Banned Books in Big Sur and Manitobans in Monterey

I attempted to schedule a post for July 4th when it was still July 2nd and Clem & I were killing time charging batteries in a 24-hour McDonald's in Soledad, CA, and it didn't work. So now that I'm home and not on the road, let's try posting this again.
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Happy 4th of July!

We spent the day before Canada Day meeting up with Winnipeg singer-songwriter Dan Frechette in Monterey and spending the afternoon driving to and from Big Sur's Henry Miller Memorial Library with him.

Check, check, and check. Yep, we've come to the right place!

Coffee and a cat can be found on the porch.
And maybe someone doing yoga or someone writing a song or a novel. 

Many sculptures surprise visitors in all corners.

Henry himself greets you at the door.

All of Henry's books are available to peruse and buy. I recommended the most classic banned Henry Miller text to Dan who had not yet read him: Tropic of Cancer. I did warn him, but he was game to try. I expect to hear a review soon!

Henry Miller's bathroom. Where all the (writing) action happens.

Dan sat down at Henry Miller’s old piano and effortlessly riffed some blues to entertain the piles of books. Meanwhile, Clem got his hands on an old guitar and tried her out.

Not surprisingly, Dan had started jonesing for a jam so he organized one in Monterey, hoping to get something going like what we have in Winnipeg. So Clem and I were lucky to have landed in town just in time to be part of the first ever Monterey Jam night.

HI-Monterey, by the way, is a wonderful place to stay - completely green and very kindly staff to look out for you. Very reasonable rates and not too crowded, even in the busiest week of the summer.

Back to Big Sur this morning, stopping at Point Lobos to get close to the ocean and sea birds, then Pfeiffer Falls for a high view and forest walk. Beautiful scenes and smells among the redwoods. 

On the way down the winding Pacific Coast Highway, we stopped at several historic bridges - most built in the 1930s. Most famous is the Bixby Bridge of 1932.

 

Bixby Bridge, PCH.

Point Lobos. We wanted to be near the ocean.

Sea veggies washed up at Point Lobos.

Merman. With legs. He was climbing around on the rocks so I collected him like a sea shell.

Sedimentary rock, sea-worn.

A sea urchin trapped in a tide pool? Uhm...maybe not!

Cormorants on Bird Island. Zoomed in all the way. Extremely stinky area.

"Make us mindful of the little things that grow and blossom
in these days to make the world beautiful for us."

Pfeiffer falls in a dry season.

Valley View hike at Pfeiffer Park

Finally we hit up Carmel by the Sea for a last glimpse of the massive waves crashing on the beach as the sun set. Then hit the road again for right about here.

Carmel-by-the-sea at sunset on a cloudy day.

Next, hiking at Pinnacles! Then drive to the Hans Christian Anderson Museum at Solvang and home to LA - a home away from home.