Category: Events

Art from here to there

Just a reminder of an important upcoming event –

ART FROM HERE AND THERE
A charity event to benefit the Big Sur Health Center

BIG SUR, Calif. — (July 28, 2010) … The Big Sur Health Center will hold its Annual Art Auction Sunday, September 12, 2010 on the terrace at The Restaurant at Ventana. This event focuses community attention on talented local artists and provides the means to fulfill the vision of the Big Sur Health Center.
Over 30 local artists have donated generously to benefit the health center. This years auction items include paintings, jewelry, sculptures and crafts with many of the artists on hand. The event will include silent and live auctions. Greg Hawthorne, local gallery owner and artist will serve as auctioneer. Area Big Sur restaurants including Deetjens, Nepenthe, Sierra Mar, and Ventana will be joining forces to provide some wonderful food to nibble on while browsing the art. The food will be accompanied by Monterey County wines and Rodrigo Teague will provide music.
The Health Center is a not-for-profit health care facility dedicated to the health and well-being of all who reside or work in Big Sur, as well as those who visit the community. The health center provides primary medical care services, with an emphasis on prevention, and is available to handle urgent care needs.
Art Auction schedule is as follows:
3:00-4:30 p.m. – Music, Food & Wine; Silent Auction and View Live Auction Items
4:30 p.m. – Live Auction
Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online at HYPERLINK “http://www.bigsurhealthcenter.org” http://www.bigsurhealthcenter.org or by calling (831) 626-3485. All proceeds benefit the Big Sur Health Center.
# # #

PR Contact:
Avril Ekstrand, Big Sur Health Center Board
831-626-3485
Avrilekstrand@yahoo.com

7/30 BSMAAC Agenda

BIG SUR MULTI-AGENCY ADVISORY COUNCIL
Congressman Sam Farr and Supervisor Dave Potter, Co-Chairs
FRIDAY, July 30, 2010 10:00 A.M.
Pfeiffer Big Sur Lodge Conference Center, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Big Sur
AGENDA

10:00 a.m. I. CALL TO ORDER Supervisor Dave Potter
II. ROLL CALL AND INTRODUCTIONS
III. APPROVE MINUTES OF April 30, 2010
10:15 IV. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
10:25 V. OLD BUSINESS
VI. NEW BUSINESS
1. Anderson Peak Telescope Presentation Pat Barthalow
2. Presentation on Sanctuary Foundation’s Proposal to Jane Delay
Install an Interpretive Sign at Big Creek pullout

11:00 VII. REPORTS FROM MEMBER AGENCIES
(please bring written report)

Big Sur Resident Member
Big Sur Chamber of Commerce
Coast Property Owners’ Association
Monterey County Planning Department
Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District
California Coastal Commission
Caltrans
State Parks and Recreation
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
United States Forest Service
27th District, State Assembly
15th District, State Senate
United States Congress

12:30 p.m. VIII. REPORTS FROM OTHER AGENCIES

1:00 IX. NEXT MEETING ON October 22, 2010

1:05 X. ADJOURNMENT

“Thank you to the Big Sur Lodge for their donation of beverages, food and
use of Lodge meeting space.”

Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Council Meeting

The next meeting of the BSMAAC will be held on Friday, July 30, 2010 beginning at 10 am. BSMAAC meetings are always held at the Conference Center at the Big Sur Lodge, and they request that you park below by the Lodge or the Store, and walk up. The agenda has not yet been sent out. It is normally released the week of the meeting. When it is released, I will post it here.

I have been attending all but a handful of these meetings since 1985. The information sharing and discussions that happen here are invaluable. It is the one time when almost all the stakeholders in Big Sur come together – governmental and private. So, if you can attend, do so.

Fourth of July Weekend has begun

Yes, I know, it is only Tuesday. Yes, I know, we have a 3-day weekend coming up, but based on what I witnessed today, it looks as if the weekend began a bit early.

As of this evening, around 7 pm, Kirk Creek Campground is full. Plaskett was almost full, and I suspect it will be by tomorrow. Frankly, I did not notice the Big Sur State Park. I did not even think to look, it being so early in the week. The other thing I noticed both yesterday and today, is that the gates to Limekiln State Park were open. it will “officially” open on Friday, July 2nd, but I imagine it will be full by then. No camping on the beach, as the bridge is still out, but the campground and redwood trails are open.

