IMAGINE - Esalen and Joan Baez

Esalen Institute just celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a Concert by Joan Baez.

 In Big Sur, California, Esalen, with its hot baths, is a magical spot. A spiritual retreat since the time of the region's Native Americans.  Joan Baez is just one of the famous, and non-famous longtime visitors.  She has been performing in Big Sur since the sixties.

 The swimming pool and massage tables balanced on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. 

 Mosaic Garden Designs of Succulents & Stones

  

Esslen's Organic Food Garden

Pathway Entrance to the (Clothing Optional) Baths

Ms. Baez performed many of her iconic songs from the sixties, and a new song by Dylan. A family affair, she was accompanied by her son Gabe, joined by her niece Pearl, and sitting in the audience was her 99 year old mother.

Her touching finale was the John Lennon song "Imagine". 

Peace and Love,

Marjorie

(Credits: Photo showing Judy Collins, Mimi Farina (sister of Baez) and Joan Baez from Esalen, 1960's; Photo of Joan wearing a Kiyote of Big Sur jacket.)

Big Sur Style- The Magic of Nepenthe

There is an air of mystery about ‘Nepenthe’, the Big Sur landmark and restaurant, which sits high on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean.

Perhaps it is the spirit of Henry Miller, who in pre-Nepenthe days, lived in a cabin on the property. Or the ghosts of Orson Welles and his new bride Rita Hayworth, who were the next owners. They came upon the spot while driving down the coast, fell in love with it, and bought the cabin. (Although they never lived in it.) Or perhaps it is the enduring creative energy of the Fassett family, who for 60 years has owned and operated Nepenthe. It might even be the memory of the passionate love of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who filmed scenes of their movie The Sandpiper on the restaurant’s terrace.

Certainly the bohemian kaleidoscope of visiting artists, cooks, writers, designers and just plain tourists has left its mark.

Whatever it is, ~ it is magic. There is something in the air. Sit at one of the outdoor benches on the terrace, looking out to the Big Sur coast, and you’ll be mesmerized.

Lost in the view, and sense of place; you will never want to leave.

For Bill and Lolly Fassett and their offspring, Nepenthe was home. It was also a place to celebrate their love of art, food and design. Some of the family are still involved in the day-to-day running of the restaurant and The Phoenix Gift Shop. Others live near-by, and some are further afield. But all carry a creative spark that was first ignited at Nepenthe.

One Nepenthe export is Kaffe Fassett, the internationally known textile designer. Though based in London, he travels the world for inspiration, and to give lectures and workshops. On a recent chilly evening, we joined 400 of his fans at the Pacific Grove elementary school, where we were dazzled by his illustrated talk on color and patterns.

The next generation includes, grand-daughter Romney Steele who is a chef, and writer. She has just penned a memoir titled “My Nepenthe". Her book sings with personal memories, and those of her family and friends. The pages are decorated with vintage black and white photographs from the restaurant's archives, and with color photographs by Sara Remington. All this is accompanied by eighty-five family recipes. Some of which, I had the pleasure to sample at her recent book signing at the Carmel Bay Company. (This is one of my favorite shops here in Carmel.)

Yet another member of this generation is the artist and writer, Erin Gafill. She tells her Nepenthe story in the book, "Drinking from a Cold Spring".

I have my own Nepenthe story. It all began with a scrap album that I found in an antique shop in Upstate New York. The album belonged to the wife of a American colonel in the US Army, who had been stationed in Paris in the 1940s. Pasted onto the pages were invitations to tea, engraved calling cards, and various other paper mementos. As I flipped through the album, I was intrigued by a vintage Christmas card with a striking black and white photograph, showing a distant view of a building overlooking the ocean. (See image at the beginning of this post.) Printed below the image was the word “Nepenthe”. Inside the card was the following poem:

The sea lions are our neighbors,
The Pacific at our door;
Ships tell us of their travels
And ebbing tides of ocean lore;
Here you are always welcome,
Won’t you tap upon our door?

I wondered, could this be the Nepenthe?

Big Sur Dreaming,
Marjorie

Marianne Faithfull in Big Sur

A siren’s sultry song brought us back to Big Sur, California for an encore visit. Legendary singer and enchantress, Marianne Faithfull, was going to perform at an outdoor benefit concert at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, and we had to be there.

Marianne Faithfull first became famous in the sixties at age 17, for her rendition of “As Tears Go By”, a song written by the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. She also gained some notoriety as Jagger’s girlfriend, and for her years of hard-living.

