Big Sur Woman’s Weblog

I was a young girl from a small town in Ohio. A dreamer of far off lands full of adventures and meeting new people. I moved to California in 1976 on a quest to become the worlds next best photographer.

On a beautiful Easter Sunday a friend asked me if I wanted to take a drive down the coast from Sunnyvale to see the Big Sur Coastline. I asked him, “what is Big Sur?” He responded with, “just bring your camera”.

A few hours later I found myself in a place like I had only dreamed of. In no time at all, I had shot off 8 rolls of film. Every curve gave way to another postcard view. It was love at first sight. The next week I moved to a place called Pacific Valley and now 32 years later, I call Big Sur my home.

Over the 32 plus years I have lived here, I have been blessed and honored to feel a part of a most unique tribe of people. People who are allowed to be colorful, creative, eccentric, strong, supportive & loving. We are a different breed of people here. We live in rustic cabins. Provide our own power and water.  We don’t follow the “Norm”. Designer labels have no place here. Instead, we choose to live in the mountains and on the coastline. We tend to make ourselves self sufficient. We chop our own wood for heat, grow our own food when possible, and dress in a style that is unique to Big Sur.

Most of us work in tourism. In the busy season it’s wall to wall people from all walks of life. But in the off season or during a time when the highway that connects us to the outside world is closed due to a slide, we come together with food, music and dance. Our children are safe here. We hold together strong. We don’t turn the other cheek. Instead, we offer a hand up or a shoulder to lean on.

I have become a Big Sur Woman. I look back on the days of my youth in that small town in Ohio and it’s hard to remember what I used to be. I love what Big Sur has done for me. The hardships that have made me stronger, the events that have brought us together, the women who have been my mentors. I am – Big Sur Woman.