Sister Rain’s Note:
As I wrote the latest story in my series on Roadside Attractions, (click here for Such A Fine Sight To See – Part 7), I began to research the Butterfly House in Pacific Grove, California. It didn’t take long for me to discover that what I thought was one more whimsical sight, was, instead, an epic tale of sight . . . and devotion.
Sonja and J Jackson met in La Jolla, California, where Sonja was living and J was visiting. They came to discover they grew up about 50 miles apart in Massachusetts. Sonja told J early on that she always wanted to live in Pacific Grove, having learned of the Big Sur area through the works of Henry Miller. Moving to the Monterey Peninsula in 1971, they married in 1976.
When they purchased a small cottage in Pacific Grove in 1977, the structure was in such bad shape, it only took one afternoon for J to strip the house down to its frame, before rebuilding it himself.
And then this story ceased to be an account of one of my beloved roadside attractions . . .
Sonja was going blind when the couple bought the home due to the genetic disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). She had been diagnosed at the age of 18. One day, J crafted a carved wooden butterfly for her, painted in vibrant colors. Despite being legally blind, Sonja could still perceive the bright colors. J mounted this first butterfly onto the front of their house so that it would help Sonja find home after her daily walks along the shore with her guide dog.
Lovely, charming coastal Pacific Grove calls itself “Butterfly Town U.S.A.” because swarms of monarch butterflies migrate here to spend the winter. They dangle from trees in the late fall and winter, waking each day to search for nectar. The city funds a Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary for their unique seasonal residents.
J and Sonja both enjoyed that initial colorful butterfly so much that J spent the next 25 years turning their home into the “Butterfly House,” combining a fanciful variety of hues with thousands of butterfly figures and lights fastened anywhere and everywhere that a blank surface could be found
J passed away in 2020, with Sonja continuing to live in their home until 2022, the year that she died.
Still a private residence, the current owners intend to preserve the legacy and artistry of the home. The Butterfly House lives on as a celebration of unlimited creative vision and a bold, powerful, beautiful love.
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