Marin Magazine April 2007 by 270 Media

MARI N E X T R A O R D I N A R Y

L I V I N G

APRIL 2007

0407Cover_barb.indd 1

3/5/07 2:25:01 PM

SAN FRANCISCO DESIGN CENTER GALLERIA BUILDING, SUITE 410 101 HENRY ADAMS STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA

415.934.1454

EXCLUSIVITY AND TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE. For devotees of fine mechanisms, Breitling has created a line of exceptional chronographs named “Breitling for Bentley”. Representing the culmination of sophisticated aesthetic research, these wrist instruments mirror the signature features of the famous British car manufacturer. Dedicated to the automobile world, they incorporate several exclusive technical characteristics, including a variable tachometer, and are propelled by high-performance “motors” patiently assembled by watchmakers at the peak of their art.Time is the ultimate luxury.

www.breitlingforbentley.com

PRESTIGE AND PERFORMANCE. Each inspired by its own “winged B” symbol, Breitling and Bentley share the same concern for perfection. The same extreme standards of reliability, precision and authenticity.The same unique blend of prestige and performance.Whether in the Breitling workshops or in the Bentley factory in Crewe, cutting-edge technology is placed in the service of noble traditions. Symbolising this communion of ideals, Breitling participated in styling the instrumentation of the Bentley Continental models, the most powerful ever built by Bentley.

“I just want to spend a week ev eryth ing doing absolutely nothing.”

If you yearn to discover rather than escape, New Zealand’s rivers, mountains, volcanoes, and glaciers await. Sea kayak to hidden beaches today. Marvel at the views in the Southern Alps tomorrow. If your definition of R&R is rafting and rappelling, you’ll find four million kindred souls in New Zealand. Your journey begins at airnewzealand.com

CONTENTS

Features 60 think

School of Second Chances

College of Marin rebounds from a troubled past.

story & photos tim porter

66 home

Lodge Living in Ross

Architect David Ludwig shares his lodge philosophy. story p. j. bremier photos barbara ries

72 journey

Darfur: Dignity Amid the Madness

Marin’s Alissa Everett brings back a message of hope. story & photos alissa everett

78 life

Golf Trends

Technology, gadgets and women are growing trends. story cori brett

MARIN

APRIL 2007

CONTENTS

Departments

letters

at a glance

marin album

marin green

snap

fashion trends

life style

fyi

Readers respond to Marin Magazine.

Hot tips day by day for the Bay Area.

Hail to the Queen. by tim porter

EECOM’s Catriona MacGregor Glazebrook. by mimi towle

Out and about, in and around Marin.

Travel the high seas. by somer ﬂaherty

Mill Valley jeweler Kathleen Dughi talks fashion.

Garden: Golf putting greens for your garden. by mimi towle Travel: Family journeys to exotic locations. by mimi towle Causes: Marin Advocates for Children. by samantha bronson Business: AngelPoints in Sausalito. by bonnie monte Books: The Year of Fog, by Michelle Richmond. by samantha berry People: Belvedere’s Zara McDonald, a force for felines. by bonnie monte

56 8

MARIN

APRIL 2007

conversation Mill Valley’s Nancy Livingston and Fred Levin. by jim wood

EIL EEN FISHER what if simplicity is all you need?

EILEENFISHER.COM STANFORD SHOPPING CENTER 650.473.0423

2216 FILLMORE STREET 415.346.2133

BROADWAY PLAZA, WALNUT CREEK 925.946.9503

108

CONTENTS

120

Departments 94

calendar

100

galleries

108

flavor

Favorite golf courses in the West. by cori brett

A roundup of performing arts, events, galleries and more.

Larkspur’s Gallery Bergelli. by anne crump ray

New chef at Fork is bringing back the magic. by erika lenkert Dine Out and insider’s guide to Bay Area restaurants.

120 microclimate San Geronimo Valley—hidden gem. by jim wood

130

Spring Bouquet, by Marin

Sausalito’s Dr. Dean Ornish. by mimi towle

Columns

The Cover photographer Barbara Ries.

dialogue

view from mount tam The creators of Marin Magazine welcome you to share their vision.

To view more of her work, visit barbararies.com.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

pov Marin’s Next Phase by jim wood

My wealth is well cared for...

Editorial editorial director Nikki Wood ext 105 nwood@marinmagazine.com

executive editor

“

Jim Wood ext 106

I like to ‘ beat the market’ but want to grow and preserve my family’s assets for our lifetime and for future generations. Main Street Research puts the odds in my favor...

jwood@marinmagazine.com

associate editor Mimi Towle ext 101 mtowle@marinmagazine.com

editor-at-large

I finally found the one investment advisor whose incentive based compensation is directly tied to my performance.

”

Noel M., client San Rafael

Tim Porter tporter@marinmagazine.com

departments editor Somer Flaherty ext 103 sflaherty@marinmagazine.com

copy editor/proofreader Cynthia Rubin

editorial contributors Samantha Berry, P. J. Bremier, Samantha Bronson, Lucas Davidson, Erika Lenkert, Bonnie Monte, Anne Crump Ray

Art art director Trpti Todd ext 112 ttodd@marinmagazine.com

production manager Alex French ext 111 production@marinmagazine.com

contributing photographers Drew Altizer, Ben Davidson, Sasha Gulish,

MAIN STREET RESEARCH LLC

Wealth Management

Sheri Montgomery, Barbara Ries

Administration controller Jill Harmston ext 104 jharmston@marinmagazine.com

If you have investment assets of $1 million or more, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you for a no-ccost wealth management review and analysis.

Marin Magazine, One Harbor Dr, Ste 208,

6 7 0 B R I D G E W AY, S A U S A L I T O C A L I F O R N I A 9 4 9 6 5

Sausalito, CA 94965, phone: 415.332.4800,

8 0 0 . 3 5 7 . 3 8 6 3 | 4 1 5 . 2 8 9 . 1 0 1 0 | W W W. M S - R E S E A R C H . C O M

fax: 415.332.3048, web: marinmagazine.com, e-mail: editorial@marinmagazine.com

MARIN

APRIL 2007

La Sede Bella European Fabrics, English & French Countr y Furniture

Advertising publisher Lisa Shanower 415.332.4800 ext 107 lshanower@marinmagazine.com

advertising director Courtney Q. Roberts ext 108 croberts@marinmagazine.com

account manager Michele Johnson ext 110 mjohnson@marinmagazine.com

account manager Genevieve Luckel ext 109 gluckel@marinmagazine.com

regional sales offices california media marin associates Lora Dinga 415.898.6400

robert kaufman associates Robert Kaufman 415.721.0558

new york couture marketing Karen Couture 917.821.4429

southeast tlc media Cindy Taylor 404.459.6578

hawaii destination marketing Debbie Joseph Shana Wong 808.739.2200 ic.

-m

d an

advertising art director Alex French ext 111 production@marinmagazine.com

o wo

n tto

fa el

535 San Anselmo Avenue, San Anselmo, CA 94960 Open Daily • 415.453.8200

Volume 3, Issue 4. Marin Magazine is published in Marin County by Marin Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright©2007. Reproduction of Marin Magazine content is prohibited without the expressed, written consent of Marin Magazine LLC. Unsolicited materials cannot be returned. Marin Magazine reserves the right to refuse to publish any advertisement deemed detrimental to the best interests of the community or that is in questionable taste. Marin Magazine is mailed monthly to homes and businesses in Marin County. Subscription rates are $36 per year. Marin Magazine, One Harbor Drive, Sausalito, CA 94965. Phone 415.332.4800, fax 415.332.3048, e-mail editorial@marinmagazine.com, website marinmagazine.com. member of the bpa worldwide:

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Experience the Difference For nearly 90 years, McGuire has been one of the most successful luxury real estate firms in the Bay Area. Our integrity, unrivaled knowledge of the marketplace, and our extraordinary commitment to service have been the keys to this success.

www.mcguire.com

415.296.0123

Marin • Peninsula Marina • Downtown • Noe Valley

V I E W F R O M M O U N T TA M

“A GOOD WALK SPOILED.” That’s how Mark Twain

ing enrollment. Porter found a campus brimming with

saw golf. Were Twain around to join a foursome today,

promise, but divided over its future.

he’d see a different game of golf, one that is motorized,

For Home this month, P. J. Bremier finds a stately

computerized and excercised, and from that experi-

lodge worthy of the Sierra but situated quite comfortably,

ence most likely coin a different phrase: Golf, a good

thank you, amid the leafy residential environs of Ross.

ride, technology enabled. Twain’s original is catchier,

The homeowners wanted space and flexibility, architect

but ours is more accurate, as writer Cori Brett demon-

David Ludwig gave it to them, and they now find them-

strates. She takes us on a tour of the latest trends in

selves in the role of lodge keepers for friends and family.

modern golf—air-conditioned golf carts with GPS sys-

Also in this issue, we engage in Conversation with

tems, Segway caddies, longer courses, fitter players and

arts patrons Fred Levin and Nancy Livingston about the

great clout on the course by women.

performing arts scene in Marin and San Francisco; we

A long way from this type of luxury recreation is

introduce you to AngelPoints, a Sausalito company that

Darfur, the conflict-ridden region of western Sudan

makes corporate giving easy; and we visit with Zara

where hundreds of thousands of people have died and

McDonald, a Marin native who has made it her mission

millions more have been displaced. Local photographer

to save the endangered snow leopards of Central and

Alissa Everett spent six weeks amid the refugee camps

Southeast Asia. We conclude with Dialogue, this month

and returned with a stark, and visually haunting, story of

with Sausalito resident Dr. Dean Ornish.

Here in Marin, voters have given the College of Marin a quarter of a billion dollars to modernize. Tim Porter,

MARIN

As always, our wish is for your good reading. Enjoy Marin Magazine, as we continue to celebrate this extraordinary place!

our editor-at-large, tells us how college President Fran

Lisa Shanower, Publisher

White plans to spend that money and move the college

Nikki Wood, Editorial Director

forward from a past laden with internal strife and declin-

Jim Wood, Executive Editor

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

human tragedy. We’re proud to share it with you.

LE TTE R S

Readers respond Thanks for Jim Wood’s Point of View editorial about Marin’s crazy local government structure (“Making Marin More Efficient,” March, 2007). I could write a book on the lack of leadership, poor decision making and hidden agenda’s that surface whenever consolidation of services is considered. As a 50-year resident, 30-year firefighter and 25-year Marin homeowner, the craziness only continues. The duplication of services is staggering. Ross Valley has five fire agencies, nine stations, over 14 people at “Chief Officers” rank, and five different organizational structures. I know we could be offering better service if the kingdoms were merged. Yet consolidation talks have dragged on for over three years. Thanks for your editorial, keep up the good journalism. —Jim Clark, Larkspur

Correction: In Local Gifts (February 2007 issue), the Archie Held fountain donated to honor Dedication to Special Education was incorrectly identified as residing at Town Center. The location of the sculpture is the Village at

Pedersen Associates Landscape Architects www.pedersenassociates.com 24 H Street San Rafael CA 94901 415 456 2070

Corte Madera. We regret any confusion this has caused.

Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity and brevity. Send letters to Marin Magazine, One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965. Or e-mail to jwood@marinmagazine.com.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

In closets, as in clothes

CUSTOM FIT Makes all the difference. Only we can tailor a custom closet that’s both beautiful and functional. Our expertise guarantees a perfect fit for your needs, your style and your pocketbook. Call for a FREE design consultation.

415.258.4500

www.closetfactory.com

POV

Marin’s Next Phase It’s time for renewal of community purpose environmental groups and affordable hous-

“The only way it will happen,” Munson

ing and transportation advocates. “It’s a ‘not-

says, “is with one $200 million bond issue.”

in-my-backyard’ mentality that’s angry and

The 88-acre Civic Center, she says, is already

in-your-face, where lawyers are involved,”

an accessible public space with trees, parks, a

says Huneke.

lagoon and auditoriums that the Renaissance

Huneke believes a stronger Marin County

Project would make into even more of a com-

sense of community would help resolve these

munity attraction. “I believe public recreation

conflicts. “More and more we’re identified by

enhances the quality of life of a community,”

the small town where we live while concern

says Munson. “We all need gathering places;

for Marin County as a whole seems lost,” he

what are we waiting for?”

says. It wasn’t always this way. “In the mid-

Ross resident Phil Paisely, a Marinite since

1980s, I was on the first Marin Community

1968, has already started the project he be-

Foundation board and a group of us went from

lieves the county needs. “We’ve got to restore

town to town just listening to what people’s is-

the tradition that made us unique in the first

sues were and what the county meant to them.

place,” he says. And to him that means open

We went everywhere and always to packed au-

space. Paisley recently founded Marin Open

ditoriums. We got an earful, but Marin really

Space Trust (MOST), a nonprofit dedicated to

felt like a ‘community.’”

acquiring and maintaining local open space.

“This isn’t a criticism of the Marin

The goal: “identify specific projects, both

as Marin reached a plateau? After

Community Foundation,” Huneke says, “but

in the county and within cities, and then

the activism of the 1960s and ’70s,

that needs to happen again.” He envisions a

through public-private partnerships raise

when the county was divided into

series of “listening posts” at which foundation

$10 million to $15 million a year to ensure

open space, agricultural and city-centered corri-

directors, nonprofit leaders and county officials

that they happen.”

dors, and after development in the ’80s and ’90s

“would hear folks talk about their passions for

Paisley, chairman of Marin’s Parks and Open

according to those dictates, we seem to have

their community…and for all of Marin County.”

Space Commission and an admirer of the suc-

Catherine Munson of Lucas Valley, who’s

cessful Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST),

slipped into cruise control. Are we too comfortable, satisfied with all

lived in Marin for 55 years and sits on the

knows how to raise money and get things done.

the beauty surrounding us? Have we lost our

boards of the Buck Institute for Age Research,

“MOST will appeal to wealthy individuals and

sense of community amid the rush of daily

the Marin Symphony and the Marin History

foundations, and our directors are ‘doers’ not

life? Are we in need of a new direction? In

Museum, believes the county’s revival rests

‘talkers,’” he says. “We’re ready to go.”

search of answers, I talked with three longtime

in the renewal of its most public symbol—the

Whether it is Doug Huneke’s “listening

residents who’ve experienced Marin’s transi-

Marin County Civic Center. “Marin, as a county,

posts,” the renaissance of the Civic Center

tions firsthand.

lacks a cohesive concept of who we are,” Munson

as advocated by Catherine Munson, or Phil

Reverend Doug Huneke of Westminister

says. “We must become more regionally alive.”

Paisley’s Marin Open Space Trust—or all of

Presbyterian Church in Tiburon has lived in

She would like to see fulfillment of the

them together—something must happen to

Marin for 26 years. He’s served with the Marin

Renaissance Project, a plan to complete ar-

once again unite Marin County. It’s time to get

Interfaith Council, Homeward Bound and

chitect Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision for the

off our current plateau. That’s my point of view.

the Marine Mammal Center. Huneke is con-

Civic Center by adding new facilities and en-

What’s yours?

cerned about the growing conflict between

hancing existing ones.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Email jwood@marinmagazine.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

BY JIM WOOD

Robert Phillips, President and CEO Guide Dogs for the Blind

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT. EVEN A “NON-PROFIT” CAN PROFIT FROM THAT. It s not easy to find a bank that understands the special needs of a non-profit organization. At Bank of Marin, we not only serve non-profits like Guide Dogs for the Blind, but we also share their commitment to helping people in need. After all, we know that to truly be a community business bank, you first have to help build a successful business community. Credit Management Group 415-884-1050 Sausalito 415-289-8710 Strawberry 415-381-2265 Corte Madera 415-927-2265 San Rafael: 415-259-0365 415-485-2265 415-472-2265 Novato: 415-884-2265 415-899-7338 Petaluma: 707-781-2210 707-781-1810 707-658-4210 Wealth Management Services 415-927-8900 www.bankofmarin.com

AT A G LAN C E

AP RIL THRU APRIL Leave Seals Be The Marine

Scene Inside: Views of organic forms and natural spaces by Paul Brigham at Hang Art. 556 & 567 Sutter St, 415.434.4264, hangart.com

Mammal Center encourages people to leave abandoned seal pups alone. Their mother could be close by looking for food. Instead, call the center’s rescue hot line (Sausalito). 415.289.7325, marinemammalcenter.org

▼

THRU APRIL Earth Friendly Art

THRU APRIL 8 Altar Boyz A musical spoof

APRIL 6 Soweto Gospel Choir

about a heavenly boy band looking for their big break. Orpheum Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

Traditional African gospel sung in six languages is sure to get you moving. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

the Access Ability exhibit, where they can learn phrases in American sign language, type in Braille and more (Sausalito). 415.339.3900, baykidsmuseum.org

APRIL 7 Strike a Pose It’s an

APRIL 8 Easter For those who

evening of dinner and fashion at Runway 2007. Proceeds from the event benefit Marin Advocates for Children. StoneTree Country Club (Novato). 415.507.0179, marinadvocates.org

observe this Christian holiday, today marks the end of Lent and for everyone else it’s a day of pastel dresses, chocolate bunnies and egg hunts.

APRIL 22 Marin Earth Day Event

APRIL 22 Bridging Communities

Take part in trail restoration, litter abatement and invasive plant removal to help our earth. Samuel P. Taylor Park (West Marin). 415.456.3469, marinearthday.org

Join hands with 3,000 people across the Golden Gate Bridge to support nonprofits that serve local families. Golden Gate Bridge (SF/Marin). 415.759.2690, bridgingcommunities2007.com

APRIL 14 Secret Life of Your Dinner Discover the life of lobsters, crabs, tuna and other seafood favorites before they show up on your menu. California Academy of Sciences (SF). 415.321.8000, calacademy.org

▼

EVE NT S IN MA R IN & B EYO N D

▼

THRU MAY 6 Bay Area Discovery Museum Take the kids to

APRIL 26 Garden Tour Marin’s

season with the annual boat parade sponsored by the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Associaton. 415.331.0702, picya.org

▼

Outdoor Art Club’s annual tour, Gardens, Art and Architecture XIII, features five private homes and gardens in Mill Valley. Outdoor Art Club (Mill Valley). 415.455.4695, outdoorartclub.org

APRIL 29 Opening Day on the Bay Kick off sailing

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

31 West Carillo Street, Santa Barbara

• reservations@AndaluciaSB.com

•

www.AndaluciaSB.com

*Offer valid Sunday-Thursday, through 6/30/07. Minimum two-night stay required, based upon availability and restrictions apply. Not applicable to existing reservations. Does not include tax or gratuity.

M A R I N ALBUM

Hail to the Queen “Ships went to sea, and ships came home from sea, and the slow years sailed by and ceased to be.” — HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

BY TIM PORTER

WHEN THE QUEEN MARY 2 CAME FROM THE SEA to call on San Francisco, thousands of people headed to Marin’s shores for a look. From Tiburon to Kirby Cove, families encamped on blankets, photographers unbagged their gear, wine bottles were opened and toasts made. As the appointed hour of arrival came and passed, strangers shared binoculars to peer westward, rumors of offshore sightings rustled through the crowd like soft wind through dry leaves, and those with marine radios took on the role of newscasters. A dull haze grayed the air, and the waning sun tinted it yellow. But, still, the view from the bluffs beyond Fort Baker was dead on out the Golden Gate. From there, a good set of eyes could pull in the bobbing flotilla of sailboats, yachts and kayaks that had assembled seaward of the bridge to welcome the great ship and promenade into the bay. When the QM2 slid into view—and that’s how it was, silently slicing into the expanse of the Gate from behind the jutting prow of the Headlands—it was not anticlimatic at all. The moment was exactly as anticipated, a moment of wonder. Some people cheered, some whistled, many, many snapshotted away. Countless, though, floating, 100-story building filled with food, fun and seafaring fantasy for those fortunate enough to afford the tariff. It was a sight, all right. Something to be remembered as the slow years sail by and cease to be.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

simply looked on, transﬁxed, frozen by the sheer audacity of the idea behind the behemoth—a

Stress Storage. isn’t work-related. The ultimate It’saphrodisiac. garage-related. Remember when life wasn’t and chaotic? Upgrade the junkyard. With premium Hold the Prozac. Stress relief issoa cluttered simple matter of organization. That means premium cabinetry, cabinetry, versatile storage, andofhundreds ways to organize versatile wall storage,wall striking floorstriking finishesfloor andfinishes hundreds cool waysoftocool transform the garage. thathandle avalanche of stuff.from We handle everything from theAnd 3D drawings to final installation. We everything inspiration to installation. the design consultation andAnd 3D the consultation is also on the house (or in this case, garage). Life minus junk equals joy. drawings are on us. Never underestimate the deep, calming effect of good storage.

415.456.4474

g aragesolutions.com

Calm. Cool. Very Collected.

M A R I N GR E E N

EECOM Catriona MacGregor Glazebrook

BY MIMI TOWLE

Well before it was hip to be green, the Environmental

One of EECOM’s latest projects is the Marin

Education Council of Marin (EECOM), a community-

Community Green Action Alliance (MCGAA), an

inspired association of more than 130 local orga-

effort to address global warming in our own backyard.

nizations, has been making it easy and cool to be

Spearheaded by MacGregor Glazebrook, who was in-

eco-friendly. Programs such as the Marin Food

spired by the “tremendous creativity, innovation and

Systems Project, Teen Environmental Media Network

talent in Marin,” the alliance aims to reduce Marin’s

and Sustainable Business Network have become plat-

ecological footprint by curbing excessive energy

forms for the council’s staff, consultants and volun-

consumption. MCGAA, open to all Marin residents,

teers to work together to make a positive difference

includes diverse groups like Sustainable Marin, Pax

in the community. “EECOM has a small core staff

Scientific and Main Street Moms, who are now

but accomplishes a lot by working collaboratively

embracing the issue of global warming with a passion. EECOM will be hosting another community meet-

MacGregor Glazebrook, who joined EECOM as

ing this month at the Marin Art and Garden Center. To

executive director in 2005.

learn more, go to eecom.net.

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

and inspiring community action,” explains Catriona

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

for Beauty

for Style

for Comfort

MARIN COUNTY

NEW YORK CITY

Strawberry Village Mill Valley, CA 94941 415.383.5811

29 Spring Street New York, NY 10012 212.219.2271

Visit our redesigned site: nkah.com

for Life

SNAP BAY CLUB

Michele Prunty, John Nettesheim, Dawn Henson

Berry Foster, Cindy Lang, Pat Foster

Rich and Kim Juarez Katie Smithers, Patrice Hooke

Nurture and Nature Marinites packed the Mill Valley Community Center for Wildcare’s Nature Lover’s Ball, emceed by Doug McConnell. The event supports the group’s programs in wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education and honors the 2007 Terwilliger Environmental Award recipient, Laurette Rogers. Guests mingled during a champagne hour before feasting on a gourmet vegetarian dinner catered by Dan

Eddie Kaufman

McCall and dancing to the band Swing Fever. At Bay Club Marin’s fourth anniversary party, A Good Time for a Great Cause, guests grooved to Bay Area band Pride and Joy, rested their feet in the Velvet Lounge and the Cool Blue Jazz Room and bid on enticing vacations. Proceeds from the event Laura and Mike Hislop

Jeff McMullan

Meghan Devlin, Tim Preiska

beneﬁt Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay.

Pamela Westfall Bochte, Mickey Luckoff, Holly Hollenbeck

Doug McConnell

MARIN APRIL 2007

Jan Armstrong, Charles McGlashan, Carol Misseldine

Kimberly and Craig Burnett

Colleen Newlin, Barbra Nelson, Herb Walkup, David Newlin

Donna and Chuck Huggins

Lynn and Craig McCurdy

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO CREDIT: NATURE/BAY CLUB/ SHERI MONTGOMERY

NATURE LOVER’S BALL

Droplets #2, Lacquer on MDF, 60” x 72”

RUSTY WOLFE Recent Paintings & Sculpture | Artist Reception | Thursday April 5, 2007 | 5 - 7PM

341 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 415.296.7896 caldwellsnyder.com

SNAP OPERA VALENTINE’S BALL

Carla Zuber, Teresa Medearis, Charlot Malin

Robyn Collins, Rosemary Baker

Love Is in the Air Love was in the air at the San Francisco Opera Guild’s Valentine’s Ball at the Four Seasons Hotel. The black tie gala included a silent wine auction and dancing to the music of the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. Proceeds beneﬁt San Francisco Opera Association and Opera Guild’s education and outreach programs. At the Marin Civic Tom and Robin Selfridge

Asher and Diane Rubin

Center, 500 guests entered “Paris: The City of Lights and Love” for this year’s Marin Valentine’s Ball. Tempting auction items such as trips to Paris, Puerto Vallarta and abalone feeds helped raise funds for the North Bay Children’s Center, Sunny Hills Services, the Godmothers of Timothy Murphy School at St . Vincent’s School for Boys

Katie and Claude Jarman

Trish and Charlie Loucks

Kristen Martin, Terrance Cush

and Whistlestop.

MARIN VALENTINE’S BALL

Susan Gilmore, Alan Brayton, Nannette Griswold

MARIN APRIL 2007

Camara and Dennis Scremin

Pam Hamilton, Pete Lewis

Lynne and Art Prieston

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN/PETER LEABO, OPERA/DREW ALTIZER

Lynn and Russ Colombo

Doug and Mandy Martin, Susan and Jared Huffman

utility area : simplified

bedroom garage

home office family room media room

Call today for a free in-home consultation 800.274.6754 | californiaclosets.com 610A DuBois Street, San Rafael

SNAP HEART FOR HEALING EXHIBIT

MOUNT ST. JOSEPH/ST. ELIZABETH

Laura King Pfaff, Brenda Maclean, Linda Dougherty, Janet Ostler

Cheryl Samantha and Laurence Lyons, Barbara Patton, Donna Scott, David Gullion, Varda Rabin

CREATIVE ARTS

Healing Around the Bay February was a time for local groups to support health programs around the bay. At Greenbrae’s California Cancer Care Center, Heart for Healing, an exhibit of 28 paintings by local cancer patients, expressed the effects of cancer and its treatment on the heart, mind and soul. The artists participated in Art for Healing, a health care program offered by the Foundation for Integrative Oncology. At the Great American Music Hall,

Sweet Lou, Lisa Rueff, Heidi Mullen, Carrie Miller, Wendy Abrams

a packed house celebrated the tenth anniversary Mount St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth‘s cabaret show. This year’s production, A Fool for A King, An Opera in One Unnatural Act, featured Katie Budge, Paul Pelosi, Jock Hooper and others. Proceeds from the event support the group’s mission to provide women with the need-

HEALTH AND HEALING

ed tools to recover from substance abuse. The Sausalito Cruising Club played host to the Healing Children’s Hearts with Creative Arts fundraiser. Live salsa music and lessons got the crowd moving and ready to raise funds for DrawBridge. The local nonprofit (whose offices were recently destroyed by fire) provides expressive art programs for homeless children. In

Jeff McKinley, Donna Scott, Melissa Fairgrieve

San Francisco, integrative medicine pioneer Anna Halprin was honored at the Institute for Health and Healing’s 12th annual Celebrating Science and Soul Dinner. Halprin cofounded the Process, her signature healing arts and movement practice. At the University of San Francisco Mission Bay, the Stanlee Gatti– designed Raising Hope fundraiser featured a performance by

Lydia Barrett, Anna Halprin, Jane Lindner

Bette Midler, who received a standing ovation from the crowd. The event beneﬁts the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

Anna Halprin

and raised over $3.75 million.

