Marin Magazine June 2007 by 270 Media

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

L I V I N G

JUNE 2007

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CONTENTS

Features 62 think

Animal House

Marin’s very human Humane Society. story & photos tim porter

70 home

Color Confidence

Marin designers use creative palette in kitchen decor. story p. j. bremier photos barbara ries

78 life

Road Trip

Associate editor Mimi Towle explores California with her family. story & photos mimi towle

84 journey

London Like a Local

Absorb the vibe of the neighborhood as if you live there. story & photos karyn r. millet

MARIN

JUNE 2007

52 CONTENTS

Departments 22 letters Readers respond to Marin Magazine.

26 at a glance Hot tips day by day for the Bay Area.

28 marin album Dancing on the beach. by tim porter

30 marin green Biofuel duo builds a business in alternative energy. by mimi towle

33 snap Out and about, in and around Marin.

42 fashion trends Men’s styles for spring. by somer ﬂaherty

44 life style Mill Valley’s Scott Leary and daughter Olivia talk about life in Marin.

46 fyi Home: Islands enhance kitchen space. by mimi towle Business: Jack Hunt Automotive. by jim wood People: Inverness artist Andrew Romanoff has a royal touch. by jim wood Books: A conversation with Paul Hawken. by samantha berry 10

MARIN

JUNE 2007

A unique collection of jewelry. A unique star.

Katherine Jenkins, the young opera star,

www.montblanc.com

is Montblanc ’s ambassador for ar ts & culture projec ts. She wears the “Montblanc 4810” line of the new Montblanc Diamond Jewelry Collec tion.

Montblanc Boutique 120 Grant Avenue 415.403.4000

CONTENTS

Departments 100

made in marin

looking back

Cowgirl Creamery’s Sue Conley shares insights. by somer ﬂaherty

Exploring the best of the strip in Las Vegas. by ben davidson

Bill Provines and the “Crookedest Railroad.” by fred runner

100

play

105

galleries

108

calendar

116

flavor

Lovely hula hands in Marin. by samantha bronson

Summer art fairs and festivals. by anne crump ray

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

San Anselmo’s AVA. by erika lenkert Dine Out, an insider’s guide to Bay Area restaurants.

130 microclimate Tam Valley is its own place. by jim wood

154

dialogue President of Marin County Bar Association Jeff Lerman. by mimi towle

Columns The Cover Photo of Bolinas Ridge by

view from mount tam

pov

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

Marin photographer Ben Davidson. To contact him, email: bendavidsonphoto@ comcast.com or call 415.250.9941 12

MARIN

JUNE 2007

Extended Baylands Corridor proposal. by jim wood

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

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

executive editor Jim Wood ext 106 jwood@marinmagazine.com

associate editor Mimi Towle ext 101 mtowle@marinmagazine.com

editor-at-large Tim Porter tporter@marinmagazine.com

departments editor Somer Flaherty ext 103 sflaherty@marinmagazine.com

copy editor/proofreader Cynthia Rubin

editorial contributors Samantha Berry, P. J. Bremier, Samantha Bronson, Ben Davidson, Erika Lenkert, Karyn Millet, Anne Crump Ray, Fred Runner

Art art director Anne Walzer ext 112 awalzer@marinmagazine.com

production manager Alex French ext 111 production@marinmagazine.com

contributing photographers Drew Altizer, Ben Davidson, Sasha Gulish, Sheri Montgomery, Barbara Ries

Administration controller

Summer Sale Starts Now!

Maeve Walsh ext 104 mwalsh@marinmagazine.com

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

Sausalito, CA 94965, phone: 415.332.4800,

Marin Magazine, One Harbor Dr, Ste 208, fax: 415.332.3048, web: marinmagazine.com, e-mail: editorial@marinmagazine.com

MARIN

JUNE 2007

bedroom : simplified

garage home office

family room media room utility area

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

JAN WAGSTAFF

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

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

account manager Michele Johnson ext 110 mjohnson@marinmagazine.com

account manager Genevieve Luckel ext 109 gluckel@marinmagazine.com

regional sales offices california media marin associates Lora Dinga 415.898.6400

robert kaufman associates Robert Kaufman 415.721.0558

new york couture marketing Karen Couture 917.821.4429

southeast tlc media Cindy Taylor 404.459.6578

Exhibiting original paintings and works on paper by contemporary California artists In the heart of Sonoma County Wine Country on the plaza in Healdsburg

hawaii destination marketing Debbie Joseph Shana Wong 808.739.2200

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

(707) 431 2684 101A Plaza Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448 www.jhowellﬁneart.com • janet@jhowellﬁneart.com Staghorn, oil on canvas, 36” x 36”

Volume 3, Issue 6. Marin Magazine is published in Marin County by Marin Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright©2007. Reproduction of Marin Magazine content is prohibited without the expressed, written consent of Marin Magazine LLC. Unsolicited materials cannot be returned. Marin Magazine reserves the right to refuse to publish any advertisement deemed detrimental to the best interests of the community or that is in questionable taste. Marin Magazine is mailed monthly to homes and businesses in Marin County. Subscription rates are $36 per year. Marin Magazine, One Harbor Drive, Sausalito, CA 94965. Phone 415.332.4800, fax 415.332.3048, e-mail editorial@marinmagazine.com, website marinmagazine.com. marin magazine is printed on 30% post consumer waste paper member of the bpa worldwide:

MARIN

JUNE 2007

SUMMER IS UPON US and for many Marin families that

People, people, people. So much of this month’s

means one thing—road trip! Associate editor Mimi Towle

magazine is dedicated to those who make Marin so spe-

packs up her two daughters, her husband, Flat Stanley

cial. We meet Inverness artist Andrew Romanoff, a de-

and a bagful of electronic diversions, then points the

scendant of Russian royalty and author of The Boy Who

family vehicle south, exploring California from the giant

Would Be Tsar. We visit with Sue Conley and Peggy Smith,

sequoias to Death Valley and, finally, a welcoming pool

those cowgirls with the yummy creamery in Point Reyes

in La Quinta. Join her for the ride. On another type of

Station. We admire the vintage inventory of third-gen-

journey, Karyn Millet tells us how to do London like a

eration San Rafael auto man Jack Hunt, whose show-

local, starting with ensconcing yourself in Number 16,

room floor is crammed with classic Detroit chrome. And

the charming South Kensington hotel that needs no sign.

in Dialogue we talk with Jeff Lerman, president of the

And in Go, Ben Davidson describes the new Las Vegas

Marin County Bar Association, about why he chose Marin

happening on the Strip.

County as a place to call home.

Here in Marin, editor-at-large Tim Porter marks the

Also in this issue, meet the eco-conscious dads

centennial of the Marin Humane Society with a pho-

(happy Father’s Day, guys!) behind your local biodie-

to gallery starring the society’s four-legged clients and

sel station, explore the narrow roads of Tam Valley

a look at how the organization grew from its humble

in Microclimate to find a self-contained community

save-the-horses beginnings to a national model for

the size of Sausalito, and taste the best of AVA in San

animal care.

Anselmo with Erika Lenkert.

In Home, P. J. Bremier explores a trio of Marin kitch-

As always, our wish is for your good reading. Enjoy

ens whose owners are brimming with color confidence.

Marin Magazine, as we continue to celebrate this

From a Tiburon home imbued with Caribbean hues to

extraordinary place!

a Marinwood California modern bedecked with burnt

Lisa Shanower, Publisher

oranges and Euro blues, designers show that functional

Nikki Wood, Editorial Director

kitchens need not be bland.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

Jim Wood, Executive Editor

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

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

LE TTE R S

My wealth is well cared for...

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Readers respond Y our article in the M ay issue ( page 6 2 ) prompted me to mention that M arin A cademy

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

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Noel M., client San Rafael

( San Rafael) has developed quite an interesting Education for Sustainability program. The centerpiece is their Eco-Council, which is composed of students, teachers, trustees and administrators. Since inception a few years ago, the Eco-Council has developed a production garden, funded and installed a full kitchen ( rather than typical heat/ serve operation) , begun an on-site composting for all organic waste, started an extensive recycling program ( including e-waste program) , changed school purchasing policies to sustainable products, implemented an energy conservation program, and so on. Since Ecology/ Sustainability issues are inherently interdisciplinary, the school created the Thoreau Chair, which funds a faculty member to orchestrate crossdisciplinary collaborations and coordinates the Eco-Council work ( M ark Stefanski is the current Thoreau Chair) . M y wife and I founded the G reenwood School mentioned in your article, and were thrilled to find Ma rin A cademy to be the perfect extension of the work we began with our children when they were little. A t the same time we began the G reenwood School, we also founded the Center for Ecoliteracy ( CEL) to see what could be done to foster education for sustainability in public schools. W e worked

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very closely with the The Bay I nstitute in developing the STRA W

program ( Ma y page 63)

as well as developing sustainability partnerships with many M arin public schools. The program at M arin A cademy, in my experience, is easily the most successful and effective. The world needs more of these programs, and the M arin A cademy program is quite replicable and scalable.

Peter K. Buckley, Mill Valley 20

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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LE TTE R S

Thank you for the interesting column about nonprofit/ proliferation. I am planning to clip the article and send it to a lawyer friend in another part of California who has been advocating a comprehensive survey for his community with no luck.

Phoebe Wall Howard, Mill Valley Rather than view the proliferation of nonprofits in M arin as a problem, we might view our many nonprofits as an important solution to a local and federal government that is unable or unwilling to address and fund important local problems like hunger, substance abuse and eldercare in our community. M ost of us obligated to pay taxes have very little control over how our dollars are spent. I n contrast, a vast majority of nonprofits in M arin, like the St. Vincent de Paul Society of M arin’ s free dining room where I work, are not funded by any government or M arin Community F oundation dollars. I nstead, we are funded by committed M arinites who willingly give their time and money to ensure that no one in M arin goes hungry. H ow can this be a bad thing? I t seems more appropriate to celebrate a community that cares deeply about the human beings and animals who live here. O r should we just wait for the government to take care of things for us?

Christine Paquette, Novato Regarding the wonderful article in last month’ s magaz ine about D arfur: A ll of us involved in the grassroots work to raise awareness were grateful. I t was an incredible, informative and powerful story. Thank you.

Gerri Miller, Tiburon Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity and brevity. Send letters to M arin M agaz ine, One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965. Or e-mail to jwood@marinmagazine.com.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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P OV

The Extended Baylands Corridor Proposal It would likely preclude needed senior and affordable housing BY JIM WOOD who opposes the idea. “And in its present form it

Marin needs senior housing—both affordable

would severely restrict, if not eliminate, develop-

and market rate. Our populace is aging and

ment on the St. Vincent’s/Silveira property, which

most who work as caregivers cannot afford to

is well within the City Centered Corridor.”

live here, meaning they commute, thus adding

Newman maintains that concerns about pre-

to local traffic. Existing senior facilities, such as

serving Marin’s bayfront lands were met with the

The Redwoods in Mill Valley, have waiting lists

1994 Countywide Plan revisions that are still in

that delay admission for years. Marin’s seniors

force. “St. Vincent’s/Silveira is entitled to be de-

shouldn’t be forced to move away.

veloped,” she says, adding that, “the property is

Third, without assurance that reasonable

ideal for needed senior and affordable housing,

development can occur, the CYO cannot afford

uses that contribute to the county’s sustainability

to complete needed deferred maintenance on

and reduce its ecological footprint.” (Note: stud-

its majestic structures. Without it, the structures

ies show seniors generate one-fourteenth the

will continue to fall into disrepair—putting the

traffic of conventional development.)

future of the boys’ school at great risk.

f you’re confused by headlines about St.

St. Vincent’s/Silveira is the bucolic land seen

Organizations favoring an extended Baylands

Vincent’s/Silveira, Countywide Plan and

east of the 101 freeway as you leave San Rafael

Corridor include the Marin Conservation League,

Baylands Corridor, this column is for you.

heading north to Novato. The parcel dates back

the Marin Audubon Society and the Sierra Club

Nearly 35 years ago, to limit development,

to 1855, when St. Vincent’s School for Boys

of Marin—groups that worked to defeat last

county supervisors divided Marin into three

was established. Its majestic Renaissance-style

November’s SMART public transit concept.

land-use corridors: one for recreation and open

church buildings were built in the 1920s and

Those opposing an extended Baylands

space (Point Reyes National Seashore/Golden

the property is owned by the Catholic Youth

Corridor, thus ensuring that St. Vincent’s/

Gate National Recreation Area); a second for

Organization (CYO); current tenants include the

Silveira can be modestly developed as a low-

agricultural and rural lands (West Marin/Mount

Marin Ballet, the Dunphy Academy and Timothy

rise seniors’ complex and that the historic

Tamalpais State Park); and a third, the small-

Murphy School for Boys. The smaller Silveira

buildings and school can be saved, include

est, the City Centered Corridor, where most of

parcel is occupied by a vacant ranch house.

architect and Marin planning commission-

Marin’s people would live and work.

In April, after considerable debate, the Marin

er Steve Thompson, Elissa Giambastiani of

As a result, 80 percent of Marin’s 520 square

Planning Commission supported building 350 to

the Marin Workforce Housing Trust, and the

miles is preserved—now and forevermore—as

500 units on 100 acres of the combined proper-

League of Women Voters’ Perry Newman.

open space. No other U.S. county so close to

ty’s nearly 1,100 acres. That’s fewer than 10 per-

I wholeheartedly agree with them. For 35

a major metropolitan area compares when it

cent of the total space. However, if this fall the

years that land has been designated residential,

comes to open space acreage per capita.

Marin Board of Supervisors approves a Baylands

90 percent of it would remain as open space,

That first Countywide Plan was approved in

Corridor that extends two miles from the bay

and the need for senior housing in Marin is

1973, then revised slightly in 1983 and 1994.

to 101—which includes St. Vincent’s/Silveira—

acute. Further, none of the low-rise buildings

Now a third revision is under consideration and

most likely nothing will be built there.

would be visible from the 101 freeway.

a final decision will be made this fall.

Sounds good, right? Wrong!

Marin County can’t resolve its issues by just

To date, controversy has centered on a pro-

First, the property is zoned for develop-

saying no to progressive solutions. That only

posal by environmental groups wanting to add

ment and for years the owners have been taxed

pushes problems into the future. That’s my point

a fourth corridor to the county’s original three.

with that use in mind. Moreover, Marin’s 1973

of view. What’s yours?

“It’s a ‘Baylands Corridor,’” says Perry Newman,

Countywide Plan designated the property for up

president of Marin’s League of Women Voters,

to 2,500 units of market-rate housing. Second,

MARIN

JUNE 2007

E-mail jwood@marinmagazine.com.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

Robert Phillips, President and CEO Guide Dogs for the Blind

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT. EVEN A “NON-PROFIT” CAN PROFIT FROM THAT. It s not easy to find a bank that understands the special needs of a non-profit organization. At Bank of Marin, we not only serve non-profits like Guide Dogs for the Blind, but we also share their commitment to helping people in need. After all, we know that to truly be a community business bank, you first have to help build a successful business community.

Credit Management Group 415-884-1050 Sausalito 415-289-8710 Strawberry 415-381-2265 Corte Madera 415-927-2265 San Rafael: 415-259-0365 415-485-2265 415-472-2265 Novato: 415-884-2265 415-899-7338 Petaluma: 707-781-2210 707-781-1810 707-658-4210 Wealth Management Services 415-927-8900 www.bankofmarin.com

AT A G LAN C E

JU NE the 94th season opener with the flower power rock musical Hair. Mountain Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.1100, mountainplay.org ▼

JUNE 21 Summer Solstice

▼

Today the sun is at its highest path through the sky. Slather on the sunscreen and enjoy the longest day and the shortest night of the year; it’s the beginning of summer!

JUNE 3 Flower and Food Festival A day of festivities including flower-related crafts and gourmet food and wine, including floral arrangement competition. Magnolia Ave. (Larkspur). 415.383.3470, teamproevent.com

▼

THRU JUNE 17 Hair Mountain Play presents

JUNE 9 & 10 Street Painting Hundreds

JUNE 14 Flag Day The adoption of

JUNE 17 Father’s Day Check out the

of madonnari (street painters) will transform the streets of San Rafael into a color-splashed gallery for 60,000 visitors. Mission San Rafael Archangel (San Rafael). 415.457.4878, youthinarts.org

the U.S. flag happened this day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. However, it was President Woodrow Wilson who officially established the day. ▼

men’s fashion story on page 42 for ideas of what to get Dad on his special day. Fun fact: today more collect phone calls are made than any other day of the year.

JUNE 25 Tee It Up The annual tour-

JUNE 24 Wine and Gourmet Food Tasting Local food

nament includes a scramble best ball format and a shotgun start. Proceeds benefit the To Celebrate Life foundation. The Sonoma Golf Club (Sonoma). 415.383.7797, tocelebratelife.org ▼

purveyors and vintners are joined by winemakers from the Northwest and Europe. Lytton Square (Mill Valley). 415.388.9700, millvalley.org

JUNE 29 Iron Science Cheer on

JUNE 30 & JULY 1 Fillmore Jazz Festival

JUNE 30—JULY 4 Marin County Fair

THRU OCTOBER 6 Film Night in the Park

Art and soul come together at this neighborhood festival, which draws almost 90,000 visitors each year. Fillmore District (SF). 800.731.0003, fillmorejazzfestival.com

Don’t miss the thrilling rides, world-class entertainment and nightly fireworks display. Marin County Fairgrounds (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marinfair.org

The annual cinematic event is back. Catch a flick outdoors at a community park in Marin or San Francisco on the new wide screen. Various parks (SF/ Marin). 415.453.4333, filmnight.org

▼

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

the competitors in this science cook-off, where teachers compete before a live audience for the Iron Science Teacher title. Exploratorium (SF). 415.561.0360, exploratorium.edu

MARIN JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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M A R I N ALBUM

Sand Dancer BY TIM PORTER “Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.” —KURT VONNEGUT

MOST OF US LIVE TWO LIVES—ONE PUBLIC, ONE PRIVATE. In public, we work, we shop, we ferry our kids here and there. These are all good things, but they are also what must be done, the necessary stuff, the glue that holds modern life together. Our private lives are different, filled not with obligations but with dreams. In private, we create, we imagine, we journey here and there on intellectual adventures. We squeeze this life into evenings or weekends, letting it bloom only in basement rooms converted into studios or miniature soundstages. A lucky few find a way to merge the two—they live their private lives in public. They may pay the mortgage by pursuing a personal passion, photography, perhaps, or practicing law. Or they may, like this young woman seen on a recent evening at Stinson Beach, unleash their private selves whenever opportunity knocks regardless of how public the setting. Why does she dance so blithely on the sand? Does she perform in tribute to the setting sun? Or maybe in concert with the waves, which celebrate the conclusion of their trans-Pacific trek in chorus lines of breakers? Maybe she’s simply in love, dancing for a companion who Were Vonnegut alive and fortunate enough to be watching this day wane at Stinson, the sand dancer on the shoreline would please him. The world is my living room, she is saying. Life is my stage. Here I am. And so it goes.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

stands just out of sight, recording her movements with a digital camera of his own.

M A R I N GR E E N

Bio-dads: Creating clean fuel for the next generation

BY MIMI TOWLE

Lance McCardle holding his son, Carson, is on the left, next to Cambell Jones holding his son, Ben.

Four years ago, longtime friends and neighbors

public and offering the construction and agricultural

Lance McCardle and Cambell Jones, cofounders of

industry price incentives is how we are doing our part.”

LC Biofuels, started making their own blend of biodie-

One key beneﬁt of their fuel is that it can be used

sel in Jones’s Novato garage. They wanted to create

in an existing diesel engine without any modifica-

a more environmentally sound, domestically based

tions. “Using biodiesel reduces polluting emissions by

fuel source for McCardle’s eco-trucking business. As

as much as 75 percent [compared to petroleum die-

fathers they were also concerned about the planet

sel],” says McCardle. Certified by the international

their children would inherit. “We want our kids’ genera-

standards group ASTM (American Society for Testing

tion to grow up with cleaner air and a country that is

and Materials), LC Biofuels’ product is nontoxic, bio-

independently producing its own energy,” McCardle

degradable and safe to handle, made with oil entirely

says. “Making biodiesel conveniently available to the

from American canola and soybean crops. This is possibly the most attractive feature for many biodiesel converts—that the source for the fuel is grown in the USA. According to McCardle, “American farmers are really the biggest part of the biodiesel industry, as they are now able to get better pricing for their crops and are among the biggest consumers of biodiesel fuel.” LC Biofuels currently has stations in Richmond and San Anselmo (at Green Fusion Design Center, 14 Greenfield Drive) and is working on establishing new pumps in West Marin and South Marin. Another station is set to open in soon. Check lcbiofuels.com for updates.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

the South Lake Tahoe area

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

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

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

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

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S NA P THE BAY INSTITUTE

Carol Lind, Jane Rogers, Susan Ives

Corine Abel, Hadley Hall, Morgan Rissel

Tim Cohler, Andy Carlson

Five-Star Fundraisers Recently The Bay Institute hosted its second annual Night at the Marin Symphony to benefit the institute’s work on behalf of San Francisco Bay and its watershed. The evening included a wine and hors d’oeuvre reception in the Green Room at Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, where guests had the opportunity to meet

Linda and Jerome Retterath

Mark Volkert, composer of Songs from the Sea, and Steven Machtinger, violist with the Marin Symphony. In San Francisco more

Steven and Susan Machtinger

than 350 horticulturists and garden enthusiasts reveled amid the displays at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show at Cow Palace. The opening-night party beneﬁts the educational programs of the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society. Guests strolled the 27 garden vignettes, listened to steel drum music and enjoyed cuisine from McCall Associates. During the event, the Golden Gate Cup was presented to Organic Mechanic’s Sean Stout and James Pettigrew for their best-of-show garden.

David and Randy Greenberg

SAN FRANCISCO FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW

PHOTO CREDIT: SAN FRANCISCO GARDEN SHOW/BLUEXPOSURE.COM

Bill and Marilyn Marken

Sean Stout, Kay Hamilton Estey, James Pettigrew

Sandra Swanson, Don Baldocchi, Karl Sporer

Lawrence Martin

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MARIN

JUNE 2007

SNAP KIDDO!

Rick Ronald, Anne Harper

Kristen and Mike House

For the Kids Ali Duerr, Jim King, Scott Fearon, Trisha Garlock

At the Kiddo! 25th Anniversary Gala and Auction, community Lisa Goodman, John Merkl

members came out to support the arts in Mill Valley schools. Proceeds from the auction will beneﬁt the Kiddo! endowment fund, which has grown to $3.4 million. Income from the endowment supports over 10 percent of the cost of the art, vocal and instrumental music, drama, dance and poetry programs in the city’s schools each year. At the San Francisco Design Center Huey Lewis and the News entertained guests for the Okizu Foundation’s 13th Annual Art Inspiring Hope Gala, which raised almost $600,000. The foundation provides recreation and peer support programs for Northern California

OKIZU

John Bell

families affected by childhood cancer.

Lorraine McLaughlin, Cindi Walchli, Susan Conroy, B.J. Acker

Neil Hennessy

PHOTO CREDIT: KIDDO!/MO DELONG AND MELANIE PERKOFF; OKIZU/SYLVIA STEININGER

Valerie Wynn, Molly Williams, Steve Sell

Jenny McLaughlin, Cate Biggs

MARIN

JUNE 2007

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“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful

“If you invest in beauty it will remain with you all the days of your life”

Morris

Frank Lloyd Wright

831 B Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 415.456.3939 www.sunrisehome.com

S U N R I S E

H O M E

SNAP UNGARO

Chris Bently, Olivia Decker, Mark Calvana

Isha Abdullah, Peter Dundas

Jean Larette

Jennifer Kano, Jean Jaques Bienaime

Fashion and Film At Neiman Marcus, clients were treated to a private Emanuel Ungaro fashion show, where they also met new Ungaro creative director Peter Dundas. Following the event Asim and Isha Abdullah, who purchased Ungaro from the Ferragamo family, held an after-party at their San Francisco home. At Frey Norris Gallery, Fred Levin and Nancy Livingston, chairs of the Film Society Awards Night Gala, invited members of the host committee and friends of the San Francisco Film Society to a cocktail reception in celebration of the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival. The evening included a surprise announcement from Graham Leggat, executive director of the Film Society, who announced that

Carla Berman, Irma Levin

SF FILM SOCIETY

Jerry Berman

Fred Levin, Nancy Livingston, Jack Cortis

Graham Leggat

Wendi Norris

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO CREDIT: UNGARO/DREW ALTIZER/PMC; FREY NORRIS/ HEATHER WILEY FOR DREW ALTIZER

Robin Williams would receive the Peter J. Owens Award at the Film Society Awards Night.

