On June 14, 1846, a small group of armed American settlers, displeased with Mexican rule of California, seized Sonoma and raised the "Bear Flag" of the "California Republic" over its plaza. It was the first in a series of events that eventually led to the US annexation of the California region. This statue stands on the spot where that flag was raised. I photographed the bronze monument in mid afternoon, using the reflected light falling on the scene to bring out the natural colors in the bronze and the surrounding leaves. The statue is amazingly compatable with the tree next to it -- the thrust of the flag echoes the lean of its branches and trunk.