Miscellaneous Ramblings Vol. 9 No. 5

Hello Everyone, It’s  May of course. Been that way for the last two weeks. I’m sure you’ve noticed.

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. ~Martha Washington

>>>The Cats… Have you ever driven Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz? Probably. And probably you've noticed the two beautiful white 8' cats that mark the entrance to an old 34 acre estate. Conventional wisdom dictates that the cats were inspired because of the town of Los Gatos, which in Spanish means “the cats.” But hold on there buckaroo, it ain't true. The estate owners, Colonel Charles Erskine Scott Wood and his partner poet, suffragist Sara Bard Field named the cats, Leo and Leona and apparently the couple just happened to like cats. Actually, Los Gatos was named in honor of the mountain lions and bobcats that frequented the Santa Cruz Mountains back in 1840 when the town was looking for a name. 

>>>>In my ever-to-be-humble opinion… Now I understand why the two statues don’t look anymore like mountain lions or bobcats than Calvin Coolidge looks like Meryl Streep. But then again, they are very nice examples of artistic license, aren’t they?

>>>The man left his mark… Irish warring king, King Niall of the Nine Hostages may have more descendants than any other male in Irish history, or any other country's history for that matter. It's estimated that this prehistoric king may have as many as 2 to 3,000,000 descendants. How do we know that? Well, people who study such things discovered the King Niall had the Y-chromosome, haplotype. Don't ask me how they were able to go back thousands of years to find this out. Probably had something to do with analyzing the king's bones, or what's left of them. And don't ask me about digging the old boy up either. So anyone with that chromosome marker is therefore related to King Niall. Oh, and about his title = Remember he was a warring king, and as a result, he held nine royal hostages in his castle’s dungeons. They were captured in each of the lands he conquered. Voilla...King Niall of the Nine Hostages. 

>>>Spending money… Question: does our government spend our tax money wisely? The answer depends on the issue upon which the money is being spent and whether or not the many different factions agree it's a wise expenditure. Anyway here's one example that has been floating around for some time: When NASA started sending astronauts into space, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, Congress approved a program and NASA scientists spent a decade and over $165 million developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside-down, on almost any surface and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300ºC … the Russians on the other 

hand used pencils.

>>>And now the rest of the story… The story above is an

urban legend, but there is a grain of truth however: NASA began to develop a space pen, but when development costs skyrocketed the project was abandoned and astronauts went back to using pencils, just like the Soviets. However, the claim that NASA spent millions on the Space Pen is incorrect, as the Fisher pen was developed using private capital, not govern-ment funding. NASA – and the Soviets  – eventually began purchasing such pens.” 

>>>A final word on US spending… The Feds spent a total of $3.8 trillion in 2015. That’s $3,8000,000,000,000. Another way to look at it: it’s $12,000 for each man, woman and child in the country. The $3.8 trillion represents only 21% of the nation's economy (Gross Domestic Product, the value of all goods and services produced in a year). So how much did the Feds collect in taxes in 2015? That number is $3,248,723,000. Do you see the problem?

>>>Water jet cutter... A water jet cutter, also known as a water jet or waterjet, is an industrial tool capable of cutting a wide variety of materials using a very high-pressure jet of water, or a mixture of water and an abrasive substance. WOW, water cuts! My son was doing a kitchen remodel and told me that the granite kitchen tops were cut out with one of these water jets. Again WOW! If you're interested and want to find out how it works, then google “How Water Jets Work – YouTube.” First we did it with a chisel and a hammer, then along came diamond bladed saws and now with water, so what next?

>>>Old VW microbus uses… If you trek over to the Capitola Mall on 41st Avenue you might want to spend some money at this unusual vending machine. It’s a lousy thing to do to a wonderful old microbus. But there’s no accounting for human behavior.

Seven Facts… 1) You cannot put soap in your eyes.  2) You cannot count you hair.  3) You cannot breathe through your nose, with your tongue out.  4) You did #3, didn't you?  5) When you did #3, you realized its possible, and you look like a dog.  6) You're smiling right now.

>>>A Thought to Leave On…. I've heard different speakers use slightly different words to define the Hindi (India) word: namasteI (NOM uh stay). Namaste is used as a customary greeting when individuals meet, and a valediction upon their parting. I chose the following wording: My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the light, love, truth, beauty and peace within you, because it is also within me. In sharing these things we are united, we are the same, we are one… After reading that, think what the world would be like if everyone understood and adopted the concept behind namaste: we are all one.

