Marin Magazine October 2018

THE

IS

MARIN

Providing the next generation with opportunities to thrive.

At Private Ocean Wealth Management, we guide our clients through some of life’s important milestones, including how to fund or contribute to the education of their children and grandchildren. Let us help you weigh your options and craft a plan that makes the most positive impact on your child’s future. Visit privateocean.com/education to get 10 Tips for Funding an Education

LIKE THE MOST GRATIFYING MEALS, THE SUB-ZERO, WOLF, AND COVE SHOWROOM APPEALS TO ALL OF THE SENSES.

Taste, touch, and see the true potential for your kitchen. From appliance test-drives to chef-led demos, we invite you to explore our products with all of your senses engaged.

Her company is going public.

Her needs are strategic. Her giving is through Virtuoso.

The modern alternative to a private foundation. www.marincf.org 415.464.2507

PHOTO BY:

TIM

I’m Mary Ann, and this is my

healing place.

When Mary Ann Smith fell and broke her rib, she was covered with bumps and bruises. But as she healed, one large bump under her breast wouldn’t go away. Tests revealed a cancerous lump as big as a tennis ball. Having delivered all four of her kids at Marin General Hospital, Mary Ann felt confident choosing the Marin Cancer Institute for her treatment. She received a complete continuum of care, beginning with chemotherapy to shrink the tumor as much as possible before surgery. Then came a mastectomy, followed by radiation to eradicate any errant cancer cells. A year after her surgery, Mary Ann returned to Marin General Hospital for breast reconstruction using advanced oncoplastic surgery techniques. Today, Mary Ann is cancer free and can often be found on her favorite beach, tapping into the healing power of nature. To read more healing stories, visit www.maringeneral.org/healing

A NEW ANGLE ON LIFE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Introducing MIRA, a forward-thinking building designed by award-winning architecture firm Studio Gang and envisioned by the team at Tishman Speyer.

D ISTINCTIVE DESIGN EXPANSIVE VIEWS BOLD ATT ITUDE

A BUILDING THAT CHALLENGES THE NORM

MIRA offers a new angle on condominium living, with iconic design and thoughtful amenities. Bay windows, twisting up the 40-story tower, help to create distinctive spaces filled with fresh air, evolving light and 180-degree views. Innovative at every turn, MIRA is unlike anything in San Francisco.

SALES GALLERY

163 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Tel. 415.569.3138

OWNATMIRASF.COM 280 Spear Street

The developer reserves the right to change floor plans, elevations, renderings, features, finishes and specifications at any time, without prior notice. Real Estate Consulting, Sales and Marketing by Polaris Pacific – a licensed California, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington Broker – CA DRE #1499250.

LENNY GONZALEZ (TOP LEFT);

DALY (TOP RIGHT); JOHAN PERSSON (MIDDLE)

Miss Saigon at the Orpheum Theatre in S.F.

Find Your Aloha.

Where the spirit of exploration meets the sweetness of homecoming, you’ll fi nd Montage Residences Kapalua Bay. A modern take on resort living, free of pretense, alive with fun. Signature services and amenities are infused with the essence of a beloved place. Make the Montage experience your own, and reclaim the luxury of delight. Fewer than 10 Residences remain. Expansive oceanfront three- and four-bedroom homes starting from the low $3 Millions. Schedule your private showing.

800 691 3527 MontageResidencesKapaluaBay.com

This does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy a unit. Nor is it an offering or solicitation of sale in any jurisdiction where the development is not registered in accordance with applicable law or where such offering or solicitation would otherwise be prohibited by law. Obtain all disclosure documents required by applicable laws and read them before signing anything. No governmental agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of the development. Further, ownership of a unit in the development will be subject to the terms of various documents relating to the development. The resort project described herein (the “Project”) and the residential units located within the Project (the “Residential Units”) are not owned, developed, or sold by Montage Hotels & Resorts, LLC, its affiliates or their respective licensors (collectively, “Montage”) and Montage does not make any representations, warranties or guaranties whatsoever with respect to the Residential Units, the Project or any part thereof. Island Acquisitions Kapalua LLC uses the Montage brand name and certain Montage trademarks (collectively, the “Operator Trademarks”) in connection with the sales and marketing of the Residential Units in the Project under a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and non-sublicensable license from Montage. The foregoing license may be terminated or may expire without renewal, in which case neither the Residential Units nor any part of the Project will be identified as a Montage branded project or have any rights to use the Operator Trademarks.

Advertising

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Debra Hershon, 415.332.4800 ext 120 | dhershon@marinmagazine.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Michele Geoff rion Johnson ext 110 | mjohnson@marinmagazine.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Leah Bronson, ext 109 | lbronson@marinmagazine.com

Lesley Cesare, ext 113 | lcesare@marinmagazine.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Dana Horner, ext 107 | dhorner@marinmagazine.com

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR

Alex French

Regional Sales O ffices

WINE COUNTRY

Lesley Cesare | lcesare@marinmagazine.com

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Leah Bronson | lbronson@marinmagazine.com

NEW YORK

Karen Couture, Couture Marketing | 917.821.4429 HAWAII

Debbie Anderson, Destination Marketing | 808.739.2200

Reader Services

MAILING ADDRESS

One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965 PHONE 415.332.4800 FAX 415.332.3048

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES subscriptions@marinmagazine.com 818.286.3160

INTERNSHIP INQUIRIES / STORY IDEAS editorial@marinmagazine.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Please send letters to editorial@marinmagazine.com. Be sure to include your full name, city, state and phone number. Marin Magazine reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, length and style.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Rates are $12 for out-of-state subscriptions or free for California subscribers. To subscribe, manage your subscription or change your address visit marinmagazine.com/subscribe.

BULK ORDERS

For information on bulk orders of Marin Magazine, please call 415.332.4800.

Marin is home to California’s best specialty care

Best in California for Neurosurgery

UCSF Neurosurgery at Marin: 415-514-6868 1100 S. Eliseo Dr., Suite 1 Greenbrae, CA 94904

From one of the largest brain tumor programs in the nation to groundbreaking care for patients with epilepsy, cerebrovascular diseases and movement disorders, UCSF has long been at the forefront of treating disorders of the brain, spine and peripheral nervous system. UCSF Medical Center is recognized as the best neurology and neurosurgery program in California by U.S. News & World Report. UCSF neurosurgeons provide brain and spine surgical expertise on both an emergency and elective basis as part of Marin General Hospital’s Spine & Brain Institute.

In collaboration with Marin General Hospital, our Department of Neurosurgery offers convenient access to expert care in Marin.

Sports Medicine: 415-353-2808

Foot and Ankle: 415-353-2808

Strawberry Village Shopping Center

750 Redwood Highway, Suite 1204 Mill Valley, CA 94941

Spinal Disorders: 415-353-2739

1100 S. Eliseo Dr., Suite 1 Greenbrae, CA 94904

Pediatric Orthopedics: 415-353-2967

1300 S. Eliseo Dr., Suite 204 Greenbrae, CA 94904

www.ucsfhealth.org

UCSF Medical Center is ranked the #1 Hospital in California by U.S. News & World Report

Best in California for Orthopaedics

UCSF Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine provides expert treatment for all aspects of musculoskeletal injuries, rehabilitation, orthotics and prosthetics. Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the best orthopaedics program in California, our physicians have specific training in the full range of orthopaedic specialties. Experts in spinal disorders, pediatric orthopaedics, sports medicine, hand, foot and ankle, and primary care treat patients in our new Mill Valley Clinic as well as our pediatric orthopaedics clinic in Greenbrae. Our Sports Medicine staff provides exceptional care and health education to young athletes in high schools throughout Marin.

The therapeutic value of sharing memories that honor the time, love and humor that has gone into making this house our home has kept me sane.

Open House

Life changes and leaving a cherished home after a decade inspire some reflection.

AS I PUT my home up for sale this month, the October issue is arriving in yours. Home is where the heart is — it’s the place you feel safe, where you retreat from the outside world. It’s also a personal aesthetic statement. My soon-to-be-ex-husband, Peter, and I have had two homes here in Marin. The first, on Plymouth Avenue in Mill Valley, was idyllic, with many young families raising children together. We joked that it felt like living in a dorm, since the city limited expansion and mandated that homes in the neighborhood remain as starter homes. After we remodeled our “shotgun shack” as we called it (we could vacuum the house without unplugging the cord), I loved creating hidden nooks and crannies within the walls, and we designed the space to support our favorite pastime of entertaining. I was addicted to remodeling.

In 2005 we moved int o a fi xer-upper in Strawberry. I think the way my friend, a realtor who spotted it in a broker’s open house, described it was “Tota l fi xer, it’s horrible, every room is a different color, good bones, sort of has a view, you’d love it.” She was right, I did. We lived there, took down some trees to open up a jaw-dropping view, added a bit of square footage, raised the ceiling to bring in the light, and created the ultimate family party house. Each paint color was obsessively pondered, doors were chosen for weight and feel, windows were placed to capture the view, and a kitchen nook, ideal for kids to do homework in while I cooked dinner, was added. It’s a privilege to design a home.

As we move out more than a decade later to find our own new homes and start new lives, I’m finding the process bittersweet — grateful for the years we spent here and sad to leave it behind. I would love to pass on the “if I had more money, I would…” list to the next family, because much to Peter’s chagrin, I had an ongoing list of to-dos. Reflecting on my job, I’m sure being surrounded by continuous shelter porn (industry

term for all the beautiful homes we feature in this magazine) was partly to blame.

To get my head around this stage of my life, I’ve started writing about the deconstruction of our house (and marriage) room by room. I created a Google doc that I have shared with close friends to keep me on task. The therapeutic value of sharing memories that honor the time, love and humor that has gone into making this house our home has kept me sane.

In this doc, I’ve rehashed mundane details, like how we got our gorgeous cypress dining room table while visiting my mother-in-law’s place in San Miguel de Allende. We thought we had found the deal of the century, purchased and delivered from Mexico to Mill Valley, for under $1,000. Turns out the shop was a drug front. In the bathroom, we didn’t initially consider that the pointy sink in the powder room is the ideal height to impale a toddlers’ temple or a pregnant women’s belly, and men taller than 5-feet-9 needed to also be careful. The boxes of Christmas-light polar bears I bought on sale 10 years ago, still unopened after Peter pointed out the ironic fact that these energy-sucking pieces of plastic were actually part of the reason these majestic creatures were dying out.

In the month leading up to our own broker’s open house, we spent hours tending to some easily handled deferred maintenance — cosmetic stuff e should have done years ago. I urge you to take care of your homes, refresh that paint, re-sand those railings, polish those floors and enjoy living in your home’s potential before you turn around and sell it. Come to think of it, this kind of attention is important to apply to a spouse as well.

We hope you enjoy the inspiring home design in this issue, and as always, we appreciate your feedback — let us know how your home reflects your philosophy.

Mimi Towle, Editor

Built in an era when mobile devices didn’t have batteries.

Timeless happens here.

MAUNAKEABEACHHOTEL.COM

THIS MONTH WE celebrate all things home. We kick off ur features with a story about a family who bought and modernized a 1945 waterfront Tiburon house as vacation digs. The remodel focused on views, establishing a beach theme and keeping things comfortable for guests. Another feature about a home, albeit one a little less modern, arises from a letter Robert Berger wrote Frank Lloyd Wright in 1950, asking the architect to design a house for him. A short time later, the plans arrived, and Berger set to work building the structure himself — one of Wright’s famous DIY “Usonian Automatics.” His children share fond memories of their dad and the midcentury house, including one particularly fetching detail. And fi nally, harking back to the fi res that ravaged the North Bay

last year, writer Zack Ruskin talks to members of Rebuild North Bay to ask how recovery efforts are going.

This issue also contains a detachable guide to the 41st Mill Valley Film Festival, which you can bring along. It’s got details on events,

The remodel focused on views, establishing a beach theme and keeping things comfortable for guests.

fun local cinema facts, and start times and locations for ever y fi lm showing.

Up front you’l l fi nd tips on where to see migrating monarch butter fl ies and, just in time for Halloween, the haunted history of a Fairfax campground. We talk with one of only 24 female police chiefs in the state, and we sit down with Michael Jones, who has big ideas for the future of bicycling in Marin.

In Destinations we visit with a few of the characters on Auburn’s rodeo circuit and fi nd out why they just can’t get enough of that life. Farther a field, writer Calin Van Paris probes the mystique of the lush island of Bali, with a clear-eyed view of that elusive “alone time” so many travelers go there to fi nd.

It’s a jam-packed issue full of great reads. We hope you enjoy it along with this year’s fi lm festival treats — you just might be hearing about some of them around Oscar time.

Daniel Jewett, Managing Editor

USONIAN UTOPIA

With these plans, Robert Berger was able to build and customize his own Frank Lloyd Wright home in San Anselmo. He and his wife owned the home for 60 years and raised four children and one lucky dog there.

Paul Dyer

Photographer, “On the Waterfront” (p. 50)

What was the most challenging part of this shoot? The shoot went very well and with the cloud cover I didn’t need to worry about hard sunlight, so I think the most challenging part of the shoot was parking. They have those tiny one-way streets in Tiburon.

What current architectural trend are you most fond of? My father worked for a glass company, so when he had a home built back in the late 1970s we had a lot of glass on the view side, much like the residence I shot in Marin. I think large windows can add beauty to a home by bringing the view in and opening up the space to feel larger.

Where has your work appeared before? Mostly in various interior and architectural magazines, both regional and national. I shoot some advertising, which can end up in magazines, on web banners or on a billboard.

Mark Anthony Wilson

Writer, “Home Made” (p. 58)

What did you find most notable about this house? The handcrafted rock walls built of pink Sonoma stone, a real labor of love by Robert Berger. They are emblematic of Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic philosophy of design, since the walls were composed of natural materials from the local environment.

What is your favorite Frank Lloyd Wright building? The Marin Civic Center, since it has a classic midcentury modern interior decor, but still looks futuristic from the outside.

Where has your work appeared before? I just had my fi rst novel published on Amazon Kindle, South Side Story: A Novel of Chicago in the Early Sixties I have published five books on architecture, including Frank Lloyd Wright on the West Coast and Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty

Dawn Margolis Denberg

Writer, “On the Waterfront” (p. 50)

Calin Van Paris

Writer, “Bali” (p. 78)

What surprised you most about Bali? The infrastructure. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the roads were so nice. Also the tra ffic, particularly around Ubud. Major gridlock, unless you’re snaking around on a motorbike.

Tips for prospective travelers?

Considering Indonesia is dealing with the aftermath of a series of earthquakes, I would suggest donating and volunteering. But in terms of vacationing in Ubud, get as many spa treatments as you can — so good and so a ffordable. Lean into the luxury.

Where has your work appeared before?

Aside from Marin, I’m a regular contributor to vogue.com, where I cover beauty. I’ve also contributed to allure.com and teenvogue.com.

What feature of this home did you enjoy the most? When you have a spectacular view, you have to exploit it. And the wall of glass that looks out onto the bay from this home doesn’t disappoint.

What current home trend do you wish would die off? Hmm. That’s a tough one. I keep thinking I’ll get sick of the open concept kitchen. But, you know what? I just never do.

Where has your work appeared before? I’ve written for dozens of magazines over the years. Most recently — and as pertains to home design — my work has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and Napa Sonoma Magazine

Bay Area events you’ll want to attend

Friend us to share RSVP Hot Ticket photos at facebook.com/marinmagazine.

[UPCOMING EVENTS]

ROSS VALLEY WOMEN’S LEAGUE

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST

FIND OUT MORE

Oct. 13, 5:30–10 p.m.

Peacock Gap, 333 Biscayne Drive, San Rafael

Attend the Ross Valley Women’s League annual gala to benefit Adopt A Family of Marin. An Andy Warhol–theme, sequins, velvet ropes and disco will set the scene. Put on your party clothes and join us for a Studio 54–inspired fundraiser called “Let’s Dance.” Indulge in swanky New York–style cuisine, cocktails, fine wines, music and dancing, and silent and live auctions. Adopt A Family of Marin strives to prevent homelessness and provide stability for Marin families in need.

$250 rvwl.org

New in Town

SUPPORT

Newport Academy, an adolescent treatment center, opened a Center for Families in downtown San Rafael. A combined teen education and therapy program addresses issues like substance abuse, eating disorders, depression and anxiety, with parent support groups available; newportacademy.com

SHOP

popart ball

HOSPICE BY THE BAY ANNUAL BALL

AN ERA. A MOVEMENT. A PARTY! HOSPICE BY THE BAY

WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO COST FIND OUT MORE

Nov. 3, 6 p.m.

The Seminary at Strawberry, 201 Seminary Drive, Mill Valley

Your 15 minutes of fame are waiting at Hospice by the Bay’s Pop Art Ball — the hippest gathering in Marin. Raise a toast to the era of Warhol, Lichtenstein and Oldenburg, while you rub elbows with the famous, the near-famous and the soon-to-be-famous. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, elegant dining and striking pop art decor by McCall’s Catering and Events, followed by a live auction and music by The Boombox. You smile, knowing that funds raised at the Pop Art Ball will help support important hospice, palliative care and bereavement programs.

$300 415.526.5500, hbtb.org/donors

Want to see all the images from our RSVP Hot Ticket events? Visit marinmagazine.com/hotticket for the latest.

FarmHouseUrban , a hip luxury home furnishings store with a focus on tabletop, kitchen decor and home accessories, is joining the eclectic group of businesses at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard. Pieces are sourced in small quantities to keep inventory fresh. Monthly events are geared to decorating, cooking and home organizing; shopfarmhouseurban.com

EAT

Tiburon Tavern , the signature restaurant of boutique hotel The Lodge at Tiburon, welcomes a new face in the kitchen: executive chef Annie Hongkham. Expect new, seasonal handcrafted dishes, made with locally sourced foods and ideal for meetings, weddings and events; lodgeattiburon.com/tiburon-tavern

FarmHouseUrban

New to Strawberry Village Center is Parranga Taqueria & Cerveceria , a Mexican eatery featuring tacos, ensaladas and tortas. Locally sourced ingredients are used, and dishes include slow-cooked rotisserie meats along with vegan, gluten-free and vegetarian options. Communal vintage wood tables, agave wine margaritas and cervezas round out the experience; parranga.com.

Fox & Kit , the new alternative coffee shop on C Street in San Rafael, combines a specialty cafe with a custom indoor playground (with admission fees) so both parents and kiddos are happy; 415.991.5061

WORK

The upscale coworking space in Ross, Mind Tank Work Club, opened a new spot in Larkspur Landing. Owned by Sally Newson, it offers the convenience of nearby ferry access and freeway access and numerous lunch options at Marin Country Mart; mindtank.com.

New in Town is an ongoing bulletin on new businesses throughout the Bay Area. To be considered for future listings, email kier@marinmagazine.com.

