Tuxedo-moon

Our Flight to California

2012-01-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

December 24, 2011:

Merry Christmas Mate

2012-01-27T09:51:00.002-05:00

The Collingwood Lights

2012-01-26T23:34:00.002-05:00

Alexandria, VA, December 18, 2011: We were sitting by the dwindling fire minding our own business when suddenly it was decided we all needed to pile into a car and go see the Collingwood Lights:

Our Annual Bay Lights Outing

2012-01-26T16:12:00.018-05:00

December 17, 2011: We took Rosemary and Mimi to see the Christmas displays and lights at Homestead Gardens, then to dinner at Holly's, and then waited in line almost an hour to travel through the Lights on the Bay.

Delaware Daytrip

2012-01-26T14:39:00.009-05:00

December 9, 2011: There was a lot of traffic on the Chesapeake Bay when we crossed for a holiday visit to Delaware.

We visited the Delaware Memorial Veterans Cemetery.

We had a terrific lunch at nearby Baker's Restaurant.

Olde Dominion Holiday

2012-01-26T13:48:00.003-05:00

December 3, 2011: We traveled with District I, National Capitol Area Garden Clubs to central Virginia for dinner at historic Hanover Tavern, the LightFest at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and a "tacky light" tour of Richmond. Click here for our photos and videos.

Homeward Bound

2011-12-21T22:49:00.002-05:00

November 27, 2011:

Our Hot Brown

2011-12-21T20:05:00.001-05:00

Trip to Blandwood

2011-12-21T17:54:00.017-05:00

Greensboro, NC, November 26, 2011: We traveled to Greensboro to tour Blandwood. As we entered the city, we came upon a group of Patriot Guard Riders at the funeral of a fallen service member.

Blandwood is the 19th century home of North Carolina Governor John Motley Morehead and the earliest Tuscan Villa in the United States. It's obscurity may be due to the misguided prohibition of photography inside the mansion.

The first Christmas display of the season:

Black Friday

2011-12-20T13:14:00.006-05:00

November 25, 2011: We found a quiet oasis among the shopping masses in Chapel Hill and Durham.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-20T12:48:00.005-05:00

Fearrington Village NC, November 24, 2011:

Marine Band Celebrates Sousa Birthday

2011-11-17T09:05:00.020-05:00

November 6, 2011: Every year, the "President's Own" Marine Band lays a wreath at the grave of John Philip Sousa, its most famous director. It's an easy way to hear the band and, apart from the Star Spangled Banner, the program is all Sousa!

The band director (r) awaits the band; the drum major confers in advance (below):

Commandant of the Marine Corps and Mrs. James F. Amos seated with the official Sousa reenactor:

An unofficial Sousa reenactor haunts the proceedings (l); the official Sousa reenactor haunts the grave (below):

Congressional Cemetery was the national burying place before Arlington National Cemetery.

Among the many historic graves are a soldier of the Revolutionary War (l), the Civil War photographer Mathew Brady and members of the Indian Nations:

The grave of Elbridge Gerry (r), who signed the Declaration of Independence, served as the fifth Vice President of the United States and is the namesake for gerrymandering:

The grave of Commerce Secretary Bob Mosbacher (r): HE CARED.

Congressional Cemetery is a favorite burial ground for gay notables and couples:

J. Edgar Hoover and his boyfriend Clyde Tolson share a row with gay veteran Leonard Matlovich, "They gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

Aloha

2011-11-17T09:03:00.002-05:00

Frank Kameny Viewing

2011-11-10T10:31:00.003-05:00

November 3, 2011: David went to the Frank Kameny viewing at the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. and the Advocate took and published his picture:
--photo by Robert Dodge

OCTOBER SNOW!

2011-11-10T10:15:00.003-05:00

October 29, 2011: There was this incredible forecast of a significant snow midday. Nothing happened. But we looked out about 5 p.m. EDT and snow was falling as if in February. It wasn't sticking to the pavement but it was dusting the shrubbery and covering car windshields. By 9 p.m. it was all gone, but there was 4 inches in the northern suburbs and 20 inches in the Maryland mountains.

End of October

2011-11-10T09:53:00.007-05:00

October 28, 2011:

Fall Color at National Arboretum

2011-11-09T14:15:00.024-05:00

October 23, 2011:

Eastern Market

2011-11-09T14:02:00.005-05:00

October 15, 2011: Since the fire and renovation, Capitol Hill's beloved Eastern Market has become overwhelmed by tourists. We now stay away most weekends. We ventured in late today to help with the garden club's bulb stand.

