12 August 2008

big sur fire






Unless you've been hiding in a hole for the past few weeks, you've no doubt heard about the fire in Big Sur which destroyed more than 64,000 acres and over 30 houses; the biggest natural disaster in Big Sur history. One of these homes was Mike Gilson's, the owner of the Big Sur Bakery (the cookbook that I've been working on for over a year). Mike is a sweet, gentle guy and has such an inviting personality. He's someone you can be around when you're on fire with stress and within minutes, you'll feel relaxed and happy you're alive. I went to what was left of his property yesterday and we searched through some incredible belongings, one of which was a pile of "books" that if touched, would turn to dust. A couple of the only things remaining of the house were the dishwasher and bathtub.
There are so many philosophical levels in this place, one of most importance (in my opinion) is how we define 'self' through the objects we surround ourselves with. How can a human be a "person" through their stuff when all of the stuff is ash? This also brings up the question: what would you take with you from your house if you had an hour to evacuate?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are amazing!

Hilary Battes said...

Those are some sad and eye-opening photos. I think about what I would take from my house if I only had a few mintues.
1. cats
2. box of photos
3. laptop (b/c of photos)

You can't replace memories. Or cats.

Ginebra said...

Your photos are wonderful. Congratulations. Greetings

Amanda Mae said...

Just came across your blog...

That is very sad about Mike's house. What an incredible and horrible thing to go through when you loose all your belongings.

On a different note, your photos are great. I love what you did in the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. You're living my dream :) which is inspiring.

I hope you post more photos....