On 2013-02-11 20:21:20 -0800, Rob said:


Savage duck 03 I can't aspire to that one

As I said in my accompanying note I was trying for a spire/steeple
metaphoric analog.
....and puns aside you can certainly "aspire" to a similar shot. Just
plan a trip to California which avoids L.A., but includes Kings
Canyon-Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite NP. Don't forget to bring a
camera along.

SD 01 I do like the composition and it tells a story
SD 02 same again tell that story.

That is the Franciscan Mission San Miguel. It is one of the chain of
Spanish missions which stretch from San Diego in the South to San
Francisco in the North. They are usually separated by one to two days
horse ride. Both towers are part of the original 1793 construction.
This particular mission went through many dramatic changes after it was
abandoned by the Franciscans when the Mexican government took a
decidedly anti-clergy stance. It was taken over by a family in the
1830's to serve as a "ranchero". Eleven members of that family were
slaughtered in a raid by "banditos". Another part of the tale is that
it was also raided by legendary bandit Joaquin Murietta.
About the time California became a state, 1849, the mission San Miguel
was fashioned into an Inn and brothel. That was closed by a fire. A
restoration was funded by the US Government in the early 1920's and the
mission was handed back to the Catholic Church in the 1930's. It has
been run and administered by Franciscan ever since.

In 2003 we had a magnitude 6.5 earthquake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Simeon_earthquake which brought down
buildings in nearby Paso Robles, and severely damaged the mission and
the adobe brick bell tower. In the restoration from earthquake damage
they did not replace the original sun baked brick, so the white patches
in my shot indicate where original bricKs were not available to
complete the restoration.


--
Regards,

Savageduck