Mission Dolores

San Francisco's Mission Dolores

The formal name is Mission San Francisco de Asis, but it has been known as Mission Dolores since the first mass was held in 1776.  Named after a small stream nearby, Arroyo de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, the mission was the sixth to be established of California's 21 Missions. Mission Dolores is unique in that it is almost completely intact as it was originally constructed. While buildings around it collapsed during San Francisco's 1906 earthquake, Mission Dolores' four foot thick adobe walls remained standing and unharmed. The original redwood logs supporting the roof remain in place to this day lashed together with rawhide.
  

The ceilings have been repainted over the years but they remain true to the
original Ohlone Indian designs which were painted with vegetable dyes.
The main alter was created in San Blas Mexico in 1796.

The side alters were also made in Mexico but installed much later in 1810.

The Mission's simple baptistry is still in use today.
Written records have been preserved for
Mission Dolores 28,000 baptisms.

Burials in the adjacent cemetery took place from the time of the Mission's
establishment until the 1890's. 

A sculpture of a contemplative Father Junipero Serra adds
to the peaceful feeling of the old cemetery.

The America's Cup

Oracle Team USA races across the finish line.

Auld Mug - America's Cup
perpetual trophy

Don't you just love it when the underdog makes an incredible recovery to come from behind and win?  That's what happened today in San Francisco when Oracle Team USA won the 34th America's Cup race. The week began with Emirates Team New Zealand ahead 8 to 1 and finished with Oracle's amazing comeback winning eight straight races to take the cup.  The competition has been on in San Francisco Bay for the past 19 days making it the longest cup race in the 162-year history of the event.  

Sounds like we're really fans of the sport doesn't it?  The truth is that we just happened to be in San Francisco house sitting and who could pass up the opportunity to see a world class sailing race?  We have to admit though that we were pretty jazzed by the whole event and happy that the US has retained the Auld Mug for another year.  

We actually didn't know much about the America's Cup and mistakenly assumed that the races were named for our country.  A little time on the internet clued us in to the real story. There was a yacht called the America and in 1851, in a major upset, she would win against the British to earn Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron's 100 Pound Cup.  The syndicate that owned the yacht America then donated the winning trophy to the New York Yacht Club under a stipulation that the trophy be a "perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations" and the America's Cup was born.   

For the first time the America's Cup races are being held in San Francisco.

The race course stretched from the start near the Golden Gate bridge, traversing
San Francisco Bay and ending near downtown around Pier 27.

Coit Tower and ...

 the Transamerica building made for a dramatic backdrop.

Crowds stood about 8 deep at the ends of the pier and some folks opted for lounging in the sun
and watching it all on the big screens.

The media had the best seats in the house!

Team support boats, patrol boats and rescue boats made for a lot of traffic in
addition to the two team's racing boats.

Emirates Team New Zealand.

Oracle Team USA makes a sweeping turn after crossing the finish line.

The winning team.

Winding Down in Morro Bay

Our short stay here in Morro Bay is coming to an end.  It has been a great stop over, allowing us the time to recharge and catch up with family and friends.  It has also kept us in compliance with the U.S. tax codes...gotta pay those taxes!

Our tasks are finished and we are soooo ready for Europe and our next house sitting adventure.  One month house sits in Italy and Scotland bookend the trip and we plan to visit eleven other countries in between. We promise you lots and lots of great posts and photos along the way as we continue our journey traveling the world one house at a time.  

First up in Europe?  Roma!  We'll be posting from there late next week.  Until then...

Ciao baby!

Cayucos Beach Vibe

Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine may have declared Cayucos one of the coolest beach towns in America in 2009, but it's something locals have known for a long time.  Little Cayucos-by-the-Sea, as the Chamber of Commerce folks like to call it, is a true California beach town - minus the Hollywood hype.  (If you're looking for that scene, drive another 200 miles south...) Yea, there are surfers and pretty girls in bikinis, but Cayucos is really a laid back beach town perfect for a family vacation or a romantic weekend getaway.  Downtown is a few blocks long, sprinkled with restaurants, little shops and seaside bars from which you can sip a glass of Central Coast wine and watch the sunset. And, while Cayucos is a popular spot for a beach break, you can always find a quite spot to spread your towel, relax and let the warm sun melt your cares away.  Sound perfect?  Well, yea, it pretty much is!  

