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CONTENTS

Features

PH OTO: BARBARA RIES

64 70 78

think Is Marin Worth It? Marin Magazine compares values in Ross to other California markets. story jim wood

garden True to Its Roots Marin family is chosen to carry on the legacy of a Bolinas treasure. story p.j. bremier photos barbara ries

journey New Zealand Adventures Adventure and overwhelming hospitality in the land of the Kiwis. story & photos robert kaufman

MARIN AUGUST 2006

CONTENTS

Departments 20

letters

at-a-glance

marin album

snap

fashion

Readers respond to Marin Magazine.

Hot tips day by day for the Bay Area.

Capturing a slice of life in Marin. by tim porter

Out and about, in and around Marin.

Kids Picture-perfect looks that are playground friendly. by dena smolek Life Style Larkspur’s Erika Gessin shares her ideas on personal style.

fyi Home Antiquing in San Anselmo. by joanne furio Business Jessie et Laurent serve Marin families. by samantha bronson Books The Heirloom Tomato by Mimi Lubbermann. by olivia boler

MARIN AUGUST 2006

play

looking back

Swimming laps can be a healthy habit. by m.l. lathan

The Marin Conservation League makes a difference. by jim wood

Mendocino magic. by jim and nikki wood

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CONTENTS

130

Departments 84 wine country Summer fun in Wine Country. by katharine martin

87 galleries Cementing a sense of place. by anne crump ray

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

99 flavor Sausalito’s Poggio serves favorite Italian dishes. by erika lenkert

100 dish The latest in restaurant gossip. by graceann walden

107 microclimate Tomales—a pastoral town with a colorful history. by jim wood

130 dialogue A visit with Elizabeth Terwilliger. by mimi towle

Columns The Cover Summer in Sausalito, photograph

view from mount tam

pov

The creators of Marin Magazine welcome you to share their vision.

by Andrea Wyner. Her work can be seen at andreawyner.com

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Marin’s sustainability factor. by jim wood

a li ve “I felt totally pampered.”

A strange thing happens to people who take a vacation to New Zealand. After exploring a rainforest and traversing a glacier in the same day. Or maybe even jumping off a bridge or two. They discover that they can do what they never thought they could. And they come back changed. Instead of merely relaxed. The journey begins at airnewzealand.com

Experience Green Living Editorial editorial director

Swim Spas Hot Tubs

Nikki Wood ext 105 nwood@marinmagazine.com

executive editor

Natural Water Management

Jim Wood ext 106 jwood@marinmagazine.com

associate editor Mimi Towle ext 101 mtowle@marinmagazine.com

editor-at-large

Umbrellas Outdoor Furniture Sustainable, FSC Certiﬁed

Tim Porter tim@timporter.com

editorial assistant Somer Flaherty editorial@marinmagazine.com

copy editor/proofreader Cynthia Rubin

editorial contributors P.J. Bremier, Samantha Bronson, Joanne Furio, Erika Lenkert, Katherine Martin, Anne Crump Ray, Maura Thurman, GraceAnn Walden

EcoSmart® Fire Fueled by Renewable Energy

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

production manager Alex French ext 111 production@marinmagazine.com

contributing photographers Sean Arbabi, Ben Davidson, Sasha Gulish, Sheri Montgomery, Deirdre Nemmers, Barbara Ries Marin Magazine One Harbor Dr, Ste 208

2100 Redwood Highway, Greenbrae (Off Hwy 101, Lucky Drive exit, next to Golf Mart) (415) 924-8811 • www.marinoutdoorliving.com

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Sausalito, CA 94965 phone: 415.332.4800 fax: 415.332.3048 email: editorial@marinmagazine.com web address: www.marinmagazine.com

We didn’t invent closets. We just perfected them. CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION 800.274.6754 | calclosets.com Showroom: 610A DuBois Street, San Rafael

E=6GB68N // EG:H8G>EI>DC 8DBEDJC9>C< // K>I6B>CH HE6 7:6JIN // C6IJG6A B:9>8>C: publisher Lisa Shanower 415.332.4800 ext 107 lshanower@marinmagazine.com

Advertising advertising director Courtney Q. Roberts 415.332.4800 ext 108 croberts@marinmagazine.com

account manager Michele Johnson 415.332.4800 ext 110 mjohnson@marinmagazine.com

account manager Genevieve Luckel 415.332.4800 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

hawaii destination marketing Debbie Joseph 808.739.2200

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

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Administration controller Jill Harmston ext 104 jharmston@marinmagazine.com Volume 2, Issue 8. Marin Magazine is published in Marin County by Marin Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright©2006. 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, email editorial@marinmagazine.com, website marinmagazine.com. member of the bpa worldwide:

MARIN AUGUST 2006

I believe that knowledge is as vast as the ocean. I believe in thinking for myself. I believe in the power of knowing.

R E A L

E S T A T E

E STA B L I S H E D 1919

Introducing The McGuire AskLine. Real Estate Questions. Unconditional Answers. Knowledge should be accessible to all. With no strings attached. Questions deserve answers, not more questions. Like, how hot is my neighborhood, really? What’s the average return on a kitchen remodel? Or where is the new Bay Area hot spot? So we’ve assembled a team of experts whose only job is to answer your real estate questions. The freedom of information is now yours, unconditionally. The McGuire AskLine. INTRODUCING Call 1-800-4-RESULTS or visit mcguire.com

THE MCGUIRE ASKLINE TM

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

EVEN THOUGH THE RED-HOT REAL ESTATE market of 2005 is now just a memory, the topic is still enthusiastically discussed at Marin County cocktail parties. With over 1,700 real estate agents at work in Marin, we all know at least one or two in the business. For the most part, we’re hearing “it’s slowed down, it’s a changing market, it’s not as active as last year,” etc. But at a recent meeting of the San Francisco Luxury Marketing Council, we heard loud and clear from an expert panel of five Bay Area realtors that the high end is still going strong. Homes in the three-milliondollar and up range are in demand if priced right and in a good location. According to one of the panelists, Pacific Union’s Steven Mavromihalis, “In the history of the world, there has never been a greater accumulation of wealth, in a shorter period of time, and in a smaller geographic area than that which has occurred over the past 15 to 20 years in the Bay Area.” He cites three reasons: affluence from the technology and biotechnology industries, a generation that is now inheriting wealth, and the abundance of entrepreneurs who are attracted to the Bay Area. Mavromihalis, a student and teacher of history, also adds “the rapid rise in the value of real estate is another juggernaut in the rising wealth factor.” We further explore this subject in a feature story on page 64 that compares Marin County real estate values (specifically in Ross) to values in Montecito in Santa Barbara County and Rancho Santa Fe in northern San Diego County. And for the statistically curious, check out “Marin County by the Numbers” on page 28 which shows average real estate prices from 1965 to 2005. Other stories in this issue include P.J. Bremier’s visit to a very special garden in Bolinas (page 70); a journey to New Zealand with photojournalist Robert Kaufman (page 78); and a look back to the 1930s when the Marin Conservation League was formed to protect Marin from an overAs always, our wish is for your good reading. Enjoy Marin Magazine, as we continue to celebrate this extraordinary place! Lisa Shanower, Publisher Nikki Wood, Editorial Director Jim Wood, Executive Editor

MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

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Readers respond A quick note: “Tibet, Caravan to Mount Kailash” (July 2006), with photo and text by Mill Valley’s Vassi Koutsaftis, was superb. It was National Geographic-like and inspires us to travel. Thanks. Lucrecia Coomber, Tiburon I felt Jim Wood’s POV commentary, “Is Marin Turning Conservative (July 2006) was excellent. There is a conservative— as well as liberal—side to most of us. Is it liberal or conservative to be concerned about women in the Middle East being treated as second-class citizens? Numerous U.S. presidents, of both political persuasions, have made efforts to create a lasting peace in the Middle East. All have failed. George W. Bush has made a bold move in

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Call one of our mortgage representatives today: Godwin F. Tsui Senior Retail Mortgage Sales Ofﬁcers: (631) 326-7032, First Vice President Ryan Kanazawa, (408) 590-1169 Amy Ku Philip Wong, (415) 720-8214 (650) 222-5645, Retail Sales Manager Dennis Yee, (415) 559-1959 Larry Lee Abby Ho, (415) 218-4555 (415) 793-8866, Premier Mortgage Sales Ofﬁcer Frederic Chassy, (925) 413-6606 Northern California HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Branches: • Montgomery Street Branch, 601 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 • Irving Street Branch, 2257 Irving Street, San Francisco, CA 94122 • Oakland Branch, 388 9th Street, Suite 121, Oakland, CA 94607 *Mortgage approval is subject to receipt of a satisfactory purchase contract by commitment expiration date, satisfactory appraisal and title report and completion of all conditions stated in your commitment letter. Credit report, appraisal and/or application fees (if applicable) are collected when a purchase contract is submitted. Standard processing and third party fees are collected at loan closing. Issued by HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA) ©HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA) 2006

MARIN AUGUST 2006

As a long-time Marin resident, I enjoy your magazine. As a passionate fan of swing dancing, it was also a pleasure to see my picture swing-dancing. Unfortunately, it’s a picture that was before my fabulous weight loss (thank you Bay Club in Corte Madera, rock and swing dancing and healthier eating!) Warmest wishes, Jan Wahl via email 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 email to jwood@marinmagazine.com.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P OV

Sustaining Marin Our ecological footprint is oversized

your Birkenstocks —F rance, Italy, and Germany

bill.” L ewett says she and her husband invested

each average about 12 global acres. And China’s

$20,000, but rebates and tax credits cut the fi-

1.8 billion people only need about 5 global acres

nal tally to less than $12,000, which they ex-

to support each person’s lifestyle.

pect to recoup in seven years.

In the Bay Area, Marin, with 250,400 resi-

There are other, simpler ways to cut ener-

dents, has a larger ecological footprint than any

gy use. F irst, turn off all lights you aren’t us-

county except Solano (population 412,000)

ing. “It’s not j ust electricity being wasted,” says

and Contra Costa (population 994,000).

MacGregor, “but the natural gas powering the

“There’s obviously a disconnect between our

plants that bring electricity into our homes.

values and our actions,” says H inds. “And much

They’re constantly emitting carbon dioxide into

of this has to do with our affluence.” H inds

the atmosphere.”

doesn’t expect anyone in Marin to take a pay

W hen lights are on, put energy-saving light-

cut, but he does point out, “it would probably

bulbs in them. “They may seem more expensive,”

be better if pay raises went to installing solar

said David Spector of Goodman’s H ardware in

panels, not buying a H ummer.”

Mill V alley, “but you actually save money and

An ecological footprint is directly related

reduce power demands.” H is green calculation:

to energy use—the more we consume, the big-

GE’s regular bulbs cost 60 cents each, last 7 50

H EN MARIN finishes updating its

hours, and consume 7 5 watts of power; energy-

countywide general plan in 2007 ,

Catriona MacGregor, head of the 13 0-member

savers cost six dollars, but last 8,000 hours and burn only 20 watts of power. Case closed.

ger impact we have on the earth’s resources.

the blueprint for the next decade

Environmental Education Council of Marin,

will include an innovative component called an

says there are two ways to kick the high-energy

W hen it comes to cars, Marin seems to be

ecological footprint that measures the Marin

habit: “reducing our use of electricity and limit-

the Prius capital of the world, but when school

lifestyle’s impact on the environment.

ing our reliance on fossil fuels.”

reopens you can count on hundreds of moms in

Alex H inds, the county’s director of commu-

Solar power is one solution and Marin

gas-guz z ling SUV s driving their children one at

nity development, says, “Ecological footprints

seems headed in that direction. The Mount

a time to school. “W hatever happened to school

have been around for some time, but Marin is

Tam Racquet Club, County of Marin, K entfield

buses? ” asks sustainable energy advocate Paul

probably the first county in the state and nation

School District’s offices, and W hite H ill School

H awken of Mill V alley. “Or walking or riding

to use it in the planning process.”

in F airfax all use solar power. Recently, the town

bikes to school together? ”

That’s the good news. The bad news is,

of Tiburon spent $13 6,000 to become the coun-

F inally, buy some canvas shopping bags,

Marin’s ecological footprint looks like we’re

ty’s first municipality to have the sun contribute

leave them in your car, and forevermore an-

wearing siz e 16 clodhoppers.

to its energy needs. “It may take 18 years to re-

swer “neither” to the dreaded “paper or plastic”

The research group Global F ootprint Network

cover the cost,” says Mayor Paul Smith, “but if

question. I did that a year ago and have nev-

found that Marin’s per-capita ecological footprint

we’re encouraging home owners to go solar, the

er looked back. Reducing Marin’s energy use

is 27 .4 global acres—meaning every person liv-

town should be willing to do the same.”

is something we can all get behind—and feel

ing here requires more than 27 acres of the

One solar-minded home owner is Maryline

better about Marin County and ourselves while

planet’s available land and water to support his

L ewett of Greenbrae. “By covering a quarter of

doing it. That’s my point of view. W hat’s yours?

or her activities. In contrast, the nation’s ecolog-

our roof with solar panels,” L ewett says, “we

ical footprint is 24.5 global acres and—tighten

completely eliminated ever paying an electric

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Email jwood@marinmagazine.com.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

BY JIM WOOD

AT A G LAN C E

AUGUST AUGUST 4 Ring of Fire

Pick from a number of varieties, along with books, pots, and tools, at the annual Marin Bonsai Club Auction. Marin Art and Garden Center (Ross). 415.491.1989, marinbonsai.org

Head down to the Larkspur Cafe Theatre to see San Anselmo resident Rusty Evans and his band pay tribute to the legendary Johnny Cash (Larkspur). 415.924.6107, larkspurcafetheatre.com

AUGUST 5 Test of Endurance

AUGUST 6 Ocean Beach

FRIDAYS IN AUGUST TGIF

Push yourself to the limit in the Marin Century Bike Event to help raise money for local high school bike teams and other worthy causes (San Rafael). marincyclists.com

Head across the bridge and help out our marine wildlife neighbors at the Ocean Beach cleanup. Fulton St and the Great Highway (SF). 415.753.7073, sfzoo.org

Check out local musicians at Jazz & Blues by the Bay every Friday night at Gabrielson Park (Sausalito). 415.289.4152, ci.sausalito.ca.us

AUGUST 4–SEPT 10 Magic Box

AUGUST 16 Travel Writer?

It’s amazing what you can do with a simple pine box. Bid on a transformed box at this fundraiser to support the gallery. Gallery Route One (Point Reyes Station). 415.663.1347, galleryrouteone.org

Boost your journalism skills while you spend the day exploring with Lonely Planet editor Don George at the Book Passage Travel Writing Intensive class (Corte Madera). 800.999.7909, ext. 233, bookpassage.com

▼

AUGUST 1 Buy a Bonsai

Get down to some of the best blues artists around at this first annual festival headed by Austin de Lone and his House of Blues Band. Great American Blues and BBQ Festival (San Rafael). 415.383.3470, teamproevent.com

Fine art, toys, jewelry, furniture, and more await you at the Antique and Collectors’ Show. Marin Center (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

▼

AUGUST 19 & 20 Treasure Hunt

Na Leo Nahenahe, the San Francisco Hawaiian Chorus, will be performing at Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church (Mill Valley). 415.383.1710

MARIN AUGUST 2006

AUGUST 23-27 Fashionistas Unite San Francisco Fashion Week Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center. Check out local design talent such as Colleen Quen, Cari Borja and Erin Mahoney and much more (SF). fashionweek-sf.com ▼

AUGUST 20 Aloha!

▼

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

▼

AUGUST 19 Blues and BBQ

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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M A R I N ALBUM

Curves “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” —ERNEST HEMINGWAY

BY TIM PORTER

THE MARIN HEADLANDS IS A LAND OF CONTRADICTION. Soft, sheltered sands hug the shore of Kirby Cove, welcoming picnickers and campers; exposed seaside cliffs of chert and basalt slice skyward, serving as sentinels for wayward travelers. Some days, golden California sun warms the evergreen forest’s shadiest nook; others, blowy Paciﬁc fog, relentless and gray, dampens the spirits and spines of the underdressed. The abandoned slabs of Batteries Spencer, Wallace, and their concrete cousins of war remind visitors of our capacity for harm; an abundance of raptors riding the thermals near Hawk Hill speaks silently of the earth’s peaceful resilience. There are times, though, when all these contradictions resolve, when the extremes of geology, the intrusions of humans, and the fickles of climate agree to sponsor a glorious moment that, if you are in place, is yours for the taking. When wisps of rising fog reward a solitary cyclist on his westward descent after the climb like manmade dancers on nature’s stage, when it seems, as you’re standing there, the urbanity of San Francisco to the left, the green wilds of Gerbode Valley to the right, and the vast, rippling waters of the planet’s largest ocean to the front, that life could be no better—that is one of those moments.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

from the Golden Gate, when the waning sun lights the luscious curves of Conzelman Road

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F Y I R E A L E S TAT E

$3,914,722,645 Total real estate sales in 2005

1750 Number of Realtors® in Marin County

$65 million ▼

Highest priced current listing: Blanding Estate, Belvedere, CA

Marin County Real Estate by the Numbers

—Patty Oxman, Frank Howard Allen AS STATED AT A RECENT SAN FRANCISO LUXURY MARKETING COUNCIL MEETING.

AVERAGE SALES PRICE MAY 2006

$1,079,067 Residential average list price

$1,073,337 Residential average sale price

50 Average days on market HIGHEST SALE PRICE MAY 2006

$9,300,000 374 Days on market

RECENT SALES AVERAGES BY TOWNS Belvedere

$3,916,357

MARIN COUNTY SALES AVERAGES SINCE 1965 Year

Units Sold

Avg Sales Price

2005

3407

$1,078,819

2004

3764

$929,103

2003

3600

$817,961

2002

3421

$782,829

2001

2676

$757,523

2000

3305

$722,780

1999

3622

$590,821

1998

3433

$495,093

1997

3453

$443,135

1996

2807

$417,324

1995

2277

$397,069

Ross

$3,712,914

Tiburon

$1,997,306

Kentﬁeld

$1,770,777

1994

2772

$382,817

Mill Valley

$1,335,478

1993

2690

$378,097

Sausalito

$1,175,142

1992

2663

$369,669

Larkspur

$1,125,753

1991

2562

$374,980

1990

2488

$379,581 $339,168

Corte Madera

$970,500

1989

3191

San Rafael

$898,814

1988

3629

$282,431

Greenbrae

$845,822

1987

3356

$240,875

Fairfax

$788,027

1986

3500

$216,741

1985

2874

$200,557

1975

3127

$64,215

1965

1807

$30,710

Novato

$779,000

SOURCE: BAY AREA REAL ESTATE INFORMATION SERVICES, INC., THREE MONTH AVERAGES CALCULATED FOR MONTHS OF

SOURCE: BAY AREA REAL ESTATE INFORMATION SERVICES, INC.

MARIN

J U LY 2 0 0 6

MARCH, APRIL, AND MAY 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO C OURTESY OF D EC KER BUL LOC K RE AL ESTATE

“Many of my clients are choosing to buy investment property now anticipating how tough it will be for their kids to afford Marin County real estate in the future. ”

Andy Kristen Direct: 415-342-5118 Email: andykristen@A-Team1.com

Let our financial strength empower you. Andrew Grossman Direct: 415-342-9995 Email: andrewgrossman@A-Team1.com

804 San Anselmo Avenue, San Anselmo, CA 94960 • 415-459-0112

S N A P HAPPENI NGS

Perfect Performance Sold-Out Soiree Marin Theatre Company supporters enjoyed good wine, good food, and good friends at the annual fundraiser, Take a Bow. The Lark Creek Inn played culiDeborah Taylor, Lee Sankowich, Bobbie and Dave Chapman

Christopher and Jeannie Smith, Kiki and Mike Pescatello

nary host for the evening while Stags’ Leap and Woodward/ Graff Wines along with Gloria Ferrer Champagne kept the oenophiles happy. The evening not only raised over $100,000 but honored Artistic Director Lee Sankowich, who announced his

Carol Misseldine, Charles McGlashan

retirement after 16 seasons with the company.