Parranga Taqueria & Cerveceria

Mind Tank Work Club

CONNECT WITH US

TOP GRAM

Our top Instagram post last month was by @norcal.photos. “I spent this summer evening with my family and dog up on West Ridgecrest Road looking out toward Stinson and watching the fog roll in. The sunset with the fog was this color for only a moment, and then it changed back to a dark gloom. This is a long exposure of the fog of about 10 seconds. Just enough to capture the movement of it rolling in.” Want to see your photo in print? Tag us @marinmagazine with your best snap.

Top Five Online Stories

1 “Best of the County: Food” (August 2018) The BOC food winners, including readers’ picks.

2 “Best of the County: Recreation” (August 2018) Here are the daytime activities in Marin that stood out, including readers’ picks.

3 “Sweat Equity” (September 2018) Buying and renovating a bungalow amid family drama with a new baby on the way.

4 “Best of the County: Drinks” (August 2018) Here are some of our favorite drinks or places for a drink in Marin, as well as reader choices.

5 “Phil and Jill Lesh” (September 2012) A music legend builds the ultimate clubhouse, Terrapin Crossroads, and rediscovers the pleasures of life off the road.

Town Center Shopping Spree Winners

The winners of our Town Center sweeps have been announced. The two lucky recipients will have $500 of credit to spend at their store of choice, and they have already selected the retailers: Shana PitcherWalters (left) of Novato is getting a gift card from Athleta, and Linda Lopez of Fairfax will receive one to use at Sephora. Happy shopping, ladies.

Investing alongside companies that respect your appreciation for environmental, social and governance (ESG) awareness just makes good investing sense. In the “old days” one might argue that to invest with a social purpose might mitigate performance—but today that is just not the case. More and more of the “smart money” is investing in companies that have a great track record of ESG, and we see this as growing trend that will add value for shareholders. The problem with most mutual funds or exchange traded funds is that they invest in a wide array of companies without regard to ESG, which invariably makes you an investor in some of the very things you might despise most.

At Main Street Research, we invest using individual securities which allows us to rigorously screen for companies with an excellent track record of ESG issues. Since we manage each client’s portfolio separately, we can even create screens specific to your family’s or foundation’s ESG wishes. Highly sustainable investing feels good for you and your portfolio!

If you are interested in bringing a higher social conscious to your investment portfolio, feel free to give us a call. Minimum relationship $1,000,000.

“Few investors would consciously invest in companies that have terrible environmental, social and governance track records ...but because of Wall Street products, many investors do.”

-Elizabeth I. Baldassari Director, Fixed Income

A number of migrating species annually make their way through Marin, notably the California gray whales, passing by in mid-to-late March; they can swim more than 10,000 miles a year — the farthest migration of any mammal. But another wonder is the fl ight of the monarch butter fly: it’s thought to be the longest-distance insect migration on earth, and it’s been happening for thousands of years. Monarchs sense and avoid large bodies of water and tall mountains, traveling in cool valleys between mountains instead. Every fall the butter fl ies west of the Rockies move to coastal California, and Marin has its share of overwintering sites. Here are some places to fi nd them in the county, according to visitmarin.org.

BY KASIA PAWLOWSKA

• TERWILLIGER GROVE/ MUIR BEACH Take Highway 101 to Highway 1, then turn at Pacific Way, at the Pelican Inn. Continue past the inn and look for steps leading up into the pine grove on the hill. It is best to park at Muir Beach and walk to the site. Look for butterflies near the top of the stairs.

• STINSON BEACH The monarchs are spied in the eucalyptus around the bank of Highway 1 at the north end of town.

Back to the Earth

• BOLINAS The Bolinas Monarch Butterfly Grove, a little-known coastal butterfly migration site, has one of the largest populations during winter layover. Find it by driving into Bolinas, turning right onto Park Avenue and right on Terrace Avenue; then park near the intersection with Marin Way (it might be unsigned, so use a map on your phone). The winged creatures hang out in the trees near this corner.

Throughout the Western world, cremation or burial has long been the norm for physically dealing with the deceased. But today greener methods are available, in a practice known as natural or woodland burial. It’s not a mere fad — funeral traditions of many religions allow the body to recycle back to the earth — but in a contemporary twist, such burials are now performed in conjunction with land restoration and conservation techniques. Many variations exist, from placing a body wrapped in a cotton shroud directly in the ground to a ceremonial funeral in a conservation park. But typically these methods use minimal resources and bodily treatment steps and hence are more environmentally friendly and affordable than older techniques. Interest has grown as people seek ways to lighten their carbon footprint. Locally, Tam Valley’s Fernwood Cemetery offers burials involving no embalming or chemicals and using biodegradable burial containers. San Francisco’s Better Place Forests will return a loved one’s ashes to the earth beneath a protected, specially designated tree; the company’s first memorial forest is in Mendocino. KIER HOLMES

BY THE NUMBERS

PAGE TURNER Tiburon’s The Ark recently won first place for general excellence in the National Newspaper Association’s 2018 Better Newspapers contest in the category of nondaily newspaper with a circulation of less than 3,000. Of the accomplishment, executive editor Kevin Hessel says, “We know we can’t be first to publish, so we strive to be the best, investing our time into complete and rich representative reporting that reflects the voices of the community. If our readers feel more informed, more connected and more inspired by reading The Ark, it’s been a good week.” Here’s what you need to know about the hometown paper. K.H.

VIBE SoHo-style loft with high ceilings, lounge areas and locally made art.

Modern with shabby chic accents, for literary professionals.

High-tech, upscale, boutique space. Cozy, eclectic living-room feel.

Space Cowboys

Millennials, baby boomers, empty nesters, freelancers and entrepreneurs are changing the way — and where — they work. For many, co-working spaces offer flexibility, resources, variety, and more fun than a permanent office. Here are some local shared spots worth checking out. KIER HOLMES

COST $300 per month $35 per day, drop-in Per month: $550 floating desk; $800 private desk; $1,950 private office

PERKS Access to 25-plus unique workstations, ping-pong and pool tables and a full kitchen. studio333.info/ creative-lounge

High-speed Wi-Fi, free parking, discounts on literary events hosted. marinwritersnest @gmail.com

24/7 access, tech support, HD videoconferencing and cultural events. avant.space

Membership $30–$250/per month; $25 day passes

Wellness room, outside seating, workshops and a conference room. theindiealley.com

16 Bay Area offices1,043 locations, one in Sausalito Larkspur and Ross

Light-filled, stylish space for women. Teams of artists, designers and engineers custom-build every space.

$100–$395 per month; $40 per day, drop-in

Workshops, events, mixers, education and mentorships. thehivery.com

Professional setting to maximize productivity.

A modern, brickwalled chic hotel

$190–$450 per month $4.70–$16.63 per person/day $95–$395 per month

Thought-leader panels, cheese tastings, in-house events, bike storage and office supplies. wework.com

Office furniture, networking events, global lounge access. regus.com/ coworking-space

Kitchen stocked with healthy snacks, gourmet coffees and teas, Wi-Fi printing. mindtank.com

Haunted Marin: Camp Bothin

The Henry E. Bothin Youth Center in Fairfax is an idyllic West Marin campground that plays host to local Girl Scout troops each summer. However, when the sun goes down at “Camp Bothin,” the historic site has a reputation for guests of another nature.

Some have reported sightings of a nurse pushing her cart down the hallways of Stone House, a foreboding structure that often serves as a dormitory for visiting campers. What reason would the ghost of a caregiver have to appear there? The answer lies in the history of the property, once the site of a convalescent hospital for nearly 50 years.

After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, dust and ash caused an outbreak of tuberculosis, and both Manor House and the Arequipa Sanatorium were located here. Perhaps those responsible didn’t feel it necessary to learn more about the area’s origins; otherwise they surely would’ve thought twice about building on a former sacred Native American reservation.

Last spring, bad road conditions forced Doug Paulo of McKinleyville and the girls he was chaperoning to stay an extra night at Camp Bothin after everyone else had left. “We were eating and watching movies on the second-floor balcony,” he recalls. “It was a bit startling to hear a door shut loudly and later that evening see a light come on downstairs. We also thought that we saw someone moving things around — through a window, in a room that was locked.”

While Paulo concedes that small animals or old wiring might be to blame, he won’t rule out the supernatural. “Maybe the place is haunted. All we know is it was not another living person,” he says.

SPACE Studio 333/ Creative Lounge The Writers’ Nest AvantSpace The Indie Alley The Hivery WeWork Regus Mind Tank Work Club

WHERE Sausalito Corte Madera Marina District, San Francisco Fairfax Mill Valley

The Fairfax campground used by Girl Scouts of Northern California may have spookier residents as well. ZACK RUSKIN

Clarity. Comfort. Compassion.

You deserve a better breast imaging experience.

The typical breast imaging experience is one of worry and pain – our mission is to change that.

QTbreasthealth™ offers an advanced 3D ultrasound technology that has been cleared by the FDA as an adjunct to mammography. If you have dense breasts, implants, have experienced false positives in the past, or want an advanced, pain-free, radiation-free, 3D ultrasound breast imaging experience, the QTscan could be the right option for you.

l Radiation-free

The QTscan uses no radiation so the exam can be available to women of all ages and has no frequency limits.

l Comfortable

There is no compression or injections with the QTscan, for a comfortable, soothing experience.

l Clear images

QTscan is the only true 3D* ultrasound breast imaging technology with higher contrast than an MRI.> And our physician will contact you within 72 hours of your QTscan to review your results.

3 Hamilton Landing, Suite 180A, Novato, CA 94949

*Objective breast tissue image classification using Quantitative Transmission ultrasound tomography. Nature Sci. Rep. 6, 38857 (2016). >Magn Reson Imaging. 2012 Nov;30(9):1313-22. (2012) Imaging Performance of Quantitative Transmission Ultrasound. International Journal of Biomedical Imaging (2015).

QTscan is FDA-cleared as an adjunct to mammography. QTscan is not intended as a replacement for screening mammography and is not advised for: Those told by their physician to avoid immersing their breast in water, such as after a biopsy procedure. Those with open wounds or sores on their breasts. Pregnant or lactating women. Patients weighing more than 400 lbs. Those with a breast cup size greater than DDD. Patients with magnetic implants, such as pacemakers. Those with allergies to chlorine, alcohol wipes, or medical grade adhesive tape.

Smoke on the Water

Local photographer captures hazy fire scene.

BY KASIA PAWLOWSKA • PHOTO BY VICTOR VOLTA

LAST OCTOBER’S ORANGE-TINGED skies set an apocalyptic tone in the Bay Area. Suddenly, residents became well versed in face masks — anything less than an N95 particulate respirator would be pointless — and all local hardware stores struggled to keep them in stock. “Air quality conditions during the fi res varied considerably by exact location, so it’s difficult to say which day was the worst,” a Bay Area Air Quality Management District meteorologist notes. “At the Air District’s stations, air quality was worst on October 9, 10, 12 and 13. But smoke a ffected air quality in the North Bay over the entire period from October 9 to 18.” It was during that period, in the late evening of October 13, that photographer Victor Volta captured this shot of the city skyline, from the deck of the San Francisco–Alameda ferry. Uncertainty loomed that week while the Tubbs Fire raged and engulfed whole swaths of Santa Rosa. Until this past July the wild fi re was deemed the most destructive in California history (Wikipedia still describes it as such), but that grisly superlative now belongs to the Mendocino Complex Fire, which wa s fi nally contained on September 1.

Transforming Spaces

8 QUESTIONS FOR Tricia Seyler

Decades ago, female police officers faced many challenges: for instance, male officers refused to ride with them, and many women had to file lawsuits to get promotions. Today the experience for women in the force is improving at every rank — currently there are 24 female police chiefs in California, although women still only represent a fraction of the state’s total number of officers. Cotati’s Tricia Seyler, the city of Belvedere’s chief of police for the past seven years, has helped shatter the glass ceiling, but she prefers to be thought of as a leader, not a “female” leader.

Chief of Police BELVEDERE

BY KIER HOLMES

1

How did your interest in police work begin?

I come from a family of police officers and firefighters. I always believed that police officers were in the business of helping people every day, and I wanted to do that.

many male supervisors and partners who supported me and helped me achieve my goals. I believe that as we get better at hiring, training and supporting women in law enforcement, our roles in leadership positions will increase.

2

Over the years more people of color and women have become officers. What skills do these groups bring to police work? Diversity is very important because law enforcement officers are expected to handle so many different types of problems; many of them are problems other than crime. Officers from diverse ethnic backgrounds play an important role because the communities we serve are more diverse. Women have traditionally been caretakers and verbal communicators and those are important traits in policing today. The law enforcement profession is changing quickly, and I believe that women who have chosen this untraditional role are successful in keeping up with these changes. As the chief, I bring to my role the feeling that we need to be transparent, engage with our community at every opportunity and work together to have a vision for keeping our community safe.

3

What’s contributed most to your success? For me it was as simple as, make the boss look good and work hard to be a good teammate. When I first started in law enforcement, I had a training officer who told me to think about doing my job from the perspective of my supervisor. That helped me have a broader perspective. Looking at my job from the perspective of what the community expects also helps a lot.

4

In this male-dominated culture, have you faced any gender bias? I have never viewed myself as being in a position where I fought gender bias. Most of my law enforcement career was spent with the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. During my 22 years there, I had

5

In light of recent school shootings, how can law enforcement help our youth in relation to gun violence, awareness and protection? aware that it can happen anywhere. As a community, we have to make sure that students, teachers, parents and law enforcement have positive relationships so that we can address the problem together. Spending time in the schools and participating in school events helps improve relationships. I have participated in panel discussions about internet safety and driving safety with both students and parents. Having those opportunities is important in forming relationships and breaking down perceived barriers.

6

What motivates you to carry on? what I do and want to share my experiences with younger officers. Staying in my position gives me many opportunities to meet people so I can do that.

7

Where in Marin do you go to unwind and gain a sense of peace? I enjoy hiking in the Marin open -space parks. Mount Burdell Preserve and San Pedro Mountain are my favorites.

8

What is the greatest piece of wisdom you’ve ever received? kind. My mother told me this a long time ago. It’s a piece of advice that works every day in every situation. m

Author Talk

We sat down with Oakland journalist Shane Bauer to discuss his book American Prison, which explores the country’s insidious nexus of prison and profit. Bauer, who was held hostage in Iran from 2009 to 2011, went undercover by posing as a prison guard at Louisiana’s Winn Correctional Center in 2015, later describing the stint in an award-winning piece for Mother Jones (“My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard”).

MM: How did your time at Winn change your perspective on the system?

SB: I think I went there with the intention of writing an exposé about a private prison and conditions for prisoners, and I really saw how the level of exploitation that existed in the system was much more all-encompassing than I realized. The guards and almost everybody else working there were part of this system, and whether they were working within it or imprisoned by it, they were all somehow trapped in it. And it was a ffecting all of them negatively.

MM: Are there any moments from your time as a guard that stand out as particularly surreal?

SB: There was a while when the prison was on lockdown. Inmates were angry, and guards were having to do more work than usual because we had to bring the food [to the cells]. There was an inmate who had taken two trays of food and I just started yelling at him. And I kind of flashed to this moment when I was in prison in Iran and I used to take extra meals. And one day a guard just flashed on me about it, and it turned into a pretty scary situation.

So, when I did that, I kind of had this moment like, “Whoa, I’m on the other side right now. I’m lashing out at this guy for wanting more food.”

MM: Have you seen or do you anticipate any sort of systemic changes from this sort of exposé writing?

SB: Not under this administration, honestly. When the Mother Jones article came out, the Obama Administration said they were going to stop using private prisons on the federal level, and the company’s stock tanked. And as soon as Trump took office, he reversed the decision.

MM: What are you hoping readers take away from American Prison?

SB: I really tried to not only expose the modern-day prison system, but really help people understand how we’ve gotten to this point … how the legacy of slavery plays into the prison system, how the profit motive has been a major part of our prison system since the very beginning. Our prison system is the largest in the world; it’s an aberration. And I think we need to understand how we got there.

CALIN VAN PARIS

Local Page Turners

American Prison by Shane Bauer (Oakland), Penguin Press, $28. In the tradition of great undercover journalism, reporter Shane Bauer got himself a job at a private prison in Louisiana in 2014 with the intent of discovering what actually goes on inside a place most of us would prefer to forget exists. What he found was the dark underbelly of for-profit incarceration. While Bauer left the job after four months — and went on to win a National Magazine Award for his exposé in Mother Jones — the subject never left his mind. In American Prison, Bauer provides a deep dive into the private prison system and the corporate interests that drive it. At times harrowing but vitally important in its message, this work is a clarion call for America to divest itself of a penal system built on indentured servitude and reclaim its commitment to the pursuit of balanced justice. Appearing at Book Passage Corte Madera October 2, 7 p.m.

Twenty Years of Life by Suzanne Bohan (Bay Area), Island Press, $30. In Twenty Years of Life , Suzanne Bohan argues that in the United States, your ZIP code is ultimately a huge factor in your overall health. By contrasting the statistics and stories of people living in impoverished areas with those of residents in more affluent locales, Bohan makes the case that quality of schools, availability of healthy food and access to nature can significantly affect our life spans. Not one to pose a problem without offering a solution, she also describes the work of the California Endowment, a health foundation dedicated to redefining the way charity works by infusing funds directly into poor communities. An inspiring yet somber reflection of our era, this book takes a timely look at how we can better ensure an equal — and longer — life for all.

Appearing at Book Passage Sausalito October 2, 6 p.m.

Almost Everything by Anne Lamott (Marin), Riverhead Books, $20. When life gets tough, it’s immensely reassuring to know we have new words of wisdom from Anne Lamott to steer us back into calmer seas. Following a series of short but profound works from Lamott over the last several years (Hallelujah Anyway ; Help, Thanks, Wow), Almost Everything is a road map for finding hope and insight within ourselves — even if they’re buried deep. With her trademark blend of humor and shrewd advice, Lamott encourages readers to glean a path forward from these small but profound moments — especially at times when things may feel especially bleak. Appearing at Book Passage Corte Madera October 15, 7 p.m.

Reviews by Book Passage Marketing Manager Zack Ruskin.

Michael Jones

This bicycle and pedestrian transit planner sees big things on the horizon for Marin.

BY JIM WOOD PHOTO BY LENNY GONZALEZ

MEET MICHAEL JONES. Starting in 1996, from a converted summer cabin on Creek Road in Fairfax, he built Alta Planning + Design into the largest bicycle and pedestrian transportation planning company in the world. It now has over 200 employees working in 35 offices in places like Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, Boston and Singapore.

This passion has taken him around the world. Stateside, he’s managed bicycling and pedestrian master plans in Nevada, Minnesota, Hawaii and Tennessee, among other states. Internationally, Jones has overseen projects in Dubai, Qatar, Mexico, Singapore and Guangzhou, China. Closer to home, his fingerprints are on such projects as the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail, the Napa Valley Vine Trail and the East Bay’s Ohlone Greenway.

Here in Marin, important projects he’s been involved with, recently completed or has in the planning process include improved bike and pedestrian access to SMART stations, a bikeand-pedestrian-friendly Miller Avenue in Mill Valley, an extension of the Samuel P. Taylor bike path to Point Reyes Station, bikeway improvements between Fairfax and San Rafael and a Safe Routes to School segment in San Anselmo.