Well, that’s it for this time, stay tuned for the next time, which may be some time from now, or not... But in the meantime ... stay well, be safe, keep in touch,    Sam

And little ZeeDee says, “Woof.”

Miscellaneous Ramblings Vol.9 No.2

Hello Everyone… It’s  February. Love in bloom!

Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear. ~Mark Twain

>>>An Italian chef dies…He pasta way. We connoli do so much. His legacy will become a pizza history. Here today, gone tomato. How sad that he ran out of thyme. Sending olive my prayers to the family. His wife is really upset; cheese still not over it. You never sausage a tragic thing. It’s such a shame good people have to die fusilli reasons. It was a fearfalle from grace.

>>>Mega Ship... One of the largest container ships in the world came into the port of Oakland, all 1300 feet of it. 1300 feet is about a quarter mile!

>>>Speaking of that… Here’s an interesting comparison, the old cruise ship Titanic and a modern cruise ship behind it.

>>>Sports… Want to know my favorite name in sports? Okay I’ll tell yah … Manu Tuiasosopo (Too e ahso so po). Say that several times and perhaps you’ll like it too, if you don’t already. So what’s your favorite sport name? Just the name, not necessarily the individual. Hmmmm?

Disclaimer… Those of you who are not TV situation comedy watchers, and you know who you are, will most likely not be on speaking terms with one of the most popular shows on TV, The Big Bang Theory. So you may want to skip the next two entries.

>>>Trouble on The Big Bang Theory… It seems the song sung to calm the fractious Sheldon Cooper is said to be stolen merchandise. The producers of the program are being sued by the daughters of the late-poet Edith Newline. There on page 27 of Laura MacCarteney’s 1937 book of songs for children is Newline’s poem, Warm kitty, soft kitty, little ball of fur; Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr! purr! purr! The Big Bang’s version is slightly changed: Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur; Sleepy kitty, happy kitty, purr! purr! purr! 

>>>Law Suit… The music company that sold Soft Kitty to the Warner Brothers, producers of The Big Bang Theory bought the rights to MacCarteney’s book. Ergo... The key legal question in this case comes down to whether the publisher, by buying the rights to the book, also acquired the rights to the songs contained therein. Hmmmm?

>>>Corrections… A friend monitoring the accuracy of what I include in these ramblings points out the following in last month’s issue: 1) Twain never said to “Twenty years from now, etc, etc…” It’s not clear who did, nevertheless, it remains good advise and for some reason sounds like something Twain might have said whilst piloting a paddle wheeler down the Mississippi. 2) The “God Bless You” account didn’t happen quite that way. The incident was embellished due to the telling and the retelling. But it seems so plausible. Away, one can’t believe everything one reads. Such is life.

>>>A definition… Some people, especially politicos, get upset at the thought of compromising. But, A compromise is an agreement reached by mutual consent. Now I ask you, what’s wrong with that?

>>>A case of radio procedure rudeness... I’m sure you’ve heard someone talking on a shortwave radio, such as in one of those old war movies, or a truck driver using a CB. The person says, “roger, over and out”… That literally means, “I understand what you said, it’s your turn to talk, but I’m not listening.” What should have been said was either, “roger, out” (if the conversation has ended) or roger, over” (if the conversation is to continue.) Thought you would want to know that. You didn’t…oh well.

>>>Something to ponder… You want peace of mind, well here's what experts have found that contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability. 1) The absence of suspicion and resentment. 2) Not living in the past. 3) Not wasting time fighting conditions you cannot change. 4) Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. 5) Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. 6) Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues – love, honor, compassion and loyalty. 7) Don't expect too much of yourself, in other words don't make your goals so high that they're not attainable. 8) Find something bigger than yourself to believe in.

>>>Quiz…Mary's father has five daughters: 1) Lala, 2) Lele, 3) Lili, 4) Lolo... What's the name of the fifth daughter?

>>>More neologisms (newly coined words)… 1) negligent (adj.) describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in you nightgown. 2) lymph (v.) a walk with a lisp. 3) gargoyle (n.) gross olive-flavored mouthwash. 

