NO PLACE LIKE IT & A HARD MEMORY

OFF THE HIGHWAY

     Big Sur owned my heart from the first time I saw it

in 1969.  By the time Brian Wilson's California Suite was 

written in 1973, the area had become mythical as a place where nature, at its most beautiful, turned on hearts, spirits, creativity and imagination.

       On a recent trip I collected a few images that bespeak

the kind of ethos and attitude that remain.

     

It continues to be a place where originality
dwells in the majestic Redwoods.

     Sitting in this room, a gentle breeze on my face, smelling the freshness of the forest and being tranquilized by the blue of the pacific and the sweet sounds of the wind chimes is 
mesmerizing. It nourishes, deeply.

    Dabbles of warm sun rain through the pines and redwoods.

Mike Love and Brian Wilson immortalize the beauty in this video. CALIFORNIA SAGA/BIG SUR BRIAN WILSON from CALIFORNIA SUITE Do do do do do do do do do Cashmere hills filled with evergreens Flowin' from the clouds down to meet the sea With the granite cliff (big sur mount) As a referee Crimson sunsets and golden dawns A mother deer with their newborn fawns All under big sur skies (big sur mount) That's where I belong. Big sur I've got plans for you Me and mine are going to Add ourselves to your lengthy list of lovers (big sur mount) And live in canyons covered in springtime green Wild birds and flowers to be heard and seen And with my old guitar I'll make up songs to sing. Where bubbling springs from the mountainside Join the big sur river to the oceanside Where the kids can look for sea shells at low tide Big sur my astrology it says that I am made to be Where the rugged mountain meets the water And so while stars shine brightly from up above The fog rolls in through a redwood grove And to my dying fire I think I'll add a log. From time to time I must go away The thoughts of big sur won't let me stay Away from big sur Oh big sur   Link to this post from last year's Jade Fest to get a sense of the timeless Big Sur Congregation. A TRAGIC CALIFORNIA MEMORY     We are voting today but the California primary  evokes that horrible night in June 1968 when Robert Kennedy was gunned down.         I spent time with Kennedy and his campaign in April when he campaigned in the Indiana primary.  As a young reporter, it was my first presidential election and Kennedy's star power and charisma was impressive and memorable. His death, like Martin Luther King Jr.'s fueled the maelstrom and upending of the social fabric in that searingly unique year.       There is rancor and division today, but by comparison to 1968 we are living in a halcyon Penny Lane.       See you down the trail.

ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD

FLIRTING WITH FOG

IN BIG SUR

     As my friend Jim, who introduced me to Big Sur in 1969 said, "Big Sur never disappoints."

    On our most recent trip, Big Sur is about 20 minutes away,
we were treated to the brooding, mysterious Big Sur in the
fog and to that magnificent and magical Big Sur in the sun.
    From the marine bank in the frame below, shot from above where it hovered over the coast,  to the sunny stairs that follow later, Big Sur never disappointed.
    There is no place like it. 

      In the frame below you can see the dance between sun and fog that played around each bend and into each canyon or cove.

     I've posted a few extra shots of the ragged shore at Sandollar. A few of you have told me you like those rock and sea shots for screen savers and home pages.

     Finally the sun broke through on the splendor of 
Sandollar Beach. 

   Tomorrow, the whimsy of Big Sur, away from the road and sea.

   See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) PURE ENJOYMENT

MILLIONS HAVE SEEN THIS-

HAVE YOU

     It is another amateur "love moment" video that has 

gone viral. More than 11 million viewers so far.

       I continue to marvel how YouTube and web videos weave us into that global village of shared experiences-on the cheap!  

Celebrate imagination!

Celebrate love.

COMING SOON

FLIRTING WITH FOG IN BIG SUR

Have a great weekend.

See you down the trail.

FUNKY OR ART?

IT'S ALL IN THE PERSPECTIVE

     (Summerland CA)The beach town south of Santa Barbara offers a photo find.  You have to look closely to fully appreciate this "collection."

     Art? History? Eyesore?  What do you think neighbors

have to say? 

     See you down the trail.

POST CARDS FROM THE DESERT

PALM SPRINGS

AND

PALM DESERT

     100 now and still going up.  The pool beckons.  It's mid 60's back in Cambria.  Lana, who sometimes believes Cambria can be chilly, is lamenting how the heat "just knocks it out of her." 

       I didn't like the sweltering heat in humid climates, but the warmth here is entirely different.  Stay hydrated, in a pool, shade or AC and you can enjoy the almost magical light

of the sun splashing over the mountains and desert.

DAY BOOK

EL PASEO

AND 

A CALIFORNIA BISTRO

All of the above, helps keep the desert green!

See you down the trail.