PEBBLE BEACH AT and T

SUNDAY #4 AT PEBBLE NEAR THE BOAT CLUB LOOKING TOWARDS FAMED #7 AT PEBBLE ON SUNDAY FRIDAY #7 MPCC...ELYSEE SMOOZING THE CROWD BETWEEN FOURSOMES ELYSEE GIVING BALL DIRECTIONS AFTER PRO DRIVES FROM #7 ARE WE HAVING A GREAT TIME. WX COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER. We enjoyed ourselves being Marshals at the AT&T. Weather was great, especially for that time of the year. Long days with an early start and you're on the course all day. Final match at Pebble we were stationed on #4. That meant that after the last foursome we were released and we say the last three groups at 18. Carmel and the crowd at Pebble treated us very well, and of course we enjoy Carmel a great deal. Ate at three of my favorite restaurants. Want to know what they are? Email me!

THE AT&T PEBBLE BEACH

ELYSEE IS HAUNTING #18 AT PEBBLE BEACH ( You have to read the book.) 4th of JULY AT BLACKHORSE, FT.ORD. NOTE FLAG IN TOM'S HAT ELYSEE TAKING A LESSON FROM BEN ALEXANDER PRO AT POPPY HILLS LONE CYPRESS PEBBLE BEACH Elysee and I leave tomorrow for Carmel where we are staying during the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. We are Marshals at the tournament, yes I know, Marshall Marshals, or is it Marshal Marshalls. Anyway, I thought it fitting before we left to post some golf photos taken for my book about Carmel Our Summer in Carmel, Amazon.com We have stayed three summers in Carmel and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but never playing Pebble Beach. Number one it is too expensive for my humble game and secondly, Pebble is very difficult to get on. You don't just call up a few days before and ask for a tee time. They are booked a year ahead, mostly for business events. We have played many area courses though, getting special break at Ft. Ord's two very difficult tracks, a BIG break at the Navy course, Monterey Pines, as well as Pacific Grove, Carmel Valley Ranch, Rancho Canada and others. We won't know our assignments until reporting in, but I;ll pass them on in case you want to see us shivering and wet on TV. Here are a few pictures from the book.

HISTORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT-PART THREE

GRETEL 1925 HANSEL 1924 Two adorable Hugh Comstock fairy tale cottages epitomize Carmel's development. Excerpted from my book: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL-AMAZON.COM Over the years, builders such as Hugh Comstock in the 1920s, constructed quaint cottages that came to symbolize Carmel’s special character; and special it really is! Paving the streets was a hotly debated development issue opposed by many as an act of “boosterism” that catered to commercial interests. Neon signs were banned, and even today, Carmel’s bars are not allowed to have live entertainment because they would attract the “wrong crowd.” But changes in lifestyle, over time, can erode even the strongest will to resist altering what was once accepted and honored. Holding on to the past while resisting the power of money and change is impossible. The Carmel artistic colony today strives hard to retain its former charm. The city clings to its unique traditions such as no mail delivery and no stop lights, and promotes the arts to an extraordinary level considering its small size. But one also gets the sense that paying homage to quaint traditions also has something to do with presenting an attractive image; an image that caters to what visitors have come to expect. Keeping Carmel somewhat like “earlier Carmel,” is what the visitor is mostly looking for; but not necessarily what residents today want for themselves. Tourism has won the battle that was fought between earlier Carmelites, some of whom sought to preserve the idea of an artistic enclave, and others who wanted to modernize and develop. The city planning document of 1929 had an extraordinary mission statement, especially considering the rampant commercialism of the time: "The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea is hereby determined to be primarily, essentially and predominantly a residential city wherein business and commerce have in the past, are now, and are proposed to be in the future, subordinated to its residential character." Today, property interests, meaning the all-encompassing real estate sector, dominate Carmel-by-the-Sea’s commerce. Housing is so expensive only the elite can afford to own a home. The days of the underpaid artist, poet, or writer starting out in life with little but their inspiration, seeking the solitude of Carmel to nurture their talent among kindred souls, has long ago left the scene. Carmel is delightful and entertaining. The inhabitants are successful, culturally sensitive, and intelligent. Their lifestyle is like few places in the world. But Carmel-by-the-Sea is no longer a small town village or a unique place of artistic inspiration.

