Forming A Community

I'm a bit behind on my 2-yr novel project as I've been focusing more on my web design business development lately. I should be on the week 19 lesson. Instead I'm doing week 14. I plan to catch up with the crowd soon!

Why Ramon Emmanuel's Community Formed

Ramon Emmanuel had the need to be admired, but he didn't have any respect from his family. His father hated him so much he gave Ramon Emmanuel a remote ten-acre parcel of the family rancho and told him never to return home. To appease his need for admiration he gathered a replacement family of displaced, lonely and homeless people by offering them a place to live.

As he was the land-owner, Ramon Emmanuel ordered everyone around and demanded they worship him as head of the family. He claimed to have a special direct communication with God that made his thoughts and actions pure and holy, whatever they might be.

Elena was one of his first group of five cult members. She became like a slave to him because she had nowhere else to go. At first she lived in a small cabin with Ardville while Selena, Roberto and Diego lived in another small cabin. Together the three men built a rambling house to serve as a communal dwelling for all the members of Ramon Emmanuel's new 'family'. It was near a stream that came from the Santa Cruz mountains and dipped down to the beach near Pescadero.

A resource for information on the ecology of the area is the Pescadero Conservation Alliance, which has its headquarters at Gazos Creek. For example this page on Jubata grass says it was introduced to the area in the late 1840's.. which is around the time my novel's heroine was living in the area.

Ramon Emmanuel's cult, which I haven't named yet, will be self-supporting through cultivation of three acres each of squash and strawberries. These are traded in Santa Cruz for anything else the cult might need. They will also provide their own seafood as part of Ramon Emmanuel's property reaches the ocean where a beautiful scenic beach joins a rocky cliff where abalone and other seafood treats can be found.

I just did some web-research on Pescadero and discovered Duartes Tavern and Restaurant. I can barely wait to get down there and do some research this coming summer.