Our favorite Cayucos event has always been the town's 4th of July celebration.  We love the sand sculpture contest and parade, followed by a BBQ and fireworks over the Pacific.  Other unique, beach vibe events during the year include the Seaglass Festival and the Easter Bonnet Dog Parade.  There is also an annual car show, the Peddler's Street Faire, and the Cayucos Wine and Food Festival.  But you don't have to wait for an event weekend to enjoy Cayucos, just grab a slice from Ocean Front Pizza or some out-of-this-world smoked fish tacos from the Smokehouse and enjoy.  Afterall, in Cayucos life really is a beach!

For a current calendar of events, check out the Cayucos Chamber of Commerce website.

Piedras Blancas Light Station

On the Central Coast of California we have what we call the "June Gloom" a.k.a. fog.  Hard to imagine on a sunny, beautiful day but there are times when it's difficult to see your hand in front of your face.  Enter the need for the Piedras Blancas Light Station, illuminated in 1875 to help seafarers avoid disaster.  At night its flash pattern helped mariners identify their location and warned them of the rocky coastline nearby.  A sound signal building and fog signal were added in 1906 providing additional protection.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings, the light station is now managed by the BLM with the assistance of the non-profit Piedras Blancas Light Station Association.   The association works on restoring the light station and surrounding property with its funding coming from donations and weekly docent led tours.

Taking the two hour light station tour we followed our docent guide around the property, imagining what life was like for the light keeper and his family living in isolation on this rugged outcropping of land far from any town, any neighbor, any anything.  On duty 24/7, no matter what the weather conditions, dedicated to the safety of ships and sea travelers they probably couldn't even see.

Our docent explains that a large earthquake damaged the light station in 1948 and the upper part of the light house had to be removed. The association hopes to restore the structure to its original state along with rebuilding the light keeper's house pictured above. Structural repairs to the light station and adjacent structures are ongoing and future plans include building replicas of historic buildings that have been lost to time and the elements.

Looking up the light house circular stairway

The fog signal building

Fog signal building interior

Our tour culminated with a walk along the 1/2 mile interpretive trail hugging the spectacular coastline.   A wildlife and marine sanctuary, we viewed Sea Otters floating near the shoreline, Elephant Seals napping on the warm sand and seals lounging about on the rocky ledges.  Further offshore the spouts of Gray Whales could be seen, their annual migration from Mexico to Alaska just beginning. Above it all, a Peregrine Falcon perched.  Umm, on second thought, maybe the light keeper and his family weren't so isolated after all...
  

Interested in taking your own tour of the Piedras Blancas Light Station?  Tour information is available at 805-927-7361 and at Piedrasblancas.org

Back, Back, Back in the U.S.A.

Sunset at Morro Rock from Morro Strand State Beach

Leaving beautiful New Zealand and flying back to the U.S. was nothing short of grueling. Auckland to Melbourne, Australia and then on to Los Angeles and further yet to Sacramento, California.  Twenty-eight hours.  We made it without a missed connection, but with little sleep and airline food that was, well, a lot like gruel!  We could however partake of the tempting aromas drifting through our economy class area from first class.  Isn't that rude?  (We couldn't use their bathrooms either...jeez...)

We are taking a few weeks off from housesitting and hanging out in lovely Morro Bay.  We're happy to be here to catch up with family and friends, recharge our batteries a bit, do our annual visits with doctors and dentists, and complete the dreaded duty of filing our income tax forms.  We promise not to post any photos of that!  

We will be sharing some stories and photos from our time here on California's spectacular Central Coast.  We'll be doing a lighthouse tour, visiting an Elephant Seal colony, and getting in some beach time.  We hope you'll enjoy it just as much as we do!  Then, in March we begin a month long house sit in Italy kicking off the four months we'll spend in Europe.  We promise you a spring and summer filled with travel adventures culminating with a house sit in Scotland. Sound good?  Well, stay tuned then!