The Yearling Event Cal Performances Centennial Gala Marin residents flocked to Berkeley to honor Cal Performances’ 100th anniversary and legacy of excellance. Ann Getty and Kathryn Hall chaired the celebration gala at Zellerbach Hall, which featured top talent including Mark Morris Dance Company, Michael Tilson Thomas with Lisa Gordon Getty, John Adams

Vroman, tenor Michael Hays,

Chuck and Donna Huggins, Claude Jarman

and San Francisco Opera

Laurie Gibbs and Bill Harris, Barbara and Markus Trice

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Orchestra members. Off-

Film buffs recently gathered at a fundraiser

stage, guests were treated to

for the Capital Campaign to purchase the

memorable food and decor

Lark Theater building. Attendees enjoyed a

by culinary impresario Alice

wine reception and then a screening of the

Walters and master party

1946 family classic The Yearling. Following

planner Stanlee Gatti. The

the ﬁlm, Kentﬁeld resident and Oscar winner

duo produced performance

Claude Jarman (who played the lead role of

delights worthy of 100 years

Jody Baxter) was on-stage to answer audi-

of the ﬁnest performing arts

ence questions.

the world has to offer. MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY: SHERI MONTGOMERY / YEARLING EVENT: TERRY PECK / CAL PERFORMANCES: TOM GIBBONS

Carl and Linden Berry

Jason Nordby, Sarah Sankowich

O n ly

s Le Villa

ft!

LUXURY RETIREMENT LIVING

In the natural splendor of Marin County there is a 30-acre community for people of independent minds who require homes reflecting their own expressed wishes and active lifestyles. Where distinctive quality, attention to detail, access to healthcare providers and the abundance of service provide a truly remarkable value.

Smith Ranch Marketing Associates (415) 491-4918 • www.smithranchhomes.com

S N A P HAPPENI NGS

Around the Bay A Fresh Address Larkspur Block Party Marin shoppers enjoyed extended hours, discounts, and refreshments at some of their favorite stores during the Plaza on Magnolia Summer Block Party. The two-day event was a Candace Nordstrom, Jeff Smith

Melanie Victor-Smith, Laura Watts

Larkspur Landing has a new addition: financial services firm Opes Advisors. Clients, staffers, and friends of Opes Advisors celebrated their new Marin location with tasty bites from local chef David Monson and vino from Gundlach Bundschu Winery.

fabulous way to kick off summer and meet local merchants.

Cosima Crane, Wendy Battey

Susan McHan, Shana Larkin BruceGoldberg, Goldberg,Lauren LaurenHoward Howard Bruce

Linda Allen, Neila Rodrigues

SFMOMA Meet and Greet Marin locals met at the W San Francisco to sip cocktails and mingle with other Bay Area residents who just might end up as their new neighbors at the W Las Vegas luxury residence. Tim Evjenth

Derek Evjenth Michele Larsen, Leslie Merverovich

Art lovers throughout the Bay Area bid on over 100 works of art to raise al programs and collections. With event chair Justine Bellows Sears at the helm, this year’s auction raised record proceeds. Jon Gregg

Leland Castro

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Paula and Lars Nilsson, and Rob Mann

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

SFMOMA: DREW ALTIZER

money for SFMOMA education-

S N A P COMMUNI T Y

Fun in the Sun Sweet Smell of Summer Downtown Larkspur was hopping during the 16th Flower and Food Festival. The Larkspur Community Association hosted the event, which President Joanie Connor calls, “The smallest biggest festival in town” because of the amount of number of activities in the one-block radius. Arts and crafts kept the kids busy while the adults indulged their

Heather Meradian, Jeff Heath

Annie Davis

Dean Gilardi

inner horticulturist and shopped for plants and garden accessories. The event was a winner, with merchants beneﬁting from the extra foot traffic and proceeds from the festival going right back to support the neighborhood.

Joanna Plocki, Leah Pineo, Gala Hart

Haute-Art

Jett Walker

Elaine Horschman

David Franzman, Joanie Connor

Kid’s Day

Sue Lee, Bill Poland Jan Wahl, David Gemigniani Michael Bilton, Carol Harris, Russ Pitto, Charlie Mead

great weather, fabulous art, and tasty food at the Marin

Kids enjoyed carnival games, face painting, rock climbing,

Center Lagoon. Jett Walker of Tiburon was one of 250

and an insect discovery lab at a day just for them. More than

master artists from around California showing her work. “It

5,000 people from across Marin braved the heat to come out

was a whole new wild experience,” she says. She especially

and play at the fourth annual Kids Day at Larkspur Landing.

enjoyed the stilt walkers, her location right across from the

The event was a huge success and raised over $100,000 for

Ben & Jerry’s trailer, and the opportunity to see old friends

Marin Advocates of Children, a nonproﬁt agency for the pre-

and meet new people.

vention of child abuse in the community.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Bosco Chiu, Jerome Dodson, Beatrice Chan

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

KID’S DAY: ED SMITH

The Marin Art Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary with

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Kids’ Fashion Is All Grown Up

Children’s designers have found a sureﬁre way to our

hearts (and our wallets) with adorable kids’ clothes

that are every bit as fashionable as our own ward-

robes. Brands like Smith’s, Paul Frank, Marco Marco,

and even GapKids are offering mini versions of the

hottest trends. These picture-perfect looks are play-

ground friendly and the kids will love them just as much

as Mom does.

PHOTOS SASHA GULISH

BY DENA SMOLEK

This page: Sand Cassel Kids by Goorin Cadet Hat $18, Swing (Larkspur) 415.924.2500, GapKids dress $22.50, jacket $29.50 (Corte Madera) 415.924.2181. Opposite page: Top left and right: Sand Cassel Kids by Goorin Cadet Hat $17, Sonik button-up shirt $39, Gold Rush Outfitters jeans $45, Swing. Top row, middle: GapKids cropped yoga pants $14.50, floral hoodie $22.50, tank top $7.50. Second row, left and right, on her: Marco Marco reversible dress $75, Mingle (San Francisco) 415.674.8811. Second row, center, and bottom row, center: Sophie & Lili hooded sweater $64, cuffed, cropped It’s Jeans $36, City College USA Gone Surfin’ Hoodie $39, Dogwood Dungarees shorts $28, Swing. Bottom row, left: Small Paul (Paul Frank) tee $20, Swing. Bottom, right: Smith’s Surf Shirt $28, A Wish floral halter dress $40, Swing.

FASHION

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

M A R I N J U LY 2 0 0 6

FA S H I O N

life style Name Erika Gessin Home Larkspur Occupation Founder/Producer San Francisco Fashion Week & Mystery Girl Productions What are you wearing? A dress by Nikka and jewelry by Mill Valley designer Dara. Where would you wear this outfit? Everywhere. You can dress it down for the daytime with a pair of sandals or dress it up for the evening by adding fancier accessories. How long does it take you to get ready? 25 minutes…ten minutes on my hair, ten on makeup, and ﬁve to get dressed (if I already know what I want to wear!). Describe your personal style. Relaxed silhouettes and natural fabrics—my closet is ﬁlled with bohemian-chic dresses, urban tees, jeans, and vintage-inspired jewelry. Who are your fashion influences? My friend and favorite stylist Jill Siefert, and also my students at the Art Institute of California, SF, where I teach fashion show production and marketing. Favorite designers? Right now, I’m obsessed with Free People. I probably own half of their spring/summer collection! I also love Marc Jacobs, See by Chloé, Sonia Rykiel, and local designers Colleen Quen, His by Her, Lily Samii, Kelly B., Oda, and Cari Borja, who will be showing their designs on the runway at San

Where do you love to shop in Marin? Canvas is hands-down my favorite store in the Bay Area. There isn’t a piece of clothing in there that I wouldn’t wear! 38

MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PH OTO: BAR BARA RIES

Francisco Fashion Week later this month.

What is always in your bag/pockets? Business cards, my Palm Treo, MAC cosmetics, candy, wallet, sunglasses, and whatever else I tossed in there last week and have already forgotten about. What is the single most essential piece in your wardrobe? Denim. I always rotate a few pairs. Right now, the rotation consists of a pair of People’s Liberation, Antik Denim, J & Company, and Joe’s. By the time this goes to print, I will have probably bought new jeans. What would you never be caught dead in? Miniskirts. I actually feel too old to wear them. What do you splurge on? I love being pampered, so whenever I can splurge on going to a spa is a real treat. What is your best cheapo secret? I go to a lot of sample sales where you can ﬁnd great deals on designer brands, sometimes for 50 to 80 percent off. Billion Dollar Babes and Underground Denim are a few of my favorite events. What’s your fashion pet peeve? When people wear clothes that don’t really ﬁt them. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? The most expensive things I ever bought myself have been vacations to far-off destinations. I will save up for months just to be able to travel somewhere exotic. Did it make you happy? Who isn’t happiest when they’re traveling? I have traveled a lot on my own, and the feeling of being so independent and like such a free spirit is empowering. If your life were a movie, what would be your theme song? Whatever Lola Wants by Ella Fitzgerald. MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN AUGUST 2006

FYI HOME

Investing in Antiques, Marin Style Antiques Roadshow beware Above: French country buffet circa 1790-1820, made of Cherry wood at La Seda Bella. Page 42: Ironstone sugar pot, mid 19th century from Pavillion Antiques.

BY JOANNE FURIO PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

AS IN COOKING, MUSIC, AND ART, what’s hot at the moment in antiques can be incredibly regional, and sometimes it defies the national trend. Marin County is no exception. Take the current fever for Early American. Over the past 10 years, tiger maple pieces, step-back cupboards, table benches, and Windsor chairs from the 18th and early 19th centuries have grown in popularity and hence in cost nationwide. Nevertheless, “most people on the West Coast don’t quite understand the value of early American furniture,” says Jane Santucci, a native of upstate New York who’s one of the two managers of the Pavillion, a collective of 48 antiques dealers in San Anselmo, and a vendor of pine and Early American furniture herself. Then again, she admits, unlike in California, you’re not apt to find many Mexican antiquities in the suburbs of New York.

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

“

Always have at least one Asian piece in the house.

”

— RHONDA SHIPLEY To find out what types of antiques Marin residents are investing in, we consulted dealers in San Anselmo, the regional capital of all things antiquarian with its 22 antiques shops and annual antiques fair, and an interior designer who uses antiques in her proj ects. H ere are their top customer picks based on their experience in the marketplace:

JACOBEAN ERA FURNITURE The clean lines and dark wood used in J acobean-style sideboards and side and dining tables work wonderfully with the Craftsmanstyle homes in Marin,” says Richard H ammil of L a Sede Bella Antiques on San Anselmo Avenue. This style was popular in the 16th century in England and then enj oyed a resurgence of popularity again in the 19th century. These items are not easy to locate. “F inding the authentic pieces is a challenge,” H ammil admits. “H owever, once I get them, I

Goodnite Moon’s 10th Anniversary!

j ust can’t keep them in the store.”

FRENCH AND FRENCH COUNTRY F rench armoires from the 19th century are in especially high demand here. Santucci reports that one recently sold for $5,000—“and that was a buy.” F rench farm tables from the same era are a perennial favorite in Marin. “F rench country is something people understand,” says interior designer Rhonda Shipley of Shipley Interiors in Ross; “it’s more user-friendly,” since the pieces are less delicate than versions in finer F rench styles. F rench country tables may be made of pine or hardwoods like cherry or walnut, but the softer pine still “looks good with all the dings,” Shipley adds.

ENGLISH REGENCY Named for the period in British history when Prince George was regent (1811-1820), furniture in this style is classically inspired and noted for ancient motifs such as winged grif-

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Come By in August for Discounts, Events, A Rafe & Prizes! 415.945.0677 www.goodnitemoon.com

111 Corte Madera Town Center Corte Madera, CA 94925

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

We Irish gave you the potato peeler. By Bryan Flannery

This, however, is not a potato peeler. No, these are tongs, invented by our good friends and island neighbors, the Tongans. I dunno… I think they win. Why? Because tongs, unlike a potato peeler, can grab and flip pretty much everything in my store except maybe Rudy. This makes tongs especially useful this time of year with grills hot and people itching to grab and flip something… anything… even Rudy. It could be exotic ocean fresh fish.

“People mainly appreciate the kind of life story

smaller scale works well in Marin’s many old-

that goes into making a quilt—the handwork—

er homes, Shipley observes. Expect to spend

and when it’s hand pieced, you can sometimes

at least $5,000 to $6,000 for a decent piece;

tell that the woman was very skilled and had

Shipley herself owns a Regency highboy (dress-

put her heart and soul into it,” she says. You’ll

er) she bought in New York for $5,500.

spend about $225 for an ordinary quilt with some machine work and up to $800 for one

ENGLISH AND AMERICAN IRONSTONE

that’s completely hand sewn and pieced with a rare pattern or beautifully chosen colors.

Pam Dixon, a past president of San Anselmo’s

Well aged, prime Nebraska beef.

Antiques Dealers Association and one of nine

ASIAN

Tender lamb or pork. Or plump,

dealers at the San Anselmo antiques shop

This regional style will never go out of fashion,

free-range chicken. Whichever you

Yankee Girl, says this sturdy, everyday din-

although it reached its apex nationally about

choose, I think you will like it way

nerware from mid-19th-century England and

six years ago. “Always have at least one Asian

America is all the rage—and a good invest-

piece in the house,” Shipley recommends. “It’s

ment. Usually plain white or with a simple

very big in California and can work in any

wheat pattern, the stoneware is popular “be-

environment.” She herself owns an antique

cause we like simpler styles now,” Dixon says.

Chinese box for which she paid $45. Chinese

Collectors often buy a single piece at a time,

antiques, especially, can be well priced for

such as a tureen, and use it “for everything but

American shoppers, given the strength of the

soup,” such as for a vase or a flowerpot, Dixon

dollar against the yen and the proliferation of

notes. Expect to pay about $90 for an American

Chinese imports.

more than anything you might do with a peeled potato. In fact, shortly after you ﬂip it over (no thanks to we Irish), you will ﬂip over it. Come buy some.

Bryan’s Fine Foods Corte Madera Town Center

927.4488 www.bryansfinefoods.com

fins, lions’ heads, and animal legs. Regency’s

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

tureen, $250 or so for an English one. Platters,

Of course, with the mysteries of the mar-

also popular, typically go for $110 to $150; a

ket and consumer tastes, there’s no real guar-

large English platter big enough for a turkey

antee as to what types of antiques will accrue

costs around $185.

in value, or when. “I have a house full of investments,” says Santucci, “and I would like to

QUILTS

think that I could sell them for more than what

This aspect of Americana has translated well

I paid. That’s everybody’s hope.”

to Marin. In the past 12 months Dixon has sold many quilts both hand and machine made.

The best advice is to acquire with yourself in mind: “Buy what you love,” Dixon says.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ANTIQUE APPRAISALS You’ve inherited a dresser from a distant relative and as an avid follower of the Antiques Roadshow you know your objet d’art has value. Whether you’re looking to sell or just gain more information for insurance purposes, it’s still important to get an appraisal. Follow these simple steps from Kris Tague at San Rafael Auction Gallery to price your new treasure. 1. Don’t assume that an item has no value. If you’re curious, get an expert opinion. 2. Decide if you are getting an appraisal for insurance purposes or to possibly sell the item. For insurance, you will need to hire an appraiser who will make a written report as to the replacement value. For selling purposes, contact an auction house—most won’t charge you. 3. Work with someone who has a good reputation and is certified

Art, Gifts & Accessories

through an organization like the

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

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

International Society of Appraisers or the Appraisers Association of America. Depending on what type of item you have, you may also want to ﬁnd an appraiser who specializes in a particular area. 4. Now you’ve got your price, but what determined it? It really is a popularity contest—antique values ebb and flow. “The market potential of an item is partly determined by what’s in vogue right now,” says Tague. Other factors include the condition, rarity, and origin of an item, as well as the expertise and experience of the appraiser working with the auction market. For appraisal information conta ct San Rafa el Auction

Treat yourself to the latest trends in womens’ clothing, handbags and sunglasses without the exorbitant price.

Gallery (San Rafael), 415.457.4488, sanrafael-auction.com; Bonhams & Butterfields (SF), 415.861.7500,

Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Tod’s, Fendi, Gucci, Prada Extensive Collection of Premium Denim

bonhams.com, or Wanda M. Hosford (San Rafael), 415.479.0801, private appraiser. Ten Main Street, Tiburon, CA (415) 435-CAKE

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

FYI BUSINESS

Epicurean Delivery Jessie et Laurent make gourmet meals simple for busy families BY SAMANTHA BRONSON PHOTO BARBARA RIES

SOMETIMES, THE KEY TO A GOOD business is nothing more than providing the right answer to a simple question. The question is, “What’s for dinner?” And the answer, for many busy Marin households, is gourmet meals prepared and delivered by Jessie and Laurent Boucher. 44

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

bread and jam clothing.gifts.accessories This year, the Bouchers’ company, Jessie et Laurent Culinary Service, turns 25, a longevity based on a continual commitment to its original purpose: Bringing families back to the dinner table with healthy, delicious food they don’t have to cook. “It’s not just about getting the food cooked,” says Jessie. “The food has to taste fabulous; it has to look fabulous.” Jessie et Laurent’s menu changes weekly but always offers beef, chicken, and vegetarian entrées, side dishes, soups, and desserts. Recent options have included such delectables as chicken fricassee, peppery lamb meatballs in brandy, and Greek baked prawns. Fresh ingredients are used to make these low-fat, lowcalorie meals taste as wonderful as they sound. Organic produce, vegetarian-fed beef, and wild salmon are standard. Entrées, which cost about $15 per serving,

226 Sir Francis Drake Blvd l San Anselmo l 415.454.7300

come in various sizes. Clients can order via email, fax, phone, or the company’s website. The company tracks customer preferences, using them to help suggest selections or customize meals for low-sodium diets or other nutritional needs. Like many small business success stories, Jessie et Laurent’s had an unlikely start. In

C OMPLETE S TORE REMODEL SALE

1981, Jessie took a leave from her dental studies

U P TO 50% O FF

at U.C. San Francisco and began cooking part

(EXCEPT ROLEX & DESIGNER JEWELRY)

time for a recently widowed man. Soon she realized cooking, not dentistry, was her passion. She found more families to cook for and soon was going from home to home preparing meals with a cookbook and knives in her backpack. Jessie’s Culinary Service was born. Eager to learn more and connect with other cooking professionals, Jessie enrolled in evening classes at a small French cooking school. The classes deepened her appreciation of French cuisine, and in 1984 she left for a three-month apprenticeship in Paris. There, at a party, she met Laurent. Laurent had just finished hotel services industry school and had trained under famous

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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AUGUST 2006

“

The food has to taste fabulous; it has to look fabulous.

”

— JESSIE BOUCHER

F rench chefs. The two connected instantly, but it was a romance of the kitchen, not of love. They dined as friends all over F rance before J essie returned home. About a year later, L aurent decided to work as a food and beverage manager of a large hotel, but first needed to improve his English. H e planned to study in the United States for six

ELEGANT GIFTS THAT WILL ALWAYS BE ENJOYED …FOR WEDDINGS OR SPECIAL OCCASIONS…

OPEN EVERY DAY

503 MAGNOLIA AVE., LARKSPUR, CA 94939 415.924.0279

months and to stay with J essie for the first two weeks. H e never left. “L iterally when he got off the plane, I knew I was in love with him,” J essie says. F irst came marriage and then the renaming of the business—to J essie et L aurent Culinary Service. They stopped cooking in clients’ homes, rented a commercial kitchen, and delivered prepared meals. They eventually bought a kitchen and continued the division of labor they follow today—L aurent, 44, oversees the kitchen and cooking staff, while J essie, 47 , handles the business details. She also plans the menus and tests new recipes at home. The Bouchers’ company now employs more than a doz en cooks, drivers, and office personnel and serves between 50 and 80 households four days a week, from H ealdsburg to San J ose. Yet the couple are always mindful of the very personal aspect of feeding people. “I’ve never met them in person, but I feel like we know them,” says Mary L ynn K unkel, a F airfax resident who calls the company a “lifesaver.” That sentiment is echoed throughout their customer base. The Bouchers chalk up their popularity to the simple working credo that has served them well for more than two decades: “Do the best we can do,” says L aurent, “and keep evolving and finding new ways of making our clients happy.”

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

FYI BOOKS

A MarinSonoma Pastoral

Mimi Luebbermann and Robert Holmes

Mimi Luebbermann shares her passion for tomatoes in a gorgeous new cookbook. BY OLIVIA BOLER

imi Luebbermann, to put it mild-

ings, and lovely photos of these vine-ripened

shares 26 acres with sheep, alpaca llamas,

ly, is enthusiastic about tomatoes.

summer beauties.

chickens, rabbits, cats, and dogs, the latter of

Heirlooms in particular. “There

What makes heirlooms so wonderful?

which she trains for Canine Companions for

are people who love orchids or succulents or

“They’re very satisfying. They grow easily and

Independence, which provides assistance dogs

fruit trees,” she says with a smile. “I got ad-

they grow well. And the fruit is delicious—so

to the disabled. From her sheep and alpac-

dicted to tomatoes.”

succulent!” Luebbermann says. She encourag-

as, Luebbermann gathers wool that she spins

Luebbermann traces the root of her toma-

es everyone to try growing them, whether in

into yarn and sells at the Point Reyes Farmers’

to jones to a writing assignment back in the

a garden or a planter box. “We’re in the per-

Market in the summer.

early 1990s for a book called Terrific Tomatoes.

fect climate for heirlooms,” she points out.

