post ranch inn

Reader's note - I did an interview with actor Clint Eastwood. The interview was done for an obscure newspaper in Carmel, the Monterey County Post. Because the Post's editor, Dan Hudson, was a personal friend of Eastwood, and I was an employee of Hudson at the time, I was called upon to do the interview.

Hudson later died and the Monterey County Post ceased publication.

I came to the realization that unless I posted this interview on the web, it would be lost to history, as none of the Post articles apparently were reproduced on the internet.

Eastwood is a worldwide celebrity, who rarely grants interviews.

Here is the interview in its published entirety. Eastwood talks about golf, his early career, the annual U.S. Open golf tournament, his Mission Ranch development, and the frustrations of water and politics in his hometown of Carmel.

Clint Eastwood, actor, producer and Carmel's former mayor - has been involved in the game of golf for nearly five decades. This week, with visitors flocking to the area for the U.S. Open, Mr. Eastwood graciously consented to an interview relating his feelings about golf and his attitude toward a few other subjects. Here are the questions and Mr. Eastwood's responses.

Question. Mr. Eastwood. Let's begin with some background. What was your childhood like?

Answer. I was born in San Francisco, but raised mostly in Oakland. My family moved a lot, and I lived in places like Redding and Spokane in Washington and Sacramento, and Pacific Palisades in California. During the World War II years, my dad worked for Bethlehem Steel in Oakland. I attended Glenview Grammar School. As a kid, I earned a little money selling Liberty and Colliers magazines. Both of these are out of print now. Every magazine I ever worked for went out of print. Then I took a job with the Oakland Tribune, a paper route.

After the war, my father went to work for California Container, a corrugated box company. Later on, Dad was transferred to Seattle, where he became a plant manager. I graduated from high school and joined my parents up there for a while. I was trying to get into Seattle University on a music program, but I applied too late. I was drafted into the U.S. Army at the time of the Korean War, 1951. I came to Fort Ord. That's how I got used to the Carmel area. I got to spend time in Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach and Salinas.

I even used to come to Mission Ranch when I was a soldier earning $75 a month.

Question. Did you dream that one day you would own Mission Ranch?

Answer. No. Back then, I didn't plan on owning too much of anything. After I got out of the service, I went to Los Angeles where I attended Los Angeles City College, studying business administration. I started taking acting classes in the evening. After I landed a steady job on Rawhide (a 1950s TV western), I came up to the Monterey Peninsula and bought a little house across from the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. A tiny house with all the furniture inside. I'd been coming up periodically at that time, and stayed wherever I could. I loved that house. It was the first home I ever owned. I paid $20,000, and later sold it for $25,000.

Question. When was the first time you played golf at Pebble Beach?

Answer. I used to play over in Pacific Grove where there was a nine hole course. When a friend returned from Korea, we celebrated by playing Pebble. It was overwhelming, a much more difficult course than Pacific Grove, much longer. But Pebble was such a beautiful layout. You knew you were playing on a first-class course. I was 21 years old and I wasn't very good. My friend and I just went out and tried to hit the ball as hard as we could. The ball would go in a lot of different directions. But we had a good time.

Later, I traipsed over the courses during the Bing Crosby Pro-Am, so I knew what they looked like. I didn't play too much after that. A lot of years, I'd play once a year, or not at all, because I was busy trying to get a career going. It never gave me much of a chance to be a player.

Question. You bought the Mission Ranch in 1986. One of the proposals at the time was to turn the site into condominiums?

Answer. Yes. The Ranch was approved to be torn down in order to put in sixty-six condos. There were a bunch of owners at the time, guys and their ex-wives, their girlfriends…you name it. In fact, fourteen people had to sign off when I bought this place. They had to meet a lot of conditions to put up these condos, so I offered them some dough. They agreed on a price, and I had to go and get these fourteen signatures, and sort them all out. Mission Ranch had once been a farm and a dairy. One of the buildings, the bunkhouse, dates back to 1852.

