More San Juan Capistrano

The fish in the fountain at San Juan Capistrano Mission were really friendly. They swam right up to the edge of the water and stuck their snouts out like they were expecting to be fed.

The colors in the flowers and cactus that were all over the place was quite striking-- reds and greens against the creamy colors of the adobe buildings.

I couldn't quite get the right exposure, shooting often into or out of shadows into bright sunshine (and I haven't had a chance to work these over in PhotoShop yet), but this gives you some idea of how pretty the grounds are.

Here's another part of the grounds, which at one time might've been where they grew grapes (check out the barrels in the wagon).

Last, here's a section of the front wall of the original church, which was destroyed by an earthquake just a few years after it was first constructed back in the 1700's. The statue commemorates Father Serra, who headed up the mission in its early days.

In case you were wondering, we didn't see any swallows. But then, we weren't there on St. Joseph's Day (when they are said to return each year) which, coincidentally, is today.