Fall 2011

2011-10-27T09:00:00.005-04:00

The wettest September on record followed our summer drought. We removed all the volunteer sunflowers after they matured and found, with the cooler temperatures and plentiful water, our garden had thrived.

Even the roses, which had disappeared in the sunflower jungle, made a comeback:

Autumn color has been somewhat subdued. Many leaves fall as soon as they turn.

One of Those Things

2011-10-26T15:47:00.003-04:00

October 6, 2011: Stuff happens in the big city and, for the most part, you never hear anything about it ever again. At one point we had 8 police cars and traffic was blocked on our street and, for awhile, on the cross street as well. The rumor was that a man had attacked a woman on the Access bus. We'll never know for sure.

We Checked Out York

2011-10-05T15:23:00.026-04:00

York, PA, October 1, 2011: We took the Old Lincoln Highway from Wrightsville into downtown York, stopping first for lunch at the Central Market.

We ate at J.R.'s Fresh Cut French Fries (below):

We walked by the York Meeting (1766) (below); and then came upon this unusual railroad crossing gate for pedestrians (l):

York was the fourth capital of the Continental Congress after Philadelphia, Baltimore and Lancaster, PA. York however but claims to be the first capital of the United States of America as that term was coined in the Articles of Confederation which were enacted in York.

The Barnett Bobb log house, built in the English colonial style in 1811 (l) was moved behind York's oldest structure, the Golden Plough Tavern built in the German half-timber style in 1741 (far right). To the left of the Golden Plough is a English colonial style home built in 1751 and known by its most famous resident General Horatia Gates, who conspired to replace George Washington as head of the Continental Army.
.

This statue of Gates (l) stands in front of the Golden Plough and the "Gates House" (below):

Downtown York has 80 different murals. The County 250th Aniversary mural is on the right; and the Four Chaplains mural is below left. Alexander D. Goode (2d from left), the rabbi at York's Temple Beth Israel, was one of 4 Army chaplains who gave up their life preservers to other men during the sinking of the troop ship Dorchester in World War II.

The downtown streetscape features these industrial metal planters (above and below), benches and trash can screens.

The original Temple Beth Israel (1907) is now a Catholic chapel; nearby is St. Patrick's Church (1895).

This Victorian Italianate house was built in 1863 by railroad car manufacturer Charles Billmeyer.

Nearby we found a Buddleia (Buddleja is a British misspelling) growing out of the sidewalk. Later, we saw this Victorial oriel window as we drove out of town.

La Casa de Dávid

2011-10-05T13:52:00.011-04:00

October 1, 2011: This house on the outskirts of Wrightsville, PA, caught our eye.

At first glance it seemed Mexican in inspiration. The three feathers may be a Christian symbol for faith, hope and charity:

But on closer inspection it had Buddhist elements including a Sanskrit Om symbol.

Parts of the structure and some of the walls had green roofs and much of the property was covered with solar panels.

The major sculptural element was a pile of boulders reminiscent of Gravity Garden.

Bridge Bust

2011-10-05T12:01:00.012-04:00

Wrightsville-Columbia, PA, October 1, 2011: The 23rd annual Bridge Bust was cold, blustery and pretty low market. The Susquehannah River was at flood stage, out of its second banks, and very muddy brown. It was a rough day for food vendors. Nobody wanted ice cream or cold drinks and not many wanted to stand out in the elements savoring the warm delicacies. We had intended to walk over and back but instead walked one way and then took the bus that shuttled between both ends of the 1-1/4 mile highway bridge (1930).

We parked at East York High School on a high point overlooking the Susquehannah Valley and took a shuttle to the Wrightsville entrance to the bridge:

By the time we were midway across the bridge, it was clear that most of the crowd was walking from east to west rather than west to east:

On the left the flood swamps the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal; below are the piers to a former railroad bridge. During the Civil War, Union forces burned a bridge at this location as they retreated from York to Lancaster.

Tour of the Marine Commandant's Home

2011-09-29T09:21:00.024-04:00

September 24, 2011: The Home of the Commandants (1806) at 8th and G Streets SE forms the north side of the quadrangle of the historic Marine Barracks. Thomas Jefferson and the second Commandant of the Marine Corps selected the site to be near the Navy Yard and "within an easy marching distance of the Capitol." The house is one of the oldest continuously occupied homes in Washington and has been home to all but the first 2 Marine Corps Commandants. It is rarely opened to the public.