The floors had to be replaced. We just went through the place piece by piece, redoing everything. Like the barn for instance. They used to joke that the only thing holding it up were termites holding hands. The site has also been an auto court (motel), and during World War II, an officer's club for all branches of the service. When I bought the property, the big barn had a low ceiling. I took the ceiling out and saw that all the windows were painted black. I asked Maggie Denault, who had been the owner, how come the windows were black? She said that during the war years, they used to have dances in there. They were worried about Japanese submarines off the coast so they painted the windows to block the light from showing.

Question. Did you get the site on the historical register?

Answer. No. I didn't put it on the Historical Register. We wanted to keep the site historically accurate, however, so I went ahead restoring from what I knew about the place. Maggie was my source of information. She'd owned the property for many years. We took this false ceiling out and scraped the paint off the windows. The roofs have all been replaced. We went from a shake roof to fire-proof roofing materials. We moved some units out, five little cottages that were built in the 1950s. They looked like agricultural buildings, and they're out in the (Carmel) Valley now. They've been painted and fixed up pretty nicely, I think. We used the space to build a four-plex that looks like it goes with the area. The tennis club had a 1950s type building sort of flat and low. I took that out and replaced it with a building that looks like it belongs here, an early American style farm.

There used to be a swimming pool there. We've got pictures of gals sitting around the pool during the 1930s, and they had a big polo field farther out. We've preserved those areas as wetlands. That way it can't be built on. I'd like to see it stay like it is, forever.

Question. When did you start the Hog's Breath Inn in Carmel?

Answer. That would be in 1972. Malcolm Moran owned the building, and one day he was showing it to me, and he said. "wouldn't this make a great place for a saloon?" One thing led to another. Walter Becker and I started the business as sort of a lark.

Question. Didn't you buy the building housing the Hog's Breath Inn during the 1980s?

Answer. Yes. Malcolm was moving (to Port Townsend), so he sold me the building.

Question. You done some things with other properties that a lot of people aren't familiar with. I believe you owned a piece of land with James Garner. Is it true you gave that land away?


Answer. James Garner and I had 360 acres up in Carmel Valley. We owned that for some time. He loved the area, and I think he thought about moving here. We had donated some money to save Jack's Peak from development. Finally, we decided to give the property to the County Housing Authority for a senior housing program. Pacific Meadows they've named it. A beautiful property. Very pristine. I owned that and another piece called Canada Woods.

They're also more than 200 acres down the coast that's been permanently preserved, Odello East too with all the artichoke fields. The Big Sur Land Trust holds a big portion, and the county has some. It's agricultural use only.

Question. Outside of preserving a lot of property, the only thing you're really developed is Tehama Golf Course (mid-Carmel Valley)? And Tehama is an 18-hole golf course, with 34 units?

Answer. It was contiguous to a piece of property in Canada Hills that I had in the Valley. The property was approved by the people who owned it, for 139 units, which I thought was rather dense. My business manager, who doesn't play golf, asked, "what about a golf course?" I said, yeah, that sounds interesting. We checked out the feasibility, bought the property from my neighbors, extinguished plans for the 139 units, and put up the golf course.

Question. So Canada Woods now has a modest development density?

Answer. Yeah. Forever.

Question. Even though you had the right to build more than 200 units?

Answer. We reduced that number considerably. That property is interesting. Years ago, they talked about a county road through there. They thought the road would take heat off Highway 1 for people coming from Monterey, but then they got rid of that idea. When I was mayor of Carmel, we offered the county the property to build a holding reservoir for water. At that time, everybody was concerned about the water issue, as they are today. But water is such a tricky issue. The objections to improving water situations are usually based on trying to suppress development, and they sometimes get off track and don't stay on the track of preserving water for everybody who needs it. Everybody worried about increasing the amount of water for more development in the area, so water became a political football.

