Mission San Francisco de Asis May 17, 2013

The very first place I took Marion was to the Mission Dolores in downtown San Francisco. Her request was to drive through Haight-Asbury and we did that, too.
http://missiondolores.org/old-mission/visitor.html

The Misión San Francisco de Asís was founded June 29, 1776. The settlement was named for St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order, but was also commonly known as "Mission Dolores" owing to the presence of a nearby creek named Arroyo de los Dolores, or "Creek of Sorrows."

Mission Dolores is the oldest intact building in the City of San Francisco and the only intact Mission Chapel in the chain of 21 established under the direction of Father Serra. The Mission has been a steadfast witness to the span of San Francisco's history including the California Gold Rush and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The Mission Cemetery is the only cemetery that remains within the City limits. The Cemetery is the final resting place for numerous Ohlone, Miwok, and other First Californians as well as notable California pioneers.

There was so much to see, I've divided it into several sections. We begin with the outside:

Parking was the hardest part.

On-line photo.

Part of the old and part of the new.

Closer up.

Marion at the gate.

Looking up to see the top.

In a small courtyard.

Fr. Serra

Interesting succulent.

Succulent
with flowers!

I want to start with the history shown in old photographs in the museum.

One of the models set in a corner.

One of the reasons for all the missions
was to convert the Indians.
Indians at Mission 1816

Mission scene from 1826

Bullfights at mission 1842

Parish Rectory Seminary Inn 1860

After the 1906 earthquake.

Mission Dolores today.

Papal Visit Sept 17, 1987
Beatified May 1, 2011

In the Museum:

An old altar.

Quail, a common bird at the mission.

Indian Mannequin 

Music was important part of
ceremonies and everyday life.

In the museum is a great replica of an Indian Village under glass.

I captured this image of the Ohlone home called a ruway.

Then we found a real one outside.

Chutchui Village of 1775
These ruway could be as small as
6-8 ft. diameter or as large as
20 ft. depending on the family.
The larger had smoke holes that
could be covered when it rained.

Bay Area Ohlone Indian hut.

Inside the Mission, I was again reminded of the power of paint. I don't think I need to point out the ceiling. Most ceiling have subdued motifs of alternating flowers and designs.

The real altar.

A painted wall on the side.

These columns are on
both sides of the altar.

I guess you would call them
side altars with different figures.

Ft. Serra

Stairs in the back.

I was totally unprepared for the splendor of the Basilica. Even though I could not capture a photograph of the windows, believe me, they are awesome:

The entry is in a narrow
hallway between the two.

Just inside the door is
this magnificent statue.

WOW!

View from the side so you
can see the ceiling.

Close up of the pews and
the beautiful carved wood.

It's not an umbrella but
to help the sound carry.

Beatified in 2011

2 of the Missions.

When too much light comes through
the stained glass, sometimes I can
get the window and sometimes not.
You'll just have to visit here yourself!

I love the way artists
depict holiness.

Here the halo goes all around
Our Lady of Guadalupe

The altar up close.

The cemetery is another holy place.

A family plot.

Stones from 1776.

Interesting "flowers"

Fr. Serra

Love this bench.

We were greeted by a robin.

San Francisco Airport May 15, 2013

Today is one of those points in my trip, to pick up my friend Marion from Jacksonville, FL. We have traveled together before and I look forward to having her with me the next couple of months. While waiting on her flight, I checked out the SFO Airport Museum.

This says it all!

I have one photo of the trams
and one of an airplane landing
but not both in the same photo!!!

Like every other airport. LOL

In the hall.

Bay Area Art by Joyce Kozloff, 1982

A huge globe taller than me.

The whole museum is about Pan Am
United and American Airlines.

All kinds of interesting info.

and More!

China Clipper, the briefcase.

China Clipper, the plane.

China Clipper China

American Airlines China

I collected stamps. Wonder if I have
this one? Just maybe...

Upstairs was filled with books, both
children's and adult volumes.

"My Easy-to-Read True Book of
Airports and Airplanes" 1956

Southern Cross

United Airlines Mainliner

The whole room
from above.

Adult books in every alcove.

Each window has stewardess' uniforms.

The men's uniforms on this side.

I hope you can see how beautiful this museum is. They had some kind of meeting here earlier in the day and while I was there, they started removing the chairs.

Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, CA May 13, 2013

For a spelling challenged person, Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma is a nightmare! To make matters worse, sometimes the mission is called Sonoma Mission. Even knowing Sonoma is wine country doesn't help. LOL. To top it all off, it is 40 miles north of San Francisco!
All being said, the mission was the northernmost and the last California Mission to be built. (But not the last one I visited.) It's the only one built during the Mexican rule of "Alta California". The Bear Flag that eventually became the California state flag was designed and raised here.

A delightful park in the middle of
the town of Sonoma, CA

The First California Flag.

The Visitors Bureau.

On closer look, it was the Library!

Streetlight in the mission
parking lot.

Not only the ever present school bus was in the parking lot,
but also a touring bus with lots of old people like me!
 I didn't see them in the mission, so I'm sure they
found some good cheese and wine tasting nearby.

Mission Solano de San Francisco
in Sonoma, CA

Camero de Real Bell

I'm fascinated with the cacti.

It's a State Park and not an active church.

First you go through the museum.

The beautiful altar.

Looking in.

Looking out.

The Indian women did the cooking
and cleaning hiding behind the
cacti and trees behind the fountain!

In the backyard, the well and fountain.

Across the street is the barracks for
the soldiers to protect the mission.

More museum information

A typical soldier's room...

...and bed.

 There are many stories about how California got it's flag. I'll add one here that I found. A soldier in these barracks drew one star, a bear, and the red stripe as best he could. When threatened by the Mexican army, they raised this flag, to the hoots of the crowd saying "Pig... Pig..." because it looked like a pig instead of a bear. When California finally became a state, they kept the original design only making sure the bear looked more like a bear.

The original flag.

The California Flag as it is today.

The cart in the backyard.

And the oven.

I couldn't leave town without a photo of this restaurant.

No, I didn't eat here. I did eat
at a lovely sandwich shop that
was very busy with tourists
and local people.

Nor here.