The Henry Miller Memorial Library was established in 1981, and is located on Highway 1 in Big Sur. The Library’s redwood cabin and grounds were the gift of the artist Emil White, Miller’s long-time friend and assistant. It houses a trove of Miller’s personal papers, a bookshop, and is also a cultural and educational center for the community.

Novelist Henry Miller is well known for his controversial books “Tropic of Cancer” and “Tropic of Capricorn”, but he also wrote “Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch.”


He was passionate about music, and wrote the following: “I prefer music above all arts, because it is so absolutely sufficient unto itself and because it tends toward silence.”

When planning concert events, the Library tries to select performers that “Henry would have approved of.” Past benefit concerts at the Library have featured the likes of Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass and Patti Smith. The posters from these concerts have become collectors’ items, and can still be purchased at the Library.


When the gates were finally flung open at 7:00 P.M, a small crowd of waiting fans streamed in. We followed strings of tiny fairy lights and candles, to the outdoor concert venue, which resembled a magical bohemian grove. With less than 200 seats, it was a very intimate setting. As part of the event, the Library also hosted an alfresco wine tasting on the deck.

The tradition at these concerts is to begin with Magnus Toren, the Library’s director, singing a song by Dan Bern entitled, “Marilyn”. Many people confuse Henry Miller with Arthur Miller (the playwright who was married to Marilyn Monroe). The first line of this song explains that “Marilyn Monroe didn’t marry Henry Miller”.

Then it was time for Marianne.


Her performance style is very cabaret-like, perhaps influenced by Kurt Weill whom she greatly admires. Her voice and presence are reflective of a woman who has been there, done that and survived. Accompanied by an amazing guitarist, Doug Pettibone, her songs at times seemed autobiographical. She sang “Broken English” (inspired by Ulrike Meinhof), “Why’d Ya Do It?” with a raunchy reggae beat (lyrics by English poet Heathcote Williams), “Strange Weather”, “The Crane Wife 3”, and Merle Haggard’s “Sing Me Back Home”. When she finally performed “As Tears Go By”, the entire audience sang along.

Afterwards, Ms. Faithfull sat outside in the cold and graciously autographed my poster (which now hangs in our hall). Later, everyone, including Marianne, headed down the road to the Big Sur Bakery for the after-party.

Here are a few interesting things that you might not know about Marianne.

This former rock princess is actually royalty. She is descended from the Austro-Hungarian Hapsburg line, and has just inherited the title of Baroness Sacher-Masoch.


Befitting her royal status she once lived near Leixlip Castle in Shell Cottage on the grounds of Carton House, in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. The cottage was decorated inside and out by Lady Emily Fitzgerald (1731-1814), with shells from around the world. Marianne resided there for 10 years, but now lives mainly in Paris.

In 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is truly a survivor!

The poet, Allan Ginsburg, an old friend, once referred to her as the “Professor of Poetics, Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poets”.

How Henry would have enjoyed this evening!

Sur la route,
Marjorie

Big Sur's Artist - Emile Norman

Giant Redwoods, Big Sur 2009

Emile Norman 1918-2009

This American Artist/Designer, a giant in his field, who lived and worked in Big Sur California, passed away September 24, 2009, at age 91. For a glimpse into his world, see his website and the PBS documentary, Emile Norman: By His Own Design, 2006.

Big Sur Style - Chapter One

Big Sur is calling us.

Down the long and winding road that leads from Carmel to Big Sur we go. This is the land of Kerouac and Miller, Adams and Weston and countless other writers, artists and free thinkers. Though separated geographically by only 26 miles, two places couldn’t be more different. Big Sur is raw and turbulent. It’s the wild-child, to the calm, behaved, and well-groomed Carmel.

Our first stop is the fabled Big Sur Inn, the thirties-era creation of the eccentric Helmut Deetjen and his wife Helen. This historic compound of cabins and a café/restaurant is nestled in Castro Canyon. The overall rustic style is reminiscent of Deetjen’s native Norway. Both the architecture and surrounding landscape feature imaginative and funky found elements.

Welcome to the heart of Big Sur Bohemia.

Bien Sûr! The charming gardener at Deetjen's is French.

This lounge chair carved from a tree trunk has a natural elegance.

“Kitty please come home!”

A psychedelic collage of jewel-like mosaic pieces on the wall of the old laundry shed.

The bleached vertebra of a whale found on a near-by beach is given new life as a garden ornament.

A literary corner in the cozy interior of the café decorated with memorabilia- vintage photographs, manuscripts and a sculpture bust, honors two contemporaries: the poet, Robinson Jeffers and Deetjen.

(To be continued...)

Sur la route,
Marjorie