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

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

SNAP Jane Poppelreiter, Eda McNulty

HABITAT

Ed Dobranski, Charles Gagan

Arlette and John Monfredini, Christine and Vincent O’Gara

Together for a Cause The dress code was denim at Habitat for Humanity’s recent Blueprints & Blue Jeans gala. Guests tested their skill in construction contests, sipped on blue martinis and bid on silent auction items, all to support the group’s efforts to build homes in San Francisco and Marin. Across the bridge, To Celebrate Life Breast Tim and Eliza Sears

Danny Pita, Lilah Pita Pita Danny Pita, Lilah Jason Solomon

Cancer Foundation was reaping the awards of past events, as it handed out $384,000 to 19 Bay Area nonproﬁts from funds raised in 2006. The money will be used to support women, men and their

TO CELBRATE LIFE

families in their journey with breast cancer and continue to support underserved communities by providing early detection screening along with emotional and education services. It was a sellout event for the Community Institute for Psychotherapy. More than 230 guests enjoyed musical entertainment from guitarist Barry Finnerty, vocalist Barry Washington, the Redwood Wind Quartet and guitarist Christopher Hanford. Proceeds generated from the event will provide services for those in need of counseling and psychotherapy who would otherwise be unable to afford it.

Wendy Barbaria, Sydney Randazzo, Carla and Ray Kaliski

Olivia Fey

Carola Detrick, Martha Nelkin

Judy Obedzinski, Sarah Cirese

Dr. Francine Halberg

Robin Berenson, Sheila Propheter

Hayley Joy Berenson, Wayne Lesser

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO CREDIT: TO CELEBRATE LIFE/PATTY SPINKS

CIP

F Y I D ECO R 1

Recycle those rickety hand-me-down plastic chairs and live the dream; the

ALFRESCO

right outdoor furniture can turn a backyard into a private paradise. Depending

LUXE LIVING

on your budget, pick from big-box retailers, high-end showrooms or roadside markets. Here are some of our top picks.

1. You too can be king or queen for the day in Smith & Hawken’s Royal Hall Day Bed; pick from an array of colors including the featured item in green. Sunbed is 89” W x 46” D x 30” H and $3,199 plus an additional $999 for the cushions. Smith & Hawken (Mill Valley). 415.381.1800, smithandhawken.com 2. The Arc Chaise by Henry Hall Designs is a lounger with true versatility. The award-winning piece features a hidden storage bin and reversible cushions and can be seated upright or adopted to a flat bed. The chaise is 34.6” W x 16.5” H x 87” L and $3,300 plus an additional $1,000

for the cushions and $700 for the side cube. Dunkirk and Associates (SF). 415.863.7183, henryhalldesigns.com

inspired by the laid-back surroundings of south-

4. Take dinner outdoors with this environmen-

ern France. The hammock is 81” H and $19,500.

tally stable teak table-and-chair set by Ventana.

3. Take a break with up to four friends in Henry

Dunkirk and Associates (SF). 415.863.7183,

The table is 48” H and $559 plus an additional

Hall Design’s Cocoon Hammock, which was

henryhalldesigns.com

$179 for the chairs. Terra Teak and Garden (Mill Valley). 415.331.1603, terrateakandgarden.com

5 5. If modern design dictates your outdoor style, try the Kenji table and stool, which are made of South American Ipe wood, a durable and dense material perfect for backyard use. The table is 30” H and $1,799; the stool is 15.75” H and $1,199. Marin Outdoor Living (Mill Valley). 415.924.8811, marinoutdoorliving.com by mimi towle and somer flaherty

MARIN JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Get Inspired!

Try It Live!

Savor the Flavor!

Concord

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San Rafael www.standardsofexcellence.com

530 W. Francisco Blvd. San Rafael, CA 94901 415-453-6070

FA S H I O N TRENDS

NEW LOOKS STRAIGHT FROM THE RUNWAY

2 3

lighten up This summer, take a cue from the designer runway—ditch the dark suit and embrace lighter-hued alternatives, which transfer from the office to an after-work function with ease. “California is a bit more casual and colors are great for the summer,” says Neiman Marcus men’s fashion director Colby McWilliams. The trick is to pair the suit with muted, solid-color shirts and impeccable shoes.

1. Ermenegildo Zegna Jacket, $1,765; trousers, $300; shoes, $385; cashmere knit top, $675. Gene Hiller (Sausalito). 415.332.3636, genehiller.com

2 . Ralph Lauren Suit, $1,295; shirt, $125; tie, $95. Ralph Lauren (SF). 415.788.7656, polo.com

3. Marc Jacobs Linen suit, $1,470; shirt, $370; boots, $350. Marc Jacobs (SF). 415.362.6500, marcjacobs.com

4. Paul Smith Shirt, $560; skinny tie, $125; cardigan, $440; belt, $180; pants, $335; shoes, $465. Neiman Marcus (SF). 415.362.3900, neimanmarcus.com

5. Louis Vuitton Jacket, $1,694; shirt, $601; trousers, $647. Louis Vuitton (SF). 415.391.6200, louisvuitton.com

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

FA S H I O N TRENDS

5 3

size does matter There’s nothing worse than clothing that doesn’t ﬁt— or isn’t comfortable. Buy clothing for its cut, shape and style to look ten pounds lighter and ten times more fashionable. Stylist Stacy London agrees—the outspoken cohost of TLC’s television show What Not to Wear was quoted as saying, “Fit your body the best way you can by actually fitting it. Don’t wear anything oversized—every guy seems to think he’s two sizes larger (than he actually is).”

1. Gentlemen Prefer The Sausalito-based Birds Boxers is producing skivvies with sea island cotton, a tailored ﬁt and no elastic—which means no more impressions on the waist from a too-tight band. $75 at Gene Hiller (Sausalito). 415.332.3636, genehiller.com

2. Knowledge, Wisdom, Truth Robert Stokes, the designer behind the Robert Graham line (and formerly of Ralph Lauren), has the above three Zenlike words embroidered somewhere on each shirt he produces. However, the collection is really distinguished by exquisite detailing, fit and contrasting fabrics such as those used in the pictured Sea Pines shirt. $158 at Famous For Our Look (Mill Valley). 415.388.2550, robertgraham.us 3. The Right Fit The Fairfax Jean (named after the L.A. street, not the Marin town) is a take on Paige Premium Denim’s classic boot cut. Designer Paige Adams-Geller, a former ﬁt model for major fashion houses, just unveiled the new men’s line and it has quickly become the go-to for tailored denim. $220 at Famous For Our Look (Mill Valley). 415.388.2550, paigepremiumdenim.com

4. The Design It only takes small details to add big style to an otherwise plain shirt. The 7 Diamonds brand is known for its athletic fit, body-contouring cuts and darting. $89 at Nordstrom (Corte Madera). 415.927.1690, nordstrom.com

5. A Suitable Shoe A wellmade shoe can (and should be) extremely comfortable. This Coach Eli loafer is worth paying extra for and the quality and durability make it a wise investment. $238 at Coach (Corte Madera). 415.924.5046, coach.com

by somer flaherty

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

JUNE 2007

FA S H I O N

lifestyle Name Scott Leary and his daughter Olivia Home Mill Valley Occupation Scott: private detective; Olivia: student

Describe your personal style. Scott When I was growing up in Stinson, those OP [corduroy] shorts were definitely part of the beach style, but I remember the key element of my own style at that point as being centered around faded 501s and flipflops. And it still is. Is there anything that you have in your wardrobe that you’ve had for a long time? Scott When I married my beautiful wife in 1989 I wore a Hugo Boss tuxedo (a gift from my father-in-law). I recently wore it for an event and I’m happy to report that it still fits (almost as well as it had then!). Olivia, how would you describe your father’s style? Casual chic. He loves comfy clothes, but also can dress with the best. Scott, how would you describe your daughter’s style? She has fantastic taste! Probably due to all of the fashion magazines that her mom gets every month. Overall I’d describe her style as casual preppy, with a subtle experimental edge. Who are your fashion influences? Gucci outfits. Scott I’ve been influenced by many different things converging in my life over the years—the beach, tennis, fly-fishing, the proximity to an international city like 44

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JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO: BARBA RA R IE S

Olivia My mom. She has some awesome

San Francisco, and of course my affection

Sa il int o Su mmer !

for most things Italian. Do you have any favorite designers? Olivia I love Zac Posen and Derek Lam. Scott Boss (shirts/sweaters/T-shirts), Patagonia, Levi’s, Mod-O-Doc (T-shirts), Joseph Abboud (work), and Dolce & Gabbana (my special occasion suit). Where do you shop in Marin? Olivia Lucky Brand, Red Dot, Anthropologie. Scott Live Water Surf Shop, Nordstrom, REI. Where do you love to eat in Marin? Both Celia’s in San Rafael, Sushi Ran, La Ginestra (you feel like part of one big family there—Tino’s got a great wine list, and we’ve been eating there for over 30 years!), Frantoio (the best rabbit pasta), and Cactus Cafe. Scott, when you’re dressing for work as a private detective, what are some key elements of your wardrobe? In my work, I might be conducting interviews at a large corporation in the morning, investigating a serious accident at a construction site during the day, and trying to locate a witness in a rough neighborhood in the p.m. So, I usually wear a mix of things that allows me to adapt quickly: that usually means casual slacks or sometimes jeans, suit jackets, sweaters, and various types of shirts. What was the last book you read, and why? Olivia The Grapes of Wrath. I read it because it was a gift from my grandpa and it’s a classic. Scott The Godfather. What can I say? It was on my to-read list for about 25 years, but I’d never read it.

green apples

What would your theme song be? Olivia I think it would be the James Bond theme song. Scott “What a Wonderful World” (the Louis Armstrong version). MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

JUNE 2007

F Y I H OM E

Kitchen Islands Form, function and fabulous

BY MIMI TOWLE

portant to consider how many cooks are in the kitchen,” she says. “The minimum clearance for one cook between the island and cabinets is 36 inches; 42 is better, and I try to achieve this in all kitchens if possible. For two cooks, 48 inches is ideal.” Often Laughlin’s clients come to her for help building an island into their existing space. “Since Lamperti offers five different brands of cabinetry, it’s easy to create an island that will fit with the original style,” she says. “It all depends on the look and, of course, budget.” Whether you choose a modular predesigned work of art like a Boffi piece or want to creBoffi modular kitchen island, 12’ wide x 5’ deep

ate a custom island for your home’s particular style, enlisting a designer who’s experienced in that process can help. “We work with all our

hether you’re remodeling the

one to make a bold statement,” he says. “Many

clients on a one-on-one basis to understand

whole kitchen or just add-

clients opt for an unusual countertop material

how they intend on using the space we are

ing counter space, the kitchen

such as recycled glass, stainless steel; others

designing,” Michaels says. “We want to know

island can be an important focal point. It “can

go for more traditional marbles and granites.”

who’s going to be using the kitchen—[whether

serve many purposes, whether acting as a

Lately he’s noticed a trend toward quartz-

it’s] one or multiple users and how they like to

functional extension of the kitchen, a transi-

based products, probably due to the range of

entertain—and we get a sense of their style.”

tion to another living space, or simply a beau-

colors and easy upkeep. But an island’s most

For instance, “is the kitchen more of a show-

tiful piece of furniture,” says Eve Petrucci of

essential design component is that it’s built to

place, or is it the center of their home, and will

the San Francisco furniture showroom Dzine.

meet the client’s specific needs. For households

it be used every day by everyone? We think it

“What is so appealing about the Boffi systems

with kids, an easy-access microwave oven or

is very important to understand the dynamics

[pictured above] is their balance of form and

a cut-out space for casual dining may work

of the household and help our clients create

function.” Petrucci and husband Cardenio re-

well. “Dishwasher drawers are also a popular

the most functional kitchen they can.”

cently started carrying the Boffi product line in

trend,” Michaels notes.

their high-end contemporary-Italian emporium on Potrero Hill.

Rectangular islands with dishwasher and

“There is a system to planning the ide-

sinks; L shapes with seating area; a simple

al island,” says Beth Laughlin, a designer

square of much-needed counter space—these

Randy Michaels, of Redwood Kitchen and

at Lamperti Contracting and Design in San

days the kitchen island comes in so many

Bath in San Rafael, agrees the island can be a

Rafael. “When you’re planning to add an is-

forms, deciding on the right one will take

beautiful element. It’s “a great place for some-

land to a new space or an existing one, it’s im-

some creative planning and research.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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F Y I BUSINESS

80 YEARS AND STILL SELLING

Brothers Brad Hunt and Jack Hunt lll—standing next to a 1956 Cadillac Coupe deVille— carry on a San Rafael automotive tradition started by their grandfather in 1927.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Featuring the Finest in American & European Women’s Fashions

San Rafael’s Jack L. Hunt Automotive really is your grandfather’s car lot BY JIM WOOD

ould you buy a used car from this man? Many people do. One buyer was country music superstar Tim

McGraw. “A few years back, McGraw’s manager was driving through San Rafael around midnight,” says Jack L. Hunt III, “and he saw this bright red ’54 Corvette sparkling in the showroom.” Early the next morning, he called PHOTO BY: ROSS PELTON

Hunt to ask the price. “He told me the buyer would be a ‘music guy,’” says Hunt, “and that the price—it was just under $30,000—sounded ‘just fine.’ An hour later, the manager came by with a cashier’s check.” The car was immediately trucked to Oregon, where McGraw, seeing it for the first time, gave it as a present to his fiancée, country singer Faith Hill. Not all Hunt’s sales are as colorful and quick, he concedes, “but I always manage to have fun

P H OTO: TIM P ORTER

doing what I do.” His grandfather, the original Jack L. Hunt, started selling cars on Fourth Street in San Rafael in 1927. “He was a Chrysler Plymouth dealer who eventually turned the business over to my dad, Jack L. Hunt Jr., and Dad built this showroom in 1950.”

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

D r e s s : Tr e l i s e C o o p e r , S h o e s : A l b e r t o Fe r m a n i

Apparel • Shoes • Jewelry • Accessories Mon-Sat: 11am - 6pm • Sun: 11am - 5pm 514 san anselmo avenue • san anselmo, ca • 94960 phone: 415.485.0104 • fashion@blancboutique.com

MARIN

JUNE 2007

In one typical visit to that 60-year-old glassenclosed showroom, parked front and center

Furniture Made from Recycled Wood

is a sky-blue 1956 Cadillac Coupe deVille with a snow-white top and just over 36,000 miles on its odometer. “There’s at least $10,000 worth of chrome on this beauty,” says Hunt, eyeing his merchandise with admiration and pride. “We’re asking $38,500.” On one side of the Caddy is an orange-and-yellow 1954 Oldsmobile Rocket 88 with a custom sunroof; on the other, a 1927 Franklin four-door with an aluminum body and wheels with wooden spokes. “These are really fun cars,” Hunt says. By that, he means his vintage wheels aren’t meant to measure up to Pebble Beach Concourse perfection. “These cars are for people to drive—maybe not every day, but at least to a picnic in West Marin, [or] maybe to cruise around town on weekends or take part in a community parade.” Cars—old and new, in a wide variety of shapes, styles and sizes—just seem to gravitate to Hunt. “Thanks to my dad and granddad, I’ve been close to Marin auto sales all my life,” he notes. Recently his inventory has included several Ford Mustangs and T-Birds from the late 1960s and early ’70s, VW Beetles from the ’60s, a rare ’56 Lincoln Premiere convertible, and a two-door 1967 Sunbeam Tiger with a 289-horsepower V-8 engine. “One day, I saw this guy with a fancy longlens camera taking pictures from across Fourth Street,” Hunt recalls. The photographer’s subject: a brand-new Mini Cooper sedan parked in Hunt’s showroom, a car made famous in the movie The Italian Job. Later that day, the mystery photographer’s administrative assistant phoned, inquiring about availability and price. “As for the car’s many unique features, the caller said, ‘Oh, my boss knows all about it,’” Hunt recounts. He told her the price—$24,000— and said the Mini could be ready the next day if a check was delivered that afternoon. The phone call ended without a deal. “But the next

1848 Fourth Street San Rafael, CA 94901 415.453.0345 Wed-Sat 10-6/Sun 12-5

www.thewoodenduck.com

2919 Seventh Street Berkeley, CA 94710 510.848.3575 Mon-Sat 10-6/Sun 12-5

morning, I found a cashier’s check that had been slipped under the door,” Hunt says with a big grin. “It was signed: ‘Richard Thalheimer, founder, Sharper Image Corporation.’”

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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F Y I PEO P LE

He Could Have Been Tsar Inverness Artist Andrew Romanoff has a royal touch

BY JIM WOOD

air warning: Don’t talk “coulda-shoul-

das” with folk artist Andrew Romanoff. He is sure to win. “Were it not for the

Bolshevik Revolution of 1917,” the soft-spoken Inverness resident says, “depending on a number of conditions, I could have been the tsar of Russia.” He’s serious. “When the Bolsheviks threatened the reign of Tsar Nicholas the second,” Romanoff recounts, “England’s King George the fifth, the tsar’s first cousin, sent the HMS Marlborough to Saint Petersburg and rescued my grandmother, Duchess Xenia, the tsar’s sister.” The duchess’s family was then whisked back to London where, in 1923, Andrew was born. He was raised in spacious Frogmore Cottage, on the grounds of Windsor Castle. “My grandmother always believed the Romanoffs would return to once again rule Russia, as they had since 1613,” says the trim jeans-wearing 84-year-old, who still has a regal presence—tall; thick mustache; bushy brows; always an ascot—but not a trace of regret in his intriguingly accented voice. (It’s best described as part English, part Scandinavian.) Looked back on, his life can be termed adventurous, but hardly princely. After enlisting in the British navy and serving in the North Atlantic, Romanoff worked as a farmer outside London, then sailed to America in 1956. A Greyhound bus brought him to the Bay Area; here, he worked as a shipyard timekeeper and a carpenter before coming to West Marin to paraphernalia” (hookahs and hash pipes). In 1970, Andrew Romanoff moved to Inverness, where he and his wife, the accomplished artist and art teacher Inez Storer, now live in a shingled house built in 1909. At first,

MARIN

JUNE 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO: TIM P ORTER

make and sell jewelry along with “smoking

“the boy who would be tsar”—the name of his recent memoir-style art book—remained focused on jewelry and photography as his primary artistic pursuits. Then in 1990, in a Canadian toy store, Romanoff discovered the medium that is now bringing him a degree of fame, if not wealth.

Take your elevator to the top.

“Shrinky Dink!” he exclaims with a laugh in his voice. “The instant I saw it, I knew it was what I wanted.” Romanoff now buys the oven-shrinkable craft plastic direct from the factory, 500 sheets at a time, and turns it into autobiographical folk art tableaux. “Using well-sharpened colored pencils, I sketch on a small sheet of Shrinky Dink,” he explains. “Then I’ll pop it in a toaster oven so it shrinks by about a third and the colors are intensified to where I want them to be.” He hand-letters another sheet with the narrative-style name of the work and repeats the process, then mounts image and title on a painted piece of plywood that’s typically about six by seven inches big. Titles of these works include Andrew Bumps into Young Princess Elizabeth, from his Windsor Castle childhood, to HMS Shefield Sinks Enemy Ship on Russian Convoy to Murmask, from his naval days during World War II. Occasionally he paints on a bigger piece of plywood, as in Royal Dog Fight, a somewhat irreverent 22-by22-inch depiction of Queen Elizabeth and her corgi after the pup was mauled by Princess Anne’s dog Dotty. It’s decidedly whimsical stuff: many pieces contain spelling errors never corrected, e.g., Shefield not Sheffield and corgy not corgi. In early 2007, Romanoff had his second one-person exhibit at San Francisco’s respect-

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ed Gallery 16. His work, along with The Boy Who Would Be Tsar, is also available at Gallery Route One in Point Reyes Station. A rush of late-in-life publicity includes a front-page story in the Marin IJ, an April segment on NBC’s Today Show, an Associated Press story that went nationwide, and a one-hour radio interview with Marin’s Michael Krasny on KQED. “Suddenly, for some reason, they all came running at me,” the bemused woulda-been

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M A R I N M AY 2 0 07

F Y I B O O KS

Power of the People In his new book, Paul Hawken sees the activists of the world as a part of a huge and very powerful force for good BY SAMANTHA BERRY

MARIN

JUNE 2007

aul Hawken’s new book Blessed Unrest

It is not uncommon for people to empha-

is an antidote to helplessness. In it he

size the negative, especially when they

posits that even though we as a spe-

are trying to spur others to action. Why is

cies face grave and widespread environmental

it so important to point out the positive?

and human rights problems, there is a mostly

Governments, business and most citizens have

unrecognized but very powerful global move-

been in denial for a long time about many con-

ment working for good.

nected issues, including environmental degra-

By viewing all the individual groups, move-

dation, climate change, human rights, poverty

ments and organizations working for social jus-

and more. To call attention to these problems

tice, environmental responsibility and human

is caring thinking, not negative. Sociologist

rights around the world as part of a huge up-

Philip Slater wrote that “the first cure for il-

welling capable of taking on governments, mil-

lusion is despair.” Having said that, we also

itaries, corporations and other sources of harm,

need to see that “we” are amazing, that people

he proposes a hopeful, if still realistic, vision

worldwide are organizing in innovative ways

for our future. Marin Magazine recently caught

to counter the threats to our planet and well-

up with Hawken, a guru of responsible busi-

being. I believe that this knowledge makes it

ness practices and innovative entrepreneurship.

easier to accept the problems and issues we

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

face, because we can see that there is already a huge cadre of human beings who are fearlessly, fiercely and joyously reimagining the world. When did this idea begin to take root with you? I t began in the early nineties when I was doing extensive public speaking. A fterwards, people would come up and share [ information about] their work and we would exchange cards. I collected them for years and as they mounted into the thousands, I began to ask people how many environmental organiz ations there were in the U nited States and the world, and no one knew. I expanded the question to include social justice organiz ations and began to research the question myself. O nce I discovered how vast [ the number] was, I wanted to know why no one knew about it, how it had come into being without being seen. Why was it important to you to write this book? I t arose out of curiosity and grew into a wideranging project that includes the book, a sixpart documentary that will come out in a couple of years, and a series of websites: W iserEarth.

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org, W iserBusiness.org, and W iserG overnment. org. W iser stands for W orld I ndex of Social and Environmental Responsibility. Many people consider business, especially large corporations, the problem. How can commerce play as important a part in saving the world as it so often does in destroying it? A ny path to a sustainable and durable future requires the participation of civil society, business and government, as well as education, religion and art. Business is starting to make very significant changes and contributions, even companies whose leaders were scoffing at such

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issues not long ago. Business and society will have to work together to create an economy that does not require growth—

the holy grail

of neoclassical economics and capitalism, and an ultimate dead end on a small planet. Right now we have an economic system that steals the future and sells it in the present at a profit;

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I believe we can create an economy that heals the future and makes a profit. The latter path is an endless journey while the former leads to oblivion. What are some of the most inspiring things going on in the movement you write about in Blessed Unrest? W hat I am trying to point out is how inspiring the movement is in total. There are literally thousands of brilliant organiz ations out there that people may never have heard of. The media will quote the same people in the same organiz ations over and over and that gives the impression that the N G O

world consists of the

Sierra Club, N atural Resources D efense Council, A mnesty I nternational and H uman Rights W atch. But there are over one million such organiz ations, and many of them are extraordinarily innovative and effective. Log on to K iva. org, where you can make a direct micro-loan to

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use it to buy a sewing machine or a water buffalo or to start a bakery. Log on to Transparency I nternational and see how its efforts to expose corruption contribute greatly to poverty alleviation. Log on to BA LLE, the Business A lliance for Living Economies, which is creating resilient local communities by bringing economic activity back home where most of it belongs. Log on to Pennies for Peace and see how one person has catalyz ed efforts to build over a hundred schools in some of the most remote and dangerous parts of Pakistan and A fghanistan. Y ou could spend weeks on W iserEarth and never stop discovering new organiz ations contributing to social and environmental good. Do you make a case for the various movements and people that form the global community of activists? D ue to modern communication technologies, a movement that was once scattered in a million pieces is starting to link, cross-link, network, hook up and collaborate, and beginning to provide a constructive political counterweight

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to the dynamics of oligarchies and plutocracies in the world.