The house is like one that has been owned by generations of a well-to-do American family that fought on the right side of the Civil War, never fell on hard times and is quite proud of the family industry. The main rooms are sumptuously furnished with antiques, fine furniture, and expensive objet d'art and with Marine Corps memorabilia front and center. If the President called and said he was dropping in an hour with the Queen of England, all they would need do is to freshen the flowers and straighten up the tschotschkes.

From the front door on G Street, one enters into a short hall walking toward an immense, gilded pier mirror where the short hall intersects with a center hall on an east to west axis. A t-shaped, custom carpet leads from the door to the center hall. In the carpet at the intersection (l) is the Marine Corps Symbol and the initials U S M C repeat in the border (r).

On the left of the short hall is the formal dining room (below) and to the right a small sitting room.

Beyond the center hallway are two salons connected by pocket doors. This is the east salon:

In the west salon, John Philip Sousa memorabilia sits atop the piano which is lit by a Tiffany lamp:

Both salons open onto a porch added on to the south side of the house overlooking the parade grounds. It is easily the best room in the house:

The house displays oil portraits of every Commandant of the Marine Corps except for Anthony Gale, who was cashiered for disorderly conduct but actually fell prey to internal politics. The portraits give a historical record of the changing uniforms.

Henderson (above), Neville (1st left); Greene, Cushman and Hagee (below):

On the second floor on top of the two salons is the master bedroom on the left and a family sitting room on the right. The sitting room opens onto a terrace above the porch. One would require a step stool, if not a small ladder, to climb into bed.

Here are the obligatory photos with the Presidents:

Box Boy at Barracks Row Fall Festival

2011-09-28T22:34:00.002-04:00

September 24, 2011: We ran into Box Boy a/k/a Paul Bierman who is the leading practitioner of "demented decoupage." On Sundays from April through December, you can usually find him on the playground at Eastern Market but on Saturdays he's likely to show up at any local festival. The thing about Box Boy is that you can find a gift for anybody, even those people who seemingly have everything.

Barracks Row Fall Festival

2011-09-28T22:22:00.013-04:00

September 24, 2011: Barracks Row is a Capitol Hill commercial district which runs down 8th Street SE from the Eastern Market METRO Plaza to the historic Marine Barracks. Apart from the pre-existing Town of Georgetown, this neighborhood on the south side of Capitol Hill near the Anacostia River was the first area settled in the Federal City. After falling on hard times and with government moneys, the streetscape was renovated and the area transformed into a restaurant row.

Participants in the Military Chefs' Cook Off:

In the Neighbors' Yards

2011-09-28T22:21:00.005-04:00

September continued to be wetter than usual. One result has been the appearance of unusual mushrooms:

And another result has been thriving weeds:

Rain Through the Appalachians

2011-09-28T21:52:00.005-04:00

Labor Day, 2011: We said farewell to Indianapolis and headed for home. The trip was uneventful until we ran into rain, which started in Zanesville OH and only ended 318 miles later in Frederick MD.

A Sunday in Bloomington

2011-09-09T14:06:00.018-04:00

Bloomington, Indiana, September 4, 2011: We were up and on the road to Bloomington for brunch with Rita and Rita's Bill (who is teaching at IU this semester) and a visit to the 35th annual Fourth Street Festival, a juried arts and crafts street show which has grown from a local to a national show.

It's always better when the artisan is working rather than making the hard sale.

THE CASE OF THE PARANOID PHOTOGRAPHER: he can look but not be seen, he can take your photograph but you can't take his.

At one intersection there was music. This group, Sara's Swing Set, was much better than a lot of festival acts:
At another intersection there were readings by writers with big egos. This Poetry on Demand gimmick, however, seemed promising.
David's Bill, Betty, Rita and a friendly local take a respite from the crowd:
Betty, Rita and David:

Lions Gate Hummingbird

2011-09-09T13:56:00.004-04:00

A Saturday in Broad Ripple

2011-09-09T10:09:00.021-04:00

Indianapolis, IN, September 3, 2011:

Saturday morning's Broad Ripple Farmers Market is a cross between a farmers' market with the bounty of the local harvest and a chic chic farmers' market with precious cheeses, gourmet preserves and specialty produce. It's a little heavy on the baked goods and priced more like Dupont Circle and less like RFK.