UCSF GALA

Laura Scher, Anthony and Lisa Vidergauz

MARIN APRIL 2007

Kori Koskie, Meg Goodman

Eric and Carmel Greenberg

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO CREDIT: MOUNT ST. JOSEPH/DREW ALTIZER, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH/ED SMITH

Tamalpa Institute in Marin, which offers training in the Halprin

“The Fine Art of Fine Property” Tracy McLaughlin Specializing in Marin County Properties since 1997

Tracy McLaughlin 415/464-8686 www.marinfinehomes.com tracy@marinfinehomes.com

FA S H I ON TRENDS

Out to Sea with Sailor Chic 3

This summer, London’s National Maritime museum will present Sailor Chic an exhibition celebrating the lasting inﬂuence of the nautical theme on fashion—which the museum defines as style elements taken from garments worn at sea. Maritime chic has been making waves in mainstream fashion since Queen Victoria in 1846 commissioned a sailor suit for her son Albert Edward to wear on the royal yacht. With a palette of blue, red and white, the trend soon made its way to the wardrobes of afﬂuent families, stylish boutiques and modern-day fashion collections. “Part of the enduring allure of this style is that it lends itself to many different interpretations and identities for different groups— the patriotic, the young and the fashion-conscious,” says Amy Miller, curator Sailor Chic.

1. Earn Your Stripes The Richelle Sea

Breeze sunglasses by Spy protect eyes from the ocean’s glare while still looking good. $110 at Proof Lab (Mill Valley). 415.380.8900, prooﬂab.com

2. Anchors Aweigh! The timeless maritime symbol is now a platinum-set, diamond-clad pendant for sailors who can’t get enough. $2,600 at Tiffany & Co. (SF). 415.781.7000, tiffany.com 3. Waist Watcher Cinch it tight and show off those long hours in the gym with this Motif 56 belt. $140 at Item Shoes (Larkspur). 415.925.0109, item-shoes.com

4. Harbor Handbag Hold just about anything with the roomy Equestrian Bag by Chinese Laundry. $72 at Nordstrom (SF). 415.243.8500, nordstrom.com 5. Ahoy Lady On a yacht or a dinghy the 100 percent cotton Fernanda dress by Tocca provides style and comfort. $330 at Blanc Boutique (San Anselmo). 415.485.0104, tocca.com by somer flaherty

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

FASH I ON TRENDS

1 2

Functioning Fashion on the High Seas Although fashion isn’t always the first thought when you’re heading out on open water, if an item can be functional on a dinghy or a schooner and transition to post sailing beverages at the yacht club, why not have both?

3 4

1. Take a Break Unroll the attached straw mat from the Riviera canvas bag for a nap topside. $235 at Juicy Couture (SF). 415.391.1362, juicycouture.com

2. Tread Lightly The original deck shoe is back. The nonmarking sole offers dry and wet traction while the deerskin liner adds ultra comfort. $90 at Boat US (Marin City). 415.331.0224, boatus.com 3. Overnighter Constructed of durable and lightweight nylon, the Sport Retro Collection ﬁtness bag by Lacoste will keep belongings safe and dry even in heavy weather. $120 at Lacoste (SF). 415.677.9004, lacoste.com

4. Foul Weather When the wind chill is

a factor, zip up the Lift Jacket by Helly Hansen. $400 at Lombardi Sports (SF). 415.771.0600, lombardisports.com

5. Smooth Sailing Protect the feet (and stay ﬁrmly planted on the boat) while wearing the LV Cup Loafer by Louis Vuitton. $590 at Louis Vuitton (SF). 415.677.9360, louisvuitton.com

by somer flaherty

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

APRIL 2007

FA S H I O N

life style Name Kathleen Dughi Home Mill Valley Occupation Jeweler Describe your personal style. I like to think of myself as having a sophisticated and edgy style, with comfort being my ﬁrst motivation when I get dressed (the exception being my Jimmy Choo boots). I also have a playful and whimsical side, which shows through in some of the jewelry combinations I choose for my outﬁts. What are you wearing? A coat dress by Colleen Quen, silk scarf by Louis Vuitton, my favorite Jimmy Choo boots, and my own designs, which include colored sapphire briolette earrings, a heavy-link gold necklace, and a larger-than-life aquamarine ring paired with a diamond. Who are your fashion influences? I love the work of The Jewels of JAR, who has an atelier in Paris, early Cartier designs for their meticulous craftsmanship, and Bulgari in the early years with its casual yet tailored styling. Do have favorite designers? Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabanna, Gaultier and Jimmy Choo! Where do you love to shop in Marin? G2 in Mill Valley has wonderful Italian housewares and kitchen accessories; there’s O’Leary, Canvas and Allie G in town. What is always in your bag/pockets? Chanel lip gloss, a photo of my 14-year-old son, Oliver, and our membership to MOMA. 36

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO: BARBA RA R IE S

always something interesting at Margaret

What is your best cheapo secret? The laughs that I get out of having a bunny rabbit. What’s your fashion pet peeve? I will never get used to the look of thong underwear riding above jeans. What is your view of Marin style? I think of Marin style as being casual chic. Focus is on utility and comfort—cashmere sweatpants on a rainy day. Where do you love to eat in Marin? Sushi Ran in Sausalito and Picco in Larkspur. How do you spend your weekends? I usually hike to Tennessee Valley beach or head up the trails on Mount Tam. I spend as much time as I can with my son, and when I’m not with him, I am dreaming up designs for new collections or having margaritas with friends. Where do you go to pamper yourself? I go to see my favorite masseuse, Rosa, who owns Essene in Sausalito, for a massage and general attitude adjustments. How would your friends describe you? Full of life and joy. I am always ready to take on new challenges and face them with tenacity. I try to bring playfulness and fun into most aspects of my life. What was the last book you read, why? The last book I read that I really loved was Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. It is so beautifully written and it really moved me. What was the last movie you saw? Blood Diamond. I think every person in the jewelry business should see this movie. It had an incredible impact on me wanting to be more certain of the origins of the diamonds I work with. What would your theme song be? “It’s a Beautiful Day”—U2. MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

F Y I GA R DE N

PUTTING GREEN Like to golf? Need to work on your putt? Consider installing a low-maintenance home putting green, made from an artificial turf that looks like grass, in your own backyard. Kevin Steffee of Mill Valley–based Dream Greens has installed dozens of such greens using a material called field turf. Each range is custom built to fit in with the contours of your existing landscaping. “By no means does your yard need to be flat,” says Steffee. “We can build up an area to remove too much of a slope, but we design hills and bumps and swales into the green.” The green ground cover requires no herbicides or pesticides and no water, and the infill is made from recycled materials. How much will such a private club cost? About $20 to $22 a square foot “once all is said and done, with fringe, chipping area, design, flags and cups,” Steffee says. For more information, check out dreamgreens.biz; find ideas

PUT OFF PRUNING Before calling an arborist or bush-whacker to cut back your trees, consider this reminder from San Rafael–based WildCare: “Check for the chicks!” says WildCare director of animal care Melanie Piazza. You may not have noticed that a camouﬂaged nest of baby birds has taken up residence on your 30-foot magnolia or gangly hawthorn. “If you must prune,” says Piazza, “check tree branches and cavities [for nests] ﬁrst, and if you need advice, call WildCare at 415.456.SAVE.”

and inspiration at heavenlygreens.com or sportcourt.com. —Mimi Towle 38

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

SF Decorator Showcase

Take your elevator to the top.

For the past 30 years, notable designers and architects have strutted their stuff in the San Francisco Decorator Showcase. Cofounded by Nan Rosenblatt a former parent at San Francisco University High School, Sausalito resident and director of interior architecture and design at the Academy of Art University in the PUTTING GREEN/COURTESY OF GREEN DREAMS, THIS PAGE/ MELANIE PIAZZA COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO DECORATOR SHOWCASE

city, this fundraiser has raised over $9 million for San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program. Rosenblatt hasn’t been the only Marin

Luxury townhomes with gated access and private elevators from $1,575,000. Single-family residences from $2,500,000.

designer to grace the roster; this year, Sausalito designer Kate McIntyre from Ironies will redo a girl’s bedroom. The home for the upcoming showcase, at 2901 Broadway Street, has both historical and architectural importance. Herbert Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, purchased the uneven lot back in 1912 and eventually sold it to a family friend, Milton S. Ray, an engineer

Elevate your style of living at Tiburon’s newest waterfront enclave at Paradise Cay Marina. Our large and luxurious townhomes have private elevator access available, so you can live on all three levels overlooking San Francisco Bay without ever climbing the stairs. Or choose one of our splendid single-family homes (seven with private, 60-foot boat docks) that redefine the concept of waterfront living.

who created a revolutionary type of oil burner used in steamships. Ray hired

Open daily 10 to 5

the city’s famous “hilltop architect” Henry Clay Smith to design the house back in 1927. The Ray family lived in the home until Milton’s death in 1946, when the home was sold to local businessman Mitchel Mitchell, for $93,000. Mitchell’s daughter, Gladyne Mitchell,

TIBURON MIST

240 Trinidad Drive at Paradise Cay

now owns it and has the house listed with Pacific Union. For a preview of the house go to 2901broadwaystreet.com.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

(415) 435-1342 www.tiburonmist.com Broker Cooperation

MARIN APRIL 2007

FYI TRAVEL

Family Adventure Going beyond the usual

BY MIMI TOWLE

or most of us, the only chance to experience exotic places together as a family is on the couch, watching Man vs. Wild or Animal Planet on TV. Imagine, instead, Grandma getting friendly

with a rambunctious red-backed spider monkey in the Costa Rican jungle or the entire family shoulder to shoulder witnessing a lion devouring a wildebeest in the Serengeti. These adventures and more are possible, but who’s going to make the plans? Below are two local families’ truelife travel tales, followed by a short list of respected tour companies that can make it happen. Bushtracks goes to Africa “I have to admit, I considered leaving the kids at home,” says Ruby Tuller of San Francisco, in reference to her parents’ plans to take the whole family on a Southern African safari. Would her kids, Matt, 10, and Eva, 8, really appreciate the experience? Were they old enough? Would she, as the parent, ever get a break? “I also couldn’t help thinking of Bushtracks guides pose with group in Africa.

everything that could go wrong—malaria-ridden mosquitoes, charging rhinos, political coups….” Her anxieties were eased as soon as the family landed in Lusaka, Zambia, met up with their guide as arranged by Healdsburgbased Bushtracks Expeditions, and boarded a

Exotic bird-watching in Costa Rica

MARIN APRIL 2007

C OSTA RICA PH OTOS: RA NDA LL H YM AN PH OTOG RAPH Y

private chartered flight to the Royal Airstrip

Zip-line cable rider

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Martini Glasses for Every Occasion Tiny Costa Rican frog

in the Lower Zambezi National Park. “From that point on I felt taken care of and safe,” says Tuller. “Especially since we traveled in Bushtrack’s private airplanes, which saved us the hassles of airports as well as providing access to remote countryside.” On day one, after they’d settled into their en-suite tent cabins complete with Victorian tubs at Chiawa Camp, a guide took her husband and Matt fishing on the Zambezi River; Ruth chose a walking “micro safari” with an armed ranger who identified animal scat and pointed out the significance of the surround-

Find a Signature Martini Recipe Under Every Base

ing flora and fauna; Eva was chaperoned by a U.S.-certified teacher the tour company had designated for the children; and the grandparents opted to search for hippos on a scenic canoe trip near Victoria Falls. That afternoon, the

Art, Gifts & Accessories

family reconvened for a game drive in guided

Mon. - Sat. 10:30 am - 6:00 pm

47 C Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera (415) 945-8863 • Across from Book Passage

four-wheel-drive Toyotas. The trip also included visits to Tongabezi Lodge in Livingstone, Zambia, and both the Okavango Delta and the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. Besides seeing the amazing array of wild animals, a memorable experience for the children was meeting their pen pals from Makuni School in Livingstone. They’d contacted each other earlier in the year through the Bushtracks Junior Ranger Program and now got together in person for a soccer match and lunch. Bushtracks, created 15 years ago by Zimbabwe native David Tettt and his Bay Area–born wife, Carolyn, has a roster of family programs, which includes trips to Australia, the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu. Classic Journeys visits Costa Rica Spurred by tales of incomparable sightings

Facials • Massage • Body Polishes & Wraps • Waxing

of flamboyant scarlet macaws and 800-foot

Natural Face-Lifting • Detox/Wellness Programs • Airbrush Tanning

spewing lava, three generations of the Lardner

Acupuncture • THERMOGRAPHY • SPA BOUTIQUE • GIFT CARDS

family signed on for an eight-day exploration

216 Strawberry Village, Mill Valley, CA 94941 • www.evo-spa.com

of Costa Rica’s extraordinary ecosystems last

Call for Reservations 415.383.3223

summer orchestrated by Classic Journeys in La

Monday – Saturday 9am – 9pm • Sunday 10am – 7pm

Jolla. Named one of the best tour operations

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

by Travel & Leisure, the company also takes families of all sizes on private or group adventures to other destinations like New Zealand, Belize and many European destinations. The first stop for the Lardners—including matriarch Marion and her six grandchildren ranging in age from nine to 21—was the Hotel Bougainvillea on the outskirts of San Jose, where they got an up-close-and-personal look at Volcan Poas, one of the world’s largest active volcanoes. Another high point (literally) was the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a private wildlife sanctuary that straddles the Continental Divide in the Tilaran Mountains. “We negotiated a breathtaking network of hanging bridges, constructed with safety mesh and suspension cables made of sturdy galvanized steel,” Marion Lardner recalls. ESTATE SILVER

CONFIT JARS

CHATEAUX CHANDELIERS

WE JUST RECIEVED A NEW SHIPMENT OF AUTHENTICALLY OLD TREASURES FROM PROVENCE FRANCE....COME AND TAKE A LOOK!

OPEN EVERY DAY

503 MAGNOLIA AVE., LARKSPUR, CA 94939 415.924.0279

“Looking up or down (or in my case, staring straight ahead at the bobbing pink ribbon on my granddaughter’s ponytail), the bird’s-eye view was unsurpassed.” Some of the more daring family members ratcheted up the thrill factor with an exhilarating zip-line cable ride that crisscrossed the treetop canopy.

Contemporary Residential Architecture and Interior Design

As a teacher, Lardner was especially impressed with the Butterfly Observatory—one of the world’s largest—located near La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park and Wildlife Refuge. “Having shown pictures of the iridescent blue morpho to my kindergarten students back home,” she says, “it was a treat to actually see them on the wing, including one that landed daintily on my grandson’s head.” The Lardners credit their guide, a native Costa Rican named Jorge, with giving them a personalized introduction to this captivating world. A naturalist and practicing biologist, he provided lessons in botany, ecology and even political science. “He instinctively knew when the adults needed grown-up time and the kids needed to be kids,” Marion

Drawn from the uniqueness of each project and client, we create buildings and spaces for living that are beautiful, elegant, and timeless. The basis for our buildings is rooted in modernism, and in our love for and appreciation of new materials and construction methods.

adds, “leading the grandsons on their own ‘big-muscle’ walk or delighting us all by dropping to his knees on the trail to better locate the army ants our fourth-grader had studied in school.” All in all, she reflects, “our family

www.ohashidesign.com • (510) 595-1300 • info@ohashidesign.com

MARIN APRIL 2007

vacation did more to bring us together than a private session with Dr. Phil.”

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

1/3 SQUARE

Inspired to start planning? Check out the following companies: Backroads Whether it’s a safari in South Africa or heli-hiking and biking in the Canadian Rockies, the route is speciﬁcally developed to suit kids’ abilities and attention spans (Berkeley). 800.462.2848, backroads.com Bushtracks Tailor-made family adventures to exotic locations including Southern Africa, India and South America (Healdsburg). 800.995.8689, bushtracks.com Classic Journeys Specializing in family journeys, cultural walking adventures and culinary tours (La Jolla). 800.200.3887, classicjourneys.com

“A Lucky Magazine Favorite Boutique” Rebecca Taylor • Theory • Nanette Lepore Joe’s Jeans • Burning Torch • Trina Turk Milly • Orla Keily • Generra • lisli • Joie Citizens of Humanity • Velvet • Debra Rodman A Common Thread • La Rok • Edun • Castle Starr Tom Nguyen • Charlotte Ronson • Rachel Pally Vince • James Perse • Bailey 44 • Ella Moss Norma Kamali for Everlast • 3.1 Phillip Lim Rozae Nichols • Diane von Furstenberg • Splendid Lilly Pulitzer • Corey Lynn Calter • LAMade Trina Turk & Diane von Furstenberg Swim + Beachwear Gorjana • Devon Dowd • Botkier Handbags Kathy Kamei . . . and SO much more . . . www.martymclothing.com 381 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg 707.431.8738 • 8 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera 415.924.8891

Country Walkers Offers an array of multi-activity family adventures, all over the country and beyond, geared toward diverse and multigenerational interests and activity levels (Waterbury, Vermont). 800.464.9255, countrywalkers.com Mountain Travel Sobek Choose from an extensive menu of tours throughout the world, or opt for a custom private tour. Click the “family adventures” tab online (Emeryville). 888.687.6235, mtsobek.com ACIS Itineraries range from Greek isRug by Masland

land tours to travels in Bangkok and Singapore; the focus is on education. Multilingual tour managers encourage critical thinking by linking classroom lessons with the historical sites and museums guests visit on the trip (Sacramento). 916.448.7496, acis.com

Visit Marin’s premier ﬂoor covering showroom. Discriminating tastes from around the world. Newly remodeled showroom, under new ownership. 5768 Paradise Drive • Corte Madera, CA 94925 • 415.924.6545

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

F Y I CAUS E S

PROTECTORS OF THE INNOCENT Marin Advocates for Children make a difference

Charlie Mead, executive director, Cathy Meehan, CASA volunteer coordinator, Cyndy Doherty, program director, Julie DiVerde, CASA program director

BY SAMANTHA BRONSON orking on behalf of abused and

Prevention Council and the Court Appointed

assigned just one case at a time and are asked

neglected children is difficult

Special Advocates (CASA) program.

to stay with the program for at least two years so they can be a stabilizing element for the

enough, but the efforts of Marin

The Child Abuse Prevention Council offers

Advocates for Children are made even tougher

free training to those required by law to report

by the public perception that child abuse doesn’t

suspected child abuse, hosts parent education

It is the dedication of volunteers, both those

happen in a place as well-off as Marin County.

evenings and connects families at risk of abuse

with CASA and the prevention council, that al-

“There’s a great deal of denial about child abuse

and neglect with preventive services.

lows Marin Advocates for Children to have a

child during the court proceedings.

and Marin County,” says Charlie Mead, executive

CASA, by contrast, works directly with mi-

greater impact than its size would suggest. The

director of the organization. “People think, ‘How

nors who have been removed from their homes

organization has a staff of only six people, in-

can that be? How can that happen?’ There’s this

because of abuse and neglect. Marin’s CASA

cluding Mead, and a yearly budget of about

stereotypical view that it can’t happen in such

program, established in 1983, is affiliated with

$575,000. Yet in the 2005-06 fiscal year, 125 lo-

an affluent, well-educated community.”

the National CASA Association; it is not a gov-

cal children had a CASA volunteer advocate on

The sad reality, says Mead, is that nu-

ernment or court service, although it is funded

their behalf. About 40 percent of the organiza-

merous children in Marin suffer from abuse.

in part by the county and the Judicial Council

tion’s funding comes from government sources

Mistreatment of children cuts across all socio-

of California.

and grants, with donations and special event

The CASA program uses trained volunteers

nancially well-off families have the means to

to speak on behalf of abused children in court.

During that same period, the Child Abuse

hide abuse more easily.

Judges ask that a CASA volunteer be assigned

Prevention Council partnered with similar Bay

During the last fiscal year, Marin County

to the most difficult cases; Marin Advocates

Area organizations to provide educational con-

Child Protective Services received almost

for Children coordinates the arrangement. The

ferences to more than 1,200 parents and pro-

1,700 calls reporting child abuse and neglect.

volunteers become sworn officers of the court.

fessionals focusing on the effects of violence,

Of those, 261 cases were confirmed and Marin

They review the case files, meet with the chil-

abuse and neglect on children’s development.

Advocates for Children worked directly on 125

dren and check in with therapists, foster par-

It also trained hundreds of teachers, child care

of the most difficult situations.

ents, teachers and others involved in the case.

providers and others required by law to report

Marin Advocates has two primary goals:

A CASA volunteer focuses on a child’s well-be-

signs of suspected abuse or neglect.

look out for the best interests of abused chil-

ing without having to serve the interests of the

The true impact of Marin Advocates, though,

dren and try to keep the abuse from happening

parents, county child protective services, the

cannot be found in numbers alone. It lies in the

in the first place. The ten-year-old organiza-

state or anyone else involved.

lives of the children the organization touches.

tion undertakes this mission with two different

To be a CASA volunteer is a significant

but complementary programs: the Child Abuse

commitment, Mead says. Most volunteers are

MARIN APRIL 2007

The story of Jimmy, a pseudonym for a six-yearold Marin boy, provides a typical example.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO BAR BARA RIES

proceeds making up most of the difference.

economic backgrounds, he says, and in fact, fi-

Jimmy’s mother suffered from depression and drug addiction. He regularly was left alone for long periods in a house with no heat and little food. His father was in jail for the second time in 18 months. Jimmy was underweight,

Van Craeynest San Francisco

had never been to a doctor or a dentist and lived in a continual state of fear and uncertainty. Tired, hungry and listless, Jimmy had no interest in playing with other children at school and wanted only to sleep or to be left alone. He missed so many days of school that he risked failing first grade and once came to class in the same dirty clothes ten days in a row. His teacher recognized the signs of neglect from the Child Abuse Prevention Council training she’d received. She notified authorities, and Jimmy was removed from his mother’s care, placed in a foster home and assigned a CASA volunteer, “Emily” (not her real name). Emily met with Jimmy, his foster family and his teacher to put together a case plan that represented Jimmy’s best interests. When

Handcrafted Original Designs

Jimmy’s mother agreed to seek treatment for

www.vancraeynest.com • (415) 362-1025

her addictions, Emily supported her in these efforts. With Emily’s dedication, Jimmy and his mother were given another chance to be a family. Jimmy’s schoolwork has since improved and he has begun to play with his classmates. “Jimmy’s case highlights the difficult situations the children our CASA volunteers work with come from,” says Mead. “These are the most difficult and challenging cases. The resolution of a case like Jimmy’s is what drives the volunteers and our organization. We see children like Jimmy who are scared beyond words. With a CASA volunteer assigned to their case, speaking for their best interest in court, children like Jimmy know that someone is speaking up for them and for their future.”

WANT TO HELP? For more information on Marin Advocates for Children, or to purchase tickets for this year’s fundraiser, Runway 2007, held on April 7th at StoneTree Country Club, visit marinadvocates. org or call 415.507.9016.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

welcome . enjoy . indulge ﬁne women’s clothing & accessories nanette lepore norma kamali save the queen isabel de pedro suzi roher autumn cashmere trina turk ella moss vince (415) 892-2255 bettyann869@aol.com 869 Grant Avenue, Novato

MARIN APRIL 2007

F Y I BUSINESS

DO GOOD, DO WELL Sausalito software firm helps companies boost volunteerism—and their bottom line.

ith a conference area dubbed the

by doing good. The company’s flagship product

to 200 in one year, and employee participation

“peace room,” back doors that roll

is Enterprise Volunteer Solution, a web-based

grew more than tenfold, from 500 to an im-

up for patio barbecues and flex-

application that makes it easy for employees of

pressive 5,800.

ible schedules that encourage work/life balance,

corporations like Bank of America and Citigroup

The old paradigm of corporate giving out

it’s little wonder AngelPoints was rated one of

to record the hours they contribute at company-

of obligation is obsolete, Mercy says. “Now the

the 100 best places to work in the Bay Area by

sponsored community service events and post

trend is toward a more proactive philosophy.

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal in 2006.

feedback about their experience. The software

Companies recognize that if they align them-

The Sausalito company’s employee-friendly

enables these businesses to spot trends among

selves with the right social opportunities, it

ethos—which includes paid time off to volun-

volunteers, match up people with community

will create business opportunities.” If General

teer—is in keeping with its mission: to encour-

service opportunities, alert staff by e-mail of up-

Electric invests money and services in second-

age more businesses to be socially responsible.

coming volunteer events in their area and re-

ary schools to foster math and science educa-

“We’re tying to elevate the acclaim of volun-

ward employees’ efforts.

tion, the result is a more qualified workforce.

teering in corporate America,” says AngelPoints

AngelPoints’ clients—which also include

Likewise, by sponsoring financial literacy train-

Land O’Lakes, Toyota, and California State

ing in low- to moderate-income communities,

Despite the heavenly connotations of the

Automobile Association—find that tracking

Wells Fargo generates more potential clients.

company’s (and its founder’s) name, there’s no

their volunteer efforts increases those efforts,

Such targeted corporate giving is a win-win

religious connection. Mercy, a resident of Mill

as well as the community goodwill. At CSAA,

situation. “Companies earn points—karmic or

Valley, says it speaks to the adage of doing well

for instance, company events jumped from 30

otherwise—for doing the right thing.”

founder and CEO Andrew Mercy.

