Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/934374
202 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 said to be 40. For comparison, in his prime, bicy- clist Lance Armstrong's was 32." That explains how the poet was able to haul the massive stones used in construction up from the beach below and set them in place, using Portland cement as mortar. Scattered everywhere are pieces of history, some acquired by the family, many gifted by friends: of particular note is a weathered stone beloved by Una. She wrote of it, "The principle thing we brought back from Ireland…a little tombstone, no letters on it, but a faint cross, out of a graveyard in Donegal. I see it constantly out my window here and it turns my bones to water when I see it…it spells 'Ireland.'" The poet spent many contemplative hours atop Hawk Tower, gazing upon Point Lobos and the vast Pacific Ocean beyond. He composed many poems while sitting here. The view is as inspirational today as it was then. " If you should look for this place after a handful of lifetimes: Perhaps of my planted forest a few May stand yet, dark-leaved Australians or the coast cypress, haggard With storm-drift; but fire and the axe are devils. Look for foundations of sea-worn granite, my fingers had the art." Jeffers built Hawk Tower for beloved wife Una. Her cozy sitting room was her escape and refuge. Photos: Kelli Uldall