We stopped by Johnny's Market for Michigan peaches and strawberries but, for some reason, skipped the Decker melons:

We lunched at Steak 'n Shake:

Then we explored the Indianapolis Art Center, which was founded by the WPA during the Great Depression and has grown into an art school.

Indy Bound

2011-09-08T15:09:00.005-04:00

September 2, 2011: There was fog in the Appalachians but sunshine and extreme heat west of the Ohio River.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-27T16:56:00.004-04:00

4:45 pm, August 27, 2011: It's too early to tell what, if anything, will come of Irene. It made landfall in North Carolina as only a Category 1 hurricane and the likely path up the coast puts DC in a tropical storm zone rather than a hurricane zone. The brunt of whatever is to begin later this evening and go into the morning.

However, we already have a tree blocking our street!
This tree was damaged over a year ago when a limb constituting about a third of the tree came down in a big thunderstorm. The rest of the tree has been leaning precariously toward the street ever since. Although we reported the tree to the city, and several neighbors also reported the tree to the city, the city decided there was nothing to worry about. For over 12 months, folk have avoided parking under the tree. Well, another major limb has now fallen into the street and the hurricane is barely begun.

EARTHQUAKE!

2011-08-27T16:52:00.003-04:00

August 23, 2011: A 5.8 earthquake, centered about 80 miles away in Mineral, VA, gave the house a good shake, but we had little, if any, damage. Pictures were askew on the walls, a few items fell off shelves, and we see a few new cracks in the plaster, but nothing to photograph or complain about. We lost internet connection for an hour or so because a wire shook loose at the neighborhood relay station. The biggest thing was the shock of a good shake where we don't have earthquakes and the relief that the Capitol had not been bombed.

Following the Flight of John Wilkes Booth

2011-08-22T15:26:00.023-04:00

August 20, 2011: Last night we watched The Conspirator. So today we set off to visit Suratt's Tavern in Surrattsville (now Clinton), Dr. Mudd's home near Beantown and Dr. Mudd's tomb in St. Mary's church yard near Bryantown.

Surratt's Tavern (1852) is owned and operated by the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation. The guide was factual and not biased. The tour started in the tavern room that also served as a post office, both U.S. and Confederate!

Mrs. Surratt owned the center table and the desk that sit in the parlor:

Male boarders and tavern guests could purchase meals which they ate in this dining room:

Female tavern guests were entertained only in the parlor and ate any purchased meals in the family dining room (left) next to the kitchen. Mrs. Surratt owned the decanter set that sits on the sideboard in the family dining room.

Like most Southern Maryland landowners, the Surratts owned slaves and opposed Abraham Lincoln in the election of 1860. Their eldest son went to Texas to fight for the Confederacy and their youngest son John became a Confederate courier. After Mr. Surratts death in 1862, John succeeded his father as Surrattsville postmaster but was eventually dismissed in 1863 for disloyalty. To make ends meet (and perhaps to further espionage activities), Mrs. Surratt leased out the Surrattsville homestead and family rental property on H Street NW which she ran as a boarding house. Dr. Samuel A. Mudd introduced John to John Wilkes Booth and John became a part of Booth's conspiracy to kidnap Lincoln. The kidnap attempt failed and guns and supplies were stored under the floor boards at Surratts Tavern.

This upstairs bedroom door opens into an attic space above the kitchen in the tavern/home.
Following the failed kidnapping attempt, the guns were hid between the dining room ceiling and the bedroom floor:

Mrs. Surratt's tavern tenant John Lloyd testified at the military trial of the Lincoln conspirators that on the day of the assassination, Mrs. Surratt drove out to Surrattsville and gave him a package and told him to have the shooting arms ready for pick up. Later that night, Booth and David Herold arrived at the tavern to pick up the package and one of the rifles. Lloyd hid the remaining rifle, not between the ceiling and floor, but down inside the wall between the family dining room and the kitchen.
Booth and Herold rode south almost 14 miles to the country home of Dr. Mudd, where at 4 a.m. on Saturday, April 15, 1865 they sought medical care for Booth's broken leg:
The Mudd home was preserved by the Mudd family and is operated by a private foundation. No photography is permitted inside. The front parlor (to the right of the door above) has the original sofa in which Booth lay down. He was moved to the bedroom immediately above, where Dr. Mudd set his leg. Among other things, the house contains pieces of furniture made by Dr. Mudd while he was imprisoned in Fort Jefferson on Dry Tortugas.
The tour here is less factual. They firmly believe that Dr. Mudd was not part of the conspiracy, yet they remain decidedly Confederate in their sympathies. They do allow as how Dr. Mudd went into Bryantown during Saturday, while Booth and Herold remained in his home; that Dr. Mudd there leared of the assasination but failed to alert the Federal troops in Bryantown; instead Dr. Mudd returned to the farm and insisted that the men get on their way. If he wasn't a part of the conspiracy, Dr. Mudd was certainly an accessory after the fact.