Luebbermann’s daily life is quintessentially

At the time, the Petaluma author and farmer

“You’ll see them at Whole Foods and in restau-

pastoral: She rises between 5 and 6 a.m. and

lived in Oakland, where she kept a garden and

rants because they’re so beautiful in groups—

writes on her computer for a while. Then it’s

even some chickens. She started growing heir-

the Cherokee Plums, the Early Girls, the Sun

off to the farm chores—feeding the animals

looms, which are bred for flavor rather than

Golds….” The names alone are enough to

and taking the puppies for long walks. Around

for disease resistance (as commercial tomatoes

pique the curiosity of the blackest thumbed.

are). One of her good friends was also tomato

Luebbermann has written several cook-

obsessed. “We started hosting tomato tastings,

ing, gardening, and travel books, includ-

trying out the different varieties.”

ing Salad Gardens, Beautiful Bulbs, and the

It’s no surprise, then, that Luebbermann is

recent Sonoma: A Food and Wine Lovers’

the author of a new cookbook commissioned

Journey, with photos by Mill Valley photog-

by Kendall-Jackson Vineyards, The Heirloom

rapher Robert Holmes, who shot Heirloom as

Tomato Cookbook (Chronicle Books, $16.95),

well. Writing isn’t Luebbermann’s only job; her

in honor of its annual Heirloom Tomato

farming homestead, Windrush Farm, is techni-

Festival, scheduled for September 9. The book

cally in Marin, though it has a Petaluma ad-

contains 40 recipes, suggestions for wine pair-

dress. She moved there ten years ago and now

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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AUGUST 2006

11 a.m. she tends to her plants. “I can be in the garden all day, especially when the weather’s so wonderful. I do try to get back to the computer in the afternoon. But it’s hard!” She laughs. Sometimes she goes “into town”— meaning Petaluma—in the afternoon for supplies. In the evening she listens to the radio or books on tape; she doesn’t watch TV. Asked to choose a favorite tomato,

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Luebbermann sighs. “I can’t commit to just one. I love them all.” She’s excited about this year’s Heirloom Tomato Festival at Kendall-Jackson: More than 60 restaurants and food purveyors will be represented there, including Lark Creek

LOCAL TYPE NEW BOOKS BY MARIN AUTHORS Before the Mortgage: Real Stories of Brazen Loves, Broken Leases, and the Perplexing Pursuit of Adulthood, edited by Christina Amini and Rachel Hutton ($14.95, Simon

Where “Life is One Long Weekend.”

Junella’ Tommy Bahama Furniture, RJ Sax Fine Apparel 30 & 32 Main St. Tiburon, CA • Home 415-435-4752 Apparel 415-435-7093

Spotlight Entertainment) The swank apartment, the killer job, the perfect boyfriend/ girlfriend have not yet fallen into place. Sound familiar? This collection of essays focuses on that unpredictable yet sometimes hilarious time of life post-college and prepicket-fence. Contributing Marin writers include Carson Brown and Ariana Lamorte. Cyber Rules: Negotiating Healthy Internet Use by Joanie Farley-Gillispie and Jayne Gackenbach ($23.95, Norton) Although the true social and psychological impact of Internet and wireless communication use is unknown, educators and parents must steer children and adolescents through the digital terrain. Filled with sto-

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ries and practical advice, this user-friendly guide by Mill Valley residents FarleyGillispie and Gackenbach will aid parents and teachers as they strive to make the best decisions for their children. Evanly Bodies by Rhys Bowen ($23.95, St. Martin’s Minotaur) Marin author Bowen brings us the tenth installment in her Constable Evans Mystery Series. Evans, a police officer in a small Welsh town, must deal with a new partner while trying to solve a murder. He’s also adjusting to married life. Fans of Bowen’s work will relish her usual loving portrayal of the town of Llanfair and its inhabitants.

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Inn and Yankee Pier. Last year, Luebbermann judged the tomato contest, and she has fond memories of “Bruschetta Boulevard,” where attendees get to nibble half a dozen different versions, paired, of course, with KendallJackson wines. Lately, Luebbermann has been hard at work on a book about life on the farm, but it’s more than just a memoir. “I want to increase people’s agricultural knowledge,” she says. She warms to the topic: “Only 2 percent of the United States’ population grows food for the entire country. What are we doing to farmers? There is an issue of having enough people in America farming, and there’s a danger in so much of it getting outsourced.” It’s important, she says, to browse local farmers’ markets and seek out locally grown food: “The farmers’ markets in Marin are so vibrant. It’s just so wonderful that we have all

Bags for the beach, park or any outing. Totes and bags from compact to heavy-duty, all with their own unique qualities.

this beautiful food available to us.”

1699 Market Street, San Francisco Monday–Saturday, 9:30–6:00 415.552.2355 www.flaxart.com

BOOKSELLERS RECOMMEND THEIR FAVORITE COOKBOOKS Vegetable Love: A Book for Cooks by Barbara Kafka with Christopher Styler (Artisan, $35) “Customers love this book and it sells really well. It’s not strictly a vegetarian cookbook—there are other things going on there. But it’s a good book for summer cooking.” —Lenny Jay, the Depot Bookstore, Mill Valley

La Sede Bella English & French Countr y Furniture 110” European Fabrics • Draper y • Upholster y

Santa Fe Kitchens by Museum of New Mexico Foundation (Ancient City Press, $24.95) “This has really good Southwestern recipes like Roasted Squash Soup with Apple Brie. And the pictures are amazing. It’s not just photographs, but all kinds of art, including beautiful folk art.” — Polly Gorder, Book Passage, Corte Madera

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35) “Pretty much any book by Ina Garten, I’m a sucker for them. I’ll just sit on my couch with all of them before I host a dinner party and go through them. They’re user friendly, not at all pretentious, and the recipes are really easy to follow. The photographs of the food are also beautiful.” —Wendy Sheanin, A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, San Francisco

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

MARIN

AUGUST 2006

PLAY

Diving into Marin

Make a Splash: Find the Right Pool BY M .L. LATHAN PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

At 5:30 on weekday mornings, when Highway 101’s lanes are all but

San Anselmo, a triathlete as well as a real estate advisor and a trustee

empty because most of the Marin workforce is still fast in bed, lanes of

of the Joseph Parker Foundation. “I get my swim training in and enjoy

another sort are already splashing with activity – those in local pools. All

the good company of my friends.” Eveloff tried several other pools, but

over the county, swimmers of all ages are shedding their cover-ups and

settled at Tam High many years ago. He’s been showing up at 6:30 a.m.

dipping into a chlorinated womb for their sunrise fix: back, forth, flip

since.

turn, back, forth, flip turn – lap after lap, over and over until the clock or desire runs out.

A bonus to the workout, says Eveloff, is a chance to spend time with his fellow swimmers, either at the pool or at a nearby Starbuck’s af-

Marin’s pools vary from the rustic, but popular tubs found at most

terward. In the next lane Mark Latino, another triathlete who owns a

public schools to Olympic-sized beauties built for sport clubs and some

company specializing in Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands displays

community centers. For lap swimmers, finding the right pool involves a

for stores like Macys West. He also auditioned a few other pools until a

mixture of convenience, money and personality –the pool’s.

friend mentioned Tam. Within a few weeks he had found his spot in the

Take, for example, the pool at Tamalpais High School. The facili-

fast inner lanes and as well as a couple of training partners.

ty shows its age and occasionally during the winter even lacks warm

Patsy Northcutt, a filmmaker, often shares a lane with Eveloff or

showers, but it attracts a dedicated (and athletic) crew of early morn-

Latino. “There is a nice community at the pool,” she says. “Regardless

ing swimmers. “It’s a great way to start the day,” says Paul Eveloff, of

of skill level, we look out for and respect each other.” Another regular,

MARIN AUGUST 2006

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

PHOTOGRAPHY: BARTONE

SWIM TEAM COMMUNITY

Armani Roots, Alexandra Takeshita

Mikaila Smith

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Megan Potter, Mikaila Smith

he Marin Swim League,

work in such limited conditions and

whose season ends in

still motivate these kids to give 110

August, consists of 10

percent.” Strawberry is one of the

teams, each with about 200 swim-

league’s smaller facilities so Seals

mers. Kelly Haechler of Strawberry

swimmers are limited to two or

is one parent who has enjoyed team

three lanes per practice. Somehow,

swimming in Marin for decades. As a

it works because the Seals had a

pre-teen and teenager she swam for

very successful season.

the Strawberry Seals, and continues

Haechler still has friends from

to enjoy watching her own daugh-

her days on the swim team, and

ter compete. “I think swimming, as

has made new ones through her

in any sport you dedicate yourself to,

children’s involvement. As swim-

makes you a better person. It teach-

team parents they have been mem-

es you how to focus, work hard and

bers of the Strawberry Recreational

maintain a healthy body,” she says. “It

Center for more than a decade. Both

offers kids a sense of belonging and

Haechler and her husband are lap

self confidence—something we all

swimmers and enjoy the sense of

wish for our children.”

community the team creates. She’s

While Haechler enjoyed the team

not alone. Many Seals families swim

as swimmer, she is even more im-

while their sons or daughters prac-

pressed as a parent. “I have never

tice, children who ar likely to return

seen two more dedicated coaches,

some day to the pool as parent of an-

Christian Strauli and Elizabeth Long,

other generation of Seals swimmers.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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early morning laps. And Ted Teuscher, who swam at Tam H igh in high school a few decades back, is yet another fixture. Then there’s Dave H orning, a triathlon legend who in the mid-‘ 80s wrote – well, cowrote – the book on triathlons, Triathlon: Lifestyle of Fitness Swim! Bike! Run!, and has been in and out of the spotlight since. Besides earning international and national recognition as a triathlete, H orning is said to be the first to wear the tri-suit in competition and also enj oyed 15 minutes of television fame when he swam from Alcatraz to San F rancisco for the

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percent of whom are in the care of one or both parents at the time). And, according to the USA Swimming, Make a Splash safety campaign, nine Americans drown every day.

CRITICAL SAFETY TIPS: Follow the rules Don’t run around the pool, dive in shallow water or drink from glass containers. Parents, keep an eye on your kids Even strong swimmers need continuous adult supervision. Stay away from drains, filters and water intakes Loose hair or clothing can get tangled in them—possibly

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trapping you under the water. Monitor electrical power Keep anything electrical—TVs, radios and disc players, for example—a safe distance from the water. Locate the emergency equip-

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ment Know where the first-aid kit, the flotation ring and the extension pole are so you can quickly help a swimmer in need.

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Julie Anne Winfield, M D (415) 388-0660 • 239 Miller Avenue, Suite 8, Mill Valley

MARIN AUGUST 2006

televesion show “Unsolved Mysteries” to determine whether escapees Frank Lee Morris

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O F

and the Anglin brothers could have made the swim. Horning has been swimming for more

L I F E

than 50 years, the last 15 at Tam’s pool. It’s convenient to his home in Stinson Beach, and

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marathons and triathalons via his company, Envirosports, and has swam the crossing from Alcatraz to San Francisco more 76 times. There are plenty of programs for serious swimmers in Marin, such as the new master’s group at the College of Marin run by North Bay Aquatics. Masters programs meet at least three times a week and are designed improve a swimmer’s time and technique. More low-key lap swimmers also have a plethora of options at school pools, rec centers and clubs. For example, the Corte Madera Swim Club offers lap swimming at the Best Western hotel pool near

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Highway 101. “It’s a great place for independent swimmers,” says Nancy Williams, founder of HoneyLuna.com, a honeymoon registration

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website. Williams is at the pool three mornings a week as part of her self-imposed training. “I think people come here to work out and enjoy a relaxing start of their day,” she says. “I like the Corte Madera Swim Club for it’s friendly atmosphere. We don’t have specific groups that meet, or organized workouts–we all just swim on our own.” Swimming can be cheap or it can be expen-

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sive. Initiation fees at private clubs run from $3,000 to upwards of $10,000, but their pools are top notch as are the showers and locker rooms. Community recreational pools sell seasonal memberships, usually for a few hundred dollars, or day passes for $5.

©R ANDALL PHOTOGRAPHY 2005

Marin’s three public high schools, at

www.kitchensplusdesign.com

901 A Street Suite D San Rafael CA 94901 Telephone: 415/453-9589 Fax: 415/257-4332

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Redwood, Drake, and Tamalpais, should see some improvements due to the recent passage of Measure A, but in the meantime they are adequate. Both College of Marin pools (Kentfield and Indian Valley) are open throughout the summer. For more specific information see the listings on the next page.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

POOLS AROUND MARIN 1/3 SQUARE

C all for specific lap swimming times and fees

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SCHOOL POOLS C ollege of Marin, K entfield, 4 1 5 .4 8 5 .9 5 8 7 I ndian V alley C ollege Pool, N ovato 4 1 5 .4 5 7 .8 8 1 1 ex t. 8 2 6 0 R edwood H igh School Pool, Larkspur, 4 1 5 .9 2 4 .7 2 0 6 , Sir Francis D rake, 4 1 5 .4 5 8 .3 4 2 0 T amalpais H igh School, Mill Valley, 4 1 5 .3 8 0 .3 5 8 5

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

LO O K I NG BACK

Seven Decades of Activism The Marin Conservation League saw the writing on the wall and took action

BY JIM WOOD

MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE / HIGHWAY 101 COURTESY OF MARIN HISTORY MUSEUM, AND CORTE MADERA HERITAGE & HISTORY GROUP; PHOTOS OF EVERS, LIVERMORE, SUMMERS, AND WELLMAN, COURTESY OF MARIN CONSERVATION LEAGUE.

“The cars are coming, the cars are coming!” Those might have been the Paul Revere-esque watchwords of four feisty Marin women nearly 75 years ago. They knew the Golden Gate Bridge would soon be spanning the watery chasm Opposite page: Clockwise from lower: Highway 101 under construction in Corte Madera in the early 1930s; Golden Gate Bridge trafﬁc in the 1950s; MCL founder Sepha Evers. This page: Clockwise from upper left: Caroline Livermore, founder of the Marin Conservation League; Grace Wellman, longtime MCL board member and source of MCL’s oral history; cars on 101 in the late 1930s; Mary Summers, Marin County’s inﬂuential planning director of the 1950s.

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between Marin and San Francisco counties, bringing thousands of automobiles into Marin every day. At the time, a car and driver needed a ferryboat to reach the county from the south. However, those days were numbered. And the women had reason for concern.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

“

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You know, you’d watch those gals work and believe they should have run the world.

”

— GRACE WELLMAN

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Sepha Evers, Portia Forbes, Caroline Livermore, and Helen Van Pelt—at the time all members of the Marin Garden Club—wanted to do more than just worry. In January 1934, the Marin Independent

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believe in building for the future.” Act the four women did. Calling themselves the Citizens Survey Committee, they raised $2,500 to pay for county employee Hugh Pomeroy to produce Marin’s first set of general planning maps. Then, after

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adopting the name Marin Conservation League, whose role was “to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural assets of Marin County for all people,” they really set to work. That first year, working with the Tamalpais Conservation Club, they negotiated the addition of 531 acres to ever-

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expanding Mount Tamalpais State Park. In 1938, the four women, now backed by a growing membership and fundraising potential, helped purchase 54 acres at what would become Drakes Bay Beach; a year later, the MCL came up with $20,000 to buy a portion of the Stinson Beach shoreline that later became a state park. They were, in today’s lexicon, on a roll. Prior to World War II, the Marin Conservation League initiated a five-year struggle to have the state of California procure a 2,334-acre former paper mill so it could become a state park. The group

MARIN AUGUST 2006

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State Park became a reality, local businesses were starting to question the league’s motivations. “They said we’d like to lock

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the bridge and keep people out,” longtime MCL board member Grace Wellman said in a 1982 interview. “But the Conservation League didn’t try to keep people out; (we) tried to plan for them so that when they came in there’d be a fine way for these people to live.” Following World War II, the league, led by Caroline Livermore (in those days referred to as “Mrs. Norman Livermore”), resumed its efforts on behalf of a growing Marin. In 1951, it raised $15,000 to ensure the creation of Tomales Bay State

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Park; in 1963, thanks to $824,335 in gifts and grants, the acquisition of Angel Island State Park was completed; and in 1967, with help from the Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Society, $84,000 was supplied so that the county could purchase Kent Island and prevent Bolinas Lagoon from becoming a yacht harbor.

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

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During the battle to save Bolinas Lagoon, the tactics of Livermore, Evers, Forbes, and Van Pelt impressed board member Wellman. “You know, you’d watch those gals work and believe they should have run the world,” she observed in her 1982 interview. “They knew exactly how to maneuver everything. They were marvelous. I learned a lot just by trailing along behind them.” Other victories the Marin Conservation League had a hand in during the postwar years include stopping a Utah development company from filling in a portion of Richardson’s Bay between Strawberry and Belvedere, which would have created a yachting community for 2,000 residents (1958); the creation of Point Reyes National Seashore (1962); Olompali State Historic Park in Novato and the Marin County Open Space District (both in 1972); and establishing the Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve between Corte Madera and Tiburon (1981). Many of the league’s triumphs are credited to the indomitable Livermore, who died in 1964 and is immortalized by a 781foot Angel Island peak bearing her name. “Caroline would say, ‘If it’s something that has to be done, we’ll do it,’” Wellman told her interviewer in 1982. Often, Livermore would appear before county supervisors

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“

You can start the wrong way, and never undo it. You build a bad road and you’re through. You can restore a building, or rebuild it, or whatever you want. But when the good Lord’s earth goes to pieces, you can’t put Humpty Dumpty back up on that old wall.

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— CAROLINE LIVERMORE league had the funds or not, Wellman recalled. “Then she’d tell our board, ‘You’ll just have to go out and find $5,000.’ The

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truth of the matter was, until we found the $5,000, Caroline would put it up.” The league’s far-sighted efforts “made a lot of difference in the county,” she added. “You can start the wrong way, and never undo it. You build a bad road and you’re through. You can restore a building, or re-

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build it, or whatever you want. But when the good Lord’s earth goes to pieces, you can’t put Humpty Dumpty back up on that old wall.” Conservation may not have been a term very well understood or much in use back in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, but, as Wellman observed, “It was in Marin.” With more than 1,200 paid members, the Marin Conservation League carries on that forward-thinking legacy, ever an active force in preserving the natural environment of Marin. Marin Conservation League, 1623A Fifth Ave., San Rafael; J. Scott Feirabend, executive director; Roger Roberts, president of the board of directors; 415.485.6257; email mcl@conservationleague.org; www. marinconservation league.org

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

More Than Mendo MANY ATTRACTIONS IN MENDOCINO VILLAGE AND BEYOND BY JIM & NIKKI WOOD

T’S EASY TO SETTLE INTO A B&B IN MENDOCINO AND JUST HANG OUT. Intriguing shops are nearby: Out of This World (telescopes, binoculars), Mendocino Sandpiper (affordable jewelry), Gallery Bookshop (a local gathering spot), and more. There are also plenty of cafes and restaurants: The Moose Cafe (lunch/dinner; indoor/outdoor), McCallum House (the traditional dinner place), and Cafe Beaujolais (locally grown foods in an 1893 farmhouse) to name a few. However, why not use the 155-year-old village of Mendocino as a staging area and branch out

to nearby areas for adventures and special events? Recently, while based at the Little River Inn, we drove north on Highway 1, past Caspar, to the Jughandle State Reserve, and took the wellmarked hike that loops out to a rugged ocean promontory, then heads inland through a redwood grove before entering the notorious Pygmy Forest, a nutrient-starved area where none of the trees exceeds six feet in height. It’s a five-mile venture that can consume the better part of a morning. Clockwise from upper left: McCallum House in Mendocino Village; one of the cottages on the nine-acre property at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek; picnic area in Mendocino Village on Kasten Street; the popular Little River Inn

MARIN AUGUST 2006

In the afternoon, consider a stop in Noyo Harbor, an authentic North Coast inlet village where skipper Tim Gillespie of All Aboard Adventures will arrange salmon fishing (they’re running in August). Sharon’s by the Sea and Chapter and Moon serve up good food, and galleries like Wildlife Workshop or the Studio might have a local watercolor or a sea sculpture worth thinking about.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

More things to do: Fort Bragg around Main, Laurel, and Franklin Streets, has some surprisingly good shopping. The Mendocino Coast

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Gardens (south of Fort Bragg on Highway 101) has 47 acres of rhododendrons, lush ferns, and coastal trails to explore, and Hortus Botanicus (east of Fort Bragg on Highway 20) is a nursery that doubles as a tourist attraction. For a bit more action, consider horseback riding on the beach or through the redwoods at Ricochet Ranch (outside Fort Bragg) or Ross

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Ranch (near Elk); touring Mendocino’s eerie

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round of golf at the Little River Inn’s nine-hole course, which winds through redwoods and gives occasional ocean views. The Little River Inn is just one of many

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lage itself, there’s Packard House, Alegria Inn, Headlands Inn, and the aforementioned McCallum House. As for the outlying Little River neighborhoods, in addition to our habitual home-away-from-home, there’s the famed Heritage House, the traditional Glendeven Inn, and the contemporary and secluded

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Stevenswood Lodge. Another spot we recently came across is the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek. In addition to the usual amenities, it has nine acres of gardens, meadows, and forest trails and is close to the tide pools and sea caves at Buckhorn Cove. Need more? It’s pet friendly. If you’re heading North to Mendocino in August, on Saturday the 19th the Mendocino Coast Garden Tour will feature a French garden in what was once a rock quarry. It’s located at a private home in the Little River area ($25, 707.937.5818). Also, en route or on your return, you might take a tiny detour to the 11th Annual Solfest at the Solar Living Institute in Hopwood. Expect world-class speakers, great

There are some things for which a trip across the busy Golden Gate Bridge is essential. Watching a ballet at the San Francisco Opera House, for instance.

