A kitchen renovation in the stunning Big Sur wilderness.…
Outdoors The Big Sur House Travel Uncategorized
big sur under siege by fire and visitors
August 30, 2020
UPDATE: On September 11, the Dolan Fire is is 113,486 acres and only 26% contained. 14 firefighters were injured in a burnover incident. Thankfully, the last one will be leaving the hospital this week. The fire has been burning for over 3 weeks with no end in sight at this time. For anyone who loves Big Sur, please consider donating to Big Sur Fire , an all volunteer brigade made up of 22 men and women who do more than…
When we bought the The Big Sur House, the entry gate was flanked by two enormous pine trees, an extremely low metal arch, and a fence that had seen better days. But I loved it’s Big Sur feel. Fast forward a year, and the trees had contracted a disease that is killing pines all over the West. They had to be removed, leaving us with two great big stumps and what seemed like a barren and exposed entrance. When our…
More than ever, our homes have become places of comfort and refuge. With temperatures heating up, we are now turning to our outdoor spaces as an extension of our homes. Today I’m sharing our outdoor living space along with links to some truly inspiring blogger’s gardens. Here at The Big Sur House, we spend most of our time on the front deck (you can find the story on creating the deck here). With the stay at home order still in…
The days, weeks, and months are running together. I can’t believe June is almost here and we are still in lockdown in this part of California. I try not to focus on all the things that I can’t do, but instead on the things I can. While I can’t hike any of the trails or visit the beaches, I can hike our very steep road and enjoy its beautiful vistas. And I’ve enjoyed watching the change of wildflowers with each…
I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. The first month of the pandemic, I was numb and unmotivated. But something kicked in during the month of April (yes, I am a month behind!). After the parks and trails in Big Sur (along with most of California) were closed, I turned my attention to home. Heaven knows that with 3 acres of untamed property, there was plenty to do. I’m still knee deep in poison oak and mud (I…
While we are thrilled that The Big Sur House has two full bathrooms (helpful when family and friends visit), one of them I have fondly dubbed “the cave”. There are no windows and the back wall is actually cement built into the slope of the back yard. Yep, it’s dark, cool, and just a little bit scary. When we first bought the house, we knew redoing the bathroom wasn’t in the budget and not a priority. It consisted of a…
In March of 2020, our lives changed virtually overnight. The shock of it has sunk in and the new “normal” for the moment involves long lines at grocery stores, working from home, wearing masks, and apparently a toilet paper shortage. I’ve been extremely fortunate on the TP front, as I always stock between 20-30 rolls…it’s something I never want to run out of…especially in Big Sur where the closest market is 45 minutes away and there are constant road closures.…
While we won’t be spending Christmas in Big Sur this year, I still wanted it to have some holiday spirit and cheer without setting up a Christmas tree. I made some simple decor changes and it was just enough to make me want to hum Christmas carols and swig eggnog! I tend to keep things simple and natural. Here in Big Sur, I have potted paperwhites, driftwood trees, and pinecones that I bleached last year. Candles, tiny lights, the stove…
At our Big Sur home, we have a big deck…a really big deck. On one end is our lounging area with a large sofa, chairs, and a coffee table. The other end is a whole lot of empty deck real estate. I knew eventually we would have some sort of table. But a year later…still nothing. I always thought it would be fun to design and build a table, which I mentioned it to our contractor, Brendan Wahl of B…