This is the path Booth and Herold took toward the Zekiah Swamp:
The out buildings at the farmstead house several museums including farm machinery, and a tobacco barn:

And a Civil War museum which is mostly Confederate:

Dr. Mudd is buried six miles farther south in the church yard of St. Mary's Catholic Church (1793) near Bryantown. [The 1846 church was rebuilt in 1966.] Before the events of 1863-1865, Mrs. Surratt's daughter Anna had attended Miss Winifred Martin's school which was operated in connection with St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bryantown.

Rainbows

2011-08-22T15:17:00.002-04:00

August thunderstorms broke the heat and, eventually, the drought.

Goldfinches

2011-08-16T16:52:00.005-04:00

Many sunflowers volunteered in our garden this year and, for the most part, we allowed them to take over. We think they originated in the bird seed we fed last winter to the local bird population. With so many sunflowers maturing, and apparently the right varieties, we've had goldfinches for the first time in 11 summers at this location. They're shy and will fly far away in a split second. So, it's been hard catching a photograph.

The Wilkes Street Tunnel

2011-08-16T14:11:00.011-04:00

Alexandria, VA, August 5, 2011: In search of a better, cleaner Safeway, we happened upon the Wilkes Street Tunnel and decided to explore. The tunnel was built in 1851 by the Orange & Alexandria Railroad to connect the Alexandria waterfront through a bluff to the farms of the Virginia Piedmont. The tunnel was refurbished in 2008 and preserved as a walkway.

The eastern side of the tunnel opens onto Windmill Hill Park and this view of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge:
At the east end of the bridge is the Potomac River Waterfront Park that hovers over the traffic lanes on the bridge:
Catfish caught in river (l):

Osprey on the river:
View of the Capitol (l); the Alexandria waterfront (r):

We didn't find a better, cleaner Safeway.

Kansas City Confidential After 60 Years

2011-08-04T16:57:00.005-04:00

July 18, 2011: Compare the Kansas City skyline in the film noir classic Kansas City Confidential (1952) with the contemporary skyline almost 60 years later:

The film begins in Kansas City with a bank robbery, but plays out in a Mexican seaside fishing resort. We suspect it was filmed entirely in Hollywood. One can see the Santa Monica Mountains (upper right hand corner) as a vehicle leaves the robbery scene in "Kansas City:"

Hummingbird Moth on Buddleia

2011-08-04T16:47:00.005-04:00

July 18, 2011:

From Irvine CA to Irving TX

2011-08-04T16:13:00.005-04:00

July 17, 2011: The Orange County Fair in in Costa Mesa:
Lido Isle at Newport Beach:
The Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley:
Alien or ancient landscape designs:
The Texas Motor Speedway near Elizabeth, TX:
Carroll High School's Dragon Stadium in Southlake, TX:

The San Clemente Ocean Festival

2011-08-04T10:28:00.015-04:00

San Clemente, CA, July 16, 2011: San Clemente has great beaches for swimming, a pier for fishing and arguably the best surfing in California. It's the only place in California with a train station right on the beach. Tourism is part of the local economy particularly in the summer. To gin up the beach season, San Clemente has several annual events, of which the Ocean Festival is the biggest.

The event includes arts and crafts vending:

Among the water events was a 2-man dory race:

There are also various surfing contests by gender and age group; we saw teenaged women:
Woodies play a central role in Surfing Culture and are exhibited on the Pier during the annual Ocean Festival. On today's market, Janet Sharps' 1950s Woodie, if renovated, would bring about $86,000.00.