THE STORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT - PART TWO

FOREST THEATER WHICH WILL CELEBRATE ITS 100 ANNIVERSARY IN 2010 MARY AUSTIN, JACK LONDON, GEORGE STERLING, JIMMIE HOOPER ON CARMEL BEACH DURING THE EARLY BOHEMIAN PERIOD. Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL: AMAZON.COM It was during the time at the beginning of the century that San Francisco became a lure for playwrights, poets, authors, actors and actresses, which altogether comprised a bohemian society. Frank Powers, who was Devendorf's partner in the Carmel Development Company, and who was well-known to that bohemian circle, and espousing the virtues of his newly founded “Walden,” certainly attracted artists to experience the tranquil, forested, raw-natured seaside of, Carmel. Avant-garde artists about that time were seeking a refuge where they could indulge in the current idea that artists should lead simple lives thereby sharpening their artistic sensitivities. In Carmel they could farm and graze what food they needed, harvest the abundant abalone, take fish from the rivers, and hunt in the woods. Frequent abalone feasts on the beach became the norm and spontaneous outpourings of poetic verse were common. Leading this artistic movement to Carmel was the poet, George Sterling. He came to Carmel to be with “just one woman,” his wife, and to leave the drinking and the womanizing life of San Francisco behind. He was thirty-six in 1905. His “following” followed him. Jack London and Mary Austin; later Upton Sinclair and a young Sinclair Lewis. Painters followed, awed by Carmel’s natural but wild seacoast, exquisite light, ocean and surf, mountains and sea. It was a special time for all of them. They lived like children in a rarified warp of time. They had picnics on the beach at sundown, toiled during the day to eke out a living on the land, and at night gathered together for wine and talk, all the while encouraging each other’s talent and creativity. Bohemian enclaves are heady wine for the young, the naïve, and the self-sufficient. They do not outlast life’s reality. Jack London died of kidney disease in 1916. Sterling’s wife did not find matrimonial solace in escaping to the woods of Carmel and the promise of “just one woman.” She took her life by cyanide a few years after London’s passing. A decade later Sterling killed himself by the same means. This episode in Carmel’s history is covered in excellent detail by Franklin Walker in The Seacoast of Bohemia. Many of the early bohemians drifted away. Yet, a core few remained, becoming the seed of Carmel’s cultural future. The word was out. Carmel held a special promise for those seeking solitude, those who wanted to create, those who dared to think and act differently. It was out of those early years from which today’s Forest Theater sprung, as well as the Golden Bough Theater, the many renowned art and music festivals, and the profusion of artists, actors, playwrights and others with a creative aptitude who continue to live here today and, although in a very different commercial climate make Carmel today a special place.

