Last night I began reading Stones of the Sur, the book of photographs by Morley Baer with poetry from Robinson Jeffers.  It speaks of a time in the 1930’s when artists like Ansel Adams and Alfred Steiglitz honed their craft and inspired.

Baur and Jeffers found a home on the remote and rugged coast of Big Sur, where the landscape shaped their art.

Looking forward to the time in six weeks when I’ll be reunited with this magical coastline, I poked around at some of my own photos from when I was there last winter.

On an isolated stretch of beach, I meandered with my new love picking a few special stones along the way.  When we ascended the bluff, we looked down and photographed our footsteps that wove apart and then together.  So smitten we were with our blossoming connection, every detail had significance.   Warm heart flutters and butterflies mingled with tangerines and chocolate in the salt air.  My pocket full of stones eventually made it into a special box, bought at the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe, specifically to house them.

I still have the stones.  And I’ll return to Big Sur soon.  But pathways have crossroads and sometimes we diverge (I now note in the photo our steps fall far apart).  Waves come and sweep the sands.  They shape and smooth the rocks.

With Baer and Jeffers I’m reminded that the art remains – words and photographs capture the essence of a feeling.  The love of a land and the experiences lived there.  These gifts are alive forever in our hearts.