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

THINK

IS MARIN WORTH IT? Real estate values compared to other California markets STORY JIM WOOD

OSCAR WEI, SENIOR RESEARCH ANALYST for the California Association of Realtors, reports “With mixed economic signals evident over the past few months, a disconnect has emerged between buyer expectations and seller expectations.” Wei then adds, “This has created more friction in the market and has slowed the pace of home sales.” Translation: Real estate sales aren’t as lively as they once were. Still,

stories of mega-million-dollar home purchases seldom fail to fascinate. That’s especially true in California’s enclaves of the affluent, where the

prices being asked—and often answered with, “We’ll take it”—seem so high it’s a wonder anyone ever closes escrow. But close they do. According to DataQuick, a real estate information gathering firm, last year in California there were 310 homes sold for more than $5 million, 327 sold in the $4 to $5 million range, nearly 1,000 sold in the $3 million market, almost 4,000 sold in the $2 million bracket, and more than 43,000 homes sold for more than $1 million.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

STEP HEN LEFKOVI TS/ MA RI NIM AG ES.C OM

Aerial of Marin County with Peacock Gap Golf and Country Club in the foreground.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

A current $2,995,000 listing in Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego County) features ﬁve bedrooms, four baths, over 5,770 square feet, plus a guest house and lap pool on 3.07 acres.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

A recent $3 million sale in Montecito (Santa Barbara County) was this ﬁve bedroom, four bath Mediterranean-inspired home with over 5,300 square feet and ocean and mountain views.

W ith that in mind, it might be interesting to examine the middle of the affluent resale housing market, the $3 million range, and see what kind of bang buyers can expect for their home-buying bucks. To make the comparisons as obj ective as possible, three similar upscale California locations were selected for scrutiny—each with good schools, convenient shopping, close proximity to an urban center, and easy access to cultural and recreational attractions. Also in common, all three communities are at least a century old, none are known for their beachor water-oriented lifestyles, and each has strict design and construction regulations. An interesting aside: None of these three residential

“

Many people, especially those in entertainment like Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood stars and directors, come to Montecito for its privacy—and that calls for large lots, acreage.

”

—LYNDA BOHNETT, SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

areas allows streetlights, and in two of the three, mail is not delivered directly to homes; it must be picked up at a central post office.

“Recently,” says McL aughlin, “for j ust under $2.8 million, a buyer got a

The three comparable communities selected for this study are Rancho

charming two-story ‘ fixer-upper,’ with a great location near the school and

Santa F e (San Diego County), Montecito (Santa Barbara County), and

the Commons, “but the lot was barely a quarter of an acre.” McL aughlin,

Ross (Marin County). The question is: In each locale, how much house

a Ross native who last year sold or listed 16 homes in her hometown

and what community amenities do you get for $3 million?

(total value: $53 .7 million), says Ross’s relatively small lots are an at-

“If a $3 million buyer wants privacy and acreage, and was compar-

traction. “People get to know their neighbors, it’s a very friendly; walking

ing Rancho Santa F e and Santa Barbara’s Montecito with Ross,” says

and biking community,” she says. By comparison, she tells the story of a

Realtor Tracy McL aughlin with a laugh in her voice, “right away, I’d tell

client “who moved to a home on a three-acre lot in Darien, Connecticut,

them to pack up and head south.”

and a year later she called back crying on the phone, ‘ I never see or hear

McL aughlin’s point: Tiny Ross (population 2,294; 1.6 square miles;

anybody, I haven’t met a single soul, I miss Ross so much.’” Another of

7 52 homes) has much going for it, but for $3 million it’s unrealistic to

McL aughlin’s acquaintances, after spending time in Ross, remarked, “My

expect a lot siz e of more than half an acre, at best.

gosh, this place is more Mayberry than Mayberry.”

MARIN AUGUST 2006

This charming $3,495,000 listing in Ross features six bedrooms, 4.5-baths, and a gymnasium in almost 5,000 square feet of living space. The property, with mountain views, is .53 acre.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

The flip side of the large lot coin may be Montecito. “I’ll be honest,” says L ynda Bohnett, a successful agent with Sotheby’s International Realty on State Street in Santa Barbara. “Many people, especially those in entertainment like Oprah W infrey and H ollywood stars and directors, come to Montecito for its privacy—and that calls for large lots, acreage.” In Montecito (population 9,7 81; nine square miles; 2,7 22 homes), Sotheby’s currently has a listing on a 3 ,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath home with spectacular ocean, harbor, and mountain views for $2.9 million. “It needs some work, even maj or remodeling,” she says, “but it’s on nearly three acres! ” A more accurate depiction of Montecito’s midlevel affluent market—in this case a recent $3 million sale—is that of a Mediterraneaninspired, five-bedroom home with 5,3 00 square feet and mountain

“

I don’t know why it is, but in Ross right now, the higher-priced homes are getting the biggest play.

views, built in 1985. “It was on an acre and sold inside of a month,”

”

— MARILYN RICH, PACIFIC UNION

says Bohnett. “Actually, it went for $1,000 over its listing price of $2,999,000.” She says there are currently eight Montecito properties available in the $3 million range. “And when they’re priced accurately,

tion is that young, busy executive families (often referred to as “Google

according to recent sales,” she says, “they’ll sell reasonably fast, regard-

guys”) don’t have the time or inclination to do the remodeling a $3 mil-

less of the fact that many are beginning to say it’s a buyer’s market.”

lion Ross home typically requires.

A similar situation exists in Rancho Santa F e (population 4,244; 9.3

An example of Rich’s theory is her late-2005 sale of an Anna K .

square miles; 1,7 52 homes), the golfing and equestrian community 3 0

Pennington-Boucher listing in nearby K ent W oodlands. “I thought I

minutes north of San Diego. J anet Gothard is a top-tier realtor with

priced the property ‘ aggressively’ at $4.7 5 million,” Pennington-Boucher,

Coldwell Banker’s village office, located j ust a block from the venerable

now with McGuire Real Estate, recalls of the turnkey condition, five-

82-year-old Inn at Rancho Santa F e. H er comparable sale is nearly iden-

bedroom home with panoramic views of Mount Tam. “But there were

tical to the Montecito transaction cited by Bohnett. “This April, a sale

multiple offers the minute it came on the market, and it eventually sold

closed exactly at $3 million,” Gothard says. “It sold in four days, for

$200,000 above list price, with a two-week escrow.” She adds: And lot

$100,000 over the asking price. It was built in 1991, with three bed-

siz e wasn’t a factor; it wasn’t even an acre of land.

rooms, three baths, more than 3 ,3 00-square-feet, equestrian facilities,

Meanwhile, a similar property priced at $3 ,495,000, is still on the

and a pool, with an excellent location, and on a 3 .5 acre lot.” According

market. “This time it’s my listing,” says Pacific Union’s Rich, “and it is

to her, so far this year there have been eight Rancho Santa F e closings

priced to sell and in nearly perfect condition.” This six bedroom, 4.5-

in the $2.8 to $3 .2 million price range and currently, in a market where

bath home in the Ross neighborhood of W inship Park features leafy

there are 86 listings priced from $1.7 million to $40 million, 14 homes

views of the nearby Seminary and Mount Baldy, a three-car garage,

are for sale in the $2.8 to $3 .2 million range.

and a large, level rear lawn. But when compared to the acreage avail-

“It’s interesting for a study regarding the $3 million price range,” she says, “that of 44 closings this year, ranging from $1.6 to $8.2 mil-

able with comparable homes in both Rancho Santa F e and Montecito, it comes up short. “It has j ust over half an acre,” says Rich.

lion, the average sales price was $3 .5 million.” Gothard’s estimate of

Both Rich and Tracy McL aughlin say that no matter how many mil-

what $3 million buys in Rancho Santa F e: “A three-acre lot, often with

lions are involved in the price of a Ross home, a primary attraction is

pool, guest house, or tennis court,” she says, then adds, “but depending

the local schools. “This town revolves around the Commons and Ross

on the location and usability of the land, the house will range in condi-

School,” says McL aughlin, a mother of three. “Both are public entities

tion from ‘ updated’ to ‘ tear down.’”

and people want to be as close to them as possible.” Rich adds, “If

W hich brings us back to Marin County, the friendly “walking and

you’re comparing Ross to other areas, don’t forget that Ross School is

biking” town of Ross, and its older homes on decimal-of-an-acre siz e

K through 8, then there’s Branson and Marin Catholic, both private high

lots. “I don’t know why it is,” says Marilyn Rich with Pacific Union’s

schools, and Redwood H igh, a California Distinguished School. F ew

Greenbrae office, “but in Ross right now, the higher-priced homes are

locales, at any price, can offer that.”

getting the biggest play.” By higher-priced, Rich means the $6 million

And that—after all the sales presentations are made, listings taken,

price point (where she recently sold her own listing); the $9 to 10 mil-

and escrows closed—could be how family friendly Ross, with lots not

lion range (where she has two listings, one on a 2.5-acre lot); and the

much larger than the homes in other upscale communities, manages to

$18 million stratosphere (where two Ross properties, including director

ask, and get, those multimillion-dollar prices. F or in the final analysis,

Barry L evinson’s former home, are currently listed). H er only explana-

homes are worth what buyers are willing to pay for them.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

GA R D E N D E S I G N

TRUE TO

ITS ROOTS STORY P. J. BREMIER PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

WHEN GARDEN DESIGNER and plantswoman Sarah Hammond, cre-

pocket. Over time, he learned the business from Tanem, and eight years

ator of the original Smith & Hawken nursery in Mill Valley, sold her

ago he purchased his own nursery. “I like working in the soil,” Donlan

home on the Bolinas mesa, she wanted a buyer who would tend her

says. “I don’t think there’s anything else I’d ever want to do.”

garden with the same love and attention she had put into it for more than 30 years.

Donlan’s passion for all things green and growing settled the matter for Hammond. “Sarah could have sold [the place] to a number of other

Through Smith & Hawken, Hammond introduced Bay Area garden-

people, but she knew that I cared about plants and gardens,” he says. “I

ers to such now-common perennials as Lavatera, dianthus, several va-

didn’t buy the house as much as she let me buy it. Then I brought my

rieties of lavender, and santolina. She lovingly tended these and many

wife, Karin, and she just loved the house for its charm and character.”

other plants for hours each day in her home garden.

The rustic, shingled one-story house with a simple floor plan, a

“The garden was my life,” Hammond says. “What I looked for in a

wealth of windows, and views of the garden from every one of them

buyer was someone who would appreciate the good soil built up over

came with an assortment of outbuildings—two lath houses, two small

decades (and) the many rare and precious plants.” Primarily, though, she

cottages, some garden sheds, and an office—but these weren’t what in-

wanted someone “who would see the garden as an asset, not a liability.”

trigued Donlan when he bought the property in 2004.

That someone was Matt Donlan, owner of Donlan Landscape

“I loved the feeling of the place and the maturity of the garden,” he

Contractors and Bayside Garden Center in Tiburon. Donlan’s love affair

says. “I spent very little time considering the home and the outbuild-

with plants began when he was a teenage “water boy” in the 1970s at Bob

ings and really studied the property and the garden.”

Tanem’s Garden Center in San Rafael. As he made his rounds through the

Over the years Hammond had transformed her land from its origi-

nursery watering plants, he carried a plant identification book in his back

nal motley state of poison oak, brambles, and an unpromising swamp

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Large hoop house provides shade for plant materials that will eventually be sold through Bayside Garden Center in Tiburon.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

“

I like working in the soil. I don’t think there’s anything else I’d ever want to do.

”

— MATT DONLAN

MARIN AUGUST 2006

into a garden that was a media darling. It had starred in Horticulture

60 varieties of roses, of which only a couple are available in the trade

Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, Italian Vogue, House & Garden,

today; and some wonderfully mature shrubs, vines, and trees.

Metropolitan Home, and British Homes & Gardens and had been featured on local and national garden tours.

Among the trees Donlan most cherishes are the Philadelphus, Parrotia Persica, and Pittosporum ‘Marjorie Channon’. A dwarf climb-

Designed in an English garden style, the garden made dramatic use

ing white hydrangea, Schizophragma hydrangenoides, which scrambles

of structure, shapes, and hedged beds connected by gravel paths lead-

up and over a front fence, is “the largest anyone has ever seen in this

ing to eye-pleasing vistas—a weathered fence, an arbor-covered bench,

area,” he says.

an interesting sculpture.

Where the garden diverges from Hammond’s restrained hand is

It became a much-emulated style, especially throughout California.

where Donlan’s love of experimentation has taken over. “I’m not an

“I hope my greatest contribution was encouraging plants that were ap-

English gardener,” says Donlan. “I’ve liked Japanese and woodland gar-

propriate to the local climate, and of course beautiful,” Hammond says,

dening, but this gives me a whole different palette to work with.”

“but I’m afraid my ‘graphic’ garden style has left a lot of gardeners

To begin with, he says, “I want to turn the gardens around the home

fiercely and frustratedly clipping rounded shapes.” (Ironically, she now

into a showcase, so we’re creating more space, moving plants around,

lives in the high desert of the Southwest, where she grows only natives

and testing new ones that I want to introduce in the nursery.”

and enjoys gorgeous, naturally occurring mound-shaped shrubs such as chamisa and snakeweed.)

There’s a new emphasis on lushness, signified by the planting of more than 7,000 spring-blooming bulbs, at least ten new varieties

Hammond left behind a phenomenal 25-year-old ‘Buff Beauty’ stan-

of musk and floribunda roses, several clematis and hydrangea vines,

dard rose grown on its own rootstock; a magnificent collection of helle-

and a definite turn toward color with the introduction of low-growing

bores from around the world, including the rare Ballard strain; almost

perennials and annuals.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

A new slate-and-moss walkway leads to the home’s front entrance, where Donlan’s prized 65-year-old weeping conifer is prominently placed, along with selections from his personal bonsai collection and four beautiful varieties of daphne. Two new rose beds have been added on one side of the house—one filled with eight specimens from Hammond’s collection and the other

Donlan, and he plans to propagate and sell them in his Tiburon nursery as well as online. In a delightful twist, a garden once owned by a gardener who imported plants is now owned by a gardener poised to export them. “My business is going to be so much different five years from now,” Donlan adds. “I’ll be selling them all over the world.”

with eight of Donlan’s choices. Lilies and sculpture will soon enhance

Donlan’s vision is rooted in Hammond’s legacy of good soil and

the adjacent classical-shaped reflecting pool. Donlan finds the arrange-

good plants. And even though she says she is “a firm believer that a

ment so pleasing that he sometimes winds up ducking into a bedroom

garden cannot, or should not, survive its creator,” no doubt she will

just to glimpse the scene through the framing of the window.

be pleased with her garden as it takes shape today. It lives on, paying

Nearby, a family vegetable garden is in its second season. Donlan’s

tribute to her while rewarding the handiwork of its new tender. The

three young children help with the harvest of asparagus, artichokes,

growing field is bursting with young starts; truckloads of plants are

beans, broccoli, peas, and potatoes.

transported to Donlan’s nursery almost daily; on-site weekend plant

In a field area where a large hoop house has been erected, com-

sales are planned; and calendar dates are being set to rent the property

merce is under way. Here, along with an abundance of high-quality

as a venue for garden tours, photo shoots, outdoor parties, weddings,

organically grown perennials destined for his nursery, Donlan is propa-

and vacation stays.

gating many of the plants Hammond grew. Among them are her popu-

“Being able to share the garden Sarah was so passionate

lar apricot foxgloves; at least 20 varieties of roses grown on their own

about is the greatest,” says Donlan. “We come here almost every

rootstock currently unavailable on the market; and true species of eu-

day and spend all our time, sometimes until it’s too dark to see.

phorbias and hydrangeas. Keeping old varieties viable is important to

It’s our biggest toy.”

MARIN AUGUST 2006

NEW ZEALAND ADVENTURES Land of Kiwi’s and overwhelming hospitality STORY & PHOTOS ROBERT KAUFMAN

MARIN AUGUST 2006

J OU RNE Y

CRAMMED INTO A FOUR-SEAT GONDOLA CLIMBING precariously on what is said to be the steepest lift in the Southern Hemisphere, I gazed at the vista unfolding beneath me—a magnificent sweep of the city of Queenstown, the deep blue stillness of Lake Wakatipu, and beyond, the jagged uplift of the Remarkables, mountains whose name aptly describes New Zealand itself.

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Previous page: Cliffs at Cape Kidnappers. Clockwise from above: Overlooking Queenstown and the Remarkables; sheep herding in the North Island; Leading the parade in Arrowtown (near Queenstown); tramway in Christchurch

As we approached the 2,600-foot summit

who opened the first commercial bungee-

of the Skyline complex, my stomach felt in-

jumping site almost 20 years ago. It was a

tact, until I witnessed a daring mortal take a

Kiwi (Sir Edmund Hillary) who was the first

leap of faith and step into 1,300 feet of thin

to summit Mount Everest. It was a Kiwi (Jean

air strapped to a bungee harness. “Holy Kiwi,”

Batten) who, in 1936, piloted the first-ever

I thought to myself as the needle on my adven-

direct flight between New Zealand and England.

ture meter raced into the red zone, and I felt

Considering the New Zealand penchant for

quite content to stay right where I was.

soaring to such heights, it’s ironic the country’s

Still, that aerial thrill-seeking is just what

MARIN AUGUST 2006

national bird, the kiwi, doesn’t even fly!

epitomizes New Zealanders’ adventurous

After jetting 13 hours through double-

spirit. After all, it was a Kiwi (A.J. Hackett)

digit time zones from San Francisco on an

overnight Air New Zea land flight, resulting in

mote corner of the world with the dawn of a

a missed day and an entire lost season (de-

new day.

parted in spring, arrived in fall), I arrived for

New Z ealand and California have a lot in

a 12-day New Z ealand marathon visit rested

common. They are about the same siz e and

and pumped with adrenaline.

share much of the same geographic diversity—

As a multiseasonal destination, “the land

including a susceptibility to earthquakes. There

of the long white cloud” offers a plethora of

are literally two islands that make up New

heart-pounding activities—from kayaking to

Z ealand. The North Island is characteriz ed by

skiing, parachuting to mountain biking—to

rolling hills, steaming geothermal pools, a vol-

suit anyone’s cardiovascular condition and

canic plateau, and of lush dairy pastures. The

fear threshold. H ow apropos to greet this re-

South Island displays remnants of the ice age

“If it would not look too much like showing off, I would tell the reader where New Zealand is.” —MARK TWAIN

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Clockwise from above: Huka Jet at Huka Falls; Jet boat ride on the Dart River in Glenorchy (location for many ﬁlms); Overlooking Huka Falls and the Waikato River; Kauri Cliffs Golf Course at the Bay of Islands in the North Island

MARIN AUGUST 2006

in its Southern Alps, and 3 million acres of jag-

ten to one, and they have the right of way, as I

ged fjords carve up its coast, one of only two

found out during my drive to Cape Kidnappers

places in the world they can be viewed. Both

Golf Course in Hawkes Bay. Nearing the en-

islands share another intoxicating correlation

trance, I encountered roughly 800 woolly

with California: A microclimate that provides

creatures stampeding along the country road

ideal conditions for growing grapes and pro-

toward my car. As they were being shepherded

ducing wines.

from one paddock to another, all I could do

With only 4 million Kiwis on the islands

was stop the car and enjoy a spectacle that

and a third of those living in the largest city,

turned out to be the worst traffic jam I had to

Auckland, there’s a wealth of fertile terrain in

endure during my journey.

which to spread your wings. But you’d better

New Zealanders generally seem to greet

appreciate sheep. They outnumber the humans

this and other such daily vicissitudes with a

congeniality exceeded only by their neighborly

of wine before I could set my bags down. My

hospitality. Fortunately, I was the recipient at

adopted New Zealand family (courtesy of a

many different levels. In Kaitaia, the country’s

local Kiwi friend) in Christchurch provided me

northernmost town, Mark Rose, manager of the

with a bed, home-cooked meals, and a tour of

Carrington Resort and Karikari Estate Winery,

the countryside.

waited three hours for my late arrival at the

My ultimate Kiwi indulgence, though, was

airport’s only landing strip. A trip with Fernz

being allowed to masquerade as one of the

Eco Tours to the Kauri Rain Forest included a

handful of royalty and celebrities who have

stop at Fern’s home for afternoon tea. David

occupied the secluded four-bedroom Owner’s

(former chef for Rod Stewart) and Jan Rayner,

Cottage at the acclaimed Huka Lodge in Taupo

my hosts at the McHardy House bed and

on the banks of the Waikato River. I’m sure the

breakfast in Napier, indulged me with a glass

locks have been changed by now.

