M&M Plant Sales Garden Mart

Are you looking for a local independent nursery that sells drought tolerant plants?

Then, M&M Plant Sales Garden Mart is the place to go.

The nursery has two locations. Its main location is 410 Spring Grove Road, off of Fairview Road. In Downtown Hollister, the nursery is on 190 San San Benito Street, at the foot of Park Hill. If you're driving north on San Benito Street, it's easy to miss the entrance.  No problem. Just turn left at First Street, then left onto the gravel lot to the nursery.

The main site is open from Monday to Friday. The downtown spot is open on weekends. It's also open during the week, but I can't recall which days. Visit the nursery's website or Facebook page for more details.

Sun Coast Organic Farm Bakery

After a yummy lunch with friends at the 19th Hole Booze and Food in Tres Pinos, the Husband and I decided to take a leisurely drive back to Hollister via Southside Road. It had rained a little bit that morning, so life was refreshingly grand. How grand? By the time we reached the bridge by Thomas Road, I wanted some ice cream. But, neither of us felt like driving to San Juan Bautista.

As we crossed over the bridge, I remembered that Sun Coast Organic Farm made gelato. Whoo-hooo! Within a minute or so, we saw Sun Coast's sign and turned into the driveway. The bakery was open. Again, Whooo-hoo! 

We bought a pint each of handcrafted lemon gelato and blueberry gelato, which we ate at home while watching a Netflix movie. (I tell you it was a perfect afternoon). The lemon gelato had the perfect marriage of tart and sweet in each spoon full. Wowza! The blueberry gelato was delicious, too, with what I thought was a hint of cinnamon.

The bakery sells all sorts of handcrafted breads, rolls, cookies, and other sweet and savory treats. Their racks were nearly sold out. They do their own milling of organic grains, by the way. It's worth the drive to purchase the artisanal goodies. They also sell cups of coffee, so you can sit and enjoy some of your treats, as well as the scenery, on their cute patio.

The Sun Coast Organic Farm Bakery is open on Fridays, from noon to 7 p.m., and Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The gorgeous—and humorous—view from the bakery's patio.

Fremont Peak in Clear Sight

I had no idea that Fremont Peak can be seen so clearly from Mission San Juan Bautista. It's no wonder Mexican Commandante General José Castro was infuriated when he looked up there and saw the American flag and makeshift fort that U.S. Army Captain John Fremont and his men put up for three days in March 1845.

Originally known as Gavilan Peak, the landmark became Fremont Peak State Park in 1934. It's open year round for day use from 8 a.m. to half-an-hour after sunset. Overnight camping is available.

The views are gorgeous from up there. You can see over to the Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz coast line.

If you're into seeing the night skies, check out the free public viewings offered by the Fremont Peak Observatory Association on selected Saturdays, usually from Spring through early Fall.

Morning

I took this photo from John Smith Road. That's the Diablo Range in the near distance. I can't recall what steps I did in Photoshop to get this transformed image. I wanted to pop out the dried grass and barbed wire, and as I was doing that the lighting on the mountains became apparent. So, I decided to spotlight that area.

Here's the original image:

Today, I'm participating in Nature Footstep's Digital Art Meme. To check out other participants or to take part, please click here.

John Smith Road

Back road, country road. Same thing, isn't it?

This one is John Smith Road heading into Santa Ana Valley. I enjoy wandering this road, which starts at Fairview Road and goes past the landfill. Pedaling the bicycle is even better. When you get to the end of the road, you can either turn left to cruise through the small valley or turn right to head towards Quien Sabe Road, which takes you to Tres Pinos.

Today, I'm hanging out at Our World Tuesday. Come join me. Click here to visit other participants from around the globe.