Bell For Tassajara
This project would be a bell that I could stand inside of when it was sitting on the ground. That would make it 5’ 9” on the inside. It would be cast in bronze probably in Japan or Korea.
This idea started in the 1966 when the Buddhists first came to Tassajara. My then wife Merilyn our daughter Melissa called “Lissa” at the time went up to Tassajara to see what was going on. We went down to the resort and looked around and then returned up the road to camp over night at White Oak Camp in the Los Padres. While we were camping an Old Volvo came steaming down into the camp ground looking for water for its leaking radiator. The Tassajara Road is still very difficult on cars and was probably as hard on the horse and carriage that went down there first in the 1860’s. Out of this car popped Dan Welsh and his girl friend. They were returning form a trip into Monterey. We made them some tea and landed up talking for a long time about all kinds of things. One of the things that he said during that conversation was that the Zen Retreat needed a bell that would be used to raise and lower the sun. This started what has been a life process that is not over yet.