3 minute read
Editor’s Note
Summer is here and Marin’s hiking trails and backyard spaces are calling.
SUMMER’S ARRIVAL MEANS it’s finally time to enjoy our coveted outdoor spaces. After all, the comfortable climate and miles of open space are why we all work so hard to live here, right? While national headlines lament Nature Deficit Disorder, here in Marin one needs to make a considerable effort to not be outdoors.
Proximity to beaches, hiking and nature and the chance to create our own backyard oasis is what enticed my family over the bridge two decades ago. Our first home was barely 1,000 square feet, but once the days got longer we would gather the outdoor carpet and matching furniture and head outside to essentially double our living space. Determined to eschew the plastic toy playhouses lining the entrance to Toys R Us in San Rafael, my husband spent a weekend building a redwood sandbox and swing under our giant ash tree — which the neighborhood cats loved.
But finally, after unyielding pressure from a pint-size family member, we gave in and bought a plastic medieval-style castle fort, a turtle-shaped sandbox (the shell-shaped cover was an effective cat deterrent) and the favorite, a tiny folding orange slide — all from Toys R Us, of course. We did manage a few DIY projects inspired by HGTV, including planter boxes lined with copper to stave off sails, a chicken coop and a volleyball/badminton court. We’ve logged many miles to and from Home Depot to build our own little toddler-toteen utopia. Despite all that, I always dreamed of turning the lawn into a putting green, adding an endless swimming pool/hot tub and replicating a giant chess set I had seen while traveling. Life got in the way, and now a tiny faded orange slide folded under the tree is the last remnant of our version of Green Acres.
In this issue we introduce you to three families who have thought outside the sandbox and turned their yards into a gathering place for games and more — one family even building the putting green of my dreams. For years we’d heard rumors of a house in Novato with a skate ramp but could never track it down; enter writer Laura Hilgers, who quickly found the ramp in question. Imagine our surprise when we learned the home belongs to Sam and Kirsten Neff; Kirsten is a contributor to the magazine and a friend. What I love most about this story is how the Neff amily built the ramp in collaboration with their neighbors.
Our third family loves bocce ball and made their own court, which you see on the cover. The pictured home belongs to Jennifer and Kyle Klopfer in Strawberry, and sitting on the rock wall is their longtime friend Eric Zener, who, in another coincidental twist, has actually contributed more covers to Marin Magazine (often paintings of people swimming) than any other artist.
Beyond the front or back yard, be sure to check out our summer guide, which features six hikes handpicked by contributor Stephanie Martin. For some of the hikes, an accompanying audio tour is available on Vizzit.co; download the app for even more audio tours to enhance your visits to locations right here in Marin. Try out the guided hikes and let us know if we missed any important points — the tours can be updated or improved at any time. See you on the trails.
Mimi Towle, Executive Editor
