Stripped! A Serene Mission; Flora; Golf, Deer?

Some of the highlights of any RV trip (or boat trip, for that matter) are the surprises that come with “systems”; in this case, the water system. We have a very nice water filter that connects with hose fittings to the fresh water faucet at the campground and then to The Bus, giving us really sweet, clean water without sediment, swamp gas or other noxious things. Unfortunately, today when I hooked it up, it leaked like a sieve because the brass connector threads had stripped. (Sorry there wasn't any "skin" like some of you may have been expecting). A trip to Home Depot solved the problem, but I am sure that others will arise in the coming days.

On the way back, since Suzanne was giving another reading, I took time for a hysterical stop... that’s what my daughters called it when I would stop at roadside markers, museums and battlefields from the War of Northern Aggression (that’s what the Civil War was called in the South when I was growing up). In this case, it was the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, California’s first mission, founded in 1769 by Blessed Junipero Serra, a Franciscan priest.

The first of 21 missions stretching from San Diego along the California coast to Sonoma, 30 miles north of San Francisco, Mission San Diego became known as the Mother of the Missions. In 1775 it was burned to the ground by local Indians. Relations with the local inhabitants had improved by 1797 when 565 Indians were baptized. The mission was abandoned in 1821 when Mexico achieved independence from Spain and the priests were withdrawn. The mission was turned over to the Catholic Church in 1862 by President Lincoln. The campanario, or bell tower, is 46 feet high. Two of the bells are named; the bell on the lower left is called Mater Dolorosa, Our Lady of Sorrows, and weighs 1,200 lbs; the bell on the lower right is named Ave Maria Purisima, Immaculate Mary, weighs 805 lbs and was cast in 1802.  

The living accommodations were rather Spartan for the two assigned priests, but then this was the 1790s; flat screen TV's were still in an early stage of development. 

The gardens are very serene and beautifully kept. Tamarisk trees, bougainvillea, aloe, lupine and ice plant are among the many varieties of flora here. It is a spiritual place, perfect for contemplation and meditation. 

The mission church is simple, yet very solemn; appropriate, I think, for the location on the then-frontier of Spanish civilization. I thoroughly enjoyed the hour I spent at Mission San Diego; I hope to visit others, especially San Juan Capistrano and Santa Barbara, on our trip up the coast. And of course the Sonoma mission has special relevance... (we may have to sample the wine while in the neighborhood).

I may have mentioned the Navy golf course adjacent to our campground. Some of the RV's (not ours, thankfully) are located just behind one of the greens, with only a 12 foot fence protecting them from duffers (like me). This morning while walking the puppies, I noticed two golf balls next to a very high end Prevost motor coach. We call that "N.G." in the Navy... Not Good. Tonight after dinner we recon'ed the clubhouse. It's very nice, even if the furnishings are not as girly-glamorous as in The Villages. 

Speaking of females on the golf course, here are two blatantly violating the "no starting after sunset" rule. Hummphhh!