THE STORY OF CARMEL'S DEVELOPMENT-PART ONE

THE PINE INN AFTER RELOCATION. MIGHT EVEN BE DEVENDORF'S BUGGY. THE PINE INN TODAY EXPANDED BUT IN THE SAME LOCATION. EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL, AMAZON.COM The square mile incorporated city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, in addition to the 120 galleries and art studios, also claims two stage theaters, the internationally acclaimed Bach Festival, the equally renowned Shakespeare Festival, a music society, and an annual art festival among its more prominent cultural events. This focus on the arts is not a recent Chamber of Commerce effort to boost tourism. Unlike other California real estate developments around the turn of the 19th Century, from the onset Carmel was a settlement of artists. The original inspiration for developing Carmel came from the neighboring town of Pacific Grove. In that small seaside community during the 1880’s, a group of people representing the Methodist Church established a summer retreat. A retreat that attracted adherents to the Chautauqua Movement, a turn-of-the century Christian based, cultural-enlightenment and self-improvement program. The original developer of present day Carmel thought that, because of the Carmel Mission’s proximity, (the Serra Mission incidentally was in the process of restoration,) the developer could emulate Pacific Grove’s Methodist oriented success with, in this case, a retreat for Roman Catholics. His idea did not succeed for several reasons. First, Carmel was difficult to get to. The developer’s promise (hope) that the railroad from Monterey would be extended to reach the Carmel Mission never happened. Additionally, in the early 1890s, the national economy entered into a recession, causing the bloom to fade on California tourism and discretionary spending for second homes. Adding to these woes was the reality that Carmel was very isolated when compared to Pacific Grove, discouraging even the wealthiest and most enlightened Catholics. The original Carmel developer, Santiago Duckworth, in an attempt to redirect his marketing plan away from duplicating the religious theme of Pacific Grove, had the town renamed “Carmel-by-the-Sea.” He built a bathhouse on the beach and a small hotel to accommodate buyers who remained overnight as they pondered the purchase of a lot in Carmel. Duckworth’s efforts could not overcome the geographic disadvantages, and he was rapidly running out of money and personal enthusiasm. Enter Frank Devendorf. Devendorf, when visiting the Monterey area several years earlier, had seen Carmel beach and was enthralled by the scenery and landscape. He was an experienced realtor, having been instrumental in the development of such communities as Morgan Hill and Santa Cruz in the San Francisco bay area. When Duckworth came to him, looking for a way out of his Carmel project, it did not take long for Devendorf, who was already captivated by Carmel, to swap real estate he owned in the Stockton area for Duckworth’s Carmel holdings. The forty-six-year-old Devendorf then teamed with Frank Powers, a successful San Francisco attorney, heir to a family fortune from the gold rush days, and an energetic and far sighted outdoorsman. Together, they made an unbeatable team, being perfectly matched for the development of Carmel. Each man had his own vision beyond just making Carmel a financial success. Devendorf had always prided himself on building enduring communities, not simply exploiting California’s real estate boom and bust cycle. He had a populist background, influenced by Teddy Roosevelt’s politics and a Jeffersonian heritage. Powers was a driven man, interested in the restoration of the Carmel Mission and exploring the wild coast south of Carmel. They each shared an interest in preserving the landscape, not an interest generally ascribed to by developers during their time. Powers also brought financial resources and legal and business connections to the partnership; Devendorf, the on-site management savvy for real estate development. They formed the Carmel Development Company in 1902, and the rest is history. Devendorf traveled by horse and buggy every Monday from his home in Berkeley to his office in Carmel, where he would spend the remainder of the week. He was the partner who showed the land, set the terms of sale, and encouraged growth. Weary by Friday, he made the long trip back to Berkeley. He was creative. He used log rollers to move the hotel that Duckworth had built to a more central location in the middle of Carmel, renaming it the Pine Inn. Greatly expanded, the Pine Inn is in the same location today, a landmark Carmel hotel. Relocating the hotel was not an easy feat. Ocean Avenue, at the time, was no more than a steep, rutted and pitted grade cursedly named the Devil’s Staircase. During heavy rain, it became an uncontrolled rivulet instead of a main street. From these humble beginnings, just over one-hundred years ago Carmel began to grow from an inaccessable wilderness, and in so doing attracted a different sort of resident; one that would put its stamp on the character of the place, forever.