I thought the reservoir was a good idea, and we offered to give the property to the county for that purpose. They studied and surveyed it a little bit and said, "yeah, you could put a dam across there, and pull water in." But nobody bit. The pro-dam people didn't want it because they thought it might discourage building a big dam, and the anti-dam people didn't want it because they didn't want to improve the water supply…period. The proposal got meshed in there with desalinization and all the other things that went down the tube.

Since then, the county has spent a horrendous amount of money, and we're back where we started. I guess I'm na?ve. I just thought it would be interesting to have a better quality water supply, not just more.

Question. How did you come to purchase the Pebble Beach Company?

Answer. The company was owned by the Sumitomo Company of Japan, and had been through quite a few different owners and situations. I always expressed an interest. There were rumors they were going to sell, but nobody had much faith in the rumors. Peter Uberroth (former baseball commissioner) and I discussed the situation. Peter called and asked if I could stop by and visit. We sat and talked. He said there's a little bit of interest on the part of the Japanese owners. He said it's probably a long shot, probably won't happen. But he said he wanted me to be part of the deal if I was interested. I said I was.

Our philosophy was that we didn't want to get into a bidding war, but just to put together a proposal. One day Peter came and said, "it looks like it's coming together." I said fine, tell me where and when. He did a splendid job, and had the idea of getting together a group who really like Pebble Beach, and who were in a position not to have to roll the company over and take the first offer that came flying along.

Everybody understood this would be a long-term deal, maybe somebody's great granddaughter or son would see some profit some day, but all the other people would enjoy taking part anyway. They're people who love the area.

We could of built up to 890 housing units there. The former owners presented a plan that would have had 315 lots, and put in a golf course. Our compromise eliminates the 315 lots, and has us staying in the visitor service business. The plan will include an 18-hole golf course, approximately 60 additional hotel rooms (at the 161-room lodge at Pebble Beach), and another 80 rooms at the 270-room Inn at Spanish Bay, and 38 residential lots averaging two acres each, to be sold to private buyers in the Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills and Pescadero Canyon areas. In addition, the project would install a golf cottage of 24 suites, 60 housing units for employees of the lodges, and 425 acres of permanent open space. Approximately 54 units deemed as more affordable will be located in Pajaro.

I believe this is better for the county. It increases the tax base, diminishes traffic, and uses less water. One politician who heard the proposal said, "are you crazy? You're giving up 898 lots at the prices they're going for today?

Question. You played Pebble Beach at 23 years old, and you had to scrape together some cash just to get on the course. And here you are, one of the owners. How did you do it?

Answer. You hang around and a lot of stuff happens. You just outlive everybody.

Question. In 1916, Pebble Beach was known as the icon of American golf. At that time, the Big Four in San Francisco were gentlemen named Huntington, Stanford, Crocker, and Hopkins. Today, the Big Four are Richard Ferris, Clint Eastwood, Peter Uberroth and Arnold Palmer. Your careers were all different, but you all made it to the top, right?

Answer. We made it each in our own odd ways. Ferris is a Bay Area self-made guy. Uberroth went to San Jose State. Palmer is self-made. I went to Los Angeles City College. Who knows where you will end up in life. I think this must be fate driven.

Question. What changes have you noticed over the years?

Answer. In 1991, they changed the rough to rye grass. Some complain about how hard it is to get out of the rough, don't they? I've played the course, and when you get in the rough, you might as well hit the ball out in this (Mission Ranch Hotel) empty field. The guy who can keep the ball in the fairway does the best. The fairways and the greens are great. But the rough. That's tough.

Question. What would you consider the best part of your game?

Answer. The best part of my game is realizing that nothing comes easy. When I'm on my game, chipping is the best part. But that's a very fleeting romance. It can leave you quick.

Question. What are your final thoughts on the U.S. Open?