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO TI M P ORTER

BY BONNIE MONTE

The feedback in AngelPoints’ database, from some 3 million volunteers, helps corporate clients create effective giving strategies and share best practices. And the synergy of diverse companies tapping into the same software can even help bring large projects to fruition. For example, the United Nations’ Millennium Project, an effort to combat malaria in Africa, requires a lengthy list of services and goods; AngelPoints can help bring providers of those resources together, since its clients include GE (engineers), American Airlines (transportation) and Timberland (clothes). Mercy, a New York City native, founded AngelPoints in 2001 after the software company he worked for was sold. Starting an enterprise based on giving back was a natural step, since he grew up in a family of volunteers: “At the dinner table, my parents talked as much about the boards they served on as the companies they worked for.” In the early AngelPoints days, Mercy ran the company out of his living room. When that became unwieldy, the offices moved to Miller

55 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley 415-380-0880 www.alixandcompany.com

Avenue in Mill Valley, and then, after outgrowing that space, the company migrated to its current headquarters on Liberty Ship Way in Sausalito. In a past incarnation, the soaring space was a factory that built masts for World War II liberty ships. Mercy finds the metaphor meaningful. “The Liberty ships delivered valuable resources to our allies,” he says. “Our company also brings resources to the world.” Because the swiftest Liberty ship made the transatlantic journey in 33 days, AngelPoints rolls out its new software in 33-day increments. Slated for release in 2007 is a module to help companies manage direct donations—both employee contributions and corporate grants. Also on the horizon is greater AngelPoints community involvement, particularly in Marin City. The area was originally developed as housing for shipyard builders, so it holds a special place in Mercy’s heart. He’d like to remedy its isolation from the rest of Marin. Earlier this year, AngelPoints held its community service day there on Martin Luther King Day, planting gardens around the community center. “We’ll be doing more there,” he promises.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

F Y I B O O KS

The Mystery of Memory In her new novel, The Year of Fog, San Francisco writer Michelle Richmond takes readers on a pageturning journey through the mysteries of memory in search of a missing child BY SAMANTHA BERRY

MARIN APRIL 2007

six-year-old girl disappears into the

usual tour of the city. Richmond burrows into

fog at Ocean Beach in the moment

the details of San Francisco’s geography and

her soon-to-be stepmother looks away

neighborhoods like a travel writer.

to photograph a dead seal pup. There are no

“I wrote from memory,” the author says

physical clues—no footprints, no sounds, not

from her home office in San Francisco’s Outer

a trace. Thus begins Michelle Richmond’s The

Richmond neighborhood. “Then I went back

Year of Fog, a novel that manages to have both

and drove all the routes. I took a lot of really

the high-velocity pace of a ripped-from-the-

long walks on Ocean Beach, trying to note the

headlines thriller and nuanced insights into

details. I walked up to Coit Tower, where I had

the nature of memory, love, family and guilt.

actually never been, so I could get the view

Like the author, protagonist Abby Mason is

right. I noted what kind of shrubs were grow-

a transplant to San Francisco from the South

ing. Every place became a place of horror. The

who has fallen deeply in love with her new

fly-fishing ponds in Golden Gate Park, which

home. In the weeks and months following the

are lovely and benign, would become horrific

disappearance of her fiancé’s daughter Emma,

to Abby. The former Sutro Baths, which I love,

wracked with guilt and haunted by the possi-

would become such a place of fear.”

bilities of what happened, Abby searches San

The horror she speaks of is internal. It’s the

Francisco fruitlessly for clues. This is not the

absolute desperation Abby feels as she tries

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

“

Every time you remember something you are actually reconstructing it, telling a story. No memory is completely true.

”

—MICHELLE RICHMOND to figure out what befell Emma. She searches the city in a random, haphazard way, knowing that the real key that will unlock the mystery lies in her own faulty memory. She goes over the days and moments leading up to Emma’s disappearance again and again, reconstructing the details, digging for any tiny hint she may have forgotten. The counterpoint to the novel’s page-turning plot is Richmond’s exploration of the unreliability of memory. “Once I had it in place that Emma vanished I thought, where do you begin when you have no clues?” she explains. “The

Adventurous Romance or RomanticAdventure? It’s your choice at “One of America’s Best Lodges” by Travel & Leisure 65,000 Acres. 22 Luxury Rooms. 40 Beach Tentalows. 18 Holes of Golf. 1 Extraordinary Hawaiian Experience www.molokairanch.com • 888-627-8082

most logical place is trying to excavate your memory.” After reading The Art of Memory by Frances Yates, Richmond became fascinated with how the brain works and how memories are stored. “It is so much more fluid than we think of it as being,” she says. “Every time you remember something you are actually reconstructing it, telling a story. No memory is completely true.” It is the shifting sands of Abby’s memory that keeps the reader guessing: which of the particulars that float to the surface like so many air bubbles are the significant ones? Which ones are even real? As Abby struggles to recall the one detail that will solve the mystery, she is brought face to face with the vagaries of even our own life stories—of how we can forget what we thought we never would and remember things that never happened. Like all good mysteries, The Year of Fog twists the reader’s expectations, turning some

gift certiﬁcates • relaxing massage luxurious facials • therapeutic body treatments

of what we think we know about missing children cases on its head and providing a surprising and satisfying ending that manages to retain the complexity of real life. It is, in the end, a very memorable book.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

skin, bath & body care products ( 415 ) 9 24 -7 3 0 0 • w w w . s t e l l a r s p a . c o m 26 TA M A L PA I S D R I V E , C O R T E M A D E R A , C A 9 4 9 2 5

MARIN APRIL 2007

LOCAL TYPE

Firm thighs. Lifted seats. Flat abs.

Naked on the Page by Jane Ganahl ($25, Viking) For four years Jane Ganahl wrote the wildly popular column “Single Minded” for the San Francisco Chronicle, capturing the essence of what it means to be female, middle-aged and single. With her new book Naked on the Page: The Misadventures of My Unmarried Midlife, we get 300 pages of her trademark wit and intelligence. It’s Sex and the City: the Next Generation (there’s even a sitcom based on Ganahl’s life in the works).

“The best workout for a lean dancer’s body!”

Organic Baby: Simple Steps for

(as seen in Glamour Magazine, Yoga Journal and on Extra)

($25, Chronicle Books) Following

Healthy Living by Kimberly Rider in the footsteps of her first book The Healthy Home Workbook (report-

Childcare Available 208 Bon Air Center, Greenbrae (behind Mollie Stone’s) (415) 461-4461 www.barmethod.com

ed on here last year), Marin native, interior designer and new mother Kimberly Rider offers parents dozens of solutions that fit their priori-

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY I SPORTS MEDICINE I SPINE CARE Sports medicine is a medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases. At Marin Orthopedics and Sports Medicine our doctors are knowledgeable in all areas of general orthopedics, spine care, sports and upper extremity surgeries. We work together to ensure you quality and efficient care.

ties, their lifestyles and their budgets. From cribs to bubble bath to baby’s first foods, Organic Baby: Simple Steps for Healthy Living has it all. From the Earth to the Table: John Ash’s Wine Country Cuisine ($25, Chronicle Books) Santa Rosa writer and restaurateur John Ash brings us a lushly photographed and lovingly assembled cookbook celebrating the cuisine of the wine country. Along with imaginative salads (Fresh Corn, Orzo, and Smoked Chicken Salad with Pine Nuts), he offers an array of soups, pastas (Fusilli with Collards, Bacon and Garlic) and desserts (Peach-Mint Granita). Fish (Seared Ahi Tuna with a Lavender-Pepper Crust), poultry, meat and vegetable dishes are innovative and tempting. For each salad and main dish, he

WWW.MARINORTHOPEDICS.COM . 415.492.1600

suggests a wine.

4000 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 205, SAN RAFAEL, CA 94903

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

BOOKSELLERS RECOMMEND THEIR FAVORITE MYSTERIES

Decoration

Design

Construction

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra ($28, HarperCollins) “Sacred Games is shelved in Fiction, but it’s a detective story set in the criminal underworld of Bombay. It took [the author] seven years to write this book and it’s just epic and fabulous. It draws the reader in to the life of detective Singh and the seamy underworld of India’s gangster land.” —Elizabeth Goodwin, Book Passage, Corte Madera Amagansett by Mark Mills ($14, Berkeley)“Basically it’s set out in

2006 “Living Room” Marin Designers Showcase

the Hamptons on Long Island, and it shows the juxtaposition between the old fishing families and old money families. Fishermen pull in a body from the surf and the investiga-

Park Hill Interiors Michael Souza 415.255.9556 parkhillinteriors@sbcglobal.net www. parkhillinteriors.com

Marin County

•

San Francisco

Michael Souza CID, ASID

•

Sonoma

•

Palm Springs

tion goes from there. But it’s more than just a mystery—it has all this social commentary and it’s just a really good thriller. For tough-guy stuff I think Mystic River [by Dennis Lehane] is still one of the best ones out there.” —Lenny Jay, Book Depot, Mill Valley The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill ($11, Soho Crime) “I read it because it’s the first book that everyone in our local mystery reading group raved about. It’s set in Laos a year after the communist takeover. It has exotic locations, intelligent and witty writing, political intrigue and medical deduction. I don’t usually read mysteries but this one has been unanimously liked.” —Kate Levinson, Point Reyes Books

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

F Y I PEO P LE

A Force for Felines Belvedere’s Zara McDonald founded the Felidae Conservation Fund to help save the world’s endangered big cats BY BONNIE MONTE

he 78-pound snow leopard, still languid from the effects of a tranquilizing dart, fixes her pale, luminous gaze directly on the camera some 400 meters distant. “I

CHEETAH FUNDRAISER

I was.” The moment produced a haunting photograph. The big cat’s air of composure is

The Felidae Conservation

particularly compelling in light of the events McDonald had just undergone.

Fund will host a fundraiser in Belvedere on behalf of the Asiatic cheetah on April 12,

was using a very long lens,” Zara McDonald says, “but she knew exactly where

McDonald and a team of researchers traveled to northwest Pakistan’s Chitral Gol National Park, where they managed to gently snare the snow leopard, immobilize her

2007. For information visit

with a blow dart and put a GPS tracking collar on her. They weighed her, measured her,

felidaefund.org.

kept her warm and lubricated her eyes, which were temporarily unable to blink because of the effects of the tranquilizer. Then they watched until she recovered fully.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Furniture Made from Recycled Wood The collaring project—an international collaborative effort among multiple organizations—was spearheaded by Felidae Conservation Fund, the Belvedere nonprofit McDonald founded and directs. Its mission is to support scientific research and raise public awareness about the world’s 37 species of wild cats. The Chitral Gol team hopes to collar five snow leopards over the next several months. The GPS devices will pinpoint the animals’ movements, providing a wealth of information about the habits of these elusive creatures. “The data will tell us where we need to preserve corridors, so the animals can move with ease through their habitat range,” McDonald says. After a year’s time, the battery in each collar will run low, triggering a release mechanism. A signal will remain active for another month or two, though, so researchers can re-

1848 Fourth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 • 415.453.0345 • Wed-Sat 10-6/Sun 12-5 2919 Seventh Street, Berkeley, CA 94710 • 510.848.3575 • Mon-Sat 10-6/Sun 12-5 www.thewoodenduck.com

trieve the $6,000 collars. A Mill Valley native who spent most of her childhood in the United Kingdom, McDonald was an avid trail runner whose interest in big cats grew as she learned about encounters between runners and mountain lions. “It showed me how little awareness there was about carnivore species—especially those that evoke fear,” she says. Felidae—the Latin name for the family of feline animals, from lions to house cats—now collaborates with the Wildlife Health Center at UC Davis on education and outreach programs to teach about mountain lions in San Diego schools. McDonald is working on instituting a similar program in Marin schools. “We need to get out the message that the mountain lion is integral to the ecosystem it exists in,” she says. McDonald’s business background serves her in good stead as Felidae’s executive director.

Prima Medical Group A local, physician owned and operated group of Internists, Family Medicine, and Pediatric Doctors.

After receiving an MBA from UC Berkeley, she cofounded a company that made GPS devices

it’s good health™

for hikers and runners. Subsequently, she was a partner in an equity fund that concentrated on sustainable investments. Feeling a pull to work with animals, she returned to school for a year

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Dedicated to providing high quality healthcare throughout Marin County.

*NEW* 383.3500 Pediatrics 492.3333 Terra Linda 897.9664 Novato 383.4744 Mill Valley www.primamedgroup.com

MARIN APRIL 2007

of premed education as a precursor to veterinary studies. But after connecting with a scientist at a conference, she decided that funding research and conservation was the right path

Napa Valley’s Premier Luxury Travel Destination Exquisite furnishings… Amazing ambiance… An unforgettable vacation.

for her: “The work I’m doing is filling a void in my life that’s been there a long time.” Having field experience under her belt enhances her outreach efforts. “It’s more powerful if you can bring back a story firsthand,”

Mention this ad and stay 2 Nights at the Vino Bello Resort or the adjacent Meritage Resort for only $99!*

she says. That’s why she accompanied Snow Leopard Conservation director Tom McCarthy and his team to Chitral Gol for two months,

Located in South Napa in the shadow of the famed Wine Crusher statue. 865 Bordeaux Way, South Napa at Corporate Way.

hiking six to eight hours a day over challenging terrain. “Seeing a snow leopard in the wild

*In order to receive this special offer, you must book your vacation on or before May 31, 2007. Hotel Tax and Resort Fee included. Additional terms and conditions apply. For complete details, and to learn more about our vacation programs, please call 1.866.733.7435.

is absolutely life-changing,” she says. “I felt

1.866.733.7435

completely safe sitting near that snow leopard as she was waking up. They’re very gentle ani-

www.ShellVacationsClub.com

mals, not at all confrontational.” She recounts incidents of villagers stoning animals that had attacked their livestock. “The snow leopards don’t fight back,” she says. “They just stand there and take it.” The snow leopard is on the endangered species list. Only about 3,000 to 7,000 exist, and they are threatened by poaching, loss of their natural prey in the wild and retribution from livestock owners. Conservation agencies are working with villagers, McDonald says, to help them build better corrals for their livestock and to develop alternative sources of income in the hopes of reducing wildlife poaching. “Talking with people makes an unbelievable difference in their participation and cooperation,” she says.

Translucent Glass Cover Sleeves for Candelabra Light Fixtures

Slip the Art Glass Candle Cover Sleeves onto your candelabras and cover the plastic candle sleeves that came with your ﬁxture! Use a 60 watt incandescent ﬂame shaped bulb outside or a 15 watt incandescent thin bulb inside. Each Candles drips are different Six sizes - Neutral Cream Color - $65 - $95 each - Order Online

A NNE T HULL F INE A RT D ESIGNS ®, LLC www.annethullfineartdesigns.com • Phone: 415.435.1466

MARIN APRIL 2007

McDonald hopes to expand the tracking project beyond Pakistan since the range of the leopards extends through 12 nations in Central and Southeast Asia. Such efforts involve time and finessing of details, she realizes, “but we’ll make the links between the countries,” she says. “We want to ensure that future generations have the luxury we take for granted— populations of wildlife.”

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ThankYou! A

warm and sincere thank you to our sponsors, members, guests and staff who helped make Bay Club Marin’s Fourth Anniversary Party a superlative success! We raised over $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marin and Napa Counties. Through our Health and Harmony Program, Bay Club Marin and Big Brothers Big Sisters offers a unique and innovative program to support youth in Marin and surrounding communities. Hosting our party has enabled us to fulﬁll Bay Club Marin’s mission statement of enhancing people’s lives and we appreciate the support of our sponsors in contributing to the party’s success.

sponsors

bay club marin and the sanctuary spa • 220 corte madera town center t:415 945 3ooo

C O N V E R S AT I O N

NANCY LIVINGSTON, FRED LEVIN Bay Area arts advocates and philanthropists with deep roots in Marin County BY JIM WOOD PHOTO TIM PORTER

his is a landmark year for Mill

Bertolucci and Akira Kurosawa and rising

of couple who regularly complete each other’s

Valley art patrons Fred Levin

young filmmakers like Sofia Coppola.

sentences. They take a similar approach to

and Nancy Livingston. Fifty

This year, the festival opens April 26 with

art. “Everything we do, we do together,” says

years ago this month Fred’s

Golden Door, a film by Italian director Emanuele

Levin. “We support each other’s endeavors entirely,” echoes Livingston.

late father, film exhibitor Irving

Crialese. The San Francisco Film Society, pro-

“Bud” Levin, a third-generation Californian,

ducers of the festival, will honor Marin resident

Their artistic and civic involvement is wide.

launched the San Francisco International

George Lucas with the first (and only) Irving

Livingston is vice chair of the board of American

Film Festival. The film festival—the “first ever

”Bud” Levin Award for Visionary Achievement in

Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and

seriously attempted in the United States,”

Motion Pictures at the organization’s gala, May

Cal Performances in Berkeley. Levin sits on

says Levin—is still going strong. Actors like

3, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Livingston and

the boards of the San Francisco Film Society,

Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando and Bette

Levin are chairing the event.

the San Francisco Symphony, the Asian Art

Davis have made appearances, as have writer

Livingston, 59, and Levin, 63, have been

Museum and San Francisco Performances. He

Truman Capote, legendary directors Bernardo

married nearly three decades and are the type

is also a past president of Congregation Rodef

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Sholom synagogue in San Rafael. As the only donor advisers of the Shenson Foundation, a San Francisco trust started by Levin’s family, Livingston and Levin support 60 arts and other organizations annually with grants running as Diplomate: American Board of Plastic Surgery American Board of Surgery

high as $75,000.

American College of Surgeons, Fellow

Let’s star t with your personal back-

Harvard College, A.B., 1961, cum laude

grounds. N.L. I was born in Cleveland, gradu-

Harvard Medical School, 1965, cum laude

ated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and came to San Francisco in 1971 to work at an advertising agency; that’s where I met Fred. We’ve been married for 29 years and have two grown children and three grandchildren. F.L. I was born in San Francisco, a fourth-

AESTHETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE PLASTIC SURGERY

Massachusetts General Hospital Internship and Residency in General Surgery The Johns Hopkins Hospital Chief Residency in Plastic Surgery United States Air Force Regional Hospital Chief of Surgery Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons, Past President Mt. Tam Laser and Skin Care, Kentﬁeld Medical Director

generation Californian, and raised in part in Marin County. My vocation is being an importer, which used to involve a great deal of travel; now, thankfully, that involvement has been greatly reduced. As a family, we’ve lived in Tiburon, Novato and now in Mill Valley, overlooking Shelter Bay.

As arts advocates, how do you focus both your personal and your fiscal involvements? F.L. We focus on three areas: the visual arts, the performing arts and Jewish social services. We try very hard to personally support all the organizations we, through the foundation, support fiscally. We try to be as involved as we can. N.L. Our support comes at different levels, in different degrees. In some cases it involves attending a concert or a performance. With other organizations, we become involved on a deeper basis, so we can see how the money is being spent.

Why are you passionate about the visual and performing arts? What makes them so vital to the community? N.L. Art is transformative; it is where we can dialogue, where we can all sit in the dark and come together in

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

The Landscape Light Pros™ – Your landscape deserves the best lighting. • Design and Installation • Maintenance and Service Contracts

a way that is magical. And it never happens in

• Low-voltage CAST Landscape Lighting for Homes of Distinction

ing in the world today is that people can pick

• Servicing new or existing lighting systems.

is a one-on-nothing dialogue, just you and a

exactly the same way twice. What is happen-

and choose how and when material comes to them, and in some ways that’s good. But it

screen—which takes us out of those extraordinary moments when art starts a conversation among those experiencing it together. And I think we need more, not less, of those kinds of moments, those kinds of experiences. F.L. For me, it’s slightly different. As a youngster growing up in San Francisco, I experienced class trips to the museum, or the symphony, even the opera. These were important events in my growing up; they helped me learn of a larger world. Today, that’s not always true. Thanks to Prop. 13, kids today don’t have those kinds ™

Jay Nelson, Owner, The Landscape Light Pros

of experiences. Many of the organizations we’re

415.272.7510 • jay@thelandscapelightpros.com • www.thelandscapelightpros.com

involved with provide a tremendous amount of outreach for young people.

Much of your time and resources is San Francisco directed. Does this imply you have differences with the Marin cultural community? N.L. In a way, yes. The Marin approach toward culture, as we’ve experienced it, seems to be that of a “bedroom community.” Everyone’s serious focus is south, across the bridge. To us, the Marin cultural community has not yet made its case strongly enough. F.L. Marin County has many of the same cultural experiences as San Francisco, but they are smaller; they don’t have the same depth. For example, the Marin Symphony has a small season. We’ve known Alasdair Neale for years—and he is fantastic—but the symphony has only a few performances a year. And like the Marin Ballet, the Ross Valley Players and other Marin organizations, they’ve not made a case for their mission, or their needs, or their ideas as to where they’re going and how they plan to get there. Besides, ours is a San Francisco–based foundation.

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Will you give current examples of a highlight or two of the San Francisco cultural scene? N.L. The American Conservatory Theater has an actual conservatory component where young people are doing incredibly exciting work. I invite everyone to come to Zeum, an intimate South of Market theater involving main stage as well as conser-

get the glow with IPL surface repair;

vatory actors. It is an integral part of our

banish wrinkles with BOTOX® cosmetic;

mission, and of our A.C.T. main stage the-

vanish lines with Restylane® and other

ater on Geary Street. Our Master of Fine Arts

dermal fillers: bring your skin to its best.

program has produced such actors as Anika Noni Rose, Wynona Ryder, Benjamin Bratt and Annette Bening. Also, as a totality, A.C.T. is doing some extremely exciting and provocative work. An example is a play we commissioned titled After the War by Philip Kan Gotanda. It is the story of Japanese interned during World War II returning to a boardinghouse in the Fillmore District that was now occupied by blacks, people from the South, and other ethnic groups. It’s a powerful story made more meaningful by this year being the 100th anniversary of the founding of Japantown. After the War opens March 22. F.L. San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum is the largest freestanding Asian art museum in the country. It’s been open three years now and has attracted several exciting touring exhibitions as well as having a fine permanent collection. I’m especially fascinated by the Jade

Proud host of the 21st Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research April 12 - 14, 2007 • 2,500 of the best and brightest students and faculty from around the country • 1,000 Marin hotel rooms occupied

Room, which presents Chinese jade carvings

• 1,800 volunteer hours contributed

from antiquity almost to the present. Another

• 3,000 locally grown apples consumed

favorite is Seated Chinese Buddha on the third

• 10,000 trans fat-free cookies enjoyed

floor. It bears the date “338,” making it the earliest dated Chinese Buddha in the world.

. . . all at 1 major university in Marin

I’m also excited by the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco International Film Festival. Our new executive director, Graham Leggett, was previously with the New York Film Festival in Lincoln Center and he’s reenergized the organization and initiated many new programs. We hope everyone will participate in this year’s exceptional two-week festival.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Dominican University of California • 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 • www.dominican.edu/ncur21

MARIN APRIL 2007

THINK

SCHOOL OF SECOND CHANCES College of Marin rebounds from a troubled past STORY & PHOTOS TIM PORTER

THE STORY OF THE COLLEGE OF MARIN resembles the folk tale about the blind men and the elephant, which goes like this:

Those are the words of Fran White, who was hired as the college’s $189,000-a-year president three years ago. She faced four immedi-

A group of blind men encounter an elephant. Each man touches a

ate challenges: oversee a renovation of the school’s aging campuses

different part of the large animal. The man who touches the leg proclaims

in Kentfield and Novato, make peace with a discordant faculty that

it to be a pillar. The tail-toucher thinks he feels a rope. The trunk is a wa-

slapped her longtime predecessor with a no-confidence vote, stanch a

terspout. The tusk is a spear. And so on. The men argue over what they

steady enrollment decline and safeguard the college’s accreditation.

have felt until a wise man comes along and settles the dispute by telling

“The college, unfortunately, when I got here had a very negative

them: You are each correct. An elephant is all these things. Your error was

image in the community,” says White. “The institution had an image of

assuming the part you touched was the whole animal.

discord, of poor management, of low enrollment, of faculty and admin-

Like the elephant, the College of Marin could be many things – depending on which part you touch. Is it a stepping-stone for young people who don’t have the money, the grades or the maturity to begin their college life at a four-year school? Is it a trade school, a place to learn the pragmatics of landscaping, nursing or repairing catalytic converters?

istrative strife. All that rolled into one big ball of negative image.” The conventional wisdom, says White, was that the public’s dim view of the college would doom approval of a bond that could pay to revitalize the campuses. “People didn’t believe in the bond,” she says. “The first thing I was told was, ‘Fran, don’t take it personally, but you’re not going to win.’”

Is it a second chance for adults who passed up college when they were younger, but have the desire and drive to learn now?

A building boom in the offing

Is it a gray-haired campus that draws aging boomers who want to

In November 2004, though, enough voters agreed with White to give

enrich their later years with lessons in Spanish, literature or ceramics?

her and the college’s elected trustees $249.5 million in rebuilding mon-

Is it a recovering institution on the road back from a reputation sul-

ey. Originally, under a so-called “dream plan,” the bond money was to

lied by intramural infighting and declining enrollment?

have been spent on razing most of the Kentfield campus buildings—

The answer to each of those questions: Yes. The 81-year-old

whose style ranges from Spanish mission to Soviet bunker—and replac-

community college, one of 109 similar schools in California, has an

ing them with new structures and constructing a 36,000-square-foot

identity as diverse as the students who go there. But behind this

building at the Indian Valley campus in Novato.

seemingly schizophrenic facade is one fundamental purpose: “to be

But the dream plan was about $130 million too expensive. The cur-

the heart of the community where no matter what your background,

rent, revised proposal emphasizes modernization over reconstruction.

no matter what level of education or training you have, you can

Still, the work ahead is substantial. Five major projects are planned for

find something here.”

Kentfield and two for Indian Valley.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Recruiters from Cal State East Bay talk to students at College of Marin.

The Kentfield makeover will include an updated physical education

“Martin Luther King used to say there are two kinds of people,” she

complex, a refurbished performing arts building, a new fine and visual

says. “There’s the thermometer people. They go into a room, take the tem-

arts building, a new gateway building at College Avenue and Sir Francis

perature and adjust to the room. And then there’s the thermostat people.