GETTING THERE From San Francisco to New Zealand Air New Zealand: airnewzealand.com United Air Lines: ual.com Quantas Air: quantas.com From Los Angeles to New Zealand Air Tahiti Nui: airtahitinui.com General travel information Tourism New Zealand: newzealand.com

MARIN AUGUST 2006

W I N E CO UNT RY

Warm Summer Nights Galas, concerts, and festivals highlight the season

BY KATHERINE MARTIN

LUXURIOUSLY WARM DAYS and soothingly

Wine Country is known for its charitable

temperate nights make August an ideal time

tendencies and late summer is chock-full of

to visit Wine Country; hence the explosion of

chances to give back while indulging yourself

outdoor gala events, concerts, and festivals

with baronial zest. Perhaps the most glamor-

happening all over the region. If you’re willing

ous of all such events is the V Foundation

to rub elbows with eager oenophiles originat-

Wine Celebration (415.482.0558; winecel-

ing everywhere from Tulsa to Tokyo, you’ll find

ebration.com) on August 11 and 12, a glitzy,

every tasting room, restaurant, and wine shop

star-studded affair that’s especially attractive to

humming with activity. You might even spot a

sports enthusiasts, since it was founded in hon-

few locals sipping a cold glass of Pinot Grigio

or of sportscaster Jim Valvano before his death

on the patio at Don Giovanni (which after a

from cancer in 1993. The proceeds go to can-

spirited game of bocce is a perfect August pas-

cer research, and the event, which includes a

time, by the way).

dinner, auction, and weekend at the Villagio, is

1/2 HORIZONAL

MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

both elegant and emotional. Look to your right

Mozart, a bottle of wine, and thou—okay, that

whirl above your heads in an afternoon of avi-

and you’re likely to see a famous athlete. Also

may not be the exact phrase, but it sounds like

ation antics. Also a fave among the male co-

on the radar for guilt-free gluttony and pad-

a good plan to me and an atmospheric summer

horts: Sonoma’s Ravenswood Winery grilling

dle-waving: Hands Across the Valley at the

outing for couples. Another hot ticket: musical

parties (888.NO.WIMPY; ravenswood-wine.

newly minted Rubicon Estates (once Niebaum-

picnics at Napa’s Lyman Park (707.963.4456).

com). On August 5, they’re throwing a Sonoma

Coppola) on August 26 (707.226.6136; hand-

The concerts are free, families bring a basket full

Luau replete with pig roast, live local entertain-

sacrossthevalley.com) and Nights of the

of bounty and spread out, and you’ll be jamming

ment, and of course, the Zin that helped put

Alhambra at Michel-Schlumberger on August

to bluegrass, rock, and more en plein air. This is

Sonoma on the map. Lastly, if you’ve always

5 (707.524.8700; www.michelschlumberger.

a highly authentic local activity, so if you want

dreamed of being a bubbly winemaker but are

com). I love the idea of spending a Healdsburg

to see who really lives here, check it out. Finally,

not insane enough to take the pricey plunge,

night flamenco-dancing, eating tapas, and bid-

regardless of age, you’ll want to catch legendary

head off to Camp Schramsberg August 27 to

ding like a maniac under the stars. Lots are

easy crooner Gordon Lightfoot in Santa Rosa on

29 (707.942.4558; schramsberg.com). You’ll

food, wine, travel, and music oriented.

August 23 (707.546.3600; lbc.net). Lightfoot

spend three days with the winemaker and win-

Outdoor music buffs will literally implode

to me immediately evokes lazy summer days

ery chef learning the ins and outs of sparkling

with the offerings in vino country this month;

and the inclination to pass out in a lawn chair.

wine making, food pairing, and everything else

add in the abundance of outdoor venues, food,

A few other eclectic events in the area this

you can attempt to focus on while imbibing

and wine, and you’ll find a hearty local crowd.

month are not to be missed. How many times

the luxurious libation. This workshop is very

Plan ahead and buy tickets ASAP, as concerts sell

have you dragged your man through shops in

popular; book early.

out up here. The first on the radar: Music in

St. Helena and Healdsburg? Throw him a bone

August is about getting out and indulg-

the Vineyards in Napa (707.255.5445; jarvis-

and take him to the August 19 and 20 Wings

ing in the beautiful scenery and buzzing scene

conservatory.com), a three-week celebration of

Over Wine Country Air Show in Santa Rosa

here. It’s busy with tourists but the energy is

Mozart’s greatest works, held at vineyards like

(707.575.7900; pacificcoastairmuseum.

fun, making a Wine Country foray an easy

V. Sattui and Silverado, starting on August 26.

org). Historic planes and modern machines

summer selection.

1/2 HORIZONAL

Welcome to your dream home without changing your address

Luxury Renovation • Quality Cost Control • Punctuality 415-925-8585 • proyo@royoco.com California Contractors License #631878

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN AUGUST 2006

HA N S O N G A LLERY S AU S AL I TO presents

Mackenzie Thorpe

The Innocent

serigraph on paper - 24 x 33.5

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Artist’s Reception - Saturday, August 12, 2006 6-9 PM A portion of the net proceeds will be donated to the Family Service Agency of Marin Please RSVP to Hanson Gallery. Exhibition runs through September 30, 2006 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

In the Land of a Dream original pastel on paper - 30 x 33

Skipping hand painted resin sculpture 15.25 x 8.75 x 6

Sitting on Love hand painted resin sculpture 15 x 12 x 7

It’s Only Love original pastel on paper - 36 x 50

GA L L E RI E S

Cementing a Sense of Place Galleries along the bay highlight location, location, location BY ANNE CRUMP RAY

ausalito native Christopher Holbrook

drinks, or even your dog,” Holbrook says. The

repurposed into functional and decorative

opened the doors of Studio 333 three

idea was to create a vibrant and inviting com-

elements.

years ago to help ﬁll a perceived void

munity resource: “You can enjoy the ambience

Fittingly, Studio 333’s August exhibition

and enjoy seeing the work in the gallery even

celebrates the creative transformation of

if you’re not looking to buy anything.”

everyday items into art, featuring a selection

in the cultural landscape. “Sausalito, Mill Valley, and other places in the area used to be real artists’ communities

While the centerpiece of Studio 333 is its

of “junk art” and works that make use of found

where everyone knew each other and there

gallery/showroom, it also houses a number

objects. The exhibition runs throughout August

were a lot of funky, cool things going on,”

of artist studios and hosts classes and art

and will be included in the monthly Sausalito

Holbrook says. In recent years, however, he

camps taught by local artists. (An updated

Art Walk from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on August 9.

had detected a change. Looking to harness

schedule of upcoming classes and camp ses-

“I love being able to be a part of art,

the creative energy that hums in his hometown

sions is available on the gallery’s website.)

hanging work and curating shows,” says

and share it with others, he bought a 4,600-

A furniture designer who got involved in

Holbrook. He also relishes the opportunity

square-foot warehouse on Caledonia Street

making art “by accident”—he has no formal

to discover and showcase the broad array of

and transformed it into a gallery, furniture

training—Holbrook is inspired by art’s ability

artists practicing in the Bay Area. “Everyone

showroom, and creative arts hub that serves

to help people see the world around them

has his or her own taste, but I respect and

artists, art lovers, and the as-yet-uninitiated.

differently. His own designs frequently in-

appreciate every artist’s work.”

“This is not an uptight place; it’s a commu-

corporate discarded materials, such as old

nity space. You can wander in here with food,

car and truck parts, that are recycled and

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Studio 333, 333A Caledonia St., Sausalito, 415.331.8272, studio333.info; 10–5 daily MARIN AUGUST 2006

Page 87: Gail Pierce, Visions in Wine digital photo printed on watercolor paper, 16” x 20” at Studio 333. This page: Barbara Lawrence, French Lavender, Oil on Canvas, 36” x 36” at the Painter’s Place; Ken Rosenthal, Missing # ZN-52-10, 2006, split-toned silver gelatin print, 20” x 16” at Dolby Chadwick Gallery.

summer’s selection presents interesting examples of how the artist translates his distinct style to photography and offers a more revealing glimpse inside his process—or at least the suggestion of such. Each of Rosenthal’s eerily beautiful gelatin prints is a unique work of art, thanks to the elaborate hand-toning the artist employs in the printing process. His dark, enigmatic pictures have garnered international attention and representation in such collections as the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. This is the first he Painter’s Place in Larkspur has a

(Her work also will appear in the upcoming

presentation of his work at Dolby Chadwick (a

reputation for ﬁrst-rate ﬁne-art fram-

Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival and the Marin

solo show is planned there for later this year).

ing and restoration, but its dedica-

Designers Showcase, both in September.)

tion to art extends beyond professional ser-

The exhibition runs August 1 through 31

ing artist from the Bay Area whose fantasti-

vices. The business, which has branches in

in Larkspur. The gallery hosts a public re-

cal, often whimsical photographs showcase

Berkeley and San Francisco, also plays the

ception for the artist from 6 to 8 p.m. on

creative compositions and a burgeoning skill

role of art gallery, hosting regular exhibi-

Thursday, August 3.

behind the lens.

tions by local artists. “Our commitment to art is serious,” says owner Matt Painter, son of Painter’s Place

The Painter’s Place, 1139 Magnolia Ave.,

In a city where ﬁlm-noirish fog rolls across

Larkspur, 415.461.0351, thepaintersplace.com;

the bay every summer evening, A Dream

10–5:30 Mon–Sat, closed Sun

Half-Remembered is a decidedly apt way to

founder Stan Painter. The senior Painter, a lifelong art aﬁcionado, started the business in 1966 after 11 years in the corporate world; it gave him a way to support his own art

while away the last days of the season.

olby Chadwick Gallery in down-

Dolby Chadwick Gallery, 210 Post St.,

town San Francisco commemo-

Suite 205, San Francisco, 415.956.3560,

rates the waning days of summer

dolbychadwickgallery.com; 10–6 Tues–Fri, 11–5

habit while enriching the cultural fabric of

with a fog-ﬁlled exhibition titled A Dream Half

the community. Today Matt Painter contin-

Remembered, on view from early July through

ues the tradition, presenting a changing ar-

September 1. Featuring black-and-white pho-

ray of solo and group shows at the Larkspur

tographs by three artists from the Bay Area

location under the direction of Krystal Allen.

and beyond—Alex Kanevsky, Ken Rosenthal,

“We’ve lost many small galleries in recent

and Noah Wilson—the exhibition highlights

years, so we want to enliven the gallery side

the mysterious, the hazy, and the dreamlike.

of the business,” Allen says.

work evokes Gerhard Richter and Lucien

and pastels by Barbara Lawrence. A Marin-

Freud, Philadelphia-based Kanevsky expands

based artist and teacher, Lawrence creates

his mesmerizing investigation of motion with

impressionist-style pieces that highlight her

painterly images captured on ﬁlm. For viewers

love of the land—particularly the landscapes

familiar with Kanevsky’s paintings, which have

of Marin, Sonoma, and the south of France.

appeared previously at Dolby Chadwick, this

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Sat, closed Sun–Mon

Best known as an exquisite painter whose

In August, the gallery features paintings

Rounding out the trio, Wilson is an emerg-

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Robert Beck Gallery California Plein Air Paintings • 1900’s to Contemporary

Mark Mohler

End of the Line

222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94960

Tim Weldon “Soul Food” 30”x30” Mixed Media

Asian Antiques

oil on canvas board

(415) 456-7898 (415) 706-2174 (415) 456-7314 fax

“Lost in Heaven”

Copper Art for Doors and Installations

www.DanaDraper.com ﬁne art wedding photography

(415) 383-7213

415.927.4642 www.bellaimago.com

Sausalito Art Festival • Exhibiting Artist Sept. 1-4, 2006 Booth #304

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN AUGUST 2006

CA LE N DAR

AUGUST 2006 Thru August 27 The Light in the Piazza This romantic musical tells a story of true love unexpectedly found while vacationing. Orpheum Theatre (SF). 415.551.2020, shnsf.com

Thru September 2 A Chorus Line The longest–running American musical in Broadway history chronicles the lives and labor of Broadway dancers. The Curran Theatre (SF). 415.551.2000, shnsf.com

August 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 A Flea in Her Ear A suspicious wife’s schemes go wrong in this classic French farce. Presented by the Dance Palace Summer Stock Players (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

August 17–19 Roadside Daisies will be performing at Larkspur Cafe August 24th.

THEATER Thru August 5 Rent The critically acclaimed Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning Broadway musical (recently ﬁlmed here in the Bay Area) returns to San Francisco. Golden Gate Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

Thru August 13 Li’l Abner Al Capp’s cartoon characters come to life in this season opener. Presented by 42nd Street Moon (SF). 415.255.8207, 42ndstmoon.org

Thru August 20 King Lear Ashland Shakespeare Festival veteran Barry Kraft plays the signature role in this well-known drama of sex, revenge, and madness. Presented by the Marin Shakespeare Company (San Rafael). 415.499.4488, marinshakespeare.org

Alice in Wonderland Escape down the rabbit hole and join Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter in this original adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s tale. Presented by the Marin Shakespeare Company (San Rafael). 415.499.4488, marinshakespeare.org 90

MARIN AUGUST 2006

COMEDY

Thru August 20

August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Over My Dead Body The Ross Valley Players continue their 76th season with a comedy by Michael Sutton and Anthony Fingleton. The Barn Theatre (Ross). 415.456.9555, rossvalleyplayers.org

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 up-and-coming comics work on new material. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, 142throckmortontheatre.com

Thru August 26 Thru August 20

Super Vision This performing arts season opener with multimedia theater group the Builders Association and hightech ad agency dbox explores the dangers and potential consequences of living in the technological revolution. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

1906: A Journey Through the Mythical City Using music and dance, Velocity Circus will take you on a tour of San Francisco history from the time of the Native Americans and the Gold Rush to the 1906 earthquake. Theatre 39 at Pier 39 (SF). 415.433.3939, gregangelo.com

MUSIC August 3 Ian Anderson A founding member of the rock band Jethro Tull, Anderson is also MARINMAGAZINE.COM

considered to be the authority on the rockstyle ﬂute. The event will feature the band’s well-known songs with an acoustic rock trio, and accompaniment by Marin’s Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. Marin Center (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

August 4 Ring of Fire San Anselmo resident Rusty Evans and his three-piece band pay tribute to the legendary Johnny Cash with songs like “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” Larkspur Cafe Theatre (Larkspur). 415.924.6107, larkspurcafetheatre.com

August 4 & 6 Cimarosa’s II Matrimonio Segreto Sibling rivalry and a secret marriage take place on a set replicating a stunning estate during the Great Depression. Performed by the San Francisco Opera, Cowell Theater at Fort Mason (SF). 415.864.3330, sfopera.com

August 5 Summer Nights Series Learn Latin dance moves from the professionals and then groove to the sounds of Quetzal, a mix of African, indigenous, and Spanish rhythms. Osher Marin Jewish Community Center (Marin). 415.444.8000, marinjcc.org

GALLERIES

Music Festival. The Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

MARIN

August 19 The Tender Land Aaron Copland’s opera about a young girl looking for life outside her farm surroundings as she graduates from high school, performed for the West Marin Music Festival. The Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

Art Works Downtown Anne Wienholt, Painting & Sculpture This local artist’s work is on display August 10– September 28. 1337 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.451.8119, artworksdowntown.org

Claudia Chapline Gallery August 20 Na Leo Nahenahe, the San Francisco Hawaiian Chorus Preserving Hawaiian language, culture, and song through music. Mount Tamalpais United Methodist Church (Mill Valley). 415.383.1710, naleosf.com

August 24 Roadside Daisies This Sonoma/Bay Area– based quintet creates sounds reminiscent of Zap Mama and the musical genius of REM. Larkspur Cafe Theatre (Larkspur). 415.924.6107, larkspurcafetheatre.com

August 25 Mike Greensill and Wesla Whitﬁeld Enjoy an unforgettable evening of jazz with classically trained Whitﬁeld and local jazz musician Greensill. The Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

Running Fence: Recycled, California artists, from Marin and Sonoma, have made ﬁne art from the panels of Christo’s famous 24 1/2mile-long, 18-foot-high fence of white fabric across the hills of Northern California; August 4–September 5 with a reception August 5. 3445 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach. 415.868.2308, cchapline.com

Donna Seager Gallery (CFA) New Works by Gallery Artists. The gallery puts its best foot forward in August, showing a selection of best examples by gallery artists. Kay Bradner, Joe Brubaker, Lisa Kokin, Aondrea Maynard, and more. 851 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.454.4229, donnaseagergallery.com

Edith Caldwell Gallery An overview of contemporary realism

August 11 Bill Bell This jazz pianist and recently retired professor of jazz plays music from his current album. Larkspur Cafe Theatre (Larkspur). 415.924.6107, larkspurcafetheatre.com

August 13 A King & Queen’s Legacy Hula On! Productions and Hula Halau Na Pua O Ka La Akea present the life of King Kalakaua and Queen Lili’Uokalani through the art of hula and storytelling. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, co.marin.ca.us

August 17 Yakshi Former San Rafael neighbors, sarod-playing Lisa Sangita Moskow and Romanian guitarist Mihai Manoliu, blend of East and West music. Asian Art Museum (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

August 18 Joe Bloom and Robert Howard The duo performs works by Bach, Schumann, and Chopin on the piano and cello for the West Marin MARINMAGAZINE.COM

A King & Queen’s Legacy by Hula On!, at the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, August 13. MARIN AUGUST 2006

Robert Beck Gallery Ongoing exhibits including California plein air paintings and Asian art. 222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.456.7898

Robert Green Fine Arts Group Show Paintings by Sam Francis, John Grillo, Paul Jenkins, and Ed Moses, thru August. 154 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.381.8776, rgﬁnearts.com

Studio 333 Found Object and Metal Art Show Bay Area artists display their work, thru August. Check out local artists’ work at 25 area businesses during Art Walk on August 9. 333A Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.8272, studio333.info

William Lester Gallery Plein Air Landscape Paintings by Timothy Horn, August 4–28. 11101 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.9365, williamlestergallery.com

SAN FRANCISCO

ArtHaus Cherries Jubilee An exhibition featuring surrealistic work by Ricardo Carbajal Moss. 411 Brannan St, 415.977.0223, arthaus-sf.com Restaurant 1, oil on canvas, 78” x 78”, Laurie Curran at Garzoli Gallery

Caldwell Snyder Gallery through paintings and drawings with artists John Gibson, Karen Horn, Alan Magee, Susan Manchester, and Philip Michelson. 819 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.331.5003, edithcaldwell.com

Hanson Gallery Mackenzie Thorpe, Saturdays thru August 12. 669 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.332.1815, hansongallerysa.com

Creativity Explored Marin Society of Artists

Gallery Bergelli Work by Chilean artists Matias Pinto D’Aguiar and Carlos Catasse. 483 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.945.9454, gallerybergelli.com