Answer. It's gotten to be really big. The enthusiasm is there. It's a much bigger business than it once was. It was a nice tournament, sort of sedate. But golf has increased in popularity because of Payne Stewart and his involvement, and Tiger Woods. There's a lot of interest among people in Central California. This means a lot to our economy. I'm glad to be a part of it
Garage Sale HUGE GARAGE SALE7 Family122 Bentley Stoff of East Water St.Oct 11th & 12th 8am-5pm Little of Everything!

HELP WANTED Advertising Sales Rep. Do you enjoy meeting new people and sharing your ideas? Do you like challenging work? If you said yes, then we have the perfect job for you. Our cable company has an opening for a part time sales representative, serving out customers and sharing the benefits of cable, high speed internet and more. This is great opportunity to put your sales to work with our customers. We offer a compensation package, commission on sales. GREAT PAY, weekday work environment For more information please call 1-309-432-2075.

Help Wanted Business is Booming for McCoys Square. Now hiring all shifts, apply at 520 W. Howard St. Pontiac.


Help Wanted Desk Clerk needed Apply at Holiday Inn @ 1823 W. Reynolds.

Help Wanted Full Time Machine Operator, experience helpful, but will train. Please send resume to Box K-2, c/o Daily Leader 318 N Main, Pontiac.

Help Wanted Heating and Cooling Technician;Some install experience preferred. Competitive pay, insurance, sign on bonus. Please call: Dewayne Dodson Plg. Heating and Air (815) 842-4055



Help Wanted Johnson Press of America, Inc. located in Pontiac, Illinois is looking for a skilled Bindery Machine Operator to operate the following equipment: Folders, Cutter, Stitcher, Mailer, and Perfect Binder. Overtime work is required. Qualified candidates should submit a resume with work history to Dick Shoup, 800 N. Court St., P.O. Box 592, Pontiac, IL 61764 or email to shoupd@jpapontiac.com

Help Wanted Livingston Manor is looking for a part-time activity assistant. Will train, enjoys working with the elderly. Please contact Margaret Scurlock Activity/Social Service Director.

Help Wanted LPN/RN for PRN Position in occupational health setting in Pontiac. Emailresume to: jott1300@aol.com or fax to 765-449-8504



Help Wanted Part-time (20 hrs/week) Maintenance Worker needed for group homes in Pontiac and Dwight (prior work experience preferred). Direct Support Associates also needed to assist and teach adults with developmental disabilities. High school diploma/GED and valid driver's license required. Apply in person to: MOSAIC, 725 W. Madison St. in Pontiac or call 815-842-4166. E.O.E.

Help Wanted Part-Time Office Assistant, at local insurance office. Computer skills and insurance knowledge helpful. Please forward resume to; PO Box 833 Pontiac.

Help Wanted Post Frame Company looking for experienced and non-experienced post frame builders. Competitive wages, insurance and bonus plan. Call 888-449-3368.



Help Wanted POSTAL JOBS$17.33 - $27.58 HR. Now hiring. For application & free government job info, call American Assoc. of Labor. 1-913-599-8226

Help Wanted The Livingston County Commission on Children & Youth seeking to fill part-time position of mentor/advocate for youth. Must be high school graduate, 21 years of age, pass DCFS background check, a valid driver's license, car insurance, and reliable transportation. Send resumes:

ATTN: Executive DirectorPO Box 504 Pontiac, IL 61764



Help Wanted Want a fulltime Job? CDL Driver Wanted? Must be honest, reliable, willing to make money. Call 309-303-5625.

SERVICES Tired of paying the phone company $30 to $40 just to have a phone in your home? Step up to a V.O.I.P. phone plan. FREE cell phones (BlackBerry, BlackJack, MotorRazr and many more) with the major carriers, and save money. A FREE Bluetooth headset comes with many of the phones. Get UNLIMITED calls to and from anywhere in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico at the low cost of $24.95 a month or pay $199.95 once a year for even more savings. All home plans get FREE Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Forwarding and more. Check it out at www.FreePhonesandMore.com

CHILDCARE Childcare Will babysit your children in my home. Call 815-419-6577



MISCELLANEOUS Panasonic 32" TV- 4 yrs old -$125.00 Oak Corner Entertainment Center Holds up to 32" TV 4 yrs old-Like New. Paid $700.00, Asking $350.00. Call 815-484-3885, leave message.