Drake Boulevard to house administrative services and classrooms, and a

They going into a room and change the temperature. I’m a thermostat.”

new 77,000-square-foot science and math building that will also contain

By February of this year, College of Marin had met four of WASC’s cri-

the campus’s mechanical facilities. Work will begin, starting with the phys

teria and, says Cathy Summa-Wolfe, communications director for the col-

ed complex, in early 2008 and continue in stages for at least four years,

lege, expects to resolve the remaining one—improved planning—by fall.

says V-Anne Chernock, director of modernization for the college. At Indian Valley, the bond money will redo the complex containing the auto-technology program—one of the College of Marin’s most

Some of the changes, particularly plans to review the effectiveness of academic programs, met stiff resistance from factions of the faculty. White says critics are missing the point of program review.

popular segments—and pay for a new building that will house medi-

“The purpose is to improve what we’re offering and the way we’re

cal program labs and student services. Those projects get underway in

offering it so that it’s better for students,” White says. “There is a group

mid-2008, Chernock says.

that thinks this is just the beginning of the end. It puts people on the

Six months after White arrived, in January 2005, the Western

spot. It sort of like being told you need to lose some weight and it’s

Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) warned the College of Marin

time to go to your Weight Watchers meeting. You’re just on the spot.

that its accreditation was at risk. The association cited several reasons,

You’re either going to get on the scale and look good or you’re going

among them lack of three processes considered routine at other commu-

to get on the scale and get a lecture. Now, that’s simplistic. But I think

nity colleges: a cohesive planning process, a program review system to

people are fearful. They haven’t done it. They don’t understand it. They

determine the effectiveness of classes and a legally mandated governance

don’t want it. And they’re scared.”

structure that involved the faculty in decision-making. White describes herself as a “hardworking, practice-what-you-preach”

A rift in the ranks

administrator who believes in accountability, the value of the community

Dissension among faculty members about the policy changes—and

colleges (she attended Merritt College in Oakland on her way to a doctor-

about White’s management style—is palpable. The January newslet-

ate) and, for the College of Marin, the need for change.

ter published by United Professors of Marin, the union that repre-

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Fran White, president of the College of Marin.

sents teachers, librarians and counselors, published an article entitled

she says. “To me, that’s a legitimate concern. So, I think it’s really impor-

“Connecting the Dots” that labeled as “collaborators” those faculty

tant to protect programs and to protect faculty from a misuse of data.”

members who support the administration and compared them to the

Fran White has brought a “refreshing change” to the administration,

“French citizens who were sympathizers and supports of the pro-Nazi

says Bellisimo. “Before, the communication was not particularly honest.

Vichy regime” and to “the informers who cooperated” with Communist-

There was a habit of administrators saying what was expedient and then

hunting congressional investigators during the Red Scare in the 1950s.

doing whatever they wanted to. Now we’re in an environment where the

“So there is nothing new about people who are willing to renounce

students, the faculty and the staff are participating in decision-making.

and abandon their colleagues for ‘30 pieces of silver,’” said the newslet-

“This year, more than any year I’ve been here, I’ve seen the

ter. “Why, we even have such collaborators here at the College of Marin

change. People are more open to doing things that they were afraid

... and some of them are even serving as our faculty representatives.”

to try before.”

Such vitriol might stem, in part, from the loss anti-administration

That view, as you might expect, isn’t shared by those Bellisimo op-

faculty members suffered in last year’s Academic Senate elections. The

posed in the Academic Senate. “There’s a lot of divisiveness right now

new president, longtime social sciences teacher Yolanda Bellisimo, says

on this campus among the faculty with regard to the view of the ad-

she ran for the post because the college “needed better trust and better

ministration,” says history and political science teacher Hank Fearnley.

communication” among what she calls its four “tribes”—the adminis-

“We have got a very autocratic administration that is trying to under-

tration, the faculty, the staff and the students.

mine the traditional rights we have always enjoyed as members of an

“My concern,” she says, “was that if we were going to get off (the accreditation) warning and move the college forward, there were a lot of agreements that needed to be made across groups on campus.”

institution of higher education. You can see that in their behavior and in their efforts to radically change our contract.” The current three-year contract between the College of Marin and

Bellisimo favors implementation of program review because it “is the

its faculty expires this year. In its opening negotiating move, the ad-

way the college community—as a group—can take control of planning

ministration has put on the bargaining table 18 of the contract’s 26

and budget” but acknowledges the trepidation of some colleagues that it

provisions, ranging from traditional issues like salary to more sensi-

could be abused. “It you’re going to gather some information about your

tive matters like workload, class size and reduction in force terms. The

program and find out it has weakness, that can that be used against you,”

gambit angered union leaders.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

“

The purpose is to improve what we’re offering and the way we’re offering it so that it’s better for the students.

”

— FRAN WHITE

“I believe that this is the most number of articles an administra-

$7.50 an hour. It didn’t him take long to realize it was a dead-end job. “Every single person I talked to over 30 said go to college,” he says. Now Ludke, 19, is in his third semester at the College of Marin, studying political science with the intent of moving on to a four-year school. He didn’t care—or know—much about the college’s renovation plans. “I don’t see anything wrong with the school,” he says. “I don’t like the architecture. It’s ugly but it works for me. I’m here for class.” Ludke represents the typical commuter student. He lives with his parents in San Anselmo and drives the 20 minutes to school. “I don’t really stay here to study,” he says. “People don’t really hang around here.”

tion has ever thought to (discuss) as long as I’ve been here,” says math

Indeed, a visit to either College of Marin campus can be a lonely

teacher Ira Lansing, who’s been at the college since 1975 and is presi-

experience. The walkways, the quad, even entire buildings can be emp-

dent of the United Professors of Marin. “It looks like they’re trying to

ty, even on a weekday. A midafternoon stroll through Olney Hall, the

rewrite the entire contract.”

building overlooking College Avenue in Kentfield, found all of its six

Lansing sees the administration’s contract aggressiveness as part of

classrooms vacant.

larger disregard for the union. “Historically, most administrations rec-

“Empty is a good word,” says Hoa-Long Tam, president of the

ognize that under the collective bargaining process … you can’t have

Associated Students of College of Marin when asked describe the am-

everything,” he says. “Our current administration does not seem to

bience of the campus. “Over the years the atmosphere has changed.

want to engage in the collective bargaining process. Part of their cur-

There used to be students on the lawn—and now there aren’t.”

rent attitude and response whenever there’s been an issue is ‘so, sue us, file a grievance, take us to court.’” Summa-Wolfe, the college spokesperson, says the administration needs more flexibility in order to better meet the accreditation require-

Tam, who is only 16, would like to see the students regain control of the Student Services building, which now houses the cafeteria and a number of administrative offices, and use the space for clubs and other activities.

ments. “Accreditation is a very, very important issue now for the College

“It used to be run by students and we would like to see a return to

of Marin,” she says. “The college has been out of compliance with the

that function,” he says. “It would make great strides toward making

accrediting agency for more than 12 years and this has hurt the college

this more of a community college rather than a commuter college.”

and needs to be addressed.”

As time progresses and the College of Marin starts spending its quarter-billion in taxpayer dollars and faculty and administrators arm-

The students’ view of College of Marin

wrestle over rules, they would do well to keep in mind students like

Below the radar of all this faculty-administration wrangling is the

Todd McLeary.

College of Marin’s principal reason for existence—the students.

A former construction worker from rural Missouri who skipped col-

The drip, drip, drip of enrollment decline heard at the college for

lege as a young man because he “was out chasing the dog,” McLeary

years has, for now at least, stopped. Since the spring 2000 semester, when

is starting life anew at age 41. He lives in Marin City and is studying

nearly 9,000 students attended the school, the student head count has

psychology in preparation for transferring to Dominican University

fallen about 6 percent a year. Last fall, for the first time in that period,

next year to pursue a degree in psychiatric nursing.

enrollment was up, albeit only 1 percent. This semester, about 6,600 students are enrolled at the college, about the same as in the fall.

“It’s been an eye-opening experience,” he says of his time at the College of Marin. “I expected to find a suburban, ‘this-is-our-campus’

College of Marin students represent a disparate demographic. About

attitude here. After all, this is Marin County. The way people look

one in five will eventually transfer to a four-year school. Another one

at us outside of Marin City, one would think, hey, if they’re doing it,

in five are there for career training. About one in five are full time. One

they’re going to do it on the college campus as well. But, I found it to

in four already have a college degree. Six in 10 are women. One in

be quite the opposite. I found it to be open, inviting and informative.

seven is older than 55. Eight in 10 receive some financial aid. And in a

It has done a lot for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself—that I still can

county that is 83 percent white, 54 percent of the students are black,

learn, that I’m capable of more than I believed I was.”

Hispanic or Asian.

Now that’s an accomplishment no one can disagree with.

In conversations, students express little interest in policy battles or building plans. Most are at the college to learn something and move on. Ben Ludke, for example, graduated from Drake High School two years ago with a grade point average not ready for prime time. He headed to Tahoe, where he jockeyed skis and boots at Sugar Bowl for

MARIN

APRIL 2007

The faces of the College of Marin (clockwise from upper left): Charlie Wormhoudt, managing editor of the campus newspaper; Hoa-Long Tam, president of the Associated Students; Todd McCleary, former construction worker; and Ben Ludke, Drake High graduate.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

LODGE LIVING STORY P. J. BREMIER PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

MARIN

APRIL 2007

HOM E D E S I G N

“When your home is a lodge, all who live or visit there are guests.” —DAVID LUDWIG

MARIN

APRIL 2007

A LODGE MAY SEEM MORE appropriate on the forested slopes of the

with the Marin way of life than the more prolific mini-estates being

Sierra than on the leafy streets of Ross, but for Peter and Toni Thompson,

commonly built in this area.

this traditional form of housing perfectly fit their modern needs.

Lodge homes have their roots in the family-style hotels that were

In 2003, the Thompsons had purchased a shingled East Coast–style

once popular vacation destinations. “Historically,” says Ludwig, “the

house, but it was the very special setting they really loved. “It was so

grand lodges offered their guests a unique opportunity for both elegant

private that it felt like it was in its own little world,” Toni Thompson

gathering and isolated repose. Today’s lodge home can capture much of

says. “We knew we wanted a connection to the outdoors and to be able

the historic flavor by focusing on flexibility and privacy.”

to entertain both inside and outside, on the front porch and at the pool, for most of the year.” It was also important that the house be rustic, cozy, and low-main-

That flexibility derives from creating fewer specific-use rooms such as isolated kitchens or formal living and dining rooms and instead using space to accommodate the evolving needs of the occupants.

tenance with one main multitasking living space for the entire family,

A lodge also reshapes conventional ideas about privacy. In the current

she adds. “With three kids, a dog and a cat, I wanted an informal space

residential paradigm, the master suite reigns supreme in the bedroom

that didn’t require a lot of roping off of rooms from them, materials that could stand up to all of them, and a design with clean, simple lines but with an edge to it.” A lodge home was the answer, says San Anselmo architect David Ludwig. He believes this family-friendly housing style is more in tune

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Above: lodge living design incorporates great room concept with open floor plan including kitchen, dining and living room. Opposite page, clockwise from upper left: Toni Thompson’s office is alcove adjacent to kitchen; bar is in back corner of great room; windows in stairwell to second floor provide natural light; convenient and colorful open shelving in kitchen.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

wing. Children and occupants of the other rooms “must file past the par-

The Thompsons’ service area, for example, consisting of a pantry,

ents” in order to come and go from their own rooms, Ludwig says. “It’s an

laundry and mudroom, is adjacent to the kitchen, but done in a turn-of-

old floor plan that no longer suits the dynamics of Marin families.”

the century look. Killman blurred the lines between the two spaces by

Ludwig prefers the concept of the homeowner as lodge keeper—as a host to growing children or to visiting friends and families. In this

using the same color palette, choosing an edgier farmhouse sink in the service room and a sophisticated wire in the kitchen cabinet fronts.

sense, the lodge keepers take one area of the house for personal quar-

The unfitted kitchen has various workstations and easy traffic flow.

ters and leave the rest, whether in the form of great gathering spaces or

The rift-cut oak cabinetry is alternately topped with stainless steel and

retreatlike private rooms, open to the guests.

gray glass quartzite, both hardworking materials, and beechwood planking tops the island. And as lodges are predicated on hospitality, there are

GRACIOUS LODGE GOES NEW PRIMITIVE

two warming drawers adjacent to the cooktop and a second refrigerator

Originally the Thompsons intended to remodel the house they bought,

and dishwasher in the pantry to accommodate large groups.

but its low ceilings, patchwork floor plan and property line issues

A subtle relationship exists between the interior and exterior dining

weren’t compatible with their plans, so they needed to build a new

rooms, marked by the outside eyebrow eave, which gradually levels out

one. They collaborated on the 4,500-square-foot house with Ludwig,

into the dining area ceiling. Twin breakfronts separate both dining ar-

Larkspur interior designer Candace Killman and Caletti Construction.

eas, and generous windows between them double as pass-throughs.

The stone-and-shingle exterior, accented with a prominent eyebrow

Entertaining guests in the living space is made easy via a wet bar out-

eave in front, is a nod to the past, but the interior has a contemporary

fitted with a microwave, flat-screen television, wine cooler, dishwasher

flair with a new-primitive style. Its rustic elegance relies on unsophisti-

drawer and storage space camouflaged behind bubble-glass-fronted cabi-

cated materials, imperfect finishes, minimal trims, and exposed beams.

netry. Cinnabar-colored swivel stools by A. Rudin at the curved bar are

“The style is really about honoring the materials in an authentic

companions to the chairs around the black jarrah dining table.

way and paring down, but not eliminating, the details,” Ludwig says. A lodge can be just as compatible with a number of other styles, such as arts and crafts, mission, warm modern, converted-barn or the traditional log look. Even different styles within the house can fuse seamlessly.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Pool and ﬂagstone patio is focal point of expansive front yard with guest house situated behind it. Opposite: David Ludwig

Killman kept to a soft color scheme—Dijon for the fireplace, soft olive for the sofa and wheat for the walls—and chose a durable Tibetan rug from Dolma Carpets and kid- and pet-friendly upholstery of chenille and leather for the custom-designed living room furnishings. The reclaimed-tobacco-barn oak used both for flooring and to clad the room’s steel support beams is a unifying element of the great room, which is anchored at either end by the hearths of both cooktop and fireplace. Natural light bounces off the white trellising outside and, along with the numerous windows and interior skylights, illuminates what could be an otherwise dim house, given the hill directly behind it to the south.

KEEPING IT PRIVATE Within this rustic wrapping is a stylishly modern master suite. It has separate dressing rooms, a sitting room and a large bathroom that contains a curbless steam shower, floor-to-ceiling medicine and linen cabinets and low vessel sinks designed by Killman. Halila limestone was chosen for the countertop, sinks and shower and a Kota brown slate for the floor. A backsplash made of recycled beer bottles shimmers behind the sinks and tub. “It’s mostly from Corona beer,” Killman says, “but I was pulling samples all the time because evidently people drink different beers in different seasons, so the color combinations changed.” A stair tower behind the great room provides a wall of windows on one side, a “kid zone” underneath (complete with nearby cubbyholes) and access to the upper floor. Here the four bedrooms and two baths are the domain of the family’s three young children, although it will also serve them well when they’re teenagers. In the future, the rooms can be used by visiting friends and family. “The house wasn’t designed only with the next five years of the children’s lives in mind,” Ludwig says. “It has a flexibility that a normal home doesn’t have and allows for the family dynamics to change.” The children participated in choosing the color of their rooms—a smaller room with an overhead loft for the younger boy, a larger, more masculine-style one for his older brother and a feminine room with a balcony for their sister. Her bathroom has a footed vanity with pink Depression-glass knobs and a Crema Marfil marble top; the Ann Sacks hand-clipped mosaic backsplash is made of the same marble with pink and taupe accents. The fourth bedroom is used as a playroom with study stations, a television, game table and comfortable seating.

DAVID LUDWIG’S LODGE PHILOSOPHY THE LODGE informal a statement about the guest freedom of access, circulation, activities

The beauty of a lodge home like this one is that it lends itself so

acknowledging activities of staff

well to the outdoors. Here there’s a large swath of lawn to play on,

about preservation

a swimming pool with cabana, and two hillside cabins, accessed by a hillevator, for even more guest space.

ﬂexible lifestyle patterns design general for evolving family

“To us, lodge living meant taking in the natural surroundings and liv-

creating community

ing informally in a house that didn’t have a lot of rules or rooms with dis-

often inviting

tinct purposes,” Toni Thompson says. “After all, when you go to a lodge,

inclusive

you’re on vacation, there to relax. You want spaces where people can

natural materials

make their own rules and feel comfortable.”

of the land

THE ESTATE formal a statement about the owner control of access, circulation, activities concealing activities of staff about consumption fixed lifestyle patterns design specific to particular family isolated from community often pretentious exclusive fancy, highly finished materials on the land

MARIN

APRIL 2007

J O U R NEY

DARFUR DIGNITY AMID THE MADNESS Recording the spirit of hope and survival in the Sahara Desert PHOTOS & STORY ALISSA EVERETT

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARIN

APRIL 2007

he haboob was blowing again. The desert wind began

capital of Khartoum. The government responded with a scorched-earth

lightly, filling the air with the scent of dust. Local Chadians

campaign, bombing villages by air and murdering civilians on the ground

and Sudanese rushed about the tiny outdoor market, ty-

with the help of a government-sponsored Arab militia, the Janjaweed.

ing turbans around their heads and faces, readying themselves for the onslaught.

The result has been what the U.N. has labeled the world’s largest present-day humanitarian crisis. For four years, the Sudanese govern-

At first, the winds relieved the scorch of the southern

ment and the Janjaweed militia have used rape, forced relocation, or-

Sahara sun and heat. Soon, though, the airborne sand

ganized starvation and mass murder to kill more than 400,000 people

became a blasting force, compelling even donkeys and goats to cower

and displace 2.5 million others. Thousands continue to die each month

against its fury. I wrapped my scarf around my head and mouth, thankful

from violence and disease.

for sunglasses covering my eyes, and sought cover in the nearest tent.

I traveled to Darfur in March 2006, approaching through Chad,

I greeted my Sudanese hosts politely. Their place of asylum was

in order to cross the eastern border with Sudanese rebel groups. I

humble but welcoming. They smiled at my broken Arabic. I wrapped

spent six weeks in eastern Chad and Darfur, visiting refugee camps,

my scarf tight to hide my hair; my synthetic shirt was clinging inap-

talking to aid workers and refugees, meeting with rebel leaders and

propriately to my body, and I felt self-conscious. They served me tea

touring a small part of Darfur. The situation was far beyond my initial

and refused my offer of payment. When the wind subsided some, I

comprehension.

raced back to the United Nations’ guesthouse to wait out the rest of the storm. Such was life in Bahai, eastern Chad, on the border of Darfur.

Not only are the rebels fighting the Sudanese government in Darfur, but neighboring Chad is also fighting a proxy war with Sudan

Darfur, in western Sudan, is about the size of Texas and is home to

across that line in the sand we call a border. Chad is supporting the

several racially mixed tribes of African peasants and nomadic herders

Darfur rebels. The Sudanese government, in turn, supports rebels in

who identify as Arabs. Both groups are Muslim.

Chad who have been on a nine-month drive to take control of the

In early 2003, frustrated by poverty and social neglect, rebel groups in Darfur launched an uprising against the government in the Sudanese

Chadian capital of N’Djamena, attempting to overthrow the longtime despotic leader Idriss Deby.

Above left: Nasaiba, age 8, was 5 years old when bombs rained down upon her small village in western Darfur. Amid the chaos, she gathered her younger brothers and sisters and ran into the night. Fires illuminated Janjaweed militiamen riding through on horseback like devils, slashing down ﬂeeing villagers. The children walked three days through the desert, barefoot, without food or water, to neighboring Chad. From the border, they were moved to a refugee camp and after two weeks, ﬁnally registered and were given a tent for shelter. Above right: Ahmed, 26, is a single male, one of the few who chose not to join the rebellion. He works at a small tea shop from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. every day, making tiny cups of sweet, strong, Arabic tea, which he sells for approximately 20 cents each.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Above: Mohammed, age 4, was only 1 year old at the time his village was bombed. According to his older sister, she and Mohammed’s mother hid with their other siblings under the bed until there was a pause in the bombing. Then, they ran for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their backs, never to return. Bottom left: Zahra was 7 years old when the government of Sudan bombed her village. She remembers planes flying overhead, huge explosions, large fires and people screaming. Zahra was separated from her family in the chaos and hid behind a small bush as a Janjaweed “devil horseman” galloped past her, dragging a teenage boy by a rope. Neighbors found Zahra and carried her as they escaped. Bottom right: Kultoum, age 15, was 12 years old when bombs rained down upon her small village in western Darfur. Thrown from her bed and blinded by dark, she could only hear screaming between explosions. She gathered her younger brothers and sisters and ran into the night and after three days they reached Chad and the refugee camp. Since then, Kultoum has been attacked while gathering firewood and while sleeping at night. She stays close to the tent to help her mother with the newest baby born in the camps. She can no longer attend school, as there is no school for those at the secondary level. She hopes for nothing more than to return to her home in Darfur.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Opposite: Most children live in the refugee camps like this little girl. She does not attend school, has no shoes and wears tattered clothing. She works every day with her mother, gathering firewood, doing laundry, constructing mud walls and preparing food. She has no foreseeable future and no guaranteed source of security or food, yet she smiles and laughs in joy. Above left: Fatna is one of the few older women I met. The scars on her face are tribal traditional beautification marks passed on through the women in the family. She escaped Darfur after attacks on her village with her daughter and daughter’s husband. They left behind several dead family members. However, they are the lucky ones, now having a small home to live in eastern Chad. At 48 years old, she is old and fears she will never see her homeland again. Opposite right: El Hadj, age 55, was a schoolteacher in Darfur until the violence began. His village was bombed at night by Sudanese government airplanes and he and his family were forced to flee. They fled for days through the desert until arriving on the border of Chad, where they lived for some time in the refugee camp; however, the conditions were very difficult and El Hadj could not stand the tedium of not working. He moved his family out of the camp into the small village of Bahai, where he now has a small shop and is working as a merchant. He hopes to return to his former life and resume teaching some day.

Trapped in the middle are the people—millions of people.

human potential and the cruelty of human beings to their own kind is

A refugee camp of 40,000 people is a profound sight. Imagine the

staggering. Tears came easily and too often. I cried while listening to

combined populations of Sausalito, Mill Valley, Larkspur and Corte

stories of the refugees, visiting piles of sun-bleached bones and tour-

Madera spread out among a sea of tents and sand roads stretching end-

ing abandoned schoolhouses whose walls were spattered with blood.

lessly into the scalding environs of the Sahara. People there struggle to live through each day.

Despite all this horror, this suffering, this loss, this terrible trauma, the Sudanese people were strong, beautiful and determined to sur-

Children wait in lines for water, tend livestock or forage for miles

vive. They live without possessions, sleep in donated tents and subsist

around the camp in search of firewood. Women are bent over build-

on sorghum and beans. Yet they are quick to offer their last mor-

ing mud walls around their tents for protection from the severity of

sel with a smile, a joke and a laugh. They maintain their individual

elements as well as from unwelcome nighttime visitors who threaten

dignity and their hope of returning one day to their homeland.

them and their children. Rape is common. Men distribute food, teach

These proud, generous people would no longer exist without the

in schools, and work in the medical clinic, desperate for a way to pro-

help of the international community. We are their only chance at sur-

vide for their families.

vival. That is the message I had to bring home. Beyond the politics and

The enormity of the desperation—and what would be needed to correct it—overwhelmed and depressed me. The waste of

MARIN

APRIL 2007

the power-hungry brokers, 2 million people are clinging to survival and they need our help.

HOW WE CAN HELP After witnessing which groups made a difference, photojounalist Alissa Everett suggests contacting the following nonproﬁts to help: Food Aid

• Friends of the World Food Program, friendsofwfp.org Medical/Relief

• Africare, africare.org • Catholic Relief Services, crs.org • Doctors Without Borders, doctorswithoutborders.org • HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), hias.org • IRC (International Rescue Committee), theirc.org • Save the Children, savethechildren.org Lobbying Groups

• Save Darfur, savedarfur.org • Human Rights Watch, hrw.org • International Crisis Group, crisisgroup.org

Golf Gets a Makeover Technology, service, ﬁtness and women are remaking the ancient game STORY CORI BRETT

MARIN

APRIL 2007

L I FE

MARIN

APRIL 2007

he ancient game of golf has become thoroughly modern.

system to order up refreshments (burgers and beers at the seventh tee,

Nearly 26 million Americans play the game with some

please), check the weather (lightning and golf don’t mix) or get news up-

degree of regularity and evident enthusiasm and spend

dates (if you’re feeling too relaxed). Of course, cart computers are also an

billions of dollars each year on gear and travel to do so.

opportunity for courses to advertise amenities to a captive audience.

Small wonder that destination resorts and high-end golf

If the cold brews you ordered from your in-cart communication

courses are trying harder than ever to woo players who have great ex-

screen don’t keep you cool enough, you can look for a course with air-

pectations and the means to have them fulfilled.

conditioned carts: Coolwell Inc., an Arizona company, makes a device

The result can be seen in the latest array of golf trends: more technology on the course, more amenities off of it, fitter golfers, more flexible courses and increasing clout wielded by women players.

that mounts behind the seats and converts hot air into cold, blowing it onto passengers’ necks. When winter comes, it reverses into a heater. For golfers who prefer to travel the course upright but don’t want to walk, the Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale has the solution: a Segway,

Getting Around the Course

those gyroscopically balanced two-wheelers that look like a cross be-

With greens fees at the best courses reaching stratospheric levels, play-

tween a lawn mower and a bicycle. Kierland’s Segways are rigged to

ers naturally expect some help from a higher power, in this case a satel-

carry your clubs sidesaddle.

lite-driven global positioning system. A GPS unit attached to a golf cart

On some courses the original golf transportation technology remains

eliminates the guesswork about distance and tells golfers exactly how far

in fashion: your feet. At Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula, the

they are from the pin. Some come with software that even suggests which

majority of players walk and use caddies and Pebble does not offer

club to use.

