#pelicaninn

Pelican Inn

This is the Pelican Inn by Muir Beach in Marin…and it was requested (and recommended) by a patron!  http://www.pelicaninn.com/   The Pelican Inn was moved to California from England in 1979…but it was (at least partially) built in the 1500’s!  The timber was removed from a historic building and transported to California to build a perfect Tudor replica, complete with antique furniture, and handblown glass.  It’s got a pub and allegedly an excellent b&b for Marin…so, order the fish & chips, I’ve heard.  The really interesting bit here is the black stripe around the chimney.  You can see it in the top-right corner of my painting.  That’s a political statement of mourning for the English Monarchy.  It’s called a Tory Chimney, and it’s a sign that the members of the house were of the Whig party and that they were ‘in mourning’ for the rule of the English and were opposed to the American Government.  It’s more common on the east coast, and frankly I don’t think I’ve noticed any out here.  What would George Washington have done to these people?  What would Paul Revere think?  Oh dear oh dear.  Maybe you can order a pot of tea at the pub and dump it out the window if you’re so inclined. I suppose wars are never won or lost, they just smolder on forever, and this is a fascinating symbol of a very-long standing argument.  When the Pelican Inn was originally built, the argument was between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads in the English Civil War. Here’s a great primer on the whole thing from 1668, Thomas Hobbes’s Behemoth. http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/hobbes-the-english-works-vol-vi-dialogue-behemoth-rhetoric

Hobbes also wrote a book called Leviathan.  He had a great sensibility of awesome book names.