Singing Out Loud

This is Cone Peak, the largest mountain in the area, and which dominates the weather conditions of the region.  Storms which come in from the sea are captured by Cone Peak and cycled back into Mill Creek, causing the climate to much wetter than that of neighboring canyons.

The huge hills in the front of the photo are the northern slopes of Mill Creek, where Nacimiento Road crosses the mountains from the coast and meets up with Jolon-Bradley road far to the east.

This whole area has such great acoustics!  You can hear your own voice echoing back from far away and at times the air is so still that a conversation miles away can be clearly heard.  You may hear the honk of the USFS patrol, or the distant roar of a motorcylce on Highway 1, miles to the west.

Songs of birds in the spring are so numberous and so loud that you will be awakened at first light by a rich tapestry of sound.  this canyon is a junction of the northern and southern migration routes for birds, and a favorite breeding ground for a very large number of species.

So, go ahead and belt it out!  It's a wonderful feeling to just let your own voice get large and come back to you.  Some of the echoes are multiple, and there is a resonance that can hardly be described.
all forms of music are well rounded by the surrounding vegetation.  Nature is full of sound, frogs at night, crickets in the twilight.  Nature expresses herself, and we are part of nature.

Singing is Being!


Come and visit!

New! YouTube video: http://youtu.be/XmcVpeYVL3E

Three ways to visit me:

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

Big Sur Pioneer Life

The large pear tree shown in the photo dates back well over a hundred years, and in spring it puts forth a fine show of blossoms, which later in the year yield small pears.  They are an old variety that is not ripe until it is soft in the middle, like jam.  Delicious!

The tree is in an area that was used extensively by the first known pioneer settler here, William Dempsey.

He set up near the year-round artesian spring, where the remains of a small spring house and some posts to contain livestock are still in place.

On the other side of the hillside area is an old apple tree which still produces abundantly.  A large fenced garden was raised,  plowed again and again, many years of rock removal having taken place.
The area can produce abundant amounts of food, although the frost season begins early there and ends late.

Pioneer life was full of comforting rhythms, although the challenges were great.

There was always something to do, whether looking after the livestock, tending the trees and vegetables, cutting firewood, splitting lumber from the nearby redwood trees, or making nails and iron parts by hand in a small smelter.  Tanning of leather from animal hides would give materials for many types of implements and for clothing.
Leisure time could be used in pursuit of making objects of beauty or in making music, reading or reciting from great works of literature, as was the custom in those times.
 
Constant vigilance was the order of the day, since the more resources were created, the greater the appeal to the wild animals near by.  Staying home to guard the food was really important!

The area remains wild in its essence.  Our own generation of pioneers had a lot of challenges, even with all the machinery we were able to use.  

A large population of deer in the area still use the trail that runs down the hill right next to the homestead area.  In autumn, great flocks of pigeons thunder into the skies  during their migrations.
Mountain life holds its own rhythms, which continue during this time, with new additions, yet it can truly be said that in many cases the old ways serve best.  Low technology such as drying fruit, using wood for heating, and solar for electricity, help to keep the feeling of serenity that the mountains offer as their greatest gift.  Making things by hand just comes naturally here.

I honor the spirit of the people who lived here before me, and learn from their examples.
Faith, perseverance, creativity, and adaptability, along with continual cooperation with nature, were the things they knew so well. It is my hope to carry forward the lessons they have for us.

Come and visit!
Four ways to visit me:


Youtube!http://youtu.be/XmcVpeYVL3E/

www.bettyofbigsur.com  My web site, where you will find information and updates about events and my work,

ww.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, a shop to showcase and sell examples of my art and fashion designs,

www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a checklist about camping retreats, to let you know what is here, and let me know what you would like to have, and to do, in Big Sur!  Fun, quick, instant feedback!

Mill Creek History

Mill Creek in Big Sur has a history of being home to the hardy and industrious. It was a haven for the native inhabitants of the area before the European arrival. A beach at the bottom of the creek has both easy access to fishing, and fresh water.

Further up the hill are rich oak habitats abounding in acorns, which were used for food. Wild greens grow throughout the year, and grasses which hold high nutrient value also grow profusely. In fact, these same grasses held many grasshoppers which could be harvested at the right time of year for a rich feast. Imagine, fresh fish, shellfish, grasshoppers and wild greens, along with acorn soup.

The people carried everything they owned with them, ranging from place to place finding fresh riches wherever they went..

The area became far more sparsely inhabited in the later years. Most of the native inhabitants were already gone by the tie the Europeans came. The reason for this is not yet known.
Spanish travelers along the coast held the Big Sur mountains in dread, believing they were home to malevolent spirits, and avoided them except for landfall in dire need.
Where they did land, they planted eucalyptus tress to be cut later for masts, and planted mustard. The yellow colors of the mustard flower let them know that they had been to that location before, serving as a beacon, visible even far out to sea.

Later, Mill Creek was populated by homesteaders and loggers. In the early twentieth century, there was a working sawmill in the bottom of the creek. Redwood trees were felled using six-or-eight foot long hand saws, and then cut into sections. Teams of mules pulled the sections to the sawmill, or in some cases the section was used to make hand-split lumber. Trees that had fallen in difficult positions were simply left where they had fallen.
The cabins and gardens of the homesteaders have vanished over time. The last traces of the sawmill were destroyed in the fire of 2008.
Some of the names of the pioneers are known.
The name of William Dempsey name lives on in the name of the place where I live, Dempsey Flat. He came to Mill Creek in the 1860s or so, and had been here for quite a while before he filed his homestead claim in 1896. His claim was witnessed by the Gomez brothers, who had a homestead on Chalk Peak.
Mr. Dempsey had over 500 fruit trees and 150 goats when he filed. That's why I know he had been here a while! Some of the trees he planted are still living and bearing fruit.
He would have been growing hay and also letting the goats out to range in the rich forest. he probably also kept pigs, and no doubt had a lot of wild game to eat.
There are wild turkeys, deer and pigeons abounding in the forest. It is unlikely that he left home very much, though, since the trip to King City was long and arduous. Perhaps he went down to the Mill Creek landing for the once-a-year delivery of flour and goods from San Francisco. In rough weather, the goods would simply be pitched overboard, and the people had to swim out to get the barrels, or wait for them to land.

The ways of the pioneers are inspiring. I live here in the mountain spirit, having seen the changes from having no telephone or paved roads, to these days of being on the Internet. Amazing! Yet some things are the same. The wind and rain, the cycles of the seasons, reminding one of the small nature of a human mind, and inviting further curiosity about what nature has to say, cause deep reflection to be a natural way of life..

Come and visit!

New! YouTube video: http://youtu.be/XmcVpeYVL3E

Three ways to visit:
http://www.bettyofbigsur.com, my web site, where you will find information about retreats and ways to experience the wildest part of Big Sur in comfort. Plan your ideal getaway!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bettyofbigsur, my online shop featuring items made by hand here in my home studio
http://www.retreatcampchecklist.com, a fun and fast checklist to learn more about Big Sur Retreat Camp, and get in touch with me to plan your time in paradise