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Why do you think most media do not see the small, individual movements as part of a larger, progressive whole? Or, why are they ignoring it? They ignore it because the media focus on power, and they do so because viewers and readers are similarly addicted. We believe that power arises from the top and extends downwards. We cannot easily picture something powerful that has no center, no spokesperson or ideology. Most of what we see on the news is the violence, whether it be militaristic, corporate or economic, but in so doing, we are cut off from the power of kindness, the power of imagination, the worldwide movement to reinvent democracy from the bottom up so it is not a winner-takes-all system. Who are some of the activists, thinkers and leaders you most admire? I am a big fan of David James Duncan, a man who has devoted himself to the sanctity of water and whose most recent book, God Laughs & Plays, takes on the religious right for plundering nature while hijacking Christianity. He is a brilliant, courageous, resonant writer, a contemporary Jeremiah with a roaring good sense of

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humor and an exquisite sensitivity to life, sorrow and truth. My take on Wendell Berry is that, like Duncan, he is also a prophet from the wilderness, speaking unvarnished truth without regard to conventional pieties. I adore the author of Biomimicry, Janine Benyus, a biologist with a heart as big as the moon. I turn often to the poetry of W. S. Merwin. I am much taken with Gary Snyder’s writings, the work of Wangari Maathai in Kenya, and the activism of Majora Carter in the Bronx and Van Jones in Oakland. I could go on and on. I have ten thousand heroes. Do you think we, as a global community, are moving in a positive direction? We are heading right over the cliff. The powers that be are dithering. But I am also stunned at the rate that people are awakening, acting, connecting the dots and creating ways to

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MARIN

JUNE 2007

MADE IN MARIN Cowgirl Creamery’s partners Sue Conley (left) and Peggy Smith

IT’S THE CHEESE Y Cowgirl Creamery’s

ou could say it was fate. Sue Conley and Peggy Smith met at the University of Tennessee and after graduation toured the United States in a self-proclaimed hippie bus. On the stop in

Sue Conley shares

San Francisco, Conley fell in love with the magic of the city and eventually moved there, co-

owned Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkeley and then moved to Point Reyes. Smith settled in the Bay

some insight into her

Area too, working her way up the restaurant ladder with gigs at neighborhood eateries and, eventually, cooking at Chez Panisse. However, it wasn’t until a chance knock on the door from Ellen Straus,

company’s path to

matriarch of the Straus Family Creamery, that Conley and Smith’s true calling would begin to emerge. For a cheese maker, as Conley points out, the biggest challenge is finding a good source of milk; 17

success BY SOMER FLAHERTY 58

MARIN

JUNE 2007

years and countless awards later, Cowgirl Creamery still gets its milk from the Straus family dairy.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

You could make cheese almost anywhere. Why Marin? Marin is one of the best places in the country to make cheese, because it’s pretty much a consistent temperature year round, the grasses have a long growing season, and there’s a cool, damp climate.

You work closely with the Straus family dairy. How did your partnership get started? It started when I met Ellen Straus. She was going door to door as part of a Democratic campaign group and I was familiar with who she was from reading Farming on the Edge, which was about the farm families of West Marin. She started telling me about her son Albert and how he was in the process of transitioning his farm to certified organic, and I thought

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that was great. I signed on with Albert to help him market the milk he was producing in the first certified organic dairy in the West. At this point Peggy wasn’t involved—she was still at Chez Panisse—but I signed her on in 1996.

There are more than 50 cheese-making companies in California alone. How does Cowgirl Creamery stand out? There’s a new group called the California Artisans Cheese Guild, and the distinguishing characteristic is that we’re all small-production cheese makers. For example, Hilmar [another California cheese-making company] produces almost a million pounds of cheese per day, whereas Cowgirl makes 600 pounds a day.

How did you learn how to make cheese?

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

JUNE 2007

depend on what milk you use and where you’re making the product. I also went to classes at the University of Washington.

Is there still a fear of fat when it comes to eating cheese, and if yes, Diplomate: American Board of Plastic Surgery American Board of Surgery

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Do you have any tips on how to cook with cheese at home? Our fromage blanc and crème fraîche are staples for good cooking in the home. Finishing a sauce with crème fraîche makes it so much more delicious. Fromage blanc is like a light cream cheese and works well with blintzes and cannolis. Our cottage cheese is also unbelievable with fresh noodles, black pepper and parmesan.

How do you decide what cheese to make next? It’s really what our customers want. We have (our own) retail stores so we really have a good sense of what they’re asking for. Right now they like small-format cheeses, so next we’re making beautiful columns of two or three ounces that have a chalky texture and have a little sweet and sour taste of fresh milk. We’re calling them Inverness.

What advice can you give a customer for pairing cheese with wine? The easiest wines to pair with cheese have a little sweetness. Try a dessert wine or the less tannic red wines or dry white wines. However, the best idea is to get a recommendation from a restaurant sommelier or waiter.

What made you decide to open your operation to the public for tours? The reason we opened it up was to promote the agriculture business of Point Reyes and

MARIN

JUNE 2007

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Marin. When Peggy and I were cooking we worked in open kitchens where the cooks

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were part of the customer experience. We both thought that would be a great way to introduce people to cheese making. Visitors might begin to understand the connection between the farms and the food that’s produced from them.

What is your favorite cheese? Cottage cheese, because it looks very simple to make but is actually very difficult and starts

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out the same way you make hard cheeses like cheddar—the cheese maker has to use all his senses when making it.

If you weren’t a cheese maker, what else would you have done?

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is a challenge. I think that Point Reyes is really moving in a wonderful direction, with the whole town being promoted as a place where people can get great food that still has an ethical quality to it, because it’s primarily organic and the area’s farmers’ market has all local producers. I would love to be a town planner, but I couldn’t have planned a better town.

What does the future hold for Cowgirl Creamery? Peggy and I grew up on the East Coast, and we knew we wanted to do something there, so recently we opened a store in Washington, D.C. Here (in Marin) we have a wholesale business and a retail business; we’d like to do the same thing there—offer the cheeses on our counter to restaurant chefs and small retailers.

And finally—we are all curious—

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN

JUNE 2007

THINK

ANIMAL HOUSE MARIN’S VERY HUMAN HUMANE SOCIETY

STORY & PHOTOS TIM PORTER

MARIN

JUNE 2007

T WO OF THE MARIN HUMANE SOCIET Y GANG : KRAMER (IN BLUE) AND ROBIN WILLIAMS (OPPOSITE).

MARIN

JUNE 2007

DIANE ALLEVATO, RETIRING DIRECTOR OF THE HUMANE SOCIET Y AND HER AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS , KIT, LEFT, AND DALE.

iane Allevato doodles. A lot. As she listens to

thing pointed and eloquent like this:“Many humane societies are cat

a visitor ask a rambling question about the

and dog organizations. That is just not consistent with our mission.

Marin Humane Society, which as executive di-

It doesn’t even serve the cats and dogs very well. By that I mean that

rector she has run since 1980, her right hand

we’re not really in the business of selling used pets. We’re really in the

is busy drawing forceful angles with a pen on

business of selling a value system, a way of looking at our essential liv-

a desk pad.

ing creatures and realizing that they have rights and interests and we

The doodling seems therapeutic, some-

have responsibilities.”

thing to alleviate Allevato’s natural impatience while having to be in

The directness of those words and the ambitious moral stance they

listening mode. When the questioner finishes, Allevato transfers the

embrace don’t quite fit a first impression of Allevato. Diminutive, 60

measured intensity of her scribblings to her answer and she says some-

years old, a thatch of thick hair well seasoned with gray and casual-

MARIN

JUNE 2007

“We’re really in the business of selling a value system, a way of looking at our living creatures and realizing that they have rights and interests and we have responsibilities.” ly dressed to the point of Birkenstocks over socks, she could easily be mistaken for a substitute English teacher rather than who she really is—a woman of the ’60s who left law school intent on changing the world and discovered canines and kitties served that quest better than a courtroom. Allevato’s eyes are small and dark, but when she speaks they become transfixing, enlivened by passion and twinkling with good humor. After ten minutes in a room with Allevato, you’re ready to leap onto the barricades with her — or at least sign up as a Humane Society volunteer and start swabbing out some kennels. It would be an overstatement to say that Allevato is the Marin Humane Society—and a disservice to her dedicated staff and the nearly 800 volunteers who walk dogs, chuck cat cheeks and, yes, swab kennels—but it’s hard to imagine how the society could have become the national model for animal care and community involvement it is today without her vision and drive. That’s a question the Humane Society must answer soon because Allevato is stepping down at the end of June to devote her time to animal rights causes. (Her replacement had not been announced by deadline.) “I’m leaving the job, but I’m not leaving the work,” she says. “It’s a good time. It’s one of those milestone years and it’s a milestone year for the society, too.” Indeed, the Marin Humane Society turns 100 this year and can celebrate its centennial this month with a menu of innovations and accomplishments that surely would have pleased its founder, a San Anselmo horse lover named Ethel Tompkins. Under Allevato’s guidance (and, some would say, insistence), the society:

MARIN

JUNE 2007

ings more efficient, more environmentally green and more animal friendly. W ork begins this fall.

hese efforts make M arin a very good place to be a dog or a cat. Because most pets here carry bar-coded microchips that identify their owners,

stray animals find their way home here more often than in other places. Last year, the M arin shelter returned 1,09 2 stray dogs, cats and other animals to their owners. Eighty-seven percent of lost dogs ( four times the national average) and 2 5 percent of lost cats ( eight times the national average! ) were returned home. Since most local pets are neutered, the demand for animals is greater than the supply. The H umane Society closes the gap by retrieving animals from shelters that have high kill rates. I n 2 005 , volunteers drove as far as Bakersfield and Red Bluff and returned with 1,2 5 4 animals that were eventually adopted. ( O ccasionally, the society will reach out even farther. This spring, for example, it took in four greyhounds rescued from a racetrack in Tijuana, M exico. A ll were adopted.) “W e might get a call from M endocino,” says A llevato, “and they’ ll say, ‘ W e have so many cats right now and we’ re going to be in a position

THE HUMANE SOCIET Y USES ELWOOD THE

of having to euthaniz e healthy animals if we

TEST CAT, WHO BELONGS TO TRAINING

can’ t place a doz en.’ The relationship is based on

MANAGER DAWN KOVELL, TO SEE HOW WELL

the fact that animals are not always in the right

NEW DOGS GET ALONG WITH OTHER ANIMALS .

place at the right time to maximiz e their prospects for a new home.” N ot all animals that enter the H umane

• O pened the first low-cost spay-neuter clinic on the W est Coast

Society’ s shelter on Bel M arin K eys Boulevard leave through the front

( and pioneered the now-common practice of steriliz ing cats and dogs

door, though. The shelter’ s “open-door” policy means it takes in any

at 8 weeks of age) .

animal, regardless of condition. F or some, it will be their last stop.

• W as the first to mandate that all adopted cats and dogs be injected with tracking microchips, which the society subsidiz es—

$ 5 for cats,

$ 10 for dogs.

“I f your door is open, you’ re going to receive the animals that need you the most,” says A llevato. “That means we’ re not going to turn our back on an animal because it bites children. I t doesn’ t mean

• Established programs to help elderly people keep their pets by having volunteers shop and care for the animals. • Launched an extensive training curriculum that addresses the top reasons people give up their dogs—

behavior problems.

that we’ re going to necessarily be able to place that animal. But we’ re going to care for it and if we can’ t place it we’ re going to give it a gentle passing.” The issue of killing domestic animals has to be discussed in the

• F ormed a network of 4 8 N orthern California animal care facilities

larger context of overpopulation, says A llevato, which is why the

called Pet Partnerships that takes dogs and cats from overcrowded shel-

M arin H umane Society has so strongly emphasiz ed steriliz ation and

ters and brings them to M arin for adoption.

reconnecting lost animals with their owners. K eeping animals out of

• Planned a five-year, $ 8 to 10 million rehabilitation of the 5 7 ,000-

a shelter in the first place is the best way to keep them alive. “O ne

square-foot N ovato complex to make the shelter and secondary build-

of the things that really troubled us was that people were talking ‘ no

MARIN

JUNE 2007

kill, no kill, no kill,’ but it didn’t seem to make any sense to us for a

initiating from a visit to the shelter’s website, which contains pictures—

couple reasons,” she says. “One, we had to all acknowledge that there

and some heart-tugging video—of dozens of dogs, cats and rabbits (the

were animals we were going to euthanize that had health and behav-

third-most popular pet in the United States; the society sees about 500

ior problems that we couldn’t address. And, two, if they’re euthaniz-

each year).

ing animals 30 miles away for no reason other than they didn’t have

The Humane Society is about more than adopting pets. Half of its

room for them, why hold a party? It wasn’t Marin’s problem or San

$5.5 million annual budget flows from a contract with Marin’s city and

Francisco’s problem or any city’s problem or shelter’s problem. It was

county governments to provide animal control services such as issuing

a regional problem and a national problem. We could do a whole lot

dog licenses, rounding up strays and responding to complaints about

more for animals and the people in our community by trying to be

barking or aggressive animals.

part of a more regional solution.”

Last year, the Humane Society rescued 800 chickens from an egg

Despite all efforts, the Humane Society in 2006 still had to make the difficult choice of euthanizing 454 dogs in and 566 cats (many of

factory in Gilroy where they lived four to a tiny cage. All were placed with local small ranchers.

them feral). The other side of the equation, though, is the number of

“When we brought in those chickens,” says Allevato, “it was about

animals for whom the society found new homes. In 2006, the soci-

providing greener pastures and a safe haven for those 800 hens, but

ety adopted out 2,355 animals—1,037 dogs, 958 cats and 360 rabbits,

it was also about educating our community about where eggs come

guinea pigs, chickens and the occasional turtle.

from. We’re about educating our community so they can make wise

Part of the Humane Society’s adoption success stems from the shel-

consumer choices.”

ter’s staff knowing the type of animals Marin residents want. “They

Perhaps more than anything, Allevato wants people to value the

like smaller dogs. They like a little bit older dogs,” says Allevato. “You

lives of animals, whether they’re sitting on our laps, providing eggs for

know, puppies are very appealing, but a two-year-old dog that’s steril-

our breakfasts or chewing on green West Marin grass in preparation for

ized and housebroken, that’s very nice, too.”

becoming a juicy T-bone.

The shelter is often forced to choose between animals that have

“Someone once said to me,” she says, “‘Why don’t you have a big

a strong chance of adoption and those that don’t. “We had to make a

sale? Sale! Sale! Two cats for the price of one!’ And I said, ‘Look, maybe

conscious decision—and this is one we talked about internally for a

we can adopt a few more animals that way, but aren’t we really under-

long, long time,” says Allevato. She hesitates. “I don’t know how to put this so it makes sense. If you have two Rottweilers with behavior and health problems . . . should you morally try to deal with those health and behavior problems or should you go 10, 15, 20 miles and rescue 10 animals that you can place tomorrow?” In a typical week, more than two dozen dogs ar-

PARTY ANIMAL TIME

rive at the shelter. Each gets a lengthy look-over from

THE MARIN HUMANE SO CIE T Y

evaluators who examine the animal’s physical con-

will celebrate its 100th

dition, temperament with people (is it possessive or

anniversary this year with a

shy?) and how it behaves with other animals (includ-

free daylong party on June 3.

ing a visit, if he’s available, from Elwood the Test Cat,

The event includes demon-

a no-nonsense 11-year-old Tabby that’s backed off

strations of ﬂyball, Frisbee and

many an overly inquisitive puppy with a green-eyed

other canine contests, a pet tal-

stare and a swipe of his paw).

ent show, opportunities to talk

The purpose is to determine in what type of home the dog or cat would fit best. Is it a layabout or a

with vets and animal behavior experts and, of course, cake.

leaper? Is it adoption-ready or does it need some re-

It begins at 10:30 a.m. and

hab—maybe even a stretch in San Quentin (see side-

goes until 3 p.m. at the society,

bar, page 68)? The findings get posted on the animal’s

171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd., Novato.

cage for shelter browsers to read and, more importantly these days, on the Humane Society’s website. The impact of the web has been “phenomenal,”

Details available at 415.506.6201 or marinhumanesociety.org

says Allevato, with more than half of adoptions now

MARIN

JUNE 2007

INMATE BRIAN HARKNESS WORKS WITH A HUMANE SOCIET Y DOG AT SAN QUENTIN; OPPPOSITE, INMATE JASON BURTON WITH CHARLOT TE.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

Pooches in Prison T HE R E A R E DOZENS of well-behaved

Treatment requires medicine and long-

dogs walking around Marin County

term rest, and the latter can be hard

today that have done time in San

to come by in typical foster homes for

Quentin.

pets. Time, though, is something San

Some might be shepherds or chows

Quentin prisoners have plenty of and

or shar-peis, but most are typical all-

Humane Society’s success rate with

American mutts and all are graduates

sick dogs has improved thanks to the

of Pen Pals, a Marin Humane Society

care the convicts provide. “It’s the kind

program that pairs up wayward ca-

of thing we haven’t been able to treat

nines in need of care with convicted

very successfully because we haven’t

felons in need of caring.

had these wonderful, long-term care-

Pen Pals places dogs that are either sick or don’t behave well around

takers,” says society spokeswoman Sheri Cardo.

people with inmates assigned to San

Many Pen Pals dogs are shy, which

Quentin Fire Department. The dogs

makes them poor adoption candidates.

live with the prisoners in the ﬁrehouse,

They may avoid people or bite out of

On a recent weekday afternoon,

which faces Richardson Bay on the

fear. “A dog that is undersocialized is

Jason Burton, one of the San Quentin

west side of the prison, from several

really sort of scared of a lot of things,”

ﬁreﬁghters, stood on a small patch

weeks to several months until the

Carson says. “He’s sort of shut down. In

of green grass next to the ﬁrehouse

Humane Society determines they are

our evaluation process, we try to deter-

telling a ﬁlm crew from the MSNBC

ready for adoption. Volunteers from

mine if that dog is safe but just needs

prison series Lockup about his relation-

the society work with the inmates

time to come out, to trust people.”

ship with Harlon, a Humane Society

twice a week on training the dogs.

That trust comes from living 24/7

to the community and it teaches them responsibility.”

dog that had just spent a month with

More than 70 dogs and more than 20

with the San Quentin ﬁreﬁghters. The

inmates have participated since Pen

inmates have their own rooms—mod-

“She’s got a lot of love,” says

Pals began in May 2005.

est by any standards, but a prison perk

Burton. “Life can get a little cold

Burton.

Pen Pals was the brainchild of

for being in the ﬁre department—and

around here and she kinds of warms

Larry Carson, a retired Marin contrac-

the dogs share their quarters, some-

me up.”

tor who heard about similar “cell dogs”

times even their beds.

Burton, a tall, good-looking young

programs on an Animal Planet TV

In return for providing compan-

man, was due to leave Quentin in 12

show. Carson, a Humane Society vol-

ionship and training for their canine

days on parole, and planned to head

unteer and dog evaluator, pitched the

charges, the inmates get something

back home to San Jose with a better

idea to the society, traveled to Nevada

in short supply within the razor-wired

attitude than the one he arrived with

State Prison to see it in action and

walls of San Quentin—affection and

four years earlier. Pen Pals is partly re-

convinced San Quentin to give it a try.

purpose.

sponsible, he says.

Nearly 40 percent of Pen Pals

“It gives them an opportunity to do

“It made me feel better about my-

dogs have medical issues, says Carson,

something more constructive with their

self,” says Burton. “It taught me to not

often a heartworm infection, a poten-

time,” says Carson. “It gives them an

always put myself ﬁrst, to care about

tially fatal mosquito-borne parasite.

opportunity to give something back

other living things.”

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JUNE 2007

H OME D E S I G N

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JUNE 2007

COLOR CONFIDENCE Designers enjoy creative palettes in Marin kitchens

STORY P. J. BREMIER

Color. It abounds in nature, remains an endless source of inspiration for artists and style-setters, and

PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

yet can be daunting for many of us, especially when it comes to the choices we make for decorating our

homes. Our lives are filled with color, from the toothbrush we use in the morning to the sheets we climb underneath at night, but when given the chance to make a colorful statement in the kitchen, playing it safe typically trumps playing with paint. In the following pages, three Marin design firms explain how colorconfident clients made their kitchens both personal and vibrant.

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JUNE 2007

in OO Euro Orange OO and Blue JENNIFER HERSHON AND JOANN HARTLEY, partners in the San A nselmo firm H ershon-

H artley D esign, faced a challenge when asked to design a kitchen in a M arinwood California modern– style home. The clients “wanted a sleek, high-end Snaidero type of kitchen, but had a moderate budget,” H ershon says. A lso, appliances purchased a year earlier needed to be included. H ershon and H artley’ s solution was an affordable I talian-style room. “W e guided our clients with colors that they could both agree on,” H ershon says, “and worked with them, over time, to get an unusual mix” so the result would be “that European look, but one that would suit the architecture.” Color is the single most frightening decision for clients, H ershon says. Even though paint is just about the least expensive design tool there is— and the easiest to change— “it still stops most people in their tracks.” N ot these clients, though. “They actually had a bright cobalt blue in mind when we started,” H ershon says. “They weren’ t afraid of anything far-out.” I n the end, they settled on a combination of gray-blue and burnt orange for the cabinet doors and chose a practical matte-finish laminate rather than the high-gloss painted finish they’ d originally envisioned. A cushiony cork fl oor in charcoal gray was selected for comfort and compatibility with the existing black appliances. F or consistency, the kitchen colors were repeated in the adjacent family room with a burnt orange wall, charcoal sofa and teal accent pillows. Big-ticket items were judicious decisions. “W e tried to pick and choose where to spend the money to get as much bang for their buck as possible and to spend the money on the materials that were important,” says H ershon. That meant using A bet Laminati, an expensive I talian laminate, and a brushed aluminum toe kick from M ó z D esigns, but only in small amounts. “The A bet Laminati is not widely known in design circles,” says H artley, “but it has an amaz ing number of colors and textures that you can’ t find in A merican-made laminates and we didn’ t need a lot to get the look. The toe kick was pricey, but we only needed one sheet, and with its concentric circles, it just makes the fl oor pop.” They compromised on the lighting, too, choosing a cobalt-blue glass pendant that contributed a contemporary I talian look but didn’ t break the bank. They spent more on the recessed lighting to illuminate an etched-glass backsplash custom-designed by San Rafael glass artist D avid A rnone, who also created the glass fronts for the upper maple cabinets. N ow, says H artley, “there’ s a certain exuberance you feel when you walk into this kitchen and see this striking color. I t’ s not what you’ d normally find in a house of this type.”

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The color combination of grayblue and burnt orange cabinets create an inviting environment. OPPOSITE PAGE: Jennifer Hershon and JoAnn Hartley.

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JUNE 2007

OO OO

Colorful glass ceiling pendants from 2000 Degrees serve as hanging art and complement the kitchen cabinets.

MARIN

JUNE 2007

Taking a Caribbean Cue JANINE PECK OF DESIGN ORENDAIN in M

ill Valley

thought she had died and gone to heaven when client A drienne Simms Borge specified Caribbean colors for her Tiburon kitchen and emphasiz ed that orange was her favorite color. “I said, ‘ Y es! There is a G od,’ ” says Peck. I t’ s true, says Borge: “O range calls me by name and frankly looks good to me and on me.” She can’ t decide, however, if her favorite shade “is the inside of a perfectly ripe East I ndian mango that my grandmother would sneak back from the Caribbean or that of the orange, lavender and turquoise sunsets in H aiti where [ husband] D avid and I met.” Borge’ s bold color sensibility is evident in the fireplace in her living room. “N ot many people have a Caribbean blue fireplace 12 feet high,” she says. I t actually happened on a lark: “The painter had some blue left over from another job and we just started playing, using different techniques to apply it to a 19 7 0s brick fireplace,” she says. “I loved it. I t jumped into the room and became a piece of art.” Color has that inherent emotional resonance, says Peck. “F or the Borges, who have gone from an all-white-walled home to multicolor in each room, it has provided the chance to become more creative,” she says. “They change the colors of their walls more frequently [ now] and have added all kinds of detail to their home.” The kitchen and family room’ s dramatic splashes of aqua and orange aniline dye, edged in an ebony finish, are found in the asymmetrically lined maple cabinetry, designed by Peck, who figured the angled lines wouldn’ t be too much for the Borges to handle. “M oving those colors around the kitchen and choosing which cabinets to leave natural maple was so much fun,” she says. “The ideas took off from there. N othing was static from that point on.” Even the breakfast table repeats the angles. The emerald-green countertops, cobalt-blue faucetry and blue granite backsplash in the kitchen complement but do not compete with the cabinets. Colorful ceiling pendants from 2 000 D egrees that remind Peck of bright Sputnik spaceships serve as hanging art over the peninsula and breakfast table. The Borges were so pleased with their rainbow-hued kitchen that they used a free hand with colors in all their rooms, and D avid Borge, a physician and lead glass artist, has even incorporated many of the home’ s new hues into his artwork. I f that isn’ t enough of a color conversion, consider this: the Borges have house-swapped with European families who confessed that they too expanded their own household palettes on returning home. “I never thought of orange as bold,” says Borges. “I think of it as warm and giggly. W hen I

Charlie Hale taking a turn on the green.

walk into my kitchen it is like pointing my face toward the sun. I am enveloped in a radiating warmth and light that sweetens my soul.”

