Seaheart 21. girasols & el sud…

Girasols. The ones where I was walking at Pacifica in the garden are from the hills in Mexico. The head gardener Marshall is very famous up here for doing “sustainability” gardens. When I was a student there, and because I had already been interested in this subject for ages — having read Kent on all that, when I got really overwhelmed I would walk over to his garden and get a strawberry.

He once said to me “Why do you want to be a therapist when you could just be a gardener instead?”

I reminded him of that the other day, because I went out to see him and walk around. The last time I saw him he was at the upper campus and he had given Steve two very sacred Deodar Cedars. Well, Kipling! Who else…

Steve looked exhausted. That was the three day weekend I went to for alums. That particular passage of time I did a few things and was tremendously moved. There were three! First I saw this exhibit in Santa Monica.

Then I went to the three day alum thing at Pacifica! As usual, so happy to be back there, but? I noticed things in the new landscape that were odd or awry. And Steve didn’t realize about the deodars. I was telling all of this to Marshall — as I walked around to see what was new. They sell you vegetables! There was Saint Francis too, watching over everything. And literally biblical or earlier grains Marshall is growing? You could tell. They looked like cornstalks with fountains at the top? Stunning.

Anyway he has chickens there, and back in the 90’s he had started the garden so that the school could eat the food, maybe.

I totally got it, even back then. He told me the school was finally getting the garden. Also I learned Dennis has moved back to Texas and commutes to teach.

I want to do that on Ortega in that house. I do. It is just majestic. I was there yesterday driving by it again and that is a house where all my most sacred friends can be. There are three people who will always share a key to that house. Joseph, Walter and Ken. They will all have their own. That house is where I want to live. It is untouched from the 20’s, or earlier. And it has two sacred Roman marble coins embedded in the facade at front. It has a stained glass door, and the hall leads to a fireplace for two large leather chairs and an oriental rug. I have never felt so at home, anywhere as there. Ever. For Joseph I will plant a grove of Jacarandas.

Anyway, after that exhibit, and the Pacifica weekend, I went to the Writer’s Conference. All of these things happened in the span of two weeks. It was positively mystical on many levels. Sacred.

Ken had said to me that he built this. But? What he meant was that he “built huge things of great beauty” only, I didn’t understand at that time. I mean to give it to him, and it is for sale as well right now. I just saw a picture of it.

There are two other places. Here and here.

All of these are for us. The four of us.

In the Cloud House, I am going to do the outside like Meridian. There will be a lot of Wisteria. I got that from Patsy’s place. Seedpods, and some from her dragon tree. I think it is a dragon tree? Gil told me. The flowers on that tree. Exquisite! Purple brackets like foxgloves!

I am going to replace the windows of that Ortega house with stained glass in certain areas just like the door. Because when I was in there I saw the light and what it did as it spilled jewels across the floor.

The rooms!

Perfect.

The ceilings.

Perfect.

The fireplaces.

Perfect.

In back I am going to build a terrrace like the one on Dover, with columns. Large! But it won’t interfere too much with the original design at all. It will complement it. French Doors will open onto that from the dining room and the kitchen. Actually the whole back side of the place…

The only room I would change is the kitchen, It was redone in the forties or so? I would restore that to 1920’a look. I loved the wainscoting. Also the beautiful pantries and so forth. Also, there may be a way of redoing the roof so that it has rooftop decks? Easy. Inside the floors are original, beautiful! Everything. Exquisite.

The little outdoor barbeque! So fab.

Most of it just needs to be restored by a little shoring up here and there. It is fabulous. Fabulous. And the Cypresses!

Also the palm tree! In that area I would put a pool. It seems as if they might have had an amphitheatre under that palm. Here is color of outside just like this place after I finish!

And here:

What I would do to the two baronial fireplaces is use Malibu tile? Because they are cement block ad they should look prettier?

Also, install a mantel like the one where the two leather chairs are. The ceilings! Hand hewn beams. So exquisite! Oh and the library? Re panel with wood, instead of the fake stuff!

Anyway, if it were not for Joseph none of this would be coming true, because the transference I have to Ken & Walter was so strong in 2005 and 6, I cannot explain. Anyway. So much mystical stuff happened to me after I met them that? Whew.

No kidding. Joseph holds the biggest key of all.

I know exactly how to do the bedrooms! I have the book with pictures! xxoo!