Misión la Exaltacion de la Santa Cruz

A visit to the mission in Santa Cruz requires two stops at the top of Mission Hill.  The first to the church finds a 1/3 size replica of the original mission which was destroyed in 1857 and the second to the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park where there are magnificent views from the gardens.

Santa Cruz, the 12th California Mission, was founded on the bluff in 1791 by President Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuén and founding missionaries Frs. Isídro Salazar and Balamero López.  The Awaswas triblet of the Costanoans were the earliest of the neophytes.  They were later joined by Yokuts and other Costanoans.

The church is still a Catholic church and is popular for local marriages





The State Historic park features the only original building left. The single story adobe which was built between 1822 and 1824 was originally about twice the size it is now.  It provided housing for the neophytes.

When the mission system was secularized in 1834 the neophytes left, either abandoning the rooms or selling them to Californios.





Today the building is home to exhibits that tell the story of the early mission and it's residents through the years including the neophytes, the Californios and others.  Be sure to pick up the self-guided tour brochure in the gift shop before starting.

California Mission State Historic Park
California Missions - Santa Cruz
Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

Trail Posts: A Literary Exploration of California's State Parks  Lorenzo Asisara remembers a story told him by his father in 1818 in Reminiscences.

NPS - Presidio of California - Fort Winfield Scott

Another stop on a walk and drive through the Presidio.  








Fort Winfield Scott was established in 1912 and was designated as the headquarters for San Francisco Coastal defense, controlling Forts Baker, Barry, Cronkhite, Miley and Funston, but not the Presidio or Fort Mason.















At the end of WWII it became a sub post of the SF Presidio and in 1946 became the home of the US Army's Coast Artillery School for a short time.

Presidio of San Francisco - NPS 

Fort Winfield Scott

For Dad

I made this quilt for the bed in Dad's trophy room in 1992.  Hard to believe he's been gone for twenty years.  Tim has the quilt on the bed in his office as well as a lot of dads memorabilia.

CSB - Asilomar

This post covers many of my interests, a state  beach and marine reserve, a lighthouse, a natural preserve, and QUILTS.  It can't be much better than a week immersed by all.

Asilomar is a state beach with a conference center located in Pacific Grove.  I was lucky enough to find a quilt workshop with Empty Spools Seminars. A week with Sandra Leichner provided me with a lot of new techniques for hand applique, and visits to other classrooms provided inspiration for projects to come.

There was even a quilt store in place at the workshop.  The Cotton Patch from Lafayette sets up a store on site to facilitate those last minute needs or desires of workshop attendees. And so my fat quarter stash has grown.

Learning new quilting techniques is great...but I need my steps.  The ability to step out the door and walk to my hearts content made for a wonderful week!  After a quick stop for coffee in the mornings I would walk along the beach for about an hour.  By the end of the week I had chatted with a few of the locals who were also out every day.

Wandering through the grounds are some very tame deer, they don't run when you walk up, the do munch on everything....the reason for the caged flowers in the Dunes Natural Preserve.





Asilomar,  itself was originally a YWCA camp. The original building,  designed in 1913 by Julia Morgan, has been restored and other buildings date back to the WPA era.  Asilomar became a State Park in 1957 and has continued as a conference center with the grounds open to the public.

Point Pinos Lighthouse commissioned in 1855,  is the oldest continuously working lighthouse in the state.   The lighthouse is owned by the city of Pacific Grove.  The Heritage society of Pacific Grove is actively restoring the lighthouse and manning the museum.  It is well worth a visit.

• CSP - Asilomar State Beach 
  
• Visitors Guide 
• Coast Trail
• Julia Morgans Asilomar
• Dunes Natural Preserve 
• CSP-Asilomar State Marine Reserve
• Asilomar Conference Grounds - Wikipedia
• Asilomar - See Monterey
• Point Pinos Lighthouse

MORE PICTURES

Asilomar

Point Pinos