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JUNE 2007

Kitchen colors evolved after consideration of the decorative tiles the owners purchased while on a trip to the East Coast. OPPOSITE PAGE: Heidi Kertel and Sandra Bird.

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JUNE 2007

OO OO

Capitalizing On Color Cabinetry

DESIGNER-CONTRACTOR SANDRA BIRD knew color would play

an important role in the recent kitchen remodel of a hillside home in Mill Valley because her client kept pushing for it. “People are surprised at how good color makes them feel,” Bird says. “When you walk into this kitchen with the morning sun coming through the window, you feel fabulous.” Bird’s client had two design directives. First, respect the heritage of the 100-year-old home, which originally served as the physician’s residence for a sanatorium that had stood on the property. Today, the home retains its Victorian design in the back, but a Craftstman-style look in front. The second desire was to infuse the kitchen with color. “The client wanted to have lots of contrast and saturated, or what I’d call gutsy, color,” Bird says. “I knew from the beginning that there would be several different colors.” The process started with a shade of spring green pulled from decorative tiles found by the homeowner during an East Coast vacation. That became the paint choice for the sink and stove cabinetry. Those same tiles became a design element in a field of pale yellow tiles behind the stove and also formed all of the sink’s backsplash. Finding the granite for the countertop surrounding the sink was the next step. “I never expected to use a black granite but this one, Absolute Black Granite, worked so well,” says project designer Heidi Kertel.“It’s neutral and really grounded the colors.” It was the surprise discovery of Rosso Fiorentino, a dark red granite resembling marble, that gave the kitchen hutch both its dramatic countertop and its paint color, which was matched to one of the granite’s lighter tones. Goldenrod, for the walls, was the last color chosen. “I love yellow [and] I was picturing a soft butter yellow, but our client, who has a very sophisticated sense of color, kept going darker,” Kertel says. “Everybody was hesitant about that goldenrod wall but once it was up, it [clearly] was exactly what the room should have had.” “Good design needs to unfold along the way,” she adds, “and fortunately, the client understood that. Each color selection played off another important element in the room.” Just as color was used to highlight certain traditional elements in the space, it also minimized the more contemporary ones, such as the refrigerator and the oven. Painted the same color as the wall, they visually receded. “That suggests that they had always been there and that the kitchen progressed over time,” Kertel says. Building color confidence takes time, even for designers. “I’ve become much more daring after years of working with color,” Bird says. “My designs of 30 years ago are not near the level of saturation that I do today.”

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JUNE 2007

Who is Flat Stanley? Inspired by the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, over 6,000 classrooms around the world have participated in the Flat Stanley Project. Students create these two-dimensional travelers and send them to a friend. Flat Stanley’s journey teaches the children about different parts of the world. Our “Stan” witnessed various points of interest in the desolate evaporated Pleistocene era lake bed of Death Valley, sidled up to the world’s largest tree and enjoyed the good life at the La Quinta Resort.

L I FE

ROAD TRIP

Trading in mai tais for Miller Lite, and other modest sacrifices

STORY & PHOTOS MIMI TOWLE

To ensure a harmonious journey, I went online to learn how to keep the peace between our girls, Natalie, 5, and Grace, 8. “Don’t allow videos,” one website warned. “They can isolate the children. Instead, do activities like the license plate or alphabet game.” But another site cautioned me not to plan too many things in a day. “Spend time at the hotel pool,” it suggested. We have plenty of pool time here in Marin, I thought to myself. On getaway day, Natalie could barely contain herself when we picked up the girls from school. “We’re going to Death Valley, Ms. Marks,” she said, skipping down the hall. “Don’t brag,” her older sister scolded in a whisper. A few minutes later, nibbling Itty Bitty Beanies from High Tech Burrito and looking out the car window, both girls were smiling as we left Marin over the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. “First stop, General Sherman!” I announced. We had already prepped them with particulars. This gior spring break this year, we had intended to join friends at our

ant sequoia is 275 feet tall, its trunk weighs 1,385 tons (more than

favorite Hawaiian resort on the Big Island. But our budget had

two 747s) and is 103 feet in circumference, making it the largest tree

other plans. We had bled our savings (and line of credit) on a

in the world.

at spending money we didn’t have.

nality, for the repetitive sight of teens gathered at mini-marts to give

remodel and my husband, Pete is, ahem, “between jobs,” so we balked

It takes a while—about four hours—for Highway 99 to lose its ba-

Enter Plan B.

way to something resembling picturesque, like a run-down barn with

Pete, possibly inspired by the grainy super-8 home movies of his

“Art Gallery” painted on the door in blue. Eventually, hypnotic groves of

childhood or a desire to reprise Chevy Chase’s character in Vacation,

orange trees appear, stretching across the Visalia horizon. Interesting, but

suggested an old-fashioned road trip. We decided to do California, tra-

not big tree country. “Did we miss a turn?” I asked. Pete shook his head,

versing the state from the Golden Gate to the high desert. To soften the

as he continued talking into the earpiece connected to his Blackberry.

blow about Hawaii, we pitched the new adventure to the kids as a se-

The girls didn’t seem to mind the long drive. They were giggling, glossy-

ries of “ests,” as in: “We’re going to go see the largest tree in the world,

eyed after watching Air Buddies for the second time. I grabbed Pete’s

the lowest point in the United States, the second-hottest place on the

free hand in mine and returned my stare to the window.

planet.” The response was less than ecstatic. “Are the Bacinos going too?” my five-year-old asked. “No, but we’re going to see some amazing things, and we’ll spend almost two weeks together and,” I paused for effect, “we’ll go

our $20 entrance fee and followed a narrow, steep, twolane road up Ash Mountain to Wuksachi Lodge. This

eight-year-old Craftsman-style lodge, perched at 7,200 feet in the heart

swimming.”

e arrived at Sequoia National Park about six o’clock, paid

On the map, the road from Marin to our first stop, Sequoia National

of the park, has a decent restaurant, meeting spaces, a gift shop and

Park, looked exciting, less traveled, even exotic. And by exotic I don’t

Wi-Fi. The accommodations themselves are a short walk or drive from

mean tropical. I mean (with many thanks to Webster’s) strikingly,

the lodge and are set back from the parking lot (no bellhop to help

excitingly or mysteriously different or unusual. “We’ll head to Fresno and

you to the rooms). Our room was perfectly comfortable for the night—

turn left,” said Pete. Simple enough.

especially since we’d brought our own pillows.

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JUNE 2007

By 8 a.m., we’d repacked the car and enjoyed the breakfast buffet. As the first visitors to the Giant Forest parking lot (home to General Sherman), we had unfettered access to everything the small park with the big trees had to offer. It’s hard to judge whether the girls truly understood the profundity of their encounter. They seemed more interested in the photo opportunities with Flat Stanley (the paper doll Natalie made in kindergarten, which we brought along) than acknowledging

blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Trona, population 1,885, just outside

their brush with great sequoia-ness. They were equally blasé in the visi-

Death Valley.

tor center, where the life cycles of the giant sequoias, sugar pines and

There aren’t many places to stay in Death Valley, and our last-minute

coastal redwoods are celebrated and explained via videos and hands-on

planning landed us at the Furnace Creek Ranch. At $173 a night, I figured

learning centers. That was fine, since we wanted an early start for our

it would be decent. I was barely correct. After walking into room number

next leg of the trip, which Google Maps forecasted as a seven-hour, 28-minute journey. After six car-bound hours the previous day, we had a new strategy: each “are we there yet?” would cost the girls a quarter; they had to play cards (or something) for 30 minutes between each video; and food and drink intake would be limited to reduce the potty breaks. We cruised through industrial Bakersfield onto

837, feeling damp carpet under my toes, wonder-

After six car-bound hours the previous day, we had a new strategy: each “are we there yet?” would cost the girls a quarter.

ing what had stained the bathroom fixtures and escaping the angry hornet I had dislodged from its nest on our six-by-two-foot balcony, I tried in vain to switch us to the rooms across from the chain-link-fenced pool. After fruitlessly checking availability at the more-luxe Furnace Creek Inn up the road—no luck—we moved into our funkysmelling accommodations.

Highway 58, where we drove past the rolling

The girls were impatient with our lollygag-

hills of Tejon Ranch and pulled off for a deli-

ging; they couldn’t wait to join the masses in

cious Thai lunch in Tehachapi. As the miles piled up, green faded to the

the pool. Within minutes we were a part of the chlorine-frenzied mob.

muted colors of the desert.

Pete found an unclaimed lounge chair and we both sat on it, silently

“Amazing,” muttered Pete as we entered yet another desolate, rocky eastern Sierra valley. “Is this it?” I asked, after driving for what seemed like forever. “Girls, check it out—Death Valley.” They looked up from their card game of War and briefly scanned the horizon.

taking in the sights and the warm air. I overheard my youngest talking to a new friend in a Disney-princess one-piece: “I don’t know what you’re saying?” Her new buddy spoke German, as did most of the people around us. Luckily, the games Marco Polo and “jump like me” don’t require a shared language. I went to the gift shop, bought some icecold Miller Light, and returned to Pete to watch the desert sunset.

Actually, we were still one valley and 90 minutes away. That

Just what to visit in this 3.3 million-acre national park was deter-

was okay. I was enjoying sitting next to my husband, whom I rarely

mined by proximity. After reading the brochures, I decided my goal

see at home. A glimmering spot on the horizon slowly became the

was to summit the 80-foot Stovepipe Wells dunes hand-in-hand with

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Planning a trip? Check out these websites for lodging information. Wuksachi Lodge: sequoia.com/lodging Death Valley: furnacecreekresorts.com La Quinta: laquintaresort.com 82

MARIN

JUNE 2007

the family and then enjoy the slide down. Unfortunately, by ten in the

a world-class spa.

morning, the temperature was already in the 90s.

During spring break,

“I’m gonna die,” said Natalie, her fine hair matted to her forehead

forget about landing

with sweat. “I can’t walk another step.” This was a bad sign, since we

a shaded cabana or

hadn’t officially reached the trail to the sand dunes. As a good mom-

even a lounge chair

my martyr, I sent Pete and Grace on their way. “I’ll wait for you here,”

at the big pools unless

I assured them, securing a wisp of shade under a prickly mesquite

you show up early. We

tree. They returned in defeat, just about the time Natalie had regained

ended up sticking by the

her composure.

pool next to our casita.

After a stop at the Stovepipe mini-mart and fueling up on Gatorade,

Waiting for our lunch,

I thought I’d try for one more highlight before lunch. “Check it out,” I

we ran into friends from

said as I pulled the car into an empty parking lot. “This is where the

Marin. They too had orig-

20-mule Borax stuff we use at home comes from.” Not technically ac-

inally planned on a Hawaiian vacation but, since their kids were still

curate, but I thought it might get them out of the car.

young, decided warm weather and a pool was all they really needed.

Even a trip to Badwater Basin, the lowest spot in the Northern

Pete and I took turns watching the girls, and when I had some free

Hemisphere (282 feet below sea level), didn’t rouse their interest. We

time I joined a history walk with longtime concierge Buck, who pointed

went back to the pool—and this time I jumped in, too, wearing shorts

out that the tiles on the roofs of the original casitas were shaped over

and tank top.

the legs of the Mexican tile makers. “Some of ’em were big guys, and

Driving south out of the park, we passed Zabriskie Point, setting

some pretty skinny,” Buck explained. “That’s why they’re so uneven.”

for the infamous 1970 counterculture film, and now a popular sunrise

We also passed by the casita frequented for many years by the legend-

hiking spot. Even from the highway, we enjoyed the stunning reds, pinks and grays of the early morning light on the surrounding mountains. “Next stop, La Quinta!” and I didn’t mean the hotel chain, but the resort hotel. That we chose Coachella Valley during spring break only proves we hadn’t truly

ary Frank Capra. He stayed here when

“I’m gonna die,” said Natalie, her fine hair matted to her forehead with sweat. This was a bad sign, since we hadn’t officially reached the trail.

he tinkered with scripts like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and other classics. “His original typewriter is still in there,” Buck said. I also enjoyed an afternoon at the spa. I steamed, I tubbed and I indulged in the Seduction of the Senses treatment (voted best facial by Palm Springs Life magazine).

thought though our timing. The contrast between deserted Death Valley (even at

At La Quinta, we never left the

high season) and this thriving metorpolis, which includes the towns

property. Some friends with a weekend home in nearby Palm Desert

of Palm Springs, Palm Desert and La Quinta, was alarming. Taking in

joined us for dinner upstairs at the Adobe Grill. We dined at Twenty6.

the endless construction and the seemingly boundless supply of water,

We worked out in the fitness center and we were even tempted to

I wondered if these people had heard of skin cancer. Everyone was tan,

take up golf, just to be able to tour the beautiful courses surround-

really tan, and as they played tennis and golf in the intense sun, they

ing the property.

continued tanning.

La Quinta living was good, and when the day came to leave we weren’t ready. We bid farewell to our new pool friends and piled back

a Quinta Resort is about 30 minutes down Highway 111 from

into the car. The drive home was quiet.

Palm Springs. The town of La Quinta was named after the re-

Three hotel rooms, four books-on-tape, two videos and 1,890 miles

sort, which was established in 1926 as a haven for the rich and

since we began our journey, I spied Mount Tam again. As we crossed

famous of Hollywood—who apparently still visit. Britney Spears and

the San Rafael Bridge, I glanced in the rearview mirror at the girls in

her crew were spotted here as well as Kevin Costner (not with Brit) to

the backseat.

name a few. Casitas are set around smallish pools, providing a festive,

“We’re home,” I said.

sociable atmosphere. There are two larger pools, tennis courts, golf and

“Can we go swimming?” Grace asked.

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JUNE 2007

J O U R NEY

LONDON LIKE A LOCAL STORY & PHOTOS KARYN R. MILLET 84

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JUNE 2007

OPPOSITE: Traditional red phone booths

and double-decker buses color the streets of London’s South Kensington neighborhood. THIS PAGE: The open-air Portobello Market offers antique china, silver and decorative arts for both the novice and knowledgeable collector.

One of the most rewarding ways to travel is to pretend you actually live where you’re going. Absorbing the culture, style and intrinsic vibe of a place is worth more than any snapshot or souvenir. London, in particular, awards those who live like a local with off-the-beaten-path treasures at nearly every turn. To start, ask yourself, “Where shall I live?”

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Vintage leather suitcases and old-fashioned golf clubs are a common sight at Portobello Market on weekends.

London is a city of many appealing neighborhoods— Notting Hill, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair, to name a few. For this particular trip, South Kensington seemed like a perfect fit. One of its most charming hotels, Number Sixteen, has no exterior signage, just the numerals “16” painted in black against a stately white Corinthian column along the front porch. After a day out and about in the city, turning the corner onto Sumner Place and stepping into Number Sixteen feels like coming home. Number Sixteen is a more intimate-size sister hotel, with the same amenities and extraordinary style, to some of London’s swankiest properties, including the Soho, the Covent Garden and Charlotte Street. Customs agents at Heathrow have been known to ask inbound travelers headed to this address if they are “staying with a friend.” The proper reply, given the level of service there, is, “Well,

Shoppers are busy selecting the ﬁnest of culinary delicacies at Borough Market. BELOW: Bunch of Grapes pub—a great place for a pint after a long day of shopping at nearby Harrods.

yes I am, sir.” Just steps away is the South Kensington tube stop, with three lines connecting to London’s best sights. Before hopping on the train, pop into Carluccio’s on Old Brompton Road for an espresso or an informal bite amid colorful neighborhood chatter. If your trip happens over a weekend, Borough Market near London Bridge is known for its farmers’ market– style shopping—a great spot for breakfasting on fresh organic fare. For decorative arts, check out Portobello

Market with its botanical prints, silver, china, crystal and endless collectibles on display. Treat yourself to brunch, lunch or dinner at Clarke’s on Kensington Church Street. Chef Sally Clarke trained under Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and, not surprisingly, uses organic local products for her daily menus. To avoid the Harrods hubbub, stroll down the Burlington or the Piccadilly arcade, where you’ll discover specialty shops selling china, candy, cheeses and tailored shirts. For an extraordinary museum experience, visit the former home of Sir John Soane, one of London’s most celebrated architects. Most famous for designing the stately Bank of London, Soanes traveled the globe and filled his house with fascinating architectural pediments, fragments, columns, busts, urns, exquisite renderings and paintings. There are hidden panels and passageways, skylights and stained glass, and even an Egyptian sarcophagus in the crypt.

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JUNE 2007

If You Go: NUMBER SIXTEEN

16 Sumner Place London SW7 3EG Tel: 44 207 589 5232 ﬁrmdale.com Doubles from £175 CLIVEDEN

Taplow Berkshire SL6 0JF Tel: 44 162 866 8561 clivedenhouse.co.uk Doubles from £300

Also outstanding is the Wallace collection, show-

Leased to Stanford University from 1969 to 1983,

cased in an elaborate London townhouse bursting

Cliveden holds special memories for many Bay Area

with armory, sculpture and paintings by Rembrandt,

residents. Its massive 17th-century Georgian architec-

Gainsborough and Vernet.

ture seems otherworldly, packed with stately columns,

What’s London without afternoon tea? The

dentil molding, coins and pediments. The interiors

Wolseley, just four years old, offers a stylish atmo-

are just as grand, with historic portraits, lavish panel-

sphere and decadent delicacies served in what was

ing and elegant textiles. Once the home of American-

once an elegant 1900s car showroom. The crowd is

born Nancy Astor (England’s first female member of

seriously British and is abuzz all day from breakfast

Parliament), Cliveden has hosted parties attended by

to after theater, including tea time, which starts at

the likes of Winston Churchill, Rudyard Kipling and a

3:30 p.m.

lengthy list of royals. On any given weekend you are

On a Sunday, don’t hesitate to attend a service

apt to run into longtime guests who have been play-

at St. Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey. You’ll

ing snooker with friends here for 20 years, or perhaps

have the opportunity to meet local parishioners and

ladies from nearby Maidenhead enjoying the spa.

be awed by lofty architecture (and equally uplifting sermons).

Connecting on a local level, both inside and outside town, enriches any London visit. It’s not until

BRITISH AIRWAYS

For any Londoner, a weekend escape from city

Westminster’s ornate clock sounds on your last day

Two daily nonstop ﬂights from San Francisco to London Heathrow Tel: 1.800.AIRWAYS ba.com

life is a welcome jaunt. You need not travel too far—

that you realize this other life of yours is ending

just 40 minutes outside town—to Berkshire, where

for now. Lest you forget too soon, though, British

stately Cliveden House awaits. Steeped in history

Airways offers a reminder just before touchdown at

and intrigue, Cliveden is a writer’s dream—a bit of

SFO—afternoon tea. That last sip of Earl Grey is just

Jane Austen meets John Grisham.

strong enough to elicit a vow to return.

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JUNE 2007

OPPOSITE: Stately Cliveden sits

proudly on its manicured lawns and welcomes guests from London and points beyond. THIS PAGE: The corridors leading to guest rooms at Cliveden are ﬁlled with exquisite ﬁne art and sculpture.

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JUNE 2007

STRIP SEARCH

STORY & PHOTOS BEN DAVIDSON

A QUEST FOR THE BEST IN LAS VEGAS I h ad n’ t been to V ega s for ye a r s and what I remembered was a somewhat seedy culture of $ 5 .9 9 all-youcan-eat buffets, tawdry girlie show fl yers and billboards littering the Strip, all accompanied by the inescapable cacophony of quarter slot machines. But I heard things were different in Vegas— different in a big way— so I set out to see for myself. M y bargain-priced Southwest A irlines fl ight set down in M cCarran A irport after a short fl ight from O akland. I had one goal for the next three days: seek out the “new” Las Vegas and sample some of the best the Strip had to offer. W hat I discovered was astonishing: the old Vegas is almost completely gone. Rising from a colossal mix of major remodels and big-scale teardowns were palatial, finely appointed casino hotels boasting sumptuous lodging, fine cuisine, worldclass spas, haute shopping, cutting-edge clubs and resplendent swimming pools. I t wasn’ t cheap anymore— it was high end, expensive and much more fun.

MARIN JUNE 2007

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Royal Retreat In my rental car I drove a short distance to the southern end of the Strip and my elegant hotel for the next three nights: the Four Seasons Las Vegas. Of course, the Four Seasons chain is renowned as one of the world’s finest, but I chose the Vegas location specifically because it promised a quiet “boutique”-hotel alternative to the nonstop bustle of glitzy casino resorts. The Four Seasons’ 424 rooms and suites— few, by Vegas standards—occupy the upper echelons of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino tower. But you’re almost completely unaware of this; the hotel’s separate lobby, restaurants, pool and spa on the ground floor are set in a quiet, nongaming environment. No slots, no tables. In fact, you could skip Vegas’ casino scene entirely and truly enjoy a stay here. A bank of swift elevators bypasses the Mandalay Bay floors to swoosh you to your overnight aerie. Mine was a room with great nighttime views of Vegas’ re-created pyramids and sphinxes, mini Eiffel Tower and light shows far below. Like all Four Seasons hotels, this one treats guests with personalized service, meticulous attention to detail, and no taxi queues or checkout lines. It has an upscale spa ranked by Travel & Leisure as one of the world’s best, a stateof-the-art fitness facility, a couple of very nice Four Seasons pool

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restaurants and access to the newly remodeled

MARIN JUNE 2007

beach and pool complex at Mandalay Bay—11 acres that include three

Gourmet Gatherings

exotic pools, a meandering river, a European (topless) sunbathing pool

One of the Strip’s hottest dining spots is in the newest casino hotel, Wynn

and a 1.6-million-gallon wave pool with a sand-and-surf beach.

Las Vegas. At the eponymously named Alex, chef Alex Stratta serves

When I was ready to hit the casinos for some blackjack, I rode the

up award-winning Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Among the standouts

elevator to the “C” level and passed through a discreet door that offered

are starters: marinated crab and sweet shrimp with grapefruit and avo-

direct access to the vast Mandalay Bay casino area. It was like going be-

cado, lobster quenelles with crayfish, black truffles and Romesco sauce (a

tween heaven and, well, something more sinful, but very entertaining.

Catalan flavor), and Santa Barbara prawns in a cauliflower velouté. Main courses include Dover sole in a potato crust with shellfish, artichokes and

Casino Scene

confit tomatoes, and a venison chop with crimson gold apples, heirloom

Strolling Vegas’ largest casino resorts, I noticed something missing—noise.

beets and ginger-spice glaze. A meal at Alex is a splurge, but worth it.

Gone were the legions of nickel and quarter slots spitting streams of silvery change; slots now deliver unexciting credit vouchers instead of coins.

Haute Shopping

Also (mostly) gone were loud drunks sounding off at blackjack tables. In

Also in Wynn Las Vegas, a shopping esplanade presents a who’s who of

their place: deadpan high rollers on display in semiprivate rooms doing

the luxury goods makers. Cruise past the casino from the in-house Ferrari

their imitation of the TV poker professionals. Casino drinks now cost real

and Maserati dealership and you enter the world of Manolo Blahnik,

money and there wasn’t one five-buck steak dinner in sight.

Dior, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Oscar de la Renta, Rolex and Chanel.

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most extensive luxury choices—a whopping 160 retailers featuring such

I’m not a spa person, but for those who are, know that Las Vegas has be-

names as Versace, Fendi, Harry Winston, Valentino and Gucci. A recent

come a renowned spa destination. I felt compelled to check out one of the

expansion added 175,000 square feet and additional levels, so you can

most famous, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub within the Venetian hotel casino.

shop until your feet are ready for Caesars’ Roman Bath treatment at its

At 69,000 square feet, it is the largest pampering palace in town.

new spa, Qua.

If you’re an über shopper, the Forum Shops at Caesars offer the Strip’s

After wandering though the Venetian’s shopping mall and faux Venetian streets and canals, I took an elevator to the rambling spa facil-

Bar Life

ity, which has 62 treatment rooms, a 40-foot climbing wall, a fitness fa-

There are a lot of happening new clubs in Vegas—the Voodoo Lounge at

cility, men’s and women’s lounges and a health-food cafe.

the Rio, Revolution at the Mirage—but since I was staying at the Four

I made a quick ascent up the climbing wall before checking out some

Seasons and didn’t want to stumble too far. I decided to dedicate my club

of the more extravagant treatment areas, including the “Euphoria” room,

night out to Rumjungle, deep inside the Mandalay Bay. Posh Rumjungle

where an aromatherapy scalp massage and botanical body mask is fol-

has Vegas’ largest supply of rum, a stash that’s literally stacked to the

lowed by a rose-petal soak in a gleaming German-made copper tub. Just

ceiling. I ordered up a mojito or two and checked out the fashionistas

across the hall, in a room outfitted with an elegantly tiled chamber and

until the bar began its transformation into a nightclub complete with go-

a fiber-optic sky, couples can enjoy a mud and herbal steam “rasul cer-

go dancers and DJs providing healthy doses of R&B, hip-hop and funk.

emony,” a traditional Arabian cleansing ritual. Spa-tacular.

