return to the tor

Today I returned to Tor House.

No (sigh) I haven't gotten my job back but I do have a monthly volunteer commitment to restock the bookstore for the weekly tours and today was my day.

I love being there by myself...just me and the ghosts. There is something about that place that speaks to my soul.

I took a few pictures today to show you my new domain - the bookstore.

 the parlor

the library - the last time I was in this room was at my going away party

patio outside of the library

Isn't it a lovely place? I just love being there and am so grateful that I still get to spend time as a volunteer. The annual volunteer Christmas party is coming up soon and I look forward to seeing all my friends again.

In other news - November is coming to a close and so I've come to the end of National Blog Posting Month! I'm happy that I was able to post just about every day except for birthday weekend. I've enjoyed coming up with subjects to write about but I'll admit that I'm looking forward to taking a break for a couple of days before I start writing again.

Thanks for reading! Until next time...

 

Christmas Eve at Tor House

I had to work today.

That kind of sucks.

Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year and usually I like to spend it at home, baking treats, listening to Christmas music and watching the lights on the tree.

This year, not so much.

So maybe it wasn't so bad that I had to go into work.

I can't think of a more magical place to spend a blustery Christmas Eve.

beyond the garden gate

Have I ever told you about where I work? I don't think I have. 

If you follow me on Instagram you would know that I work in one of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth - Tor House. I post way too many pictures of this enchanted spot but it's hard to stop because every corner brings inspiration and the views are fantabulous.

Normally you have to pay for a guided tour but follow along with me as we go beyond the garden gate for a little peek.

The courtyard is magical in any kind of weather. It's not always sunny at Tor House, frequently the fog rolls in and surrounds us.

Abalone shells line the pathways to the cottage. Usually they sit in an orderly fashion but this particular day they were all scattered but there were no animal tracks so I can only conclude that the ghosts were having a wild party before I got there. Oh, did I not mention that Tor House is haunted? I haven't run into anybody but the TV show Ghost Adventures thinks they did. I will say that I have heard  noises that defy explanation.

Told you it was a beautiful place!

The quail are frequent and very welcome visitors in our courtyard.

There are many benches where you can rest and reflect.

This is the far end of the courtyard, looking out to the sea. What lies beyond?

More beauty than you can even imagine. We've recently begun a project to bring back the natural wildflowers that would have been there in Jeffers' time.

Would you like to see inside the cottage? Let me go find the key (yes, this is the actual key that I have to use each time I go in there) and we can go inside the next time you visit.

See you soon!

enchanting

"...we looked down through the pines and sea-fogs on Carmel Bay, it was evident that we had come without knowing it to our inevitable place."  Robinson Jeffers

I am lucky enough to work in one of the most beautiful places in the world. This is not the view from my office window but all I have to do is stroll outside and I'm in an enchanted courtyard bordered by the roaring sea.

Today was one of those days where I was drawn outside for a breath of fresh salt air. The sky was unbelievably blue, which is rare because it's often shrouded in fog, and it was all I could do to go back inside to crunch more numbers.

Where is this magical place? Stay tuned, I'll tell you more.