Ida Goetz Rounds

This is the story of a woman who purposely left the stultifying culture of a German village in Eastern Europe to make a better life for herself in America. She found her place in one little canyon in the wild and rugged mountains of California’s Big Sur coast. In retrospect, it seems to have been a hard life, full of constant labor, restricted social opportunities, and ever-present dangers from fires and floods. But it was her chosen life; she never expressed envy of other life styles; she never expressed regret for her decisions and choices. She made do with her few possessions and rejected possessions that did not contribute to her lifestyle. To the end, she rejected opportunities to live elsewhere. Her heart was in the mountains.