”
Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the
ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our
lives.
”
– Mary Ann Brussat
“Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.” – Mary Ann Brussat
I started the new year by staying with my mom and husband in a cottage in Pacific Grove (also known as Butterfly Town, USA) just one block from the ocean.
The recent storms were awesome when witnessed from that location! We watched the waves crashing against the rocks in dramatically steep bursts and reaching up as high as the roadway with white fingers of foam.
The great thing about staying someplace so close to Gilroy (40 miles south) is that you waste so little time in travel, yet you feel as if you have left everyday cares far behind as you get away to such a different world.
What better way to begin a new year than to visit a place that has always been known as a place for growth, renewal, and transformation? It was a delight to discover so much about Pacific Grove that I had not known before.
The town itself first came into being as a tent city for 19th century Methodist retreats and educational conferences.
Over the years, some of the tents became cabins and eventually were transformed into permanent residences.
A marine sanctuary section of Pacific Grove known as Asilomar is still used for many different types of retreats and conferences. It’s a popular
destination for many Gilroyans who attend watercolor workshops, religious retreats, and leadership training conferences. Local Haiku poets go there for Haiku poetry retreats.
One of the most interesting examples of artistic transformation in PG is the Butterfly House located at 309 Ninth St., which was created by a man for his wife as she was going blind.
Once a simple, nondescript dwelling, J. Jackson began repainting it when doctors said bright colors would be easiest for his wife Sonja to see.
Jackson himself is blind in one eye, and though he had never painted before in his life, the house is now covered in a kaleidoscope of brilliant hues and butterflies.
You can purchase a butterfly for $6 as a tribute to someone you care about, and it will be added (with the name printed on its wings) to the yellow brick road of butterflies leading up to the garden gate. It is an inspiration to people from around the world. I wanted my mom to see it since I know her eyesight is beginning to fail.
We also went to see the live butterflies who have migrated as far as 2,000 miles to hibernate in a few pine trees at the Monarch Sanctuary.
To get there, they travel 100 miles per day, and fly as high as 10,000 feet, a mighty achievement for a creature much smaller and more fragile than the tiniest bird.
While we were there, they were flying around in the trees by the thousands, their wings swirling in the winds. We got a close-up view of some of them when they began landing on one little girl’s arm and hand.
The monarchs didn’t land on any adults – only this one small girl seemed to have the magic to draw the butterflies so close.
For more information on The Butterfly House, visit http://www.thebutterflyuniverse.com. The Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary is open during the wintering season until early March. Monarch butterflies can be viewed clustered on trees in thick bunches. The Sanctuary is located at Lighthouse Avenue and Ridge Road.