WHY CARMEL: PART THREE

CROWD PLEASERS AT THE MONTEREY BAY ACQUARIUM (Excerpt from my book: OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL: AMAZON.COM) Mother Nature’s gifts to Carmel and Monterey Bay are not limited to its trees. The sand in places on Carmel Beach is strikingly white. This is attributed to a prehistoric upwards thrust of the coast that exposed the light-colored granite, which, over the ages, has been ground down to a fine, white-powder-sand beach. Also, there is Carmel’s signature critter, the sea otter. These playful animals are the darlings of the Monterey Aquarium, but barely survived to this day because of their valuable pelts; more sought after at one time than ermine or sable. They were nearly hunted into extinction. Why the sea otter was so valuable is the extreme thickness of its fur. Not having layers of fat like seals to protect themselves from the cold waters of the California coast, the sea otter developed a fur coat so thick, it has more hair per square inch than any other animal, preventing the cold water from penetrating to their skin. This also made them very valuable, especially to the Russian fur traders who came farther and farther south along the coast in pursuit of these mammals, an expansion that contributed to spurring the Spaniards to action and finally settling Northern, California. It would be possible to write an entire chapter about these incredibly lovable mammals. How they roll onto their backs and pound a mussel against a rock on their chest to get at the meat, nibbling at their meal held in tiny paws like a gourmet sampling an appetizer. A mother nestling an offspring against her chest is one of nature’s most maternal visual images. Sea otters napping, as they wrap themselves in kelp and simply drift with the current, are a poster for “sans souci.” They leave us with the image of a whiskered face, looking like a wise grandfather, peering at us with their dark brown eyes; a weary look saying that they have seen more than we care to know. It was long thought that the sea otter was hunted to extinction. But far down the wild and inaccessible Big Sur coast a few survived. When Highway 1 was pushed through the region as a depression era project, workers discovered a few long-surviving small colonies of sea otters, which were quickly protected by the Federal government. The entire central coastline is now a protected sea otter preserve. It is estimated that, in the 1930s, there were only a small singledigit number of survivors. There are about 2,800 today.

WHY CARMEL? -PART TWO

Keep to the right. The Monterey Pine in the middle of the road has all other rights in Carmel. Perhaps the world's most photographed tree, the Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach. Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL; Amazon.com Carmel's unusual climatic conditions contribute to several other natural phenomena. One example is the Monterey Pine. This is the tree that Cabrillo discovered in 1542 after which he named Cabo de Pinos. This species of pine grows large, tall and straight, a shipwright’s dream-tree in the sailing days of the 16-17th centuries. It is the world’s fastest growing pine; some are known to grow ten feet in a year! Although this tree is found in many places in the world today, it is indigenous to only a few places in California, Monterey being the principle locale. It is understood that the pine flourishes here because the moisture from the summer fog nourishes it during what would otherwise be a drought season. It seldom rains in Carmel from June to September. If you want to get into serious trouble in Carmel, begin by messing around with the trees. Carmel has, for years, treasured its forests and, for a city of only 4,000, has a full-time warden just to look after the trees. You better talk to the warden before you even begin to think about removing a branch, much less a tree. Another tree found in abundance throughout the Monterey area is the live oak. Their twisted branches, oftentimes just skimming the ground, lend character to any landscape. But the queen of all Carmel’s trees, one of the rarest species in the world, is the Monterey Cypress. Of the entire world’s surface, this tree is indigenous to a tiny few acres on Point Lobos and Cypress Point, each point thrusting itself out into the cool waters of Monterey Bay. You see a picture of perhaps the world's most photographed tree, the Lone Cypress, a symbol of the Pebble Beach Company.A lone sentinel, drawing its strength from the craggy, fog-shrouded often blustery, sea cliff. These rare trees have been the seed from which all the Monterey Cypress in the world originated. They thrive here because of the damp cool winds, passing over the fog-shrouded ocean, that deposit life-sustaining droplets of water on their boughs. Clinging to rocky crags, their branches reaching out almost beseechingly over the seaside cliffs, welcoming the enveloping fog, they thrive where other trees cannot, and cannot grow where other trees do.

CARMEL/MONTEREY 4TH OF JULY-PART 2

The highlight of the afternoon festivities was an appearance by the Comets of Bill Haley and “Rock Around The Clock” fame. Haley passed away some years ago, but the other original five members of the group had reunited and were enjoying international recognition. For their years, could they still rock! Wow! Their average age was 76, with the oldest band member being 84. Well beyond Viagra, and expected to be in a retirement home? Not so for these guys! They presented a brilliant show, displayed astonishing passion for their work, surprising vitality for their age, and just shear joy in being before an audience and performing. Their appearance was the highlight of the day. Filling a huge vacuum after the Comets departed the stage, local politicians, headlined by the mayor, and followed by several councilmen and so forth, tried their best to hold the audience with patriotic speeches. But, in true American fashion, most of crowd, including Elysee and I, drifted away to get a slice of the free Fourth of July birthday cake.