A final thought…The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ‘tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning. ~Mark Twain

Well, that’s it for this time, stay tuned for the next time... But in the meantime ... stay well, be safe, keep in touch, Sam

And little ZeeDee says, “Woof.”

La Purisima

Father Fermin Lasuen founded Mission La Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima (Mission of the Immaculate Conception of Most Holy Mary) in 1787.  Today, it's simply known as La Purisima.  It was not the first mission to be called that.  The first was established in the California desert near the Colorado River.  Yuma Indians wiped it out along with another mission seven years earlier.

     Progress on the eleventh mission was slow.  The padres had no funds to start the construction and no master builder to supervise it, so the plans languished until 1800.  Two years later work on the church was finished and a large mission garden surrounded by an adobe wall was in place.  Two more years passed and by then 1500 neophytes were living at the mission.  The mission continued to grow, before long over a hundred buildings were constructed, crops and livestock were raised and an elaborate and efficient water system was developed.

    In 1812 a series of small tremors were felt at the mission and then came a tremendous jolt, which shook the ground for four minutes.  Then a half hour later a strong aftershock hit.  The great earthquake of 1812 was not just restricted to La Purisima.  It did serious damage all the way from Mission Santa Ines in the north to Mission San Fernando in the south, a distance of 100 miles.  It destroyed many of Mission Santa Barbara's buildings.  The continuous aftershocks and a drenching rain sealed La Purisima’s fate, bringing down the church and turning most of the buildings into mud.  Father Mariano Payeras, then in charge, was granted permission to rebuild four miles to the northwest.  It went from being off the beaten path to being on the El Camino Real in La Canada de los Berros (Canyon of the Watercress).  A few years after it was relocated, it became a great ranching enterprise, with over 20,000 cattle and sheep and hundreds of horses, mules, burros and other livestock.

    The peaceful nature of the mission was shattered again in 1824 when a growing conflict between the Chumash and the soldiers exploded into armed revolt.  Beginning at neighboring Mission Santa Ines, the unrest then spread to La Purisima.  The Indians killed a neophyte and four hapless travelers on the road.  They then seized the mission and turned it into a fortress.  This lasted two months until one hundred soldiers from Monterey restored order.  As punishment, seven Indians were executed, and twelve others were sentenced to hard labor at the military fort in Monterey.   

    The mission was secularized in 1834.  A series of administrators that followed were more interested in their own prosperity than in the mission's.  They disposed of most of the land and livestock absconding with the money.  By 1829 only 122 Indians and crumbling buildings were left.  The property then passed from owner to owner until finally in 1933 it was donated to the public by the Union Oil Company. 

    Over the succeeding years, it has been extensively restored and is the most complete and, some say, the most authentic of the twenty-one missions.  The area surrounding the mission is now a State Historical Park with a little under a thousand acres, which is to say the least, only a small portion of the original 300,000 acres.

    To walk onto the property is to walk back in time.  The mission stands much as it did a century and a half ago.  There is no evidence of the modern    world.  You can stand in the middle of the field and turn 360 degrees and there are no cars, no power lines, and no way to tell that you are still in the 21st century.  And to add to the realism, volunteers who are known as Prelado do los Tesoros ("Keeper of the Treasures") dressed in period costumes are busy going about what must have been daily mission tasks.  They provide information and tours in true period style. 

     There is still one more realistic element that gives a further sense of mission life...pigs, goats, sheep, long horned cattle and horses can be found standing in their corals just as others like them must have done so long ago.

NOTE:  La Purisima is the only example in California of a complete Spanish Catholic mission complex and it is the only mission that was laid out in a linear fashion, with no quadrangle.   The mission is part of the La Purisima Mission State Historic Park within the California State Park system.  There is a visitor center that offers guided tours.

Mission Santa Barbara

Europeans first saw the bay near where the tenth mission was to be established when Juan Cabrillo’s two tiny caravelles anchored in its waters in 1542.  Sixty years later, the Spanish Viceroy of New Spain appointed Sebastian Vizcaino in charge of locating safe harbors along Alta California’s coast.  When Vizcaino reached the bay that Cabrillo had sailed into, he entered the name “Santa Barbara” on his sailing chart.  Gaspar Portola and Franciscan missionaries rode into the area in 1769 and immediately determined that it would be an ideal location for a mission. 

