Dave Congalton

Deciding where to meet Topper and me was an easy choice for Elsie Louis. I had asked her to pick out one spot in all of San Luis Obispo County that was special to her. She invited us to see a tree. A young Camilla-stewartia grows in the garden at the Dallidet Adobe in San Luis Obispo, a tree planted in memory of Elsie’s father, Young Louis. “Don’t you think it’s a nice place?” Elsie asked as she guided us through the garden.

All is not harmonious in Harmony these days. A popular fixture in this tiny Highway 1 community died earlier in the month, and the locals are dealing with a profound sense of loss–what one grief-stricken person terms “a large hole in my heart.” Fred, after all, was their mayor, a life-long resident. Leaders come and go, but by all accounts, Fred was a very different breed. He kept a high profile in Harmony, visiting each of the shops on a daily basis, refusing to play favorites.