For Love of Los Osos
by Jane Elsdon
How many of the treasures in my memory vault originated in Los Osos? I daresay it's a significant sum. My first are from family camping trips to Montana de Oro while we still lived in Riverside. What a discovery. My second and most cherished memories were of a writers' group I discovered in the late seventies after we moved from Southern California. Every month I drove from Atascadero to Los Osos to meet with Los Osos Writers Group, eager aspiring writers who critiqued each other's work. Many of them to this day remain among my dearest friends. Now that's what I call true treasures.
The Book Exchange, with its humorous banners, closed after a very long time last month. Joan Campbell, its owner, will be sorely missed, more for her wry humor, wisdom, and gentle ways than for her many books, though she surely knows how to pick 'em. Thank goodness there is still Volumes of Pleasure, which has loyal fans in my family strewn from here to Utah. And these are the human treasures of Los Osos.
When looking back at other natural riches I realize that one of my more recently discovered special friends, our own Judy Sullivan, publisher and editor of this fine journal, lives almost on the hem of the Elfin Forest. My husband and I first found the Elfin Forest by attending an afternoon of classical music and wine tasting hosted by the Friends of Cuesta College Library many, many years ago in the dappled shade of the miniature oaks overlooking stunning Pacific views. That was long before the comfortable boardwalk it now offers visitors for easy walks, bird watching, and picture taking.
Sweet Springs always calls out to me when I visit a good friend across the street from it. Montana de Oro presents more marvelous views, eucalyptus pungence, forest panoramas, mountaintop and bluff hikes above the ocean, and the tantalizing tease of tidepools.
There is also Los Osos Oaks. We discovered that shaded respite and intriguing mystery on a docent-led nature walk many years ago and it remains a favorite place. The unique sense of place that such natural jewels evoke becomes the undersong in poetry written for love of a place and the gifts it gives us.
"Oracle" was written for love of Los Osos, interwoven with love for the Native American peoples who understood how to walk gently on the earth.
