for picking only on certain days. This Saturday, tomorrow, is the last day. It's between 9 am and 1 pm. 50 cents a pound. Definitely worth a road trip!

Links for more info:

Mariquita Farm

Tomato U-pick Details

CSA Program

History in Play Around San Benito County

Yes, I know it's been awhile. It'll probably still be awhile before I can get back into some kind of routine blogging. But I thought I'd pop in to tell you about all the fun things that are happening this Saturday September 19, in and out of Hollister. Ok, and some on Sunday September 20, too.


Paicines Ranch Open House

Paicines Ranch, also known as Rancho Cienega de los Paicines, has been around since the mid-1800s. Today, the current owners breed cattles and horses. It sells free range grass-fed beef to the public. It also rents its historical buildings for events. On Saturday afternoon, you can tour the grounds, including the Grogan House where Judy Garland was married. The ranch is a straight shot on the 25, about 15 minutes south of Hollister. For more info, click here to get to the Paicines Ranch Web site.

Chicken Festival and Parade

Cock-a-doodle-doo! It's the the annual Chicken Festival in San Juan Bautista, several miles west of Hollister. There's a crowing contest, a Chicken dance contest, Chicken bingo, a Chicken parade, and more. Why chickens? There's a bunch of 'em roaming wild through the streets of the hamlet. Some locals love 'em. Some wouldn't mind making 'em into chicken soup. Join in on the fun, either or both Saturday or Sunday. For more info, click-a-doodle here to the San Juan Bautista Chamber of Commerce.

Civil War Event

The San Benito County Historical Society (SBCHS) will be hosting a Civil War event at the San Benito County Historical Park. For info and photos, click here to go to the SBCHS Web site. Also, click here to read an article in the Hollister Free Lance about the event.

Renaissance Faire

Hear ye. Hear ye. The Renaissance Faire is back at Casa de Fruta, a few miles north of Hollister. It's open every weekend through October 18. For more info, click ye on over to the Northern California Renaissance Faire Web site.