PETS & SUPPLIES Chocolate Lab Puppies 8 weeks old, two female, dew claw removed, first shots and dewormed. AKC registered. Call 815-998-2362.

LANDSCAPING 4' FT. WHITE PINE TREES Delivered,planted, mulched. $59.50 per treeBuy 10, Get One Free!!Call for other sizes or shades. 217-886-2316



Leave message if no answer.

VACATION & TRAVEL 7-6 Night Disney area stay, Two adult Disney tickets. Paid $750 will sacrifice $249. Good for 1 year. Call 815-356-4192.

AUTOS FOR SALE FOR SALE:2003 Dodge Stratus4-door, in Fairbury6-CD changer, cassette, all power73,000 miles $6,000 CALL 815-692-4454 Leave Message



COMMERC./BLDG. Prime Retail for Lease1550 square feet402 W Howard REDUCED!!!Carl Schrof 309-825-0677

COMMERC./BLDG. Real Estate For Sale: Pontiac, 12,610 sq ft bldg on 1.38 acre- Great Location―Multi-Use Retail - Warehouse space. Carl or Greg Schrof RE/MAX Choice 309-825-0677 or 309-825-0101 REDUCED!!

HOUSE/SALE Credit Problems?? NO PROBLEM !!Seven new home already started. Four already sold 3 new homes available: 3 bedrooms 1 1/2 baths, 2 car garage, all appliances. No down payment, financing available-ready for immediate possession. Other homes available. Phone: (309) 310-1194 or (309) 663-6167.



HOUSE/SALE BY OWNER 2-STORY HOME.3BR'S 1 1/2 BATH LR, DR, KITCHEN. FULL BASEMENT WITH LAUNDRY AREA. COMPLETELY UPDATED. ALL APPLIANCES STAY. 3-CAR GARAGE. FENCED YARD. $128,500 OR BEST REASONABLE OFFER. PHONE 844-5892

House for Sale in Cornell506 W. Elm Updated ranch, 3 bedroom, 2 baths, kitchen, LR, Den w/bar, fireplace, new addition in 2004, deck.....$119,900.

CONDOS/SALE Condo for Sale- Two bedroom, two bath, new furnace and air in '07 new water heater in '05 enclosed porch an shared chair lift 804 Carol Ct. $84,500 PH. 815-842-3611

BUILDINGS/RENT One Room Office Space for Rent. Downtown Pontiac.

Call 815-674-3000

HOUSE/RENT 2 Bedroom, 1 Bath Brick One Story Home. Fenced in Back Yard. Detached Garage. No Pets. References & Deposit. $625 Month. 842-4086.

HOUSE/RENT Cornell: 2-br with large lot, attached garage, with basement. $565/mo plus utilities. Job references & security deposit required.

Call 815-584-1324, leave message and ask for Jonathan.

APTMNT./RENT 1 or 2 bedroom, main floor, no pets, stove, refrig., laundry on premises. Call 815-867-0594.

APTMNT./RENT Chenoa- Nice, large 1 bedroom upstairs, CA, heat, appliances, lots of storage, utilities included. $575/mo. Call 815-674-4756.

APTMNT./RENT LARGE 2-br. with or without a garage. $450/mo. Call 815-844-3545.

APTMNT./RENT Pontiac: 903 Illini Ave. 1 bedroom $425 2 bedroom $455 Laundry, AC, off street parking. Call 815-846-5077

APTMNT./RENT Pontiac: 1 br apt, $475 per month, all utilities included. Job reference and security deposit required. Call 584-1324 leave message.

DUPLEXES/RENT Newer 2 bedroom, w/attached garage, washer and dryer hookup, appliances furnished. $600/mo Call 815-844-3545.

