48 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY DECEMBER 18-24, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com LIT “It was the winter of 1932-33 that we had made plans to go to Monterey and celebrate Christmas at my grandmother’s house on Cypress Street. The plan was quite complicated.” Thus opens one of the 52 stories from Stanley Vernon Harlan’s, Stories from my Childhood in Big Sur. The tale continues with one part of the family walking through muddy terrain for miles to meet the others, who drove from Monterey to San Luis Obispo then progressed as far up a Highway 1 work road as they could in their car. The actual highway was completed soon after and changed much in the future of coastal cattle ranches, such as the one by Lopez Point, where Harlan grew up. The book is a portrayal of life in Big Sur in the early 20th century and before, where every day seemed an adventure—no running water, a large wood-burning stove in the kitchen as the main source of warmth and energy, five different trails leading to favorite fishing spots, cattle, pigs, father’s horse Babe and wild strawberries. Born in a San Jose hospital, Harlan was just a week old when his family brought him back to the ranch—first to King City by vehicle, then five miles west in a wagon horse taxi. He rested in a space popular as an overnight stay among Indigenous people and homesteaders: Indian Cave. Next morning, baby Stanley was attached to a saddle and proceeded the final 12 miles on a mule over a narrow horse trail. Today, Harlan lives in Monterey in a house he built himself, halfway between his family ranch in Big Sur and Watsonville High School, where he ended up working as a teacher of mechanics for 32 years. He is surrounded by history: books, objects and photographs Since retiring, he has written several books on Big Sur, with the help of his wife, Irene Marys Harlan, whom he met during 18 months with American forces in occupied Germany. The story of how his own grandfather, Wilber Judson Harlan, came to the Big Sur coast in 1885 and filed a request for a homestead under the Federal Homestead Act of 1882 is only one of them. Stanley Harlan depicts Wilber with a pick, a mattock, a shovel, a crowbar and a box of matches to clear brush, cut timber and make a camp. Only then could he build a cabin from split redwood. “It sometimes took most of an hour to make one cut through a large log,” his grandson recalls. Stories from my Childhood in Big Sur by Stanley Vernon Harlan is available online and in local bookstores. DANIEL DREIFUSS Old Sur At 98, Stanley Vernon Harlan is a trove of ways of life past, presented as tales in a new book. By Agata Popęda Stories from my Childhood in Big Sur author Stanley Vernon Harlan sits with a photographic memory in his house in Monterey. INDOOR AND OUTDOOR DINING AND TAKEOUT Eat + Drink BEACH HOUSE RESTAURANT + BAR @ LOVERS POINT ★ CASUAL CALIFORNIA DINING INDOOR & PATIO DAILY AT 4:30PM 620 OCEAN VIEW BLVD. PACIFIC GROVE 831-375-2345 • BEACHHOUSEPG.COM LOVERS POINT BEACH CAFE OPEN DAILY, 9AM–4PM ’24 Best Restaurant in Pacific Grove Monterey’s MOST Recommended Pizzeria Open at 4pm Mon-Thurs • Open at 3pm Fri Open at 12pm Sat.& Sun. 725 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey giannispizzamonterey.com 831-649-1500 BEST PIZZA ’98-’24 BEST PIZZA PLACE ’25 ’25 BEST RESTAURANT IN MONTEREY COUNTY! JOIN US NIGHTLY FOR DINNER AT 4:30PM TWO HAPPY HOURS DAILY 4:30-6PM & 8-9PM 3-Course Early Menu, $49, 4:30-6pm Daily Call or go to sardinefactory.com for details, reservations. 701 Wave Street, Monterey, 831-373-3775 Fisherman’s Wharf’s Newest Restaurant Serving Fresh Seafood, Pasta, Steaks, Sandwiches Open Daily at 11:30am Great views at the end of the Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375 57 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey 831-373-1851 www.abalonetti.com ’25 LUNCH & DINNER SERVED DAILY from 11:30am-8:30pm Monterey County’s Best Calamari Indoor and Outdoor Dining on the Dog Friendly Patio Tapas (Happy) Hour 4:30–6pm Nightly Saturday & Sunday Brunch 9am–1:30pm 700 Munras Ave., Monterey | 831-375-0176 | estebanrestaurant.com ’25 Best Appetizers/ Small Plates OPEN EVERYDAY for DINNER at 4:30pm Offering all your favorites plus wine, cocktails, bottle and draft beers. Now Serving Snake River Farms’ American Wagyu Prime Rib. 763 Wave St., Monterey | 831.373.3778 | thewhalingstation.com ’25 Best Steak Wood Fired Pizzas, Burgers, Pasta, salads, sandWiches and more 11:30am mon-Fri, 10am Sat & Sun melvilletav.com 484 Washington St., Downtown Monterey 831.643.9525 haPPY hour Food & drinK sPecials Sun-Thurs 4-6pm WEEKEND BRUNCH WITH BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS
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