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Showing posts with the label Hollister CA

Coming Soon!

Soon the view won't be so fair from this part of Fairview Road. Over 800 houses are in the process of being built there.  We've got developments growing all around our town. The not-so-affordable houses replace the orchards and truck farms. My stomach turns every time I drive by a development.

Barely Green

In good years, meaning non-drought ones, our hills are richly green. Hopefully, rain will come again before the month is up.

Every So Often — Snow on Them There Mountains!

"It's snowing!" "Did you see the snow on the mountains?" Everyone we talked to yesterday, both friends and strangers, bubbled ebulliently about the snow on the mountain ridges around us. "I don't have to go to the Sierras now," said a guy in the Target parking lot. Not that it was a lot of snow. Simply a decent dusting on the forward peaks that lasted all day and a thick enough coating on the back peaks to be saying "Hello! Snow here!" today. The temperatures have been in the 30s and 40s, which probably sound like the tropics to some of you. I don't recall the last time our tap water is as cold as water in a mountain lake. It tastes refreshing. It has probably been 10 years, more or less, since we've seen snow in our area. Last time, the Husband and I drove up to the end of a long country road to wander in the snow and throw a snowball at each other. Not this time. We were afraid of flooding Eliza if we went thr

P is for Pertinacity

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California In January 2013, the Pinnacles National Monument was redesignated a national park becoming California's ninth national park. And, lucky us, the Pinnacles National Park is in our county. The park has two entrances. To get to the eastern entry, you drive right by Hollister. So, of course, both city and county jumped to take advantage of the potential increased tourism coming into our area. One thing the local politicians tried was to rename California Highway 25, which is pretty much contained in our county, to reflect as being the true gateway to the park. Cool idea, right? Residents and ranchers in the southern part of the county didn't agree. Someone told me many didn't like having to notify everyone about their new address as well as dig into their pockets to buy new stationery. Story short: Only the Highway 25 Bypass (about six miles), which skirts to the east of Holli

O is for Official

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California Tuesday, November 6, 2018 is General Election Day, but the early voting period is already in progress. In our county, if we don't want to wait to vote at our polling place on Election Day, we can mail in our filled-in ballots. We can also stop by the County Registrar of Voters office to vote, which may be open on the weekends. Or, if we prefer, we can place our completed ballots in the official ballot drop box over in Winn Alley, between the library and the old courthouse in Hollister. So, there we go. With all these options, there's no reason for us not to vote in San Benito County. Well, we do need to be registered. The last day to register in California is Monday October 22, 2018. It can be done online . How convenient is that? O is the featured letter today on ABC Wednesday . Click here to read about this weekly meme, and click here for this week's list of parti

I is for In Search of the Letter I

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California Yesterday afternoon, at Bertuccio's , a produce market in Hollister, I remembered I had yet to photograph a sign or such that began with the letter I. Twice, I combed that store in search of the letter I.  Amazingly, no vegetable, fruit, or food product began with I. Aha! The vintage weigh scale on display had something: IN TRADE . The complete phrase was NOT LEGAL FOR USE IN TRADE . I have no idea what that means. To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

H is for Hourly Parking

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California In my hometown of Hollister, downtown parking is free for three hours, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  It used to be two hours, but some people complained they couldn't get their business done within that time, and, no way were they going to park in the city garage where it's free all the time. That's too far of a hike. Downtown Hollister is five blocks long. We are spoiled.   To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

G is for the Masonic G

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California The Masonic Lodge of San Benito County was established 147 years ago ago, three years before San Benito became a separate county from Monterey County. Its home is the familiar brick building with the infamous clock tower at the corner of San Benito and Fourth Streets. The Masonic symbol of a G in the middle of a square and compass is on the outside wall above the lodge's entrance. The G stands for Great Architect of the Universe, as well as for Geometry. If you're interested in learning more, check out this page at the Masonic Lodge of Education web site. To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

F is for First Floor Offices

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California About two months ago, The Husband and I came across this bulletin board at the old courthouse, currently home to various county offices.    To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

E is for Embroidered Details

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California Perhaps after drinking several beers, I may be enlightened to see window reflections with my eyes closed.  But, I'll stick to sipping one glass. :-) To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

D is for Don't Worry about the Dog

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California This warning sign hangs in the window of one of the tattoo and piercing shops in town. To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

C is for Cute and Charming

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California The Cozy Cup Cafe is one of several cute and charming restaurants that serves delicious breakfasts and lunches in Hollister , our county seat. It's an old-time haunt (nearly 30 years) of locals run by the ever friendly longtime owners, Frank and Wendy. The cafe serves a generous portion of its delicious choices that sometimes the Husband and I share an order. When we opt to order individually, I often go home with leftovers. Yay! Currently, my favorite dish is its special chile verde omelet. Mmmmm. Some mornings the Husband and I get a yen for a mocha, which, until recently, meant driving to Vertigo Coffee Roasters in San Juan Bautista, the second biggest city (population, about 1975) in the county to get our fix. Not any more.    Evan, a former Vertigo barista, recently opened Calavera in Hollister. The young entrepreneur is also a latte artist. Like Frank of Cozy Cup Cafe

