Category Archives: Writing Your Stories

A Pearl on the Peninsula

Keepers of Our Culture Posted on by

Susan Carol Smith, our guest columnist in the Cedar Street Times for 6-16-2017, gives us a reflective walk through a day of memories in downtown Pacific Grove. Susan is the proprietor of Butterfly Cottage Botanicals. She has a goal for her cottage shop to become known as “All Things Monarchs” in Pacific Grove and her store displays reflect that goal. Her story is one of many in “Life in Pacific Grove,” that allow us to get to know our business owners also as PG residents.

I am pleased to announce that we have met our goal of the number of personal PG stories needed to fill the 444 pages of “Life in Pacific Grove,” our new—and first—Community Book. The staggering depth and breadth of stories is eye-opening and mind-blowing. I am committed to print them all – including late entries that arrive between now and June 25. You will be treated to a sampling of these PG stories in this column—right up to the book launch planned for October 6, when the Monarchs return and our children march in the annual Butterfly Parade to welcome them back to Butterfly Town USA.

Familiar Sights and Smells

Through dawn’s fog, billowing like damp dust, wafts scents of rosemary focaccia bread in Fournier’s bakery oven. Something this morning air offers.

CoCo, leashed, tugs me toward caffeine brewing in the coffee shop. Wearing Ugg boots and a scarf twice-wrapped around my neck depicts Pacific Grove’s average 57 degree temperature.

Peering toward the bay for whales, as sea gulls squeal, I see the hawk-walker. The shoulder-perched sentinel hawk flies to a pine tree shrouded in grey-green moss that dangles from its branches like ancient men’s beards.

Swooshing brooms dust the storefront walks. No noisy gas blowers permitted in our quiet city. Delivery trucks caravan, snail-crawling within our 15 mile-per-hour speed limit, bringing fresh ingredients our chefs await.

P.G. Monarch Haven

Ms. Flora Conover’s 1897 cottage on Lighthouse Avenue, now home to Butterfly Cottage Botanicals.

I make my way to Ms. Flora Conover’s historically marked 1897 cottage where I rent space for my garden gift shop here in Butterfly Town, USA. Towering oaks canopy as I wonder if Miss Conover realized these five, once saplings, would become the graceful legacy of beauty bequeathed to this place when she planted them 120 years ago.

My shop is filled with Monarch merchandise, plants and local art. Reminiscing customers tell me they, or their children, or grandchildren wore Monarch wings and marched right out front in the Butterfly parade.

Mother’s Pearls

I think back to my daughter.

She loved my jewelry, rubbed her tiny fingers over sparkling stones of pearls. One evening I asked her, “Should I wear the pearls or the gold chains?”

“The pearls, Mommy.”

Pinching her brow together, asking, “Where do pearls come from?”

“Oysters.” I said, wondering if that could satisfy the curiosity of my inquisitive child who knew nothing of the depth of the sea or the mystery of an oyster’s nacreous layers.

I fumbled with the clasp, the strand broke, pearls scattered onto the floor. I scooped as many as possible, leaving errant ones rolling into the angular recesses of the bedroom.

A Daughter’s Pearl of Wisdom

Months later, my daughter with beams of light bouncing from her blue eyes, a grin of awe, stood with her hand behind her back.

“Mommy, I know where pearls come from.”

“You do?”

“Pearls aren’t from oysters.” She said as she brought her hand from its hiding place, opening her fist to expose a pearl in a wadded clump of dust. “Pearls come from dusty corners.”

In that moment I saw in my daughter a revelation—we can limit or expand ourselves simply with perspective. Through the darkest moments of life, I have found pearls. In those moments wisdom emanates from the dusty corners of my mind.

Here in Pacific Grove, our quaint city, I treasure living my dream, cherish this quiet place whereby my daughter took passage from here into eternity, am at peace each new dawn, to hold the gift of being given another day of life in this perfect place … may it always be between “Carmel by the Sea and Monterey by the Smell” and remain “Pacific Grove by God!” The pearl of the Peninsula.