A rum jungle indeed.

MARIN JUNE 2007

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A SURE BET

RED ROCK PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE STRIP

BY JULIE KELLER

T h e g l i t t e r i n g l i g h ts o f L a s V ega s have set the souls of countless gamblers, including Elvis Presley, on fire. But for Sin City aficionados who have had their fill of the traffic-filled, garish exuberance of the Strip, a sleek alternative has arisen. The Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa offers decadent accommodations, old-Vegas charm, modern style and natural-light-filled beauty. Convenient to the airport and just 10 miles off the strip, the posh new resort, nestled amid the picturesque hills of Red Rock Canyon, feels worlds away, ideal for travelers looking for something more than the typical “Viva Las Vegas” experience.

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MARIN JUNE 2007

For Your Pleasure, Downtown Tiburon

The resort was designed to “bring the outside in,” according to Lori Nelson, director of corporate communications, with a palette of rich reds, deep chocolate browns and cool creams that play off the rust-colored hue of the canyon. Unlike most casinos in the area, wide-open windows let sunlight in, making the more than 3 million pieces of crystal integrated into the design glitter from morning to night. Onyx, marble, wood and red patent crocodile leather are also key design components that accentuate the resort’s contemporary desert architecture. Accommodation-wise, luxury prevails,

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with each room offering either a canyon vista

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or a panoramic view of the Strip. All rooms, which range from $200 to $10,000 a night, boast plasma televisions and iPod sound systems as well as a luxe modern style. For travelers looking for the ultimate in luxury, grand suites feature amenities like secluded pools, minimovie theaters, private bars, butler service and more. Like Elvis, visitors to the Red Rock are likely to wish for more than 24 hours in a day. Families, couples, singles, or business travelers—there’s something for just about everyone. The three-acre pool area features a main pool and several wading pools, private cabanas, live entertainment, and gambling at outdoor blackjack tables. The 25,000-square-foot spa, open only to guests 16 and older, has 20 treatment

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rooms, including two spacious indoor/outdoor couples’ suites, a fitness center with a boxing ring and movement studio, a salon and a men’s barber area. Additionally, a private spa pool provides a shady respite for pre- and post-treatment lounging. The spa has a family-friendly Visit Marin’s premier ﬂoor covering showroom. Discriminating tastes from around the world. Newly remodeled showroom, under new ownership. 5768 Paradise Drive • Corte Madera, CA 94925 • 415.924.6545

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Adventure Spa program with many health-inspired outdoor activities such as guided hikes, mountain-biking tours, rock climbing, river

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ing to more exotic endeavors like belly dancing and salsa are offered, as are various lecture series and wine and cooking classes. The adventure doesn’t end when the sun sets. As Nelson cheerily points out, “You detox by day with the spa and pool and Adventure Spa program; then you retox at night.” For foodies, there are 23 bars and nine restaurants on site, many with outdoor dining, rather uncommon in Vegas. An array of prices is available: T-bones Chophouse and Lounge, an upscale steakhouse, and Terra Rossa Italian Restaurant are higher-end adults-only dining options, while Cherry Nightclub, a hip spot created by nightlife impresario Rande Gerber,

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is a mecca for clubbers and celebrities looking for a trendy, yet low-key evening. Children can enjoy the 16-screen movie theater and the arcade or join the Kids Quest supervised playhouse and day care program while their par-

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ents have a night out. Gaming alternatives are equally varied. The race and sports book features the world’s first 96-foot video wall. Also available are more than 3,000 slot and video poker machines, 60-plus table games and a posh poker room, bingo parlor and Keno lounge. There’s also a decadent private high-limit room for gamblers wanting high-stakes play. For travelers looking to escape the typical Las Vegas experience, it’s comforting to know a true alternative to the bright lights, big city vibe exists. With its singular approach to spaing, gaming, and staying, along with its desert foothills location, Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa could make your next trip to Sin City a sure bet. For more information or to make a reservation, call Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa,

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MARIN JUNE 2007

LO O K I NG BACK

Provines at 98 As a teenager, he worked on the “Crookedest Railroad in the World”

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 81 YEARS AGO? If you’re Bill Provines, it was your first day on “the best job I ever had.” Provines, now 98, worked summers as a fireman for the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Scenic Railway—in the sweaty cabs of steam engines that twisted and turned while taking elegantly dressed tourists to 96

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PHOTO: LOWER: FRED RUNNER; UPPER: BILL PROVINES 1927; OPPOSITE PAGE: LOWER: FRED RUNNER.

BY FRED RUNNER

PHOTO: LOWER: FRED RUNNER; UPPER: BILL PROVINES 1927; OPPOSITE PAGE: LOWER: FRED RUNNER.

OPPOSITE PAGE FROM LOWER LEFT:

Bill Provines, age 98; Tamalpais steam engines pushed their passenger cars to the top of the mountain; THIS PAGE: upper: Provines ready to depart the Tamalpais summit, age 19, in 1927; Roaring Camp and Big Trees Steam Railroad, July 1996—Provines’s ﬁrst time “ﬁring” since he left Mt. Tamalpais Railway in 1929.

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JUNE 2007

the top of Mount Tam. And Provines remembers it all, in vivid detail. Today, walking from sun into shade in Mill Valley’s lower Blithedale Canyon, he recalls the sound he heard as his train rolled through this turn: “The clanging of the bell reflected off the corner of that building and straight into the cab where I sat.” In a grove of trees near

5:30pm Friday

downtown Mill Valley, he draws his toe along a

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ridge of cement and stirs up another memory. “This was the edge of the service pit, where they would climb under the locomotives to work on them.” As he walks, he brings to life a world long

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the “heat that’d come oﬀ the boiler” and the “pulsing of the engine you’d feel as it worked its way up the mountain.” four. Benson Thomas taught me how to ‘fire’ that morning. He was only a few years older than me, but he knew his stuff. His uncle invented the gravity cars we ran on the moun-

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tain. Benson Thomas was a genius—wonder what happened to him?” “Anyway, we left here and headed for the top,” he goes on. “Thomas got off at the summit, saying he had business to take care of. He asked if I’d be OK. Charlie Stocker, the white-haired engineer, said, ‘I’ll keep an eye on him.’” Provines remains proud of his work in the gritty steam engines of the railway. He spent summers from 1926 through 1929, while still

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controlling the steam pressure required to power a Shay locomotive up the steep mountain. “If you were careless or inattentive, that quaint-looking steam locomotive could become a bomb with enough force to leave a crater in the mountainside or, in no time at all, rip through a train station,” he matter-offactly recalls. Provines came from a railroading family. His father was an engineer on the line that brought passengers from Sausalito to Mill Valley. A favorite memory: riding with his dad in a steam locomotive cab on a night run from Sausalito into Willits. “I was but a young boy in the dark, yet I remember the roar of engine surging through the night, Dad at the throttle, a warm orange glow from the firebox, and the steam heat mixing with the night air as we raced through the darkness. “I’ve never forgotten it,” he adds. “Railroading is the kind of thing that gets in your blood.”

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PLAY

Lovely Hula Hands

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OPPOSITE PAGE: Shawna

Alapa’i, founder and director of the Halau Hula Na Pua O Ka La’akea school of dance, teaches students hula hand gestures and movements.

MARINITES FIND INSPIRATION IN THIS HAWAIIAN TRADITION BY SAMANTHA BRONSON PHOTOS BARBARA RIES At the back of a building near downtown San Anselmo, the aloha spirit is coming to life. Shawna Alapa’i beats a drum made from a gourd and calls out chants in Hawaiian. Suddenly, the room is awash in movement. Skirts of red, blue, green and yellow swirl around the hips of 20 dancers. Their feet slap the wooden floor in unison. Their hands reach toward the sky. Welcome to hula in Marin. There are no palm trees swaying, no volcanoes keeping watch over the Pacific, and yet women—and occasionally some men—from across the county kick off their shoes, wear their colorful tropical prints and dance to the sounds of paradise. For them, hula is a chance to nourish body and soul, regardless of location. “When I’m dancing, I feel like I’m in a different realm,” says Shirley Ahsing, a Novato resident who was born and raised on Oahu. Like Ahsing, many who join this Marin halau, or hula school, have some direct or ancestral link to the Hawaiian islands. Yet the dance draws people of all backgrounds, ages, body types and dance experience. Some want to rekindle a connection with their homeland, while others seek understanding of the Hawaiian culture. Still others simply want a new workout. All gain an appreciation of the islands’ spirituality, belief system and connection with the natural world. “When you learn hula, you don’t just learn a dance step or a movement,” says Alapa’i, founder and executive director of the Halau Hula Na Pua O Ka La’akea (“the Many Flowers of the Sacred Light that Brings Good Things Throughout the Day”). “You’re learning history, protocols, an ancient way of thinking, and how the ancients lived their days.”

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Originating with the earliest residents of Hawaii, hula at first was a religious dance, performed to worship the Hawaiian gods.

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Accompanied by chants and percussion instruments, this traditional style is still practiced today, although dancers also learn modern hula, which incorporates other instruments such as the ukulele and singing, often in English. In all its forms, hula includes graceful movements that are beautiful and expressive. Every hip swivel, every foot stomp, every turn of the palm is deliberate and studied and helps to advance a story being told. Legends, history, values and love are all topics of hula dances. There is a reason dancers refer to this as “the sacred art.” During one session of an advanced class, Alapa’i leads students through a hula that recounts a legendary tale of a woman whose husband leaves her for a younger woman. Through their movements and facial expres-

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ing an offering to the gods. She loses her mind as a result, and only regains her sanity after her husband finds her and makes the religious offering. Even with the story sung and chanted in Hawaiian, the dance radiates an energy understandable in any language. The next hula’s

Interested in hula? Halau Hula Na Pua O Ka La’akea’s introductory class, “Hula Lite and Easy,” meets every Thursday from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. The class is open to all men and women ages 12 and up; no experience required. Where: Knights of Columbus Hall, 167 Tunstead Ave., San Anselmo Cost: $18 drop-in fee More information: hulaon.org; halaunapua@hulaon.org. A number of halaus elsewhere in the Bay Area also offer lessons. For a list of schools, check

WWW.MARINORTHOPEDICS.COM . 415.492.1600 4000 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 205, SAN RAFAEL, CA 94903

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theme is lighter—the celebration of new life— and it clearly comes across through the dancers’ upbeat movements. Mill Valley resident Stephanie Behasa is among those in Alapa’i’s advanced class. Originally from the islands, Behasa had no interest in hula until about ten years ago, when she decided it would be something fun for her and her goddaughter to do together. Not only did it bring the two closer and strengthen Behasa’s affinity for Hawaii, she says, but it also was “more of a workout than I thought it would be.” As Alapa’i points out, hula is a physical activity for all generations—there is no age at which a hula dancer must retire. That inclusive approach is one of hula’s big draws for Novato resident Lora Dinga, who began dancing with her now-17-year-old daughter eleven years ago. “Within four seconds, I was completely and utterly hooked,” says Dinga, who dances with a halau in Berkeley. “It has so many avenues of richness. It’s a workout, [and] it’s [also] a study in culture, exposure to another culture, another language, another way of being, thinking, dressing, living.” As a tomboy growing up on Oahu, Alapa’i didn’t fully appreciate hula until her family

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gave her a choice at age eleven—sew or dance hula. She chose hula. From the first lesson she knew she’d made the right decision. “I found my reason, my purpose,” says Alapa’i, who is part Hawaiian. “I knew how I fit into my life in hula. I was deeply taken by it, on a soul level. I have been dancing and

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teaching ever since.” That soul-stirring enchantment is a frequent response among dancers, even those with no prior connection to Hawaii. Marin native Meghan Andrew came to hula after purchasing Hawaiian music CDs during a trip to Kauai. Though never a dancer, she was so taken with the sounds that she looked up hula schools as soon as she returned home. Now living in San Francisco, Andrew continues to drive to San Anselmo to immerse herself

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BU C K E L E W P R O G R A M S presents

Angel Island Ferry at Tiburon, Thomas Soltesz

Creating a Landscape of Hope

GA L L E RI E S

Taking it to the Streets Summer’s a swell time to experience art outdoors

PHOTO BY: STIMMELL PHOTOGRAPHY

BY ANNE CRUMP RAY

hile galleries typically scale

tions of well-known masterpieces to original

Of course, a festival wouldn’t be a fes-

back their activities during

contemporary designs. Each artist or artist

tival without food and entertainment, and

summer, the Bay Area suffers

team works in a square that ranges from

this one has plenty of both, including Italian

no shortage of opportunities to view ter-

4 by 6 feet up to 16 by 20 feet (children’s

delicacies and performances by Banda

rific new art. One of the best ways to get

squares measure 2 by 2), with the master

Italiano, which specializes in traditional

your dose of visual culture is to revel in the

artists, some of whom have traveled here

Italian opera music.

extended daylight hours and peruse what’s

from Italy, starting work on their squares

“People love this event,” says Carlomango,

available outside.

as early as the Wednesday before the festi-

who notes that as many as 60,000 will typi-

Artists literally take their creativity to the

val begins. Most artists start early Saturday

cally attend over the weekend. “There’s some

streets June 10 and 11 as Youth in Arts hosts

morning, however, giving festival attendees

amazing talent out there, and they’ve made

its 14th annual Italian Street Painting Festival

a rare chance to watch the process unfold,

street painting truly an art form.”

in San Rafael. The festival, free and open to

from blank “canvas” to ﬁnished work.

the public, highlights a traditional Italian art

“It’s like performance art,” says festival

form in which artists use chalk and pastels to

director Sue Carlomango. “It’s a captivating

create amazingly vivid drawings directly on

experience.”

the surface of the street.

To up the ante a bit, this year’s festival

rt moves from asphalt to grass on June 16 and 17 as the Marin Art Festival returns for its 11th

year alongside the Marin Civic Center

Roughly 500 master and student art-

marks the world premiere of three-dimension-

Lagoon. Festival founder and director Tyson

ists, plus 1,500 children, participate, ﬁlling

al street painting, with some artists “literally

Underwood describes his event as an el-

three city blocks of blacktop with a patch-

bringing the technique aboveground to create

egant lawn party inspired by the cotillions

work of colorful creations—from reproduc-

a sculpture-type piece,” Carlomango says.

and garden parties of his youth in the South.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Italian Street Painting

in San Rafael THIS PAGE: Marin Art Festival at Marin Civic Center in Lagoon Park

diners and hungry art lovers who can’t tear themselves away from the tents. An hourly raffle offers the chance to win a $100 gift certiﬁcate to spend on art at the event. “The idea is to reﬂect the values of Marin County,” Underwood says, notably its cultural richness, social awareness and discrimi“The artists have dubbed this ‘the most

cial tent devoted to this year’s “Marin mas-

nating taste. “We want to give people a nice

beautiful art festival in America,’” he says,

ter,” renowned ﬁber artist Carole Beadle.

place to relax, meet with family and friends,

noting that the setting is a deliberate de-

Underwood, a 30-year veteran of the

parture from the parking lots and conven-

arts and festival worlds, wanted to create

Italian Street Painting Festival, Fifth

tion halls. “Once the tents and pavilions are

an environment for looking at art that was

Ave. at A St., San Rafael, 415.457.4878,

in place, it looks like Camelot.”

sophisticated but not stuffy. So along with

youthinarts.org; June 10–11, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; free

enjoy good food and see great art.”

The Marin Art Festival features some

art, there will be entertainment, including pi-

Marin Art Festival, Marin Civic Center,

250 artists from around the world, with an

ano, jazz quartet music and more than 20

Lagoon Park, San Rafael, 415.388.0151,

emphasis on those from the West Coast.

costumed stilt-walkers roaming the grounds,

marinartfestival.com; June 16–17, 10 a.m.–6

While works include familiar festival wares

adding a whimsical note.

p.m.; $10 general, free for ages 14 and young-

like jewelry and ceramics, painting and

Drama students from local high schools

sculpture predominate. There’s also a spe-

will work as waiters, serving both sit-down

er; free Sunday for returning visitors with ticket stubs

New work by Carlos Catasse

10 - 4 Daily

483 Magnolia Avenue / Larkspur 415.945.9454 www.bergelli.com Carlos CarlosCatasse Catasse“San “SanFernando” Fernando”39” 39”x x47” 47”Acrylic AcrylicononCanvas Canvas

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Linda Saytes

oil on canvas

‘The Bridge’

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24” x 24”

415.824.5756

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CA LE N DAR

JUNE ARTS & EVENTS GUIDE COMEDY Tuesdays Mark Pitta & Friends You’ll have to see the show to ﬁnd out who’s performing but it’s worth getting a chance to watch big-name headliners and upand-coming comics work on new material. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600; 142throckmortontheatre.com

MUSIC Tuesdays Lauralee Brown Music from the ‘60s and ‘70s along with original songs. The Ward Street Café (Larkspur). 415.924.2493; wardstreetcafe.com

1 Vinyl Old-school funk is blended with

Enchanted April, playing at the Marin Art and Garden Center, June 22—July 14.

THEATER Thru 10 The Subject Tonight is Love Over the course of a tough year, a family struggles to understand and embrace the forces that divide and bind them, while coping with the matriarch’s onset of Alzheimer’s. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley); 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org Thru 17 The Underpants A hilarious tale of chaos that occurs when a housewife’s underpants fall down while she’s observing a military parade. Ross Valley Players (Ross). 415.456.9555; rossvalleyplayers.org 3 & 5 Good Boys and True Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s work-in-progress is the story of a teenage son any mother would be proud of. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). 415.388.5208; marintheatre.org 108

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9 The Belle of Amherst William Luce’s Tony

Latin percussion, reggae and R&B into signature instrumental grooves. Vinyl’s live shows are known for being high-energy parties that unite fans of many musical styles. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820; sweetwatersaloon.com

Award-winning one-woman play presents an intimate portrait of famed writer, Emily Dickinson, one of America’s greatest poets. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075; dancepalace.org

2 Bobby G Posse Listen to this blend of ska rock and reggae from Bobby G, Mike Stecher, Tom O’ Callaghan, Marc Wendt and Pat McCarthy. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820; sweetwatersaloon.com

22—July 14 Enchanted April In 1922, four women share the rental of an Italian villa for a month long holiday. Leaving their London lives behind, they search for a brighter outlook in Portoﬁno. Porchlight Theatre Company at the Marin Art and Garden Center (Ross). 415.488.7126; porchlight.net

2—30 San Francisco Opera Don Giovanni is the classic story of a nobleman who lives for his active libido but overtime racks up a long list of enemies who seek to bring him down. However, in the end only divine retribution can deliver justice to all. San Francisco Opera (SF). 415.864.3330; sfopera.com

Thru 17 Hair Mountain Play presents

7 & 16 James K and Tim Cain Bring the children to this free musical experience created just for them. The Village at Corte Madera (Corte Madera). 415.924.8588; villageatcortemadera.com

the 94th season opener with the ﬂowerpower rock musical Hair. Mountain Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.1100; mountainplay.org

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7—10 Mahler’s Seventh Sometimes called Song of the Night, this music of marches and nocturnal secrets is Mahler’s ultimate challenge for performers and a fascinating journey for listeners. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000; sfsymphony.org

thesis of theater, humor and high-velocity dancing. YBCA (SF). 415.978.2787; ybca.org

GALLERIES MARIN

10 & 24 James Moseley Band The Bay Area guitarist and vocalist James Moseley is back in full force playing R&B. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820; sweetwatersaloon.com

Aperture f64 Gallery Trees A group show featuring photographs that capture the beauty and mystical nature of trees, thru June. 635 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo. 415.482.0480

10 & 24 Starduster Sundays Jan Wahl

thru June 15. 1337 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.451.8119; artworksdowntown.org Claudia Chapline Gallery Paintings and sculptures by gallery artists, including Pamela Blotner, Marianna Goodheart, Anthony Montanino and others, thru June. 3445 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach. 415.868.2308; cchapline.com Donna Seager Gallery Liquid Seasons Paintings by Aondrea Maynard, June 2—June 30. 851 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.454.4229; donnaseagergallery.com

and Cynthia Glinka are back hosting this evening of traditional big-band music. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600; 142throckmortontheatre.com

Art Abloom Color Abound Oil on canvas by Gabriella Spina Drake, thru June. 735 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.256.1112; artabloom.com

Edith Caldwell Gallery Ongoing Work. 819 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.331.5003; edithcaldwell.com

13 Pat Jordon Band Don’t miss an evening of music with this up-and-coming band from Santa Rosa. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820; sweetwatersaloon.com

Art Works Downtown Allegory A group show of paintings and sculptures by eight Bay Area artists working with allegorical themes, June 21—August 3. On display, drawings and ceramics by Bill Abright,

Falkirk Cultural Center Patterns of Intention Richly by Holly Blake, Jennifer Kelley and Katherine Warinner, thru August. 1408 Mission Ave, San Rafael. 415.485.3438; falkirkculturalcenter.org

22 & 23 Films, Frenzies, Fairytales Michael Tilson Thomas conducts this Prokoﬁev score. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000; sfsymphony.org

SPOTLIGHT ON: MEROLA OPERA

30 Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder This champion violinist and mandolinist duo form a stunning team. Their music is a mix of traditional Irish, Scottish, and bluegrass beats with hints of classical reﬁnement. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075; dancepalace.org 30 Sun Kings This Beatles tribute band is a Bay Area favorite. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820; sweetwatersaloon.com

DANCE 22—24 Allegro Theater Company A program of live music and world premieres by West Coast choreographers: Val Caniparoli, Julia Adam, Richard Gibbs and Corinne Blum. Cowell Theater (SF). 415.344.7575; fortmason.org 1—9 Joe Goode Performance Group A world premiere of Humansville, an immersive dance experience that’s a departure for the 20-year-old company hailed for its synMARINMAGAZINE.COM

For 50 years, the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco has helped hundreds of rising opera singers, coaches and stage directors reach for the stars. Named after San Francisco Opera’s ﬁrst general director, Gaetano Merola, this 11-week course is the hot ticket for operatic up-and-comers, with hundreds of candidates applying from around the world for 28 spaces. “Merola Opera Program was the ﬁrst and is simply the best opera program in the country,” says board president David Hugle, of Greenbrae. Hugle has been on the board for over two decades, and judging by the sparkle in his eye when he discusses the students, performances and the Merola community,

he’s not going anywhere soon. “We operate independently from the San Francisco Opera, though we are closely afﬁliated and hire them to conduct our training,” explains Hugle. Each year several graduates from the program, the best of the best, are placed under contract to the San Francisco Opera as Adler Fellows. There they continue training and can often be found during the opera season on the SF War Memorial Opera House stage. Merola offers a summer performance series starting off with La Cenerentola, the story of Cinderella’s transformation sung in Italian. This is followed by the annual Sunday afternoon free concert in Yerba Buena Gardens. This year’s performance includes semistaged scenes from a variety of operas including those by Verdi, Donizetti, Mozart, Handel and Humperdinck. In August look for the world premiere of The Hotel Casablanca a comedy set in 1948 that follows a certain wealthy Texan couple and their attempts to “toughen up” their 25-yearold nephew visiting from New York. And ﬁnally, there is the Merola Grande Finale on August 18th, where in the Meronlini show off their honed skills at the War Memorial Opera House. For more information go to sfopera.com/merola.asp

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Gallery Bergelli New work by gallery artists, thru May. 483 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.945.9454; gallerybergelli.com

fect and incomplete, June 5—June 29. 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.4331; ohanloncenter.org

Gallery Route One Richard Allen: Selected Work GRO pays tribute to this Inverness resident and photographer thru June. Worked Books Tim Graveson and Zea Morvitz collaborate on an installation, both exhibits on display thru June 10. Work by Mary Mountcastle Eubank and The Presence of Now Work by Marlene Aron, June 15—July 22. 11101 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1347; galleryrouteone.org

Robert Beck Gallery Ongoing work. 222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.456.7898

Marin Society of Artists The group is holding its 57th annual auction, where more than 300 pieces of jewelry, paintings, sculpture and crafts are up for grabs, June 23. 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross. 415.454.9561; marinsocietyofartists.org O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Wabi-Sabi Exhibit A mixed-media group show based on a Japanese aesthetic focusing on the beauty of things impermanent, imper-