GPS or handheld yardage devices, says R. J. Harper of Pebble Beach

GPS-equipped carts also give the clubhouse an overview of where ev-

Resorts. Other courses ban carts altogether. The Bandon Dunes Golf

erybody is on the course, enabling it to monitor the pace of play. (Too

Resort on the central Oregon coast allows only walkers on its three

slow and you might get a move-along message.) Players can also use the

courses, Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Opposite: Segways are a common sight at Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona; this page: battery-powered cart is popular on Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Old tech meets new on the Saguaro Course at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club near Scottsdale. This club encourages pedestrian players by offering a

of the swing. A prescription for improvement usually includes fitness routines, power exercise drills and overall strengthening.

battery-powered cart to lug your bag. You push rather than pull the Sun Mountain Sports cart, which can move as fast as 90 yards at a time.

Course Design Stronger players and more powerful equipment means today’s golfers

Service from Tee to Toe

are hitting the little white ball farther than ever—and golf course ar-

Mark Twain called golf “a good walk spoiled.” But with so many golf-

chitects are scrambling to keep up. Robin Nelson, a Mill Valley course

ers riding these days, the spoiling now is all about the players. Many

designer who works mainly in Hawaii and Asia, says it’s a “balancing

courses have begun to pitch themselves as “your country club for a

act” to create courses that can entice better players but are still play-

day,” with amenities such as post-round cold (or hot) towels, valets

able by the everyday duffer. “We might have to lengthen the course to

who clean and return clubs to your car, personalized bag tags, acces-

challenge the low handicapper,” he says, “yet at the same time work to

sible beverage carts and great course conditioning. This standard of

satisfy high handicappers and resort golfers who play infrequently.”

service, once found only in country clubs, is now commonplace on the upscale daily-fee and resort courses that abound today.

Making a course longer or shorter by moving the tee boxes is sometimes a a safety issue. On an older course, today’s booming (or errant)

Moreover, industry experts say there’s a new breed of player who

drives might be landing on fairway houses that were once safely out of

views golf as more of a social outing than a competition or chance to

range, so it’s time to back those players up. Modern, high-end courses

improve one’s handicap. These people put a round of golf on a par (so

generally have from four to six tee boxes per hole. When Nelson recent-

to speak) with a fine dinner or a pampering spa treatment. Nobody

ly renovated the two Kaanapali Golf Courses on Maui, he repositioned

strives to meet the demands of this customer more than Troon Golf.

the tee boxes to be more in line with where people are hitting, paying

The leader in luxury golf travel and the world’s largest golf manage-

special attention to the forward tees for high handicappers. The current

ment company, Troon oversees more than 185 private, daily-fee and re-

trend in course architecture is remodeling, he says, especially for cours-

sort courses in 22 countries and 30 states, including nine in Central and

es built during the big golf boom of the 1980s and ’90s.

Southern California. Its resorts offer unlimited golf and reward points for frequent players. Forgot your clubs? And your socks? No worries:

Gearing the Game to Women

Troon has a special that equips you literally from toe to head.

Although the number of women golfers has remained fairly steady in recent years, their influence on the golf market is growing. In response,

Getting Fit for Golf

many courses are making efforts to attract more female players. The

Once the only thing golfers got in shape for was the size of their clubs.

National Golf Foundation puts the number of serious female golfers at

Tiger Woods, with his buff body and power game, changed all that

2.3 million, about 18 percent of the 12.5 million core golfers who ac-

forever. Indeed, only the physically fit can manage the four-and-a-half-

count for 87 percent of golf-related spending.

mile walk required for 18 holes and still play well. Among the pros—

Inspired by the success of high-profile LPGA stars like Annika

who must walk on the PGA Tour—fitness is the rage. Woods travels

Sorenstam, these more visible and influential female players are mim-

with a personal trainer and other players are doing likewise.

icking male counterparts by using golf as a business venue. Companies

Full-service golf resorts have taken the hint and are offering average golfers the chance to tone up while tuning up their games. Spa options

accordingly have created more fashionable women’s golf apparel, offered customized club fitting and sponsored women-only golf trips.

might include a “golfer’s massage” for loosening tight muscles before or

The Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA), a network of

after a round. Resorts like the Kierland in Scottsdale even have full golf

women golfers with chapters across the country (including one in

fitness programs designed to boost accuracy and distance capability;

Marin and Sonoma counties), launched a program this year that en-

intense 90-minute training sessions emphasize flexibility, golf-specific

courages golf facilities to earn the designation “Women-Friendly.” The

strengthening and aerobic conditioning.

EWGA grades courses on playability—the course should present a fun

“Golfers want to be able to play years longer, so they need to im-

and challenging option for women of all skill levels—and on customer

prove strength and flexibility,” says Jim McLean, founder of a chain of

experience: women should feel welcome both in terms of atmosphere

golf schools bearing his name. “Golf fitness is now an important com-

and physical needs. Each category lists specific requirements to be

ponent of our teaching system.”

fulfilled.

McLean, instruction editor for Golf Magazine, has worked with many

The first golf company to receive EWGA’s women-friendly stamp

Tour pros, including Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen and Cristie Kerr. Training

of approval was Troon. Thirteen of its courses passed muster, includ-

programs at his schools have changed dramatically over the years, he

ing three in Southern California: Escena Golf Club in Palm Springs,

says. Today they use biomechanics to diagnose conditioning, athletic

Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point and Classic Club in Palm

ability and range of motion for shoulder and hip turns and other parts

Desert.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Robin Nelson’s recently renovated Kaanapali Golf Course on Maui.

MARIN

APRIL 2007

SP ECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

PRONGHORN Enjoy the Luxury of the Best of the Best UST A SHORT FLIGHT FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA in the unspoiled high desert of Central Oregon is the pinnacle of luxury living. Pronghorn is a place resplendent with opportunities as vast as the clear desert sky overhead, where the sun shines nearly every day of the year, rivers teem with wild trout and award-winning golf can be enjoyed year-round. Surrounded by nine snow-capped peaks and 20,000 acres of preserved wildlands, Pronghorn offers a rich, uncrowded quality of life, defined as much by the memories you make as the company you keep. For the first time in the West, signature golf courses by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio lie side-by-side in this private community, where a limited number of grand estates, homesites, private villas and the Northwest’s first Private Residence Club provide a perfect balance of luxury, amenity and convenience. Pronghorn’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Course opened in 2004 and was quickly ranked one of the “Top 2 New Courses of the Year,” by Golf Digest as well as one of “The Top 10 Best New Private Courses in the World,” by the esteemed Travel + Leisure Golf, which recently honored Pronghorn as one of the “Top 10

Best of the Best” luxury communities. The Tom Fazio Course at Pronghorn will be unveiled to the world on June 23, 2007 and is already receiving accolades for its outstanding design and one-of-a-kind course elements, like the famous petrified lava tube on the eighth hole. And for golfers who are serious competitors — or just serious about lowering their score, Pronghorn is home to The Nicklaus Academy, the nation’s premier golf school for all ages and abilities. Inside Pronghorn’s impressive 55,000 square foot Clubhouse, you’ll discover Chanterelle, a 5-star, gourmet dining experience directed by acclaimed Chef Fabrice Beaudoin. The Trailhead offers pools, tennis courts, a casual bar and grill and Pronghorn Adventures—the community’s on-site excursion/guide service. The Spa at Pronghorn will be the Northwest’s largest, set to open in 2008. For luxury living amid the rugged romance of the New West, Pronghorn is the premier choice. Build your legacy estate or a enjoy a refreshing retreat that complements your San Francisco Bay Area lifestyle. For more information on Pronghorn custom estates, homesites, luxury villas and Residence Club ownership, please visit www.pronghornclub.com or call 800-541-9424.

Kfd =Xq`f :_Xdg`fej_`g :flij\# /k_ ?fc\

gife^_fieZclY%Zfd

4HIS ADVERTISEMENT IS INTENDED TO ENCOURAGE THE SALE OF 4HE 2ESIDENCE #LUB AT 0RONGHORN 6ILLA #ONDOMINIUMS A LUXURY VACATION HOME OFFERING AVAILABLE IN SHARED OWNERSHIP INTERESTS CLASSIFIED BY SOME STATESµ LEGISLATION AS A VACATION OWNERSHIP OR TIMESHARE PRODUCT 4HIS IS NEITHER AN OFFER TO SELL NOR A SOLICITATION TO BUY WHERE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN FULFILLED !S THIS IS A MULTI PHASED DEVELOPMENT CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION OCCUPANCY DATES MAY VARY )NITIAL OCCUPANCY *ULY ! FULL EXPLANATION OF 4HE 2ESIDENCE #LUB AT 0RONGHORN MAY BE FOUND IN THE (OMEOWNERS !SSOCIATION DOCUMENTS %QUAL (OUSING /PPORTUNITY .7 7ALL 3TREET "END /2

SP ECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

TURTLE BAY Your true Hawai’i getaway—Ocean Villas at Turtle Bay Resort magine a place where fresh ocean air, white sandy beaches and lush tropical gardens offer a vibrant welcome, giving all your senses an exhilarating rush of pleasure. It’s a place where your luxury villa awaits with spectacular Pacific Ocean views from nearly every room, enfolding you in extraordinary luxury and offering all the comforts and conveniences of home. Located along a peninsula on the famed North Shore of Oahu at the world-class Turtle Bay Resort, the Ocean Villas enjoy elegant surroundings with award-winning architecture, distinctive furnishings and extravagant amenities that bring the finest elements of luxury living together in perfect harmony. Spacious studio, three and four-bedroom villas are fully furnished with beautifully designed interiors and finishes. Ocean views are maximized and daylight is masterfully captured from sunrise to sunset. The seamless flow between indoor and outdoor living spaces is ideal for entertaining Hawaiian-style. Savor the flavors of life in your gourmet kitchen with granite countertops and professional chef appliances. Relax and re-

energize in oversized bedrooms with luxurious linens. Renew body and soul in spa-like baths with marble countertops, soaking tub and separate shower, and enjoy the finest entertainment with state-of-the-art Bose sound systems and flat screen TVs. Sun-drenched activity beckons with two 18-hole championship golf courses, tennis courts, fitness center, worldclass surf spots and miles of private beaches. Explore nearly 12 miles of oceanfront hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. Discover true Hawaiian indulgence at the full service Spa Luana or lounge poolside while swaying palms whisper in the ocean breeze. Experience superb cuisine at dining venues located throughout the resort. From delicious appetizers and tropical cocktails to gourmet regional cuisine and elaborate buffets there’s a taste sensation to suit every palate. As an Ocean Villas guest, housekeeping service, room service and the resort concierge are available to meet your needs. Visit OceanVillasHawaii.com for more information. Reserve your villa through Turtle Bay Resort reservations to guarantee access to resort amenities and services.

Turtle Bay Resort Ocean Villas

G E T AWAY TO TRUE H AWA I ‘ I Imagine a place where fresh ocean air, white sandy beaches and lush tropical gardens welcome and an exclusive luxury villa awaits. Experience elegant residential style surroundings at a world class resort where distinctive furnishings, thoughtful amenities, and all the comforts and conveniences of home come together in perfect harmony. Award-winning studio, three and four-bedroom designs feature gourmet kitchens, oversized bedrooms, luxurious baths and a seamless ﬂow between indoor and outdoor living—ideal for entertaining Hawaiian-style.

Discover Oceanside elegance, your true Hawai’i getaway—The Ocean Villas at Turtle Bay Resort.

Rates from $792* OceanVillasHawaii.com | 800.203.3650

A T

T U R T L E

B A Y

R E S O R T

57-091 Kamehameha Highway, Kahuku, O’ahu, HI 96731 *Based on seasonality and availability. Reserve through Turtle Bay Resort reservations to guarantee access to resort amenities and services.

SP ECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

OLD GREENWOOD Your Home in Tahoe Any Season ESTLED ON 600 ACRES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF N O RT H L A K E TA H O E , Old Greenwood offers a rare escape to a fortunate few. With a limited number of home-sites, luxury homes, fractional ownership opportunities and resort amenities, Old Greenwood is the gateway for enjoying not only the endless offering of year-round activities this region has to offer, but also membership privileges to the area’s only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. Part of a larger vision created by East West Partners, the acclaimed group responsible for such world-class projects as Colorado’s Beaver Creek, Old Greenwood is one of four communities that fly the banner of Tahoe Mountain Resorts. They adhere to the same high standards of design and env ironmental stewardship represented by all properties developed by East West Partners.

One of the most unique and exciting offerings at Old Greenwood are the Fractional Homes. “We’ve taken the concept of fractional ownership to a different level”, says Greg Traxler of East West Partners. “Instead of offering a fixed fractional ownership in a condominium like many of the latest private residence clubs, we provide ownership in a high quality single-family home located right on the golf course with a flexible use-plan allowing our owners to customize a level of ownership that’s perfect for them.” Ownership also provides membership in Tahoe Mountain Club with amenities such as; privileges to two golf courses; an Alpine Club and private restaurant at Northstar; a swim, tennis, fitness facility and spa at Old Greenwood; and members Wild Goose Restaurant on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Coming this summer, owners will even have access to “The Wild Goose II” a 36ft classic mahogany boat for charter on the Lake. For more information, please call 800 754 3070 or visit www.oldgreenwood.com

SP ECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

MARTIS CAMP Summer Camp. Tahoe Style. HERE WAS A TIME IN YOUR LIFE when you looked forward to the return to camp all year long. The lure of the great outdoors. Crisp clean air. The friendship. The adventure. The purity of it all. You were never more alive. What if you could experience that feeling all year long? And share it with your entire family? Martis Camp is a luxury community in North Lake Tahoe that blends youthful anticipation with refined living. Situated on 2,177 gently-sloped acres of grand ponderosa forests and rolling meadows, Martis Camp offers stimulation and serenity set alongside a picturesque, alpine meadow stream. The ultra-low density community plan boasts no more than 653 estate and cottage homesites, with spacious setbacks between each home ensuring a natural fit with the terrain.

Martis Camp will redefine the traditional concept of a family camp by adding a unique multi-generational dimension. One that allows your children, grandchildren and parents to enjoy it with you. Golfers will savor the 18-hole championship course designed by Tom Fazio. And everyone will be drawn to the Camp Lodge with dining and spa services and the open-air Concert Park and Amphitheater, which will feature highcaliber concerts, artists-in-residence and live theatre performances. Like the land it embraces, Martis Camp will resonate with a certain authenticity that is free of pretense and formality. Life here will be simple, refined, unhurried and memorable. The Phase I Grand Opening at Martis Camp was a tremendous success, selling out in record time. Phase II is shaping up to be just as successful with pricing from $700,000. For more information, call 800.721.9005, or visit MartisCamp.com.

We’re adding Tom Fazio. And letting nature take its course.

Martis Camp. The Tahoe You’ve Always Imagined. TM

This time around, camp is all grown up. Reﬁned. And enriched. Martis Camp is a private gated community that is introducing a limited number of families to a new level of authentic North Lake Tahoe luxury. With 2,100 acres of natural splendor at your door, you’ll recapture the wonder, the spirit and the camaraderie of the summers of youth. The Martis Camp lifestyle will be made all the more spectacular with available access to the Martis Camp Club, which will feature a Tom Fazio Championship Golf Course, a Camp Lodge with ﬁne and casual dining, a state-of-the-art Club Spa, Outdoor Concert Park and Amphitheater and a Family Barn complete with Movie Theater and Bowling Lanes. You can’t go back in time. But you can go back to camp.

Phase I was a tremendous success, selling out in record time. Our Phase II Launch is shaping up to be just as successful with pricing from $700,000. Call 800-721-9005 to reserve your home at Martis Camp today, or visit MartisCamp.com for more information. The club amenities described above are proposed but not yet built. Access to and use of the club amenities are not included in the purchase of homesites and require separate membership, which is subject to application, approval, and payment of applicable fees and dues. Obtain and carefully review the offering circular for Martis Camp Club before making any decision to purchase a membership. All features, dimensions, drawings, conceptual renderings, plans and specifications are subject to change without notice, and Developer expressly reserves the right to modify, revise or withdraw any or all of the same in its sole discretion. Pictures and renderings are Artist Representations and are not necessarily an accurate depiction. All improvements, design and construction, are subject to first obtaining appropriate permits and approvals. Areas shown are based upon gross square footage. All prices are subject to change without notice. The information provided in this advertisement is strictly for informational purposes and shall not be construed as an offer in California or any other jurisdictions where prior registration or other advance qualification of real property is required.

SP ECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

RESORT AT SQUAW CREEK Get Out and Challenge Yourself UST MINUTES FROM THE SHORES OF LAKE TAHOE, the Olympic flame from the 1960 Winter Olympics still burns at the entrance to Olympic Valley. Almost half a century later, every season at the Resort at Squaw Creek offers vacationers and outdoor enthusiasts a gold medal experience in one of California’s most beautiful settings – a picturesque valley surrounded by rugged granite peaks and pine-scented mountain air. For the golfing aficionado, whether a beginner or a seasoned pro, this premier mountain resort property situated at an elevation of 6,200 feet, offers an opportunity to play a beautiful meadowland championship golf course designed in the links-style tradition by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. With the integration of a high quality, environmentally conscious golf course into the surrounding natural wetlands, Resort at Squaw Creek has been certified as a Cooperative Sanction by the Audubon Society. The commitment toward natural greens keeping methods is another hallmark of this

outstanding golf course. Breathtaking views of the peaks at Squaw Valley are visible from the signature par-3 6th hole - tee off with a dramatic shot over water to reach the large contoured green. Individual or group lessons are available from the on-site staff of golf professionals led by Head Golf Professional Eric Veraguth and/or his staff. Situated adjacent to the course is the eye-popping hotel offering superb facilities and amenities, including four unique restaurants, the luxurious newly remodeled Spa at Squaw Creek, salon, fitness center, 403 deluxe guest rooms and suites (many with cozy fireplaces and kitchens) with high-speed internet, Mountain Buddies Children’s program, 33,000 square feet of indoor conference space and 14,750 square feet of outdoor function space, outdoor pool and water garden complex. The Resort at Squaw Creek is located 42 miles from RenoTahoe International Airport or a three-four drive from Marin County. For further information, call toll free (800) 497-9351 or visit www.squawcreek.com.

GOLF PROPERTIES IN THE WEST STORY CORI BRETT olf can be one of the most frustrating pastimes—and at the same time can be

one of the most enjoyable ways to spend the better part of a day. There have been countless jokes and words of wisdom from pros and amateurs alike that speak to our obsession with trying to hit that little white ball into a hole for hours on end. “I have a tip that can take five strokes off anyone’s golf game:

it’s called an eraser.” said Arnold Palmer; or from John Updike: “Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five.” And according to Bobby Jones, “Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course—the distance between your ears.” How true. To some, it’s not so much the game itself, but the pure joy of being outdoors, surrounded by a beautifully landscaped green environment that inspires the soul. The following is a list of favorite golf courses throughout the West that, whether you’re an exceptional golfer or simply out there to enjoy the scenery, you will find to be a satisfying respite from everyday life.

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ARIZONA

The Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa

La Quinta Resort and Club

Arizona’s largest golf resort (54 holes), the

Favorite desert getaway of Hollywood celebri-

The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa

Wigwam has over 75 years of history and

ties for 80 years, La Quinta offers the Dunes

a brand-new Red Door Spa. 800.327.0396,

and Mountain course and five courses at

Gigantic boulder formations some 12 million

wigwamresort.com

nearby PGA West, including Pete Dye’s formidable TPC Stadium Course. 800.598.3828,

years old frame golf fairways on both the North Course (6,811 yards) and the South Course (6,726 yards) at this north Scottsdale hideaway.

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

laquintaresort.com

Old Greenwood Golf Course

866.397.6520, theboulders.com

The Westin Bear Mountain

Nestled among 600 acres of majestic pines and

The Phoenician

A mountainside resort community only 20 min-

spectacular, expansive mountain vistas, this Jack

Camelback Mountain looms over the Canyon,

utes from downtown Victoria, Bear Mountain

Nicklaus Signature course in Truckee, California

Desert and Oasis nines, which together com-

features the Jack and Steve Nicklaus Mountain

is Audubon Gold Certified. 530.550.7010,

prise three par-70 combinations of nearly 6,300

course and a second Nicklaus-designed course

oldgreenwood.com

yards each, at this glamorous resort.

scheduled for 2008. 888.533.BEAR(2327).

800.888.8234, thephoenician.com

bearmountain.ca

Whitehawk Ranch Golf Club Located in the High Sierras north of Truckee,

We-Ko-Pa Golf Club

CALIFORNIA

Whitehawk is mountain golf at its best. The Lodge at Whitehawk offers private cabins

The Saguaro Course (6,912 yards) opened to rave reviews in December 2006. Pristine, unde-

Pebble Beach Resorts

amid the tall pines. 800.332.HAWK(4295),

veloped land surrounds Saguaro and the origi-

Stay at the Lodge or the Inn at Spanish Bay to

golfwhitehawk.com

nal Cholla Course, with views of distant peaks.

score a coveted tee time at Pebble and watch the

480.836.9000, wekopa.com

sea lions frolic in Monterey Bay. 800.654.9300,

HAWAII

pebblebeach.com

Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai

In the high desert above Tucson, La

The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay

On the Kona-Kohala coast of the Big Island,

Paloma’s 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature

On a rugged bluff overlooking the crashing

Hualalai features a 7,100-yard Jack Nicklaus

golf course forms the centerpiece of the el-

Pacific Ocean, this resort only 30 minutes from

Signature Course with contrasting black lava,

egant resort. 866.716.8137, 800.937.8461,

San Francisco features a majestic seaside lodge

finishing along the ocean. 888.340.5662,

westinlapalomaresort.com

and great golf at the Ocean Course and the Old

fourseasons.com/hualalai

Course. 800.241.3333, ritzcarlton.com

Westin Kierland Resort & Spa

Kapalua Resort

Beat the desert sun with the air-conditioned

La Costa Resort and Spa

Home of the PGA Tour’s first event each year,

golf carts and covered practice range at

Legendary resort near San Diego has hosted

the Mercedes-Benz Championship, Kapalua

Kierland’s 27-hole course, while you gain dis-

PGA Tour events over its 30-year history, on the

has three golf courses and a golf academy

tance using the Foremax golf exercise program.

North and South Courses, which both stretch to

on Maui’s northwest shore. 800.KAPALUA,

800.354.5892, kierlandresort.com

over 7,000 yards. 800.854.5000, lacosta.com

kapalua.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

Makena Golf Courses

Sun Valley

bordered by dramatic water features, the chal-

Makena’s North Course winds into the moun-

This historic European-style ski resort has

lenge building with each hole. 888.427.6678,

tainside of Maui’s dormant volcano Haleakala,

a vibrant summer season with its par-72

balihaigolfclub.com

while the South Course plays along the ocean.

course surrounded by magnificent mountains.

808.879.3344, makenagolf.com

800.786.8259, sunvalley.com

Princeville Resort

Whitetail Club & Resort

Golf Championship for 17 years on its scenic

Overlooking Hanalei Bay on Kauai, Princeville

Located in McCall, Idaho, on the shores of

course set along the south shore of Lake Tahoe.

has the 27-hole Makai Course and the rugged

Payette Lake, the par-72, 7,013-yard mountain

775.588.3566, edgewood-tahoe.com

Prince Course, which weaves through jungles

course winds through forests of tall Ponderosa

and ravines. 808.826.3040, princeville.com

pines. 800.657.6464, whitetailclub.com

Edgewood Tahoe Edgewood has hosted the annual Celebrity

Incline Village Golf Courses On Lake Tahoe’s north shore, the Championship

Turtle Bay Resort

MEXICO

Course and the Mountain Course offer stunning mountain and lake views and challenging ter-

Surfers head to Oahu’s North Shore for the big waves and golfers will enjoy the Arnold Palmer

Cabo Del Sol

Course and the George Fazio Course at Turtle

The Jack Nicklaus Signature Ocean Course has

Bay. 800.203.3650, turtlebayresort.com

been called the “Pebble Beach of Baja,” and the

Lake Las Vegas Resort

inland Weiskopf course has great views of the

Seventeen miles from the Strip but worlds

Sea of Cortes. 800.386.2465, cabodelsol.com

away, Reflection Bay (Nicklaus) is set around

Wailea Golf Club

rain. 866.925.GOLF, golfincline.com

a 320-acre privately owned lake and The

The Gold, Emerald and Blue Courses offer great golf and stunning ocean views

Casa Del Mar Beach Golf & Spa Resort

Falls (Weiskopf) climbs into the mountains.

from Maui’s south shore, plus a variety of

At the tip of the Baja peninsula, this hacienda-

800.564.1603, lakelasvegas.com

packages with Wailea’s six luxury hotels.

style resort offers the 18-hole Cabo Real Golf

800.328.MAUI (6284), waileagolf.com

Course, 6,988 yards with three oceanfront

Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort

holes. 888.227.9621, casadelmarmexico.com

Pete Dye fans will love the opportunity to

IDAHO

play these three Dye designs, Snow Mountain,

Four Seasons Punta Mita

Sun Mountain and “Wolf,” Nevada’s longest

Circling Raven Golf Club

Lush tropical landscaping lines the fair-

course at 7,604 yards. 800.711.2833,

The Coeur d’Alene tribe owns and operates

ways on the Nicklaus-designed course with

lvpaiutegolf.com

Circling Raven amid pristine wetlands and

eight waterfront holes, all just 26 miles

grasslands, adjacent to its Casino Resort Hotel.

from historic Puerto Vallarta. 800.819.5053,

The Resort at Red Hawk

800.523.2464, circlingraven.com

fourseasons.com/puntamita

Resort guests can play the Lakes Course, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, with more

Coeur d’Alene Golf & Spa Resort

NEVADA

than 100 bunkers, while the Hale Irwin– designed Hills Course belongs to the

Home of the famous “floating green,” the Resort sits on the north shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene

Bali Hai Golf Club

Private Club at Red Hawk. 775.626.6000,

and transports hotel guests by boat to the lake-

As intriguing as its namesake, the Bali Hai

resortatredhawk.com

side golf course. 800.688.5253, cdaresort.com

course in Las Vegas measures 7,002 yards and is

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Squaw Creek Resort This Robert Trent Jones, Jr. 18-hole championship golf course is environmentally conscious,

MARVELOUS TIBURON A DESTINATION FOR ALL SEASONS

free from pesticides and recognized by Audubon International as a certified cooperative sanctuary. 530.583.6300, squawcreek.com

OREGON Traditional Scottish spirit on southern Oregon’s rugged coast. All three courses, Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Trails are walkingonly. 888.345.6008, bandondunesgolf.com

Eagle Crest Resort This family golf resort in central Oregon’s

Imagine yourself minutes away from downtown San Francisco. Located on a historic dock along Tiburon’s picturesque Main Street, the Waters Edge Hotel’s intimate size will remind you of a more relaxed way of life. Many rooms feature private decks and vaulted wood ceilings. The San Francisco Bay can be viewed from the Grand Waterfront Deck. Enjoy complimentary in-room deluxe continental breakfast, evening wine reception and the best views in town.

