These giant heads of US presidents are in the lot of the David Adickes Studio in Houston. I had previously read about abandoned Presidential heads in Virginia. Those heads and these heads are were all made by David Adickes. Seeing the heads in Houston, just sitting around outside was both fascinating and unnerving. Now I want to go Virginia and see the full set abandoned in a field.
The Roman Pool is the highlight of Hearst Castle. It’s a gem.
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been to Hearst Castle. The “Castle” is both a garish overdone monument to poor taste and a fun place to visit. Some portions, especially the pools, are beautifully done. When I visit, I like to imagine myself a guest during Heart’s heyday. Must have been an incredible experience to be guest.
The Burbank Theater is historical but vacant theater in San Jose. It sold at auction in December 2021 but its future still uncertain.
Every February, the vineyards in Napa and Sonoma county put on a show with mustard plants growing up among the vines.
Before sunrise on New Year’s Day 2022
On the other side of Mount Hamilton in San Jose lies the little-known San Antonio Valley. The valley is amazingly rural for a place so geographically close to a well-populated urban center. The valley and surrounding mountains are mostly ranch land. Getting to the San Antonio Valley is not easy. One has to drive up the very windy CA Hwy 130 to the top of Mount Hamilton and then proceed down the backside. Access from Livermore is a bit easier it is still 25+ miles of narrow winding road.
I’d never much considered what’s directly east of the Santa Clara Valley. If you go far enough east, there’s of course the massive Central Valley and Interstate 5. To get I5, there’s of course Interstate 580 or CA Hwy 152 to the south. However, there are 50 miles between those two roads. And in that 50-mile gap, there’s the San Antonio Valley.
The other reason the valley is little know is that there’s little for the visitor to do. Everything is private land so no hiking trails that would bring visitors. I saw a few very intrepid cyclists but otherwise, the valley feels very remote and almost entirely unvisited.
Decided to start the New Year by getting up for sunrise. It was beautiful sunrise over Capitola Beach this morning. I take this as a good omen for 2022.