Gallery Route One The Magic Box Show Simple pine boxes, transformed into works of art by 150 artists, are up for bid at this fundraiser to support the nonproﬁt gallery; August 4–September 10. 11101 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1347, galleryrouteone.org

Garzoli Gallery Ongoing exhibits and artist Laurie Curran, thru August. 930 B St, San Rafael. 415.459.4321, garzoligallery.com 92

MARIN AUGUST 2006

Recent Acquisitions featuring David Hockney, Sam Francis, and more, thru August 21. 341 Sutter St, 415.296.7896, caldwellsnyder.com

Open Fine Art Show. Northern California artists present their work in a show juried by Carol Levy, Jerry Stipt, and Elizabeth Zimmerman, thru August 20. Member artists present their work for rent or sale at the Fall Rental Show, August 27–September 24. Marin Art and Garden Center, Ross. 415.454.9561, marinsocietyofartists.org

O’Hanlon Center for the Arts New Works by Monjett Graham and Nature Revisited: Photographs by Elena Sheehan. Recently completed paintings by O’Hanlon member artist Monjett and images by member artist Sheehan on display, thru August. 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.4331, ohanloncenter.org

Nature Rules A group of remarkable artists, from a wide range of backgrounds, use visual art to share their experiences and emotions, thru August 10. 3425 16th St, 415.863.2108, creativityexplored.org

Fraenkel Gallery Several Exceptionally Good Recently Acquired Pictures XV An annual group show featuring photography, thru August 12. 49 Geary St, 415.981.2661, fraenkelgallery.com

Gallery Paule Anglim Andrew Masullo and Richard Overstreet Separate shows by these two local artists, August 2–26. 14 Geary St, 415.433.2710, gallerypauleanglim.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

George Krevsky Gallery Jack Levine: Works on Paper On display August 3–September 9. 77 Geary St, 415.397.9748, georgekrevskygallery.com

Gregory Lind Gallery Benicia/Martinez, California Photographs by Daniel Cheek and The Chimney Sweep’s Dream sculpture by Daniel Turner, thru August 19 with a reception August 3. 49 Geary St, 415.296.9661, gregorylindgallery.com

Hackett-Freedman Gallery Raimonds Staprans: 50 Years This exhibition features important works from the Bay Area painter, teacher, and playwright; including works that have been in the artist’s personal collection for years, thru September 2. 250 Sutter St, 415.362.7152, hackettfreedman.com

2006/07 Season One

program October 8 & 10, 2006 Alasdair Neale, conductor • Orli Shaham, piano ROSSINI: Overture to The Thieving Magpie GRIEG: Piano Concerto RESPIGHI: The Fountains of Rome RESPIGHI: The Pines of Rome

Two

program November 5 & 7, 2006 Alasdair Neale, conductor • Jenny Koh, violin DAVIES: An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”

Hang Art and Hang Art Annex Here and There Work by artist Jose Arenas on display at Hang Art; Alchemy A group show including Jenny Balisle, Robert Donald, Ann Eby, and more at Hang Art Annex; both shows beginning August 3. 556 & 567 Sutter St, 415.434.4264, hangart.com

Jack Hanley Gallery As the Stars Go By Anna Vonmertens work on display, August 5–September 2. 395/389 Valencia St, 415.522.1623, jackhanley.com

Three

program January 28 & 30, 2007 Alasdair Neale, conductor • Orion Weiss, piano

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VASKS: World Premiere MOZART: Symphony No. 35, “Haffner” RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3

Four

program February 25 & 27, 2007 Alasdair Neale, conductor • Todd Palmer, clarinet KODÁLY: Galanta Dance GOLIJOV: The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7

John Berggruen Gallery Group Exhibition Artists show modern and contemporary work, thru August. 228 Grant Ave, 415.781.4629, berggruen.com

John Pence Gallery Tony Curanaj This New York artist has just been selected to join the gallery. He presents 30 of his recently completed oil paintings, thru August 12. 750 Post St, 415.441.1138, johnpence.com

Meyerovich Gallery Picasso & Miro: Spanish Masters Rare states of aquatints, lithographs, and etchings on paper, thru August. Helen Frankenthaler & Frank Stella: New Acquisitions Works on paper from the ‘80s and ‘90s, thru September 9. Contemporary American Masters Mixed media work by Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Sultan, Richard Serra, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, and Terry Winters, thru August. 251 Post St, 415.421.7171, meyerovich.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Five

program March 25 & 27, 2007 Alasdair Neale, conductor • Marin Symphony Chorus DURUFLÉ: Requiem VOLKERT: Song of the Sea DEBUSSY: La Mer

Six

program April 29 & May 1, 2007 Alasdair Neale, conductor • Rebecca Evans, soprano STRAUSS: Wind Serenade STRAUSS: Four Last Songs STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben

SUBSCRIPTION PRICES 6-20% Subscriber Savings vs. Single Tickets # Concerts: 6 Sec. I $365 Sec. II $280 Sec. III $150 Savings 20%**

5 $325 $250 $135 16%**

3* $185 $140 $75 6%

*new subscribers **with companion ticket

To subscribe: 415.479.8100. Call to discuss seating options and subscriber beneﬁts. Single tickets: $65, $50 and $27, students half price. Call 415.499.6800.

Concerts: 7:30pm, Marin Center, San Rafael • Programs and Artists Subject to Change

4 1 5 . 4 7 9 . 8 10 0 • w w w. ma ri n s y mp h o ny. o rg MARIN AUGUST 2006

Free Light 1/3 VERTICAL

Paul Thiebaud Recent completed paintings by Tom Birkner, thru August 12. 718 Columbus Ave, 415.434.3055, paulthiebaudgallery.com

produced.” The exhibit includes 60 quilts made by 42 African American women in Alabama between 1930 and 2000; on display thru November 26 (SF). 415.863.3330, thinker.org/deyoung

Rena Bransten Gallery Furnishing Assumptions A group show using media including painting, photography, and sculpture. Showcasing artists who have used furniture as a means to debate various topics, thru August 19. Los Perros Paintings Rupert Garcia, thru August 19. 77 Geary St., 415.982.3292, renabranstengallery.com

di Rosa Preserve The Collection in Context: Bay Area Figurative Art Work from California artists from the Bay Area ﬁgurative movement on display, thru September 23 (Napa). 707.226.5991, dirosapreserve.org

Legion of Honor

MUSEUMS MARIN

European Tapestries from the Permanent Collection Selected works in wool, silk, and even gold from the Fine Arts Museums’ collection, thru October 2 (SF). 415.863.3330, legionofhonor.org

Bolinas Museum

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Main Gallery will be featuring FOCUS: John Francis curated by Dieter Tremp. Photography Gallery will be featuring David Robinson, thru August 13 (Bolinas). 415.868.0330, bolinasmuseum.org

Museum of Craft & Folk Art

Marin Museum of the American Indian

SFMOMA

Contemporary kachina dolls, headpieces, sculptures, a tool sculpture series, and more by Mooshka, thru August 19. Miwok Park (Novato). 415.897.4064, marinindian.com

Family Day A day ﬁlled with activities for all ages to celebrate the opening of A Menagerie: Artists Look at Animals, August 5 (SF). 415.227.4888, mocfa.org

The Art of Design: The Architecture and Design Collection An installation of 26 contemporary rock posters by design studio Urban Inks and artist Rex Ray, on display thru September 5 (SF). 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org

B AY A R E A

YBCA Asian Art Museum

• Installed in about 2 hours • Guaranteed 100% waterproof • Starting at $585 fully installed • No heat gain • Federal tax credit available Call Now to Receive a FREE Naturalight DVD and Daylight Analysis of Your Home or Business 707.527.5330 • www.naturalight.org

A Curious Affair: The Fascination Between East & West Explore the relationship between East and West as it is shown in paintings, ceramics, furniture, and other decorative arts from the museum and Bay Area collections; thru September 3 (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

COPIA Dishing It Out: Career Waitresses Across the USA Candacy Taylor has documented waitresses around the country through interviews and photographs, showing how important they are to the community; on display thru September 11 (Napa). 888.512.6742, copia.org

MARIN AUGUST 2006

FAMILIES/KIDS MARIN

Thru October 7 Film Night in the Park Catch one of the classic, cult, or family ﬁlms being shown outdoors in San Francisco and Marin. Check website for venue information (SF/Marin). 415.453.4333, ﬁlmnight.org

de Young The Quilts of Gee’s Bend Don’t miss your ﬁnal chance to see an exhibition the New York Times calls, “some of the most miraculous works of art America has ever

Cosmic Wonder Emerging artists’ work is put side by side with work from their predecessors, all paying respect to the psychedelic era of the ‘60s; on display thru November 5 (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

August 2 Sandi Sylver Kids and adults will love this ventriloquist and her storytelling skills. Marin City Library (Marin). 415.332.6157, co.marin.ca.us MARINMAGAZINE.COM

B AY A R E A

August 1 SoMa National Night Out Bring the entire family and catch an outdoor movie, get a group portrait, have a bike repaired, and listen to youth spoken word. Yerba Buena Gardens (SF). 415.543.1718, ybgf.org

in contact with frogs, salamanders, and insects. California Academy of Sciences (SF). 415.321.8000, calacademy.org

August 5 & 6 Fisher Price Play Space and Power Wheels Kids will have a great time in this giant play area and cool driving track. San Francisco Zoo (SF). 415.753.7073, sfzoo.org

August 1 Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesha’s Birthday) Create your very own Ganesha statue, and watch a performance by members of Pallavi Dance to help commemorate the big day. Asian Art Museum (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

August 19 Physics of Toys: The Toys of Summer Get ready to create your own air rockets, jinglejumps, and other outdoor gadgets in an interactive laboratory. Exploratorium (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu

August 4–6 Rubik’s Cube Championships Test your own brain power or watch the nation’s best compete for the title of United States Champion. Exploratorium (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu/rubiks2006

Thru August 6 HOTSPOT: California on the Edge Explore California’s unique biodiversity as you come

EVENTS Thru August M.O.M. Club Sign up for the Mothers of Marin club at the Corte Madera Village concierge every Monday at 9:30 a.m. in front of Gymboree in the Village at Corte Madera (Corte Madera). 415.924.8921, villageatcortemadera.com

Nature Rules, a show by Creativity Explored at 3425 16th Street in San Francisco

Thru August The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill Catch a screening of this award-winning documentary about a man’s unique relationship with a

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All Seasons

A C A T E R I N G C O M P A N Y 201 Seminary Drive • Mill Valley, CA • 94941 tel: 415.383.9355 • www.allseasonscatering.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN AUGUST 2006

ﬂock of parrots in San Francisco. Theatre 39 on Pier 39 (SF). 415.433.3939, pier39.com

Fridays thru August 25 Jazz & Blues by the Bay Listen to local musicians, enjoy good food, and hang with friends at this weekly celebration. Bring your own blanket and low beach chairs (Sausalito). 415.289.4152, ci.sausalito.ca.us

August 1 Bonsai Auction Don’t miss a chance to bid on trees, pots, books, and tools from members of the Marin Bonsai Club and a special estate clearance. Marin Art and Garden Center (Ross). 415.491.1989, marinbonsai.org

August 4 Ancient Hidden Writings of Greek Mathematician Archimedes Ancient Greek letters and diagrams will be revealed for the ﬁrst time in 1,000 years by an intense X-ray beam in a live webcast. Bring your popcorn and get a good seat. Exploratorium (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu/archimedes

August 4 Art for AIDS Auction Bid on art to beneﬁt the AIDS Health Project at this tenth annual event. Bonhams & Butterﬁelds (SF). 415.502.7276, artforaids.org/home.asp

neighbors, sponsored by the San Francisco Zoo. Bring your own sunscreen; gloves and bags will be provided. Fulton St and the Great Hwy (SF). 415.753.7073, sfzoo.org

August 19 August 5 Marin Century Bike Event Push your limits and enter the 30, 60, 100, 130, or 200 mile event! Proceeds go to local high school bike teams and other worthy causes. Vallecito School (San Rafael). marincyclists.com

Great American Blues and BBQ Festival Get down with some of the best blues artists in the Bay Area. Annual festival by House of Blues Band. Fourth St between Lootens and A St (San Rafael). 415.383.3470, teamproevent.com

August 19 & 20 August 5–7 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Don’t miss the 26th anniversary of the festival and your chance to see more than 15 independent ﬁlms from around the world, presenting views of contemporary Jewish identity. Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center (San Rafael). 925.275.9490, sfjff.org

Antique and Collectors’ Show Treasure hunters, be prepared for this show, there’s something for every type of collector— ﬁne art, china, toys, and Art Deco, just to name a few. Marin Center (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS

August 6

August 8

Ocean Beach Cleanup Give the earth a little love and help out our marine wildlife-

Traveling Abroad? Learn how to stay healthy at this free lecture offering infor-

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

mation about immunizations, safe food and water practices, cultural sensitivity abroad, and other wellness issues, presented by Joseph Habis, M.D. Terra Linda Health Plaza (San Rafael). 415.492.3333, primamedgroup.com

of fashion returns for its third year of celebrating local design talent such as Colleen Quen, Cari Borja, and Erin Mahoney. The opening night gala includes a beneﬁt for the National AIDS Memorial Grove. San Francisco Design Center (SF). fashionweek-sf.com

August 16 Travel Writing Intensive Boost your journalism skills and spend the day exploring San Francisco Bay and write about your discoveries with Lonely Planet Global Travel Editor Don George. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 800.999.7909, ext. 233, bookpassage.com

August 26 Docent Slide Talk A Curious Affair: The Fascination Between East and West Learn from the best at the Asian Art Museum as docent lecturers speak about the exchange of ideas between East and West that inﬂuenced art and design. Asian Art Museum (San Francisco). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

August 23-27 San Francisco Fashion Week A week full

RE TAIL T H ERA PY August 1st Goodnite Moon 10th Anniversary Sale begins. 10% off all furniture and accessories for a child’s home. Town Center (Corte Madera). 415.945.0677, goodnitemoon.com

WALKS/TALKS August 11 Ongoing Sonoma History Local actor George Webber morphs into Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. Join him on this 50-minute walking walking tour, as he retells the history of Sonoma through Twain’s eyes; speciﬁc dates for these events can be found on the website (Sonoma). 707.694.5097, georgewebber.com

August 26 Shorebirds of Abbotts Lagoon Hike with your guide to Abbotts Lagoon and learn how to identify shorebirds that have traveled from their Arctic breeding grounds (Point Reyes). 415.663.1200, ptreyes.org

Green Apples Anniversary Party Sip champagne and vodka-sake cocktails and nibble on Sushi Ran appetizers at the Seven Year Itch party for this hip women’s boutique anniversary and website launch (Sausalito). 415.331.8227

August 16 Wine Class Bubbly expert Jeannie Lacombe hosts an evening of champagne and sparkling wine tasting set in a casual (but festive) environment at MatrixFillmore, presented by PlumpJack (SF). 415.346.9870, plumpjack.com

HAMILTON INK PUBLICITY & MEDIA RELATIONS

Hamilton Ink Media & Public Relations specializes in public relations for arts and entertainment, events, and businesses, who want to broaden their visibility through print, radio and television. Known for our hands-on approach, we help create and develop an effective media plan by working closely with you, our client, to help you realize your goals and enhance your brand.

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Seuss Exhibit at Hanson Gallery, Sausalito

Grand National Rodeo

Marin County Fair

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Mill Valley Film Festival

Oktoberfest

SF Rod, Custom & Motorcycle Show

Youth in Arts Italian Street Painting Festival

415-381-8198 T i 415-381-3319 F i Publicity@HamiltonInkpr.com i HamiltonInkpr.com 250 Camino Alto, Suite 200, Mill Valley, CA 94941

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

2 0 , 0 0 0 W O R K S O F A R T, F I N E W I N E , G O U R M E T F O O D S , 3 0 P E R F O R M E R S O N 3 S T A G E S , C H I L D R E N ’ S A C T I V I T I E S No pets, please • Directions: Take Sausalito/Marin City exit off Highway 101 on the north side of town, head south and follow the signs

54TH ANNUAL ALL LABOR DAY WEEKEND F R I D A Y September 1, 2006

S A T U R D A Y - M O N D A Y September 2 - 4, 2006

SINGAPORE FLING

Eddie Money, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ten Years After, The Lovemakers, Jackie Greene, and many more...

An Asian night of Music & Dancing with sumptuous dining by Celebrity Caterer Dan McCall

Saturday & Sunday 9-6, Monday 9-5 • Adults $20, Seniors $10, 6-12 $5, under 6 Free • In Marinship Park and The Army Corps of Engineers – Bay Model Visitor Center Info: 415-331-3757 • Gala Tickets: 415-331-3738 • Advance Tickets: 415-705-5555 or www.telesails.com • www.sausalitoartfestival.org

FL AVOR

POGGIO Sausalito’s distinctive ode to Italian cuisine Baccalà alla livornese al forno

BY ERIKA LENKERT PHOTOS SASHA GULISH

F THE BAY AREA IS KNOWN to be short

sidewalk seating, blooming planters, and the

on great Italian food and Marin is reputed

waterfront across busy Bridgeway.

to be lacking great restaurants in general,

Inside and out, the space reflects the lei-

it must have been a shock when in 2004 the

surely ambience of Italy’s trattorias, where a

only local restaurant dubbed one of the na-

meal is not a quick break between appoint-

tion’s top newcomers by Esquire magazine was

ments but a relaxed and cherished event.

Sausalito’s Northern Italian trattoria Poggio.

Enhancing the desire to linger is the fact that

Nearly two years later, the marina-front desti-

quiet conversation is actually possible, despite

nation is still going strong, with new chef Peter

the proximity of large parties who are easily,

McNee at the helm.

and often, accommodated.

Poggio hasn’t changed its look since it

It is not by chance that Poggio gets the

opened in late 2003. Nestled at the base of the

scenic details right. When owner Larry Mindel

Casa Madrona hotel, the dining room evokes

set out to design his dream restaurant, the vet-

Italian architecture with archways that divide

eran behind Il Fornaio and Prego knew what he

the spacious room, marble and terra-cotta

wanted and what worked. For his ultimate ode

underfoot, and enough mahogany to make

to Italian cuisine he hired chef Chris Fernandez

corporate lawyers and Italian grandmas feel

to oversee the rustic and authentic menu featur-

right at home. Floor-to-ceiling doors open to

ing pizza, pasta, and wood-oven and spit-roasted

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Peter McNee picking fresh herbs

MARIN AUGUST 2006

DISH BY GRACEANN WALDEN Tony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential) blew through the Bay Area promoting his latest tome, The Nasty Bits. He attended a book signing–dinner at Larkspur’s Left Bank and spoke at the Commonwealth Club of California in a talk moderated by yours truly. The always blunt Bourdain said the Food Network’s new shows feature bobble heads now that he, Sara Moulton, and Mario Batali haven’t been renewed. . . The Bay Area’s own Joanne Weir has a new 26-part cooking series in which she will guide a student through a hands-on cooking lesson in each show. It debuts August 19 on PBS. . .Taste of the month: The Falafel Hut, at 1109 Fourth Street in San Rafael, has added a yummy lamb-beef shawerma ($6.95). It’s lavash bread stuffed with slices of marinated lamb and beef, ﬂavored onions, broiled tomatoes. . . Part of Mill Valley’s culinary maﬁa, Laurent Manrique (Aqua, et al.) and Gerald Hirogoyen (Piperade, et al.), along with Novato’s Sylvan Portay, former chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz, and master sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji, purchased six acres in the Catalan region of Spain in 2003. Under their Arrels (means ‘roots’ in Catalan) label, they produced 400 cases of a Grenache wine plus, this year, their own olive oil. The wine is on their restaurants’ lists and the oil can be purchased to-go. . . Executive chef Robert Price (Buckeye Roadhouse and partner in Bungalow 44) has taken the helm at 44 and chef Jon Stevens has departed. It’s a good thing. . .Think it’s just families at the festive Marin Farmers’ Market on Sundays? Just as I was diving into the wild arugula, along came Picco souschef Jared Rogers who bought two cases. At the tomato lady, Whitney Gaunt, executive chef of Fish in Sausalito, was grabbing a case or two of luscious red beauties. Email gaw@scbglobal.net or visit graceannwalden.net.