B is for Baler

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California The mascot for San Benito High School, also known as Hollister High School, is the Baler. The mascot is not the machine that turns loose hay into compacted bales. Uh uh. It's the farmer who once upon a time cultivated hay by hand. When I was in school, nearly 50 years ago, we were formally known as the Haybalers. I have no idea when the name was shortened to Baler. What I do know is this: Once a Baler, always a Baler. 2010 San Benito Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Parade To check out ABC Wednesday , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

A is for Alterations

Today starts a new round of the alphabet at ABC Wednesday . My theme for #23 is nothing ambitious as the last round , so I think. Signs and Such that I happen to see as I wander around San Benito County, California, my home, is this round's theme. I came across this sign for alterations on a window of a long-time laundry service on main street in Hollister, the county seat. Today, fewer people have basic sewing skills, or, for that matter, the time to do mending, unless a person is willing to do it while stuck in traffic. To learn more ABCW , click here . For this week's participants, click here for the list of participants. See you next week for the letter A. Thank you, ABCW Team!

Our Mountain View

Yesterday morning I discovered the mountain view from the side yard. Well, okay, I've probably seen the view a hundred thousand times before, but yesterday, I finally took note that by golly I can see the mountain between the houses across the street. That's the Santa Ana Mountain, part of the southern end of the Diablo Range that runs from the Carquinez Strait, just northeast of the San Francisco Bay, to a bunch of miles south of the Pinnacles National Park, which is about 30 or so miles from us. The park, that is. We have a fuller view of the mountains over the rooftops from upstairs, but I like this view better. For some unknown reason, having a peek of the mountain, which I've seen since a child, is rather assuring. Today I'm hanging out at Skywatch Friday . Come join me by clicking here . Thanks, Skywatch Friday hosts!

After the Rain

We've had a wonderful few days of rain and, if our luck sticks, we'll have a bit more rain on Saturday. Hurrah! The Diablo Range is finally starting to turn green. Hurrah! Hurrah! This view is looking east on Hillcrest Road. When I was a teenager several decades ago, this was a two-lane road with orchards on both sides of the road. Those were the days when it rained a lot. All the orchards and farms that surrounded us may have been a contributing factor for that. Hanging out at Skywatch Friday . Come join me by clicking here . Thanks, Skywatch Friday hosts!

Oh-nay Lah-nay Bridge

"Here comes another oh-nay lah-nay bridge," said the Husband. We were driving on a windy road somewhere on the island of Hawaii a long time ago. "Oh-nay lah-nay?" "See, oh-nay lah-nay," the Husband said, gesturing towards the yellow sign we were passing. "Oh." That's one of the infinite reasons I'm with the Husband. A few hours ago, we drove over two, maybe three oh-nay lah-nay bridges while we meandered the country roads a few miles from home.

Friday's Hunt V2.8

This week's clues for Teresa's Friday's Hunt at Eden Hills are: 1) Starts with H  2) Week's Favorite  3) Single. My favorite photo this week shows hands as in the Mama's hand and the drummer's hand.  As for single, the Mama's single focus at that particular moment was feeding her baby a delicious treat. To check out other Friday's Hunt participants, please click here .

Eden Hills Friday's Hunt

This week's topics for Friday's Hunt , hosted by Teresa of Eden Hills are: 1.  Starts with D  2. Week's Favorite  3. Summer or Winter My favorite photo captures the other two topics, too. It shows the dense fog coming over the ridge, which happens on many late summer afternoons. It's a good thing. Otherwise, we'd be burning up. I can't stand hot temperatures. The photo also shows the denseness of commute traffic in my neck of the woods. Yes, yes. it's not really thick compared to what goes on in cities. Believe me, in my rural area, people go crazy when the line of traffic is this long at the signal light for which we're stopping. Please click here to check out the other participants in Friday's Hunt. The meme is open until Sunday evening, if you'd like to join in.

Eden Hills Friday Hunt V2.2

This week Teresa's Friday Hunt includes 1) Starts with the Letter B. 2) Week's Favorite and 3) Patriotic. My photo covers all three items. Hurrah! My town holds a lot of parades every year. Seven, if I'm counting correctly. My favorite is the Fourth of July Kiddies Parade. It's the sweetest, cutest, shortest, and quickest of them all. I'm not kidding about quick. You blink your eyes too often and you've missed all the children, the parents, and grandparents marching by. The Husband and I like to join in at the tail end for half-a-block of so. What's the letter B, you ask? B is for bitty as in the darling itty bitty girl pulling her horse. I thought her rather strong. Ready to go check out other blogs taking part in this week's Friday Hunt? Click here then.