Robert Green Fine Arts Works on Paper Sam Francis, thru May 6. New Paintings Work by Chris Gwaltney, thru June 17. 154 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.381.8776; rgﬁnearts.com Sam the Butcher Southern Accents Work by Marin-based artist Dani Roach, thru July. 19 Ross Common, Ross. 415.902.1019

thru June. 1139 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.461.0351; thepaintersplace.com Tiburon Town Hall Watercolors and mixed-media paintings by Sausalito artist Mary Lou D’Auray, thru June 29. 1505 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon. 415.435.7373; marylouauray.com William Lester Gallery Various artists in an ongoing contemporary California impressionist pieces as well as plein-air paintings. 11101 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.9365; williamlestergallery.com

SAN FRANCISCO

Studio 333 Affordable studio space for local artists where they can display their talents. Art lessons also available. 333A Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.8272; studio333.info

Ampersand International Arts Fin de Partie/ Endgame Work by Marion Jannot and Cesar Cofone-Dadamo, June 15—July 13. 1001 Tennessee St, 415.285.0170; ampersandintlarts.com

The Painters Place Original paintings and prints by gallery artists as well as inspirational frames to enhance your own work,

ArtHaus Women Who Fly An exhibition of paintings and reliefs by Andrea Arroyo, the ofﬁcial artist of the Latin Grammy Awards,

marin theater company’s

May 10 - June 10

west coast premiere

JASSON MINADAKIS

l ARTISTIC DIRECTOR GABRIELLA CALICCHIO

l MANAGING DIRECTOR

WWW.MARINTHEATER.ORG

415 388 5208 110

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thru June 23. 411 Brannan St, 415.977.0223; arthaus-sf.com Berggruen Gallery Watercolors Work by Mark Adams, June 7—July 7. Works by Lee Mullican, thru June 2. 228 Grant Ave, 415.781.4629; berggruen.com Caldwell Snyder Gallery Recent Paintings Work by artist Regina Saura, thru June. 341 Sutter St, 415.531.6755; caldwellsnyder.com Elins Eagles Smith Gallery Paintings by Gary Komarin, thru June 2. 49 Geary St, Ste 520, 415.981.1080; eesgallery.com

Gallery Paule Anglim Work by visual artist Mildred Howard and Randy Hussong, thru June 2. 14 Geary St, 415.433.2710; gallerypauleanglim.com

In Color 2 The Signs Are All Around You Work by photographer Robert Dufort, thru June 2. 2475 Third St, 415.861.3997; incolor2.com

George Krevsky Gallery Balancing Acts Work by self-taught artist John Dobbs, thru June 16. 77 Geary St, 415.397.9748; georgekrevskygallery.com

Jack Hanley Gallery Work by Colter Jacobsen, thru June 24. 395/389 Valencia St, 415.522.1623; jackhanley.com

Gregory Lind Gallery New Sculpture Work by San Francisco State graduate Christian Maychack, thru June. 49 Geary St, 415.296.9661; gregorylindgallery.com

Fraenkel Gallery Patience Work by Nicholas Naxon, thru May 26. 3049 Geary St, 415.981.2661; fraenkelgallery.com

Hackett-Freedman Gallery Work by Marc Trujillo and Guy Diehl, thru June. 250 Sutter St, 415.362.7152; hackettfreedman.com

Frey Norris Gallery American Debut Work by internationally recognized contemporary Chinese artist Zhong Biao, thru June 14. Implicit Spaces Work by Austrian-born painter and writer Wolfgang Paalen, thru July 12. 456 Geary St, 415.346.7812; freynorris.com

Hang Art and Hang Art Annex Assemblage of a Void Work by David Ivan Clark at Hang Art, thru June. Nine Years, Nine Artists The gallery’s anniversary show at Hang Art Annex, thru June. 556 & 567 Sutter St, 415.434.4264; hangart.com

John Pence Gallery Trompe L’ Oeil Exhibit Work by Juliette Aristides, William Bartlett, Noah Buchanan and others, thru June 23. 750 Post St, 415.441.1138; johnpence.com Linda Saytes Ongoing work. Hunters Point Shipyard Bldg 101 Studio 2120, 415.824.5756; saytesart.com Meyerovich Gallery Picasso and Miro: Spanish Masters includes Picasso’s personal collection as well as Miro’s aquatints and carborundums, thru June 15. Robert Motherwell: Works from the Artist’s Estate Works on paper, including collage, aquatints and more, June 7—August 15. 251 Post St, 415.421.7171; meyerovich.com

SANDRA BIRD DESIGNS

A DESIGN BUILD FIRM

240 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur CA • 415.927.1171

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featured in this two-series exhibit. The ﬁrst series is from the beginning of Yoshitoshi’s career and the other from the end. The two are stylistically so unlike that they could be by different artists, thru September 2 (SF). 415.581.3500; asianart.org di Rosa Preserve CCA Alumni Show To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the California College of the Arts, work by Robert Arneson, Robert Bechtle, David Ireland and others on display, thru July 14 (Napa). 707.226.5991; dirosapreserve.org

A Brand New Day 26 x 30, oil on panel, by Holly Blake, at Falkirk Gallery Newmark Gallery Waterscapes A solo exhibit of abstract paintings by emerging artist Kevin Pincus, June 5—June 30. Dawn/Dusk A new exhibition of paintings by Russian born artist Anna Mir, thru June 2. 251 Post St, Ste 412, 415.392.3692; newmarkgallery.com Paul Thiebaud Figure Columns Work by Stephen De Staebler, thru June 9. 718 Columbus Ave, 415.434.3055; paulthiebaudgallery.com Rena Bransten Gallery New Work Paintings by Jessica Snow and mixed media by Joana Vaszoncelos, thru July 7. 77 Geary St, 415.982.3292; renabranstengallery.com

MUSEUMS

Legion of Honor Masterpieces of French Jewelry Over 150 examples of French jewelry from the 20th century are on display. Pieces include items worn by socialites and those bought by Henry Walters from the Paris 1900 exposition, thru June 10 (SF). 415.863.3330; legionofhonor.org Museum of Craft & Folk Art Beyond Craft A photographic essay detailing the process of handmade paper along with an extensive collection of the paper itself, thru July 22 (SF). 415.227.4888; mocfa.org

SFMOMA Martin Munkacsi: Think While You Shoot The artist’s photographs represent the speed and energy of modern life. His pictures have inspired some of the best photographers in history, including Richard Avedon and Henri Cartier-Bresson, thru September 16 (SF). 415.357.4000; sfmoma.org

FAMILIES/KIDS MARIN

BAY AREA Asian Art Museum Yoshitoshi’s Strange Tales: Woodblock Prints from Edo to Meiji One hundred prints by Taiso Yoshitoshi are 112

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11—August 24 Summer Camp Sign up for a different Discovery Camp each week and enjoy guided exploration and openended play. Camp themes include visual and performing arts, building, natural history, science, crafts, and more. (Sausalito). 415.339.3900; baykidsmuseum.org 17 Ready, Set, Go! Celebrate Father’s Day as you test your engineering abilities by constructing the fastest Lego car you can. Race other competitiors on the outdoor track (Sausalito). 415.339.3900; baykidsmuseum.org 23 Clay Play Join Staff Artist Rose Kelly to smoosh, poke, stretch and mold your way to a sculpted masterpiece. Dabble in a variety of ﬁring and non-ﬁring clays and learn new techniques each session. (Sausalito). 415.339.3900; baykidsmuseum.org

BAY AREA Thru 3 Liminality: Art on the Threshold

San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design Tools as Art: The Hechinger Collection Common tools are celebrated as sculptural works, thru June 10 (SF). 415.773.0303; sfmcd.org

MARIN Bolinas Museum Lost Portraits Work by Leon Pantois, curated by Stefanie Wicks, thru June 24 (Bolinas). 415.868.0330; bolinasmuseum.org

duo fuses jazz and bluegrass (Sausalito). 415.339.3900; baykidsmuseum.org

2 West Marin 4-H Livestock Show and Fair View projects 4-H children have worked on throughout the year and enjoy exhibits in knitting, photography and arts and crafts. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075; dancepalace.org

9 Nancy Cassidy with Keith Greeninger Listen to your favorite kids’ songs as this

On display are large-scale artworks, created by Seattle and Bay Area artists, that create an artistic drama and a heightened awareness of the architecture. Visitors are encouraged to think about how the treatment of architecture affects the way we feel and relate within the space. Exploratorium (SF). 415.397.5673; exploratorium.edu

Thru 17 Monterey Bay Aquarium Step aboard the Derek M. Baylis, a state-ofthe-art and eco-friendly research sailboat, to learn how marine biologists study life. Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey). 831.648.4888; mbayaq.org 9 Exploring the Animal Mind Learn about the San Francisco Zoo’s Enrichment Program and join zookeeper Kelly Gomez for live animal demonstrations. Exploratorium (SF). 415.561.0360; exploratorium.edu

29 Iron Science Cheer on the competitors in this zany science cook-off, where teachers compete before a live audience for the Iron Science Teacher title. Exploratorium (SF). 415.561.0360; exploratorium.edu MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Tuesdays and Thursdays Doodlebug Knitting Night Learn the basics of crocheting or felting, expand basic knowledge and try something new with fellow enthusiasts. Doodlebug (San Anselmo). 415.456.5989; doodlebugmarin.com Saturdays and Sundays thru July 15 Annual Migration Visit Bolinas Lagoon Preserve to see the return of hundreds of great blue herons, snowy egrets and great egrets for their nesting rituals. After, enjoy eight miles of trails and your picnic lunch. Audubon Canyon Ranch (Stinson Beach). 415.868.9244; egret.org

Thru October 6 Film Night in the Park Catch a flick outdoors at a community park in Marin or San Francisco on the new wide screen. Features include a tribute to Paul Newman with screenings of The Sting, Cars, The Hustler, Torn Curtain and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, plus screenings of digitally animated feature films created by Marin residents, including Happy Feet and Open Season. Various parks (SF/Marin). 415.453.4333; filmnight.org Thru November 4 Chomp! San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers becomes a Little Shop of Horticultural Horrors with an exhibition of carnivorous plants. Visitors enter the Big Bog, a swampy paradise for meat-eating plants like the white trumpets of the American Southeast, the pitcher plants of Borneo and the sundews of South Africa. Conservatory of Flowers (SF). 415.666.7001; conservatoryofflowers.org 2 Marin Theatre Company Gala The 40th anniversary gala, “Route 66—40 Years on the Road with MTC,” will feature a sumptuous dinner, fine California wines, a silent and live auction, and of course, special live entertainment. All proceeds from the evening will help put a new roof on the Marin Theatre Company. Auto Museum (Marin). 415.388.5200; marintheatre.org 2 Western Weekend Dance Kick up your heels at the coronation dance honoring the Western Weekend Queen and her court. Music will be by the Bar Association, one of Northern California’s MARINMAGAZINE.COM

most exciting country acts. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075; dancepalace.org

2 & 3 Marin Home Show & Benefit Jazz Fest Check out 350 exhibits showcasing the latest products for the home and garden. Exhibitors will feature products and trends in energy and environmental alternatives, kitchen, bath, garden, landscape, home entertainment, office and security systems. The Benefit Jazz Fest features entertainment and a special benefit for early music education featuring Just Kidding Music; Pride & Joy and Rex Allen’s Swing Express; and the annual Jazz Jam Playoff featuring big bands from Marin high schools. Marin Center Exhibit Hall and Fairgrounds (San Rafael). 415.472.3500; marinhomeshow.com

3 Dance Palace Silent Auction Bid on over 300 items including overnights, tickets to the theater, sports, and recreational events and meals at some of West Marin’s finest restaurants. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075; dancepalace.org 3 Larkspur Flower and Food Festival An exciting daylong schedule of festivities surrounding the theme of flower-related arts and crafts and gourmet food and wine. Don’t miss the floral arrangement competition and chef cooking demonstrations. Magnolia Ave (Larkspur). 415.383.3470, teamproevent.com 9 & 10 Street Painting Festival Every year at the historic Mission San Rafael Archangel, hundreds of madonnari (street painters) transform the streets of San Rafael into a color-splashed gallery for 60,000 visitors. Using chalk as the medium and asphalt as the canvas, artists create over 200 images in various styles and sizes. Mission San Rafael Archangel (San Rafael). 415.457.4878, youthinarts.org

16 & 17 Lawn Party for the Arts The Marin Art Festival features award-winning painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelers and other unique artisans. Guests can stroll the beautiful art pavilions, enjoy delicious food and sip on J. Garcia wine. Marin Civic Center Lagoon Park (San Rafael). 415.388.0151; marinartfestival.com

Barbara Ries Photography

EVENTS

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

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purveyors. Lytton Square (Mill Valley). 415.388.9700; millvalley.org

25 Tee it Up This fourth annual tournament includes a scramble best ball format and a shotgun start. Following the game, enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and a sumptuous buffet dinner. The excitement continues with a live auction as well as awards for both men and women players. Proceeds beneﬁt the To Celebrate Life foundation. The Sonoma Golf Club (Sonoma). 415.383.7797; tocelebratelife.org

22 Writing Mamas Salon Fundraiser Join the group as they read touching and hilarious essays about motherhood. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 415.927.0960; bookpassage.com 27 Health for Men Learn from an expert how men can stay in peak health at any time of life and what role a pharmacist and supplements can play. Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy (Novato). 415.892.3700; pharmaca.com

NATURE WALKS/TALKS 30 & July 1 Fillmore Jazz Festival Art and soul come together at this neighborhood festival, which draws almost 90,000 visitors each year. Fillmore District (SF). 800.731.0003; ﬁllmorejazzfestival.com Allegro Theater Company

20 Marin Scuba Club Join other scuba fans for exciting club meetings and guest speakers. This meeting includes Marin native Kawika Chetron, who specializes in cold water photography. Seafood Peddler (San Rafael). 415.453.9556

30—July 4 Marin County Fair Don’t miss the events and exhibits, thrilling rides and attractions and world-class entertainment of the 62nd annual fair. For a special treat, every night of the fair the sky will be ﬁlled with a dazzling ﬁreworks display by PyroSpectaculars. Marin County Fairgrounds (San Rafael). 415.499.6800; marinfair.org

22—24 Marin Scuba Club Join other

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS

divers for the club’s Spring Dive and Dine event. Van Damme State Park (Mendocino). 415.453.9556

6 Joyce Carol Oates The newest novel

24 Whiskey Tasting and Seminar Join one of the world’s seven Masters of Scotch and ambassador of whiskey Stephen Beal for an afternoon seminar and educational tasting of this spirit. Beal is a World Spirits competition judge and was recently honored with the ﬁrst-ever Spirits Ambassador to the World Award. Sample a full range of whiskey from classic single malts to distillers’ editions, with oysters and appetizers. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075; dancepalace.org

24 Wine and Gourmet Food Tasting Vintners from Napa, Sonoma, Alexander Valley and Mendocino will be joined by wineries from throughout the Northwest and Europe for a wine tasting in downtown Mill Valley. In addition to approximately 70 wineries pouring their newest and best releases, there will be 30 localfood 114

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by this National Book Award winner is The Gravedigger’s Daughter, about a young woman’s struggle for identity and survival in post World War II America. JCC (SF). 415.292.1233; jccsf.org

6 Say Boo! Back to Your Fears Understand your fears and in turn become free to take risks, enjoy intimacy and live an extraordinary life. Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy (Novato). 415.892.3700; pharmaca.com

13 Nutrition Learn how to keep your body healthy at any age. Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy (Novato). 415.892.3700; pharmaca.com 19 Freedom to Marry: The Road Ahead Evan Wolfson, a leading civil rights advocate and one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Inﬂuential People in the World,” will speak on the issues of marriage inequality. JCC (SF). 415.292.1233; jccsf.org

Ongoing Sonoma History Local actor George Webber morphs into Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, as he retells the history of Sonoma through Twain’s eyes; speciﬁc dates on website (Sonoma). 707.694.5097; georgewebber.com

30 Adventures in Twilight The hours before dark are active in the animal world. Spend the late dusk hours prowling around to see who is out there and who has been there. Children are encouraged to attend and take part in an interactive evening of learning more about the animal world through games, stories, observation and investigation. (Point Reyes). 415.663.1200; ptreyes.org

RETAIL THERAPY Thru June Grand Opening The second location of Nicole Grey & Co. opens this month in Strawberry Village. The new store will carry an expanded collection of luxury lines including Anichini linens, Juliska glass, Santa Maria Novella bath and body products and gifts for all occasions. Nicole Grey & Co. (Mill Valley); 415.383.4500 3 Clothing and Jewelry Sale Don’t miss items from nationwide couture designers including Susan Green, Catherine Bacon, Ann McKenna, Lea Ditson and Charlie Wolf. Aqua Hotel (Mill Valley); 415.461.4804 12 Dior The 60th-anniversary fall trunk show in couture. Neiman Marcus (SF). 415.362.3900; neimanmarcus.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

15 & 16 Dolce & Gabbana A fall trunk show from the Italian fashion house in the second ﬂoor designer section. Neiman Marcus (SF). 415.362.3900; neimanmarcus.com

1—10 Healdsburg Jazz Festival This weeklong festival of performances is set in diverse settings across Healdsburg. Various locations (Healdsburg). 707.433.4644

2 The Beerfest A microbrew and food tasting extravaganza of more than 35 Northern California breweries. Wells Fargo Center (Santa Rosa). 707.546.3600; wellsfargocenterarts.com

1 Lindsey Buckingham The musical architect 21 Armani Collezioni A pre-fall trunk show in the second-ﬂoor designer section. Neiman Marcus (SF). 415.362.3900; neimanmarcus.com

behind Fleetwood Mac comes to wine country in her “under the skin” tour. Wells Fargo Center (Santa Rosa). 707.546.3600; wellsfargocenterarts.com

27 Gucci A fall trunk show in the second

1 Carneros Heritage Festival The event’s

ﬂoor designer section. Neiman Marcus (SF). 415.362.3900; neimanmarcus.com

Picnic in the Pasture will feature wines paired with barbecued lamb from local artisan producers, Rancho Gordo beans, artisan breads and cheeses and other local culinary treats. Proceeds from the event will support Napa and Sonoma Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom programs and vineyard worker services programs in both counties. Donum Estate (Sonoma). 707.253.2678

WINE COUNTRY Thru September 3 Summer of Love Celebrate the 40th anniversary with a return to the ‘60s spa package, which includes a groovy patchouli oil bath, strawberry oil massage, ﬂower petals, a tie-dye linen wrap and music from the era. Garden Spa at MacArthur Place (Sonoma). 707.938.2929; macarthurplace.com

1 Wine 101 Learn how to pair wines with food from local chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and wine educators. SL Cellars (Kenwood). 707.833.5070

9 Pride Comedy Night Elvira Kurt and Eddie Sarfaty star in this comic event that’s been seen on Comedy Central. Wells Fargo Center (Santa Rosa). 707.546.3600; wellsfargocenterarts.com

16 Dana Carvey The Emmy award-winner, Saturday Night Live comedian and San Francisco State University graduate is back in the Bay Area. Wells Fargo Center (Santa Rosa). 707.546.3600; wellsfargocenterarts.com

2 Kunde Estate Join winegrower Jeff Kunde for an eco tour up 1,400 feet through vineyards into the Mayacamas Mountains. After the trek, relax with a wine tasting and lunch overlooking the Sonoma Valley. Kunde Estate (Kenwood). 707.833.5501, ext. 334; kunde.com

Nothing Says Elegance Like a

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F LAVO R

Salad with duck prosciutto

or fermented items, including a tasty salami

evoke the farm, while giant black-and-white

board with pickled vegetables.

photos depict familiar vineyard-esque scenes.

Yet the food isn’t so directed as to get in the

Just in case you miss the point, a gnarled

way of plain old good eating. While salt-cured

cuisine triumphs

grapevine climbs the back wall. Outside, the

tuna and avocado bruschetta was unwieldy

front patio is a wonderful spot for warm-

and unbalanced in one visit, and asparagus

in San Anselmo

weather dining, though street traffic breaks

formato fell a little flat, roasted celery root

the wine country spell.

soup and salad of duck prosciutto, butter let-

Fresh California

BY ERIKA LENKERT

The regionally specific theme extends to

tuce, celery root and caraway vinaigrette were

the cuisine, which might best be described as

brilliant preludes to any main course, which is

California farmers’ market—especially since

where Banks really shines.

o say that Holly and Dan Baker are

much of the produce is plucked fresh from

I’d tell you to make a beeline straight for

ambitious is putting it mildly. The cou-

Marin Farmers Market stalls. With irresistible

the Cedar River short ribs, except the pan-

ple own and operate Marché aux Fleurs

“nibbles” such as Rosa’s dry-cured sevillano ol-

seared striped bass with smoked tomatoes and

restaurant in Ross, are raising a toddler, and re-

ives, house-smoked almonds, and St. George

green garlic and pan-roasted brined pork loin

cently debuted their newest baby—AVA, a swank

cheese–stuffed Hobbs bacon–wrapped dates,

with rhubarb, tangy jus and a huge hunk of

downtown San Anselmo dining room specializ-

starters are a virtual who’s who of local pro-

pork belly are equally outstanding.

ing in the best of California’s bounty from land

ducers. Even something as singular as Olive

All come with your choice of side dish,

and sea. But apparently the only one biting off

Ranch arbequina oil gets its own spotlight: a

which means you’ll have to debate between

more than they can chew was me, when I re-

$3 shot is served with dense, chewy focaccia.

fantastic herbed shoestring potatoes and onion

cently ate my way through most of the menu.

But there’s a lot more to the menu than de-

rings or perky sautéed sugar snap peas with

From concept to decor to food and wine, AVA is

signer ingredients and PC meats and fish. Dan

mint. But come dessert, there’s no question

so well conceived, executed, and polished, it is

Baker, who acts as executive chef for both his

the bread pudding with house-made caramel

worth putting at the top of your must-try list.

restaurants, is quick to praise chef de cuisine

sauce is the way to go.

AVA, of course, stands for American Viticultural Area, which in layperson terms

Ian Banks for the impressive dishes coming out of the kitchen.

You might have a harder time deciding which wine to try from the list featur-

means a designated wine-growing region such

Banks, a very talented and passionate

ing small family-owned California producers.

as Sonoma’s Dry Creek or Napa’s Stags Leap

Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

Fortunately, the staff is professional and knowl-

district. Within the restaurant its translation

graduate who cooked at the Bakers’ sister res-

edgeable enough to point you to a great choice

begins with warm barn-chic design.

taurant, makes virtually everything in house,

and lead the way through a memorable meal.

Mustard yellow and sage green are

from the focaccia to tagliatelle pasta served

classic wine country colors, and you’ll find

carbonara style to the graham crackers for

AVA, 636 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo,

them here on the walls and high-back

the s’mores finale. He also takes the underly-

415.453.3407; avamarin.com. Entrées $16–

ultrasuede chairs around the dark wood

ing winery theme to the next level with aged

$21; dinner Tues–Sat.

