California Missions, Part 8
The Adventure Continues… California Missions, Week 6
Each of the 21 missions has its own story of creation, neglect and perhaps destruction, and finally rescue and reconstruction in some form. This week’s three missions have gone through some very dramatic changes; both Mission Santa Cruz and Mission San Jose were replaced by more modern buildings back in the 1800s. In fact, San Jose’s mission building wasn’t reconstructed […]
Memory Monday, Week 143
This week I have slides from winter and summer, in two very different locations. First up, January 1981, when I took a quick trip with my mom and dad up to Post Falls, Idaho. We went to visit my grandpa; and although we only stayed for a couple of days, the whole journey was something of an adventure for me. […]
California Missions, Part 7
Mission Soledad was built in 1791 in what is now the Salinas Valley. After destructive flooding and an epidemic, there wasn’t much left of the buildings until restoration efforts began in the 1950s. The window over the door at San Carlos is unique among the 21 missions. This is also the site of Father Junipero Serra’s grave, which can be […]
Big lake
Even though our recent trip to Clear Lake was only three days long, we experienced so many different kinds of weather it made for a very memorable time. The day we arrived was windy, with dark clouds threatening — not exactly ideal for a fishing trip. It rained off and on all night, and we woke to yet more black […]
California Missions, Part 6
Today, besides more photos of details around Mission La Purisíma Concepción I’m sharing a couple of views from Mission San Diego de Alcalá (featured in last Wednesday’s post. I don’t have any old slide images from Mission San Juan Capistrano (featured in last Wednesday’s post), but wanted to note the virtual event happening today — a celebration of the St. Joseph’s Day and the annual return of the swallows.
Return to the marsh
It’s been nearly two years since I was able to visit Anderson Marsh at Clear Lake and walk the trails, and my visit last week offered a stark example of how even a slight change in weather patterns affects the plant and animal life in vital habitats like creeks and marshes. It looks like we may be heading back into another drought year — although I’m still remaining hopeful that our latest round of storms will help. On my previous visit, in May 2019, everything was fresh and green. The inlets of Cache Creek were full; I photographed turtles sunning themselves on logs and crawdads scurrying around underwater. This time, I found evidence of a recent prescribed burn and the inlets were parched and bare. I did see a good number of birds as I hiked along — including a pair of Valley Quail foraging along the sides of the dry creek bed.
Farmhouse revisited
I’ve visited Anderson Marsh State Historic Park a few times now, usually during our springtime visits to Clear Lake. The park is located just off Highway 53 near the city of Clearlake. The old farmhouse was once part of a working ranch, and during normal times is often the scene of historic re-enactments and other events. Even though it was […]
California Missions, Part 5
Here are some more of my mom’s slides from her California Mission projects in 1979-80. The top photo shows Mission San Miguel, featured in last Wednesday’s post. The remainder are part of the collection shot at Mission Purísima Concepión, along with her slide captions.