WANTED TO RENT Elderly person needs to find and rent a 1 bedroom house, or quiet 1 bedroom apt., in Pontiac. Call 309-829-6944.

FOR RENT ROOMETTES: Furnished. $75/wk., all utilities included. Cooking privileges. Call 815-822-0504 or 815-584-1324 leave message.

STORAGE RENTALS Storage FOR RENT BOATS, RVS, OR CARS. CALL 815-848-4791

FARM LAND Farmland for SALE 80.78 Acre Farm-P.I 131Located in West Kankakee CountyNew Listing Price-$5,000/acreSoy Capital Ag Services John M. Tammen, Broker 815-936-8976

September 8 was Dog-Letter day at Carmel-by-the-Sea. That afternoon, dogs of every breed, temperament and owner-profile milled around the fair ground for the 2008 Carmel Dog Calendar casting call. "Is your dog a star?" asked the advert. & #8220;Now's your chance to show the world. Casting call judges will select 12 lucky dogs to be professionally photographed for the 2nd Annual Carmel Dog Calendar sponsored by BARk, the dog culture magazine. Click here for entry forms." The final couple of lines ... addressed to the four-footed royalty? "This year, you'll enjoy a faster line, more entertainment, and a shot at being a star! Plus, a portion of the proceeds will benefit The SPCA of Monterey County." That the dogs posed like pros is just a chihuahua matter. Carmel is where Hollywood takes its vacation.

Dog day, every day


This pretty, picture-postcard town on the California coast has gone to dogs. Common dogs have their day. Carmel dogs have their month. The Calendar-making event started on August 8, with the "world premiere" screening of the movie "A Day in the Life of Robbie", starring Robbie the pooch, co-starring owner Mayor Sue McCloud. Attendance at the movie release was restricted to pets and hmm, their owners. Guests were served "pupcorns". Shooting info tells you: "Robbie was a natural, and the Mayor also behaved herself."

Carmel would win a "Dog Heaven on Earth" contest paws-down. Its canine-accommodating community allows pets into historical city sites, beach, hotels, restaurants and upscale retail shops ― for a dog's view of life? Doris Day, part-owner of the historic Cypress Inn, thrilled guests by allowing their best friends into the rooms at night. Now pet owners exchange dog calling cards and open bank accounts in their pets' names. Makes sense, if your poodle routinely takes a fancy to $2,000-apiece collars. The pooch paradise has its pack of good Samaritans. "On Fire-fighting Day, canine volunteers outnumbered their human counterparts," said the Mayor.

Carmel won't disappoint a poodle-less pedestrian. There's plenty to gawk at in the leafy streets sloping gradually to the beach. The history of the unmistakably European town goes back 240 years when Carmel was a sedate religious centre, not a starred tourist destination. By 1771, Father Junipero Serra had made the area his home and headquarters to California's 21 missions. At one point, the mission was a self-sufficient city, with several thousand people living on the premises. The Mission is still around, with its parish, school, statue of Serra and California's first library; only visitor interest has moved on. Tourists peek at the Mission Ranch beyond, hoping to see its famous occupant ― Clint Eastwood. And hey, which one is Joan Fontaine's? Did you see George Clooney at the coffee shop? Brad Pitt?

The beach is a pristine arc of powdery white sand ― a seascape which James Franklin Devendorf, a passing attorney, vowed to develop into a haven for artists and writers, more than a century ago. With developer Frank Powers, he filed a map for the city in 1903. They planted 100 cypress trees on the barren potato patches on the coast and invited 16-year-old Michael Murphy of Utah to build homes in Carmel. The first Murphy House, built in 1902, is the town's "Welcome Center". Through the 1920s, Murphy designed and sold collectible Victorian houses for about $100, lot included. Murphy's creations are still collectibles ― for the rich and famous. Their values are so far removed from the original that realtors hang their pictures in gold-coloured frames. One restored house, quoted at $ six million, boasted: "Flooring of Italian marble, interior designed by XYZ, fireplace of hand-made bricks, roof has lichen-covered tiles." Lichen-covered tiles? "We would be scrubbing it clean thinking it was mould!" said an aghast companion.