Jones is a third-generation Marinite: his grandfather moved to Fairfax in the 1920s. He grew up in San Rafael’s Bayside Acres neighborhood, graduated from San Rafael High School in 1973, and received his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in planning from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1988. Now 62, he has two grown daughters and lives in Tiburon with Anne, his wife of 30 years.

A recent Time magazine article titled “The Bicycle Kingdom Goes Global” claims that China’s bike-sharing companies are changing the world. What do you know about bike sharing? And is that headline hyperbole or an accurate assessment? I know more than a little about bike sharing. In 2010 I started Alta Bicycle Share, which by 2014 was the largest bike-share company outside China, with over 15,000 bikes in operation in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, San Francisco and other cities. It was an adventure — and a headache. In regard to Chinese companies such as Ofo and Mobike, they have dramatically changed the game by introducing dockless bike share — bikes that can be parked anywhere and have their own computer on board that can unlock or lock the bike, allowing it to be rented with a smartphone. Their service is usually free to cities and very low cost

to the public. These business models may be unsustainable, however, and recently Ofo has been withdrawing from some cities. Dockless systems have greatly reduced the cost of bike share, which expands bikes’ availability but has perhaps made them less dependable and manageable. So I think the answer to the question lies somewhat south of accurate assessment.

Compared to other industrialized nations, is the U.S. keeping pace when it comes to using bicycles as a means of transportation? It’s difficult to compare the U.S. to other countries in regard to bicycling because of the di fferent histories, governments, land-use densities and other factors. We are still far behind some countries like the Netherlands, but cycling has increased in the U.S. and in Marin.

Why do you think bike use has increased in Marin? Marin has many of the attributes that make walking and bicycling enjoyable — great weather, small towns close to each other, an environmental orientation and a population that is interested in active lifestyles. You would think our bicycle and walking rates would be even higher, but we also have a lot of older, narrow roads and streets with heavy tra ffic volumes. And we have many steep hills; then there’s Highway 101, which splits our communities in two. Trying to make safety improvements in such conditions is extremely challenging. It could be discouraging, except that looking back we have a history of visionary investments such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Civic Center, the ferry system and now SMART. We’ve been at the start of mountain biking and Safe Routes to School. We are also blessed to have the remnants of the old railroads in Marin that have left us corridors converted to pathways starting back in the 1960s. I hiked these abandoned lines on a daily basis when I was younger, working at Morgan Railcar next to the Hutchinson Quarry in Greenbrae, which some people may remember.

In Marin, we’ve been hearing for some time about a greenway that will enable a bicyclist to pedal from Novato to the Golden Gate Bridge (and back) without having to

Get moving again without having to travel.

Your neighborhood has some of the Bay Area’s best orthopedic care at Sutter’s Novato Community Hospital. It’s the only facility in Marin County to receive advanced certification in total knee and hip replacement from the Joint Commission. Let Sutter get you back to the activities you love.

Call 415-209-1460 or visit novatocommunity.org to connect with a specialist or sign up for a free, informational seminar.

Sutter Health. Proudly caring for Northern California. novatocommunity.org

deal with automobile traffic. How is that going? Marin’s North-South Greenway is a bold vision led by supporters such as Patrick Seidler (Transportation Alternatives for Marin), Marin Bicycle Coalition founder Chris Lang, the late Deb Hubsmith (Marin County Bicycle Coalition), bike builder Joe Breeze, the late Supervisor Charles McGlashan, former Supervisor Steve Kinsey and county staff uch as Dan Dawson, Bill Whitney, Craig Tackabery and many others. Credit also goes to active members of the public, local organizations such as the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, local elected officials and the county’s sta ff New segments such as the Cal Park Tunnel and East Sir Francis Drake Bike Bridge see a steady stream of bicyclists and walkers. And a new North-South Greenway link currently under design will go over Corte Madera Creek to connect with the Larkspur Bike Path, which will close a major gap. Once it’s completed, many Marinites will have a safe way to get to work, school, transit, ferries or shopping or simply have a place to exercise separated from busy roadways.

How about the bike and pedestrian pathway that was promised to run alongside the SMART train’s rail line from Santa Rosa to Larkspur? What is its progress in Marin? That is slowly being designed and constructed. People can see a segment under construction now between Second Street and the Andersen Drive/Cal Park Tunnel stretch in San Rafael. Another new segment was constructed in Terra Linda recently. The remainder requires funding, which is actively being sought by local agencies.

Cal Park Tunnel? Camino Alto Tunnel? Bike sharing in Marin? Electric bikes? What are your thoughts on these and other bike-related topics? The future of transportation is very exciting in Marin County. Our local funding agency, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM), has been tremendously effective in using our sales tax measure and state and federal funding to plan, design, and implement projects and programs such as Cal Park Tunnel and our Safe Routes to School program. The partially collapsed old Alto railroad tunnel between Mill Valley and Corte Madera — a direct and level connection —

and found to cost over $20 million to rehab. So that’s a rather distant dream. As for bike sharing? It looks like it is coming to Marin County, with the type (dock-based or dockless) to be decided soon. Given that bicycle and pedestrian safety are directly related to the car tra ffic that shares the roadways, TAM’s sales tax proposals to relieve tra ffic congestion on Highway 101 and local roads will also help bicycle and pedestrian safety. The same can be said of fi xing potholes on our local roads, expanding the successful Safe Routes to School program, providing school buses and continuing to pay for crossing guards. The success of Marin’s Safe Routes to School program cannot be overstated. It has helped get our children back to walking or biking the few blocks to their school, helped relieve neighborhood congestion and overall has improved safety for everyone. Looking further in the future, Alta Planning + Design is working in the “smart mobility” world, which includes “micro-mobility” options such as electric bikes and scooters, autonomous vehicles, smart bike parking pods, and the integration of bike share with car share. The world of transportation is rapidly changing.

Any special memories from your career? I’ve had a lot of good fortune and the support of people at critical times — like any growing business needs. At the same time, and I shouldn’t say this to my clients, but I love what I do so much I’d probably do it for free. I’ve hiked and biked in some of the most beautiful places in the world and had quite a few adventures — including working on a trail at 5,000 feet on Mauna Loa in Hawaii. There was a time when I was doing fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro, and armed guards accompanied us and had to radio ahead to drug lords for permission to enter their area. I recollect having to give a television interview in León, Mexico, about a major project we were working on, and watching the increasingly perplexed looks on the faces of my colleagues as I tried to describe our project using my 10 words of Spanish. And recently I had the pleasure of cycling in the Netherlands on an educational tour with a Romanian delegation that included the Prince of Romania. He went from royalty to beer-drinking buddy in about 24 hours. It’s been a fun ride. m

On the Waterfront

A 1945 vacation home in Tiburon gets a complete update that adds sophistication while keeping things relaxed.

BY DAWN MARGOLIS DENBERG • PHOTOS BY PAUL DYER

The family room’s double-height ceiling makes this small gathering area feel spacious, as does the floor-to-ceiling fireplace surround, which features a painting by Jack Roth.

CALLY KALLENBERG , a principal at the Manhattan Beach office of Joan Halperin Interior Design, has fond memories of the five years she spent living in Marin. “My son was born here; we made great friends and were setting down roots,” she says. But a professional opportunity for her then-husband meant saying goodbye to a community she’d grown to love. So 13 years later, when her firm got an assignment to oversee the remodel of a 1945 waterfront home in Tiburon, she did a happy dance. “The home had so much potential,” Kallenberg says. “And the prospect of being able to reconnect with friends and visit my old stomping grounds was icing on the cake.”

Her clients, two medical professionals with a primary residence in the South Bay, bought the property in 2015 to use as a weekend getaway. “They love to sail and already had a boat docked in Tiburon, so owning a vacation home in the community made good sense,” Kallenberg says.

These owners join a growing population of Silicon Valley residents choosing Marin as a vacation home. The practice, while popular, is also polarizing. Many full-time residents welcome second home buyers who lovingly restore old homes, which increases property values for everyone. But for folks just trying for a foothold in the Marin real estate market, it increases competition in an already tight market. Still, one point anyone can agree on: this stunning renovation was done with extreme sensitivity to the local aesthetic. The unassuming facade blends seamlessly with neighboring homes, and the interior looks ripped from Architectural Digest

Modernizing this particular vintage property took considerable time, patience and attention to detail. “Our directive was to create a beach-house vibe that was sophisticated but also approachable,” Kallenberg says. That meant overcoming some stumbling blocks. For starters, the team had to find

ways to fix many structural deficiencies without compromising design — and get their plan through design review. “I’ve never worked on a project where neighbors get to weigh in on the acceptability of moving a window four inches to the left,” Kallenberg says.

To that end, she and her partner (and mother) Joan Halperin were grateful to be collaborating with Eugene Dvorak, formally an employee of Tiburon-based Hank Bruce Architects. (He’s since left to start his own firm.) As a local, he had a sense of which design would pass muster and which wouldn’t fly in a strictly regulated eco-conscious community. “It was a joint effort, for sure, and I think the end product illustrates the benefits of designers and architects working in tandem,” says Kallenberg, whose role in the company is to focus on furnishings. “My mom is a trained interior architect, so she and Gene were the creative force behind the floor plans.”

It took them more than two years to come up with a plan that satis fied everything on the homeowners’ wish list, addressed neighbor concerns and complied with the town’s stringent building codes.

Priority number one was opening up the space. “The house, which I suspect was last remodeled in the ’80s, was dark and choppy,” Kallenberg recalls. “It had floor-to-ceiling wood

paneling, which made everything feel tight and overwhelming.” The plan called for gutting the entry level, formerly composed of a front vestibule and a catwalk leading to three tiny bedrooms served by one dated bathroom. The new design featured two generously sized bedrooms in a recon figured space, each with an en-suite bathroom. “Our clients wanted their guests to feel as if they were staying in a hotel room, so every bedroom in the house has a private bath,” Kallenberg says.

The team also reworked the entry point to the home’s third floor, previously only accessible by an external stairwell. With the addition of a spiral staircase offthe foyer, that loft-style room, which serves as a home office, now feels connected to the rest of the house. An innovative element: as you ascend the steps, they expand and attach to both the wall and the center post, eliminating that uncomfortably close feeling often associated with this design. The spiral, fabricated from steel, wood and glass, mimics the look of the home’s redesigned main stairwell; it manages to be sleek and stylish but also functional.

On the lower level, an existing wood-burning fireplace was eliminated. Two new direct-vent gas units were placed back to back — one to warm the den and another for the living room. The floor-to-ceiling fi replace surround features a combination of soapstone, hickory panels and metal elements, designed to bring the eye upward, drawing attention to the room’s soaring ceilings.

To maximize the drama of a double-height ceiling, the team added a massive windowpane above a set of double glass doors that open out to the home’s waterfront deck. “Originally, there was a smaller arched window on top,” Kallenberg says; it was out of synch with the home’s architectural style and, while it did reveal the water from inside the entry level, lacked any wow factor. “Now your introduction to the space is this amazing view,” says Kallenberg.

The stairwells fabricated of steel, glass and wood are the eye candy of this trilevel home.

The kitchen location didn’t change, but the room now looks and works considerably better. Custom cabinets in brilliant white create the illusion of height: “The ceilings are low, but the space still feels light and airy,” Kallenberg says. It’s also tricked out with top-of-the line appliances, including a Miele steam oven and two dishwashers. “Our client loves to cook, so even though it’s a vacation house, it needed to be extremely functional.” Accordingly, the homeowners chose quartz countertops for durability but paired them with a Calacatta marble backsplash.

For furnishings, the homeowners wanted a nautical feel. “But keep in mind, they have discerning taste, so we weren’t going for a Pottery Barn sea-star motif,” Kallenberg adds. Nearly every piece in the house is custom, including a bed designed with an integrated dresser in the master bedroom, by furniture maker J. Robert Scott of Los Angeles. Commissioned as a free-floating piece of furniture, it has a leather surround headboard fi nished with cerused wood trim. “It looks like it was plucked out of a 1940s yacht,” Kallenberg notes. “The piece was created because we felt the room would feel too small with a bed against a wall.” Ditto for the night tables built from coordinating material, which swivel over the bed to allow additiona l floor space.

And while the master is small, it opens directly into the den. Dividing the two spaces is a set of bi-folding sliding doors. “This basically doubles the size of their bedroom,” Kallenberg says. “The idea was to utilize the entire space as a bedroom, except on occasions when they’re entertaining.”

Lighting the main room also required out-of-the-box thinking. “In a wood-framed ceiling there’s no way to recess cans, and if you don’t want to install track lighting you don’t have a lot of options, especially in Tiburon where it all has to be LED,” Kallenberg says. So she and her mother came up with the idea of creating two free-floating sculptural squares of light, with one suspended inside the other, which provides both up and down lighting. “It reflects off he ceiling and lights the living space.”

While the clients gave the designers a wide berth, there was one non-negotiable point: “They wanted neutral furniture for the living room,” Kallenberg says. A conventional approach would have been to upholster the sofas in white linen, echoing the upscale maritime motif. Instead, Kallenberg suggested a high-performance synthetic fabric, which approximates the look and feel of linen but can also survive a little roughhousing and won’t fade over time. “It’s a vacation house,” she points out. “We wanted the house to feel relaxing. How do you do this if you’re always worrying

about guests with sand on their feet or the occasional red wine spill?”

Because nearly every window in this home looks out on the bay, the team went with solar shades, which fi lter light but preserve views. It’s a great option when privacy isn’t the primary objective — which was the case here: “Unless you have a telescope, or happen to be a sea lion,” Kallenberg quips, “no one is going to be able to see into the house.”

The renovation, completed last summer, is getting a workout. “I think they are in there just about every weekend,” she says. And while there’s an unquestionable satisfaction in closing the books on a project of this scope, for her the ending was bittersweet. “I miss having an excuse to spend time in Marin,” she admits. “Find me another project and I’ll be back in a heartbeat.” m

Opposite from top: Custom bath cabinets are by Cooper’s Cabinets and Furniture in Novato; master bedroom with slider doors (not in photo) open to the adjacent den area. This page: A chef’s kitchen with all the bells and whistles.

The story of a do-ityourself Frank Lloyd Wright house (and doghouse) in Marin.

BY MARK ANTHONY WILSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL PULIATTI

This spread: The home features unique elements including hand-fitted pink Sonoma stone in the cement, a low-angled roofline and an overall equilateral parallelogram pattern that makes it appear to be an outgrowth of the hilltop.

S AN ARCHITECT , Frank Lloyd Wright was known as a stickler for control, often telling clients what design features they should incorporate even when it conflicted with what clients wanted. That was especially true later in his career, when he had become world famous and people wrote him from all over the country asking him to design their homes.

But there was one category of residential work where he not only let clients make some design decisions but allowed them to adjust his design to their needs. It was a subcategory of a style Wright called Usonian, which he’d developed for low-cost home construction in the 1930s and then used in almost all single-family houses until his death in 1959. He called the do-it-yourself version of it “Usonian Automatics.”

It was based on a customized concrete block construction system, akin to the textile block system Wright used for several Southern California homes in the 1920s. With this newer system, developed in the early 1950s, owner/ builders took detailed plans Wright had drawn to meet their particular needs, then cast concrete blocks on the site, for building their homes. Lighter and less decorative than the textile blocks and easily fitted together with steel rods and grout, they made home construction more a ffordable, which was Wright’s intent.

“To build a low-cost house you must eliminate, so far as possible, the use of skilled labor, now so expensive,” he wrote in an article in the early ’50s. Between 1952 and 1957 a total of seven Usonian Automatic houses were owner-built from Wright designs, according to Margo Stipe, archivist at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; others were constructed from his plans after his death.

Perhaps the ultimate local example of an owner-built Frank Lloyd Wright home — though more of a forerunner to Usonian Automatic homes since it wasn’t made of concrete — is the Robert and Gloria Berger House in San Anselmo. The house, which stayed in the family’s hands for over 60 years until its sale in 2013, is on a one-acre, tree-studded lot along the crest of a hill at 259 Redwood Road.

The Bergers bought the lot in 1950 for its panoramic views of verdant rolling hills. After reading about Wright’s V.C. Morris Gift Shop in San Francisco in Architectural Forum, Robert Berger wrote the architect asking if he would design a two-bedroom home that Robert could build for his

family of six. He sent the letter “over his wife’s objections that he was crazy and that surely Mr. Wright would scorn a do-it-yourself project,” according to “The House One Man Built,” a December 1959 story in Life magazine. “... Wright replied by asking for his lot size and a description of his property. In a few months he sent the plans along.”

Those plans arrived in the fall of 1950, only to be temporarily shelved while Robert served in the Korean War. He returned home in 1952 and started teaching at Novato High and, later, College of Marin, dividing his time between his job and building the house. It took five years to construct the core of the home with enough space for the family to move in, then about another year to complete the north wing and all the interior fi nishing work.

During all six years, Robert did most of the work himself, although Wright associate Aaron Green was a consulting architect. Gloria and occasionally the Bergers’ two sons helped with some tasks, including digging the foundation, installing plumbing and pouring concrete. The biggest task

for Robert was the 20-foot-tall fi replace shaft, the masonry core of the house, a months-long effort that required pouring 50 tons of rock and cement into a wooden mold. Robert created the distinct inlaid patterns on the exterior walls from local pink Sonoma stone — gathering, chiseling and individually fitting hundreds of stones by hand. (Wright had used similar organic wall material, which he called “desert masonry,” on several other homes.) It was truly “a labor of love,” his son Eric says.

Eric, who lived in the house from age 5 to 21, has distinct early memories of his father working on the house, both before and after the family moved in. “My dad used Craftsman tools and a home concrete mixer from Sears, Roebuck to make all that concrete. And he used wooden dowels instead of nails for most of the joints in the house.”

One favorite recollection: “You could look at different angles in the house, and depending on the time of day, the light would create di fferent special effects. It made me appreciate the artistic quality of Mr. Wright’s design.”

WRIGHT SCHOLARS CONSIDER the Berger house a gem of Usonian design. The single-story two-bedroom, two-bath home has 1,760 square feet of living space and a carport under the overhanging roof. A low-angled roofline, horizontal massing and native-stone walls make the structure appear to be a natural outgrowth of the forested hilltop setting. Wright based the design on an equilateral parallelogram pattern, with a hexagonal living room that juts off the north side. The living room ceiling is higher than other rooms, typical for Usonian homes, and the floor-to-ceiling windows give a serene view of the lushly wooded Marin hills. A sliding glass door leads onto the concrete deck, which is shaped like a ship’s prow, another classic Usonian feature,

It would take five years for him to complete the core of the house with enough space for his family to move in.

Top: The high celing in the living room is a common feature in Usonian homes. This room also features redwood window seats framing great views and a concrete slab floor scored in a hexagonal pattern and stained Cherokee red.

Right: Robert Berger building the concrete core of the home in 1955.

as are the floors, made of concrete slab scored in a hexagonal pattern and stained Cherokee red.

