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

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Asilomar

Point Pinos

Mission - San Antonio de Padua

CALIFORNIA REGISTRER HISTORICAL LANDMARK # 232

Each of the missions I've visited has some wonderful new thing to see.  San Antonio de Padua, probably the furthest off the beaten path, situated a little over twenty miles west of 101 had a great museum. The arrangement allowed easy viewing and there were many unique items, including a    When the wine was ready it would be drained through that hole you see.





San Antonio Padua was established in 1771 by Father Serra, the 3rd mission in the system.  It was run by Franciscan priests until 2005 when it was taken over by the Diocese of Monterey.

It is still an active church, albeit with a tiny community.  It is also open for individual and group retreats.






It is definitely in the boonies, but well worth the trip.  Be aware that your GPS might not know the way after a certain point so you might want to look at a map before you go.

There was also a great gift shop.  Artists have placed their wares on consignment, which allows a much better collection that could be maintained if the items had to be purchased.  It's a great place to stock up for next seasons gifts!

More Pictures 

• Mission San Antonio de Padua website
• Mission San Antonio de Padua - Wikipedia
• California Through My Lens
• See Monterey

LH - Hunting Island (South Carolina)

One of the places we traveled to South Carolina in 2009 for Ethan's wedding in Beaufort.  It was a lovely park and a great lighthouse.

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Valentine Hearts

Another early lap quilt.  I think one of my first...made in the days when material was found in the remnant bin at Gemco.  I'm never sure that I love this, not the color choices I'd make today. But then it was what was available and I've lived with it on Valentines day for close to forty years.

SMCP - Pillar Point Bluff

It was another great day with the San Mateo County Parks Foundation,  a beautiful January day, and Michele had arranged for Malia and Chris to lead this birding hike.  Malia is an expert for  ibirds, responsible for checking reported sightings for the area.  Also on the hike were rangers Rob Cala and Mark Schneider.  Rob Cala's huge camera lens captured some wonderful shots of the day.  Check the harrier and the heron below.



As we hiked the bluff, I realized I had been there once before, without realizing it, when we took our Bay to Bridge hike in 2014.

Harrier Land Brush - Rob Cala 2020 - Used with permission
Northern Harrier

Misty Pillar Point Harbor

Once you know where this park is, it is easy to get to and well worth the drive to get there.  It's a short hike to Mavericks Beach or in the other direction to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.

Pillar Point Bluff County Park
More Pictures

Magnificent Mushrooms
Fly Agaric

Heron - Rob Cala 2020 - Used with permission
Black Crowned Night Heron 

Windmills

I made small pinwheel hangings for everyone for Easter one year.  This one I kept.  It is hung on the wall behind the Murphy bed.

Mission - San Miguel Arcángel

CALIFORNIA REGISTRER HISTORICAL LANDMARK # 326                                                          #71000191

Another trip to San Luis Obispo gave me a chance to visit two missions. 

On the way down I stopped at San Miguel Arcángel which was established by Padre Buenaventura Sitjar in 1797, on a bluff overlooking the Rio de Monterey (later renamed the Salinas River). 

The original simple church was destroyed by fire in 1806.  The plan and preparation of a new church took ten years.  Construction started in 1816 and was completed in 1818.  

San Miguel is the only mission church that still has the original frescoes on the walls.  Unlike most frescoes they were painted on dry plaster walls by Monterey artist Don Esteban Munras and completed by members of the Salinan Tribe under his direction in 1821.

I visited on January 6th, the Epiphany, so the Christmas decorations were still up.  It was absolutely lovely.

If you visit don't forget to venture down the Shepherd's Walk, there is a great collection of interesting old tools.  For that matter don't skip anything, from the museum at the beginning to the gardens to the priests quarters, it is all beautifully put together and very informative.

 MORE PICTURES

 Mission San Miguel - History
1775 Mission St, San Miguel CA 93451
info@missionsanmiguel.org

Mission San Miguel - Wikipedia
Mission San Miguel - California Mission Foundation
Mission San Miguel - National Park Service

CSHP - Fort Ross

Liam's bear joined us on this visit
to Fort Ross in 2002
part of our California vacation! 

"Perched on the fog-thick bluffs of the Sonoma Coast with the ocean foaming below, Fort Ross seems the perfect location for a ghost story. At its peak occupation, from 1812 to 1841, Fort Ross was the southernmost extension of Russian colonial efforts in North America." 

Fort Ross was established as a trading post by Russians and Alaskan Aleuts in 1812.  It lies just 125 miles north of San Francisco.  It was abandoned in 1842, deemed too hard to maintain due to Mexican claims and American settlers.

Fort Ross State Historic Park   
Fort Ross - Wikipedia 
Atlas Obscura - Fort Ross

Trail Posts: A Literary Exploration of California's State Parks  - Gertrude Atherton creates a dark Russian ghost story, purportedly based on a true event in Fort Ross.

Vineyards

I joined Maura and Melanie at quilt camp a second year.  This was the result....the camp leader didn't like it I'm afraid!  But Greg did, he had chosen the materials for the most part.  We had visited quilt stores on a trip home from Portland.  It was machine quilted with a grape pattern, thus the name.  It is on the hidden bed in the library.

CSB - Pomponio

Another favorite as we wandered about on the San Mateo County coast.

Pomponio State Beach 

Stars

CSP - China Camp

A State Parks Foundation Insider Tour was my first visit to this park in 2018.  It was created around a Chinese Shrimping Village established in 1868. Run by a non-profit, volunteers and paid staff are well versed in the history of the area. The movie Blood Alley with John Wayne was filmed here.   

Located just three miles north of San Rafael, this is a full fledged park, with a "historic park" included.  There are fifteen miles of hiking trails as well as the shrimping village and the wonderful views of the bay and San Francisco.

 China Camp State Park 
Friends of China Camp

China Camp - Wikipedia

Christmas Quilt Bags

Christmas quilts need a place to go after the holiday!