Quaint dollhouse


Thousands of honeymooners throng the beach, married in the Mission Basilica or elsewhere. For Carmellian romance check out the dollhouse one Hugh Comstock built for his wife in the 1920s. Neither an architect nor a carpenter, he created a cottage so quaint that the demand for Comstock's "Dollhouse Tudor" homes (Tuck Box tea house, the Hansel House) made the young man a legend.

Carmel obsessively maintains its "village" atmosphere. Trees cannot be cut to widen roads. Houses have no addresses, streets have no lights or parking meters. No footpaths beyond the main street. Most shops close at 6 p.m. The interiors are lit, the door has a bracket with visiting cards ― help yourself. The arrangement is fine. Window shopping is all you can afford here.

There is no mail delivery. Walk up to the post office, it's the social hub. Want to find a place? You'll get directions. "Would that be Periwinkle, sir? It's the fifth on Milan Road. Look for the blue trim and driftwood fence." By the way, it is bad luck to change cottage names in Carmel. Don't expect to see art that fits neatly within a conventionally defined frame in a show by art partners Nathaniel Miller and James A. Kelley that opens today on the walls of 49 West in Annapolis.
The coffeehouse and wine bar, well known for its presentations of out-of-the-box artists, has outdone itself this time. The mixed-media exhibit it's hosting throughout October, "It's All in the Mix," is sure to trigger lively discussions about where art ends and fun begins.


It's not often that one can see a molded and sculpted fuel tank cover for a Harley-Davidson as a piece of fine art, but Nathaniel Miller, 59, a Northern Virginia native who recently moved to West Virginia, and his longtime friend James Kelley are a playful duo. They're prone to create "art" out of whatever materials are handy when their artistic muse strikes. Bones of cows and wild animals, antique picture frames, fish skeletons, geckos and motorcycle helmets are all fair game.

One set of show-stoppers is bound to be Mr. Kelley's motorcycle helmet sculptures - and just in time for Halloween. One silvery plastic helmet cover is called "Chrome Chesapeake Man." It comes with larger-than-life fangs, forked tongues and snake eyes. Probably not the thing to have on your head when pulled over for speeding.

There are more helmets sprouting rhino horns and curlicue ram horns, and a saber-tooth tiger helmet with a ferociously fanged facemask.

"I've known Kelley for a while and just met Nathaniel the other day. These are two old hippie guys who are really cool. Their stuff is really awesome," enthused Brian Cahalan, owner of 49 West. "I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I'm impressed with the show. People are raving about their colors and the materials and paints they use. They have some interesting pieces they do for Harley-Davidson motorcycles that are really unusual. Kelley even wrote special music for one of his artworks. He calls it a coloring book."

"In my own art, I like to combine Jackson Pollock, Peter Max and M.C. Escher," said Mr. Kelley. "I loved painting and etching at the Corcoran. My sculpting developed later. In the beginning, my painting was loose and my etchings were tight, intaglio. At the end of four years, they crossed. I was doing very impressionistic paintings where you could actually tell what was in them! During this time, I was also in a rock 'n' roll band called Cromwell Translucent Expedition. We did a little Jimi Hendrix, some Cream, Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly. We actually played in the Corcoran lobby!"

During that turbulent era, he was also an anti-war activist and a staff artist on the short-lived underground Washington newspaper, Quicksilver Times. At one point, he had a log cabin on 4 acres alongside the four-lane Beltway. The day he realized the Beltway "was bringing in too many people," he put the property on the market and headed west.

Mr. Kelley, 61, was born in the long-gone Doctors Hospital in Washington, and spent his first five years on the 300-acre farm estate of his grandmother, Irene Smith Lyon, in Rockville. The manor grounds were the first burial site of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and the space is known variously as the Glenview Mansion or the Civic Center Mansion.