A concrete, raised-hearth fireplace set into the rear living room wall is inlaid with more pink Sonoma stones. Redwood window seats line two of the walls; in fact, Wright designed many built-in cabinets and other features throughout the house for extra storage space. The kitchen, in an alcove behind the living room, has built-in shelves; one section of shelving that juts into the living room has an attached mahogany table for family dining. Behind the kitchen, a small playroom for the Berger children doubled as a study after they went to bed.

Suzanne Berger was a year old when the family moved in, but she still remembers her father climbing ladders with nails in his mouth. Other indelible impressions from over 24 years: “The rock walls were so beautiful, there were great views from the big living room windows, the woodwork everywhere was so warm, the radiant heat in the floors was very comfortable, and the open floor plan gave me a sense of

freedom.” Such features are integral elements of Usonian homes and are what endear these houses to so many owners — along with, perhaps, the non-prohibitive price. Wright’s fee of 10 percent of construction budget, Suzanne recalls, was “$1,500, so the total cost was about $15,000, although the actua l fi nal amount may have been higher.”

One unique Berger House feature was definitely a client idea — and has taken on a new life of its own. In 1956, eldest son James, then 12, wrote to Wright asking if he would design a home for Eddie, the family’s Labrador retriever. Wright replied that he would when he had time. Some months later the doghouse documents arrived — making James undoubtedly the architect’s youngest client and the only one he never charged any fees. Built by Robert, the doghouse lasted years before being sent to the dump. But in 2011, James, by then a retired cabinetmaker, was hired to re-create the doghouse from the original blueprint, for Romanza , a documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright’s California work. Donated to the county in May 2015, the

doghouse was exhibited in the Marin County Civic Center Library from June 2017 until March 2018; it’s now in storage, awaiting a more permanent display location.

ROBERT BERGER PASSED away in 1973; Gloria moved out in 2003; the house was rented until 2011 and then sold, in December 2013, for $1,595,000, to a part-time occupant. It’s not an official historic landmark, but Wright a ficionados say it’s one of the architect’s most solidly built Usonian homes. In 60 years there’s been no sign of the foundation settling nor of cracking in the floors — not even any noticeable damage from the ’89 Loma Prieta quake. Which seems to be living proof that an owner-built home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright can stand the test of time, particularly when the builder so faithfully carried out the architect’s Usonian plan. m

Some of the information in this article was provided by Laurie Thompson and Carol Acquaviva at the Marin County Library’s Anne T. Kent California Room.

This page from left: The kitchen features cabinets designed by Wright; an attached mahogany table juts into the living room; the Wright-designed doghouse.

ASHES TO ACTION

BY ZACK RUSKIN ILLUSTRATION BY MITCH BLUNT

NATURAL DISASTERS

DON’T COME WITH AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL

.

When the Tubbs Fire — one of over a dozen Northern California blazes that burned for weeks in October 2017 — was fi nally fully contained on October 31, the damage was hard to quantify. In total, the Tubbs Fire burned more than 5,600 structures and nearly 37,000 acres of land. In Santa Rosa alone, over 2,800 homes were destroyed, and at least 22 lives were lost.

Those numbers reflect but one of the wildfires that together would cause $9.4 billion in damages and lead to the week of October 8, 2017, being declared “the deadliest week of wildfires in California history.” When it came time to discuss recovery efforts, the question of where to begin seemed almost existential. After all, where does one start when the world is covered in ash?

For Michael Mondavi, founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners, the answer came thanks to a telephone call from an old friend.

“I got involved right after the fires when Darius Anderson called,” Mondavi says. “He asked if I would be interested in working with him to make sure that Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino [counties] all continued to get the proper support for years to come. To me, it was a rhetorical question.”

Anderson, the CEO and founder of Kenwood Investments LLC, quickly succeeded in recruiting Mondavi — along with a host of other notables from across Northern California — to join the board of the newly created Rebuild North Bay Foundation. Its mission: to rebuild the North Bay to be better, safer, greener and more efficient, while sustaining momentum for the long-term focus such an effort would require.

Alongside Mondavi on Rebuild’s board of directors are wine pioneer Tuck Beckstoffer, Kaiser Permanente’s Judy Coffey, Hansel Auto Group president Henry Hansel and many more. They are pooling resources, taking meetings and offering guidance to a community that continues to navigate its way through an unprecedented crisis. At the helm is Rebuild North Bay’s executive director, Jennifer Gray Thompson, a lifelong Sonoma Valley resident.

Thompson compares the work of Rebuild North Bay to a fi fth-floor walk-up apartment — with at least that many steps and levels required to ultimately reach the doorway that leads to a sustainable future.

“The needs change pretty constantly,” she notes. “Rebuild North Bay Foundation is dedicated to being here and being at its most active from one year post-fi re to five to 10 years post-fi re.”

In other words, the work is only just beginning.

EVERYONE INVOLVED in the North Bay fire recovery efforts seems eager to emphasize one point above all else: the bellwether of a year may be notable from a news cycle perspective, but disasters like the one that occurred last fall don’t operate on convenient timelines.

“This fire was not just a one-day fire,” Mondavi says. “This fire went on for over 10 days. We could have a oneyear anniversary for 10 days in a row. Our concern is that in six months or in a year or in two years, when it’s no longer in the news, people won’t be paying attention — and yet that’s when the true rebuilding begins.”

FENCE

Part of Rebuild’s plan to ensure the North Bay’s recovery efforts aren’t forgotten is to stay in close contact with the federal government and advocates in the nation’s capital. As part of a delegation that visited Washington, D.C., this January, Mondavi met with leaders like Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Mick Mulvaney of the O ffice of Management and Budget.

“One of the many takeaway lessons that I got in Washington, D.C., is that everything in a state that goes through FEMA has to have the approval of the Office of the Governor,” Mondavi notes. “The big message I got was if Napa and Sonoma and Mendocino and Lake all went separately to the governor’s office, it would bog things down.”

Thus, one core aspect of Rebuild North Bay’s focus has been to assist with communication between counties and ensure that all efforts toward recovery pay the biggest possible dividends. On a large scale, this means asking county officials to each select one request and one proposal to send to the O ffice of the Governor to prevent the logjam a piecemeal approach might cause.

On a smaller level, it means helping those with something to offer connect with those in need.

AT THE EPICENTER of the Tubbs Fire devestation, Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park neighborhood was leveled last October.

A

IS NOT THAT SEXY, I KNOW, BUT IT MEANS A LOT TO THE PERSON BEHIND IT.

In total, over 1,300 structures were destroyed. Now the residents of Coffey Park face not only the challenges of rebuilding their own homes, but the further expense of removing and replacing the damaged wall lining their properties. Thompson estimates the cost at $25,000 per parcel owner — and at first, she wasn’t sure there was anything Rebuild could do to help.

“We’re not magical,” Thompsons says. “We have no capes, but if we have the access and ability to make a difference, that’s what we’re going to do.”

When the debris removal company AshBritt consulted Thompson about how it might help the recovery efforts, she mentioned the Coffey Park walls. With Rebuild serving as a fund manager, AshBritt agreed to donate $450,000. Thompson then secured the services of local attorney Martin Hirsch, who donated his fees to get the necessary paperwork fi led. The project is underway and expected to take three months to complete.

Representatives for two other nearby subdivisions — Mark West and Lakefield — saw what Rebuild was doing and contacted Thompson to see if they too could get help with some common fencing issues the fires had left behind.

“I’m not a fence fairy,” Thompson recalls thinking, but it was then that Habitat for Humanity Sonoma County called her to see if she needed any additional resources for the Coffey Park project. “I said, ‘Why don’t we work together on helping these other two subdivisions? Let’s just see what’s possible.’ ”

Thompson met with community block captains and meanwhile received another well-timed call — this one from Barry Friedman of Friedman’s Home Improvement. He told Thompson he’d had vendors waiting since the fires had started for a chance to help. The material donations to aid Mark West and Lakefield with fencing fell into place. At press time, more funding was still required to keep the project on track as difficulties with the terrain were adding costs.

“Sonoma Clean Power gave a $200,000 grant for that project, and NorCal Ford and the Ford Foundation gave grants as well,” Thompson says. “It’s an example of the role the private

sector can play in our recovery to fill gaps, and proof that they want to play that role. There’s a lot of generosity and talent out there, and it’s our job to pair the private sector with the public and nonprofit sectors to get all of this done.”

Thompson also sees the Coffey Park walls as a “visual deliverable” — a physical sign of progress that can be pointed to as a milestone on the march to recovery. “We desperately want one tangible community-based project completed or nearing completion by the anniversary.

“A fence is not that sexy, I know,” Thompson says, “but it means a lot to the person behind it.”

AMONG REBUILD NORTH BAY Foundation’s other projects: establishing a website that can serve as a one-stop information hub; continuing to lobby in Washington, D.C.; visiting cities like San Diego that have previously endured disasters of their own to learn what does and doesn’t work; and documenting Rebuild’s own efforts so that other cities and counties can use its work as a blueprint in future emergencies.

Of course, it’s also vital to remember that behind the statistics and acronyms are real-life human beings. Despite the incredible display of resiliency and strength the North Bay has shown, there are still many dealing with the mourning that comes with such profound loss.

“The trauma is still very much with us,” Thompson says. “Our vineyards are fi ne, and our tourism economy is doing just fi ne, but we have to keep our focus on what our neighbors need.”

Ultimately, there will be no quick fixes for the devastation wrought by last fall’s wildfires, but in lieu of a cheat sheet with all the answers for a successful recovery, Rebuild North Bay now looks to the communities themselves as its guiding force.

“I think the most amazing thing that happened during the fires is it really tested who we are as a community,” Thompson suggests. “It tested what we would do for each other, which turned out to be anything necessary. I think those lessons will stay with us, but we also need everybody to remember that their talents and generosity will still be needed in the years to come.

“It’s especially important for people who have lost their homes to not feel alone,” she adds. “We can’t just turn our eyes away and allow that to occur. We have to stay with our community all the way through, which means donating our time, donating our funds and donating our services. If you don’t live here, then please remember that economically we still need you, and we welcome you here.” m

OUR CONCERN IS THAT IN SIX MONTHS OR IN A YEAR OR IN TWO YEARS, WHEN IT’S NO LONGER IN THE NEWS, PEOPLE WON’T BE PAYING ATTENTION — AND YET THAT’S WHEN THE TRUE REBUILDING BEGINS

Paradise Ridge Winery, by George Rose

Destinations

STORY AND PHOTOS BY PORTER GALE

I’VE ALWAYS LOVED adventures. When I was young, my father would pack our Jimmy Mini motor home with sleeping bags, salty snacks and eight-track tapes and he’d drive until we found our destination. Interstate 90 was our home and Wall Drug, the Corn Palace and Mount Rushmore were frequent stops. Now, as a longtime Marin County resident, I still yearn for an escapade and am grateful that worlds of beauty, entertainment and new conversations are only a short car ride away. One recent weekend, I headed two hours north and spent the day at the Gold County Pro Rodeo in Auburn, California. I not only love visiting new places but also love meeting people along the way. On this beautiful, blue Saturday, I met and chatted with three longtime rodeo lovers, Charlie “Too Tall” West, Mariah Hunt and Chance Strong.

Charlie “Too Tall” West started going to rodeos when he traveled the country showing pigs at county and state fairs. “My friends were involved in rodeo, in District 3, right here in the Auburn area and one thing led to another and I decided to get into the business too,” he explains from a bench behind his truck. “I wanted to be a bull rider, but my little legs didn’t go around larger farm animals and being a roper didn’t ful fi ll my need for an adrenal rush.”

So, after graduating from high school in 1981, he set off in a car full of friends and headed west. “We ended up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where there was a summer rodeo series. My friend said ‘Put up or shut up,’ so we went down to the five-and-dime, bought a mattress to roll up and put it inside a large barrel.” They put the barrel in the ring and, “after the bulls hit it around, I was on top of the world,” West says.

“I’m blessed: I’ve never had a 9-to-5 job; this is all I’ve ever done. I’m the littlest guy in the world who does this,” he says. “Once I put on my signature face, I’m a di fferent person. I love it, love the kids and love putting a smile on someone’s face.” He adds, “You can’t put a price tag on the friends I’ve made doing this. I guess I’m too lazy to work, too scared to steal and this is the business I’m in.”

Mariah Hunt started riding horses at age 4 and soon afterward met the sister of a friend who was a rodeo queen. “I grew up wanting to be a rodeo queen. Along the way, I lost a lot of pageants, but you always win because you fi nd something in yourself that you didn’t know before,” she says. “I learned how to be a public speaker and I’ve seen a huge change in myself. I’m not as nervous in job interviews

and I’m ready for my future. For me, when I go into the arena, I feel like I’ve won the Super Bowl.”

Wearing a red western-style shirt and a rodeo-queen tiara on her cowboy hat, Hunt says, “For a lot of the cowboys and cowgirls it’s a career base; they depend on the paycheck to put food on the table for their families. Fans may see them as entertainment, but in reality, this is their lifestyle. They live and breathe it and they put more money into their animals and stock than they do into themselves. The amount of love and support that people put into the rodeo, it should be recognized.”

Chance Strong, who grew up in California, “could ride a horse as a baby” and started riding sheep as a kid. By age 12, he’d moved on to junior bulls, and when he turned 18 he purchased a “pro card” and hit the rodeo circuit with friend and fellow bull rider Justin Rowell. The two paired up to minimize travel expenses as they drive from rodeo to rodeo in a Ford truck with a camper attached.

“The camper has two beds, a shower and a barbecue,” Strong says. “We’re often gone for a month at a time and hit as many rodeos as we can — in Texas, there is often a rodeo every day. In a good month, you can make $10,000. Some of these rodeos are high stakes: when you see your name at the top of the leaderboard it’s the best thing ever. But you can’t ride everything, and it’s important to keep your mind clear and have fun.

“We are like professional athletes, like football players, but we ride bulls,” he adds. To that end he watches his diet, practices on stationary barrels and drop barrels, and does “up and down” drills. He also does cryotherapy, an alternative treatment that involves entering a walk-in tank and standing in near-freezing temperatures to help the muscles recover. “Some pros can ride until they are 40 or 50, but you have to take care of your body,” he says. “When you’re at the top of your game, nobody can stop you.”

Strong aspires to have several world champion titles under his belt by age 25. “I do want to make a career of it. I pray every day to God that I’ll be able to buy a piece of land in Texas, fi ll it with animals and have a handful of kids.” He and his fiancée, Drew, just had thei r fi rst child, a boy named Waylnn. “My dad was a cowboy, I’m a cowboy and I’ll absolutely teach my boy to be in the rodeo. I love it.”

Catch the Grand National Livestock Expo, Horse Show and Rodeo at the Cow Palace, October 12–13 and 19–20.

Opposite, clockwise from top left: Chance Strong; falling off; Mariah Hunt; Charlie “Too Tall” West.

Time Honored

Before the verdant valleys of Napa and Sonoma were known as wine country, it was the new frontier, teeming with grizzly bears and opportunity. Today, there are not many relics left from those wild days. Here are three pre-1906 earthquake lodging options — sweetened with award-winning cuisine — that have stood the test of time. MIMI TOWLE AND KASIA PAWLOWSKA

1BELTANE RANCH Fans of Comedy Central’s Drunk History and the movie Sideways should run, don’t walk, to Sonoma’s Beltane Ranch. The then–Drummond Ranch was established in 1878 by John Drummond, a pioneer California viticulturist and winemaker who was one of the first to graft the old mission-style grapevines to fine wine varieties, which included introducing merlot to California in 1883. In 1892 the ranch and surrounding homesteads were purchased by the legendary Mary Ellen Pleasant, a daughter of slaves, who rose to a position of considerable financial and political power in San Francisco. Pleasant built the existing ranch house, and husband-and-wife team Teresa and Thomas Bell managed the ranch as vacation lodging, which eventually became known as Beltane Ranch. Today, Alex Benward, Lauren Benward Krause and Alexa Wood own and operate the five-roomplus-one-cottage property and serve up critically acclaimed wine country cuisine fresh from onsite gardens. beltaneranch.com

2CABERNET HOUSE Built in 1906 by master craftsman E. W. Doughty, who was also responsible for building many of Napa’s landmark homes and churches, the Cabernet House doubled as an advertising tool for Doughty. Full of rich architectural detailing he could show to potential clients, the house is situated so that travelers would see it for several blocks as they headed out of town. In the 1970s, a spa tub builder created an outdoor hot tub for the house that resembled a cluster of wine grapes, with the “grapes” conveniently creating alcoves for individual hot tubbers. A few years later, that same builder bought the property, renovated it and converted it into one of Napa Valley’s first bed and breakfast inns. The Napa Valley Bed and Breakfast Inn opened its doors to guests in 1979 and became a historic landmark that same year. Today guests can choose to stay in one of eight rooms or a private cottage at the Cabernet House, all with fireplaces, and enjoy a gourmet “wine taster’s” breakfast each morning. oldworldinn.com

3MADRONA MANOR Back in 1879, San Francisco businessman John Alexander Paxton purchased 240 acres in Dry Creek Valley for $10,500. The next year, he commissioned a 17-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom, 17-fireplace home for another $12,000. Today it is the second oldest home in Sonoma County. Even though Paxton disinherited his eldest son, Blitz, the son ended up with the property by default and sold off ost of the acreage. By 1981, under the ownership of John Harry Muir, it became a top wine country destination and that trend has continued under the reign of current owners Trudi and Bill Konrad, who maintain the historical vibe with many original pieces throughout the property. The historic grounds, garden and large estate make this a popular wedding destination, and the Michelin-starred restaurant and cozy quarters make it a favorite romantic getaway. madronamanor.com

Harmon Guest House

Healdsburg’s Latest Attraction

Late last summer, Piazza Hospitality opened its third Healdsburg property, Harmon Guest House, named in honor of Harmon Heald, the town’s founder. The group behind this luxe trio has deep ties to Marin, founded by the late Merritt Sher and Paolo Petrone, who along with their families decided to make Healdsburg a tourist destination in the ’90s, “It was a short drive from Marin, and we all loved the small town vibe. The downtown design including the plaza was of walkable scale and there was a deep community feeling that was fostered by the town’s founder Harmon Heald’s thoughtful urban plan,” explains Circe Sher, now a partner of Piazza Hospitality. In the late ’80s, the town council was looking for someone to come in and create a hotel, a destination near the square to attract weekend visitors. Enter Merritt Sher, who had previously had success at Oakland’s Jack London Square. “My dad and his partner Paolo Petrone have had a passion about Healdsburg and when they learned the western block of the plaza was an economic development site zoned for hotels, they were thrilled and took their time to make sure it was done with respect to the community and environment,” Circe says. With sustainability and green initiatives among its priorities, Harmon Guest House features numerous environmentally friendly elements, including a sun-shading slat system to reduce solar heat gain, electric car charging stations and all LED lighting. The hotel also includes a rainwater harvesting system that provides 100 percent of the property’s irrigation needs. Additional green elements include a solar thermal water heating system, low/no VOC paints and coatings, a storm-water bio-swale, recycled-content and regionalcontent materials, reclaimed finish materials, high-efficiency irrigation system with weather-based controls, and water-efficient plumbing fi xtures. The property also utilizes FSC Certi fied wood throughout the building. “My dad, who recently passed would have been thrilled to see the opening of Harmon Guest House,” Circe adds. “The 39-room retreat features inviting public spaces, such as our rooftop bar and lounge, and a 1,493-square-foot event space named after him, called Merritt Hall.”  MIMI TOWLE

WALK AND WINE

The Whole Lot

Planning a big party, whether it’s a milestone birthday or family reunion, is understandably stressful. It’s one thing getting everyone to show up, and the other issue is how to accommodate the entire crew. Fortunately, the new Vista Collina can handle all of those concerns. The property is a mini community, offering visitors an abundance of amenities like Fivetown Grocery, a market featuring freshly baked pastries, salads and sandwiches, wine and cocktails as well as an event calendar packed with wine dinners, concerts, a seasonal Artisan Market, and an expansive community lawn that you can kick back on. But of course it wouldn’t truly be wine country without tasting, and there’s no shuttles required to get in on them here. Around the lawn are nine tasting rooms — eight boutique wineries including Cornerstone Cellars, Jayson by Pahlmeyer and The Wine Foundry, plus Napa Smith Brewery for the craft brew ilk. As for lodging, there is not shortage of it. A vast space, Vista Collina boasts 145 rooms, including 39 suites with gourmet kitchens and large adjoining balconies perfect for hosting unforgettable alfresco fetes. meritagecollection.com/vista-collina KASIA PAWLOWSKA

Wine — it can be crispy or creamy, opulent or unctuous and scores of other things depending on the kind you’re having. Whatever it is, however, it is not a slimming beverage. A standard five-ounce pour is anywhere between 113 and 126 calories, which tallies up pretty quickly. Want to reap the benefits of wine without sacrificing your waistline? Join artist and wine producer Alice Sutro of Sutro Wine Co. for a 35-minute hike at her family’s historic Warnecke Ranch and Vineyard in Healdsburg. Learn about the development of the ranch by world renowned architect, John Carl Warnecke and after the hike, head down to the Jimtown Store in Alexander Valley for a tasting of Sutro’s three acclaimed wines paired with delicacies from the kitchen. Over in Calistoga, Amici Cellars offers a half-day immersion experience in the form of a boots-in-the-field tour and tasting from two of these centuries-old vineyards, known as the Beckstoffer Heritage Vineyards. The day wraps up a visit to Amici Cellars’ Calistoga winery and a seasonallyinspired meal. sutrowine. com, amicicellars.com K.P.