116

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JUNE 2007

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PH OTO CRED IT: TIM P ORTER

AVA

tables. Corrugated-metal overhead lamps

INSIDER’S GUIDE

DINE OUT CORTE MADERA CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN Cal/Eclectic Be prepared for chaos. Easy place to meet with kids; Mom/Dad can enjoy a tasty Thai crunch salad and decent glass of wine while the little ones feast on basic kid-size portions of pasta and pizza. 347 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.945.0401

rolls, and combinations of pho are delicious and healthy. 346 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.0288 PACIFIC CATCH Pan-Asian This well-priced fresh grill eatery offers a bounty of Pacific Rim–inspired small or main plates, like the generously portioned wasabi bowls filled with rice (white or brown), veggies and your choice of fresh or raw ﬁsh, chicken or beef. 223 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3474, paciﬁccatch.com

FAIRFAX

IL FORNAIO Italian Sausalito’s Larry Mindel hit a home run with this upscale Italian 23-restaurant franchise. Besides the award-winning breads, pizzas and pastas, the menu boasts a variety of salads and noncarb entrées. 223 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.4400, ilfornaio.com

CAFÉ AMSTERDAM American-European The former Broadway Video store is now a cozy spot to enjoy live music, a weekend brunch, dining on the heated patio and a large selection of local beers on tap. 23 Broadway, 415.256.8020, cafeamsterdamlive.com

IZZY’S STEAKS & CHOP HOUSE American The legendary San Francisco steak house has moved north. Known for great steaks and seafood as well as its ﬁne wine selection, this is a great spot for a group or intimate dinner for two. 55 Tamal Vista, 415.924.3366, izzyssteaksandchops.com

IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY American Grab a beer and a grilled portobello mushroom sandwich—which one Chronicle reviewer calls “the best mushroom dish I have ever tasted”—at the former Ross Valley Brewing Company. 765-A Center Blvd, 415.485.1005, ironspringspub.com

L A MAI SON D E L A R EI N E Vietnamese A refreshing change amid the plethora of Italian, Mexican and Chinese options in town. The crunchy cabbage chicken salad with peanuts, fresh spring

SORELLA CAFÉ Italian Not only is the food satisfying and tasty; the service is friendly and the ambience is warm and inviting. A plate of olives is presented before the meal and a colorful bowl

of Gummi Bears is brought out once your dinner plates are cleared—nice touch. 107 Bolinas Rd, 415.258.4520

LARKSPUR E & 0 TRADING COMPANY Southeast Asian Chef Edwin Cabriloa-torres is keeping the the restaurant’s innovative plates like the Indonesian corn fritters and Thai seafood clay pot as tasty as ever. Without reservations try a spot at the large communal table. 2231 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.925.0303, eotrading.com LARK CREEK INN American This ﬂagship eatery for the Lark Creek Restaurant Group opened back in 1989 and was hailed by the New York Times as having “the best home cooking you can imagine.” It remains a perennial special occasion spot and is still known for inventive country cooking—as well as a cozy bar scene. 234 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7766, larkcreek.com LEFT BANK RESTAURANT French Known for award-winning French cuisine and its lively brasserie ambience, this corner spot has held court with the locals for well over a decade. Those with a petite appetite/budget can opt for happy hour (4-6 M-F) and enjoy appetizers, all priced under three dollars. 507 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com P I CCO California Chef and celebrated restaurateur Bruce Hill deserves the accolades

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he has received for this eclectic shared-plate heaven. Dishes like mini-burgers and seasonally driven menu items, along with risotto made every half hour, keep people coming back. The Picco Pizzeria and Wine Bar next door is cozy (not many seats) but already famous for its wood-ﬁred pizzas, great wine selection and soft-serve Straus Family Creamery ice cream. 320 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.0300, restaurantpicco.com YANKEE PIER American This family-friendly casual clam shack is harbored in a quaint house built in 1924 as a private residence. Yankee Pier serves fresh seafood delivered daily from both coasts for dishes by renowned chef Anthony Bowman. 286 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7676, yankeepier.com

MILL VALLEY BUCKEYE ROADHOUSE American Oysters Bingo, baby back ribs and chili-lime “brick” chicken are a few of the satisfying, comfort-food-type menu items that have made this classic roadhouse a favorite since the ‘30s. 15 Shoreline Hwy, 415.331.2600, buckeyeroadhouse.com

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CAFE DEL SOL California Beware of addiction. Once you stop in for the deliciously fresh Hummus Yummus wrap, you’ll have to come back to sample the chipotle Sunrise Rice Bowl; then it will be the Thai It Up wrap with peanut sauce washed down with ginger limeade that brings you back, and so on. Casual lunch spot, great for takeout. 247 Shoreline Highway, 415.388.1852, cafedelsoul.net FRANTOIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO Italian Known for its in-house olive press, superior olive oil and excellent Italian cuisine, this is a great location for large groups. Ask to sit in the press room for private parties. 152 Shoreline Hwy, 414.289.5777, frantoio.com

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BUNGALOW 44 American Much like sister restaurant Buckeye Roadhouse, Bungalow 44 offers a mean dose of homey carbo- and lipidladen dishes, such as the burger, fried chicken and trufﬂe fries, as well as a few lighter items. The bar is a neighborhood favorite, serving up tasty spirits and eye candy. 44 E. Blithedale Ave, 415.381.2500, bungalow44.com

MARIN JUNE 2007

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LA GINESTRA Italian A favorite family spot for over 30 years, getting a table or comfortable booth can take awhile. While this old-school Italian eatery is known for traditional pastas, veal dishes, pizzas and dry martinis, the familiar wait staff is also part of the attraction. 127 Throckmorton Ave, 415.388.0224 INDIA PALACE Indian Know as “that great restaurant in the Travelodge,” India Palace is a favorite among the takeout crowd; however, eating veggie samosas, shahi khorma, or bhindi special (okra) on site is a treat too. 707 Redwood Hwy, 415.388.3350 MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ORA Pan-Asian An inventive small and large plate menu mixed with an impressive wine list and original bar menu, including sake flights. Some favorites include Belgian endive cups, green papaya salad, and anything on the sushi list. It’s an easy place to pop in for a drink and bite to eat, but call ahead for large groups. 24 Sunnyside Ave, 415.381.7500. oramv.com PIAZZA D’ANGELO Italian It’s always a party at this long-standing hot spot. A great place to meet up with friends for a fresh plate of pasta, zuppa di pesce or pollo novello, or make some new friends at the bar. 22 Miller Ave, 415.388.2000, piazzadangelo.com

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PIZZA ANTICA Cal/Italian Light and delicious thincrust pizza with toppings like fennel, spicy sausage, bacon, pesto and goat cheese, as well as a variety of fresh green salads and entrees. Acoustics are an issue; otherwise, a great meeting spot. Strawberry Village, 415.383.0600

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THEP LELA Thai This jewel is tucked away in the back of the new Strawberry Village. Diners come for the tasty kee mao noodles, pad thai, fresh rolls and extensive bar menu. It’s also a great place for lunch. 615 Strawberry Village, 415.383.3444 VASCO Italian Whether you’re at a table, the bar or the back counter, you can expect an intimate and tasty dining experience at this one-room trattoria. 106 Throckmorton Ave, 415.381.3343

NOVATO BOCA STEAK & SEAFOOD South American George Morrone, of Aqua and Fifth Floor fame, has been serving up an Argentinean-inspired menu in Novato with much ado. House specialties include provolenta, gambas al ajillo, and empanadas, as well as hand-cut (grass- and grain-fed) steaks. 340 Ignacio Blvd, 415.883.0901, bocasteak.com CACTI GRILL Southwestern A former bell tower church, the family-friendly restaurant now boasts a covered patio and serves a 21-day dry aged steak and ﬁlet mignon enchiladas. 1200 Grant Ave, 415.898.2234, cactigrill.com KITCHEN American Restaurateur Henry Hautau has succeeded in creating an intimate 45-seat restaurant in downtown Novato. Executive chef Jason S. Hoffman, who has worked at Insalatas, Azie and Waterfront, offers items like orange-and-spice scented house-brined pork chop and star-anisebraised short ribs. 868 Grant Ave, 415.892.6100, kitchen868.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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119

produce and artisan meats. 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.457.7700, insalatas.com LOCOCO’S PIZZERIA Italian Worth driving to from all over Marin, and it’s an easy place to meet with friends and family. The pizza crust is divine as is the house salad. Closed Mondays. 638 San Anselmo Ave, 415.453.1238

SAUSALITO CAFFÉ DIVINO Tuscan Sure, you’ll find great coffee drinks in a funky one-room setting, but locals also come for the tasty pastas and salads cooked by Tuscan-born chef Elana Fabbri. Free delivery in Sausalito. 37 Caledonia St, 415.331.9355, caffedivinosausalito.com GAYLORD INDIA Indian Rated as a “Restaurant of Excellence” by Zagat, Gaylord’s new location in Sausalito also features million-dollar views of San Francisco and the bay. All of the dishes including samosas, curries and tandoori are made with fresh local produce, seafood and artisan meats. 201 Bridgeway, 415.339.0172, gaylord.com KITTI’S PLACE Pan-Asian Watch out Comforts (aka the best chicken salad in town), Kitty’s serves up a delicious crunchy fresh chicken salad, as well as light tasty spring rolls too. Everything on the menu, from the pad thai to the BLAT made with thick bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado, is excellent, which is why this little one-room spot is always bustling. 3001 Bridgeway, 415.331.0390 POGGIO Italian A great place to celebrate a special occasion or simply enjoy a night out. Executive chef Peter McNee cooks up delicious Northern Italian cuisine using fresh and local ingredients, including produce from the nearby Poggio chef garden. 777 Bridgeway, 415.332.7771, poggiotratoria.com

AVA’s pan-seared California striped bass

WILDFOX American Perched on the hillside off Highway 101, this rustic mesquite grill offers a menu full of comfort food and drinks, like the smooth cosmos, and seafood risotto, with bits of butternut squash. 225 Alameda del Prado, 415.883.9125, wildfoxrestaurant.com

ROSS MARCHÉ AUX FLEURS French This gem of a restaurant serves up locally farmed produce, wild and fresh seafood and free-range meats prepared with an artisan’s touch. 23 Ross Common, 415.925.9200, marcheauxfleursrestaurant.com TRATTORIA FRESCO Italian Every neighborhood deserves a one-room trattoria like this one. The service is friendly and the farmers’-market-fresh food is fabulous—especially the gnocchi. 13 Ross Common, 415.464.0915

SAN ANSELMO AVA California Chef Dan Baker, of Marche aux Fleurs in Ross, has another winner with AVA, which 120

MARIN JUNE 2007

features a California-only wine list and a menu where nearly all the ingredients come from within 100 miles—if not the Marin County Farmers’ Market. The small menu includes seasonal flatbreads, pasta and six seasonal main dishes. 636 San Anselmo Ave, 415.453.3407 CUCINA RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR Italian Proprietor Jack Krietzman (also of Pacific Heights’ Jackson Fillmore) has successfully brought Milan to Marin with his 42-seat family restaurant. Relax with a glass of wine and have a slice from the todie-for thin pizzas, which are topped with items like truffle oil and fontina cheese. 510 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.2942 FORK California This intimate spot was awarded a “Top Food in the Bay Area” designation by Zagat for 2007. Opt for the five-course tasting menu or seasonal à la carte options. Dining early? the three course special for $20 is available during the first seating. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.453.9898, marinfork.com INSALATA’S Mediterranean Award-winning chef Heidi Insalata Krahling offers Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes prepared with local organic

SUSHI RAN Japanese Fresh, innovative small plates are just big enough to share, the traditional sushi is melt-in-your-mouth good and the wine, cocktail and sake lists keep the pickiest barfly well satisﬁed. Even the prices don’t deter the herd of sushi enthusiasts, who line up nightly to partake; reservations required in main room. 107 Caledonia St, 415.332.3620, sushiran.com

SAN RAFAEL CAFE GRATITUDE Raw The waiters might push the affirmations theme a bit too much, but the tasty (and healthy) food is worth the experience. Besides supporting local farmers and sustainable agriculture, the raw food and vegan samosas are hard to resist. Best to bring a group and sample lots of items on the menu. 2200 Fourth St, 415.824.4652, withthecurrent.com HOUSE OF LEE Chinese Locals love House of Lee for the generous portions, low prices and tasty pot stickers, pork buns and more. Very casual, easy place to bring kids. 885 Fourth St, 415.457.9977 MARINMAGAZINE.COM

SABOR OF SPAIN Spanish Named as Best Tapas/ Small Dishes restaurant in Marin by the Pacific Sun in 2006, this bustling corner hot spot with a Spanish-only wine bar is a great place for a date or a big party. 1301 Fourth St, 415.457.8466, saborofspain.com SAN RAFAEL JOE’S Italian Guido and Theresa Farina are now running this Marin institution, which has been famous for serving up sophisticated yet casual Italian fare since 1947. 931 Fourth St, 415.456.2425, srjoes.com SEAFOOD PEDDLER Seafood Don’t be fooled by the industrial location; the food is great. Fresh varieties of East and West Coast fish flown in daily. Dine indoors or out, or better yet, rent out the banquet room for a party. 100 Yacht Club Dr, 415.460.6669, seafoodpeddler.com SOL FOOD Puerto Rican With south-of-theborder treats like yellow rice, beans, plantains and authentic Puerto Rican dishes, this tiny one-room eatery on Fourth Street just off Highway 101 can be hard to get into, but worth the wait. 732 Fourth St, and 901 Lincoln Ave, 415.451.4765 SUSHI TO DAI FOR Japanese Snagging a seat in this popular sushi spot can be a challenge, but patience will be rewarded with tasty and fresh sashimi, unique sushi rolls and great prices. 869 Fourth St, 415.721.0392

TIBURON GINZA Japanese The old Tiburon Tommie’s space is now the spot to find great sushi in downtown Tiburon. The double hamachi roll is not to be missed. 41 Main St, 415.789.5123

ROONEY’S CAFÉ & GRILL American If you’re old enough to remember Cheers on prime time, this is your dinner spot. There’s not a long bar, nor a bartender named Sam (he’s across the street); however, there is an undeniable neighborhood feeling in this one-room cottage dining room. 38 Main St, 415.435.1911 SAM’S ANCHOR CAFE American Everyone knows Sam’s deck is the prime spot for brunch on a lazy sunny Sunday, and its bar is the town’s historic watering hole, but Sam’s is also a great place for lunch or dinner. Enjoy trans-fat-free calamari, fresh ﬁsh, seasonal salads and pastas. Check out comedy night every Thursday. 27 Main St, 415.435.4527, samscafe.com SERVINO RISTORANTE Italian With people like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates raving about his pepperoni pizza, Angelina Servino is doing something right. Some people come for the spacious and popular bar; some people come for the great food and friendly service; the titans of industry, it seems, opt for the pepperoni. 9 Main St, 415.435.2676, servino.com THREE DEGREES California Opt for the outside patio, white tablecloths in the dining room, or the swank modern setting of the bar, and enjoy the MARINMAGAZINE.COM

local, seasonal menu options like grilled Niman Ranch New York “cowboy” strip steak or Dungeness crab risotto. 1651 Tiburon Blvd, 415.435.5996, threedegreesrestaurant.com

Shopping without pants on. By Bryan Flannery

WEST MARIN DRAKES BEACH CAFE Local If you’re OK with the long drive you can’t beat the view and the fresh local ingredients used to make the burgers, salads and soups at this casual spot (Inverness). 1 Drakes Beach Rd, 415.669.1297, drakesbeachcafe.com OLEMA INN California One of the most charming settings around, this inn and restaurant is a great destination lunch spot for a Sunday drive, or dinner Wednesday through Sunday. The menu includes tasty and imaginative combinations using regional and organic greens and artisan meats (Olema). 10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.663.9559, theolemainn.com

Of all the neat things about the PINE CONE DINER American Just off the main road, Joannie Kwit has re-created the ultimate neighborhood diner. Vintage china and homemade curtains complement the eclectic but homey menu featuring local fare (Point Reyes Station). 60 Fourth St, 415.663.1536, pineconediner.com

internet, shopping in bed tops my list. You too? Well good, because this is why I’ve just made all of my wonderfully fresh and exotic ﬁsh,

SAN FRANCISCO AME Pan-Asian On the ground ﬂoor of the St. Regis Hotel, Ame Restaurant was designated “Best New Restaurant in 2007” by the Zagat guide. Known for raw treatments such as sashimi, crudo, tartare and carpaccio. Dinner only, reservations recommended. 689 Mission St, 415.284.4040, amerestaurant.com BONG SU Vietnamese Brainchild of Tammy Huynh, executive chef and co-owner of the popular Tamarine in Palo Alto. The interior is a mix of the modern and traditional silk, wood and steel elements such as a giant bong su (plumeria), floating orchids in towering glass vases…and possibly the most talked-about design feature, the barely there hostess uniforms. The restaurant was voted one of Esquire magazine’s top 20 in 2006. 311 Third St, 415.536.5800, bongsu.com CANTEEN Cali/French It’s not easy to get a seat in this nationally noted California-French restaurant, partly because of its reputation and partly because there aren’t many. Ever since the former Rubicon chef Dennis Leary turned a run-down downtown coffee shop into one of the best spots in the city, people have been lining up to sample the goods. 817 Sutter St, 415.928.8870 FO R B E S I S L AN D California Rent out the entire “island” (formerly a floating house) for a party, or head over with a date, to dine on organic pan-seared salmon, roasted pork rib chop or a variety of local vegetarian options. Pier 39 M-1, 415.951.4900 HAR R I S’ R E STAU R ANT Steak House This San Francisco institution has hosted local and international luminaries for nearly a century. Wine

perfectly aged USDA Prime beef cuts, and tender selections of lamb and pork available to ship. In fact, I have recently shipped a ton of 2nd Day Air orders taken from customers in jammies – from Pittsburg to Peoria to Provo and both Portlands (OR and ME). So if you’re out of local range yourself and want to order in the comfort of your own undies, heck, call me. Or go to: www.bryansﬁnefoods.com. And order one of everything.

Bryan’s Fine Foods Corte Madera Town Center

927.4488 www.bryansﬁnefoods.com MARIN JUNE 2007

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Kentfield Schools Foundation 2006-2007 Partners for Education Business & Community Supporters During the 2006-2007 school year, over 330 businesses and professionals have joined us in a mutually beneficial partnership between our business community and our public schools - the Partners for Education Campaign. Thank you to the following businesses and families for their support of the Kentfield Schools Foundation. COMMUNITY BENEFACTORS ($15,000+) Destination Marin 1440 Wells Fargo Domino’s Pizza of Marin County Woodlands Market Fairview Capital The Farmer / Paff Families COMMUNITY PARTNERS ($10,000+) FrameCrafters Gallery Woodlands Gas & Mart Ginger Wilcox, Pacific Union Glass Concepts DISTRICT PARTNERS ($5,000+) Golden Gate Golf & Tennis Half Day Café Gorton & Schmohl Orthodontics The McInnis Family Innovative Remodeling & Design, Inc. Jenn Pfeiffer, Frank Howard Allen FOUNDATION PARTNERS ($2500+) Jennifer Skinner Portraits Bay Club Marin Jones, Schiller & Company, LLP Carey Condy, Coldwell Banker Kent Associates Casto Travel The Kragh Family Jackson’s Hardware KTech Executive Search, Inc. Jean Larette Interior Design Law Offices of Scott J. Kauffman Nob Hill Capital Light Rain Imaging Payroll Resource Group Lighthouse Capital Partners Ridgetop Ranch at Baywood Canyon Litman/Gregory Asset Management, LLC Steve & Kate’s Camp, LLC Marin Acura Susan Van Liere, Pacific Union Marin Honda Wachovia Securities Marin Luxury Cars Mass Mutual / David Ross SCHOOL PARTNERS ($1500+) The McCormish Family Annie Chun’s All Natural Asian Foods Meredith, Weinstein & Numbers Bayview Limousine Mt. Tam Laser & Skin Care Bon Air Development, L.P L. Owen Nichols, D.D.S. Cafe Z Epicerie Nicole DeAvilla Whiting Yoga California Wine Merchant Nike Sports Camp Deutsche Bank / RREEF Noodle Soup Grace Church of Marin The Odyssey Group Innovations Personnel Services, Inc. Pacific Guarantee Mortgage / Robert Raymond H. Katz, D.M.D. Antee The Madison Company Paradise Flowers Law Office of David Monetta Patricia Oxman, Frank Howard Allen Martin Rayman, D.D.S. Petite Paperie Mills Uniforms PlumpJack Group Mill Valley Services Pyramid Gymnastics Mollie Stone’s Markets R.A.B. Motors, Inc. Mt. Tam Racquet Club Redwood Kitchen & Bath Paradise Foods Ross Recreation Pequot Willow Creek Capital Mgmt Ross Valley Pharmacy Permanent Portfolio Family of Funds, Inc. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Ross Valley Little League Sloat Garden Center Seiler Epstein Ziegler & Applegate, LLP Stellar Spa Sherman Clay Sunrise Home StoneTree Golf Club Thomas Mulvey Construction Susan Bowman, Kent Associates Tracy McLaughlin, Morgan Lane Tamalpais Bank Tile & Stone Concepts, Inc. Treadwell & Rollo, Inc. Town Center Corte Madera Washington Mutual Home Loans Union Bank of California Zemansky & Zemansky/Sadler&Co. Ladan Vakili, D.M.D. CLASS PARTNERS ($800+) Alex’s Dry Cleaning Valet Ambrosia Pizza & Pasta America’s Growth Capital Bay Area Built-Ins Boy Scouts of America Caesar’s Cyclery California Pacific Orthopaedics Capital Guardian Cartelligent Alan S. Cascio, D.D.S. Charles Schwab Chrisman Consulting Coldwell Banker Colleen Fitzpatrick, Pacific Union Dermatology Consultants of Marin

SCHOLASTIC PARTNERS ($450+) The Aiello Family Alonso Zambrano; Painting from A to Z American Blue Chip Investment Mgmt Associated Securities / Myra Natter Baldwin Production Services The Bar Method Barr Harvey, Realtor Bartlett Tree Experts Baskin Robbins Ice Cream & Yogurt Store Benjamin Franklin Plumbers Bikram Yoga San Rafael Board Search Partners LLC Bryan’s Fine Foods Caletti Construction Cammie Barbash

Kentfield Schools Foundation 699 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield 415.461.7369

Carrera Marble Company Bill and Winnie Caulkins Colleen Frasco, Frank Howard Allen Computer Connection of Marin Inc. Container Storage Dan Fix Landscape Debra Tomaszewski Photography doodlebug Douglas Lawrence Computers Drivesavers Data Recovery E & O Trading Co. Claus Eben Envision Builders Extreme Pizza First American Title Company First Federal Savings & Loan Five Corners Partners Five Points Fitness Gallery Bergelli Garage Solutions Global Trust Diamonds Gold’s Gym, Corte Madera Michelle J. Gonzalez, D.D.S. Hennessy Funds Il Fornaio Restaurant jarman travel Just Nails Kathy Kamei Designs Ken Linsteadt Architects laura & kristen, Pacific Union Law Offices of Russell Leibson The Lehman Family Let Rex Do It Lisa Barry Berg / Rafael Racquet Club George Little, D.D.S. Lois Tema Photography Long’s Drug Stores LRM Lucca Delicatessen M & G Burgers Marin Filmworks Marin Movement Center Marin Sanitary Service McLeran Roofing Moller Willrich Morgan Stanley Nancy Barton, Frank Howard Allen New York Life No Limits Sports Camp Noscaasi Ink, Screenprinters Padilla Construction Paragon Restaurant & Bar Party Jumps Polsky Perlstein Architects Popapery Ralph McLeran Properties Rich Robertson Painting The Ross Goldsmith Ross McKenna, Avalar Real Estate Rouda, Feder, Tietjen & Zanobini The Ryder / Fogarty Families Sabor of Spain San Anselmo Inn Sharon McFarland Diedrichs Interiors Simmonds & Assoc. Landscape Architects SoundVision Sparler Law Office SPG Solar Stephan-Hill Jewelry Designers Sternberg Benjamin Architects

Stolberg Creative Studio Home Susan Marchant Angel, Attorney at Law The Sylla Family TLC Painting The Gutter Guys Trips for Kids/Recyclery Victoria Wells, Coldwell Banker Village Peddler Wanger Associates Film & Video Watersavers Irrigation SUPPORTING PARTNERS ($275+) A Child’s Delight Ahead of the Class Tutoring Services, Inc. Angelino Restaurant ArchRival Are We There Yet? / Kay Merrill Artistic Wine Cellars Avid Green Landscaping Baker Marble & Granite Balloon Delights Bancroft & McAlister, Cynthia de Nevers Trutner Bank of Marin Benches Etc. Benvenuto Salon Vivian Broadway, D.D.S. Deirdre D. Burke, D.D.S. Cafe Marmalade California Land Title Candace Cavanaugh Capisce? Caren Horstmeyer, Frank Howard Allen Cecilia’s Skin Care Salon Collure Comforts Coquelicot The Croner Company The Dailey Method Dandelion Maya Diaz Dr. Gila C. Dorostkar, D.D.S. Dramen Landscaping & Irrigation Edward Jones Edwards Salon Evo Spa Feng Nian Fifi’s Diner Folio 949 Food Glorious Food Four Finch Interiors Frellen’s Casual & Outdoor Furniture Dr. David Goltz / Mt. Tam Orthopedics Graves Construction Herzer Financial Services, Inc. Holland Landscape item Janet Polachek Design Jim Corbet’s Ace Hardware Store Johann Paul Jewelers John Clarke Architects John F. Herschleb, D.D.S., Inc John Haller Painting Joseph Farrell, Architect Just Carpets Kaufman Allergy Clinic Kellee Adams Landscape Designer Korn Ferry International La Sede Bella

Anthony G. Bacich Elementary School 25 McAllister Ave., Kentfield 415.925.2220

www.kentfieldschoolsfoundation.org

Lark Shoes & Repair Laser Center of Marin Law Offices of Andrew Gaudin Law Offices of Green & Green Law Offices of Ragghianti / Freitas LLP Lehrer Designs LittleHouse Luxton Optical Magic Wand Carpet Cleaning Mail Boxes, Etc. Margot Friend, Jeweler Marin County Arborists Marin Eyes Marin Hardwood Floors Marin Mazda/Subaru Martin & Harris Appliances Meaders Cleaners Mega Gymnastics Mellow Motors Merrill Lynch Mertel Carpets Meyer Painting Miconi Marble and Tile Molie Malone Interiors Moliver Landscape Moscone, Emblidge & Quadra, LLP Music Studio of Marin Northgate Garage Doors Dr. Michael Oechsel / Mt. Tam Orthopedics Ongaro & Sons PIumbing Pacific Design Group Paradise Flowers Pearl Pedersen & Associates Landscape Architects Physiotherapy Associates Ramon Gonzalez Gardens & Landscaping Randy Patterson, Handyman Renick Turley, Piano Lessons Rent-A-Parent Personnel Services Rikli Construction Company Robert Curry Construction Robert Flagg General Building Contractor Rustic Bakery Seawood Photo, Inc. Shamrock Materials Sinclair Solaria’s Toy World Standard 5 & 10 ACE The Stapleton School of Performing Arts Terence F. Stillo, D.D.S., Inc Sunnyside Nursery Swing Swiss Garage T & B Sports Tabla Cafe Tamalpais Paint & Color Tamley Architectural Designs Taqueria Mexican Grill Team McNair Tess Skin Care Tha Siam The Window Warehouse Town & Country Resources Uli Seiler Ski Shop Urban Brothers’ Painting Van Midde & Son Concrete Virapan’s Tiburon Thai Cafe Yet Wah

Adaline E. Kent Middle School 250 Stadium Way, Kentfield 415.458.5970

Spectator ranked Harris’ as one of the nation’s top ten steak houses. 2100 Van Ness Ave, 415.673.1888 MAMACITA Mexican Known for its authentic Mexican cuisine and 100 percent pure agave tequila margaritas, this Marina restaurant has quickly become a local favorite. 2317 Chestnut St, 415.376.1629, mamacitasf.com MYTH Cali/French Innovative cuisine by chef Sean O’Brian, formerly of Gary Danko, has made this one of the most popular spots in town. 470 Paciﬁc Ave, 415.677.8986, mythsf.com PERBACCO Italian Opened in October 2006 in downtown San Francisco, by culinary stars Staffan Terje and Umberto Gibin. The seasonal Italian menu focuses on the northern Piemontese region, featuring crudo handcrafted charcuterie, homemade stuffed pastas such as pappardelle with braised short rib ragu, and classic regional dishes such as Wolfe Ranch quail with persimmon and apple salad. 230 California St, 415.955.0663, perbaccosf.com PRES A VI International/Small plates With a name loosely translating to “captivated by wine” in Catalan, Pres a Vi has a wine list to please any oenophile, including a large selection of flights and by-the-glass choices to pair with chef Kelly Degala’s shared small plates menu. When the weather permits, enjoy a meal outdoors on the restaurant’s large patio. One Letterman Dr, Building D, Ste 150, 415.409.3000, presavi.com PRESIDIO SOCIAL CLUB California Originally serving as barracks for enlisted men, the menu features steaks, pork chops and fresh oysters. Throwing a party? Try the private room, which can accommodate 30 people. 563 Ruger St, 415.885.1888, presidosocialclub.com

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Craving Asian?