Ravioli with english peas

specialties. When Fernandez departured in ear-

navel oranges, radish, and mizuna salad; the

ly 2006, sous-chef McNee, who honed his skills

delicate-flavored crustacean is overwhelmed.

at Stars and Tra Vigne and has been in Poggio’s kitchen since day one, stepped up. McNee, who looks more like a cast mem-

bucatini with juicy beef and porcini mushroom

ber of the surf movie Blue Crush than a vet-

meatballs or ceppo all’amatriciana, which is

eran chef, brings fresh passion, authenticity,

deliciously close to over the top with its highly

and flavor to the Tuscan table. Refusing to

concentrated tangy sauce of tomato, pancetta,

compromise with gamberi rossi, he flies in the

and onion clinging to fat big-bite-size noodles.

only fresh head-on prawns he can find from

The oven and grill options aren’t exactly

Florida. Atop a bed of grilled bruschetta blan-

shy either. The spit-roasted leg of lamb packs a

keted with salsa romesco and fire-roasted pep-

flavor punch thanks to a decadent sidekick of

pers, they are perfection—moist, faintly sweet,

roasted artichokes, long-cooked peas, and mint

and kissed with smoke from the grill.

and herb pesto.

He also introduces flavor combinations that

Beyond beautiful surroundings and a rea-

are rarely found outside of Italy. Most restau-

sonably priced menu of mostly satisfying op-

rants offering baccalà (salt cod) muffle the fishy

tions are thoughtful details that make the meal

flavor by soaking the cod in water, then blending

that much tastier. Valet parking and sparkling

it with potato and garlic to create a mild spread.

water are complimentary. The wine list is com-

McNee’s baccalà alla livornese al forno celebrates

pact, but exciting and affordable. The full bar

it wholeheartedly as a vibrant stew with tomato,

is welcoming and features specialty cocktails.

parsley, basil, and potato. It may not suit every-

Service is friendly but professional. Ever aim-

one’s tastes, but it speaks to the authentic and

ing to please, Poggio even serves Italian break-

adventurous nature of the menu.

fast, and well-behaved dogs are welcome at

Not all the dishes are revelations. The softshell crab appetizer is fried with a thick buttermilk-batter coating and served with lemon aioli,

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

But some of the best pasta in the region is a sure thing here, especially if you order the

outside tables. Bravo. 777 Bridgeway, Sausalito, 415.332.7771, www.poggiotrattoria.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Flavor, Friends and Fine Authentic Italian Dining 931 Fourth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 456-2425

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MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UP

Jill Carade and Cassia O’Black Co-owners Green Apples, women’s clothing boutique, Sausalito It’s easy for J ill Carade to describe her business: “Green Apples, known as ‘ the Apple,’ is the only women’s boutique in Sausalito. So we don’t worry about not carrying a line because a competitor already has it. W e have them all—Chip and Pepper, Diane von F urstenberg, H udson J eans, Calypso,

Gail Ann Evo Spa, a beauty and wellness spa, Strawberry Village in Mill Valley “Evo Spa is about harmonious beauty,” says owner Gail Ann, “where the inner truth of who you are and the outer reflection become one.” Evo Spa combines ancient wisdom with modern technology to nourish the body, relax the mind, and inspire the soul. “Our clients’ transformation,” says Ann, “is our passion.”

and many more—all under one roof. Ours.”

Angela Hinckley and Connie Kirwin On-site brokers at Smith Ranch Homes, San Rafael Smith Ranch H omes is a community for people of independent minds who require homes reflecting their tastes, desires, and active lifestyles. A community of distinctive quality, close attention to detail and easy access to health care providers. “And don’t forget,” adds Angela H inckley, “an abundance of services and a remarkable value.”

What makes your work worthwhile? What is your business philosophy? Simple. To have a store that’s inviting, where it’s fun to shop, and with fashion-forward merchan-

To see men and women transform themselves. Also, we’re excited to have added thermography, a safe screening for breast cancer, to support

dise for almost any occasion.

women in empowering themselves.

Describe your dream customer.

What are your thoughts on working with a family member?

Growing up, what were you going to be? CONNIE: I was a big-picture kid. I wanted a quality lifestyle, freedom of choice, with a safety net for whatever the future might throw my way. I loved the line from Out of Africa, “The world is round so

Someone who trusts our taste, loves our clothes, and lets us dress her from head to toe. Then, to everyone she meets, she talks up the Apple: girls at yoga; people on the bus; ladies at lunch—that

I am blessed to work with my daughter Neka, our acupuncturist. W hen people express how much she has helped them, it melts my heart.

that we cannot see what is over the horiz on.”

What makes you excel at what you do? ANGEL A: Care and integrity. I don’t know any other way to do it.

kind of a person we love.

Do you have a favorite product or service? What part of your business makes you crazy? F or every ten awesome women, there’s one who can drive you up the wall. W hether she’s high maintenance, low self-esteem, or j ust mean-spir-

K aya K alpa, which means “bodies transformation” in Sanskrit. This exotic treatment, using gold, silver, 26 organic herbs, and nine-gemstone ash, brings an ancient healing ritual, reserved only for

ited, we always work through it and laugh it off.

royalty hundreds of years ago, to you now.

What allows you to excel at what you do?

Describe your business philosophy.

What’s the funniest thing that’s recently happened in your business? ANGEL A: L ast month, I was with a client in a golf cart; her crutches were lying across the seat. W hen I drove too close to a pillar, the crutches snapped in two, and we laughed and I said, “Now you’ll have to buy, you can’t leave.” And she bought!

W e have lots of energy and need to put it somewhere that’s important to us. Green Apples has been perfect for that. Green Apples, 110 Caledonia St., Sausalito, CA 94965, 415.331.8227, shopgreenapples.com

Understanding that life is a sacred j ourney, it is our passion to support you on that j ourney through our beauty rituals, body treatments, massage, and detoxification/ wellness programs. Evo Spa, 216 Strawberry Village, Mill Valley, CA 94941, 415.383.3223, evo-spa.com

ADVE RT IS IN G P R OMOT ION

What part of your business makes you crazy? CONNIE: Three things: paperwork, paperwork, and paperwork. Smith Ranch Homes Marketing Associates, 400 Deer Valley Road, San Rafael, CA 94903, 415.491.4918, smithranchhomes.com

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MARIN AUGUST 2006

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

M ICROCL I M ATE

TOMALES: A TOWN IN TRANSITION New homes and a dairy could appear soon BY JIM WOOD PHOTOS DEIRDRE NEMMERS

TW O H UNDRED IS A K EY NUMBER IN TH E NORTH W EST Marin community of Tomales. The town, according to the 2000 census, has 210 residents; Tomales H igh has 209 students; and Tomales Elementary School has an enrollment of 208. Adding to the 200 mystique, Tomales had five times that number—an estimated 1,000 residents—in 187 5-7 7 , the town’s glory days. That’s when the North Pacific Coast Railroad rumbled through on its way from Caz adero down to Sausalito. “L umber mostly, [ but] also dairy, beef, and sheep products, along with lots of potatoes and grain, were being shipped out,” local historian Ginny Magan says.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN AUGUST 2006

107

“

While cleaning a ranch house, we discovered 135-year-old plans where a town founder, John Keys, envisioned Tomales as the next San Francisco.

”

— JOHN WILLIAMS, OWNER, NAPA’S FROG’S LEAP WINERY

Then, fires hit downtown Tomales in 187 7 , 1891, and 1898, and what they didn’t do to sap the town’s morale, the 1906 earthquake and a devastating 1920 fire did. Next came the Great Depression and W orld W ar II. End of a sad story? W ell, almost. Residents of Tomales, for the first time in a long time, are now hearing the faint and quaint rumblings of j ust maybe, potentially, a boomlet. “It was so interesting,” says J ohn W illiams, owner of Napa’s F rog’s L eap W inery, who rePrevious page: The recently acquired 502-acre Cerini Ranch. Above: Tomales Bakery is open Thursday through Sunday, from 7:30 am until all its fresh baked goods are sold. Right: 137-year-old Diekmann’s General Store; Below, the recently-rebuilt Continental Inn.

cently purchased 502 rolling acres adj acent to the heart of town. “W hile cleaning a ranch house, we discovered 13 5-year-old plans where a town founder, J ohn K eys, envisioned Tomales as the next San F rancisco.” W illiams’ plans for his recently acquired acreage bear no comparison whatsoever to those of Mr. K eys—but they do have the town of Tomales talking. “To the extent possible, we’ll restore the houses, barns, even the falling-down silos,” W illiams says, “then have a dairy and cattle operation, producing organic cheeses and grass-fed beef.” In the not-so-distant future, if all goes well, W illiams will be employing half a doz en farmhands, opening a small retail outlet, and running up to 65 head of milking shorthorn cattle on his property. The tale of today’s Tomales doesn’t end there. W illiams purchased his 502 acres from heirs of the recently deceased Romeo “Butch” and Gail Cerini. And when distributions from the Cerini F amily Trust—including proceeds from the W illiams sale—were recently announced, one of its largest recipients were, in effect, the 200-plus residents of Tomales. F or starters, $1 million went to Tomales H igh School to fund scholarships for students attending universities and vocational schools; $100,000 (up to a possible $500,000) was awarded to the Tomales Regional H istory Center; the Tomales V olunteer F ire Department will receive $100,000, as will the Tomales Town H all, the community gathering spot for meetings, dances, and potluck dinners. Additional recipients of the Cerinis’ generosity, including downtown’s Church of the Assumption of Mary, will be named this September. “Butch and Gail didn’t have any

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

0 E2

183 Lagunitas Road, Ross • Listed at $6,895,000

104 Laurel Grove, Ross • Listed at $9,995,000

660 Goodhill Road, Kent Woodlands • Listed at $8,995,000

2 Fallen Leaf Avenue, Ross • Listed at $3,495,000

It is my pleasure to represent these exceptional properties. For additional information and photographs, please visit my website. Marilyn Rich

415.464.3741 www.MarilynRich.com

children,” says Tim Furlong, a lifelong friend of the couple. “Tomales, and its lifestyle, was their real love.” And what’s not to love about it? “Growing up, my two children often asked, ‘Why do we have to live in such a small town?’” recalls historian Ginny Magan. “Now they and their families, my grandchildren, all live here and they love it.” The town’s primary street, Shoreline Highway or Highway 1, is the address for the aforementioned Church of the Assumption; the William Tell House, one of Marin’s oldest taverns (first opened in 1877); the 137-year-old Diekmann’s General Store (“we sell groceries, clothes, hardware, ammo, and booze,” owner Ed Vallejo says); the Tomales Bakery (open four days a week until all the fresh-baked goods are sold); and the eight-room, recently

Above, the Tomales Town Hall, built in 1874 (the exterior was redone in 1931), will receive $100,000 from the Cerini Family Trust. Right: the pristine Church of the Assumption of Mary, built at the onset of the U.S. Civil War. Below: The Mostly Native Nursery specializes in California native perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees.

rebuilt Continental Inn. Also of note, at 26975 Highway 1 (a.k.a. Shoreline Highway) is the former Novato National Bank, which is now a home (the storefront letters were altered and spell out “Not a Bank.”) As for other housing, a recent historical survey indicated the community has approximately 75 residences, varying in architecture from Queen Anne Victorians to Craftsman style to a pair of 1960s duplexes. According to Eric Cutler, broker for Tomales’s Creative Property Services, prices range from the low $600,000s for an in-town “cottage” to $900,000, paid in 2005 for a house-plus-five-acres on a nearby hill. Some of the homes date back to the 1800s, most are of pre–World War II vintage, and only about 20, including those two ’60s duplexes, were built in the past 50 years. However, like a few things in Tomales, that may soon change. For nearly three years, Sonoma-based home builder Mike Sass has been seeking approval to put 18 homes on 6,000-squarefoot lots in a 5.5-acre area once occupied by the local train depot. According to him, the project would add fewer than 50 residents to the town. Yet, as expected, it’s sparked considerable controversy. “You’ve got to have some growth . . . this town is dying,” Diekmann’s owner Vallejo told the Point Reyes Light two years ago. To which historian Magan countered, “Tomales is a small town, that’s why many of us are still here.” Is Tomales a town in transition? Only time will tell. And Tomales runs on Tomales time.

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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Modern Home with Dramatic Views This intriguing 3BD/2BA modern masterpiece captures unparalleled views of the Pacific Ocean and Muir Woods from nearly every room! Located less than 10 minutes from downtown Mill Valley, this distinctive residence features impeccable designer finishes, an industrial gourmet kitchen, an open concept living room with a sculptural fireplace centerpiece, floor to ceiling windows, a luxurious master suite, exquisite hardwood floors, view decks and a large level yard. Recently renovated, this home harmoniously blends contemporary architecture, sophisticated living and natural beauty. Offered at $1,999,000

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Gorgeous Turn of the Century Spanish Revival Ideally located in downtown Mill Valley, this exceptionally private, elegant and inviting residence boasts gracious living spaces. Amenities include a formal living room with fireplace, a formal dining room perfect for special occasions, a cozy den, a majestic curved stairwell, generous bedrooms and baths, a separate guest house, and remarkable views of the park like setting from every room. Approximately 1/2 acre of superbly landscaped grounds, expansive lawns, gardens, and a beautiful sparkling pool. Prestigious in every way, this stately home is in one of Marin’s most prized micro climates and offers close proximity to Mill Valley’s excellent schools and the quaint downtown area with trendy boutiques, fine dining, coffee houses, and friendly faces. Truly a rare offering. Offered at $2,825,000

Robert D. Young 415.407.7775 • RobertYoungRealEstate.com Matthew Pouliot 415.265.7020 • PouliotProperties.com

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10355 WESTSIDE ROAD — HEALDSBURG

$2,500,000

Wine Country Estate 2 homes and 24+ acres. Privacy, views, vineyard potential. Perfect home for entertaining or a great weekend compound. Minutes from downtown Healdsburg. Holly Barker Lee • 415.925.3206 www.rivermysthaven.com

$2,299,000

386 ELM AVENUE — LARKSPUR

A Larkspur Winner! 4 BR/3.5 BA exquisitely updated, featuring a family room, vaulted ceilings, level yard, beautiful finishes, hardwood floors, and Bay views. Close to downtown and award winning schools. Emile Chapot • 415.257.2063 • echapot@fhallen.com

ARTFULLY ENGAGING — ROSS

$6,995,000

Enchanting gardens surround this charming 3 story vintage brown shingle in a sunny premiere Ross location. Rebuilt, remodeled and refined, beauty pervades the nearly acre site. Judy Smith • 415.925.3211

1 ACELA — TIBURON

$5,995,000

Views of the G.G. Bridge, SF skyline and beyond! Private, gated park-like setting on approx. half an acre. Meticulously remodeled. A magnificent property. Maryam Loiacono • 415.789.7727 www.1acela.com Janet Williamson • 415.789.7725

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SHADY LANE’S PALM HOUSE — ROSS

$2,595,000

Gorgeous and beautifully maintained vintage property on large level lot. Two blocks to Ross School. Expansive lawn area for gracious entertaining. Patti Cohn • 415.722.4842 • pcohn@bestmarinagent.com INFORMATION IS DEEMED RELIABLE BUT HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED BY LISTING BROKER AND IS NOT GUARANTEED

CUSTOM CRAFSTMAN HOME — MILL VALLEY This 4 bedroom home couples custom finishes with private outdoor living all in a convenient Southern Marin location. Patricia Oxman • 415.461.4100 poxman@fhallen.com

$1,695,000

REGENCY ESTATES CUSTOM HOME — SAN RAFAEL

$1,529,000

Built in 1990, over 3/4 acre, 4 bedroom / 3.5 bath, 3 car garage, hardwood floors, borders open space, Dixie Schools, minutes from 101. Lori Saia Odisio • 415.258.4101

MARIN COUNTRY CLUB — NOVATO

$1,275,000

Light & bright remodeled 4 bedroom, 3 bath. Black bottom pool, hot tub, generous outdoor area, mature landscape & PRIVACY! Shana Rohde-Lynch • 415.925.3225 • Shanamarin@aol.com

100 ROLLING HILLS — TIBURON

$6,000,000

This impressive property, situated on over an arcre of nearly level land, has views from San Francisco to Mt. Tamalpais. Mature gardens compliment the feeling of privacy. Bill Smith • 415.435.4456, Elizabeth Kilgore • 415.789.7757

10 VIA PARAISO

$4,850,000

Dramatic, contemporary home with stunning intimate views of GG Bridge and Richardson Bay to Mt. Tam. Gated on more than an acre, this private, spacious 5BR/5.5BA home features formal rooms ideal for art. www.10viaparaiso.com Janet Williamson • 415.789.7725

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2139 WEDGEWOOD WAY — SANTA ROSA

$1,125,000

Two Fireplaces. Lovely 4BR/4 full BA, office/library. Wet bar, entertainment deck with patio cover. Elegant master suite with fireplace. Karin Radzewicz • 707.537.2320 • kradzewicz@fhallen.com INFORMATION IS DEEMED RELIABLE BUT HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED BY LISTING BROKER AND IS NOT GUARANTEED

2116 WEDGEWOOD WAY — SANTA ROSA

$1,299,000

Stunning Views. Private oak grace immaculately maintained home. Spacious gourmet kitchen with granite slab & backsplash, Viking appliances. Karin Radzewicz • 707.537.2320 • kradzewicz@fhallen.com

SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD — ROSS

$3,250,000

Sitting on a knowlltop on approx. 2 acres with views of SF, Mt. Tam., two bridges, the Bay and the Ross Valley this 3 bdrm home has spacious great room designed living. Pool, lawns, patios and privacy. Bankruptcy sale. Gail Koren • 415.518.1110

230 HAZEL AVENUE — MILL VALLEY

$1,925,000

Let the Sunshine In! With a garden entry and redwoods all around, nature is at you doorstep in this large, dramatic, light filled home. Kathleen Clifford • 415.925.3289 • kclifford@fhallen.com

87 FORBES AVENUE — SAN RAFAEL

$1,700,000

This one-of-a-kind Marin Heritage Home is located in the beautiful Forbes area. Built in 1929 by famous San Francisco architects, Wright and Wright, it is a replica of a French country home. Corey Graham • 415.971.0167 • cgraham@fhallen.com

10 MADELINE LANE — SAN RAFAEL

$1,890,000

Prestigious San Rafael Country Club. Gorgeous craftsman style home rebuilt with utmost attention to detail and fine quality. Views of the San Francisco Bay, harbor and Mt. Tam. www.alvafalla.com Alva Falla • 415.257.2069

VIEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AND DETAILS ONLINE Go to fhallen.com and click on FINE PROPERTY COLLECTION

235 LAVERNE AVENUE — MILL VALLEY

$2,995,000

Looking for a Unique Home? Architecturally intense — an industrial chic, high tech home adapts to any lifestyle. Indoor/outdoor living. Large yard and lap pool. Peter & Karin Narodny • 415.925.3286 • pnarodny@fhallen.com INFORMATION IS DEEMED RELIABLE BUT HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED BY LISTING BROKER AND IS NOT GUARANTEED

A RARE OPPORTUNITY — TIBURON

$9,980,000

Direct views of San Francisco and bridges. Approximately 8,000 square foot exquisitely crafted home on 1.5 +/- acres. An opportunity to live in a private, serene and tranquil haven. Carol L Spence • 415.388.9516, ext. 207 • cspence@fhallen.com

Judy LeMarr 415-380-4642 jlemarr@fhallen.com Frank Howard Allen Realtors www.marindreamhome.com

99 Dipsea Road Stinson Beach

Spacious home located in the gated community of Seadrift ● 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths ● Additional large artist's studio, full bath and office ● Community tennis courts and picnic area ●

Service

Experience

Results Photos at www.99dipsea.com Offered at $2,485,000

OPES/opés/ • n./latin for wealth

Jeffrey T. Smith Melanie Victor-Smith Opes Advisors 101 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 227 Larkspur, CA 94939 P 415.464.9500 • F 866.561.7155 Palo Alto • Marin • San Mateo

opesadvisors.com 118

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Theresa Coleman TOP PRODUCER - CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE

11 Roseville Court, Tiburon Rarely do I find a property that can function equally as a great family home and a great entertaining home. 11 Roseville Court succeeds beautifully. This stylishly remodeled, almost 5000’ home has stunning SF and GG Bridge views and a wonderful indoor-outdoor flow. The main house consists of 4BD/ 4BA and a large family room that leads to a patio, builtin BBQ with granite slab dining table, two level lawns and a pathway throughout the remaining landscape. Additionally, a legal 1BD/1BA plus kitchen guest unit has a private entrance and deck. Fabulous Reed School District. What more can you ask for in one home? Offered at $3,499,000

(415) 609-4532

TheresaColeman@comcast.com

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Frank Howard Allen Realtors 575 Highway One • P.O. Box 125 Bodega Bay, CA 94923 888-875-3240 • 707-875-2500 www.sonomacoastliving.com

Independently Owned & Operated

SONOMA COAST LIVING

EXCLUSIVE HOMES, LAND AND VACATION RENTALS ON THE SONOMA COAST ELEGANT LIVING WITH OCEAN AND BAY VIEWS

Proudly offered for $1,535,00

This elegant three bedroom, three and a half bath home was created just a year ago. Quality built with only the best material, designed by James McCalligan, and finish detailed by the owners offers the best that a Bodega Harbour custom home could ever offer. Approximately 2766 ± sq. ft. of living space and 1000 ± sq. ft. finished garage, private entry courtyard, concrete patio and Caldera spa, with aggregate walkways around the golf course side to the glass protected deck. Fully furnished with high end AV system components and two flat screen TVs.

