Recently we took a quick mini-break to the Monterey Peninsula. We rented an Airbnb in Pebble Beach for two nights and enjoyed the sights and tastes of Pacific Grove where the skies were cloudless and the shoreline was bursting with color.
The Windswept 17-Mile Drive
It sounded like a good idea. Bike the famous 17-mile drive in Pebble Beach and enjoy scenic vistas from two-wheeled freedom. However, we hadn’t counted on Thursday’s two quirks of Mother Nature: 29-mile per hour wind and a high temperature of 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrr!
We hadn’t packed thermal pants, fleece, ear muffs or full-finger bike gloves, so instead of riding, we opted to cruise the 17-Mile Drive from the comfort of our new Hybrid/Plug-in SUV. (Not a bad choice!) The positive of the strong wind was that the waves were very active. Surfers delighted, while bikers and golfers stayed inside. We had never seen the golf courses so empty.
We waved at one jogger who was decked out for the day’s conditions.
The Lone Cypress still attracts tourists, with a few other visitors willing to share picture taking opportunities.
The beach was almost empty in Carmel.
Off to Big Sur
Driving this route left us more free time, so we opted to cruise down Highway 1 to Big Sur. Again, the windswept vistas were magnificent.
At Nepenthe, we browsed the well-curated gift shop and purchased several items. Speaking to a store employee, Ed mentioned, “I love the murals on the men’s room walls.” And, Jan commented, “I really like that painting above the cash register.” We learned that all of this art was painted by Erin Lee Gafill, a local landscape artist who grew up in Big Sur. Her family built and continues to own and manage the restaurant and the gift shop. Also, we learned that a new exhibit of her work was open at the Monterey Museum of Art in Monterey.
Curated Visit to the Museum
Friday morning’s visit to the museum proved to be a lagniappe. (This was one of Jan’s fathers’ favorite words, which describes an “unexpected treat!”) The exhibit chronicles the yearly painting sessions of Erin and her uncle, Kaffe Fassett, a renowned textile artist who is the son of Nepenthe’s founders. Kaffe and Erin painted together side-by-side in Big Sur for over a decade — each painting the same subject, each exhibiting their own masterful style.
Due to the pandemic, the exhibit was almost empty, except for one small group of women led through the exhibit by an energetic docent. We were eavesdropping on the tour, and discovered that the docent was Erin herself! Erin invited us to join the group, and we spent the next hour captivated by her personal account of painting in Big Sur with her uncle.
Erin was also the exhibit curator. She worked with the staff to design an exhibit that not only shared the art, but communicated the deep lifelong relationship represented by the art. She painted this background mural.
When we asked about the differences between painting murals on plaster and painting pictures on canvas, Erin shared that she thinks quite differently about the two media. She finds painting temporary works on plaster to be liberating as she knows that they will not become part of her permanent oeuvre; thus, she can paint more freely and less self-consciously.
In the middle of the exhibit, Erin mocked up a demonstration of how she paints side by side with her uncle. Unfortunately, Kaffe currently lives in London and cannot visit the exhibit in person but will be participating in ZOOM meetings with museum members.
Kaffe pioneered new approaches in textile design, including designing all of the fabrics for this exquisite quilt.
Erin also creates quilts. We were particularly taken in by the quilt below with its subtle integration of vertical and horizontal patterns using squares of different sizes. Ed wanted to take this home, but alas, it is not for sale.
A Relaxing Staycation
As in other areas, tourism is just starting to return to the Monterey Peninsula, so we didn’t have to wait at restaurants, and parking wasn’t an issue. Ours was the only car on the main drag in Pacific Grove at 8:30 on Wednesday night.
Even though the weather encouraged us to modify our plans for this trip, we enjoyed the sights and culinary delights and felt fortunate to be able to escape our city routine for a few relaxing days around Monterey.
