Dru, Steinbeck and the Book of Deer

Dear Juliet I'd wanted mildly to move on and not stick too deep in the sands of Drusilla's beach, mention that I'm going to go to Shakespeare's Globe post-Southwark (15th-19th June) to try and get some pictures for you there. I'll enjoy that, too. Many years ago, I used to wind up an ex-girlfriend at work with Shakespearean quotes. I think she came close to hitting me on several occasions... I also don't want my blogs to get too introspective, remembering that the point is to reassure you of your worth, build up your self-esteem, give you the occasional metaphorical hug 🤗 and get you addicted to Ben & Jerry's! And I remembered an old quote from Dear Miss Landau (where else?) about "pilgrims on the mountain road to Calvary."  There's also America's progress towards the shining city on the hill . I know there've been a few bumps in that road... However, it always seems an upwards path must be walked. With sweat, with strain, with a...

Dear Juliet I don't think you've ever been to Gibson beach, but it looks like it's nevertheless become your sanctuary. My memories of it are seventeen years deep and so profound the only way I can deal with them is through humour. I was coming off a near nervous breakdown at the time, and did indeed get off the Number 5 bus like a pilgrim looking for his Calvary. I think I had the same straw hat both first and last times. The Chevron filling station south of Carmel is a pretty unlikely shrine, but I orientated myself by it and went on down to the Point. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. For sure. I'm probably going to get shouted at for this, but a Mack truck did get a bit close while I was getting my bearings. Mind you, I didn't think I was going to run out of luck just then. It was just the faintest of reminders that one day my road would be run. I asked directions at the ranger station, found Gibson beach on the map and renamed it Drusilla's beach when I go...

Dear Juliet Well, this is what it is : From: james.christie466@btinternet.com To: info@carmelitesistersbythesea.org Sent: Wednesday, May 27th 2026, 22:27 Subject: Prayer request for my dearest friend, Juliet Landau Dear Reverend Mother and Sisters, Juliet Rose Landau God be with you. To explain as concisely as possible, my name is James Christie and I am autistic. In 2010, I crossed America overland by Greyhound bus with the backing of the National Autistic Society Scotland in order to meet Hollywood actress Juliet Landau on Sunset Boulevard and also to visit Point Lobos. The book detailing these events is called Dear Miss Landau , and tells some of our story. Juliet became more than just an actress to me, and she's had some tough times recently. I am trying to support her, and in doing so told her that I regularly light a candle for her at my own church. This seems to comfort her. I had hoped we could conceivably revisit Point Lobos someday (specifically Gibson beach) but it may n...

Dear Juliet I'd like to buy you an ice cream! Not Ben & Jerry's, admittedly. In The Way We Were , Hubbell Gardiner's first novel was called  A Country Made Of Ice Cream . Maybe that's where I got the idea from. I was going to joke about going to London, not mention the Carmelite Monastery or the Point, but I don't think I'm going to do that now. I really like Gibson beach and a pivotal part of  Drusilla's Roses  is set right there. The  sky above the bay's the brightest blue I ever did see. S urf rolls and sparkles like a liquid diamond sea, light's etched hard on the rocks to the lee . Sure I'd like to go back. I never visited the monastery or the Carmel Mission either, and I'd like to do that, too. If America's made of ice cream, Monterey County's a confection of cookie dough! For now, though, there's another Lady Chapel in Southwark Cathedral, renamed the Retro Choir , and instead of bantering about being blown up by unexpl...

Dear Juliet I'd better not think about pastrami and rye, time's passing by... I'll be in London 15th-16th June, back in Shifnal on the 17th and back in London again 18th-19th June. I'd originally booked to go to a book launch on the 15th, then decided to attend the Society of Authors' (SoA) big summer blowout at Southwark Cathedral on the 18th. London hotel prices are so lethal it's probably best to go home midweek, then return. No, I'm probably not being very logical, but I've booked myself in at two separate shoeboxes and I can check Henry Pordes for Donna Tartt. I'll also see if I can access my blog via my smartphone. Everything should be fine although the government may fall on the 18th if Andy Burnham wins the by-election and Keir Starmer resigns . Unlikely, but... Do not worry, everything should be fine. As well as the SoA, I'm a charter member of the Self Preservation Society ! On the other hand, perhaps it's about time to tell you tha...

Dear Juliet I was going to update you on my next London trip, try to be logical and competent (15th-19th June 2026, by the way); then I think I saw you'd been reading about Point Lobos again. I'd love to go back to the Point. I stayed at the Hyatt in 2023 but hung out in Monterey in 2024, took the bus down to the edge of town and walked back to Gibson beach. I saw the Carmel Mission Basilica ( founded 1771 ) over my shoulder from the bus, sloped around the old Chevron filling station and set off along California Highway 1. I remember seeing the Carmelite Monastery in the hills , and the surf on Monastery beach. And for a' that, I think I heard you singing down the wire while Dru walked quietly with me. There was some school or other further along the way, and in its grounds the remains of an old jalopy. Either used by paisanos on the farm or driven across from Oklahoma during the days of the Great Depression, in search of the land of milk and honey. I'd just seen the B...