Side Trip to Harmony, California

Harmony: A Small Art Colony on the Central Coast of California

 I had lived on the Central Coast for over twenty years before I finally got around to investigating the tiny town of Harmony. It was started by Swiss Dairy Farmers in 1869, but it is no longer a dairy town. It's now more like a colony of people who make art objects. The only open businesses I saw the day I was there were the glass blower and the pottery shop. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you should be able to read the history. The Harmony Cellars Winery was at the top of the hill, but since I was there late in the afternoon, I didn't bother going up to see it. I'll do it on another day.

The Pottery Shop and the Well

The only shop I entered during my visit to Harmony was the Pottery Shop. The proprietor didn't want me to take pictures inside, so I didn't. I did think the outside was lovely. It appears that the raised beds and and other elements of the decor were made from materials recycled from previous structures.

Here is a closer look at that exterior wall of the pottery shop. I especially like the weeping willow tree.

Here is the well  at Harmony. It adds to the mood of the small town and may have historical value. It did not appear to be in use anymore and may be purely decorative. I can't find out much about it.

Frame Yourself in a Photo in Harmony!

Want to prove you've been to Harmony? Use the picture window to get your picture taken. Then go to Zazzle and make yourself some postcards to send to friends. Just follow the link and upload a photo you've edited to 1120 x 850 pixels with a resolution of 200 ppi and follow the simple instructions. A larger resolution is even better. You can actually play with the size on the Zazzle page to show your photo  to best advantage.

Of course, if you don't want to put yourself in the way of the scenery, you could just  shoot through the window yourself as I did here.

I also saw a number of interesting succulent plants in Harmony. You can see those succulent gardens here. 

Harmony is on the way to making a comeback and developers have plans. We will have to see if these plans will actually make Harmony a busy and thriving community again. Part of me hopes it stays a quiet oasis.