“Life in Pacific Grove”

Send your personal stories for our new community book, “Life in Pacific Grove” by June 25 to lifeinpacificgrove@gmail.com or enter on website at lifeinpacificgrove.com. All proceeds to benefit the Pacific Grove Public Library. Patricia Hamilton is the owner and publisher of Park Place Publications in Pacific Grove since 1991. Writer and book publishing services. Call for a free consultation, 831-649-6640, or email publishingbiz@sbcglobal.net. Parkplacepublications.com, keepersofourculture.com, and lifeinpacificgrove.com

Adventures of Clementine and Lola

Keepers of Our Culture Posted on by

Susan Steele, guest columnist in the 6-9-2017 issue of “Keepers of Our Culture” in the Cedar Street Times, entertains us with stories about two of our PG  fur people. Susan is the president of the Friends of the Pacific Grove Library and a member of the Library Foundation. The PGPL is the beneficiary of all book sales. Thank you, Susan, for contributing.

I am pleased to announce that we have met our goal of the number of personal PG stories needed to fill the 444 pages of “Life in Pacific Grove,” our new—and first—Community Book. The staggering depth and breadth of stories is eye-opening and mind-blowing. I am committed to print them all – including late entries that arrive between now and June 25. You will be treated to a sampling of these PG stories in this column—right up to the book launch planned for October 6, when the Monarchs return and our children march in the annual Butterfly Parade to welcome them back to Butterfly Town USA.

Anxious Labrador

Clementine’s soulful “please don’t leave me” look.

With three non-profit organizations and three secondhand stores devoted to saving animals at risk, Pacific Grove is ground zero for animal rescue. My three cats and two dogs testify to my having drunk the local Kool-Aid®. It’s important to remember, though, when you fall for a rescue animal, you take on their history.

The black Lab, Clementine, has separation anxiety. There may be good reason for her affliction, since she was found as a nine-month-old puppy wandering the streets of Hayward. In any case, when I work on the computer, Clementine is at my feet. When I sit on the patio, Clementine is next to me. When I fix something to eat, Clementine follows me to the kitchen. The three cats and the other dog find her neediness a little silly, but Clementine doesn’t care. She can’t help it.

Chow Territory

The Lab-chow mix, Lola, is independent to a fault. She is also territorial. Again, she may have acquired this trait by necessity when she had to fend for herself in Stanislaus County. Whatever the reason, nobody walks by our house or steps on our porch without Lola letting them know that they are on her turf. She especially dislikes people wearing hats.

Dog, Dormer and Danger

One day, I was working in the garden, tracked from the window by a very unhappy pair of brown eyes. After a time, the eyes disappeared and I thought Clementine had adjusted to the distance between us. How much I had misjudged the situation became clear when a neighbor appeared, shouting, ‘There’s a dog on your roof!’ Clementine had climbed through an open dormer window and out onto the roof.

I looked up at Clementine; Clementine looked down at me. Clementine’s tongue was hanging out. Her eyes were very big. I ran upstairs to try to coax her back inside, but by the time I got to the offending window, Clementine had jumped from the roof of the house to the slightly lower—and much steeper—roof of an outbuilding. She couldn’t go back and as she scrambled to keep from falling, Clementine’s eyes got bigger and her tongue hung out even more.

Lola Goes to Work

I put a ladder against the shed and climbed up. But I wasn’t strong enough to carry 60-lb Clementine down the ladder. The ladder started to shake. Another neighbor, working in his garden, offered his help and I enthusiastically accepted. I forgot about Lola. When this neighbor tried to enter the back yard, Lola was on the job, defending me and her territory.

Finally, in desperation, I grabbed Clementine’s collar and lowered her as far as I could. She slipped out of her collar and fell the last few feet to the ground. But she wasn’t hurt. She was very happy to be off the roof. I was very happy to be off the ladder. And Lola was very happy that she had done her job.
—Susan Steele, Retired Academic

Submit Your Stories by June 25

Our 444-page community book is overflowing but I still want your PG stories—June 25 is the extended deadline to submit, which you can do right on our website: lifeinpacificgrove.com. Also submit by email: lifeinpacificgrove@gmail.com or snail mail your stories to Life in Pacific Grove, P.O. Box 722, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Professional editors will correct anything amiss and your story will shine! Complete details are at lifeinpacificgrove.com. You retain the copyright; Park Place Publications has the right to publish and promote your story in print and on-line to benefit the PG Library.

Thank you for expressing your community spirit! All proceeds benefit the PG Public Library. Book launch in October when the Monarchs return to Pacific Grove.

 

 

Tillie’s

Keepers of Our Culture Posted on by

Joyce Day Meuse, Tillie Gort employee and long time PG resident was the Guest Columnist in the May 26 edition of our monthly “Keepers of Our Culture” column in the local Cedar Street Times.