Also, the idiots are on the highway. Sorry, but there is no other word for them. The shoulder/pull-out at Rocky Creek was full, so, this car, an obvious idiot, just stopped on the highway. Never mind that there were four cars behind it speeding along at 55 mph. Sudden stops in the middle of the road are just plain idiotic. No one would even THINK of doing that on the freeways, but here? Oh, I know, the view is breath taking. But think about taking that next breath through a tube, or with a respirator, or other medical contraption to keep you alive. Just think. Please. The life you save might be MINE!

I have it on good authority that local patrols in the LPNF, at least here on the South Coast, will be stepped up in anticipation of this crazy weekend. I cannot tell you how grateful I am. I, too, will be out and about, probably several times. With my camera. Do something stupid, and you, too, could end up on my blog – memorialized for an eternity in cyberspace.

Oh, and the other great news? The two fire “rings” I featured in my “How NOT to build a campfire” article, are gone! I love you guys, as much as my dogs! Okay, let’s be real. Almost as much!

But what is a post without a photo? Trouble is, I was too busy trying to get home before dark to unload a fully packed Jeep, while at the same time, trying not to run over any idiots. But my friend Martha Diehl sent me a lovely summer roadside bouquet to brighten my day, and I’m going to pass it on, even though she doesn’t know! (She can flog me later.) Photo coming, when internet allows.

PV School’s “Camp Big Sur”

Hello! Would you please let your email contacts know of Pacific Valley School’s, “Camp Big Sur: Roughing it with the Blues” for kids ages 8 – 14? I’ve attached the flyer taken from the website and the website is: http://campbigsur.pbworks.com/ for more information.

Another important piece of information is the fact that the South Coast Community Land Trust (the people who bring you Big Sur Jade Festival!) is sponsoring 8 partial scholarships for Big Sur kids. It’s on a first come first serve basis so they should call the school first to see if they are eligible for the scholarship. A partial scholarship is worth $240 since the cost of the camp is $480.

Here are the bullet points on the camp: 2 sessions: July 12 – 16 & July 26 – 30. Overnight with all food included. Starts @ noon on Monday and ends @ 2 pm on Friday. Kids will be camping on the lawn of the PV School. Morning hikes are provided by Dave Zweifel (DZ) and the afternoons are for singing, songwriting with Blues
musicians/teachers Val Johnson & Al Blue. Campers will take home a CD of the music they created. Each evening there’ll be campfires with a guest speaker and a Friday afternoon performance for parents upon picking up their child.

If there are any questions, people can call: Pacific Valley School (805) 927-4507.

Special Upcoming Events

For those of you who know Gail Chambers, she has retired from teaching at Pacific Valley School. A special retirement BBQ/potluck is being held at the school, tomorrow, Saturday June 19th at 2 pm.

Gail has been with the school longer than I can remember. She was there 21 years ago, when I first started there, and has taught the children of the children she has taught over the years. Everyone who knows and loves Gail like we do, is welcome. Gail’s only request is that if you have old photographs, you bring those.

The following Saturday, June 26th, a special International “Hands Across the Sands” will be held at Pfeiffer Beach at 11 am.

“Now is the time for America and our leaders to join hands and steer our country’s energy policy away from our dependence on fossil fuels and into the light of clean energy and renewables.

Join hands with us and draw a line in the sand against offshore oil drilling

On Saturday, June 26th, millions will join hands on beaches across California, the nation and the GLOBE for “Hands Across the Sand”, a day of action opposing new offshore drilling while promoting safe and renewable alternatives.

Join the Sierra Club, the Audibon Society, Surfrider, Oceana, Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife,Alaska Wilderness League, Ocean Conservancy, Friends of the Earth, Energy Action Coalition, Rainforest Action Network, among others, to draw a literal and figurative line in the sand to tell our elected officials that our coastline is not for sale!”

And finally, a celebration of Kevin Share’s Life will be held on Sunday, July 11th.

“Come join us for a day of good memories and music….
Today’s celebration will be potluck and BYOB.
Shuttle service will be provided from the Pfieffer pull-out on highway #1 starting around 1:30ish. the Pfieffer pull-out is approx a 1/2 mile south of the entrance to Pfieffer state park on the east side of the highway please park and wait for the shuttle.” The shuttle will take you up to Jessie’s House on Pfieffer Ridge in Big Sur.

