Trip To Big Sur - Summer 2019

Aug 02, 2024

This is fun!

Going through my photo folders at random (in Bridge), being reminded constantly of why I thought something or some being merited shooting a photo.

This morning, sitting with latte and computer in North Beach, I opened this folder, which happened to be on my laptop.

In summer, 2019, I went down to an LA-based festival of crafts/organics/solar /food/etc. in Big Sur to give a talk on tiny homes. Jay Nelson and Cyrus Sutton were there to do the same.

The fair turned out to be too woo-woo for me, but here are some pics of me going back to Big Sur. (I built a home and lived there from 1967-1970).

This beautiful Queen Anne was sitting in a strawberry field south of Watsonville. A farm worker told me they were going to move it. It’s beautifully built, and no sagging. Proportions are perfect.

Not many carpenters today could frame this building.

Jay Nelson’s Rig-of-the-Moment

One of Jay’s many rolling homes, still under construction

Nepenthe Restaurant

Pricey with great coastal view; I circumnavigate the high prices by sitting at the bar and getting a draft beer and an “Ambrosia Burger” and admiring the architecture. In fact, it’s one of my favorite buildings.

On this trip, I learned the amazing story of Nepenthe, to wit: In 1947, Orson Welles and his wife-of-the-time Rita Hayworth were returning to LA from a US War Bond rally in San Francisco. On the drive, they stopped for a picnic and, driving out a dirt road, with a spectacular view of the ocean, saw a little log cabin.

They found a realtor and bought the cabin and adjacent land for something like a $150 down payment. They never returned and eventually “… sold it to Bill and Lolly Fassett, who hired the architect Rowan Maiden, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright’s, to design the restaurant. They chose two sons of the original builder, Frank and Walter Trotter, to construct the restaurant using local materials including redwood and adobe bricks made by Lolly Fassett.” - Wikipedia

Attention Builders:

What’s unique is the fact that it’s entirely framed with 1” by 12” lumber — multi-layered and triangulated — light and strong.

(One of the most beautifully framed buildings I’ve ever seen is a barn in the Willamette Valley in Oregon with a curved roof that is likewise framed with sandwiched 1 by 12’s.) Here’s the link: https://www.lloydkahn.com/2018/09/oregon-barn-framed-with-1-lumber/

Log Cabin at Nepenthe

It happened to be open house day at Nepenthe and I got to see the original cabin, which is up the hill from the restaurant, being lived in by a lady member of the Fassett family. Talk about good vibes!

Deetjen’s Inn

It was lonely living in Big Sur (1966-1970). I didn’t get along with the stoned conga-drum playing bros who were actually city boys acting out manly roles. Neither Sarah nor Peter had any real friends. And we were 40 miles from civilization (Monterey).

So sometimes on, say, cold rainy nights, we’d go to Deetjen’s for dinner. There’s be a fire burning, chamber music playing and the attendant Ed Guardian managing the place.

What’s remarkable to me now, over 50 years later, is that it still feels the same. Same Feng Shui, same good vibes, good food. In those days, old man Deetjen (who hand-built the original inn) would be sitting at the head of a table in an adjoining room, soused on red wine and acting curmudgeonly.

Random Notes

I’m going to Burning Man! Over the years, at least 200 people have told me to go and this year Kevin Kelly convinced me to do so. I’ll be in my reporting mode. Tips from Burners appreciated…
In mid-September I’m doing a presentation at the Crestone (Colorado) Energy Fair called “Adventures in Building.”
I still feel awkward with Substack. I look at Substackers like Ted Gioia with awe. It’s beyond me how he can turn out so much excellent (and relevant) writing. His pieces on culture are far more interesting than anything I read in the NY Times, or WashPost (or Counterpunch.org).

What I’m struggling with is the fact that my mind is full of unrelated and disorganized excitements that don’t necessarily fit into essay form. And I don’t want to pester subscribers with too many emails.

So right now I’m thinking of once in a while doing what SF columnist Herb Caen used to do. He called it “Friday Fish Fry” — all the bits and pieces left over from the week in three-dot form. Feedback appreciated.

Also, I’m excited about going out on the road in the USA and this will show up in my posts (here and on Instagram) the next few months. One of my journalistic heros was Charles Kuralt and his “On the Road” programs on CBS, when he traveled on the backroads of America, chronicling people and places.

Come along and ride shotgun with me…