The Power of Wine

Good wine is powerful. It connects, inspires and amplifies. The most important moments in love, life and business are often paired with fine wines, celebrated around a dinner table. Scientists claim that wine tasting engages more of the human brain than other human behaviors. Wine even allegedly connects us to the divine. So, it shouldn’t surprise that great philanthropy flows from great wines too.

BY SUSAN NOYES

AUCTION NAPA VALLEY Since its inception in 1981, Auction Napa Valley has turned four days of parties, private dinners prepared by celebrities, concerts by rock stars, and barrel, online and live auctions into over $170 million to help provide everything from English language preparation for kindergartners to adult day services to Alzheimer’s disease support. Last year, one lot alone raised $2.1 million — it included a Colgin Cellars horizontal collection of large-format bottles of 2007 wines. Last year, more than $13 million was raised.

NAPLES WINE AUCTION The Naples (Florida) Wine Auction is especially critical to the community it serves, because the local government provides no support for children’s social services. This annual event funds more than 50 percent of Collier County’s youth programs through the auction’s beneficiary, Naples Children and Education Foundation. Over $176 million has been raised to date.

STAGLIN FAMILY VINEYARDS The behemoths of winebased philanthropy may well be the Staglin family and their eponymous Napa Valley vineyard. After their son Brandon was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 19, owners Garen and Shari Staglin resolved to be at the forefront of fundraising for research to find mental illness cures. “Our family vineyard

motto is Great Wine for Great Causes, and we absolutely live that at Staglin Family Vineyard,” Garen says. Great philanthropic numbers prove this too. The Staglins’ efforts include an annual Music and Education Festival for Brain Health, to be held this year on September 15, featuring Jennifer Hudson and Mindstrong Health President Thomas Insel, and two mental health foundations — Bring Change to Mind and One Mind for Research. In addition, the Staglins have chaired, co-chaired or founded at least 16 other major initiatives, raising over $800 million for institutions ranging from UCLA to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

WINE COUNTRY WILDFIRES The abundance of support for victims of last year’s wine countr y fi res also attests to wine’s community-uniting power. Donations immediately arrived by the truckload. Vineyards and residents not a ffected gave all they could to help the victims, then dug even deeper. Signs popped up with slogans like “The love in the air is thicker than the smoke.” Tourists booked special fundraising visits soon after the fi res to provide additional help. This magazine was delighted to see that the matching grant promotion it formed in collaboration with the Red Cross and other magazines, including Napa Sonoma, Diablo, SPACES and Make It Better, raised over $20,000 in under 24 hours.

beloved Kenilworth Union Church. Most of all, she enjoys serving others, creating virtuous circles that

Susan B. Noyes is the founder and chief visionary officer of Make It Better Media Group, as well as the founder of Make It Better Foundation’s Philanthropy Awards. A mother of six, former Sidley Austin labor lawyer, U.S. Congressional aide, passionate philanthropist and intuitive connector, she has served on the boards of the Poetry Foundation, Harvard University Graduate School of Education Visiting Committee, American Red Cross, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Annenberg Challenge, Chicago Public Education Fund, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New Trier High School District 203 and her

amplify social impact for all.

Maker.

Progressive Pastures beef rib eye, tomato confit, black olive potatoes Plan your stay

A town built by inspired craftspeople and visionaries. The perfect blend of agricultural heritage and trendsetting experiences. Join us in Healdsburg and dig into our roots, enjoy the fruits of our labor, and discover why we’re the tastemaker of Sonoma wine country.

Mateo Granados: Chef/Owner, Mateo’s Cocina Latina

Bali

Escaping the world in the upland town of Ubud is harder than it seems.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY CALIN VAN PARIS

The swimming ponds of Bambu Indah.

efore leaving for Bali, I sat down with my uncles Dave and Joe. My mother’s brothers pulled out a photo album, the two of them together on the Indonesian island at 29 (the same age I am now), their frizzed wavy hair worn to shoulders, smiling from the porches of small wooden huts encased on all sides in a deluge of lush greenery. “Paradise,” they said. Though, after that visit in the 1970s, Joe vowed never to return. “The modern tourism was starting in earnest, and I could see how it was going to go,” he said. And while the Eden I found was one of the most surreally beautiful places I’ve encountered, the footprints of the Western world have left an equally immense impression — on both me and the island itself.

IT’S MIDNIGHT AT Denpasar Airport, and I’m both jaded and exhausted. Unanticipated realities at home have left me in no mood for any sort of utopia — I want a dark room and junk food — but here I am, alone, after 30 hours of travel. To find myself, or something. To say that being in Bali feels like a chore is an absurdity and an obnoxious show of privilege. But at the moment, it does.

One harried negotiation in a mosh pit of eager drivers and I’m watching a cacophony of bottom-lit sculptures, billboards and plant life fl it through the frame of my open window. The streets are remarkably clean, the traffic that skids around the city organized. My taxi driver asks what I do.

“I’m a writer,” I say.

“Elizabeth Gilbert!” he says cheerfully.

This is not the last time this I will hear about the Eat Pray Love author. That woman is a beacon of tourist dollars around here.

BALI IS THE SORT of anomaly that myths are made of. While the Balinese were initially joined by a diverse group, including Chinese settlers and a share of Javanese, the 15th century and an infusion of Islam throughout nearby Java forced the last Javanese Majapahit king — along with a slew of priests, aristocrats and intellectuals — to the volcanic and easterly adjacent island of Bali. They erected temples, danced, and continued to cultivate a culture whose every aspect revolved around their chosen religion: Hinduism. Today, Bali has the largest Hindu population in Indonesia and is surrounded by Muslim neighbors.

MY SHUTTLE IS bound for Ubud, a jungled hub in the uplands of the Gianyar region known for its culture, surface-level spirituality and tiered rice terraces. It is in those terraces — waterlogged steps carved into the hillsides of the Tegallalang district — that I plan to make my home, in a little hut I sleuthed out on Airbnb. A drop-off in a graveled parking lot, a path flanked in intermittent light, a descent down dirt steps, a bamboo gate. Below spangled obsidian skies, soft lights from a neighboring restaurant insist that my house is positioned in the middle of a postcard. The resounding (and, initially, extremely disconcerting) call of a gecko (“GECK-OH! GECK-OH!”) rises raucously above the smooth symphony of jungle bugs, and soon the song transforms into a new kind of silence. My bed is bordered by an ethereal draping of mosquito nets. I can’t complain.

Jet lag has me up with dawn’s first light, and I choose to take advantage. I walk out of my front gate and into the terraces, heel-toeing my way across the thin, snaking rims of ponds brimming with rice stalks as carefully as one would walk a balance beam. A snail with a shell that looks like it belongs on a beach inches in front of me. I step over it and into a camoufl aged drainage gap, submerging my slipper in the muddy spring waters. But the combination of burgeoning birdsong and hazy morning light is intoxicating, so I squelch on.

Treasures present themselves in the form of sounds (a wooden water pump striking the side of a bucket rhythmically, a natural backbeat) and daily offerings, three-inch-by-three-inch

trays of plaited palm leaves, containing such representative trinkets as frangipani, grains of rice, crackers and marigold petals, finished with incense. The diminutive gifts are everywhere: on the street, in front of every home (homes that each contain at least one family temple, ample evidence of the importance of worship in this society), piled atop wooden boxes placed throughout the terraces. When I return to my house, there’s one on my doorstep. The ritual is how Balinese women begin the day, washing the streets and gutters in front of their homes (likely one of the reasons Bali is so clean) before presenting their creations. The squares are often replaced in the afternoon for a refresh of reverence for Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa — the “All-in-One God.”

MY CONTACT WHILE at the cottage is Wayan Lendy. The addition of “Lendy” is all that verbally di fferentiates this Wayan from numerous others. With a four-tiered caste system, Bali is nothing if not organized, and members of his caste, the lowest caste — farmers and laborers, who make up 90 percent of the population — are generally given one of four names, whether male or female. Wayan is reserved for the fi rstborn. Or the fi fth-born, when the cycle begins anew. He asks that I call him Lendy.

Lendy hands me a helmet and I hop on his motorbike, pretending (very convincingly, I believe) that I am not scared. I have heard tales of death by motorbike, of fi rst-day stitches, of head injuries. But after a mere 30 seconds, anxiety gives way to bliss, and soon I am convinced that the back of a bike is the best seat there is. We skim fluidly through tiny villages, past uniformed children heading to school, Frozen backpacks in tow, past women with baskets of tropical fruit balanced on their heads, women scouring sidewalks, women making offerings. Men huddled in discussion. Rice paddies turn to thick jungles and back again. I’m grinning like an idiot, and when Lendy drops me in Ubud’s

city center — after navigating the impressive amount of gridlock that appeared as if from nowhere upon our approach — I dismount a much happier camper.

This will be a daily occurrence over a long string of days, Lendy delivering me from quietude to some of Bali’s busiest streets. He tells me that there’s a bike I can rent, but I’m not that brave.

AND SO I LEARN to live like a Westerner in Ubud. This is not a hard thing to do. The charming lanes are laden with tourists and expats, along with vegan restaurants (which I patronize), clothing stores (which I peruse), yoga studios (which I frequent) and locals handing out fl iers for another “traditional dance performance” at another temple (I attend two). I ditch the full-frontal sun and watch from the shade as the monkeys scamper around the Ubud Monkey Forest. A bleached blonde girl with a shirt that says “Spiritual Gangster” walks by, and I am forced to pause for several moments to contemplate that garish contradiction in terms.

I make friends. In fact, every opportunity for alone time is thwarted almost comically (karmically?) by affable interlopers. There’s Molly from Brooklyn, with whom I bond during a Yin yoga class at The Yoga Barn — a sanctuary of feels-just-like-California spirituality that makes for a nice escape from the crammed and crumbling sidewalks — when we are unable to position the provided tennis balls at the correct pressure points beneath our backs, taking turns at quiet exclamations of agony. Afterwards we get wine down the road and befriend a visiting didgeridoo player. Then there’s Jasmina from Berlin, who actually shouts “Are you here alone? Want to hang out?” at me as I’m exiting an alleyway and waits patiently as I explore the Pura Puseh temple, which she can’t enter due to her tank top. That night we go to a resplendent restaurant called Bridges, where we are the only two not enjoying a romantic evening. We both order the tasting menu and share stories of home, and I decide that sometimes — particularly on this trip — solitude is not what’s necessary for growth.

I visit Villa Kitty, a foundation created to house and rehabilitate stray cats and kittens. It’s incredibly well-managed, but inundated

— there are 180 cats on the day of my visit. I cradle a tiny specimen named Timmy in my palms as I chat with Steve, a man from New York who wanted similar solace after encountering so many stray animals throughout the island. Another friend.

AFTER SEVERAL excessively humid days fi lled with frizzy hair, obscenely a ffordable spa visits — a massage at Nur Salon is followed by a soak in a tub brimming with flower petals — one Community Heart Talk (the subject is patience and makes me consider extending my trip to just be) and one particularly irksome Sound Meditation (perhaps the least relaxed I’ve ever been), I’m ready for a slightly grittier dose of actual Balinese culture. The point is driven home one afternoon as, while exiting The Yoga Barn, I witness a group of eight Balinese employees observing an Ecstatic Dance class

The Copper House at Bambu Indah.

The rice terraces of Tegallalang.

from the reception desk. Westerners bop around the vaulted studio to the tune of a clubby bass line. The Balinese stare blankly. I stand with them, silently, for a minute or two, trying to catch a glimpse from their vantage.

It’s worth noting that while yoga is a Hindu practice, it’s an Indian one, which here in Ubud seems reserved solely for visitors. Taxi drivers ask if I’m here to do yoga in a quietly mocking tone. “Some people come and just do yoga, every single day!” one says, laughing at the ridiculousness of the ritual. This, from a community to whom ritual is a way of life.

And so, when Lendy offers to take me across the terraces and into his village, I immediately accept the invitation. Molly in tow, we navigate the soggy levels, our guide offering up details about rice cultivation along the way. Bananas swing, Seussian, overhead. We pass temples, small cemeteries. Molly laments in hushed tones as malnourished dogs circle our feet. We enter the home of Lendy’s friend to find him seated at the center of the compound, carving a wing out of wood. His father meanders around and roosters thrash around in inverted basket cages, eager to come out swinging. It’s uncomfortable simply because it’s different. It’s what I’ve been looking for.

MY LAST NIGHT in town is set to be a lavish one, and one where I will finally be utterly alone. I’ve booked a room at Bambu Indah, an “eco resort” built sustainably and almost entirely of teak and bamboo (a bamboo elevator will take me to my space) by longtime expats John and Cynthia Hardy. There’s a vegetable garden that transmutes into meals and a natural swimming pond. My room — the Copper

House, a new structure divined by John and his daughter Elora — is an open shell in the trees that overlooks the Ayung River. I’m going to journal and be still and not talk to a single soul.

But when I arrive, there’s a celebration in my backyard. My open home, the most isolated in the bunch, is like a luxurious command tower seated above one of the resort’s recently implemented Sunday spring-water pool parties. And it is, of course, Sunday. I laugh out loud at the best-laid plans and make my way down.

I meet a scientist who’s writing a book on electromagnetic fields and who has been ricocheting between the Bay Area, Ubud and Chiang Mai for the past decade. I dip my feet in the water as he tells me tales of local cult activity — hint: there’s a fair amount, and it’s predominantly Western-driven — as a group of Australians host a tea ceremony on a neighboring rock platform. Steve, from Villa Kitty, is suddenly there, at the bar with two friends who are in Ubud “sitting with a guru,” who upon further inquiry turns out to be a 65-year-old German man hosting a cadre of women along with a few young men with bright eyes and deep pockets. The Ayung River flows dreamlike around arrangements of lanterns. Later, there’s fire and dancing.

I retreat to my room to jot one thing down.

“IF I REALLY WANT to grow, I’ve got to go home,” I scrawl in childish handwriting before rejoining the festivities.

I can see why so many flock to Ubud looking for something — it’s a visual paradise, with a rich history of cultural openness and spirituality. But if everyone slips away to the same place, what results is a party of lost souls, most beautiful, all vulnerable, and all escaping. I don’t know that I will take the same path as my uncle and give up on the island entirely. But if and when I do return to Eden, it will be with the knowledge that the fruit of that place was tasted a long time ago.

m

But after a mere 30 seconds, anxiety gives way to bliss, and soon I am convinced that the back of a bike is the best seat there is.

