Spring, Solar Eclipse, and Supermoon!

Today is the official day of Spring.  Whooo-hoo! At 3:45 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Savings Time), the sun is directly above the equator, marking what is known as the Vernal Equinox. That's when the Earth experiences 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night during its orbit around the sun. It happens again on the Autumnal Equinox.

Another cool thing that's happening in the sky today is a total solar eclipse. Unfortunately, we won't be able to see the eclipse in our part of the world. The scientists say that a solar eclipse on Vernal Equinox is rare.  Even more extraordinary is a solar eclipse occurring on the Vernal Equinox when there is a Supermoon, which is a new (or full) moon being at its closest point to the Earth. And that's happening today! Wowza!!

The One and Only Hollister

I like how the orange banners are a bright pop of color in Downtown Hollister. How about you? The Hollister Downtown Association is responsible for their creation and posting them up. If you look closely, you'll see a name of a Hollister business on each flag. You can also see the HDA's logo—(The Original™) Hollister California.

When the HDA's logo first came out, I thought that it was weird to see the parenthetical original. Is it suppose to be a whisper?  "Ssssh. We're Hollister California, not that fake place that's plastered on clothing. Ssssh."

Today, I read the parenthetical original differently. It's more like "We are the one and only Hollister, California!" Yup.

Not So Incongruous

Once upon a time, I thought it was weird to see palm trees outside of Southern California. Oaks, pines, and redwoods are part of our natural landscape and, of course, all the apricot, apple, walnut and all other fruit and nut orchards that once covered Hollister and San Juan Valley.

Then as I grew older, mourning the decimation of trees for progress,  I accepted the sight of palm trees in Northern California. Like all living trees, they give us oxygen, shade, aesthetic pleasure, and hope. I still think it is weird to see them outside of Southern California. But, just a little bit.

How I ramble. The gorgeous conifer tree and palm trees in the photo stand along San Felipe Road on the north edge of Downtown Hollister.

The Old County Jail

Yup, that's the old San Benito County Jail on Fourth Street. Built in 1949, the prison cells were on the second floor, which accommodated 50 prisoners. It was used until 1992 when a much larger correctional facility opened on Flynn Road. The old jail is still used for some kind of purpose by the San Benito County Sheriff's Office.

In 1875, a jail was erected nearby this one on Fourth Street. Here's a description of the jail and it's location, which I copied (including spelling and punctuation) from this web page at Newspaper Abstracts.com.

The New County Jail -- The San Benito county jail is to cost $10,000 and will be completed in April proximo. Messrs. BOOTH & CORY, the contractors and builders, are making fast progress with the work. The building will be 1 story high and its dimensions 38x60 feet. The walls, which are up, extend about 20 feet from the floor to the roof…The design is by Theodore LENZEN, the skillful architect of San Jose. Like all structures reared for the accommodation of law breakers, this is not very attractive. Located at the rear of the court house, in Col. HOLLISTER’s late handsome garden, opposite the Montgomery Hotel, where fruit, evergreen and pepper trees abound, it is well shaded from view and will probably rarely be observed by the many guests of that increasingly popular house.

— San Benito Advance, March 6, 1875

The Montgomery Hotel was the former residence of William Welles Hollister, for which the town of Hollister was named. The hotel once stood where the new courthouse is today on Fourth Street.

Ocean Mural in Downtown Hollister

The biker's mural on the Wentz Alley side of Johnny's Bar and Grill  is a familiar sight. Hundreds of bikers and tourists take photos of it as they visit Hollister, the "Birthplace of the American Biker." Not so familiar is the ocean mural on Johnny's patio.

Today, I'm linking up with Monday Mural hosted by Oakland Daily Photo. To see other murals from other parts of the world, please click here.