    By 1782, Father Serra had founded nine missions and was anxious to begin a tenth.  The new mission was to be located at Santa Barbara.  However, the politics of the time were working against him.  After having established a presidio and chapel, he was told that the mission would have to wait.  Alta California’s Governor, Felipe de Neve caused the delay. He was concerned that the Franciscan’s economic power was growing with each new mission, so he delayed his approval. The governor also convinced the viceroy, his immediate boss, to withhold the funds. Father Serra died in Monterey two years later. It was his successor, Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, who finally established the mission on December 4, 1786. It took nine years before the first quadrangle and a temporary church were built. The mission was named for the Great Martyr, Saint Barbara, who as legend has it was beheaded by her father for being a Christian.

     A second quadrangle was built next to the first, along with a succession of larger churches. The last one, which had six side chapels, was the most elaborate. That church was completely destroyed in a series of earthquakes in 1812. Then in 1815, construction began on the majestic church that stands today. Its interior uses imitation marble to form a neoclassical look. The mission's facade is adapted from a design of a Greek temple. The plans called for twin Spanish bell towers, but at first only one was built. It may seem odd to mix Greek and Spanish architectural design elements, but in this case they do work together beautifully. Building the arches was a remarkable feat of construction by the Chumash Indians, who under the direction of Father Antonio Ripoll built the mission. For five years they quarried native sandstone, creating walls that were as much as 5-1/2 feet thick. A second bell tower was added in 1833, making it the only mission with two of them.

    In the early years of the 1800s, the great days of the missions were slowly drawing to a close. They had weathered the plundering of pirates, natural disasters and Indian uprisings. Mexico had gained its independence and the missions were about to be secularized, which was a devastating blow to them. Santa Barbara escaped the exploitation suffered by other missions, due largely because Narcisco Duran, presidente of the missions and Francisco Garcia Diego, first bishop of California chose Santa Barbara as their headquarters. It is the only California mission never to have been abandoned. It has had continuous use since 1786.

    In 1925, an earthquake, once again destroyed the church. Restoration began immediately. The "new" church was faithful to the original design. Twenty-three years later, the building materials were not holding up well because of some sort of chemical reaction. Concrete and reinforced steel was added, giving the structure added strength. What we see today is true to how the majestic church appeared in its glory days.

    The mission continues to serve the community as a parish church. The Franciscan Province of Santa Barbara owns it, and the local parish rents the church from them. Members of the Franciscan order live at the mission and care for it.

 

Note: Juana Maria, the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island portrayed in Scott O'Dell's, Island of the Blue Dolphin was buried in the mission cemetery in 1853.

Mission Buenaventura

Mission San Buenaventura was originally intended to be the third mission, because the site was half way between Mission San Diego and Mission Carmel, but its actuality was slow in coming.  The year before its founding, Padre Serra wanted to start work on it, but an Indian uprising took place at two California desert missions.  Yuma Indians attacked them, killing half a hundred settlers and soldiers. Because of that, the military opposed any new missions, fearful that it would lead to another Indian uprising. To further complicate the situation, missionaries were against a new government policy, which provided for more Spanish settlers to come into Indian territory, a policy that many missionaries thought responsible for the disaster in the desert. Padre Serra and the civilian authorities could not see eye to eye, so construction was postponed ultimately for 12 years. Serra personally dedicated the mission on Easter morning in 1782 as the ninth in the chain. It would be the last mission he founded.

    Looking at the front of the mission’s church, the outstanding features are the bell tower and the triangular frame on the front facade, with a window in the center. The mission is the only one known to have wooden bells, which were carved out of blocks two-feet thick. Bells were of great importance to the daily life of a mission. They were rung at mealtimes, as a call to begin work and to attend religious services, to mark births and funerals, and to signal the approach of a ship or returning missionaries.

    From the start San Buenaventura was a huge success. There were numerous Chumash Indians living in the area. They turned out to be friendly and very skillful. They were so friendly that the mission was built right in the midst of their village. A reservoir was constructed seven miles away on the Ventura River. The padres built an elaborate aqueduct system that brought water to what became a fertile land in which a large variety of crops were grown. It was the combination of rich soil and a mild climate that helped to produce exotic fruits, which included bananas and sugar cane. San Buenaventura’s reputation for growing fruits and vegetable was known far and wide and its proximity to the Pacific Ocean made it a popular place for passing whaling vessels to stop and take on supplies.