For many, it was just a day at the beach:

A Morning in Laguna Beach

2011-08-04T09:00:00.013-04:00

Laguna Beach, CA, July 16, 2011: Nick's San Clemente refuses to serve breakfast on Saturdays, so we trekked to Laguna Beach where Nick's does serve breakfast on Saturdays.

It gave us an opportunity to explore their farmers market and to enjoy the ocean views at Heisler Park. There's no better place to be on a beautiful day.

HEISLER PARK:

Breeching Whale by Jon Seeman overlooks a stretch of the California coast where one might well see a breeching whale during their annual migrations.

We drove up Nyes Place in southern Laguna for the dramatic views:

On our way back, we descended Cove Road in Dana Point just for the fun of it.

A San Clemente Day

2011-08-03T13:56:00.019-04:00

San Clemente, CA, July 15, 2011:
It seems an unusually good year for Agapanthus:
We passed this toll plaza on the way to Newport Beach:
We made a pilgrimage to Roger's Garden:

These Dahlias caught our eye:

Our Tommy Bahamas lunch included a Mango Jalapeño Mojito:

We enjoyed sunset at the world famous San Clemente Pier:

Malibu to Newport

2011-08-02T18:46:00.016-04:00

July 14, 2011: We arrived in Malibu in time for a late lunch at the Marmalade Cafe.

Snowy Egrets were roosting in the trees:

We had clear "sailing" down the coast to Santa Monica:

We passed part of Marion Davies' house (l) and the Santa Monica Pier (r):

On the eve of "Carmageddon," the 10 crept toward downtown LA and the 5 was not much better until we reached Buena Park.

We viewed the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral from the freeway:

We stopped in Newport Beach for pizza:

Our Morning in Santa Barbara

2011-07-28T13:55:00.039-04:00

July 14, 2011: How appropriate to wake up on the American Riviera on Bastille Day! The Inn of the Spanish Garden is not on the coast but off the commercial district; ideal for an early morning walking tour.

THE COURTHOUSE. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse (1929), considered "the grandest Spanish Colonial Revival structure ever built," occupies an entire block in downtown Santa Barbara and sets the tone for the city's architecture. It's an active courthouse which coexists with the tourists. This view of the southeast corner shows the "jail wing" no longer used as a jail:

This view from the northwest overlooks the "Sunken Garden" which would seem the perfect location for outdoor gatherings. The courthouse grounds comprise a veritable botanic garden of 77 trees and plants from around the world.

Over the main entrance on the west side is inscription: DIOS NOS DIO LOS CAMPOS, EL ARTE HVMANA EDIFICO CIVDADES--God gave us the fields, the skill of man built the cities.

El Mirado, the 85-foot high clock tower offers spectacular views of the city:

The coast to the southeast is lined with palm trees:
To the northwest is the Mission Santa Barbara (1820) with its twin bell towers:

The Mural Room was originally the home of the County Board of Supervisors. The murals by California artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck depict Cabrillo's entry into California in 1542, Vizcaino's naming of the Santa Barbara Channel in 1602, and John C. Fremont coming over the San Marcos Pass in 1846. Cecil B. Demille used Groesbeck extensively for painting film previsualizations.

Here, Father Presidente Fermin Lasuen is shown constructing the Mission Santa Barbara.
The courthouse interior is straight out of Al-Andalus:

An open-air colonnade leads directly into an interior hallway of courtrooms (l); the hallway is also directly connected to this open-air circular staircase (r):

The hallway walls are lined with history paintings by Theodore van Cina who worked in Southern California between 1924 and 1933. Cabrillo disembarking in Santa Barbara in 1542:

Father Serra planting the cross at the Presidio Santa Barbara in 1782:
The Argentine pirate Bouchard pillaging a ranch in 1818:
The funeral of Governor José Figueroa at Mission Santa Barbara in 1835:
A fiesta at the Santa Barbara Court House in 1930:

STATE STREET: Santa Barbara's thriving downtown is filled with flowers. This commercial district was preserved by incorporating open air shopping malls into city blocks along State Street which extenfrom Stearns Wharf past the train station and through the heart of Santa Barbara. One side street had hibiscus trees and we also saw Hong Kong Orchid Trees (r):

We saw Golden Medallion Trees (l) and Bougainvillea (r):

Jacaranda is not native to California, but it is omnipresent:

In Old Town near the foot of State Street, we made a pilgrimage to the flagship store (r) and outlet store (l) of T he Territory Ahead.