Out & About

A ROUNDUP OF THE HOTTEST LOCAL EVENTS, SOCIAL GATHERINGS AND PLACES TO EAT

THEATER

THRU MAR The Best of San Francisco Solo Series Featuring a run of performances by Brian Copeland, Will Durst and Maureen Langan and more, this series highlights some of the Bay Area’s most critically acclaimed solo shows. Showcase Theater (San Rafael). marincenter.org

Calendar

THRU OCT 21 Sweat

Inspired by the stories of Rust Belt workers, the play addresses the confl icts of the American dream via a cast of factory workers, their local bar and an unexpected event. A.C.T.’s Geary Theater (SF). 415.749.2228, act-sf.org

THRU OCT 21 Oslo This play tells the true story of a Norwegian diplomat and a social

scientist who arranged meetings between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, resulting in the 1993 Oslo Accords. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org

THRU OCT 27 Bravo 25: Your A.I. Therapist Will See You Now Eliza Gibson’s solo show draws on her experience

as a therapist and social worker to share the stories of six support group members, each aided by arti ficial intelligence therapist Amber. The Marsh (SF). 415.282.3055, themarsh.org

THRU OCT 28 The Waiting Period The Marsh and Brian Copeland present a remount of Copeland’s acclaimed solo show

The Waiting Period, which centers on his past struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. This unique show is presented at no cost to remove all barriers for those who may be dealing with depression themselves. The Marsh (SF). 415.282.3055, themarsh.org

OCT 3–20 The S.F. Olympians Festival IX: Roman Holiday This festival features 27 new plays by 28 writers, ranging from shorts to one-acts and full-length pieces, each exploring a di fferent legend or god from the mythology of ancient Rome. The EXIT Stage Left (SF). sfolympians.com

OCT 9–NOV 4 Miss Saigon Romance and wartime converge when an orphaned Vietnamese woman goes to work in a bar, where she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. — and they are then torn apart

by the fall of Saigon. Orpheum Theatre (SF). 888.746.1799, shnsf.com

OCT 11 A Night with Janis Joplin Celebrate the renowned rock and blues singer with an experience that takes audiences back to a Joplin concert at the peak of her fame and features an authentically retro stage design. Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). marin county.org

OCT 12–14 Problematic Play Festival This inaugural event in a festival series showcases three provocative plays that have been deemed “problematic" — too offensive or controversial — by theater producers and artistic directors around the country. Z Space (SF). zspace.org

OCT 16–NOV 11 Waitress Presented by an all-female creative team and with music

JOAN MARCUS

THEATER / COMEDY / MUSIC / MUSEUMS / EVENTS / FILM / TALKS EDITED BY CALIN VAN PARIS

by Sara Bareilles, Waitress is a don’t-miss production. Golden Gate Theatre (San Francisco). shnsf.com

OCT 17–DEC 16 Men on Boats Jaclyn Backhaus’s adventurous tale features 10 men, four boats and two rivers in a 21st-century take on the 19th-century one-armed Civil War veteran John Wesley Powell and his exploration of the Wyoming waterways. A.C.T.’s Strand Theater (SF). 415.749.2228, act-sf.org

OCT 25–DEC 8 Why

Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? In this solo show, Irma Herrera uses history and comedy to examine names as commentary on societal prejudices and assumptions. The Marsh (SF). 415.282.3055, themarsh.org

DANCE

THRU OCT 6 Dance Series 01 Smuin marks the start of its 25th season with a fall program of works that push the boundaries of contemporary ballet. Palace of Fine Arts (SF). 415.912.1899, smuinballet.org

THRU OCT 13 Death Fact/SF and CounterPulse come together for this world premiere featuring an immersive performance centering on losing a loved one. CounterPulse (SF). counterpulse.org

OCT 4–6 Extreme Lyric I Hope Mohr Dance and ODC Theater co-present this world premiere, featuring Anne Carson's translations of Sappho. ODC Theater (SF). 415.863.9834, odc.dance

OCT 5–14 Lines Ballet World Premiere with the Kronos Quartet Alonzo King Lines Ballet debuts this ballet with live music performed by the Grammy Award–winning Kronos Quartet. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, linesballet.org

OCT 12 Night Trolley Epiphany Dance Theater and Biederman Redevelopment Ventures present performances from three of the groups participating in the 15th anniversary edition of the San Francisco Trolley Dances. Salesforce Park (SF). epiphanydance.org

OCT 19–21 I Don’t Know and Never Will: A Recomposition Liss Fain Dance returns with a version of a piece initially inspired by old letters of Fain’s read aloud. Z Space (SF). 415.626.0453, zspace.org

OCT 20–21 San Francisco Trolley Dances Free with your Muni fare, these performances offer a new kind of stage, pairing artists and ensembles with sites along San Francisco’s Muni route. Various locations (San Francisco). epiphany dance.org

OCT 27 Life/Art Dances Weekend Workshop with Daria Halprin The co-founding director of Tamalpa Institute leads the way to embodied awareness and creativity. Mountain Home Studio (Kent field). tamalpa.org

Zio Ziegler

The Marin native breaks

The Fourth Wall in his solo exhibition at MarinMOCA.

Writing, painting, sculpting, you name it, Zio Ziegler does it. An artist at heart, the Rhode Island School of Design grad first gained notoriety for his large-scale murals found in his native Mill Valley as well as the world over. Since then Ziegler has branched into numerous other mediums and projects. His new paintings and sculptures will be featured at MarinMOCA from through November 11, with an opening reception for The Fourth Wall on September 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. marinmoca.org KASIA PAWLOWSKA

What does it mean to you to have your first solo show in Marin? This is a place that I’m tremendously inspired by and grounded by. I’ve been back in Marin for the past nine years and things have come full circle, including my work.

The scope of your work is far ranging — how do you stay so inspired and productive? There’s a perception that I paint a lot, but the amount of final works I’m OK with at the end of the year is maybe 10. The reason that I do this is that I prefer nothing else than working all day — the joy of process, of creating what’s in your mind’s eye.

What are the biggest challenges you encounter? How to get an audience to engage with your work for long enough for deep pattern recognition to take place. The desire to create a narrative, take this projective narrative and bring it back to the viewer. The world is getting more divisive and I want to show the human condition.

Is there something you’re particularly proud of? I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to let go and become looser. There’s a level of simplicity I’m after, getting to the soul of an object. After 17 drafts and 17 angles things become rote but then mistakes will happen, and it’s the mistakes and coincidences that fuel art.

MUSIC

OCT 3–30 Tosca S.F. Opera presents Puccini’s melodrama about a diva who takes a stand against corrupt chief of police Scarpia after becoming an object of his lust. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.864.3330, sfopera.com

OCT 5–7 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass This wellloved three-day festival features upwards of 80 artists performing alfresco on one of six stages — and entry is free. Golden Gate Park (SF). hardlystrictly bluegrass.com

OCT 14 Zemlinsky Quartet The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society kicks off ts annual concert series with a performance by this ensemble carrying on the Czech string quartet tradition. Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church (Mill Valley). 415.381.4453, chambermusic millvalley.org

OCT 26–28 San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus The SFGMC celebrates its 40th birthday with a series of weekend events featuring music, demonstrations on social justice and more. Various locations (SF). 415.865.3650. sfgmc.org

OCT 27–28

Marin Symphony Masterworks 1: Brilliant Take in Tchaikovsky's dazzlingly beautiful violin concerto, with soloist Dylana Jenson, and Shostakovich's powerful Symphony No. 10. Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.479.8100, marinsymphony.org

MUSEUMS

MARIN

Bolinas Museum The history room features images of the Parkin family in Bolinas at the turn of the 20th century, through December 30 (Bolinas). 415.868.0330, bolinasmuseum.org

Marin Museum of Contemporary Art The Fourth Wall Zio Ziegler’s work is highlighted in this solo exhibition showcasing new paintings and sculpture, through November 11 (Novato). 415.506.0137, marinmoca.org

BAY AREA

Asian Art Museum Haroon Mirza: The Night Journey This site-specific light and sound installation by London-based multimedia artist Haroon Mirza brings electricity to life, through Decemberr 9 (SF). 415.581.3711, asianart.org

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive In Focus: Ingmar Bergman A lecture-screening series focusing on Ingmar Bergman, through November 28 (Berkeley). 510.642.0808, bampfa.org

California Academy of Sciences Giants of Land and Sea Discover the forces that make Northern California a place unlike anywhere else. Step inside an immersive fog room, feel a jolt in an earthquake simulator, and explore marine mammal skeletons and models (SF). 415.379.8000, calacademy.org

Contemporary Jewish Museum Lew the Jew

and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo An exhibition exploring the work of “Lew the Jew” Alberts (born Albert Morton Kurzman), one of America’s most influential tatoo artists at the beginning of the 20th century, through November 18 (SF). 415.655.7800, thecjm.org

de Young Weapons of Mass Seduction: The Art of Propaganda Today’s version of propaganda may come in a single tweet or online headline, but past information spreading was a bit more complicated, a concept explored in this exhibit through a selection of World War I and II–era posters shown alongside film, ephemera and other items from the 1910s to the 1940s, through October 7 (SF). 415.750.3600, deyoung.famsf.org

di Rosa Be Not Still: Living in Uncertain Times (Part 2) A continuation of an exhibition of works responding to the evolving social and political climate, through December 30 (Napa). 707.226.5991, dirosaart.org

Legion of Honor Islam and the Classical Heritage This exhibition sheds light on the authors, philosophers and scientists of the Islamic world and how they spread classical knowledge via the medium of manuscripts, through January 27 (SF). 415.750.3600, legionofhono.famsf.org

Museum of the African Diaspora Ficre Ghebreyesus: City with a River Running Through The firt showing of its kind on the West Coast, this exhibition brings

together more than a dozen works from Eritrean-American artist Ficre Ghebreyesus, through December 16 (SF). 415.358.7200, moadsf.org

Museum of Craft and Design Raw Design An exhibition that explores innovative mediums as if discovered for the firt time, through October 28 (SF). 415.773.0303, sfmcd.org

Oakland Museum of California Homegrown Heroes: Oakland A’s at 50 In celebration of the A’s 50th anniversary, a tribute to three famed homegrown players — Dennis Eckersley, Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart — with personal photos from the past, through October 21 (Oakland). 510.318.8400, museumca.org

SFMOMA

René Magritte

The firt exhibition to look exclusively at painter René Magritte’s surrealist years, with some 80 artworks in nine immersive galleries, through October 28 (SF). 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org

Sonoma Valley

Museum of Art Natural Affinity: Calornia Women Sculptors in the Landscape Public art in Sonoma Plaza showcases female sculptors, through October 21 (Sonoma). svma.org

The Walt Disney Family Museum Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men: Masters of Animation An exhibition highlighting Disney Studios’ artists dubbed the “Nine Old Men” by Walt Disney, through January 7 (SF). 415.345.6800, waltdisney.org

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Bay Area Now 8 This survey exhibit features visual artists specializing in a range of mediums — as selected through a series of studio visits — to present a picture of the Bay Area in the present tense, through March 24 (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

EVENTS

OCT 6 Angels by the Bay Enjoy an evening marked by martini fountains, food and wine, a live auction led by Sen. Mike McGuire, dancing and a cigar bar. Meadow Club (Fairfax). 415.459.6245, marincil.org

OCT 10 TNDC Pool

Toss Pay for the privilege of tossing some of the Bay Area’s more recognizable folks into the waters of the Phoenix Hotel swimming pool, all to raise money for kids and families residing in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Phoenix Hotel (SF). 415.358.3906, tndc.org

OCT 12 March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction and Gala Support March of Dimes’ mission to improve the health of moms and babies. The annual gala begins this year with a tasting of San Francisco’s most desirable cuisine, followed by a live auction. The Ritz-Carlton (SF). 415.217.6371, marchofdimes.org

OCT 13 Let’s Dance

Ross Valley Women's League presents a gala in support of Adopt A Family, this time with a Studio 54 theme.

Peacock Gap (San Rafael). rvwl.org

OCT 13–14

Treasure Island Music Festival

This Bay Area music event is back for its 11th year. Enjoy alfresco performances from A$AP Rocky, Lord Huron and more along with local food and drink. Middle Harbor Shoreline Park (Oakland). treasure islandfestival.com

OCT 20 Women, Wine and Song Music, food and drink converge as Bay Area musicians perform songs by famed singers who have had breast cancer, incuding Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge and others, in support of the To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation. Osher Marin JCC (San Rafael). 415.383.6114, hpcfgiving.org

OCT 20–21 Goblin Jamboree This year the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s annual two-day Halloween festival is inspired by Wild West ghost towns. Enjoy activities and programs designed for the whole family. Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito). 415.339.3900, bayareadiscovery museum.org

OCT 27 North Bay Science Discovery Day

Bring the family and unleash your inner scientist by exploring an incredible array of fun, interactive exhibits with hands-on games and experiments, including robotics, animals, microbes and DNA. Sonoma County Fairgrounds (Santa Rosa). 415.924.2420, northbayscience.org

Brian Copeland: The Waiting Period

In 2008, Brian Copeland intended to purchase a gun with which to take his own life. The mandatory 10-day waiting period for that transaction serves as the backdrop for this candid conversation about depression, a show that debuted in 2012, was remounted in 2014 — as a response to Robin Williams’ death — and plays again this month. Theater (San Rafael). marincenter.org CALIN VAN PARIS

What makes this piece so important? The show is two things. It is an invitation to have this conversation. And it’s an intervention. The stories I get are just unbelievable. There are people who have seen this show and who are alive today because of it.

What do you hope people take away from The Waiting Period ? October is Depression Awareness Month, and may I ask that if you have a family member or a friend who struggles, do everything in your power to bring them out to this show so that they know they’re not alone.

FILM

THRU NOV 3 Italian Film Festival The Italian Film Festival of Marin County captures the Italian experience with a series of fi lms and appearances in an authentic Italian atmosphere. Showcase Theatre (San Rafael). 415.473.6800, italian fi lm.com

OCT 4–14 Mill Valley Film Festival The 41st year includes an appearance by Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano along with a wide variety of screenings and events showcasing the work of more than 200 fi lmmakers. Various locations (Marin). mv ff.com

OCT 28–31 Frankenstein Academy Award–winning director Danny Boyle guides Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller in this 2011 National Theatre production based on Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel. Lark Theater (Larkspur). 415.924.5111, larktheater.net

WALKS/TALKS

OCT 17 Susan Orlean

The best-selling author discusses The Library Book, in which she investigates the legendary Los Angeles Public Library fire to draw attention to the crucial roles libraries play in our lives. Nourse Theater (SF). 415.392.4400

OCT 22, 25 Marin Speaker Series: James Comey Get the inside scoop from the former FBI director. Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 650.340.7004, speakerseries.net

OCT 25 Composition in Photography Join Leanne Hansen to learn the principles of visual composition. The Image Flow (Mill Valley). 415.388.3569, theimagflw.com

OCT 28 Trick-or-Treat at Town Center Get a jump on Halloween with an afternoon of trick-ortreating at Town Center, where local merchants will have candy on hand. Town Center (Corte Madera). 415.924.2961, shoptowncenter.com

415.258.1905 sandomenico.org

Anna Paquin

Mahershala Ali

Amandla Stenberg

Timothée Chalamet

Carey Mulligan

Photo:

Eddie Hernandez

Photo: Kirke Wrench

Eat & Drink

What’s Hot

Pizza Your Way

Between high standards and food sensitivities, diners in 2018 are a fi nicky bunch. But there’s at least one silver lining: highly customizable, high-quality menus. For example, Marin Pizza, the newest restaurant in Corte Madera’s Town Center, offers build-it-yourself pizzas and salads made with local farm-fresh ingredients. Never-frozen dough, allowed 24 hours to rise, is cooked in just over two minutes at 750 degrees in a unique Italian convection conveyor oven with rotating stone slats. Signature dishes include chicken chipotle ranch salad and pizzas made with gluten-free dough from Southern California. An assortment of wines and beers is available on tap or by bottle or can. The natural-themed interior, with redwood slab tables, leather wall panels and exposed brick, makes a hospitable place for game night, casual business meetings and family get-togethers.

KASIA PAWLOWSKA

WHO Owner Thomas Wyman Jr. and executive chef Joshua Moser

WHAT Fast, casual dining with farm-to-table ingredients ready in five minutes

WHERE 107 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.891.8788, marin.pizza b $$ S Í LD

AN INSIDER’S GUIDE

AND GOOD FOOD IN THE BAY AREA EDITED BY MIMI TOWLE

Tom Wyman Jr.

Cobb salad

CORTE MADERA

BOCA PIZZERIA Italian

The Italian-inspired pizzeria utilizes Northern California’s bounty of seasonal ingredients and showcases local microbreweries and wine country’s boutique varietals. The menu includes appetizers, salads of organic produce when available, pastas, local free-range poultry and meats, desserts and Neapolitan-style pizzas with house-made mozzarella. Wine half off n Mondays. 1544 Redwood Highway, 415.924.3021, bocapizzeria.com s $$ Í C LD º

MARIN PIZZA Pizza

Farm-to-pizza is the mission of this fastcasual restaurant. Choose from signature pies or design your own. The pizza is baked on a convection conveyor of rotating stone slabs, which ensures a crisp, thin crust without the long wait. 107 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.891.8788, marin.pizza b $$ S Í LD

MARIN JOE’S Italian

A Marin mainstay for over 50 years, with a menu of soups, salads, seafood, mesquitegrilled or sautéed meats and a plethora of pasta options. To add to your dining experience, order the table-side prepared Caesar salad. Not looking for a meal? Enjoy a drink and hear local musicians at the well-known piano bar. 1585 Casa Buena Drive, 415.924.2081, marin joesrestaurant.com s $$ S C LD

PACIFIC CATCH

Seafood The Paci fic Rim–inspired

restaurant has a familyfriendly atmosphere. The menu, showcasing freshly caught seafood, includes tacos, poke, ceviche, sandwiches, salads, rice bowls, seasonal cocktails and daily specials. 133 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3474, pacificcatch.com s $$ S Í C LD º

PIG IN A PICKLE

American Fresh and locally sourced brisket, pork, ribs and chicken get star billing at this Town Center eatery. Sauces are crafted to represent various American barbecue regions, including Memphis and South Carolina. House-made pickles, buns and sausages will keep you coming back. 341 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.891.3265, piginapicklebbq.com b $$ S Í BLD

TAMALPIE Pizza The second location of the original Mill Valley pizzeria is now open, with indoor and outdoor seating plus takeout and delivery. Try the locally inspired pizzas and seasonal cocktails. 55 Tamal Vista Blvd, 415.704.7437, tamalpie pizza.com s $$ S Í LD º

WORLD WRAPPS

California Owners Keith Cox and Matt Blair have revamped this “fast food” joint to feature healthy and fl avorful items like a Hawaiian poke wrap and a tahini tofu summer roll that’s vegan-friendly. Exotic housemade beverages include boba tea, mango lassi and Vietnamese iced coffee. 208 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3663, worldwrapps.com $ S Í LD

ICB, 480 Gate 5 Rd. Studio 235, Sausalito info@bibbyart.com (415) 309-4152

FAIRFAX

123 BOLINAS California

Created by four friends wanting to showcase seasonal fare in a relaxing, intimate environment, this cozy one-room eatery offers locally brewed beer, small-production wines and seasonal food along with a view of Bolinas Park through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 123 Bolinas St, 415.488.5123, 123bolinas.com b $$ S Í D º

GRILLY’S Mexican

If you’re looking for a quick, fresh meal, Grilly’s is an easy and delicious stop. Pick up a couple burritos and the much-loved chicken taco salad and you have a lunch or dinner to please the whole family. 1 Bolinas Ave, 415.457.6171, grillys.com $ S Í C BLD

TAMAL Mexican

Regional cuisine highlights coastal regions of Oaxaca and the Yucatán Peninsula. Dine inside or on the patio and enjoy cocktails or some of the Bay Area’s best craft beer. 23 Broadway, 415.524.8478, tamalfairfax.com s $$$ LD

VILLAGE SAKE

Japanese Lucky for Fairfax, beloved former Sushi Ran chef Scott Whitman has opened an izakaya, a Japanesestyle community pub, on Bolinas Road. In the compact space, you’ll fi nd sushi and skewers, salads and small plates, plus great sake and craft beers. The daily wait list opens online at 5 p.m. 19 Bolinas Road, 415.521.5790, villagesake.com b $$$ Í D

LARKSPUR

EL HUARACHE LOCO

Mexican The menu has gained quite a following for the authentic Mexico City dishes. From mini huaraches (fi lled corn masa cakes) to the foot-long huarache with two salsas, crema, queso fresco and two toppings of your choice, you’re sure to get a true taste of a homemade Mexican meal. Marin Country Mart, 1803 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.925.1403, huaracheloco.com b $ S Í BLD

FARMSHOP American

Located in the Marin Country Mart since 2013, Farmshop Marin has quickly become a top spot here in the county. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Marin Country Mart, 2233 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.755.6700, farmshopca.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR

FISHER’S CHEESE + WINE American Marin Country Mart gets a cheese-inspired restaurant and retail shop by Kiri Fisher. Expect a unique selection of fromage and wine as well as hot dishes like meatballs with creamed kale. Marin Country Mart, 2201 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.779.2201 fisherscheese.com b $$ Í LD BR

LEFT BANK RESTAURANT French

This authentically classic brasserie has been serving the Larkspur community for more than two decades. It’s a fun and French experience. 7 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR

MARIN BREWING CO.

