Its been a week so I better get this all written out or it will fade away in my head and never be remembered again! This is why I keep a journal of things because getting old you remember things a whole lot differently than you did at the time of it happening.
I had an early start to head up north. I was told it would be about a 5 1/2 hour drive so I figured I had plenty of time. I got on the 5 freeway and drove stopping at a couple stores on the way and then had some dinner before I got off the main road on the 46. BIG MISTAKE. Had I known how my drive was going to be in the blackness of a northern California evening on HWY 1 I would have left at 6am to get there instead of when I did. Let me explain it to you in detail. Just me, little ole 5 foot nothing me in my little Jeep Compass, on a 60 mile stretch of two lane road that winds in and out of these large mountains jutting up from the sea. Yes I'm sure if I could see in daylight I would see plenty of sea beyond my tires because in a lot of areas it went straight down. Now its pitch black and your rolling down a hill at times getting up to about 45 or 50 and eeek, last second you have another curve to go around that says 25 miles an hour and they aren't kidding cause if you don't, you will either hit the person coming around the other side of you or into the nice black ocean below. You can't see far enough ahead to know where you are and there are no lights from nearby homes until you get to Big Sur. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a light twinkling in a window before in my life!
I found the lodge actually pretty easy and having found the cabin Bobby and I were assigned all the way in the back of the compound next to a large bunch of redwoods I literally fell out of my car and jumped for joy. Bobby having no Television or radio to keep him occupied (this place had no modern conveniences for entertainment. Au Naturel baby) he was looking out the window constantly for my arrival. We unloaded the car and Billy Hinsche drove up from his ride into town. (Not really a town, but the local where he could get wifi) and gave us the lowdown on what he called the massacre of the Big Sur Lodge. We were all supposed to stay at the Lodge but in the last hours it was only Billy, Bobby and myself who were there. Al put up Matt, Jeff Peters and Stevie Kalinich at his house. Magnus, the gentleman who was running the Henry Miller Library was putting up Ed Carter and Jared Dalley at his home. We dubbed them the odd couple Ed and Jared. An unusual pairing to put up together. Adam stayed home.
I could NOT wait to pry open a bottle of wine and pour out my nerves in a couple glasses (more like half a bottle) and relax. We had a wonderful wood burning fireplace in our room and Bobby lit a fire that we kept stoked most of the night to keep it warm and night lighted.
Bobby and I entertained each other by laughing and telling stories we've probably rehashed over the years many times but after a few glasses of vino were funny again.
On Friday morning Billy told us the band was getting together for breakfast down at Deetjens Big Sur Inn. I had passed it the night before and it was one of those places I was happy to see some lights at. It has the tiniest parking lot ever, and Bobby and I were the first there. A very charming little eatery greeted us with all kinds of antiques and woodsy decor. Although the woman who seated us was a bit overbearing she relented finally to give us the main dining room as we were a bit louder and more obnoxious than everyone else in the place. After everyone arrived they even shut the doors on us to keep the volume down. Billy, Jared, Jeff, Stevie, Matt, Ed, Bobby and myself. Matt asked us at breakfast if we wanted to go down to the beach and do a bit of sightseeing. Always up for some sightseeing we all agreed. The only one who passed was Billy as he had some calls to make down at Fernwood or Nepenthe. (Only places anyone could get a signal.) We caravaned over to Al's house and parked at the barn where for the first time I was taken into this reallly fabulous place. It was hard for me to not stare at the walls at all the things Al has accumulated over the years with the Beach Boys. I was the last one to drag myself into the recording studio where Al was sitting strumming his guitar getting ready for the night's show. He told me how happy he was that I finally made it up to Big Sur and that he would love for me to take a walk around and take all the photos I wanted. Well, no need to tell me the photo queen to take photos more than once. I had a field day in there snapping away. We all drifted around for about an hour or two before Matt offered to take us all on a field trip down to the beach. We stretched our legs and got moving down the long driveway and down the 20 minute walk to the beach. Ed and I chatting about health issues and vitamins and such. Ed always has such a beautiful outlook on life and what things are important. Maryann Jardine joined us on our walk and gave us the story of the land on the walk down and some local gossip and such. We stayed down at the beach for about another hour or so playing with the washed up sea kelp and watching Matt and Jared climb the hills so they could get cell reception. We found out later that Jared found out the sex of his baby that is on the way while he was up there on the phone.
We walked back up to the Ranch where we were taken into the vast garden by Maryann and encouraged to pick some goodies. Bobby and I loaded up the car with apples, pears, cilantro, lemon and strawberries from Maryann's garden. There was a sign to look out for Pot Bellied pigs, but I didn't see any but little porkchop, Al and Maryann's dog that looked like a little pot belly..he was adorable.
We visited with Al back in the studio before packing up all the cars to head over to Henry Miller Library for soundcheck...
end of part 1..
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