Cascade Mountains features two 18-hole courses, the Resort and the Ridge and the Challenge, a “short course” favored by beginners. 800.682.4786, eagle-crest.com

Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club

25 Main Street, Tiburon, CA 94920 • marinhotels.com Phone: 415.789.5999 • Reservations: 877.789.5999 The Waters Edge Hotel is managed by Joie de Vivre Hotels and a proud participant in the Joy of Life Club. jdvhotels.com

Both Witch Hollow (members only) and Ghost

Photos: Crea McKeen, Cesar Rubio, Marge Samilson

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Creek have played host to many prestigious championships, like the U.S. Women’s Open and the Nike Tour, just minutes from Portland. 503.647.4747, pumpkinridge.com

Running Y Ranch On the eastern side of the Cascades, near Klamath Falls, this is the only Arnold Palmer Golf Course in Oregon and plays through mature pine forests in unspoiled wilderness. 888.850.0261, runningy.com

Sunriver Resort The casual elegance of this family vacation resort includes three championship golf courses, among them the challenging Crosswater. 800.801.8765, sunriver-resort.com

WASHINGTON Suncadia This new resort community 80 miles east of Seattle offers two mountain courses, Prospector and Rope Rider with a thriving scene of lodging and dining. 509.649.6000, suncadia.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

CA LE N DAR

APRIL ARTS & EVENTS GUIDE Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, who won the Tony award for his performance, portray two of the most famous roles ever written. Golden Gate Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

COMEDY Tuesdays Mark Pitta & Friends You’ll have to see the show to ﬁnd out who’s performing but it’s worth getting a chance to watch big-name headliners and upand-coming comics work on new material. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, 142throckmortontheatre.com Thursdays Comedy Slam Join host JIGU! musical group at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, April 7.

THEATER Thru 7 The Good German During World War II, an Aryan couple risks the consequences of harboring a Jewish publisher in Nazi Germany. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org

Thru April 22 After the War When over 100,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II, San Francisco’s bustling Japantown suddenly became an urban ghost town until other races began to ﬁll the vacant neighborhood. But what happened when the Japanese Americans came back? A.C.T. (SF). 415.749.2228, act-sf.org

Thru 8 Altar Boyz This musical comedy spoof about a heavenly guy-group is appropriate for the whole family. Orpheum Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

Thru 15 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature–IAM Theatre presents a stage version that includes all of the enchanting songs and characters from the ﬁlm. The Playhouse (San Anselmo). 415.461.1196, iamtheatre.org Thru April 22 Our Town Bring the entire family to see this love story that offers a look at a simpler time. Ross Valley Players (Ross). 415.456.9555, rossvalleyplayers.org 98

MARIN APRIL 2007

2 The Last, The Very Last...Butterﬂy The Pushcart Players and Youth in Arts present a Holocaust remembrance piece for young audiences. Showcase Theater at the Marin Center (San Rafael). 415.457.4878, youthinarts.org

10 Insomniac Theatre West Marin actors will meet to audition for a play they know nothing about. They will have just one day to prepare for their performance. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org 10–May 12 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf Direct from a run on Broadway,

Debbie Campo of the San Francisco Comedy College along with other comedians for an evening of stand-up. Sam’s Cafe (Tiburon). 415.435.4527, sfcomedycollege.com

MUSIC 1 Chamber Music Concert The program includes Mozart, Brahms and Higdon. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org 4–7 The San Francisco Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Tchaikovsky. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org 6 Soweto Gospel Choir The choir’s renditions of traditional African gospel sung in six languages has been entertaining audiences since 2002. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

7 JIGU! Deeply rooted in Chinese folk origins, the group blends traditional and modern musical elements. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org MARINMAGAZINE.COM

11–14 The San Francisco Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas and Richard Stoltzman on the clarinet. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org

is known for its dazzling physicality. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

4–21 San Francisco Ballet Night is a contem15 Starduster Sundays Join Jan Wahl, Cynthia Glinka and the Starduster Orchestra for a night of dancing to the swinging sounds of the big band era. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

porary odyssey into one woman’s nocturnal dreams, choreographed by former principal dancer Julia Adam. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.865.2000, sfballet.org

11–24 San Francisco Ballet Elemental 16–20 Concerts for Kids The San Francisco Symphony’s oldest education program serves 35,000 schoolchildren. Steven Smith conducts a program of Strauss, Ravel, Wagner and more. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org

Brubeck is set to music by jazz legend Dave Brubeck. The piece premiered on the company’s 2005 Paris tour. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.865.2000, sfballet.org

21 Gamelan Sekar Jaya: Music and Dance of Bali Enjoy the driving rhythms of Balinese gamelan. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

14 Shield and Yarnell: The Reunion Tour The duo has appeared on over 400 television shows; watch as they perform a mix of acrobatics, dance and gymnastics. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

GALLERIES MARIN Aperture f64 Gallery The Presidio Portfolio Award-winning black and white photographs that depict personal experiences from the historic San Francisco Presidio by Edgar Angelone, thru May 5. 635 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo. 415.482.0480 Art Abloom A full-spectrum art experience is offered in a creative, nurturing, stimulating and noncompetitive atmosphere. 735 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.256.1112, artabloom.com

21 Golden Gate Opera Gala Concert Enjoy an evening of arias and ensembles from La Traviata, La Boheme, Cinderella and more at this black-tie event. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

Art Works Downtown LEGACY: Carole Beadle Mixed media by various artists, thru April 27. 1337 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.451.8119, artworksdowntown.org

22 Calder Quartet The resident quartet of the graduate program at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles performs Wolf, Dvorak, and Smetana. Mt. Tamalpais Methodist Church (Mill Valley). 415.381.4453, chambermusicmillvalley.org

29 Jules Broussard and Band A little of ev-

Center (San Rafael). 415.927.3253, printzdance.org

Shield and Yarnell: The Reunion Tour at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, April 14.

erything with jazz, blues and rock onstage. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, 142throckmortontheatre.com

13 Cha Cha Cha Lesson Learn the dance

29 & May 1 The Marin Symphony Maestro Alasdair Neale conducts an all–Richard Strauss program featuring Wind Serenade, Ein Heldenleben and Four Last Songs, performed by soprano soloist Rebecca Evans. Marin Center (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marinsymphony.org

13–15 Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet The

originally introduced in Cuba by composer and violinist Enrique Jorrin. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

world premiere with the Shaolin Monks of China. The collaboration creates a synthesis of Eastern and Western form. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, linesballet.org

Claudia Chapline Gallery The exhibition space includes two skylit galleries and a sculpture garden where Chapline presents art by California artists. 3445 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach. 415.868.2308, cchapline.com Donna Seager Gallery A focus on the rich history of art in the Bay Area and beyond. 851 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.454.4229, donnaseagergallery.com Edith Caldwell Gallery Still life paintings and drawings by Karen Horn, Philip Michelson and John Gibson, thru May. Contemporary tapestries by Squeak Carnwath, Alan Magee and others, thru May. 819 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.331.5003, edithcaldwell.com

DANCE 14 Printz Dance Project The contempo1 Paul Taylor Dance Company Fresh from the New York season with three works never before seen in the Bay Area, the company MARINMAGAZINE.COM

rary dance company performs its ﬁfth season with new and repertory work by Stacey Printz. Showcase Theater, Marin Civic

Gallery Bergelli First Showing Paintings by Pegan Brooke, thru April. 483 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.945.9454, gallerybergelli.com MARIN APRIL 2007

PEGAN BROOKE AT GALLERY BERGELLI BY ANNE CRUMP RAY

Gallery Route One Self-Portrait as Revealed by Trash: 365 Days of Photographing Everything That I Throw Out Photographer Tim Gadreau learned just how much stuff one person sends to the landﬁll, thru April 29. Work by Paula Fava, thru April 29. 11101 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1347, galleryrouteone.org Marin Arts Council Open Studios Gallery One piece of art from each open studios artist is on display. 301 A Town Center, Corte Madera. 415.499.8350, marinarts.org Marin Society of Artists Juried show for Northern California artists and society members, thru May. 30 Sir Francis Drake, Ross. 415.454.9561, marinsocietyofartists.org North Sails Nautica/Abstract Just in time for opening day on the bay, this exhibit features sail art and sail making by Marin artist Gale McKee, April 28 & 29. 773 Andersen Dr, San Rafael. 415.459.2981 O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Stop by the Loft to see egg-tempera art by Patricia Kelly, April 3–30. 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.4331, ohanloncenter.org Robert Beck Gallery Ongoing work. 222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.456.7898 Robert Green Fine Arts Sam Francis Works on paper, thru April. 154 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.381.8776, rgﬁnearts.com

Brighton Beach 4’x5’

arkspur’s Gallery Bergelli welcomes spring with a suite of paintings by Bolinas-based artist Pegan Brooke. Entitled First Showing, the presentation assembles a selection of Brooke’s colorful large-scale abstractions for an exuberant debut appearance at the gallery. Brooke, who has taught painting at the San Francisco Art Institute since 1985, creates ethereal abstract works that take their cues from the natural environment. Marked by rising and receding color ﬁelds punctuated by clearly deﬁned forms—geometric shapes, shells, leaves—Brooke’s canvases communicate a sense of awe of the world around her, enveloping the

100

MARIN APRIL 2007

viewer in meditative depictions of beauty that alternately soothe and stimulate. Her imagery is both familiar and otherworldly, inviting reﬂection and suggesting the possibility for transcendence through contemplation. A longtime resident of the Bay Area, Brooke received her MFA from Stanford University. She has exhibited her work internationally and is represented in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Gallery Bergelli, 483 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur, 415.945.9454, gallerybergelli. com; 10–5 Mon–Fri, 10–4 Sat–Sun, or by appointment

Rustic Bakery Fine Art Photographs Work by Anne Rosenfeld, thru April 16. 1139 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.925.1556, rusticbakery.com Sam the Butcher Colors. Unveiled. Work by Belvedere artist Marie-Louise Ullmark, thru April. 19 Ross Common, Ross. 415.902.1019 Studio 333 Affordable studio space for local artists; where they can display their talents. Art lessons also available. 333A Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.8272, studio333.info The Painters Place Original Art and Prints Artwork by Stan Painter, Krystal Allen, Chester Arnold, Christin Coy, Barbara Lawrence, Dan Cooper and Charlotte MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Britton, thru April. 1139 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.461.0351, thepaintersplace.com Toby’s Gallery Work by Dr. Michael and Barbara Whitt, thru April. 11250 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1223 William Lester Gallery New work by Ezra Katz, Paul Kratter, Pamela Priest Naeve and Stefan Alexis Pastuhov. 11101 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.9365, williamlestergallery.com

SAN FRANCISCO ArtHaus Women Who Fly An exhibition of paintings and reliefs by artist Andrea Arroyo, the ofﬁcial artist of the Latin Grammy Awards, April 10—June 23. 411 Brannan St, 415.977.0223, arthaus-sf.com Berggruen Gallery A selection of work from artist Lee Mullican, thru April. 228 Grant Ave, 415.781.4629, berggruen.com Caldwell Snyder Gallery Recent paintings and sculpture by former musician and songwriter Rusty Wolfe, thru April. 341 Sutter St, 415.296.7896, caldwellsnyder.com Elins Eagles Smith Gallery Paintings by Joaquin Chancho, Albert Rafols Casamada and Adolfo Estrada, thru April. 49 Geary St, Ste 520, 415.981.1080, eesgallery.com Fraenkel Gallery Trees 1968/2006 Work by Robert Adams, April 5—May 26. Patience Work by Nicholas Naxon, April 5—May 26. 3049 Geary St, 415.981.2661, fraenkelgallery.com

Anthony Parisek , D.D.S. Family & Aesthetic Dentistry

Excellence Knowledge Prevention

Aesthetics Health Comfort

• Preventive care • Porcelain crowns & veneers • 1-Hour tooth whitening • Implant restorations • Digital x-rays • Invisalign • Bridges

Professional Memberships: American Dental Association, California Dental Association

www. dentistryrocks .com (415) 388-2172

535 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley (between Wells Fargo Bank & Safeway)

an presentation

Marin Arts Salon

SHOWCASING MARIN ARTISTS Wednesday nights are fun again! The 2nd Annual Marin Arts Salon kicks off Wednesday May 9, starting 4 weeks of celebration.

Frey Norris Gallery Trek Kelly: Hotel California Installation art and paintings, thru April 29. 456 Geary St, 415.346.7812, freynorris.com Gallery Paule Anglim Work by video artist Tony Oursler and conceptual artist Nayland Blake on display, April 4—May 5. 14 Geary St, 415.433.2710, gallerypauleanglim.com

Come enjoy our exciting art scene. The salons will feature some of Marin’s most exciting artists and performers showcasing their work in their respective mediums.

Cocktails & Appetizers • FREE Admission 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Wednesdays May (9, 16, 23, 30) California Closets Showroom 610 DuBois St., San Rafael For event details, visit www.marinmagazine.com/events

MUSICAL CURATOR:

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

George Krevsky Gallery Spring Training: The Art of Baseball The tenth annual exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculptures, by various artists from across the MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

101

Hang Art and Hang Art Annex Scene Inside Views of organic forms and natural spaces by Paul Brigham, thru April at Hang Art. Closer to Summer Abstract brushwork depicting blooming ﬁelds by Andrzej Karwacki, thru April at Hang Art Annex. 556 & 567 Sutter St, 415.434.4264, hangart.com

Mark Mulroney at Gregory Lind Gallery.

country, approaches the national pastime with passion and insight, thru April 28. 77 Geary St, 415.397.9748, georgekrevskygallery.com Gregory Lind Gallery What Fits Your Mouth Doesn’t Always Fit in Your Stomach Work by Mark Mulroney, thru May 12. 49 Geary St, 415.296.9661, gregorylindgallery.com

Paintings by Pegan Brooke

Jack Hanley Gallery Artwork by Keegan McHargue, April 6–28. 395/389 Valencia St, 415.522.1623, jackhanley.com John Pence Gallery Landscapes by Stock Schlueter, April 12–May 12. Paintings by Dean Larson, thru April 7. 750 Post St, 415.441.1138, johnpence.com Linda Saytes This seascape and landscape artist is currently working on a cityscape and Golden Gate Bridge series, which is open to

the public. Hunters Point Shipyard Bldg 101 Studio 2120, 415.824.5756, saytesart.com Meyerovich Gallery Miro & Picasso: Works on Paper This exhibit features rare items from Pablo Picasso’s personal collection including linocuts, aquatints, etchings and lithographs. Robert Motherwell Rare works on paper from the artist’s estate, including collage, aquatints and lithographs. Work by Joan Miro also on display, thru May 1. 251 Post St, 415.421.7171, meyerovich.com Newmark Gallery Reﬂections: On Crossing Work by Anne Subercaseaux, April 3–April 28. 251 Post St, Ste 412, 415.392.3692, newmarkgallery.com Paul Thiebaud Recent paintings by Yaz Krehbiel, thru April 21. 718 Columbus Ave, 415.434.3055, paulthiebaudgallery.com Rena Bransten Gallery Allusive Moments The show looks at artists who raise complex issues or allude to untold stories through simple images, thru April 7. Sculptures by artist Joana Vasconcelos, thru April 7.

Pegan Brooke Grand Cayman 62 x 52 Oil on Canvas

Hackett-Freedman Gallery Painted sculpture and Reliefs Work by International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement Award winner Manuel Neri, March 8—April 28. 250 Sutter St, 415.362.7152, hackettfreedman.com

Open Daily 10 - 4

102

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

77 Geary St, 415.982.3292, renabranstengallery.com SF Camerawork Not Given: Talking of and Around Photographs of Arab Women A new multimedia installation unveils stereotypes and examines how the authority of photography can get lost in translation, thru May 26. 657 Mission St, 415.512.2020, sfcamerawork.org

artworks and is the first ever outside India to focus on the arts of the Mewar kingdom, thru April 29 (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org COPIA Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005 This exhibit traces the development of flatware and the dining traditions in the West across five centuries, from the Renaissance to today, thru April 30 (Napa). 888.512.6742, copia.org

folk art mediums and practices, thru April 22 (SF). 415.227.4888, mocfa.org San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design CCA: A Legacy in Studio Glass This exhibition features the work of 33 faculty and alumni of California College of the Arts who have made important contributions to the American studio glass arts movement, thru April 8. 415.773.0303, sfmcd.org

di Rosa Preserve Jock McDonald: A Series of Series A showcase of 24 large platinum prints from eight recent photographic series, thru May 12 (Napa). 707.226.5991, dirosapreserve.org

SFMOMA Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings More than 100 pieces ranging from the 1960s to the present, thru May 13 (SF). 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org

FAMILIES/KIDS

B AY A R E A

Legion of Honor Masterpieces of French Jewelry Over 150 examples of French jewelry from the 20th century are on display thru June 10 (SF). 415.863.3330, legionofhonor.org

Asian Art Museum Princes, Palaces, and Passion: The Art of India’s Mewar Kingdom In the making for more than eight years, this exhibition features more than 70

Museum of Craft & Folk Art Beats Per Minute: Contemporary Art Inﬂuenced by Folk Art Practices Explore the recent movements in contemporary art that utilize traditional

MUSEUMS MARIN Bolinas Museum Ceramic Scupture Work by Richard Shaw and curated by Dieter Tremp, thru April 29 (Bolinas). 415.868.0330, bolinasmuseum.org

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN Thru May 6 Bay Area Discovery Museum Access Ability A hands-on disability awareness exhibition where kids can learn phrases in American sign language, type their names in Braille and more (Sausalito). 415.339.3900, baykidsmuseum.org

MARIN APRIL 2007

103

BAY AREA Thru June 3 Liminality: Art on the Threshold Large-scale artworks, by Seattle and Bay Area artists, that create an artistic drama and a heightened awareness of the architecture within the Exploratorium will be on display. Visitors are encouraged to think about how the treatment of architecture affects the way we feel within the space and if it encourages us to relate to the space and to each other. Exploratorium (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu

EVENTS Tuesdays and Thursdays Doodlebug Knitting Night Learn the basics of crocheting or felting, expand basic knowledge and try something new with fellow enthusiasts.

Don’t

miss the

104

MARIN APRIL 2007

party of the YEaR!

Doodlebug (San Anselmo). 415.456.5989, doodlebugmarin.com

Saturdays and Sundays thru July 15 Annual Migration Visit Bolinas Lagoon Preserve to see the return of hundreds of great blue herons, snowy egrets and great egrets for their nesting rituals. After, enjoy eight miles of trails and your picnic lunch. Audubon Canyon Ranch (Stinson Beach). 415.868.9244, egret.org

Thru 13 Macy’s Annual Flower Show Head downtown to celebrate India’s vibrant colors and amazing ﬂowers at the 61st annual ﬂower show. Experience artisan demonstrations, fashion shows, celebrity appearances and musical entertainment. Union Square (SF). 415.393.3455, macys.com

1 Taste of Spring Try new vintages of Ferrari-Carano’s wines as they are paired with winery owner Rhonda Carano’s favorite recipes at this inaugural event. FerrariCarano (Healdsburg). 707.433.6700, ferrari-carano.com

1 The Presidio 10 Lace up your running shoes and enjoy a scenic course through the Presidio. Proceeds go to the Guardsmen and the Ashlyn Dyer Fund for neurological research and support for traumatic brain injury. Crissy Field (SF). presidio10.com

1 & 2 One Book One Marin Pubic libraries have teamed up with Book Passage, the Marin History Museum, Friends of Libraries and others to promote the reading of Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune. Various locations (Marin). 510.839.3100, onebookonemarin.org 1 Marin Moonshiners Meet for a hike at The Pelican Inn, then take a break to toast the sunset, have a bite to eat and enjoy the full moon. Pelican Inn Pub (Muir Beach). 415.331.0100

6—24 Grand National Rodeo, Horse and Stock Show Gary Allen, Montgomery Gentry and Gretchen Wilson headline this annual event. Highlights include bull riding, a carnival and an art show. Cow Palace (SF). 415.404.4111, grandnationalrodeo.com

Runway 2007 Saturday, April 7

StoneTree Country Club Corporate and Community leaders Fashion Show Dinner Favorite dance band Pride & Joy §

pizza and crafts while the parents have an evening off. Doodlebug (San Anselmo). 415.456.5989, doodlebugmarin.com

27 Pajama Night Bring the kids for games,

Beneﬁts Marin Advocates for Children, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC).

For ticket information: www.marinadvocates.org or 415.507.0179

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

7 Runway 2007 Don’t miss this evening of cocktails, dinner, fashion and dancing to the music of Pride and Joy. Proceeds from the event beneﬁt Marin Advocates for Children. StoneTree Country Club (Novato). 415.507.0179, marinadvocates.org

22 Bridging Communities 2007 Join hands

14 Earth Day 2007: The Secret Life of

22 Marin Earth Day Event Take part in a day of food, music, education and service. Projects include trail restoration, litter abatement and invasive plant removal. Samuel P. Taylor Park (West Marin). 415.456.3469, marinearthday.org

Your Dinner What’s life like for oceananimals before they show up on the menu? Discover the interesting life of lobsters, crabs, tuna and other seafood favorites. California Academy of Sciences (SF). 415.321.8000, calacademy.org

with 3,000 other people across the Golden Gate Bridge to raise awareness and support nonproﬁts that serve the area’s neediest families. Golden Gate Bridge (SF/Marin). 415.759.2690, bridgingcommunities2007.com

22 Recycle Circus Don’t miss this annual 14 Extraordinary Evening with the Arts Enjoy live music, a wine tasting and dinner to support the Community Institute for Psychotherapy, which provides high-quality but low-cost counseling. Osher Marin JCC (San Rafael). 415.459.5999, ext. 429

18 Floral Fling Attend the Marin Charitable Association’s luncheon and listen to guest speaker Soho Sakai of Japan. Marin Art and Garden Center (Ross). 415.461.9051, marincharitable.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

community swap meet. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

festival will feature nearly 200 films from over 50 countries. The event highlights trends in international films with an emphasis on work that hasn’t secured distribution in the United States. Various locations (SF). 415.561.5000, sfiff.org

27–29 Painting Workshop Discover the artist you’ve always wanted to be in this group setting with instructor Ina Nisar. Call for locations (Mill Valley). 415.877.1073, inarolshoven.com 28–May 28 San Francisco Decorator Showcase For this year’s 30th showcase, alumni designers will transform this landmark estate. 2901 Broadway (SF). 415.447.5830, decoratorshowcase.org

26 Garden Tour Marins Outdoor Art Club’s annual tour, Gardens, Art and Architecture XIII, features ﬁve private homes and gardens in Mill Valley that celebrate the diversity of design. Outdoor Art Club (Mill Valley). 415.455.4695, outdoorartclub.org

29 Half Moon Bay’s World of Wonder A showcase of 2,000 machines from army tanks to antique engines. Half Moon Bay Airport (Half Moon Bay). 650.726.2328, miramarevents.com

26–May 10 San Francisco International Film Festival The 50th anniversary of the

29 Opening Day on the Bay Kick off sailing season with the annual boat pa-

MARIN APRIL 2007

105

as this annual event salutes Italy’s famed Mille Miglia race. After the event, the cars begin a 1,000 mile, four-day race across the Golden Gate Bridge. Fairmont Hotel (SF). 415.479.9950, californiamille.com

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS Ongoing Let’s Talk Motherhood Meet to reﬂect on the experience of mothering in a warm nonjudgmental and noncompetitive atmosphere. Various locations (Mill Valley). 415.389.1012, guiltfreemotherhood.com

rade sponsored by the Paciﬁc Inter-Club Yacht Associaton. The Bay (Marin/SF). 415.331.0702, picya.org

motorcycles, military aircrafts, antique horse carriages and army tanks. Half Moon Bay Airport (Half Moon Bay). 650.726.2328, miramarevents.com

29 Paciﬁc Coast Dream Machine Show The 17th annual event features dirt drag racing and 2,000 machines, including cars,

29 & 30 California Mille Preview Nob Hill is the spot to see 65 historic race cars

8 Writing Mamas Salon A warm, encouraging and supportive place for members to talk about motherhood and writing. Wellknown authors make special guest appearances; check website for schedules. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 415.927.0960, writingmamas.com

may 3-28, 2007

the bay area’s fourth annual celebration of the arts w w w. a rt s f e s t s f. o rg

106

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO : B R I A N B E R GE R O N

Access Ability exhibition at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, thru May 6.

