La Purisima Mission

Over the years, I've taken probably hundreds of pictures of this mission, a quiet oasis of preserved history set in the countryside just a few minutes east of Lompoc. If you sit quietly in these rooms, you can almost picture the people whose lives and personal stories played out here two hundred years ago. Hopefully I'll get more of my photos scanned in and web-ready sometime in the near future. In the meantime, these are a few I took in late May... except for the one of the blacksmith's fire, which was taken last summer.

The herb garden, lovingly tended by a very
active group of docents.

Passageway leading outside. I loved the timeless
look of this. It reminded me a lot of Spain.

One of my very favorite rooms here, this was the bedroom reserved
for travelers. There's a thick window you can sit in and a smaller one
with a window pane of stretched cowhide parchment.

Matilija poppies blooming in the formal garden, with the main
building behind. These poppies are native to Mexico and parts
of Southern California and are 5-6 feet tall.

Sparks fly in the blacksmith shop, where the hinges and square nails
and latches for the mission's rooms are still made today.

Doorway into the sacristy behind the church. Note
the thick adobe walls and 400-year-old armoire that
housed the priests' vestments.