The Lady in Lace walked past them...

July 21, 1984 Over a period of many years the figure of a woman dressed "in flowing robes of lacy white" has been seen in the Pescadero Point area of Pebble Beach (see "The Lady in Lace of Pebble Beach," page 76). The image of the Lady in Lace has most often been spotted near the famed Ghost Tree and has created considerable confusion for motorists who see her walking down the center of the 17 Mile Drive, usually on dark foggy nights. As indicated in my earlier note, one theory suggests that the ghostly figure is Dona Maria del Carmen Barreto, who once owned much of what is now Pebble Beach. However, as more sightings are made, others continue to speculate about the lady's identity. Among them are the couple who told the following tale.

In either 1979 or 1980, the couple was sitting on the rocks at Pescadero Point, overlooking the Pacific. Around 2:00 a.m., a lady "dressed in a long, lacy white gown" walked past them on her way to the shore. Since it was a moonlit night, they were able to see her quite clearly. The couple was unfamiliar with stories of the Lady in Lace and was surprised to see anyone-particularly a lone woman-at that time of the night. The dress she wore looked like a wedding gown, and the back of it was dragging in the dirt. As she continued toward the sea, her head was down, and she walked almost as if in a trance. She passed the gnarled remains of an old cypress tree and was soon lost to view behind some rocks. Upon losing sight of her the couple became concerned. Leaving his partner where they had been sitting, the man proceeded to look for the lady to be sure she was all right. As might be guessed, he was unable to find any trace of her.

After learning of the legend of the Lady in Lace, the couple think it was she whom they saw. Incidentally, because of the figure's dress and the sadness she projected, certain people who are familiar with this story have suggested that perhaps the lone walker is a long-ago bride who had been jilted by her lover, rather than a woeful Dona Maria watching over her land.