Only in Big Sur …

The First Annual Burning Dog Festival, organized out of Santa Cruz, is being held June 11-14th at Plaskett Creek Campground. Yes, a “burning man”-inspired event that is dog-friendly, and includes hikes and events for your pooch,

The schedule is quite ambitious and can be found here: schedule. It includes hikes, agility course, art with your dog, costumes, BBQ, Luau, and trips to the Esalen hot tubs.

Of course, our local events that weekend include Jazz on the River at River Inn on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 pm. (see schedule here) and the Big Sur Wine Expedition is June 9th and 10th. (Additional information here). There is always a great line-up at the Henry Miller Library. The Woodsist Festival for that Saturday is sold-out, with a waiting list, but you can see the month’s events here: HML June Events. There are always global art, music, and dance events at Spirit Garden but I don’t see an events calendar for this year. Fernwood has live music on both Friday and Saturday nights and sometimes on Sundays and you can see their June line-up here. The Maiden Publick House often has live music on the weekends, too.

There are probably other events, as well, but I scoured and could not find them. But there are always “events” in Big Sur – like hiking, surfing, bicycling, campfire talks, shopping for local crafts, books, and other gems. It is the time when we shake off the sleepiness of our winter slumber, and host the millions and millions of people who visit us each year.

But for unusual? The 1st Annual Burning Dog Event has to take the cake. Should be an interesting weekend at Plaskett Creek Campground.

Whale Rally

Don’t forget the Whale Rally, this Sunday the 23rd at 10 am at the Monterey Bay Park, near the kayaks and volleyball courts.

Simultaneous rallies are being held statewide on various beaches, so check the Western Alliance for Nature link for a location near you and for additional information.

I have had a devil of a time with my internet the last few days, despite all indications that it is working properly, and thus the dearth of posts recently. I hope to upload some more Big Sur wildflower photos tomorrow, but that will depend on the internet goddess.

Weather Watch for Monday, 5/17/10

I have been sitting above the fog, watching the clouds stream in all day today, enjoying the sunshine and warmth, aware of the upcoming storm system. The day is almost done, so it was time to check NOAA’s forecast discussion. This is what the professionals say about tomorrow’s outlook.

“CURRENT FORECAST HAS LIGHT RAIN BEGINNING AROUND SUNRISE WITH PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES. THE RAIN BAND WILL MOVE IN PARALLEL TO THE COASTLINE THEREFORE ALL AREAS OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL COAST WILL SEE THE ONSET OF THE RAIN AROUND THE SAME TIME. RAIN WILL THEN SPREAD INLAND FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THE GFS AND NAM SOLUTIONS REMAIN WETTER THEN THE ECMWF ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. HAVE TRENDED THE FORECAST WETTER OVER THIS AREA AS THERE APPEARS TO BE SUFFICIENT MOISTURE OVER THE PACIFIC TO JUSTIFY THIS SOLUTION. THEREFORE RAIN IS ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION ON MONDAY WITH ACCUMULATIONS ANYWHERE FROM A QUARTER TO A HALF AN INCH WITH HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED IN THE HILLS. MODELS CONTINUE TO MOVE THIS SYSTEM TO THE EAST RELATIVELY FAST WITH RAIN TRANSITIONING TO SHOWERS BY MONDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS SHOULD COME TO AN END BY TUESDAY MORNING.”

My life is a tad complicated right now, due to Gideon’s heartworm treatment, work that got postponed so I could vacation, systems that keep going out, or which are in need of considerable attention — all of which is making keeping up with Big Sur events a bit of a challenge. For example, I wanted to post a few links to the wonderful photos I have found of the big, big, BIG Sur Fashion show at the HML on Thursday, and the 2010 film festival schedule also at HML, and the Whale Rally on May 23rd, but the time has just not been there for me.

Upcoming Events

Lots going on in the month of May. The Henry Miller Library schedule for May is posted on the Announcements Page, including the Big BIG Sur Fashion Show this Thursday, the 13th.

Don’t forget the Annual BSVFB Muster coming up this Saturday, May 15th, at the State Park.

I’m sure I’ve missed something, and will add it here and/or on the announcement page when I find out what it is.

Later today, or tomorrow, I will post some photos of the Pitkins Curve/Rain Rocks project as could only be obtained by Cal-Trans … or Rock Knocker!