American Grab a cold beer made on site and pair it wit h fi sh ’n’ chips — in this case fresh cod dipped in Mt. Tam pale ale batter, served with steak fries and homemade tartar sauce — or anything from the all-American menu.

Marin Country Mart, 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.4677, marinbrewing.com b $$ S Í LD º

RUSTIC BAKERY

California The homegrown bakery is known and loved the world over: Pope Francis famously requested Rustic Baker y fl atbread and crostini when he visited the U.S. in 2015. Organic bread, croissants and pastries baked fresh each morning and salads, sandwiches, and soups for lunch make Rustic a local staple. 1139 Magnolia Ave, 415.925.1556; Marin Country Mart, 2017 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.9900, rusticbakery.com b $$ S Í BLD BR

MILL VALLEY

BOO KOO Asian This locally owned restaurant creates healthy meals that blend equal parts California fresh with Southeast Asian–inspired street food. With a updated menu and expansion of the restaurant, they’ve ushered in a vibrant bar with wines and kombucha on tap as well as one of the best craft beer offerings in town. Vegan, GF and vegetarian-friendly menu. 25 Miller Ave, 415.888.8303, eatbookoo.com b $ Í LD

BUCKEYE

ROADHOUSE American Oysters Bingo, baby back ribs and ChiliLime “Brick” Chicken are a few of the satisfying comfort-food menu items that have made this classic roadhouse a favorite since the ’30s. The warm dark-wood bar with red leather booths is a popular spot for cocktails, conversations or a light meal.

15 Shoreline Highway, 415.331.2600, buckeyeroadhouse.com s $$ C LD BR

BUNGALOW 44

American One of Mill Valley’s neighborhood hot spots, featuring contemporary California comfort food, signature cocktails, fi ne wine, and one-dollar oysters from 5 to 6 p.m. every day.

44 E Blithedale Ave, 415.381.2500, bungalow44.com s $$$ S Í C D

HARMONY Chinese

Enjoy a lighter take on Chinese at this restaurant, nestled in Strawberry Village. The barbecue pork bun is fi lled with house-made roasted meat in a savory sauce, and signature prawns are wok seared with scallions. Pair your pick with wine, beer or tea and be sure to check out the weekday takeout lunch special.

401 Strawberry Village, 415.381.5300, harmonyrestaurant group.com b $$ S LD

FRANTOIO

RISTORANTE Italian

This Tuscan-themed restaurant is centered around its in-house olive press, which produces a special blend popular with locals., and the olive-press room can be reserved

for occasions and private parties. The popular weekday happy hour starts at 4:30 p.m. 415. 289.5777, frantoio.com s $$$ Í C LD º

PIATTI RISTORANTE

AND BAR Italian The staff rides itself on capturing the warm and welcoming atmosphere of a traditional Italian trattoria. Get a table by the window or on the outdoor deck for a truly exceptional view right on the water. Peruse the impressive selection of Italian wines to accompany your rustic seasonal meal. 625 Redwood Highway, 415.380.2525, piatti.com s $$ S Í C LD BR

PIZZA ANTICA Italian

Besides its popular thin-crust pizzas, this Strawberry Village restaurant serves seasonal dishes like Tuscan fried chicken with spicy honey, burrata with crushed sweet peas and toasted focaccia, and ricotta gnocchi with sun-dried tomato cream. 800 Redwood Highway, 415.383.0600, pizzaantica.com b $$ S LD BR º

PLAYA Mexican

Drawing inspiration from travels and the fresh , fl avorful cuisine served on the playa, Peter Schumacher and Bill and Vanessa Higgins have developed a menu that blends locally sourced, organic and sustainable ingredients with a bar highlighting a selection of exceptional tequilas and mezcals. 41 Throckmorton Ave, 415.384.8871, playamv.com s $$ Í D

SHORELINE COFFEE SHOP American Tucked away in a parking lot at Tam Junction, this coffee shop is a funky diner with a small-town feel. Check out the mix of Mexican and traditional breakfast fare. 221 Shoreline Highway, 415.388.9085, shoreline coffeeshop.com b $$ S Í BL BR

TAMALPIE Italian

Owner Karen Goldberg designed this restaurant with a large group seating area, indoor and outdoor fi replaces, and a small casual bar. The food is Italian home cooking with the daily modern inspiration of locally sourced seasonal ingredients found in the salads, house-made pastas and crispy Neapolitan-style pizza, with a selection of beer and wine to match. 477 Miller Ave, 415.388.7437, tamalpie pizza.com s $$ S Í C LD º

THE WHISK + SKILLET American This daytime eatery in Strawberry Village serves all-day breakfast and lunch with plenty of egg options to choose from and Equator coffee to boot. Lunch options include soups, sandwiches and salads. 125 Strawberry Village, 415.380.1900, whisk andskillet.com b $$ BL

THEP LELA Thai This jewel is tucked away in the back of Strawberry Village. Diners come for the tasty kee mao noodles, pad thai, fresh rolls and extensive bar menu. It’s also a great place for lunch. 615 Strawberry Village, 415.383.3444, theplela.com s $$ S Í LD

• Prada

• Gucci

• Saint Laurent

• Bottega Veneta

• Dolce & Gabbana

Open Mon–Sat 10–5

Consignment Hours: Tues–Sat 10–3

EncoreConsignment.com

11 Mary Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 Next to Whole Foods 415.456.7309

PHOTO:GLEN

NOVATO

BESO BISTRO AND WINE BAR California

This Hamiton Field bistro highlights locally sourced organic produce, fresh sustainable seafood, and pastureraised and free-range meat. Wine lovers can embrace their inner Dionysus — Beso offers more than 20 selections by the glass and more than 50 by the bottle. 502 S Palm Drive, besobistro.com b $$ Í LD

HOPMONK TAVERN

American The beer garden–style outdoor patio and live music keep fans coming back to this Novato brewhouse. Weekly events include country line dancing and open mic nights with an ample selection of beers on tap. 224 Vintage Way, 415.892.6200, hopmonk.com s $$ S Í C LD

RUSTIC BAKERY

California Organic pastries, breads, salads and sandwiches are on the menu here, including daily seasonal specials. Try the Marin Melt — Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam and Point Reyes Toma cheeses grilled on honey whole wheat, served with dressed baby greens and crisp apple slices. 1407 Grant Ave, 415.878.4952, rusticbakery.com b $$ S Í BLD BR

SAN ANSELMO

COMFORTS CAFE

American Established in 1986, Comforts has a cozy sit-down patio and serves breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. A large takeout section offers fresh

bakery items, seasonal salads, soups, sandwiches and even entrees for dinner at home. Besides the famous Chinese chicken salad, other winners are the stu ffed pecan-crusted French toast , fl avorful scrambles, Chicken Okasan (nicknamed “Crack Chicken” by fans) and wonton soup. 335 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.9840, comfortscafe.com b $$ S Í BL BR

INSALATA’S

Mediterranean Awardwinning chef Heidi Krahling’s restaurant features delicious, soulful Mediterranean fare, as well as food-to-go at a counter inside. 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.457.7700, insalatas.com s $$$ S C LD BR

L’APPART RESTO

French Savor a range of French and local favorites or a $36 three-course pri x fi xe menu in an energetic yet sophisticated setting. There’s live music on Thursdays; dinner Monday to Saturday; lunch and brunch Friday to Sunday. 636 San Anselmo Ave, 415.256.9884, lappartresto.com b $$ S Í LD BR

MADCAP California

Chef Ron Siegel has opened his fi rst solo venture in a contemporary art-fi lled space with an urban edge. The vegetable-centric menu incorporates seafood and local ingredients, fusing California and Japanese cuisines in colorful dishes that are bold, balanced and bright. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.453.9898, madcapmarin.com b $$$

MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL

M.H. BREAD AND BUTTER California

A one-stop shop for everything from coffee and pastries to artisan bread, with a seasonal brunch menu. Highquality ingredients and a comfortable atmosphere make MH worth checking out. 101 San Anselmo Ave, 415.755.4575, mhbreadandbutter.com b $$ S Í BL BR

TACO JANE’S Mexican

Taco Jane’s full bar features a robust tequila and mezcal selection. Its regional Mexican cuisine includes Oaxacan mole, fi sh tacos and vegetarian options. Black Gold salsa arrives with complimentary chips and is created using charred blackened tomatoes and roasted chilis. Live music Thursdays, enclosed patio seating all year round, weekday happy hour 4:30 to 6 p.m. 21 Tamalpais Ave, 415.454.6562, tacojanes.com s $$ S Í LD BR

VALENTI & CO. Italian

This bright and cozy space is the ideal environment for authentic Italian dishes made with local ingredients. A seat at the chef’s table gives a prime view of the open kitchen. 337 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.7800, valentico.com b $$$ D

SAN RAFAEL

IL DAVIDE Italian

The large selection of innovative and classic Tuscan dishes and house-made pasta has kept locals coming back for years. Ingredients are organic and locally sourced where possible, and there’s a vast selection of both Italian and California wines by the glass. A private party dining room accommodates up to 45. 901 A St, 415.454.8080, ildavide.net s $$$ S Í C LD

RANGE CAFE American

The cuisine is local, seasonal, made with naturally raised ingredients and served in

a casual, comfortable and refi ned setting, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the grand Peacock Gap lawns. An inviting cafe at lunch with ice-cold lemonade and refreshing chardonnays makes a great dinner spot once the sun sets. 333 Biscayne Drive, 415.454.6450, rangecafe.net s $$ S Í C BLD º

SAUSALITO

BAR BOCCE American Food just tastes better on a bayside patio with fi re pits and a bocce ball court. Order one of the sourdough bread pizzas and a glass of wine and you’ll see why this casual eatery, overseen by Robert Price of Buckeye and Bungalow 44, has become a local favorite. 1250 Bridgeway, 415.331.0555, barbocce.com s $$ S Í LD

CIBO California Located in a historic brick building on Sausalito’s main drag, this is a great

• OSTERIA DIVINO

Italian Osteria Divino offers authentic Florentine cooking inspired by the finest local, organic, seasonal produce, meat and fish available, along with an extensive artisan pasta selection. Live music Tue-Sun. 37 Caledonia St, 415.331.9355, osteriadivino.com b $$ S Í C BLD BR º

place to a sip a quick cup of coffee outdoors. The menu offers tarts, croissants, cookies, paninis and soups. Every dish is made from scratch with local and seasonal products. 1201 Bridgeway, 415.331.2426, cibosausalito.com $$ S Í BL

COPITA Mexican Co-owner Joanne Weir, along with chef Daniel Tellez, presents fresh Mexican fare in downtown Sausalito. The ever-changing menu is 100 percent gluten-free, and the inhouse tequila bar serves over 100 varieties and fantastic cocktails. Dine at the bar or on the outdoor patio for great people-watching. 739 Bridgeway, 415.331.7400, copita restaurant.com s $$ S Í LD BR

F3/FAST FOOD FRANCAIS French

Owned and operated by the owners of Le Garage, F3 serves brunch, lunch and dinner featuring “Frenchi fied” American comfort food. A rotating

menu includes items like the Quack burger (duck con fit, black pepper chèvre, lettuce and red onion marmalade). Enjoy with a side of Brussels sprout chips or pommes dauphines (tater tots). 39 Caledonia St, 415.887.9047, eatf3.com s $$ S Í LD BR

KITTI’S PLACE Thai

This home-style family restaurant has been in Sausalito 20 years and features favorites like lettuce cups, soft spring rolls and weekly specials. 3001 Bridgeway, 415.331.0390, kittisplace.com b $$ S Í LD

LE GARAGE French Escape the tourist crush for an indulgent meal right on the water. The atmosphere is animated with light French music (à la Amélie), and the much-adored croque-monsieur is authentic. Indoor or outdoor seating. 85 Liberty Ship Way, 415.332.5625, legaragebistro sausalito.com b $$$ S Í BLD BR

MURRAY CIRCLE

American Cavallo Point’s acclaimed restaurant features local seasonal fare by executive chef Justin Everett, with pairings from an extensive wine list and tempting desserts. Stop by Farley Bar for cocktails with a view. 601 Murray Circle, 415.339.4750, cavallopoint.com s $$$ S Í C BLD BR

POGGIO Italian Executive chef Benjamin Balesteri creates Northern Italian fare using fresh and local ingredients. Private dining rooms above the restaurant can accommodate larger parties (10 to 150 guests). 777 Bridgeway, 415.332.7771, poggio tratoria.com s $$$ S Í C BLD

SEAFOOD PEDDLER RESTAURANT AND

FISH MARKET Seafood The fi sh is bought daily from loca l fi shers, who are also restaurant patrons. Recipes are adjusted to incorporate the freshest catch. 303 Johnson St, 415.332.1492, seafoodpeddler.com s $$$ S Í LD BR º

SUSHI RAN Japanese Sample innovative small plates just big enough to share before enjoying some of the best sushi the Bay Area has to offer; the prices don’t deter the herd of enthusiasts who line up nightly to partake. Just stopping by? The wine, cocktail and sake lists keep even the pickiest bar fly satisfied. Reservations are required in the main room. 107 Caledonia St, 415.332.3620, sushiran.com s $$ Í LD

Crostata di Cioccolata

THE TRIDENT Seafood

Set in a turn-of-thecentury building constructed for the San Francisco Yacht Club, this waterfront restaurant is a shoein for date night. The restaurant, a famous 1970s hangout, is now known for supporting local farmers, fi shers and organic food producers. 558 Bridgeway, 415.331.3232, the tridentsausalito.com s $$$ S Í LD BR º

TIBURON

CAFFE ACRI Italian The well-lit corner cafe in Tiburon is a go-to for bikers, city commuters and locals. Diners wil l fi nd Italian roast espresso drinks, freshly baked pastries and eggs for breakfast and

a selection of soups, salads and paninis for lunch. 1 Main St, 415.435.8515, caffeacri.com b $$ Í BLD

LUNA BLU Italian

Executive chef Renzo Azzarello serves Sicilian seafood and homemade pastas with a Californian touch. The seasonal menu incorporates fresh and organic produce, local naturally grown meat and poultry from small farms. The restaurant complies with Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, so all the seafood is sustainable. In 2014 diners voted Luna Blu one of the Top 100 Neighborhood Gem restaurants in America. 35 Main St, 415.789.5844, lunablurestaurant.com s $$ S Í LD

RUSTIC BAKERY

California This location of the beloved bakery offers the same menu as the other locations in Novato and Larkspur, as well as outdoor dining. Enjoy a wide array of fresh salads, sandwiches and pastries on the boardwalk. 1550 Tiburon Blvd, 415.797.6123, rustic bakery.com b $$ S Í BLD BR

WEST MARIN

NICK’S COVE American

This coastal escape is now famous for barbecued local oysters, Dungeness crab mac ’n’ cheese and cocktails incorporating homegrown ingredients. Large windows in the 120seat restaurant provide

picturesque views of Tomales Bay and Hog Island (Marshall). 23240 Highway 1, 415.663.1033, nickscove.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR

OSTERIA STELLINA

California Whether it’s to cap off a ay of hiking or celebrate a romantic anniversary, Osteria Stellina suits any occasion. The menu is Italian-inspired and features local organic ingredients. If you’re up for something unusual, try the goat shoulder, a hit with both tourists and locals (Point Reyes). 11285 Highway 1, 415.663.9988, osteriastellina.com b $$ S LD

PARKSIDE CAFE American Perfect for a sit-down alfresco meal

or for grabbing a burger to enjoy on the beach. Beautiful patio garden seating, ocean views, and private wood-fi red dinners make this cafe a relaxing retreat. If you’re on the go, check out the market and bakery. Choose from an array of organic locally grown produce, artisan meats and wild seafood (Stinson). 43 Arenal Ave, 415.868.1272, parksidecafe.com s $$$ S Í C BLD

RANCHO NICASIO

American Known for live music and an extensive menu featuring everything from crispy calamari to braised lamb shanks, Rancho Nicasio is open seven days a week. Be sure to stop in for happy hour, 4 to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday (Nicasio). 1

Old Rancheria Road, 415.662.2219, rancho nicasio.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR º

SAND DOLLAR

American Originally built from three barges in Tiburon in 1921, the Sand Dollar Restaurant wa s floated to Stinson that same year. Enjoy live music along with barbecued local oysters and New England clam chowder. The sunny deck is great in the afternoon (Stinson). 3458 Shoreline Highway, 415.868.0434, stinsonbeach restaurant.com s $$ S Í LD

SIDE

STREET KITCHEN

American Sheryl Cahill, owner of the Station House Cafe, opened her next venture a few blocks down in

the former Pine Cone Diner. The fast-casual eatery led by chef Aaron Wright (formerly of Tavern at Lark Creek) serves favorites like rotisserie chicken, smoked oysters and pork-belly BLTs as well as wholesome vegetarian fare (Point Reyes Station). 60 Fourth St, 415.663.0303, sidestreet-prs.com b $$ S Í LD º

SIR & STAR AT THE OLEMA California

The historic inn has reopened as a

roadhouse-style restaurant featuring rustic decor and a delicious yet a ffordable menu. Try the house-made bread and honey butter, the kale Caesar and the stu ffed quail, then come back and work your way through the ever-changing menu (Olema). 10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.663.1034, sirandstar.com b $$$ Í C D

STATION HOUSE CAFE

American Fresh local homegrown foods are showcased for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Stop in on weekends (5 p.m. on Sundays) for live music and wine, beer and cocktails (Point Reyes Station). 11180 Highway 1, 415.663.1515, station housecafe.com s $$ S Í C BLD BR º

KEY TO SYMBOLS

s b $ $$ $$$ S

Full bar Wine and beer Inexpensive (entrees $10 or less) Moderate (up to $20) Expensive ($20 and over) Kid-friendly

Í C BLD BR º

Outdoor seating Private party room Breakfast, lunch, dinner Brunch Happy hour

These listings are not intended to be a full review of the business, rather a quick guide to some of the most popular restaurants in the county. For more restaurant listings, visit us online at marinmagazine.com/dine

PROMOTION

Once a counter-culture mecca for musicians, actors and artists, today’s Trident welcomes guests from near and far to its landmark waterfront location to enjoy locallysourced fare for casual meals or celebratory feasts, served indoors or out against a backdrop of stunning bay views.

THE TRIDENT 558 Bridgeway, On the Water, Sausalito, CA 415.331.3232 thetrident.net

Luna Blu is a seafood-focused Italian restaurant in contemporary digs with a gorgeous harbor view and deck dining. Luna Blu is the best place to enjoy great Italian seafood and fresh pasta in a romantic and tranquil environment. They serve mouthwatering dishes with all fresh ingredients prepared by a master chef.

LUNA BLU RESTAURANT

35 Main Street, Tiburon, CA 415.789.5844 lunablurestaurant.com

Consistently rated “Best of Marin,” Comforts offers finecity and home-style food. Our menus change regularly to reflet what is fresh, local and in season. We offer breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch, in addition to take-out and catering services. Thanksgiving is around the corner - let Comforts provide you with an easy and delicious holiday feast!