THE PRESIDIO: El Presidio Real de Santa Barbara (1782) was the last military post built by Spain in the New World and the fourth in Alta California. In Santa Barbara the modern street grid cuts through the original presidio.

ON THE WAY OUT OF TOWN. We passed the Chromatic Gate:

From Piedras Blancas to Santa Barbara

2011-07-27T15:35:00.016-04:00

July 13, 2011: The Piedras Blancas Lighthouse is just before San Simeon.

This time we saw the elephant seal colony by daylight!

We did not even pause for San Simeon:
Nor for Morro Rock:

We stopped, albeit briefly, at Mission Santa Inés (1804) on the outskirts of Solvang. The second mission church was dedicated in 1817 and was mostly collapsed by 1894. Reconstruction began in 1904 and was mostly completed in 1947. The 19th of the 22 arches is on the left:

This chapel, adjacent to the sanctuary, has an 18th-century Mexican carved Mater Dolorosa:

These 17th century Spanish Colonial paintings are a madonna and child (left) and the Black Madonna of Guadalupe, Spain with St. Luke and St. Mark (right):

We took a brief side tour to see the miniature horses at Quicksilver Ranch.

We returned to Solvang for dinner. Solvang is a "Danish" town founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants fleeing the winters of the American Midwest. It has become a tourist shopping destination amidst the wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley.
A wall plaque in the Bit o' Denmark represents Thor in his goat-driven chariot:

BIG SUR

2011-07-27T10:01:00.025-04:00

California Central Coast, July 13, 2011: The most scenic drive in the United States, if not the world, is California Highway 1 between Carmel and San Carpoforo Creek. The highway was constructed between 1919 and 1937. In the summer of 1938, Edna drove her mother, father and two sisters down Big Sur. The road clings to the cliff as it winds its way along, and above, the Pacific Ocean. It's like the Amalfi Drive on steroids, though much less populated.

Edna (left) views the harbor seals (below):

The Rock Creek Bridge (1932) is almost hidden in the center of the view on the left (open photo in another tab or window).

The Bixby Bridge (1932) is among the most photographed structures on the planet. It was the linchpin for opening Big Sur to the motoring public.
Monterey Indian paintbrush (left); bull thistle (right):

Point Sur Lighthouse (1889) (right) sits on Point Sur (left) which is tied to the mainland by a tombolo:

Big Sur is remote and sparsely populated, but the views must be terrific!

Bill was enjoying the view when, all of a sudden, a huge bird was flying right below him. It was a California condor, one of only 181 known to be in the wild!

The double-arched Big Creek Bridge:

At some point going south, the mountains and the sea become separated by foothills; then the foothills and the sea become separated by a coastal plain; and Big Sur is left behind.

Carmel-by-the-Sea

2011-07-26T12:55:00.016-04:00

June 12, 2011: Carmel is one of those beach towns that started life as an artists colony and has ended up as a high-toned tourist destination. It enjoys the "it's cold and it's damp" Monterey Peninsula climate.

Ocean Avenue, the main drag, goes downhill to the beach:

Point Lobos State Nature Preserve

2011-07-25T23:49:00.017-04:00

Carmel, CA, July 12, 2011: We took a short hike at Point Lobos State Nature Preserve. Point Lobos forms the southern shore of Carmel Bay. We've never seen more wildflowers in bloom. Here's the view of Point Lobos as seen from Pebble Beach:

Here's the views on Point Lobos:

Sea lettuce (left); Bluff lettuce (below):

Monterey Indian Paintbrush (left); Seaside Daisy (below):

Sticky Monkey Flower (left); lizard tail a/k/a coastal wolly sunflower (right):

The seed pods of one of the lupines, probably yellow bush lupine (left); the coast morning glory (right):

Gravity Garden

2011-07-25T23:36:00.004-04:00

Carmel Highlands, CA, July 12, 2011: We checked out Jim Needham's Gravity Garden.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium

2011-07-25T16:41:00.019-04:00

Monterey, CA, July 12, 2011: The world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium is very nice, but expensive and over crowded.

It sits at the end of Cannery Row, which is a cross between Front Street in Lahaina and downtown Annapolis. There's neither canning, nor Steinbeck, left in Cannery Row.

