While I saved the best of my recent photos of Mission Santa Barbara for "Around California", there were a few that needed commentary and didn't fit the format of that blog.
In the early days of the automobile it was the auto clubs, not the highway departments, that put up road signs. I even saw one of these old signs on a dirt road once. I suspect that old road had once been "the road" before states started building paved highways. Sad to say, that nostalgic old sign had been stolen a few years later.
The sign gives the mileage to the California missions north and south. It is said that they were placed a days travel apart by horse or cart. Father Serra, though, depicted here with his staff, did not travel by horse or cart, he walked. As founder of the missions from San Diego to Monterey he walked from mission to mission.
I though this "lavaderia" quite whimsical. At first, seeing the water spout, I though it was a pig trough. The sign explained my error. Another sign said that not all missions had such a laundry area but that in the local native culture cleanliness was very important.
My only comment on this is "why should anyone need to be told?"
Find more views of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday; hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.
