Mission Travelogue - Santa Barbara Part TWO - May 2015

What's in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
~~William Shakespeare

If you're just joining us, we have moved across the street from the Santa Barbara mission and into the park and rose garden.  IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST POST - CLICK HERE

This little guy did NOT appreciate me moving for a closeup.  lol

Neither did this one.  I tried to get a closeup and I almost got stung for the second time that day.  But I love having the mission in the background.

So many shades of creamy yellow.  Like buttah.

Another with the mission in the background, but I managed to get at least one of the close roses (lavender one) and the mission pretty focused.

I crawled around on the ground to get this shot of an adorable mushroom village.  Worth it.

Focus on the mission from a distance.

Another reminder that leaves can be just as beautiful as flowers.

Colors Colors Colors

It's all about the framing.

Gorgeous rosebud with the mission reflecting the colors in the background.

One of my favorite shots of the day.

Pink and yellow satin ribbons

Red Velvet

Pinkish-White Linen

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know of no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to hurt us.
~~ Voltaire

Small,wrinkly tissue-paper flower

The day was moving on and I had a long drive ahead of me.  I forgot to leave extra food for my cats, so I was on a schedule!  I walked back to the mission to take a few more shots.

Closeup detail of the Roman-influenced front architecture.  There is also a strong Moorish feel in the circular windows and the fountain.  There are four statues.  The top three which are set on points of a triangle, represented Faith, Hope, and Charity.  The statue in the middle of the photo (which stands in the middle of the triangle) represents St. Barbara and was added later.  

The long, front hallway. 

The requisite statue of Fr. Junipero Serra...except he's holding a palm tree in this one. lol

Lines.

Tiny pastel pink flowers growing at Fr. Junipero's feet.

Thorns seem to be the theme of the day.  

I spent a good 3-4 hours wandering around and just relaxing.  Even so, I didn't see a tenth of what there is to offer at the Santa Barbara Mission.  I'm definitely making another trip solely dedicated to the grounds around the Mission, the various parks, the beaches, the flower fields of Lompoc, the Dutch treasures of Solvang, and the horse and wine country of the Santa Ynez valley. 

Apparently that trip will need quite a few days.  :-)

xoxo