EXTRAORDINARY CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL DELIGHT

Proudly offered for $ 1,375,00

Brand new 2890± sq. ft 4 bedroom, 2 story home set on over 1/3 acre and surrounded by expansive views of Bodega Bay and rolling hills. This stunning house is finished with a Viking stove, Bosch and Miele d/ws, and state of the art lighting. It includes 5 zone radiant floor heat, slate floors, granite counter tops, and two propane remote controlled fire places. The two spacious master bedrooms complement the open design of the house with it’s cathedral ceilings and generous natural light. This brand new coastal property is landscaped with care and offers a quiet and spacious low maintenance surrounding. Full price sale will include all furnishings.

CALL OUR TEAM OF COASTAL REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS

Thera Buttaro Broker/Owner

Brenda Siemering REALTOR®

Melissa Freeman REALTOR®

Bonnie Orlikowski REALTOR®

Stunning Retreat in Beautiful Cascade Canyon

Modern Day Treehouse in the Redwoods

Situated on over half an acre, this quintessential Mill Valley jewel, set amidst lush natural surroundings, is the ultimate retreat from city life yet only minutes from town. This stunning 4 bedroom/3.5 bath contemporary home embodies the essence of quality, reflecting the owner/ designer’s vision of style and elegance. Classic contemporary lines, walls of glass and a breathtaking view of Mount Tamalpais provide a truly majestic and serene setting for easy indoor/outdoor living. Impressive custom finishes unite with elegant simplicity making this a truly exquisite and unique property in every way. Offered at $2,495,000

Nestled between secluded redwoods in the heart of mill valley, this stylish contemporary home is situated on a landscaped 1/2 acre which embraces the natural flow of the redwood groves. Architecturally constructed to capture the light and ambiance of its unique surroundings through enormous skylights and loft-like windows truly makes this home a modern day tree house Offered at $1,895,000

San Rafael Cul-de-Sac Townhouse

Charming Mill Creek Terrace Townhouse

Fabulous, bright and sunny two bedroom, two and one half bath end-unit townhouse in much sought after Spinnaker Point. Located on a cul-desac, this meticulously cared for home has been stylishly painted with new carpet throughout the main level and up the stairs. Sun-filled breakfast nook with operable skylights. Open living and dining room leading out to private garden, fireplace in living room. Grand master suite with high ceilings, large bathroom and walk-in closet. Large private patio beautifully landscaped with irrigation. Two-car garage with storage and shelving. Community pool, tennis courts and walking trails along the water. Offered at $659,000

This elegant and charming one bedroom/one bath/one-car garage home enjoys peaceful views and lovely natural surroundings of Richardson Bay shoreline and walking paths. Tastefully upgraded elements include stylish bamboo window coverings, custom screens, built-ins and new laundry appliances. Enjoy convenient easy living just minutes away from Golden Gate Bridge or downtown Mill Valley. Offered at $579,000

Views Views Views

Napa Ranch Style Home

This beautiful sunny and charming Cape Cod style home offers the most breathtaking view of the bay, city and Angel Island. Completely remodeled with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, bamboo hardwood floors, wainscoting. French doors open to a wraparound deck. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, an incredible great room, breakfast room and an extra office. Come and be dazzled by the best view in Marin and you will never want to leave. Offered at $1,595,000

Six plus acres! Ranch style home featuring three bedrooms, two baths, living room with fireplace, separate dining room, two-car garage. Large front side patio and back patio off kitchen slider overlooking pond. The home views the neighboring vineyards and hills. Very private. Good location off Hw y 12 Central to Sonoma and Napa. Offered at $1,450,000

San Rafael Investment Opportunity

Just Purchased! Evergreen Drive, Kentfield

This newly upgraded sparkling condominium includes: • One bedroom/one bath with new vanity and more • All new windows, window coverings and carpet • Beautiful custom kitchen cabinets • New oven and microwave, newer dishwasher • Freshly painted throughout • One-car covered parking • On-site pool and laundry facilities Offered at $412,000

Offered at $2,150,000

Looking to buy or sell a home in Marin? We have 50 years combined living and working in Marin. • Intimate knowledge of Marin communities. • Expert knowledge of local schools • Professional negotiators so you get the best price

SELECTED PROPERTIES

BELVEDERE, CA Luxury Living at the Water’s Edge: Featured in Architectural Digest. Magnificent contemporary residence features world-class amenities and expansive water & Golden Gate Bridge views from every level. $20,000,000. WEB: 0082823. Louis Silcox 415.296.2229, Danielle Chavanon Beebe 415.296.2224

SAUSALITO, CA Glamour De Rigueur: Stunning 10,000+/- sq.ft modern villa with impressively proportioned rooms unified by sweeping Bay vistas stretching from Tiburon to San Francisco evoke the sophistication of the 1930s French Riviera. $14,800,000. WEB: 0082802. Danielle Chavanon Beebe 415.296.2224, Analuz Holloway 415.296.2238

ROSS, CA Enviably secluded on approximately 11 acres, this classically shingled 7 bedroom, 7.5 bath home recalls the quiet elegance of its heritage as a summer retreat. Both an architectural treasure & consummately inviting home, it celebrates the splendor of its natural surroundings while providing unmatched entertaining areas & privacy. $9,950,000. WEB: 0082850. Danielle Chavanon Beebe 415-296-2224, Jessica Wynne 415-296-2223

KENTFIELD, CA Villa Extraordinare: Featured in June ’06 Architectural Digest, this Riviera-Style villa features 16th century details, idyllic grounds, pool, fountains, outdoor dining pavilion. Majestic Mt. Tamalpais views. $8,500,000. WEB: 0082701. Danielle Chavanon Beebe 415.296.2224, Analuz Holloway 415.296.2238

PENNGROVE, CA Studio Estate is an exquisite retreat on 9+/- acres set in the western Sonoma Mountain Range looking towards the Pacific. The compound and it’s contents are meticulously blended providing a private retreat w/all amenities. Included is the professional recording studio known well by musicians around the world. www.studioestate.com. $8,500,000. WEB: 0241158. B. Brooks 707-935-2298,T.Shone 707-933-1515

ROSS, CA World Class contemporary home built to the highest standards and designed by renowned architect Jim Jennings. On 2.6 +/- acres, this 5 bedroom, 7 bath property offers pool, patios, lawn, family room and expansive views of Mt. Tamalpais, Ross Valley and the San Francisco skyline. $6,800,000. A 2006 Architectural Digest feature.WEB: 0081667. $6,800,000. Danielle Chavanon Beebe 415-296-2224, Jessica Wynne 415-296-2223

Local E xper ts Worldw ide

POTTER VALLEY, CA Blue Oak Vineyards. Extraordinary 163 acre estate property of which 108+/- acres are planted to vineyards of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The property features a 2 bedroom guest house, a very large farm pond, and a fabulous knoll building site overlooking the length and width of the valley. $5,950,000. WEB: 0241298. Linda Thompson 707-9352280, Rob Powell 707-939-3627

STINSON BEACH, CA Rarely available! Waterfront estate on the beautiful Bolinas Lagoon. Seadrift family retreat on double lot. Two custom homes featuring 3BR/3BA with fabulous central patio and pool for the ultimate in beach living. Majestic mountain vista views and steps to the beach! $4,500,000. WEB: 0082510. Sheri Morgensen 415-296-2207, Butch Haze 415-296-2220

STINSON BEACH, CA Dramatic oceanfront beach house on premier lot in Seadrift. Open floor plan with “great room” featuring sliding glass doors opening to the sand. 4 BR/2BA, fireplace, interior courtyard. Great family home! $4,300,000. WEB: 0082920. Sheri Morgensen 415-296-2207, Butch Haze 415-296-2220

STINSON BEACH, CA A classic Seadrift beach house! Great family retreat and perfect for weekend guests. Level lot with large enclosed courtyard,hot tub, views of the Bolinas Ridge. 4 BR/3BA.You must see this house; it’s all about the beach! $3,300,000. WEB: 0082914. Sheri Morgensen 415-296-2207, Butch Haze 415-296-2220

STINSON BEACH, CA Oceanfront vacation home or investment opportunity. Charming beach house with expansion possibilities. Popular gated community just 25 miles from San Francisco. Best oceanfront value in Seadrift. Private courtyard and great sunsets! $2,950,000. WEB: 0082793. Sheri Morgensen 415-2962207, Butch Haze 415-296-2220

HEALDSBURG, CA Magnificent 42 acre estate parcel, 15 minutes from Healdsburg. This property is ready to build, with vested 5BR septic, approved plans, house and garage foundations, high yield well and engineered driveway. Ultimate sanctuary in nature’s purest environment. $1,750,000. WEB: 0082936. Sheri Morgensen 415-2962207, Jessica Wynne 415-296-2223

SIROFFICES.COM SAN FRANCISCO BROKERAGE l 117 GREENWICH STREET, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94111 T 415.901.1700 F 415.901.1701 WINE COUNTRY BROKERAGE l 25 EAST NAPA STREET, SONOMA CA 95476 T 707.935.2288 F 707.935.2289 PATRICK V. BARBER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & MANAGING BROKER Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. is Owned and Operated by NRT Incorporated. Les Bords de l’Epte a Giverny, used with permission.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & COO The Coldwell Banker Previews International network spans more than 4,000 offices and 127,000 sales associates around the world. Backed by 100 years of experience and the most powerful luxury home marketing program in the world, Coldwell Banker Previews International can successfully promote your luxury property to a local, national and international marketplace, giving your home the exposure it deserves. Coldwell Banker Previews International is the only luxury home division in Marin County with the selling power, years of experience and resources to help put you and your home on top. In Northern California alone, Coldwell Banker Previews International has sold more than 6,100 million dollar plus properties in 2005, accounting for more than $10.5 billion in sales. Of those luxury homes sold in Northern California, 432 were ultra-affluent homes selling at more than $3 million and accounted for more than $2 billion in sales. Coldwell Banker has more than 300 experienced real estate professionals in Marin County, many of whom are Coldwell Banker Previews Property Specialists. These professionals are equipped with the knowledge, tools and resources to help you get top dollar for the sale of your luxury home. If you are looking for excellent representation and superior quality service, I encourage you to contact one of our Marin County Coldwell Banker Previews Property Specialists today. Sincerely,

Avram Goldman President & COO Coldwell Banker San Francisco Bay Area

COLDWELL BANKER PREVIEWS INTERNATIONAL THE LUXURY REAL ESTATE LEADER In most areas of the United States, a million dollar property would be considered a luxury estate. This is not the case in Marin County, where the million dollar marker sits just above the median home price. While there are hundreds of significant properties at this level, it is the $2 million plus price tag where the Marin County luxury home market resides. These are the homes that are envied and regarded as some of Marin County’s finest. Whether it is a sprawling lawn in Ross or a magical view of San Francisco from a Belvedere hideaway, Marin County’s luxury market is as unique and diverse as those agents who serve it. Today, in Marin County, you will find luxury homes scattered throughout the County. Coldwell Banker Previews International homes, those properties in the higher end of the real estate pricing spectrum, range from the traditional estates of the Dominican to the Redwood Grove homes of Larkspur, the sprawling ranch properties in Peacock Gap, the Spanish and Tuscan style villas in Novato, water view homes in Sausalito and Tiburon, and the quintessential brown shingle homes of San Anselmo and Mill Valley. Marin County residents Offered by Coldwell Banker Greenbrae Bon Air for $6,790,000 seem to understand that they have a unique relationship with the surrounding environs. Mount Tamalpais, the Bay, close proximity to the City and wine country are all factored into the price tag of a Marin County home. How much that home is worth, of course, all depends on how much someone is willing to pay for it, but you can rest Offered by Coldwell Banker Greenbrae Bon Air for $5,950,000 assured your Coldwell Banker Previews Property Specialist will help you purchase or sell your Marin County luxury home. *Data based on closed and recorded transaction sides of homes sold for one million dollars or more as reported by affiliates in the Coldwell Banker® franchise system for the calendar year 2005.

S PE C I A L

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S E C T I O N

U NMATCHED RESOURCES . I MPECCABLE CLIENT SERVICE . A TRACK RECORD OF DISTINCTION .

Coldwell Banker Previews International® has an impeccable track record that includes more than $153 million in luxury home sales* handled every day. For the experience, the knowledge and the resources that make a difference, call us today and join real estate’s most discerning list of clients.

YO U R P R E V I E W S P R O P E RT Y S P E C I A L I S T S

MAX APPLEGARTH

ROBERT BEADLE

JOANE BERRY

MARILEE BRAND

RANDI BRINKMAN

HAZEL CARTER

CAREY CONDY

415.464.3534

415.464.3354

415.789.2745

415.789.2746

415.464.3320

GEORGE DESALVO

CARL & KURT ENGEL

GERMANA FABBRI

DAMIAN FRIARY

LISA GARAVENTA

SUSAN HAAS

415.464.3363

415.897.5559 ext 248

415.464.3550

415.464.3352

415.256.2314

415.464.3314

SUSAN HEWITT

JILL HILL

DORRINE LOW

DEBORA MAINAS

CAROL MATNEY

KAY MOORE

CANDACE NORSTROM

415.407.8349

415.464.3529

415.388.9000

415.464.3514

415.272.9266

415.464.3533

415.464.4317

BEVERLY ORR

JUDY POLSKY

STEPHANIE RICE

MARILYN RIEDE

ANNA ROBERTS

NANCY SWIG

BETSY YOUNG

415.789.2742

415.464.3409

415.339.2339

415.464.3335

415.464.4309

415.298.7600

415.464.3340

MARGARET DEEDY 415.464.3540

415.381.7680

415.464.3547

SALLY PETERSON 415.464.3523

*Data based on closed and recorded transaction sides of homes sold for one million dollars or more as reported by affiliates in the Coldwell Banker® franchise system for the calendar year 2005. ©2006 Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® Previews® and Coldwell Banker Previews International® Are Registered Trademarks Licensed To Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated Except Offices Owned And Operated By NRT Incorporated.

MARGARET DEEDY Previews Property Specialist

415.464.3540 mdeedy@coldwellbanker.com

QUALITY HOME IN DOMINICAN Four bedroom, three and one-half bath knoll top home. Situated in the Dominican area of San Rafael, the versatile floor plan offers perfect Marin living with open airy rooms, with the latest conveniences and wonderful outdoor space. Additional rooms include office, den and large family room. Offered at $1,850,000

BETSY YOUNG Previews Property Specialist

415.464.4309 betsy.young@cbnorcal.com

BEAUTIFUL BROW N S HING LE Nestled in a sunny, private Ross setting on a quiet, tree-lined street, this inviting home is within a short distance of town and the Ross School. Extensively remodeled with European touches throughout, the home has three bedrooms, three baths including master suite, gourmet kitchen, large living room with fireplace and dining area with French doors to the outdoor patio surrounded by roses, hydrangeas and lavender. Truly a rare find in Ross. Price Available Upon Request

SUSAN HEWITT Previews Property Specialist

415.407.8349 es.hewitt@comcast.net

T IBU RO N E S TAT E This dramatic view home is situated on nearly an acre of Tiburon ridge top. Lightfilled rooms, elegant designer finishes: Venetian plaster walls, hand-painted murals, pecan floors, and marble mosaic entry. Beautiful kitchen. Four bedroom suites, a library, a large office suite, a home gym with a three car garage. Or use as six bedrooms for an extended family. Excellent Tiburon Schools. Offered at $5,950,000

NANCY SWIG Previews Property Specialist

415.464.0133 nswig@comcast.net

THE RENAIS S ANCE AT S TO NE T RE E Overlooking the golf course, clubhouse and lakes, this exquisite Monterey style home in Novato has the finest in custom details throughout with approximately $400,000 in upgrades. Situated on approximately 1/4 acre and over 4800 sq. ft., the residence includes five bedrooms, four and one half baths, a billiard room, huge kitchen/family room and formal dining room. This gated community is country club living at its best.

Offered At $1,995,000

D I A LO GUE

Elizabeth Terwilliger

BY MIMI TOWLE

You could live anywhere. Why Marin? Calvin and I chose Marin because we loved the climate; anything can grow here. I also love living in natural surroundings while still having access to San Francisco’s cultural activities. What makes you happy in Marin? The weather. It’s usually sunny, but on a stormy, wet day, the children and I blow the rain away! What bothers you here? Litterbugs, especially when people toss cigarette butts into the street. And increasing population pressure—continuous urban development, which threatens existing natural habitats. Nature education for children is even more important as adults lose sight of open space and an awareness of the creatures that live in them.

lizabeth Terwilliger, a.k.a. “Mrs. T, ” is a sweet, softspoken nonagenarian—and the inspiration for both the Terwilliger Grove in Muir Woods and the restored Elizabeth Terwilliger Marsh in Mill Valley. As she

What do you value every day? Being outdoors—sharing the joy of discovering natural wonders with others. It is all “something special!” What is your personal idea of luxury? I loved spending time in our large yard in Mill Valley with its own natural habitat of a redwood grove and stream.

approaches her 97th birthday, she can rest assured

that her groundwork has inspired national campaigns and regional efforts to protect our ecosystems and make the outdoors more acces-

What person has influenced you the most? My mother, Florence Cooper, who took my brothers and me on nature trips when we were growing up on a sugar plantation in Hawaii.

sible via playgrounds and bike paths all around the county. Terwilliger and her late husband, Calvin, settled in Strawberry in the 1950s, eventually ending up on Oakdale Avenue across Highway 101, where they raised their two children, John and Lynn Ellen. By the mid-’70s, Tiburon residents Joan and Don Bekins connected with her, founded the Elizabeth Terwilliger Nature Education Foundation, and produced the educational ﬁlm series Tripping with Terwilliger, which is shown in schools nationwide. Eventually, the foundation merged with the California Center for Wildlife and became WildCare, which continues to educate children about nature as well as rehabilitating wild creatures. “Elizabeth Terwilliger is a visible, living symbol of the environmental movement in Marin County,” says Joan Bekins, who remains a close friend. Whether she’s speaking to adults or to children, Mrs. T’s enthusiasm is contagious, as in the time President Ronald Reagan stood next to her in a photo for the Washington Post, making a pro-wildlife “V for vulture” sign with his arms. Or the thousands of times she has gotten down on her knees to examine a wildﬂower with an entranced child. She has inspired so many people in our community and beyond to do right by Mother Nature. Thanks, Mrs. T! 130

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What has been the most fulfilling moment in your work? Being personally recognized by President Ronald Reagan at the Outstanding Volunteer Award ceremony in Washington, D.C. What’s your desert-island favorite book or album? Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter. I loved the way her main character personalized his animal friends. I found it inspirational in my teaching. I also memorized the poem Little Orphan Annie by J.W. Riley. Where’s your favorite place to unwind? Muir Beach. Do you have a favorite Marin view? Besides looking at Mount Tamalpais, I enjoy the views from the overlooks at the top of the mountain. What do you like about yourself? From my window at the Redwoods [in Mill Valley], I can see so many people enjoying the bike path in Mill Valley, and I’m happy that I was part of the team that made this happen. How do you want to be remembered? As someone who tried to leave the world more beautiful than she found it, and inspired others to do the same.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Views li k e thi s — Come with homes like these

Anna Boucher served as our Real Estate agent for both the sale of our property in Kent Woodlands and on the purchase of our current home in Tiburon. Anna is one of the most creative, diligent, and hard-working real estate brokers we’ve ever had. And we’ve moved 4 times now in the last 10 years – just in the Bay Area! ... We couldn’t have asked for more!

–Kevin N. You supply the dream, and I’ll supply the passion, experience, and knowledge to make it a reality. Whether you’re buying or selling your luxury dream home in San Francisco or Marin, call me and I’ll put my 15 years of local expertise to work for you.

Imagine the possibilities.

Anna Pennington Boucher

415.860.1399 • anna@worldclassproperties.com www.worldclassproperties.com

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