5 The Spellman Files Author Lisa Lutz discusses her latest book. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 415.927.0960, bookpassage.com

18 Marin Scuba Club Join other enthusiastic scuba divers at this monthly club meeting. Ocean engineer and inventor Graham Hawkes will give an update on deep ﬂight submersibles. Seafood Peddler (San Rafael). 415.453.9556 27 Domestic Violence Assessment, Intervention and Prevention Health care and mental health professionals who want to earn seven California continuing education credits can attend this workshop provided by Marin Abused Women’s Services. 734 A St (San Rafael). 415.457.2464, ext 42

06/07 54TH SUBSCRIPTION SEASON

brilliance, up close and personal

28 Dance Palace Stories: How a Community Finds Its Center An oral history and multimedia presentation with Dewey Livingston. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

NATURE WALKS/TALKS Ongoing Sonoma History Local actor George Webber morphs into Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, as he retells the history of Sonoma through Twain’s eyes; speciﬁc dates on website (Sonoma). 707.694.5097, georgewebber.com Weekends thru July 15 Audubon Canyon Ranch Volunteer ranch guides are stationed throughout the preserve to answer questions about anything from newts to nesting egrets (Stinson Beach). 415.868.9244, egret.org 6 Wildﬂower Walk Below Mount Tamalpais Starting at Deer Park in Fairfax, walk a six-mile loop with Bob Stewart through a variety of habitats, including coast live oak and a redwood forest (Point Reyes). 415.663.1200, ptreyes.org

14 & 28 Wildflowers of Chimney Rock With the help of instructor Wendy Dreskin, learn wildflower names, traditional uses of certain plants and which species of butterflies are likely to lay eggs (Point Reyes). 415.663.1200, ptreyes.org

17 Cougars and Carnivores of Yellowstone Howard Quigley presents an overview of conservation challenges confronting cougars in the West (SF). 415.321.8000, calacademy.org MARINMAGAZINE.COM

“Four Last Songs” of the Season In performances on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses, Rebecca Evans has been claimed by critics to be “a paragon” (Opera News) and “among the most accomplished singers of our times” (London’s The Guardian). For our season finale, she joins Maestro Alasdair Neale for an all-Richard Strauss program in a performance of Strauss’s exquisitely beautiful Four Last Songs. Sunday, April 29 & Tuesday, May 1, 2007, 7:30pm Alasdair Neale, conductor Rebecca Evans, soprano STRAUSS Wind Serenade STRAUSS Four Last Songs STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) Tickets $65, $50 and $27 on sale now

415.499.6800 Marin Center, San Rafael • Free Parking

The Early Bird Gets The Gala! The Marin Symphony’s 07/08 season, the “Season of the Silver Screen,” has recently been announced. Check our website for complete program listings and subscription prices. Subscribe or renew by May 1 and you’ll automatically be entered in a raffle to win two tickets to the 07/08 seasonopening black-tie Gala and post-concert reception on Sunday, October 7, 2007 ($260 value). The winning raffle ticket will be drawn on Tuesday, May 1 at the post-concert Audience Appreciation Party concluding our 06/07 season. Wouldn’t you love to walk down the red carpet – for free?

www.marinsymphony.org MARIN APRIL 2007

107

F LAVO R

SAN ANSELMO’S

FORK New chef is bringing back the magic BY ERIKA LENKERT

Carrot Flan

PHOTO TIM PORTER

t’s not easy to keep a restaurant on top af-

vered status, but also to become one of the

tion at Paris’s three-Michelin-star Taillevent to

ter a highly regarded chef leaves. Fork co-

Bay Area’s most noted rising star chefs.

shame. Brown-sugar-and-spice-brined Berkshire

owners/managers Charles Low and Oliver

Practically every dish—each a mix of skill-

pork chop nestled in pumpkin polenta guaran-

Knill learned this firsthand when they went

ful technique and personal style—is so far

teed I’d be returning soon. Only two dishes are

through two toques in one year after Scott

above par, the question isn’t what to have,

overzealous: steak frites with foie gras butter

Howard departed. But perseverance paid off.

but what to pass up. Skipping the debate, my

teetered over the top with intensely barbecued-

Since taking over the kitchen last October, chef

party of three indulged in practically every-

potato-chip-flavor fries, and a risotto’s flavors of

Jonathan Kosrek has quietly begun making

thing, including rich foie gras terrine coun-

sunchokes, chanterelle, hedgehog mushroom,

some of the most exciting food in Marin.

terbalanced by tangy-tart pomegranate port

parmesan, and truffle were trumped by a heavyhanded sprinkle of fresh herbs.

Given his background, it’s not surprising

gastrique, house-smoked salmon blini, tender

that 30-year-old Kosrek takes the palate on a

grilled sardines lightly seasoned with lemon,

Diners familiar with Fork can anticipate

thrilling ride. The upstate New York native,

thyme and olive oil, and one of the evening’s

trademark touches that have long made this

who has been cooking since age 14, is also a

most memorable dishes—braised pork belly

neighborhood restaurant an elevated dining

skateboard enthusiast whose racy résumé in-

with butter beans, arugula, shaved fennel and

experience: three intimate and perfectly lit

cludes five years at New York’s Palmer House

blood orange.

rooms ideal for comfortable conversation, a

Café, a degree from the Culinary Institute of

On our server’s recommendation we threw

polished and knowledgeable staff, luxurious

America at Hyde Park, kitchen credentials at

in a decadent and whimsical Po’ Boy Salad—

details such as linen hand towels in the rest-

St. Helena’s renowned Terra restaurant and a

crisp endive tossed with candied walnuts, blue

room, and a good wine list that includes local

stint as a skate park builder.

cheese and porcini vinaigrette—and outstanding

and European selections and wine flights.

But today the chef’s designs are firmly set

carrot flan, reminiscent of pumpkin pie without

But there is one thing about Fork that’s

on winning back the hearts of Fork’s original

the spices and sweet enough to save for dessert.

likely to change. If chef Kosrek continues to

customers through what he describes as “re-

To make a meal of first courses would be a

fire on all burners, reservations will much

fined rustic food, done right at a good price.”

brilliant idea if the entrées weren’t so darned

harder to come by, so all the more reason to

Recent visits prove that with a talent for put-

good. At $18.50, the impossibly moist roast

book a table now.

ting refreshing spins on familiar favorites,

whole petite chicken—brined and slow-roasted

Kosrek is not only likely to return Fork to re-

all day at 225º F—put the famed $160 rendi-

108

MARIN APRIL 2007

Fork, 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, 415.453.9898, marinfork.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

INSIDER’S GUIDE

DINE OUT CORTE MADERA CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN Cal/Eclectic Be prepared for chaos. Easy place to meet with kids; Mom/Dad can enjoy a tasty Thai crunch salad and decent glass of wine while the little ones feast on basic kid-size portions of pasta and pizza. 347 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.945.0401

cabbage chicken salad with peanuts, fresh spring rolls, and combinations of pho are delicious and healthy. 346 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.0288 PACIFIC CATCH Pan-Asian This well-priced fresh grill eatery offers a bounty of Pacific Rim–inspired small or main plates, like the generously portioned wasabi bowls filled with rice (white or brown), veggies and your choice of fresh or raw ﬁsh, chicken or beef. 133 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3474, paciﬁccatch.com

FAIRFAX

IL FORNAIO Italian Sausalito’s Larry Mindel hit a home run with this upscale Italian 23-restaurant franchise. Besides the award-winning breads, pizzas and pastas, the menu boasts a variety of salads and noncarb entrées. 223 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.4400, ilfornaio.com

IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY American Grab a beer and a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich—which one Chronicle reviewer calls “the best mushroom dish I have ever tasted”—at the former Ross Valley Brewing Company. 765-A Center Blvd, 415.485.1005, ironspringspub.com

IZZY’S STEAKS & CHOP HOUSE American The legendary San Francisco steak house has moved north. Known for great steaks and seafood as well as its ﬁne wine selection, this is a great spot for a group or intimate dinner for two. 55 Tamal Vista, 415.924.3366, izzyssteaksandchops.com

CAFÉ AMSTERDAM American-European The former Broadway Video store is now a cozy spot to enjoy live music, a weekend brunch, dining on the heated patio and a large selection of local beers on tap. 23 Broadway, 415.256.8020, cafeamsterdamlive.com

LA MAISON DE LA REINE Vietnamese A refreshing change amid the plethora of Italian, Mexican and Chinese options in town. The crunchy

SORELLA CAFÉ Italian Not only is the food satisfying and tasty; the service is friendly and the ambience is warm and inviting. A plate of olives

is presented before the meal and a colorful bowl of Gummi Bears is brought out once your dinner plates are cleared—nice touch. 107 Bolinas Rd, 415.258.4520

LARKSPUR LARK CREEK INN American This ﬂagship eatery for the Lark Creek Restaurant Group opened back in 1989 and was hailed by the New York Times as having “the best home cooking you can imagine.” It remains a perennial special occasion spot and is still known for inventive country cooking—as well as a cozy bar scene. 234 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7766, larkcreek.com LEFT BANK RESTAURANT French Known for award-winning French cuisine and its lively brasserie ambience, this corner spot has held court with the locals for well over a decade. Those with a petite appetite/budget can opt for happy hour (4-6 M-F) and enjoy appetizers, all priced under three dollars. 507 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com PICCO California Chef and celebrated restaurateur Bruce Hill deserves the accolades he has received for this eclectic shared-plate heaven. Dishes like mini-burgers and seasonally driven menu items, along with risotto made every half hour, keep people coming back. The Picco Pizzeria and Wine Bar next door is cozy (not many seats) but already famous for its wood-ﬁred pizzas, great wine selection and soft-serve Straus Family Creamery ice cream. 320 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.0300, restaurantpicco.com

E SCAPE TO A TIME OF GRACIOUS SERVICE AND CHARM

HOTEL WHITCOMB is a landmark piece of early 19th-century architecture and decor located in the heart of San Francisco’s theater and arts district and only minutes from the City’s most famous attractions. • 460 stylish Guest Rooms and 13 Parlor Suites • Enjoy elegant comfort in our Piano Bar and Restaurant • More than 20,000 sq. ft. of Meeting and Event space • Ideal business accommodations with our Internet Cafe, Free wi-fi and on-site Starbucks Call 1-800-227-4747, or visit HotelWhitcomb.com today!

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

109

W INE COU NTRY

HOT TICKETS FOR SPRING BY LUCAS DAVIDSON

YANKEE PIER American This family-friendly casual clam shack is harbored in a quaint house built in 1924 as a private residence. Yankee Pier serves fresh seafood delivered daily from both coasts for dishes by renowned chef Anthony Bowman. 286 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7676, yankeepier.com

MILL VALLEY BUCKEYE ROADHOUSE American Oysters Bingo, baby back ribs and chili-lime “brick” chicken are a few of the satisfying, comfort-food-type menu items that have made this classic roadhouse a favorite since the ‘30s. 15 Shoreline Hwy, 415.331.2600, buckeyeroadhouse.com BUNGALOW 44 American Much like sister restaurant Buckeye Roadhouse, Bungalow 44 offers a mean dose of homey carbo- and lipidladen dishes, such as the burger, fried chicken and trufﬂe fries, as well as a few lighter items. The bar is a neighborhood favorite, serving up tasty spirits and eye candy. 44 E. Blithedale Ave, 415.381.2500, bungalow44.com

Moroccan Nights was the theme at Beringer Vineyard for the Auction Napa Valley 2006.

he social scene in wine country begins to heat up in April, so visitors who want to book some of the season’s hot tickets need to take immediate action. Here are three spring festivals that have proven their popularity. Numerous Napa Valley winery owners first visited the valley to attend the annual charity auction in June, which long ago set a high standard for fun as well as fundraising, and now has generated more than $65 million for local health care and other good causes in its 26 years. Tickets for Auction Napa Valley, which is June 7-10 this year, go quickly, so wine lovers who want to experience Napa in this unique way should act now. Invitations were to go out in the mail in late March. Those who respond most quickly get to enjoy Napa in style and become intimate with the winemakers who live there (707.963.3388, napavintners.com). To request an invitation for the whole elegant extravaganza at $2,500 per person or just for the Taste Napa Valley food, wine and barrel tasting event on Friday, June 8, at $250 per person, go to napavintners.com/auctions. More relaxed is the Sonoma Valley Film Festival April 11-15 (707.933.2600, sonomafilmfest.org) in and around the

110

MARIN APRIL 2007

historic town square of Sonoma. This event is now 10 years old and has matured into a serious venue to preview more than 75 indie films from around the world, whoop it up at several parties and receptions, and trade in the usual popcorn and Coke for foie gras and Syrah. Tickets for the festival range from $1,200 per person for VIP treatment at all events to $100 each for the Festival Gala April 14 with wine, food, music and dancing. Two-time Academy Award winner John Lassiter of Pixar Animation and Walt Disney, who has called Sonoma home for many years, will be the subject of a special tribute on that day. At the other end of Sonoma County, wineries of Dry Creek Valley host their Passport to Dry Creek Valley April 2829 (707.433.3031, wdcv.com). Last year 38 wineries opened their cellars to pour Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and other wines, cooked an array of international foods to go with them, and booked live blues, opera and disco music to entertain guests. The host group says 1,300 people on the waiting list didn’t get tickets last year, so don’t wait. Two-day passports are $110 per person; Sunday-only passes are $60.

FRANTOIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO Italian Known for its in-house olive press, superior olive oil and excellent Italian cuisine, this is a great location for large groups. Ask to sit in the press room for private parties. 152 Shoreline Hwy, 414.289.5777, frantoio.com INDIA PALACE Indian Know as “that great restaurant in the Travelodge,” India Palace is a favorite among the takeout crowd; however, eating veggie samosas, shahi khorma, or bhindi special (okra) on site is a treat too. 707 Redwood Hwy, 415.388.3350 ORA Pan-Asian An inventive small and large plate menu mixed with an impressive wine list and original bar menu, including sake flights. Some favorites include Belgian endive cups, green papaya salad, and anything on the sushi list. It’s an easy place to pop in for a drink and bite to eat, but call ahead for large groups. 24 Sunnyside Ave, 415.381.7500. oramv.com PIAZZA D’ANGELO Italian It’s always a party at this long-standing hot spot. A great place to meet up with friends for a fresh plate of pasta, zuppa di pesce or pollo novello, or make some new friends at the bar. 22 Miller Ave, 415.388.2000 PIZZA ANTICA Cal/Italian Light and delicious thin-crust pizza with toppings like fennel, spicy sausage, bacon, pesto and goat cheese, as well as a variety of fresh green salads and entrees. Acoustics are an issue; otherwise, a great meeting spot. Strawberry Village, 415.383.0600 SMALL SHED FLATBREADS California As a slow food chef, Ged Robertson uses only local, mostly organic ingredients. Crowd favorites include the Mt. Tamal-Pie, a delicious fresh salad atop a flatbread. 17 Madrona St, 415.383.4200, smallshed.com THEP LELA Thai This jewel is tucked away in the back of the new Strawberry Village. Diners come for the tasty kee mao noodles, pad thai, fresh rolls MARINMAGAZINE.COM

and extensive bar menu. It’s also a great place for lunch. 615 Strawberry Village, 415.383.3444 VASCO Italian Whether you’re at a table, the bar or the back counter, you can expect an intimate and tasty dining experience at this one-room trattoria. 106 Throckmorton Ave, 415.381.3343

NOVATO BOCA STEAK & SEAFOOD South American George Morrone, of Aqua and Fifth Floor fame, has been serving up an Argentinean-inspired menu in Novato with much ado. House specialties include provolenta, gambas al ajillo, and empanadas, as well as hand-cut (grass- and grain-fed) steaks. 340 Ignacio Blvd, 415.883.0901, bocasteak.com CACTI GRILL Southwestern A former bell tower church, the family-friendly restaurant now boasts a covered patio and serves a 21-day dry aged steak and ﬁlet mignon enchiladas. 1200 Grant Ave, 415.898.2234, cactigrill.com KITCHEN American Restaurateur Henry Hautau has succeeded in creating an intimate 45-seat restaurant in downtown Novato. Executive chef Jason S. Hoffman, who has worked at Insalatas, Azie and Waterfront, offers items like orange-and-spice scented house-brined pork chop and star-anisebraised short ribs. 868 Grant Ave, 415.892.6100, kitchen868.com

WILDFOX American Perched on the hillside off Highway 101, this rustic mesquite grill offers a menu full of comfort food and drinks, like the smooth cosmos, and seafood risotto, with bits of butternut squash. 225 Alameda del Prado, 415.883.9125, wildfoxrestaurant.com

ROSS MARCHÉ AUX FLEURS French This gem of a restaurant serves up locally farmed produce, wild and fresh seafood and free-range meats prepared with an artisan’s touch. 23 Ross Common, 415.925.9200, marcheauxfleursrestaurant.com TRATTORIA FRESCO Italian Every neighborhood deserves a one-room trattoria like this one. The service is friendly and the farmers’-market-fresh food is fabulous—especially the gnocchi. 13 Ross Common, 415.464.0915

SAN ANSELMO CUCINA RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR Italian Proprietor Jack Krietzman (also of Paciﬁc Heights’ Jackson Fillmore) has successfully brought Milan to Marin with his 42-seat family restaurant. Relax with a glass of wine and have a slice from the todie-for thin pizzas, which are topped with items like trufﬂe oil and fontina cheese. 510 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.2942

high speed dinner connection.

FORK California This intimate spot was awarded a “Top Food in the Bay Area” designation by Zagat for 2007. Opt for the five-course tasting menu or seasonal à la carte options. Dining early? the three course special for $20 is available during the ﬁrst seating. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.453.9898, marinfork.com INSALATA’S Mediterranean Award-winning chef Heidi Insalata Krahling offers Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes prepared with local organic produce and artisan meats. 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.457.7700, insalatas.com LOCOCO’S PIZZERIA Italian Worth driving to from all over Marin, and it’s an easy place to meet with friends and family. The pizza crust is divine as is the house salad. 638 San Anselmo Ave, 415.453.1238

SAUSALITO CAFFÉ DIVINO Tuscan Sure, you’ll find great coffee drinks in a funky one-room setting, but locals also come for the tasty pastas and salads cooked by Tuscan-born chef Elana Fabbri. 37 Caledonia St, 415.331.9355, caffedivinosausalito.com GAYLORD INDIA Indian Rated as a “Restaurant of Excellence” by Zagat, Gaylord’s new location in Sausalito also features million-dollar views of San Francisco and the bay. All of the dishes including samosas, curries and tandoori are made with fresh

www.jessieetlaurent.com

We deliver fresh, savory entrées from our kitchen to your door. Visit our web site or call Jessie et Laurent for all of the details.

800-632-5869 San Francisco Peninsula Marin East Bay San Jose Sonoma

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN APRIL 2007

111

local produce, seafood and artisan meats. 201 Bridgeway, 415.339.0172, gaylord.com KITTI’S PLACE Pan-Asian Watch out Comforts (aka the best chicken salad in town), Kitty’s serves up a delicious crunchy fresh chicken salad, as well as light tasty spring rolls too. Everything on the menu, from the pad thai to the BLAT made with thick bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado, is excellent, which is why this little one-room spot is always bustling. 3001 Bridgeway, 415.331.0390 POGGIO Italian A great place to celebrate a special occasion or simply enjoy a night out. Executive chef Peter McNee cooks up delicious Northern Italian cuisine using fresh and local ingredients, including produce from the nearby Poggio chef garden. 777 Bridgeway, 415.332.7771, poggiotratoria.com SUSHI RAN Japanese Fresh, innovative small plates are just big enough to share, the traditional sushi is melt-in-your-mouth good and the wine, cocktail and sake lists keep the pickiest barﬂy well satisﬁed. Even the prices don’t deter the herd of sushi enthusiasts, who line up nightly to partake; reservations required in main room. 107 Caledonia St, 415.332.3620, sushiran.com

SAN RAFAEL SABOR OF SPAIN Spanish Named as Best Tapas/ Small Dishes restaurant in Marin by the Paciﬁc Sun in 2006, this bustling corner hot spot with a Spanish-only wine bar is a great place for a date or a big party. 1301 Fourth St, 415.457.8466, saborofspain.com SAN RAFAEL JOE’S Italian Guido and Theresa Farina are now running this Marin institution, which has been famous for serving up sophisticated yet casual Italian fare since 1947. 931 Fourth St, 415.456.2425, srjoes.com S E A F O O D P E D D L E R Seafood Don’t be fooled by the industrial location; the food is great. Fresh varieties of East and West Coast fish flown in daily. Dine indoors or out, or better yet, rent out the banquet room for a party. 100 Yacht Club Dr, 415.460.6669, seafoodpeddler.com SOL FOOD Puerto Rican With south-of-theborder treats like yellow rice, beans, plantains and authentic Puerto Rican dishes, this tiny one-room eatery on Fourth Street just off Highway 101 can be hard to get into, but worth the wait. 732 Fourth St, 415.451.4765 SUSHI TO DAI FOR Japanese Getting a seat in this popular sushi spot can be a challenge, but patience will be rewarded with tasty and fresh sashimi, unique sushi rolls and great prices. 869 Fourth St, 415.721.0392

TIBURON ROONEY’S CAFÉ & GRILL American If you’re old enough to remember Cheers on prime time, this is your dinner spot. There’s not a long bar, nor a bartender named Sam (he’s across the street); however, there is an undeniable neighborhood feeling 112

MARIN APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

in this one-room cottage dining room. 38 Main St, 415.435.1911

voted one of Esquire magazine’s top 20 in 2006. 311 Third St, 415.536.5800, bongsu.com

SAM’S ANCHOR CAFE American Everyone knows Sam’s deck is the prime spot for brunch on a lazy sunny Sunday, and its bar is the town’s historic watering hole, but Sam’s is also a great place for lunch or dinner. Enjoy trans-fat-free calamari, fresh ﬁsh, seasonal salads and pastas. Check out comedy night every Thursday. 27 Main St, 415.435.4527, samscafe.com

CANTEEN Cali/French It’s not easy to get a seat in this nationally noted California-French restaurant, partly because of its reputation and partly because there aren’t many. Ever since the former Rubicon chef Dennis Leary turned a run-down downtown coffee shop into one of the best spots in the city, people have been lining up to sample the goods. 817 Sutter St, 415.928.8870

SERVINO RISTORANTE Italian With people like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates raving about his pepperoni pizza, Angelina Servino is doing something right. Some people come for the spacious and popular bar; some people come for the great food and friendly service; the titans of industry, it seems, opt for the pepperoni. 9 Main St, 415.435.2676, servino.com

FO R B E S I S L AN D California Rent out the entire “island” (formerly a floating house) for a party, or head over with a date, to dine on organic pan-seared salmon, roasted pork rib chop or a variety of local vegetarian options. Pier 39 M-1, 415.951.4100

THREE DEGREES California Opt for the outside patio, white tablecloths in the dining room, or the swank modern setting of the bar, and enjoy the local, seasonal menu options like grilled Niman Ranch New York “cowboy” strip steak or Dungeness crab risotto. 1651 Tiburon Blvd, 415.435.5996, threedegreesrestaurant.com

WEST MARIN DRAKES BEACH CAFE Local If you’re OK with the long drive you can’t beat the view and the fresh local ingredients used to make the burgers, salads and soups at this casual spot (Inverness). 1 Drakes Beach Rd, 415.669.1297, drakesbeachcafe.com

HAR R I S’ R E STAU R ANT Steak House This San Francisco institution has hosted local and international luminaries for nearly a century. Wine Spectator ranked Harris’ as one of the nation’s top ten steak houses. 2100 Van Ness Ave, 415.673.1888 MAMACITA Mexican Known for its authentic Mexican cuisine and 100 percent pure agave tequila margaritas, this Marina restaurant has quickly become a local favorite. 2317 Chestnut St, 415.376.1629, mamacitasf.com MYTH Cali/French Innovative cuisine by chef Sean O’Brian, formerly of Gary Danko, has made this one of the most popular spots in town. 470 Paciﬁc Ave, 415.677.8986, mythsf.com

OLEMA INN California One of the most charming settings around, this inn and restaurant is a great destination lunch spot for a Sunday drive, or dinner Wednesday through Sunday. The menu includes tasty and imaginative combinations using regional and organic greens and artisan meats (Olema). 10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.663.9559, theolemainn.com

PERBACCO Italian Opened in October 2006 in downtown San Francisco, by culinary stars Staffan Terje and Umberto Gibin. The seasonal Italian menu focuses on the northern Piemontese region, featuring crudo handcrafted charcuterie, homemade stuffed pastas such as pappardelle with braised short rib ragu, and classic regional dishes such as Wolfe Ranch quail with persimmon and apple salad. 230 California St, 415.955.0663, perbaccosf.com

PINE CONE DINER American Just off the main road, Joannie Kwit has re-created the ultimate neighborhood diner. Vintage china and homemade curtains complement the eclectic but homey menu featuring local fare (Point Reyes Station). 60 Fourth St, 415.663.1536, pineconediner.com

QUINCE California Book a reservation at least a month in advance to get a seat at one of the 15 tables in this tiny restaurant. The farmers’ market creations by chef Michael Tusk, formerly of Chez Panisse and Oliveto, are sure to please. 1701 Octavia St, 415.775.8500, quincerestaurant.com

SAN FRANCISCO AME Pan-Asian On the ground ﬂoor of the St. Regis Hotel, Ame Restaurant was designated “Best New Restaurant in 2007” by the Zagat guide. Known for raw treatments such as sashimi, crudo, tartare and carpaccio. Dinner only, reservations recommended. 689 Mission St, 415.284.4040, amerestaurant.com BONG SU Vietnamese Brainchild of Tammy Huynh, executive chef and co-owner of the popular Tamarine in Palo Alto. The interior is a mix of the modern and traditional silk, wood and steel elements such as a giant bong su (plumeria), floating orchids in towering glass vases…and possibly the most talked-about design feature, the barely there hostess uniforms. The restaurant was MARINMAGAZINE.COM

SCOTT HOWARD American The former chef/ owner of Fork in San Anselmo, Scott Howard packed up his talent and moved it to the big city, in the former location of the Cypress Club on Jackson Street. In 2006, SF Chronicle’s Michael Bauer put it on the “must-visit list” and people have obeyed in droves. 500 Jackson St, 415.956.7040, scotthowardsf.com THE HELMAND Afghan Partially famous for having the best Afghani food in town (not many choices) and partially famous for owner Mahmoud Karzai, whose brother is Hamid (as in the president of Afghanistan), the Helmand is a culinary adventure not to be missed. Meals start off with customary flatbread with dipping sauces and proceed to a spice-filled culinary tour of Afghanistan. 430 Broadway, 415.362.0641

About those Chakras.

Don’t ask me why, but I am told it’s a very good idea to get these little guys all lined up. Well, like I always say, what better way to do that than with meat. Perfectly aged, top drawer, corn-fed, Prime USDA cuts of yummy beef from me, Bryan. Starting from the top and working your way on down, I’d suggest you bust out of the gate with my 1) Filet Mignon, followed by (2) New York Strip, (3) Rib Eye, (4) Chateaubriand, and bring it on home with a (5) big ‘ol juicy Porter House. Yep, take it from me, Bryan. If this lineup of beef doesn’t rattle those wandering Chakras right back into a tidy little row, sorry, but I don’t think I can help. Come buy everything.

