Mission Bench Dedication

Mission Bench Dedication

The Day of the Dedication

Tour Continued.....

It was about this time that I found myself too nervous to follow the rest of the tour, so, after being assured that I could see the other parts of the mission after the dedication, I returned to the chapel to prepare for the actual dedication service. I leave the description of the tour to others.........

Mary Lou- "One of the areas of the mission that I found fascinating was the pepper tree- the oldest one in California. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's at least twice the size it was in the Zorro series and the mission is doing all it can to keep it going. There are at least four poles with half-moon shaped cradles at the top holding up branches that would certainly have fallen on their own. The poles themselves are anchored in cement at the bottom. I also noticed wires going from one branch to another in the tree itself to hold it together. The trunk is filled with what almost look like human skulls staring back at you. I was intrigued by the fact that the trunk is so wide and yet some of the branches with their small leaves look so tiny in comparison. Zorro certainly couldn't have climbed that tree in the condition it's in today!"

The pepper tree fascinated everyone, including Guy's grandson.

An up close and personal look at the pepper tree.

Alize- "We walked from the garden fountain (just beautiful), to the smaller garden with three fountains, and inside the museum. I found myself standing near the "Zorro" gates with Nancy, (which we found out later from watching the episodes, that the gates were used {only} in the show. It was just not painted at the time, as it was in the museum). With the crowd coming through, Guy jr. walked by and we shook hands as he commented, jokingly, that it seemed like it was just yesterday when we last saw each other.

"The museum was incredible. I have a great interest in history and artifacts, so I was just overjoyed with everything around me. This area of the museum had mostly the work of renovations of the mission. It's a good feeling knowing that whether you share the same religious beliefs of the mission or not, you are still helping to keep history alive." (So very true, Alize.)

All too soon it was time for the actual dedication and everyone made their way back to the chapel..........