Sea dragon (below):

Pebble Beach

2011-07-25T10:27:00.019-04:00

Pebble Beach, CA, July 12, 2011: We toured the famous 17 Mile Drive and stayed at The Lodge at Pebble Beach. While temperatures have ranged from an all time low of 20 degrees F and an all time high of 101 degrees F, the average temperatures range from 51 to 71 degrees year round. The day can vacillate between brilliant sunshine and foggy, misty clouds but the nights almost guarantee a fire in the fireplace with cool sleeping after.

THE DRIVE: The symbol of Pebble Beach is the "Lone Cypress" (left); a "ghost tree" is the remains of a Monterey cypress:

THE LODGE:

The putting green is between the Lodge and the Shops. We seemed to be at the end of a father-son golfing event, but the sons were more prep school than this guy:

The bust honors Pebble Beach found Samuel F. B. Morse; the plaques honor the winners of various Pebble Beach golf tournaments and Pebble Beach enthusiast Bing Crosby:
THE COURSE:

ROOM WITH A VIEW:

The potato chip thief:

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo

2011-07-24T22:26:00.012-04:00

Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, July 11, 2011: The second of the 22 Alta California missions was Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo founded on June 3, 1770 in Monterey, CA and moved to it's present Carmel location August 24, 1771 by Blessed Fray Junipero Serra, "Father Presidente" of the California Missions. Carmel served as Serra's headquarters until his death August 28, 1784. He is buried in the floor of the mission church. The current stone church was built by Serra's successor, Padre Fermín de Francisco Lasuén de Arasqueta, in 1793. It was the first of only 3 mission churches built of stone (the other 18 were built of adobe). The nave features an inverted catenary arch [like the St. Louis Arch] and the bell tower is Moorish in style. The church was restored in 1884 and again in 1936. The bell tower is the only original bell tower of any of the Alta California missions.

The tomb of Fray Junipero Serra (left), and a reliquary holding the wood from his original coffin (below):

In the 1920s artist Jo Mora created a life-sized memorial cenotaph for Serra as well as this alter piece in what is known as the Mora chapel.

Serra's cell is reconstructed with part of its original walls:

Mission San Juan Bautista

2011-07-22T16:54:00.022-04:00

July 11, 2011: The Mission San Juan Bautista was founded in 1797 immediately, albeit unwittingly, adjacent to the San Andreas Fault in the Pajaro River Valley. Mass has been served daily since June 24, 1797 despite earthquake damage including the collapse of the side walls of the Mission in the 1906 ("San Francisco") earthquake. The cornerstone of the Mission church was laid in June 1803, the church was dedicated in 1812 and the altar and reredos completed in 1817 by an American sailor who had jumped ship in Monterey. Of the 22 California missions, San Juan Bautista has the only mission church with side aisles, giving it room for side altars and, appropriately, a baptistry. The mission was a climatic destination in Hitchcock's Vertigo.

Hic domus Dei est et porta coeli: Here is the house of God and the gate to Heaven (left). The central nave (below):

A side altar to Our Lady of Guadalupe (below) and the bautisterio at San Juan Bautista (left):

Each winter solstice (December 21-22), the morning sun shines through the front window of the church and strikes the tabernacle (the green square behind the main altar). This "Sacrament of the Sun" has been observed at 11 other mission churches. All are set in the landscape so that on an equinox or solstice or Saint's day, a similar solar illumination of the altar or tabernacle occurs.The statues of the reredo are (clockwise from top left) St. Anthony of Padua, St. Dominic, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Pascal Baylon, St. John the Baptist and the Lamb of God, St. Isidore.

"The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him, and he saith:
Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.

The medallion in the front of the alter says: Hoc est enim Corpus meum. Hic est enim Calix Sánguinis mei, novi et ætérni testaménti; mystérium fidei: qui pro vobis et pro multis effundétur in remissiónem peccatórum: For this is my Body. For this is the Chalice of my Blood, of the new and eternal testament; the mystery of faith: which shall be shed for you and for many unto the remission of sins.

The mission cemetery was along the valley side of the church:

This chapel behind the main altar is the oldest part of the mission:

Heading to the Central Coast

2011-07-22T15:47:00.005-04:00

July 11, 2011: We drove from Santa Rosa toward the Central Coast. We passed an In-N-Out truck as we headed toward Mount Tamalpais:

We crossed back over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge:
We got a foggy view of the Golden Gate Bridge:
And a foggy view of San Francisco:
The South Bay was sunny:
We think this is one of the native California irises :