COMFORTS

335 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo, CA 415.454.9840 comfortscafe.com

Craving local, fresh-caught seafood and stunning views of the harbor? Look no further than the award-winning Seafood Peddler! Call to make reservations or stop by for the best happy hour in Marin, every day from 4-7pm.

SEAFOOD PEDDLER

303 Johnson Street, Sausalito, CA 415.332.1492 seafoodpeddler.com

Marin Matters

LOCAL PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE Get

Q&A with Joanne Parsont

The California Film Institute (CFI), a presenter of the Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF), uses films and filmmaking to educate kids from Marin and the greater Bay Area about issues such as environmental preservation and activism. We spoke with Director of Education Joanne Parsont.

BY DONNA GLASS

1Why does CFI offer community education programs? Since day one, going back to 1977 when we held film workshops for kids during the first year of the Mill Valley Film Festival, education has been an integral part of CFI’s mission. Films can transform how people of all ages see and experience our world, especially young people, who are not only avid media consumers but also constant media creators. It’s imperative to us to support and foster media literacy through programs that are able to teach both about and through the medium of film.

2What is your most popular education program? Our MVFF education screenings draw in more than 3,000 students and teachers from across the Bay Area each year. Much of this program’s popularity has to do with the incredible lineup of films and special guests at the festival. All our screenings include guest speakers — filmmakers, film subjects and/or subject area experts — for post-screening conversations and Q&As with students. We arrange for free bus transportation so that schools from all over the Bay Area can take part.

3

Tell us a little bit about the Environmental Youth Forum and why it’s important. Our Environmental Youth

GIVE BACK

Help premature babies have a fighting chance by supporting UCSF

Benioff Children’s Hospital , the only level IV NICU in the East Bay that’s equipped to handle the most complicated cases. makeagift.ucsf.edu/kids

Donate to SchoolsRule — Marin , a coalition of 20 public school district foundations working together to raise funds for every child in every public school throughout Marin. schoolsrule.org

Forum, held over three days each spring, is a fi lm-based approach to teaching environmental awareness and activism. It consists of more than a dozen screenings of short and feature-length documentaries about a range of environmental issues, followed by in-depth discussions with those involved in the fi lmmaking process. Along wit h fi lms, we also offer a series of interactive exhibits related to environmental issues and concepts, a mobile climate science lab and our Conscious Carnival recycling booth.

Involved

Top volunteer opportunities this month.

Lend a hand at Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center, a nonprofit empowering women and children to move from the streets to a home through free services like intensive counseling and support groups. womensdropin.org

Share the wonders of nature with children and become a docent at Martin Griffin Preserve/Audubon Canyon Ranch at Stinson Beach. egret.org

4

Have you ever been a filmmaker yourself? I briefly entertained the idea of becoming a documentar y fi lmmaker, which is what initially drew me to the Bay Area in 1994. But after a one-year gig with the now-defunct National Educational Media Network in Oakland, I was bit by the fi lm festival bug and never quite recovered. It led me to MVFF and the revelation that rather than pour endless time, money and energy into making a single fi lm, I could better serve the fi lm community, and myself, by supporting the work of other fi lmmakers and ensuring that thei r fi lms reached the right audiences. While I’ve been with CFI a long time, I’ve directed its education programs for the past year.

Assist with tasks such as collecting tickets before the show and at intermission, handing out programs, and directing patrons to their seats, restrooms and concessions at the Throckmorton Theatre throckmortontheatre.org/ volunteer

The Center for Environmental Health protects you and your family from toxic chemicals with critical research, education and advocacy. Donations help it continue these efforts. ceh.org

By giving to Children and Nature Network you support a global movement to increase equitable access to nature so that children can thrive. childrenandnature.org

A small donation gives one student a full afternoon of one-on-one tutoring support in any subject at 826 Valencia . A larger donation gives a teacher access to a field trip for an entire class. 826valencia.org

Join the Alzheimer’s Association in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease by sending emails, writing letters, calling legislators or even serving as a Memories in the Making art facilitator. alz.org

Giant Steps, a nonprofit therapeutic equestrian program for children and adults with disabilities, is looking for volunteers to help riders during their weekly lessons or to groom horses. giantstepsriding.org

Willard Dixon, Amaryllis With Lemon 2018; photo: courtesy the artist

Marin Home

FROM TOURS AND MAKEOVERS TO DECORATIVE DETAILS AND REALTOR INSIGHTS

LOCATION, LOCATION

After owners made the back of the house the front and changed the address, this Mill Valley home is now in the perfect spot.

BY DAWN MARGOLIS DENBERG • PHOTOS BY LIZ DALY

Well-coordinated furnishings, including a sofa and floor lamp from West Elm, give this living room a clean, modern feel.

HOUSE HUNTING IS never easy. However, it gets exponentially harder with a tight budget and a mandate to eliminate any home not within walking distance of your children’s current school and downtown Mill Valley. And yet this was the directive Mill Valley resident Jill Melchionda gave to her realtors. “I was willing to give up a lot of things, but location wasn’t one of them,” she says.

The newly single mom was willing to be patient, though, biding her time in a cozy rental home she’d settled into with her two young boys Maxel and Ryder. And when a workable home in her price range came up, she was game to compete. But competition was stiff. “I got outbid on two other houses,” she recalls. Still, timing is everything. And the third house she bid on — the house they now call home — was worth the wait. “It’s literally across the street from the school,” Melchionda says. “I can see the flag from my living room window.”

Reasonably priced homes in prime locations don’t generally come in turnkey

condition — and this house was no exception. But Melchionda — who had never taken on a large-scale renovation project — rose to the challenge: “I recognized I could get a lot more for my money if I was willing to do the work.” She teamed up with San Rafael–based architect Ann Bool and they fashioned a plan: add 350 square feet of living space by turning a storage area under the house into a tranquil lower-level master suite. They also took the existing upstairs spaces down to the studs, tweaked the layout and updated the surface materials. Highlights of the metamorphosis include knocking down the wall between the living room and dining area, to create a bright, open-concept kitchen, and enclosing an old porch to reinvent it as a storage-packed mudroom and laundry area.

Another major change: “I turned the front of the house into the back and the back into the front,” Melchionda says. She even petitioned the city to officially change the home’s address to reflect its new orientation. The new backyard is small, but a prime play spot for two young boys.

The new front yard — tricked out with soothing greenery, a gas fire pit and a flagstone hardscape — is decidedly more adult. A rebuilt privacy fence makes the area feel secluded, despite its proximity to the neighboring home.

Almost all the furnishings in the home are new, but purchased with frugality in mind. “I got the patio furniture from Target,” Melchionda says. Even the art is new, commissioned to harmonize with not only her home’s color palette but also her life’s journey. “You can see how it starts out dark and goes through this big change,” she says, motioning to the abstract painting on a large white wall opposite the dining room table.

The overhaul was an ambitious project for a single mother of two with a full-time job in the city. But instead of overwhelming her, it awoke an untapped skill set — so much so that she’s toyed with the idea of selling the place and investing the profits into a new diamond in the rough. “If the right opportunity came up I’d consider it, though I think I’d be leaving a little piece of my heart behind.” m

Opposite: An openconcept kitchen creates the illusion of a big space in a home with a small footprint. This page, clockwise from top: A light, bright living room; outdoor area with gas fire pit; the master bedroom; Jill and her sons on the home’s new front stoop; Clé tile floors are the wow factor in this master bathroom.

Space Invaders

Stamping out nonnative plants. BY

KIER HOLMES

Love plants? Marin County is a stellar place to get a garden growing. Freezing temperatures are rare, winters are short, rolling hills provide wind protection, and it tends to rain here more than inland — all favorable conditions for a variety of flora. Unfortunately, that variety includes nonnative plants that can spread in your yard and neighborhood and into our prized open spaces. Here’s advice for avoiding these troublemakers and getting rid of the ones you fi nd.

Definition Invasive plants are nonnative to the ecosystem and have the potential to cause environmental or economic harm. Typically they’re fast growers, aren’t plagued by disease or natural predators and have many methods of multiplying.

Neighborhood Bullies Invasives win the competition against crops and native species for critical resources like water, soil nutrients and sunlight; plus, they endanger wildlife by forming monocultures (dense stands of one plant) that clog waterways and raise flood and fire risk.

The Resistance While all of Marin’s natural areas biologically try to defend against invasive species, some have more success than others. Over 300 documented nonnative plant species exist on Mount Tamalpais, for example.

Stray Migration While you may be a conscious gardener, outside actors like birds, animals, wind and flooding can spread unwanted seeds. Check the invasive plant list at cal-ipc.org to see what culprits you might need to remove from your yard.

Root Them Out While the first defense against invasives is not to plant them, there are many ways to remove or contain them — manually pulling, weed whacking, hoeing, mowing, tarping and mulching — and using several methods is best. Also research whether your intruder reproduces by seed or by root fragments; that will determine your removal approach.

Don’t-Plant List

Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima)

Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare)

Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)

Giant reed grass ( Arundo donax)

Running bamboo (usually Phyllostachys species but also Pseudosasa, Chimonobambusa, Arundinaria, Semiarundinaria)

English ivy (Hedera helix)

Highway ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis)

Periwinkle (Vinca major)

Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans)

IN THE FIELD

“Homeowners can create a refuge for native plants, animals and pollinators. Plus, if you see a plant out of place in one of your favorite wildland places, snap a photo of it and submit it to Calflora or iNaturalist; both have apps,” says Dana Morawitz, conservation program manager for the California Invasive Plant Council. She also suggests volunteering with local land managers or neighbors for strategic invasive plant removal efforts — aka weed pulls — and subsequent restoration planting.

Pride of Madeira

Every detail of this impressive waterfront dream home has been masterfully executed by the original owners. Ideally situated near the end of a quiet street in sought after Bel Marin Keys, this idyllic location enjoys an open water, sheltered setting w/ easy boat access to the Bay. Features include multiple outdoor living spaces, large private dock, boat lift, oversized 3 car garage, bonus loft and much more. You’ll never want to leave home! ParadiseInBMK.com

Architecturally stunning classic center-entrance Colonial that’s private and gated on over an acre of sprawling grounds with fruit trees and a solar-heated pool. This residence boasts grand scale and a functional floor plan with multiple living spaces, plus an office/6th bedroom. The spacious master suite features awe-inspiring views, two walk-in closets and a luxurious en suite. Prime for entertaining! 5Kenilworth.com

Corey Robinson Realtor®

Premier location! This elegant, newly renovated Craftsman home sits on a flat 1/3± acre, one block from Downtown Ross and award-winning Ross School. Buying a home is a huge endeavor. It requires a lot of communication between the Realtor® and the client, making sure we are on the same page. Through active listening, I could visualize the perfect home for my clients. Moving from the city, they wanted to be close to a downtown area and be part of a friendly community. Their requirements included three bedrooms on the same level, and a flat yard for their children and friends to play. An excellent school district was high on the wish list. Together, we accomplished our goal…happy buyers in their DREAM HOME!

Marin by Marcia Skall. I will provide you with exemplary service. Let’s talk if you’d like to buy or sell a home.

Living in Marin Country Club Estates

in the country club lifestyle of this gated custom estate, offering dramatic views of the highly-coveted Marin Country Club and Ignacio Valley. Exclusively situated along a private drive, this home provides an authentic resort living experience complete with salt water pool, spa, level lawn area, outdoor kitchen and fireplace perfectly sited to savor the robust sunsets across the fairways and sprawling ridgelines. This stunning property epitomizes the very best of golf resort living. Offering includes a golf cart and Social Membership to Marin Country Club’s private, member-owned club.

Dramatic Marin Country Club Views

living areas and master suite located on entrance level

floor plan with great room, formal living and dining rooms

room with built-in storage

Intimate views of sprawling ridgeline, Ignacio Valley and course

Resort lifestyle property offering MCC Social Membership

The Dolliver House

One of Marin County’s most significant properties is available for the first time in a generation! On the National Register of Historic Places, this landmark of California Stick-Eastlake architecture is thoughtfully renovated while preserving its remarkable original details. Wide verandas, brick walkways, abundant gardens, and stately trees beckon on this street-to-street lot. Just a block from downtown Larkspur and only 20 minutes to San Francisco!

58Madrone.com

The deVeuve House

Uber chic renovated cottage in the heart of hip Larkspur! Bespoke improvements just completed, with designer lighting and finishes, and many unique architectural elements. Remodeled kitchen with Carrera marble counters and custom banquette, plus a stylish dining room. Romantic covered porch welcomes guests to this beloved residence in Larkspur’s historic district. Gated grounds with level lawn.

223Magnolia.com

A chance to own a piece of Mill Valley history awaits the owner and steward of this legacy residence known as “The Carriage House” circa 1895. An ideal pied-a-terre or family home, the residence has convenient and immediate access to all that modern downtown Mill Valley has to offer, from fine dining to eclectic cafes to quaint boutiques. The classic home is tucked away off Miller Ave and approached through wrought iron gates opening to a tranquil garden courtyard with mature redwoods, roses and a water feature. The original signage still graces the header over the formal entry. Upon entering, the space is light-filled, elegant and completely rehabbed while preserving and showcasing period details. Live a part of a local legacy at this timeless sanctuary in the heart of town.

JUST LISTED

STUNNING STONE TREE HOME

24 Owl Ridge Court | Novato

This magnificent Cape Cod style home resides behind the gates of the exclusive Stone Tree Community. Expansive lot over 1⁄2 acre, this 4 bedroom / 5 bath estate features a grand entry with open two-story ceilings, a gourmet chef’s kitchen, multiple decks and patios, an office/fifth bedroom, as well as a large bonus area, private community pool and club house.

For more information please visit MustSeeStonetree.com

JUST LISTED

INVITING LOCH LOMOND SINGLE-LEVEL HOME

54 Lochinvar Road | San Rafael

Located in the flats of Loch Lomond, this one level ranch style home is perfect for relaxing in the living room, cozying up by the fireplace on a brisk evening, or lounging out by the sparkling pool on a usual pristinely warm day – this spectacular home alludes to the feeling of vacationing in a one-of-a-kind private oasis.

For more information please visit 54Lochinvar.com

Christine Christiansen 415.259.7133

JUST LISTED

SUN, VIEWS, PRIVACY AND MOVE-IN READY!

2 Coronet Way | Kent Woodlands

A rare find at the top of a peaceful cul-de-sac immediately adjacent to miles of Marin County openspace and MMWD lands. Completely upgraded with stylish finishes, fixtures and stainless steel appliances. Open floor plan with seamless flow both indoors and out. For more information please visit 2CoronetWay.com

Bitsa Freeman 415.385.8929 bitsa@vanguardmarin.com DRE# 01143971

JUST LISTED

IN THE HEART OF THE SEMINARY

77 Kensington Road | San Anselmo

A magical and eclectic mixture of charm and modern convenience in the tree-lined Seminary neighborhood of San Anselmo. Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, family room / 4th bedroom, detached studio, enchanting yard, and excellent schools. The best of small town living, this home will capture your heart. For more information please visit 77Kensington.com

Vance and Anna Frost 415.459.5900 frost@liveinmarin.com DRE#s 01207757/#01357390

LiveInMarin.com

§

§

Situated in the heart of San Anselmo’s coveted Seminary neighborhood, this completely and meticulously remodeled home offers a heightened sense of sophistication and comfort. Distinguished by its enchanting location, appealing entertainment spaces, fine finishes and elegant informality, this is Ross Valley’s most alluring contemporary residence. Design Features Include:

BURLINGAME GREENBRAE NOE VALLEY PACIFIC HEIGHTS POTRERO HILL UPPER MARKET WEST PORTAL

Pennino Curley

Stunning Belvedere Residence with Harbor Views

This newly rebuilt masterpiece has just been completed and offers fabulous views of the Yacht Harbor, Corinthian Island and the Bay. There is a great deal of attention to details and finishes that make this custom home very special. There are 4 bedrooms and an office or 5th bedroom, 4.5 baths with views on every level with decks and a spacious side yard. This unique home has classic features blended with modern and current finishes throughout. A rare find in living on Belvedere, this home is walking distance to town and conveniences!

Carolyn Adducci 415.531.9797 carolyn.adducci@compass.com

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

Prime Belvedere Knoll-Top Home

Rare opportunity to put your stamp on an architectural gem that sits on a prime half acre knoll top in Belvedere. Known as The Steinhart House for the San Francisco family who commissioned it in 1959, this expansive four bedroom, five and a half bath home is a prime example of the organic architecture of Charles Warren Callister: modern, clean lines designed in harmony with the spirit of the surroundings.

Callister embraced nature and enhanced flow to the outdoors with his artful use of local wood and stone; high ceilings, skylights and expansive walls of glass for the glorious light, and Japanese-inspired design elements to create a sense of serenity. 104 Golden Gate has wraparound views spanning the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge, across Richardson Bay and around to the Belvedere Lagoon. With only two owners since its completion in 1960, this distinguished mid-century home is in largely original condition. Beautiful, irreplaceable and ready for your updates.

Sharon Faccinto

415.272.3799 sharon.faccinto@compass.com DRE 01036478

Regine Familet 415.517.2317 regine.familet@compass.com DRE 01424425

Compass welcomes Team Achuck & Zech

Stacy Achuck 415.233.2009 stacy.achuck@compass.com DRE 01921671

Missy Zech 415.722.8521 missy.zech@compass.com DRE 01378178

Erik Zech 415.722.8541 erik.zech@compass.com DRE 02008291

The Real Blackie

This horse spent 28 years on the Tiburon pasture that now bears his name.

BY JIM WOOD

THE LATE GEORGE GEPPERT took this rare color photo of a horse named Blackie sometime in the late 1950s. Geppert and his wife were 50-year residents on nearby Paradise Drive; their daughters, like many children of the era, frequently visited Blackie to feed him apples, carrots and sugar cubes. And Blackie, while more than a bit swaybacked, was no ordinary horse. He was born in Kansas in 1926 and brought to California to be a rodeo cutting horse. Following that career, he was acquired by the U.S. Calvary and reportedly saw duty in Yosemite Valley. Then, in 1938, Blackie was “adopted” by a Tiburon resident named Anthony Connell who cared for him in his pasture where, several times a day, Blackie would experience a train passing by (that’s the Tiburon Trestle in the background). However, Blackie may not have seen the trains: reliable sources say that once he found a comfortable spot, Blackie stood there, day after day, looking in the same direction, until he passed away on February 26, 1966. Now Blackie’s gravesite is close to where he stood. A bronze life-size statue of him, placed there by the Tiburon Peninsula Foundation, attracts young children, and the surrounding land is known as Blackie’s Pasture. m

Blackie stood there, day after day, looking in the same direction.

SOLD | 17 Vasco, Mill Valley 4 Bed/3 Bath

Tastefully upgraded mid-century charmer – an entertainer’s paradise. $4,904,000

Lisa Smith, Marin Home Team 415 328 9752 | 17Vasco.com License # 01927676