Bryan’s Fine Foods Corte Madera Town Center

927.4488 www.bryansﬁnefoods.com MARIN APRIL 2007

113

Marin’s Flooring Boutique

A Unique Selection of Finest Quality Flooring Residential and Commercial Sales and Installation Somerset Brazilian Cherry

Carpet • Wood • Cork • Linoleum • Tile • Stone

Serving Marin since 1978 • www.marinﬂoorcompany.com 777 Grand Ave. @ Second Street, San Rafael • 415.453.3310

Preserving Marin’s Wood Homes & Decks ESTABLISHED 1995

www.marin-wood.com 415.924.5005 Call for free estimate

BEFORE

BONDEDED & INSURED LIC.# 830339

114

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Protect Your Investment Cleaning, Sealing and Restoration of Natural Stone 415.924.5005 www.marin-wood.com BONDEDED & INSURED LIC.# 830339

Marin’s Prestige Custom Cabinet Source A professional approach to kitchen, Bath and Total remodel of your home.

polished to perfection sealed for protection

1241 Andersen Drive • San Rafael 415-454-1623 • Lampertikitchens.com

• Antique Beams • Rustic Wide Plank Flooring • Exquisite TimeCrafted Timbers and Flooring

Marin’s Original Reclaimed Wood Company

www.blacksfarmwood.com San Rafael Showroom By Appointment 415.454.8312 MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

APRIL 2007

115

The Ultimate Skin Rejuvenation

Hair Loss Concerns? Feel in control again! Specializing in custom full cranial and partial hair replacements

. . . a hair studio

MODEL

* Save $400 on Fraxel® Treatment Package * LIMITED TIME OFFER

• Fraxel® II Laser Resurfacing • Titan® for Skin Laxity • • IPL Photo Rejuvenation • Laser Hair Removal • • Restylane® & Juvederm Wrinkle Fillers • BOTOX® Cosmetic • • TCA Peels • Dermosonic® Cellulite Reduction • ClearLight® Acne Therapy •

Brand new on the market! The answer to a breathable vacuum hairpiece. Designed by Charle to look as natural as a vacuum with the benefit of being cooler and more comfortable. Sensitive solutions for hair loss due to: Alopecia Areata/female hereditary thinning/Chemotherapy/radiation treatments/Trichotillomania Offering human hairpieces for women, men and children

Toll Free: (888) 680-HAIR (4247) (Northern CA) San Rafael

(415) 472-6369

Susan Martling, M.D. 770 Tamalpais Drive • 3rd Floor • Corte Madera Town Center

415.945.9314 • www.marinlaser.com Monday - Saturday 8:30 - 6:30 pm

(Southern CA) San Diego

(760) 753-9060 chdewitt@aol.com www.charle.com

pinestreet papery Smooth Operations

Marin’s Premier Waxing Studio

Private & Professional Licensed Esthetician Appointments Only Child Friendly • Parking

Melanie Kessler (415) 482-6041 waxwizzz@yahoo.com 822 D Street, #5, San Rafael

42 1/2 Caledonia Street, Sausalito 415.332.5458 116

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

VALUE, Like No Other...On Top Of The Hill

Villa Marin

Villa Marin is designed for comfort, security and the enjoyment of leisure • Purchase your own condominium with 100% equity, from $260K to $1.5M • Physicians and rehab services in our clinic, Nurses 24/7, Skilled Nursing & Personal Care on-site • Activities, excursions, lectures and entertainment • Exercise classes, indoor pool and spa, paddle tennis

Contact Bobbie O. Heldt for a personal tour: (415) 492-2408 • villa-marin.com Cal. Lic. # 210108102

CCRC Lic. # 158

When you live at The Tamalpais, your days are your own. Feel secure in a comfortable and stimulating environment, and discover the freedom to pursue your passions. For more information about The Tamalpais, Marin’s only accredited Life Care community and a free copy of The Tamalpais’ Guide to Marin County Trails, call Nancy Martin at 415-461-2300.

Retirement, Marin-style Judge Roy Wonder, a resident of The Tamalpais, rowing on nearby Corte Madera Creek

THE TAMALPAIS M

A Retirement Community of Northern California Presbyterian Homes & Services, Inc.

501 Via Casitas, Greenbrae, CA 94904 415-461-2300 www.thetam.org Lic. #210102761 COA #099

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

APRIL 2007

117

Stroud & Schelling f i n e a r t p h o t o g ra p h y 415 388 8137

Encore

Marin’s Finest Consignment Shop Manolo Blanik Jimmy Choo Prada Chanel Gucci Hermes St. John …and more Open Mon - Sat 10am - 5pm Consignments Taken Tues - Sat 10am - 3pm (415) 456-7309 • 11 Mary St., San Rafael (next to Peets)

Item salutes red, white and breezy.

“CAPRI” BY JEAN-MICHEL CAZABAT

1102 MAGNOLIA AVE. / LARKSPUR / 415.925.0109 www.item-shoes.com / MON. - SAT. / 10:30 - 5:30

118

MARIN

APRIL 2007

item shoes & accessories

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

adl i b

MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UP

Janet Alix Alix and Company, Mill Valley

Amy Ferber and Eric Gellerman

Jimmy Wanninger JimmyMarin Real Estate, Mill Valley

The Wooden Duck, San Rafael “Alix and Company is a fine jewelry gallery spe-

“I’m one of Marin County’s top producers and a mem-

cializing in our own fabulous and unique jewelry

“The Wooden Duck has been making furniture

ber of Frank Howard Allen’s prestigious Chairman’s

and custom design,” says owner Janet Alix. We also

from recycled old-growth wood since 1995,” say

Circle of Excellence,” says realtor Jimmy Wanninger,

offer beautiful artist-made glass and paintings.”

owners Amy Ferber and Eric Gellerman. “The

a.k.a. Jimmy Marin. “I bring unparalleled expertise

wood comes from demolished buildings built

and enthusiasm to real estate and I’m known for an

What makes you excel at what you do?

prior to 1920. In addition to our factory in

advanced network of contacts, a 24/7 dedication,

My goal when pairing a client to a piece of jew-

Berkeley, the company imports recycled wood

and state-of-the-art marketing and technology uti-

elry is to find a match that really works. It’s no

furniture from around the world. We recently

lization. I’m a perfectionist who won’t rest until my

use in having great jewelry if you never wear it.

opened a second location in San Rafael.”

clients are happy.”

edge in their jewelry. We have to make things that

What is your competitive advantage?

What is your competitive edge?

are fantastic but not too “lady.”

There are very few people working with recycled

My ability to focus 100 percent on client satisfac-

wood as it’s pretty difficult to work with and ex-

tion. I always have a million things going on but

pensive to source.

when I’m with a client, he or she is the only per-

Generally I find my clients like a certain casual

What did you want to be when you grew up?

son in the world.

I was always a kid making small things with my

PHOTOS: SHERI MONTGOMERY / JIMMY WANNINGER’S PHOTO: JERRY DOWNS & JOE BURULL

hands. I was a natural for jewelry and I’ve had my

Which product or service that you offer is your favorite?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

The most fun is working with new and remodeled

With my ability to engage people and understand

What makes your work worthwhile?

restaurants and wineries. We bring a project from

what they want, I thought I’d find a great job as

My clients are lovely and brilliant. I find them

sketch to final delivery so we get to see the space

an architect. Who knew these traits would also

endlessly inspiring. Because fine jewelry often

evolve from a shell to a beautiful environment.

serve me well in real estate?

Brieﬂy describe your business philosophy.

What makes your work worthwhile?

first tools since I was 14.

marks major celebrations I am honored to get to be a part of so many joyous events.

We try to make furniture that has a bit more soul

I find huge passion in what I believe drives the

Which product or service that you offer is your favorite?

than most of the pre-boxed junk that you see on

transactions I handle every day: helping people

the market without the hefty price tag of most

enhance their lifestyle and realize their dreams.

We make almost all our jewelry, we also do a lot

custom furniture out there.

work into wonderful pieces that become part of a

What makes your work worthwhile?

From a business standpoint who’s your inspiration?

person’s everyday ensemble. I love it when a cli-

We like getting feedback from the customers

I recently saw an inspirational speaker who advised

ent comes in looking glorious and comfortable in

themselves. We try to remember that every one of

the audience to always pursue big hairy audacious

the jewelry we’ve made. Of course, there’s no bet-

the pieces around us is eventually going to find a

goals. It sounded weird at the time but I’ve come to

ter advertising.

space in someone’s everyday life.

realize it’s the only way to achieve success.

Janet Alix, Alix and Company, 55 Throckmorton,

Amy Ferber and Eric Gellerman, The Wooden

Jimmy Wanninger, JimmyMarin, 1204 Strawberry

Mill Valley, 415.380.0880, alixandcompany.com

Duck, 1848 Fourth St, San Rafael, 415.453.0345,

Village, Mill Valley, 415.990.8990, jimmymarin.com

of remaking of jewelry from things that just won’t

thewoodenduck.com

ADVE RT IS IN G P R OMOT ION

MI CR OC LI M AT E

THE SAN GERONIMO VALLEY Woodacre, San Geronimo, Forest Knolls and Lagunitas BY JIM WOOD PHOTOS TIM PORTER

here’s a tendency to divide Marin County into clusters: north (Novato), south (Sausalito, Mill Valley, Belvedere-Tiburon), central (San Rafael, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax), and west (Stinson, Bolinas, Point Reyes). But that neat division omits an important part of

the Marin community: the San Geronimo Valley. San Geronimo straddles Sir Francis Drake Boulevard for ten miles, extending from the town of Fairfax to West Marin. However, defining San Geronimo Valley by what you can see from Sir

Francis Drake doesn’t do justice to the area—or to yourself. There are hikes, hideaways and hangouts no Marin resident or visitor should miss out on. First, the obvious: that blanket of gorgeous green on both sides of the highway is the very public, very beautiful, 18-hole San Geronimo Golf Course. And its beauty is more than skin deep. “Creeks running through our course are protected spawning grounds for both coho and steelhead salmon,” says Chris Bright, tournament director for the facility, “so in these areas you can’t shag errant balls.” Bright also warns of nearby low-flying hawks, turkey vultures and “numerous bobcat families that are out there.” Next, the less-than-obvious: only a small carved highway sign tells you when you’ve reached Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a 412acre mecca of compassion and mindfulness whose classes and lec-

120

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

GRACE AND ELEGANCE IN ROSS. This breathtaking and rare East Coast-style estate is situated on over two stunning level acres. The home and guesthouse speak volumes about the beauty and grace of tradition. The four-bedroom, three and one-half bath main house was designed and built around a magnificent Sycamore tree, and a sensational indoor-outdoor feeling was created with abundant use of windows and French doors. Features include a gracious living room with fireplace, lovely dining room, family room, remodeled kitchen, romantic and private master suite with fireplace, and much more. The two-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse is located adjacent to the pool and features a spacious combined living room and dining room with fireplace, and kitchen. Swimming pool, gardens, and enormous lawn areas. Award-winning schools. Photos above: Large photo, main house living room. Small photos from left to right are back of house and partial backyard, guesthouse living/dining room, and guesthouse and pool.

Offered at $9,400,000

For more information and photographs, please visit: www.MarilynRich.com.

Marilyn Rich

415.464.3741 www.MarilynRich.com

tures attract adherents from around the

lit jukebox (everything from Nat King Cole to

rooms; and Woodacre Market and Deli and the

world. “You’d never knowing from driving

Aerosmith), the compulsory nude oil paint-

aforementioned Lagunitas Grocery, both offering

by—or being nearby for that matter,” says

ing (titled Pandora’s Box), a wood-burning

delicious salads and sandwiches and with the

noted author Phillip Moffitt, a meditation

stove and an upright piano are high points of

same owners as Hanna’s in San Rafael.

teacher there, “but considerable energy is be-

its decor. “Wines are four dollars a glass,” says

Real estate in these parts has a pastoral fla-

ing expended at Spirit Rock, as people are try-

Debbie, the congenial gray-haired barkeep.

vor. “A nice two- or three-bedroom, two-bath

ing to ease their suffering, and in turn, ease

“Martinis run between four bucks and five-

home on a half-acre parcel sells in the $800,000

the suffering of others.”

fifty, depending on what you want.” Papermill

range,” says Michelle Cline of Prudential

San Geronimo Valley also has less cosmic

patrons of the past included Janis Joplin and

California’s Woodacre office. Wanting some-

attractions. “For my money, there isn’t a better

various members of the Hells Angels. Present

thing bigger? “No problem,” says Cline. “We

place to eat in all of Marin than Stella Cucina

patrons (and periodic performers) include

have beautiful larger properties, along Railroad

in Lagunitas,” says Bill Howard, a San Francisco

blues singer/guitarist Elvin Bishop and Harold

Avenue for example, that sells for well over a

asset manager and San Geronimo resident.

Jones, a jazz drummer who tours with Natalie

million.” The current record-holder is a three-

The ten-table restaurant, tucked in next to

Cole and Tony Bennett.

story multiroom estate on 3.1 acres that recently

Lagunitas Grocery on Sir Francis Drake, offers

Other San Geronimo Valley not-to-miss lo-

sold for $2.8 million. “It was maybe a hundred

dishes made with organic ingredients from local

cales are Roy’s Redwoods, a 377-acre grove of

years old, was once a boys’ school, and had been

purveyors.

bay and redwood trees that’s laced with scenic

beautifully restored,” Cline says. “Someone in

For a pre- or post-dinner libation, it’s

trails (George Lucas’s Ewok Adventure was filmed

the film industry purchased it.”

doubtful there’s a more authentic dirt-kicking

there); Dickson Ranch, a riding school and sta-

The San Geronimo Valley, an often-over-

dive bar anywhere in Marin than the Papermill

bles off San Geronimo Valley Road; the Two Bird

looked Marin County enclave, rather silently

Creek Saloon in nearby Forest Knolls (don’t

Café at the Valley Inn, a nice place to dine on a

offers something for everyone: golfers, hikers,

look for a phone number, it’s not listed). Two

deck overlooking a creek or inside by a roaring

diners, drinkers, horseback riders and, with

pool tables, a wavy wooden floor, a brightly

fire, then stay for the night in one of four cozy

Spirit Rock, those inclined to think deeply.

1/2 HORIZONAL

Just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate, yet a million miles away, is Seadrift at Stinson Beach. For over 30 years, Seadrift Company has been the expert in Real Estate sales and premium vacation rentals in Stinson Beach and the private gated community of Seadrift. Call us today to reserve your beach house... for a week, a summer or a lifetime.

VIEW OUR PROPERTIES ONLINE AT WWW . SEADRIFTREALTY . COM AND CALL US AT 415.868.1791

122

MARIN

APRIL 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

•

1065 Meadowsweet, 1065 Meadowsweet, Corte Madera Corte Madera

LOOKING TO BROADEN YOUR REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO? These global opportunities are available to you: • The Lusso Collection, an exclusive destination club • Equity stakes in condominium and hotel projects • Investment properties in Marin, San Francisco, and Scottsdale

309 Oakdale, San Anselmo

• Development opportunities in Marin Pictured here are just some of our upcoming new listings. Please note all of our current listings at www.JimmyMarin.com.

132 Mountain Vista, Santa Rosa

JMarin_0407.indd 2

101 Wolfe Canyon, Kentﬁeld

3/5/07 12:04:58 PM

•

Jimmy Wanninger • TEL 415.990.8990 24/7 REAL ESTATE KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST

WHAT’S NEW?

Introducing an All-New JimmyMarin.com Spring is in the air—a time for newness and change. In celebration of the season upon us, I’m pleased to announce the launch of my new web site at www.JimmyMarin.com. The new site brings together the Web’s finest real estate resources— including useful online tools and calculators—making it easy to get everything you need in one place. Whether you’re a buyer, seller, or someone who’s ‘just looking’, you’ll get valuable knowledge that will give you an edge in today’s ever-changing real estate market. Visit the site now!

• More information on each of my listings, plus an improved photo viewer • My blog, updated daily with insight and analysis on the market • Educational tools and advice to help you make smart real estate decisions • Improved, easy-tonavigate design • A new Tam Cam with preset views of Mt. Tam, Mill Valley, San Francisco, and more. A great tool for the whole family!

Jimmy Wanninger TEL 415.990.8990 24/7 | jimmy@jimmymarin.com 1204 Strawberry Village, Mill Valley, CA 94941

JMarin_0407.indd 3

3/5/07 12:10:27 PM

93 Coronet Avenue Mill Valley Offered at $2,695,000

Canyon Living with Every Amenity Phenomenal opportunity to own a Tudor home in the best part of Blithedale Canyon, gorgeous views, vaulted ceilings, private backyard, two-car garage, master suite, formal living and dining room, French doors out to the yard or hot tub and an au pair suite.

44 Bayview Avenue Mill Valley Offered at $2,225,000

Ideal Family Home Close to Town Beautiful Dutch Colonial just two blocks from downtown Mill Valley. This upgraded home offers four bedrooms, three and one half baths, gorgeous kitchen/family room combination that flows to a wonderful outside patio and terraced yard. The romantic master suite has a marble bath and large walk-in closet, along with nice views to the bay and beyond. There is a two-car garage with room for a workbench. Great cul-de-sac location.

Marguerite Burbank 415.613.5254 cell mhburbank@yahoo.com www.pacunion.com

Mill Valley $1,800,000 2BD+Loft/2.5BA Incredible Pacific Ocean and Muir Woods views. Great Room with 16’ curtain wall of glass. Level lawn.

Mill Valley $1,829,000 4BD/2.5BA 3,500 sq.ft custom home with Mt.Tam and Bay views, gourmet kitchen, level lawn, large master suite.

Mill Valley $995,000 2BD/1.5BA Refined, historic, Turn-ofthe-century charmer. Craftsman details, incredible grounds, custom finishes.

Mill Valley $925,000 3BD/2BA Stunning Bay, Sausalito, SF views. Ruggedly sophisticated, remodeled kitchen, master suite, distinctive, private.

Mill Valley Upon Request 3BD/2BA Live in nature...drive 15 minutes to San Francisco! Huge Bay views, Zen-like serenity, sunny redwood setting.

Mill Valley $897,000 Build your dream home! Rarely available .91 acre buildable lot. Level land with some gentle slopes, Bay views and privacy.

Larkspur Upon Request 4BD/3BA Brand new construction! Traditional architecture with finest finishes, Mt. Tam views, in-law unit, close to town.

Mill Valley $2,595,000 4BD/3.5BA Views, acreage, privacy and prestige. Over 4,600 sq ft on 1.5 acres, media room, large master suite, level lawn.

Mill Valley SOLD! 3BD/2.5BA Intriguing modern masterpiece harmoniously blends sophisticated living with natural beauty. Pacific Ocean views.

Mill Valley SOLD! 3BD/2BA Large family home with a private guest suite. Bay views, level lawn, fully landscaped and exceptionally private.

Pacific Heights SOLD! Designed by renowned Bay Area architect Joseph Esherick, this is a tribute to the ‘midcentury modern’ genre of architecture.

Mill Valley SOLD! 4BD/2.5BA Turn-of-the-century Spanish revival in downtown Mill Valley on private 1/2 acre. Gorgeous period details and pool.

MATTHEW POULIOT 415.265.7020 www.PouliotProperties.com ROBERT D. YOUNG 415.407.7775 www.RobertYoungRealEstate.com

OPES/opés/ • n./latin for wealth

Jeffrey T. Smith Melanie Victor-Smith 101 Larkspur Landing Circle Larkspur, CA 94939

(415) 464-9500 Palo Alto • Marin • San Mateo

Your home & mortgage - two of the largest numbers on your balance sheet - do you know how to think about this? We can help. Refinance

opesadvisors.com

•

Purchase

Mortgages

◆

•

Equity Lines

Investments

2006 Mill Valley Ofﬁce Top Producer

•

◆

Construction Advice

Judy LeMarr 415-380-4642 jlemarr@fhallen.com www.marindreamhome.com

FRANK HOWARD ALLEN REALTORS Marin’s oldest real estate ﬁrm

Service Experience 5 Starbuck Drive, Muir Beach

238 Almonte Blvd., Mill Valley

128

MARIN

APRIL 2007

Results

48 Fern Avenue, Mill Valley

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Morgan Lane Presents A

fabulous Mill Valley home nestled in natural surroundings, offering gorgeous canyon views with lots of light and privacy. This stylish and inviting home offers three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The living and dining rooms have open beamed ceiling with skylights and open onto a large deck, perfect for indoor/outdoor living and entertaining. The upstairs bathroom has been beautifully remodeled with limestone. Just a short walk to town and hiking and biking trails. Price upon request. 165 Marguerite, Mill Valley

Offered exclusively by:

Karen Fairty Luxury Property Specialist The Fine Art of Fine Property

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

415/789-5239 kfairty@morganlane.com 415/717-7586 cell

MARIN

APRIL 2007

129

D I A LO GUE

Dean Ornish, M.D.

BY MIMI TOWLE

You could live anywhere. Why Marin? It’s my favorite place in the world. When I wake up in the morning and see the sun rising over Angel Island, or in the evening watch the moonlight ﬁll up the bay, I have to pinch myself—although, as my six-year-old son, Lucas, said recently, “Never pinch yourself, Daddy, when you’re happy.” What makes you happy in Marin? It’s peaceful. Breathing clean air, and feeling like we live in the country but only ten minutes from the city. I also love working with my colleagues at the PMRI. What bothers you here? Greed, arrogance, rudeness, hubris, racism, sexism, other “isms”—not just here, but anywhere. It would be nice to see a little more racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity here; that’s more of an economic issue throughout the United States that gets magniﬁed in places like Marin, where the median home price is almost a million dollars. And slow drivers in the fast lane.

hen Dean Michael Ornish, originally from Dallas, set out

What do you value every day? Spending time with my wife and true love, Anne, and with Lucas.

to be a doctor, no one ever imagined he would be a physician consultant to the White House, one of Life mag-

azine’s “50 most inﬂuential members of his generation,” featured on the cover of Newsweek, listed in Time’s alternative medicine issue as a

“Time 100” and chosen as one of People’s “most interesting people.” “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,” says Ornish. “I’ve always felt

What is your personal idea of luxury? More free time. What person has inﬂuenced you the most? For more than 30 years I studied with Sri Swami Satchidananda, an ecumenical spiritual teacher. His central teaching was that all spiritual paths lead to truth, and that service is the central path to happiness.

like that was my path of service, and service is the path to happiness. Although,” he muses, “I almost became a photographer.” One reason for his global success is his ability to communicate. Not only has he published his research and findings in the leading peer-reviewed medical journals—he was the first to prove that the progression of heart disease and perhaps prostate cancer may be stopped or even reversed by making comprehensive lifestyle changes—but throughout the last few decades his presence in the mainstream media has made him a household name. He relays his gentle yet life-changing strategies in columns for Newsweek and Reader’s Digest, and has written five best-selling books. He consults with

What has been the most fulﬁlling moment in your work? In 1977, I began our ﬁrst study to see if the progression of coronary heart disease could be reversed through lifestyle changes. It was gratifying when the test results showed that heart disease was reversible, and we could measure this in only a month. More recently, in collaboration with Dr. Peter Carroll at UCSF, we showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes may also affect the progression of prostate cancer. What’s your desert island (favorite) book or album? I love vinyl records, which sound so much more lifelike than CDs. My favorites are Take Love Easy (Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass), Hendrix in the West (Jimi Hendrix) and Acoustic Soul (India Arie).

Safeway, McDonald’s, Del Monte Foods and PepsiCo to encourage the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. Back in 1984, Ornish founded the nonproﬁt Preventive Medicine

What’s your favorite place to unwind? Home. What do you like about yourself? Being focused and persistent is my best and worst quality.

Research Institute (pmri.org) in Sausalito and has remained dedicated to its mission. We’ve taken a moment to learn why he calls Marin County home. 130

MARIN

APRIL 2007

How do you want to be remembered? As a devoted husband, loving father and good friend.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: ERIK BUTLER

healthy food choices. He also sits on health-related boards including

6SDQQLQJ WKH %D\ $QQD 3HQQLQJWRQ %RXFKHU 5HSUHVHQWLQJ 0DUNHWLQJ 6HOOLQJ WKH 0RVW ([WUDRUGLQDU\ /X[XU\ 3URSHUWLHV MARIN • SAN FRANCISCO • PENINSULA

&%!452%$ 02/0%249

4().+).' /& 3%,,).'

.%7 ,)34).' #/-).' 3//.

23 LEONA DRIVE

) HAVE SEVERAL BUYERS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR THESE LUXURY PROPERTIES

Gated Mediterranean Villa with Mt. Tamalpais Views Motivated Seller! Now Listed at $2,495,000! Seller is interested in viewing any and all offers! WWW.23LEONADRIVE.COM

s 3AUSALITO PRIVATE HOME WITH O 3& !NGEL )SLAND VIEWS 2EADY TO "UY 5P TO MILLION s 3AUSALITO PRIVATE 3AN &RANCISCO VIEW HOME WITH GARAGE 0RIME LOCA TION 5P TO MILLION s 3OUTHERN -ARIN TURN KEY HOME WITH GARAGE YARD LIKES 0ALM (ILL IN ,ARKSPUR 4IBURON "ELEVEDERE 3TRAWBERRY -ILL 6ALLEY AREAS 5P TO MILLION

*O .JMM 7BMMFZ 1SJWBUF HBUFE NJOJ FTUBUF OFTUMFE BCPWF EPXOUPXO MP DBUFE PO BQQSPY BDSF MPU XJUI .U 5BN 7JFXT 4XJNNJOH 1PPM #FBVUJGVM .BUVSF -VTI (BSEFO :BSE XJUI 8BUFSGBMMT 8BMLJOH 1BUIT 3FEXPPE (SPWFT .BJO IPNF PĊ FST CFESPPNT CBUI SPPNT -JCSBSZ QMVT TFQBSBUF EF UBDIFE 4UVEJP XJUI #BUI 0Ċ FSFE BU

A MUST SEE IN SAN RAFAEL!

)F YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THESE LUXURY HOMES IN YOUR AREA PLEASE CONTACT ME 7HETHER YOU RE BUYING OR SELLING YOUR LUXURY DREAM HOME IN -ARIN OR 3AN &RANCISCO PUT MY PLUS YEARS OF LOCAL EXPERTISE TO WORK FOR YOU #ONTACT -E 4ODAY

$BMM GPS NPSF JOGPSNBUJPO PO UIJT MJTUJOH BOE PUIFS OFX MJTUJOHT DPNJOH TPPO

$QQD . 3HQQLQJWRQ %RXFKHU ,UXURY (OME 3PECIALIST -C'UIRE 2EAL %STATE ANNA WORLDCLASSPROPERTIES COM WWW WORLDCLASSPROPERTIES COM

Modern elegance. The Basford dining table with aluminum frame and dark grey glass top. Shown with the Andrew leather chair and Welby sideboard.

SCANDINAVIAN DESIGNS 1212 FOURTH STREET S A N R A FA E L W W W. S C A N D I N A V I A N D E S I G N S . C O M

415.457.5500