Welcome to Tillie Gort’s Cafe—Local Favorite Since 1969…
Old Gort would like to express his appreciation toward each and everyone of the astonishing variety of our customers. The young, the wise, people of the business world, followers of the spirit, family folk and loners, grandmothers, musicians, carpenters, students & teachers, working folk, those just passing through, and the perennial “regulars”, whose loyalty keeps us alive during the slow times… We all share one thing in common… The love of good food and good company in a comfortable atmosphere. —Rosie 1976, tilliegortscafe.com

Tillie Gort’s staff, 1979

After I had my second child in Pacific Grove it was time for me to get a job. I had been to Tillie Gort’s Café at 111 Central Avenue. All the folks that worked there seemed so cool to me. I went back a number of times to beg for a waitress job from Steve, one of the owners. He finally relented and I got the job, which lasted for nine years.

Each shift crew consisted of the cook, the backup,—who did dishes as well as food prep—and two wait staff. Our customers were mostly locals who came in regularly for lunches and dinners. Some folks came in daily for a cup of coffee and small talk. I remember when the people who began the Monterey Bay Aquarium would often come in for lunch, as well as the people from across the street who worked at Digital Research, an early computer company. Our opinionated cook had nothing but disdain for the computer geeks.

Soup Maker and Baker

Eventually I became one of the soup makers and bakers who could earn extra money aside from our wait shifts. We had a special vegetarian soup made fresh every day. The daily special was a half sandwich with a cup of soup. There were a number of us who got paid to make the huge pot of soup, then put up a colorful sign on a paper plate and post it for our customers. A few of us also made Black Bottom Cupcakes, Jager Pie, No-Meat Loaf, and the wonderful Annie Laurie’s Shortbread. I loved the homemade cheesecakes that Arlis would make.

Lifelong Friends

Tillie Gort’s staff circa 1980

There were many characters who worked there and many became lifelong friends. We had daily fights over what music would be played in both the dining rooms and kitchen. Usually, the cook had his or her way. After work at night when we did cleanup and put the restaurant to bed we played upbeat and pretty loud music. All of the crew would join together in a trash can train the night before pick-up.

The owners had made a list of duties for the wait staff on poster board in the kitchen. You would go down the list of things to do before opening, and after closing. The staff was free to trade shifts as long as our days were covered. We had wonderful Christmas parties hosted by the owners—who gave each a Christmas bonus. A local photographer and sometimes employee, John McCleary, would take an annual photo in front of the restaurant. Many of the photos are still displayed on the walls at Tillie’s.

Those of us who worked and came to eat at Tillie’s made a wonderful heart connection that has continued into the present. Many of us still gather on Thanksgiving Day for an annual get together. We all still feel like an extended family.

Looking back on my life, working at Tillie’s was the best job I ever had.

“Life in Pacific Grove”

Personal stories such as Joyce’s continue to pour in on the website, www.lifeinpacificgrove.com, from our community and beyond. This week I received a telephone call from Jan Straley, in Sitka, Alaska, who is assisting Nancy Ricketts, Ed Rickett’s daughter, in her 90’s and who also lives in Sitka, to write and submit her story about growing up in Pacific Grove. She promises the portrayal of Doc Rickett’s will be a personal one of husband and father, and not as the famous marine biologist, friend to John Steinbeck. [after this column ran, I spoke with Nancy Ricketts – delightful woman, 92 years young – and she is sending all of her PG stories for our book!]

As the June 1 deadline for submitting stories is approaching, all stories are being read, catalogued, edited and prepared for book design and layout – my most creative and favorite part of creating every book I publish. Some stories are still being written and for those of you I extend the deadline to June 25. Book illustrator Keith Larson may still be seen around town sketching iconic PG sites, such as the Butterfly House, Centrella Inn, City Hall, Victorians, parks and beaches.

Chautauqua Days Book Launch Celebrations

We’re also in the planning stages for “Life in Pacific Grove” official book launch on October 6, 7 and 8. You may purchase books inside Chautauqua Hall with The Heritage Society of PG, in the Pioneer Section at the PG Public Library, and a special display at the BookWorks, now owned by Nell and Margo, a former owner of Tillie Gort’s Café. There MAY even be a reunion of former employees of Tillie’s—stay tuned!

 

Thank you for expressing your community spirit! Also submit by email: lifeinpacificgrove@gmail.com or snail mail your stories to Life in Pacific Grove, P.O. Box 722, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Book proceeds to benefit the PG Public Library.