When the manor was sold after his grandmother's death, his mom moved to Hollywood, Fla. It was the first of several stops around the U.S. and the Philippines after she married a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant. Until two years ago, Mr. Kelley lived for three decades at the end of a 10-mile dirt highway, on a 22-acre ranch inside a 60,000-acre national forest in Arizona. It was a little closer to his Cherokee ancestral roots.

He's been married three times, divorced twice and annulled once.
Nestled on the cliffs of Big Sur, California, the Post Ranch Inn provides the ultimate romantic getaway for those seeking a luxurious escape for a honeymoon, anniversary, or a relaxing vacation. The luxury resort's organic architecture embraces the dramatic beauty of the Big Sur coastline. From here you can explore all that nature has to offer, or take a short drive to the picturesque towns of Monterey and Carmel. Located off Highway One, this Small Luxury Hotel member is a sanctuary suited to all your needs. Rooms offer a rustic elegance with luxury and comfort. Relax by the pools; awaken your senses with a massage, spa treatment, or daily yoga classes. Our award-winning Sierra Mar restaurant offers an awe- inspiring setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean, perfect for a romantic dinner for two.
One grown child, Elizabeth Kelley, 27, lives in Jacksonville, Fla. James-Garrett Kelley, 24, attends Central Connecticut College in West Hartford. A brother, Michael Kelley, owns a 19th century bed-and-breakfast, the Brome-Howard Inn in St. Mary's City. That gave him three good reasons to move back east.

When Mr. Kelley arrived for an appointment, he was driving "Irene," his gleaming black 1988 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. It's his office. He's an Annapolis cab driver. "I meet some interesting people driving a taxi," he said. "The high life and the low life. The movers and shakers of this area. It's an interesting job because I enjoy interacting with people.

"But my first loves are art, and playing guitar, bass and conga!"

Sporting curly white waist-length hair, which he usually tucks into a bun, Mr. Kelley is kept busy running all over the county in his Caddy. "It pays the bills and gives me time to do art while I'm looking for a studio," he explained. "I've been looking all over for one.

"We got the show at 49 West because I came in for lunch and saw art on the walls. I told Nathaniel I had found a place that might be receptive to 'outside-the-box' art. A doorman at the old Sean Donlon's introduced me to Brian."

The partners produce pieces independently and working together. Mr. Kelley's work features wildly spiraling themes of Indian medicine wheels and dream catchers, shields, buffalo skulls, and critters that crawl, swim or slither. He's also created "an interdisciplinary coloring book, titled 'Leap Spot, Leap! Don't Be Afraid To Be Free!' It's accompanied by music I wrote to enhance theta wave activity while you sleep," he said straight-faced. "It's a weaving of F-sharp minor scale ..." He paused and laughed. "Oh, it's all the black keys!"

The two artists have known each other for 35 years. "He's had my back on numerous occasions, and I've had his," Mr. Kelley said mysteriously. "Born in Virginia, he lived most of his life in Arlington and moved to West Virginia this year." Mr. Miller has enjoyed many one-man shows throughout the region. Over the years, newspapers such as The Washington Post and the now-defunct Washington Star have reviewed his shows.

Mr. Miller's solo works tend to explore the intricacies of hibiscus flowers and orchids in color-saturated, almost psychedelic ways Georgia O'Keefe never imagined. Mr. Kelley is a walking work of art, thanks to his partner. He wears a favorite T-shirt Mr. Miller inked with a large, intricate hummingbird in flight.

The hummingbird is big enough to be a chicken. Or Maybe not. Shifting his Santa belly, Mr. Kelley joked: "I'm the second-largest vegetarian I know."

The duo's work can be enjoyed from 7:30 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, and until 2 a.m. on weekends, through Oct. 31. A reception is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. today. For more information