CARMEL/MONTEREY 4TH OF JULY

Placing flags along Alvarado Street Colors passing in review Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL at Amazon.com FOURTH OF JULY IN MONTEREY The Monterey Peninsula is comprised of several small towns woven seamlessly together all hugging the cool waters of Monterey Bay, witheach community having its own distinct character. In Carmel there was a gathering at Devendorf Park, the social center of the village, with live music. Pacific Grove, a small former Victorian village separated from Carmel by Carmel Hill, was having its own parade. Seaside, a very patriotic community that borders Ft. Ord with many retired military personnel in residence, had already rolled out their annual parade two days earlier on a Saturday. Another choice to celebrate on the actual holiday was provided by the City of Monterey. For Elysee and me, the Fourth of July is one holiday that should be celebrated on the Fourth. Not the day before or even two days before because it is more convenient. After reading about our options in the local newspaper, none promised to compare with the small town Ol’ Fourth of July celebration being promoted by the City of Monterey. We went there early in the morning on the fourth and were not disappointed in our choice. Elysee and I took notice of Monterey’s professional management of the day’s agenda, the family atmosphere that prevailed, and the small town patriotism spiced with California’s inevitable submission to diversity in the parade makeup. Talk about leaving “no one” behind! The only surprising absence was that there was no gay marching band. But we saw everything else, including middle-aged Middle East belly dancers parading in the red white and blue. I never quite understood their participation. As expected from a small town parade, children were plentifully represented both in the parade and along the curb. There were ample numbers of clowns to entertain them, many handing out both small flags and candy. Truly, it was an affair for young and old. As befitting the occasion, the townspeople and visitors assembled along the main street of Monterey, Alvarado Street, and at the precise scheduled moment of 10 o’clock the festivities began. About a platoon sized unit of enlisted army personnel, singing and marching in cadence paraded down Alvarado Street, led by a master sergeant. Each soldier carried a medium sized United States flag mounted on a pole. The soldier positioned this flag in a designated slot alongside the curb, and then took the position of attention facing the flag. Once the entire halfmile street was decorated, well-positioned loudspeakers called the public to attention, and the national anthem was played. It was so well done, impressive, orderly, and precise in its timing, that it set just the right tone for the first parade element, the passing of the colors.

CARMEL: WHY CARMEL? -PART ONE

Carmel Beach. Sun setting into the fog bank that is getting ever closer to shore. Excerpted from my book, OUR SUMMER in CARMEL, Amazon.com Why Carmel? Bearing in mind we are to consider the entire world each year for place to spend the summer, why Carmel? And why am I making repeated visits when I preach about the virtues of going to a different place each year? The simple answer is that I have an incurable attraction to the Monterey Peninsula. From the first time I drove through in December, 1964 upon returning from a year tour with the Army in Korea. It was love at first sight. I was seduced by the special appeal of Monterey and Carmel, witnessing the magnificent coastline and crashing waves along Seventeen Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, and the exhilarating drive South along the coast road, staying overnight in the Big Sur and dining at Nepanthe, before it became a hangout. I like so many before me wa stricken by what I call monterey malady; an insatiable urge to roam, explore and poke about the wonders of this magnificent meeting of land and sea. First and foremost Carmel, fits neatly into our criteria for a home-away-from-home. Having Celtic blood in my veins I do not seek summer beaches and 90 degree temperatures. The average maximum temperature for June, July and August is 68 degrees.; the average minimum 51. Moreover, of the 183 annual foggy days each year, most of them occur in the summer. Bless my Irish soul. Carmel fog is a sea fog which infiltrates the coastal pines in the late evening, soon engulfing the entire coast, and dissipating by mid-morning the next day. The fog often lingers off-shore all day, a constant reminder of the cool ocean waters awaiting any bather not fortified by a wet suit, and signaling a promise to return with the setting sun. To find out why this is read my book. I don't want to bore readers here with the special factors that contribute to Monterey's fog. Suffice to say the fog is a silent invasion that contributes greatly not only to the mystique of the region, but nurishes the special nature of its forests.