Mission San Juan Bautista de Anza
This is one of California’s 21 missions. I almost wished it wasn’t so tacky and rude to take pictures inside the chapel, because it really was magnificent. The walls were adobe, but the floors were stone, and it was lit primarily with candles. A much different look than our beautiful mission at home, but certainly no less impressive. Someday I’m going to have Gwen leave her kids with Mom and she and I are going to go on a statewide mission tour. They’re incredible.
Doug and Dylan demonstrate how low the doorways are, and the kids take a break in the garden.
I suppose there’s nothing spectacular about this photo, its just that the graves lined up toward the aloe was a nice image, I guess--from death to healing.
I could do an entire page just of the mission’s gardens. They were amazing. One thing I do like about living in California is that there are always roses in bloom somewhere.
Doug and the kids head from the mission to the old stables.
You can see looking out across the valley why the Spanish stopped here. The farmland is lush (and much flatter than the coast). El Camino Real (the King’s Highway) runs through the state, connecting all the missions, and in places joins with modern highways.