MISSION SAN LUIS REY

Yesterday we were back on the trail of the Mormon Battalion. We went to the Mission San Luis Rey which is in Ocean Side and not too far from us.  It was first built by the Spanish Friars and then vandalized heavily over the years.  In 1847 the Battalion was sent up here to try to protect the mission and stayed for about 6 months.  They have recently found a grave of a David Smith which does not yet have a marker so we couldn't find it. Just one month before Abraham Lincoln was shot he signed a document retuning the mission the the Catholic Church.  It has since been restored and they have done a lovely job.  In the courtyard we saw a large Pepper Tree that was the oldest Pepper tree in California.  It was planted in 1830 and so was 180 years old. It had little red berries on it. Now I must learn what kind of pepper they get from it. I found out that the berries are called pink peppercorns. In The USDA outlawed them for a time. I tree in some areas is an invasive species.  But it is very pretty and delicate.

180 YEAR OLD PEPPER TREE

MISSION SAN LUIS REY



I went to the Apple Store and took a class in how to do the photos on my phone.  It is unbelievable what technology can do now. 

Then we stopped and I got an In and Out Burger. Delicious. So much better McDonalds or any others.

We have a dear little pair of Doves who have adopted our RV Site and they coo each morning and live under the bushes. We bought a bird feeder and have some other birds who come to visit but the doves stay on the ground and eat the fallen seeds. We even put out water for them and they come and drink.  They don't seem to be afraid of us and come quite close.

We are amazed at all the lovely flowers that are blooming on the hillsides.  It is like Spring here and still only February.