    As was the case with many of the other missions, San Buenaventura had to face several threats to its existence. The first church was destroyed by fire, so the present structure was designed of stone and brick and adobe. A violent earthquake of 1812 nearly destroyed the mission. It took two years to make it serviceable again. In 1818, there were threats of pirate raids.

    The mission was secularized in 1836. Soldiers belonging to two rival contenders for governor waged a two-day battle over the mission, resulting in significant damage. In 1846, Governor Pio Pico sold the land for $12.000. The buyer immediately subdivided the property into lots and advertised them for sale to Americans in the East. No land was ever sold because by that time the United States had taken possession of Alta California. The sale of the mission was declared illegal and the property was returned to the Catholic Church.

    Over the years attempts have been made to modernize historic structures. In many cases this ruins the original intent of the builders, but in the case of Mission San Buenaventura, it has been fully restored to it original state; however some of the original buildings were torn down to make way for the city of Ventura which grew up around them.

    Because it is located on Ventura's busy main street, it’s hard to image that the old mission was once the garden spot of all the missions, surrounded by orchards, vineyards, and grain fields.   

    Today, the church is still very active. There have been only a few times since its dedication in 1809 that services were not held.  

Mission San Juan Capistrano is referred to as the "Jewel of the Missions." not only because of its architecture, but perhaps because it is best known due to the annual migration of swallows that return year after year to nest in the many trees and under the eaves of buildings in and around the town. “Los Golondrinas” is the Spanish name for the birds and cliff swallow is their common name.

    The mission was founded in 1775 by Father Lasuen, but was later abandoned because of Indian unrest. Father Serra founded it again in 1776.  It is one of three missions that were founded twice; the others are San Gabriel and La Purisima. 

    Little is left of the original stone church, which was designed with a floor plan in the shape of a Latin cross.  When the padres began construction, their goal was to have the finest church in the chain.  The Great Stone Church was truly magnificent and the padres were proud of their accomplishment. Then in 1812, six years after they had completed construction, a devastating earthquake struck while Mass was being conducted. The church and its 200-foot bell tower were completely destroyed.  Forty bodies were pulled from the ruins.  Since then no attempt has been made to restore it. Today, all that remains of the original structure is the back wall.  Many of the other buildings on the property have been restored. The Serra Chapel is the only surviving structure where Padre Serra is known to have conducted mass. The baroque reredos is believed to be 300 years old and is the highlight of the chapel. The interior of the chapel is shown here. 

    Buildings on the property show masonry work that has been compare to that which is found in Rome and Greece. The padres did indeed deliver on their promise and made San Juan Capistrano the “Jewel of the Missions.”

    In 1818, the French privateer Hipolito Bouchard, sailing under the flag of "United Province of Rio de la Plata" (Argentina) came ashore. Overpowering the outnumbered guards, the pirates looted the mission warehouses and did some minor damage to other buildings. This is regarded as one of the most colorful events in the mission's history and is remembered annually at the celebration known as "The Day that Pirates Sacked the Mission."

        Mission San Juan Capistrano has served as a favorite subject for many notable artists, and has been immortalized in literature and on film numerous times, perhaps more than any other mission. On the day the birds make their annual appearance, usually March 19th, St. Joseph's Day, the village of San Juan Capistrano takes on a fiesta air and the mission bells are rung. The bells are unlike most of the other missions’ bells, because they are still tolled the old fashion way, by pulling on a rope that is attached to the clapper. Most of the other bells are attached to support beams, which means when the beam is swung the bell tolls.

    The imposing Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano is nearby. It was designed "in the spirit and likeness" of the original mission church.  Pope John Paul II conferred the title of minor basilica to the church in 2000.

    The mission is a destination for countless number of tourists each year.  On almost any given day, beside the tourists, one can find a fourth grade class or two on the mission property. Fourth grade students throughout California study the California missions.  In the photograph shown above, a group of students is gathered around a docent, who is more than likely telling them all about the architecture.

NOTE:  A reredos is the screen of decoration behind the altar.