Bits and Pieces, pt. 1

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In every trip there are so many photos without obvious places in the narrative. Here are some. 

We begin with more from Ai Weiwei at Alcatraz. So glad to have had the opportunity to see this show, which closed today.


                                    


It is easy to forget that California had a long history before it became a state.

San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey (below) was founded by Father Junipero Serra on June 3, 1770, on the shores of Monterey Bay, as the cornerstone of his Mission. A year later, Fr. Serra moved the Mission to Carmel. The church remained as a Royal Chapel for the soldiers guarding the new Spanish Presidio of Monterey. The present sandstone church was completed in 1794.

The significance of San Carlos cannot be overstated. It is the oldest continuously functioning church and the first stone building in the State of California. It is California’s first cathedral and stands for the birth of Carmel Mission and Monterey, the first capital of California.





                                 

And this is St. Rosaria, the patron saint of Palermo, Italy. No idea of her connection to A Spanish mission in California, but that is a skull she is holding.









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