sun porches

Jack and Charmian London were fans of sun porches and each had their own in the cottage. Both did a lot of reading, writing and editing in these well-lit spaces.

the cottage

After the Wolf House burned down, Jack and Charmian London had no choice but to live in this pre-existing cottage - not as grand but every bit as charming. Over the years they put a lot of work into this place.

prickly pear experiment

When it came to ranching and agriculture, Jack London was an experimenter. Here he grew spineless prickly pear cactus as an alternative livestock feed - something he first witnessed in Hawaii. Despite help from renowned horticulturalist Luther Burbank, the experiment failed - the spines sometimes grew back.

Beauty Ranch

The Londons' 1400-acre property went by the name of Beauty Ranch. At one time there was a winery on this site, the ruins of which can be seen above.

The Wolf House

The Wolf House was their custom-built dream house that tragically burned down before they even moved into it. The ruins remain on the ranch and can be hiked to (something we did not do this time, but we hiked to their gravesite instead).

Happy Walls, part 2

Charmian London had a very distinctive style that was manifested throughout the House of Happy Walls. At the same time it is the ultimate museum about her late husband, their travels and wonderful years together, lived to the fullest.

The House of Happy Walls

I had been to the "House of Happy Walls" but Mrs. had not, so it was a happy day indeed to make that happen. This of course was the home of Jack London's widow Charmian, now a museum at Jack London State Historic Park.