QUINCE California Book a reservation at least a month in advance to get a seat at one of the 15 tables in this tiny restaurant. The farmers’ market creations by chef Michael Tusk, formerly of Chez Panisse and Oliveto, are sure to please. 1701 Octavia St, 415.775.8500, quincerestaurant.com SCOTT HOWARD American The former chef/ owner of Fork in San Anselmo, Scott Howard packed up his talent and moved it to the big city, in the former location of the Cypress Club on Jackson Street. 500 Jackson St, 415.956.7040, scotthowardsf.com THE HELMAND Afghan Partially famous for having the best Afghani food in town (not many choices) and partially famous for owner Mahmoud Karzai, whose brother is Hamid (as in the president of Afghanistan), the Helmand is a culinary adventure not to be missed. Meals start off with customary flatbread with dipping sauces and proceed to a spice-filled culinary tour of Afghanistan. 430 Broadway, 415.362.0641 MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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adl i b

Tanya Mitnik Cabinets and Beyond, San Francisco “Cabinets and Beyond Design Studio designers work with clients every step of the way from the initial consultation through the design phase and the selection of cabinetry materials,” says owner Tanya Mitnik. “We have access to hundreds of unique suppliers representing thousands of products and materials.”

MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UP

Barbara Dryden and Erica Miller Kismet Boutique, San Anselmo “Kismet is a boutique lover’s paradise located in San Anselmo’s picturesque downtown shopping area,” say owners Barbara Dryden and Erica Miller. “The spacious and inviting store features an excellent selection of up-to-date and versatile clothing from designers like Ella Moss, Hudson,

Jeff Moseley Tiburon Mist, Tiburon “Tiburon Mist is an exclusive new residential enclave of just 31 waterfront homes currently on sale and under construction at Paradise Cay in Tiburon,” says sales manager Jeff Moseley. “A dramatic, gated entry, which is shared by the adjacent marina and yacht club, sets the tone for the limited collection of 12 luxurious three-story duet

Diane von Furstenberg, True Religion and more.”

homes, all available with private elevator.”

Describe your business philosophy.

What is your competitive edge?

What is your competitive edge? pertise. I provide customers with the most personalized service and unique and innovative designs, while taking into consideration their lifestyle, location and budget. I am committed to customer satisfaction, providing them with the information needed in order to make informed decisions.

Describe your dream customer. Every step of the design is a pleasure when I am working with a homeowner who encourages and demands quality.

Describe your business philosophy. I believe that I have a responsibility to be an expert in my business, and to pay extreme attention to details, making my kitchens not only functional, but also pleasing to the eye.

To provide a good mix of casual and dressy clothing representing different price points. We have something for everyone whether your style is romantic, laid-back or tailored—we do it all!

Which product or service that you offer is your favorite? We wear many hats, but our favorite is the high-quality customer service provided to our knowledgeable, but not pushy.

What makes your work worthwhile? The fantastic clientele we’ve acquired and the fastpaced world of fashion. With new merchandise arriving weekly, the store’s environment is constantly changing, which keeps us on our toes (happily).

of their lifestyle. In the 21st century kitchens became the social hub of the house where family and friends can gather and reconnect. Tanya Mitnik, Cabinets and Beyond, 1219 Harrison St., SF, 415.863.5550, cabinetsandbeyond.com

broker here for many years. My mother Barbara Moseley and I have sold more property in Paradise Cay than anyone. The Cay is unique and it is important to be familiar with all that it has to offer and the way it was developed. The only people who know more about that than I do are the developers themselves, my father Tom Moseley and my grandfather Tim Moseley.

clients. Our main goal is to be accessible and

What makes your work worthwhile? I make people happier by improving the quality

I was raised in Paradise Cay and I have been a

What part of your work drives you crazy? Some women can be so hard on themselves. We love to help them feel beautiful and confident in

What did you want to be when you grew up? A rock star of course!

Which product or service that you offer is your favorite? Currently my favorite is the Duets at Tiburon Mist. They offer the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of waterfront living, in a newly constructed luxury townhome with no maintenance.

What makes your work worthwhile? The amount of time I am able to spend with my

what they wear.

girls: Kristin, Chandler and Morgan.

Barbara Dryden and Erica Miller, Kismet Boutique,

Jeff Moseley, Tiburon Mist, 240 Trinidad Dr., Tiburon,

601 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo, 415.454.2629

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

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Marin’s Flooring Boutique

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Showroom Virtual Tour on Website Serving Marin since 1978 • www.marinﬂoorcompany.com 777 Grand Ave. @ Second Street, San Rafael • 415.453.3310

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designs for living 415.479.8180 • 2750 Northgate Mall, San Rafael Exterior of Mall, near Theater entrance, across from RiteAid

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MARIN JUNE 2007

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Encore

Marin’s Finest Consignment Shop Manolo Blanik Jimmy Choo Prada Chanel Gucci Hermes St. John …and more Open Mon - Sat 10am - 5pm Consignments Taken Tues - Sat 10am - 3pm (415) 456-7309 • 11 Mary St., San Rafael (next to Peets)

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MI CR OC LI M AT E

TAMALPAIS VALLEY

A Mill Valley address, but its own unique place BY JIM WOOD PHOTOS TIM PORTER

Unincorporated Tamalpais Valley—with a population of more than 7,000—lies northwest of Sausalito and is almost as big with nearly as many people. Residents enjoy a rural lifestyle, good schools and a quick and easy drive into San Francisco.

t has a very rural feeling,” says attorney Jason Kuhns about Tamalpais Valley, aka Tam Valley,

“I

where he and wife Michele have lived for almost ten years. “Yet in ten minutes we’re across the bridge and in the ‘big city.’” The Kuhns, who have two sons ages two and four, are pleased

with Tam Valley’s proximity to Tennessee Valley, Muir Beach and, for a less “rural” evening out, the Buckeye Roadhouse. What they don’t like about Tam Valley is the lack of an enticing commercial area. “There’s no post office, no deli, no clever shops,” says Michele Kuhns. “No places to poke around in.” But what Tam Valley lacks in retail it more than makes up for in open spaces to roam. “For a real treat, head up Pine Hill off Shoreline Highway and work your way over to the Hawk Hill Park trail,” says Jon Elam, general manager of the Tamalpais Community Services District. Another of his favorites: the trail along Coyote Creek from Tam Valley’s picturesque Recreation Cabin to the bike path connecting Mill Valley with Sausalito. The Tamalpais Community Services District also owns seven parks, he says, including the “popular with parents” Kay Park (bordered only by homes, no streets) and the “picnic-friendly” Eastwood Park, which has basketball and tennis courts. The community services district, the de facto landlord of Tam Valley, controls 27 miles of sewers, 12 garbage trucks and one tractor. With its 12 staffers and $3.5 million annual budget, the

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

432 Golden Gate Ave, Belvedere ~ List Price $5,995,000

I NT

E NG

130 S. Ridgewood Road, Kentfield ~ List Price $6,500,000 Artist may have taken some artistic license

104 Laurel Grove Ave, Ross ~ List Price $9,400,000

660 Goodhill Road, Kentfield ~ List Price $8,995,000

NEW LISTING ~ 5 Verona, Corte Madera, List Price $3,595,000 NEW LISTING ~ 20 Hill, Kentfield, List Price $3,495,000 SOLD ~ 61 Homestead, Mill Valley, Sold in April 2007, List Price $2,195,000 SOLD ~ 49 Berens, Kentfield, Sold in April 2007, List Price $1,345,000, Represented Buyers SOLD ~ 2 Fernhill, Ross, Sold in May 2007, List Price $2,650,000, Represented Buyers

MARILYN RICH

415.464.3741 www.MarilynRich.com

WHITNEY RICH

415.250.9914 wrich@pacunion.com

district ensures the unincorporated community is picked up, mowed down and fl owing smoothly. A nd the Tam Valley Community Center on Tennessee Valley Road regularly hosts such free evening programs as movies ( Charlotte’s Web) , art ( “W hat’ s So G reat A bout Picasso? ”) and barbecues ( hot dogs, hamburgers, including entertainment by the J ames M osely Band) . Tam Valley also has one of M arin’ s most popular spots to be married—

the Peace Lutheran

Church, a charming locale with stained-glass windows, brick courtyard and views of the surrounding hills and wetlands—

and one of the most innovative places to be buried, the “green burial”

destination known as F orever F ernwood. “I t’ s what’ s called a ‘ natural burial,’ ” F ernwood manager G ary M cRae explains. “The deceased cannot be embalmed, there can be no vault, and the casket must be biodegradable or none at all.” O ften the body is wrapped in a favorite quilt before being laid to rest, and instead of a marble plot marker, the grave site is either marked with natural stone or recorded with G PS coordinates. The method may be modern, but F ernwood has been perched on its green hilltop since 18 8 8 . A Tam Valley legend of a different sort dates back just 13 years— a considerable time when you’ re an elementary school principal. A sk any local parent about M rs. G ail Van A delsberg and you’ ll hear, “O h, ‘ M rs. Van,’ she’ s the greatest.” M any maintain she relates to every student in her highly acclaimed Tamalpais Valley Elementary School on a first-name basis. “She’ s an institution in the valley,” says TCSD ’ s J on Elam. “N o one touches a larger segment of the community.” Bobbi G laser, a broker-associate with Pacific U nion’ s Strawberry Village office, who’ s lived in Tam Valley since 19 8 0, says the community has three primary attractions: good schools ( “Tam Valley Elementary is excellent”) , natural beauty combined with a variety of architectural styles, and an easy commute to San F rancisco. There’ s growing evidence others agree. “W ithin the past year, Tam Valley has experienced two sales in excess of $ 3 million,” G laser reports. O ne property, a new five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath, almost 4 ,000-squarefoot home on a level lot, sold for $ 3 .5 million the minute it reached the market; the other, a shingled “East Coast type” with four bedrooms and four baths, went for $ 3 .9 5 million. “G enerally, Tam Valley homes sell for between $ 8 00,000 and $ 1.8 million,” G laser adds. O n the low end, a “super-small” two-bedroom, one-bath home on a tiny lot recently brought $ 6 6 5 ,000. A current listing ( not her own) , which she believes is an “excellent buy,” carries a price tag of $ 1.6 million. “I t’ s an almost new three-bedroom, two-bath contemporary on a level lot with views of the valley and Richardson Bay.” F or years, many in M arin have only known Tam Valley as the first bend in the road going up Shoreline en route to Stinson or M uir W oods. “W ell, they’ re missing a real gem of a community,” Elam says. “But that’ s O K . Everyone seems happy just the way things are.”

TOP: Jon Elam, general manager of the Tamalpais

Community Services District, calls Tam Valley “a real gem of a community.” ABOVE: Kay Park is favored by parents because it’s surrounded by homes, not streets. Another favorite is Eastwood Park. AT RIGHT: Shoreline Highway (California Highway One) jogs through Tam Valley en route to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach.

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02/0%24)%3 #URRENTLY !VAILABLE 0ROPERTIES s %ASTERBY 3AUSALITO 0LEX WWW %ASTERBY COM s ,EONA $RIVE 3AN 2AFAEL ,OT FOR 3ALE s ,EONA $RIVE 3AN 2AFAEL WWW ,EONA$RIVE COM #/-).' 3//.

s 'ATED MINI ESTATE IN -ILL 6ALLEY #ALL ME ABOUT MY CURRENT LUXURY PROPERTIES OR NEW LISTINGS IN 3AUSALITO AND -ILL 6ALLEY !&&),)!4)/.3 ,UXURY -ARKETING #OUNCIL OF 3AN &RANCISCO WWW LUXESF COM 5NIQUE 'LOBAL %STATES WWW UNIQUEGLOBALESTATES COM 7HOgS 7HO IN ,UXURY 2EAL %STATE WWW LUXURYREALESTATE COM 4OP !GENT .ETWORK W W W. 2 3 L E O N A D R I V E . C O M Offered at $2,495,000

SURSHUWLHV LQ 0DULQ 6DQ )UDQFLVFR Whether you’re buying or selling your luxury dream home in Marin or San Francisco, put my 15-plus years of local expertise to work for you. Through marketing, advertising, and a variety of luxury real estate outlets, I deliver the results you expect. If you are considering buying or selling a home, please call for a private consultation.

FEATURED PROPERTY SAUSALITO 507 EASTERBY

$QQD . 3HQQLQJWRQ %RXFKHU Luxury Home Specialist McGuire Real Estate 415.860.1399 anna@worldclassproperties.com www.worldclassproperties.com

W W W. 5 0 7 E A S T E R B Y. C O M Offered at $1,425,000

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26 Fairview Avenue Corte Madera

LOOKING TO BROADEN YOUR REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO? These global opportunities are available to you: • Equity stakes in condominium and hotel projects • Investment properties in Marin, San Francisco, and Scottsdale • 2.3 acre development opportunity in Kentﬁeld

11 Leona Drive San Rafael

100 Wolfe Canyon Kentﬁeld

• The Lusso Collection, an exclusive destination club

1065 Meadowsweet Drive Corte Madera

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141 Windwalker Way Novato

Summer Sun! As summer approaches and the fog moves into San Francisco it’s time to celebrate the warmth and sun of Marin County. The end of the school year is just around the corner and the peak of the Marin County Real Estate cycle is upon us. We are proud to feature four brand new listings each with its own perspective of summer in Marin. From a spectacular view and pool property in Corte Madera, to a pool home in Novato, to a view estate in San Rafael, to a gated craftsman estate in Corte Madera, some of the best summer homes in Marin are featured this month! Please give Jimmy a call to schedule your summer test drive. Picture here are just some of our upcoming listings. View all our current listings at www.jimmymarin.com

WHAT’S NEW ON JIMMY’S WEBSITE? • A new Tam Cam with preset views of Mt. Tam, San Francisco and more • Enhanced e-zines on each of my listings including oversized photos

Jimmy is one of Marin County’s top producers and is a member of Frank Howard Allen’s

• My blog, updated daily with insight and analysis on the market

prestigious Chairman’s circle of excellence.

• Educational tools and advice to help you make educated real estate decisions REAL ESTATE KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST

Jimmy Wanninger TEL 415.990.8990 24/7 | jimmy@jimmymarin.com 1204 Strawberry Village, Mill Valley, CA 94941

NAPA VALLEY FEEL

WORLD CLASS VIEWS

SAN ANSELMO

T I B U RO N

Offered at $3,599,000

Offered at $4,149,000

This secluded, gated estate is a rare find! Spacious (4,342 sq. ft.*), architecturally designed ‘nearly new’ home is situated on over 4 private acres*. The grounds include a long private, gated drive, majestic oaks, level lawns and a pool and spa area. The serene, breathtaking VIEWS span the valley and the surrounding hills and you won’t see a nearby neighbor. For a complete tour, go to: 500OakCrestRoad.com.

This special contemporary, Mediterranean residence is in the prime location above old town Tiburon, which enjoys some of the best Bay Area views: City skyline, GG bridge, Corinthian Island, Mt. Tam and vast expanses of blue bay waters. This gated, spacious home (4,527 sq. ft.*) is surrounded by over ½ acre* of private, beautifully landscaped grounds. For more info and photos, go to: 1818LagoonView.com.

• 5 Bedrooms/3.5 Baths • Over 4 private acres* • Gourmet chef ’s kitchen with island

• Family room and stately recreation room • Stunning master suite with view balcony • 3 car garage

• 4 Bedrooms/4.5 Baths • Huge library/Billiards room • Gourmet kitchen, top-of-the-line appliances

• Grand master suite with view balcony • Spa, vineyard and sunny swimming pool • 3 car detached garage *Source: tax records and owner-not verified by agent

JEFF STERLEY I 415.464 .3760 jsterley@pacunion.com • www.homesofmarin.com

Sold in 6 Days Mill Valley

List price $2,095,000

It’s All Ab o u t S OL D ! S OL D !

• People are talking: “Having owned 16 houses and apartment buildings and was in the mortgage brokerage industry for 17 years, I find Stephanie Witt unparalleled in her field. She excelled in ALL aspects of the real estate transaction. Stephanie personally communicated with me on an ongoing basis. She has exceptional negotiating skills. She meets challenges head-on; ever creative, tough, patient and calm. Stephanie’s seasoning and experience was the priceless difference in my buying and selling decisions.” - CH

SOLD!

S O LD !

S OL D !

• Why do 20% of agents do 80% of the business? Top producing, seasoned agents know what is important to sell a home. They get results. Top agents will get you more money, in a shorter period of time with less stress.

• Marin-Hawaii Connection: I lived in Hawaii, Maui and Oahu, for 13 years. I developed strong ties to the islands as I had a business on each island except for Molokai and Lanai. I have owned an oceanfront condo on Maui for 6 years. Best investment I have ever made. Call me to find out how to retire in Hawaii or buy a second home. Stephanie Witt Southern Marin Specialist since 1989 415.380.6136 Stephanie.Witt@pacunion.com www.SwittMarinHomes.com

Just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate, yet a million miles away, is Seadrift at Stinson Beach. For over 30 years, Seadrift Company has been the expert in Real Estate sales and premium vacation rentals in Stinson Beach and the private gated community of Seadrift. Call us today to reserve your beach house... for a week, a summer or a lifetime.

VIEW OUR PROPERTIES ONLINE AT WWW . SEADRIFTREALTY . COM AND CALL US AT 415.868.1791

BUYING OR SELLING A HOME?

SEARCH FOR REAL ESTATE COMPANIES, AGENTS OR PROPERTIES FOR SALE AT

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LISTINGS PROVIDED BY BAREIS MLS

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Luxury Living at the Sonoma Coast

596 Gull Drive, Bodega Harbour - $2,449,000 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2,700 ±sq. ft. home offered fully furnished. 3 levels with plenty of glass to bring the ocean views inside.

Our years of experience in coastal properties and vacation homes 20985 Pelican Loop, Bodega Harbour - $1,795,000 will be your best resource in the search Elegant and contemporary 3003 ±sq. ft. , 4 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms, completely furnished as presented. for your luxury dream home at the Sonoma Coast.

139 Duck Court, Bodega Harbour - $1,399,900

700 Kittiwake Court, Bodega Harbour - $915,000

This 3 bedroom, 3 bath, aprox 2499 ±sq. ft. home is located on the 14th fairway of Bodega Harbour Links. Impeccable condition ready to move in, entertain, and enjoy.

3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, approximately 2034 ±sq. ft. Offered fully furnished as shown.

Thera Buttaro, CRB Broker/Owner

Sonoma Coast Living®– Love where you live

Tour These Or All Other Listings at: SonomaCoastLiving.Com

Frank Howard Allen Realtors – Bodega Bay 575 Highway One, Bodega Bay, CA 94923 888-875-3240 • 707-875-2500 www.sonomacoastliving.com thera@sonomacoastliving.com

2006 Mill Valley Ofﬁce Top Producer

126 Marion Avenue, Mill Valley

Independently Owned and Operated

Judy LeMarr 415-380-4642 jlemarr@fhallen.com www.marindreamhome.com • 5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths • Large Deck Areas on Each Level • Master Suite Upstairs • Family Room on Lower Level • Approx. 1/3 Acre with Large Level Lawn

Service

Experience

Results

Offered at $1,595,000

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151

OPES/opés/ • n./latin for wealth

Jeffrey T. Smith Melanie Victor-Smith 101 Larkspur Landing Circle Larkspur, CA 94939

(415) 464-9500 Palo Alto • Marin • San Mateo Real Estate Broker – CA Dept. of Real Estate License # 01458652

Your home & mortgage - two of the largest numbers on your balance sheet - do you know how to think about this? We can help. Refinance

opesadvisors.com

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Purchase

Mortgages

◆

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Equity Lines

Investments

◆

•

Construction Advice

1/2 HORIZONAL

Real Estate

ADVERTISER Brian Collins, Broker / Owner

Better Service. Lower Commissions. Why use any other broker?

Call to find out how much money I can save you.

415-461-5111 www.collinsrealestateinc.com

REALTOR

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Collins Real Estate, Inc.

JUNE 2007

32 Ross Common, Suite 200 Ross, CA 94957-0029 MARINMAGAZINE.COM

J ENNIFER L IVINGSTON COMPLETE HOME STAGING DESIGN (415) 453-5538 P H ONE

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(415) 453-5537 FAX

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JEN N IFER @ JLIV IN G STO N H O MEDECOR . COM

Armada Builders & Vision Real Estate Present

1/2 HORIZONAL

Simple Elegance 305 Highland Ave is located on a 1+ acre knoll-top lot and features +/-

6,500 square feet of living space, including 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, formal dining and sitting rooms, home theatre, and wine cellar. Custom level finishes are found throughout the home which opens to expansive views of the San Francisco Bay. Located on a private, gated drive within a three home enclave, the site encompasses a large, private grass yard, 2-car attached garage, convertible to a 4-car tandem garage, and a detached, 2-car collector’s garage.

ADVERTISER Leah Karp P: 415.385.SOLD (7653) E: leah@sf2marin.com

Style and practicality balance the personality of this home which was designed in a clean, sophisticated Mediterranean style. This elegance yields to simple living through an open floor plan situated around a central courtyard that includes an outdoor barbeque suite custom built for entertaining. All of this is painted with a backdrop of expansive views. This house is the perfect balance of privacy, practical utility and high-end finishes –

simple elegance.

Price Upon Request

Justin MacNaughton P: 415.999.3536 E:Justin@investmentpropertydivision.com

ARMADA BUILDERS

A professional development company

www.305Highland.com

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JUNE 2007

153

D I A LO GUE

Jeffrey Lerman

BY MIMI TOWLE

You could live anywhere. Why Marin? About 12 years ago, we were living in Los Angeles. I grew up there and lived there all my life until going to Berkeley [as an] undergrad. I found that the smog there was really getting to me and I started researching other places to live. My main criteria for a new home were that it had to be close to a major metropolitan city [and] had to have great air quality and great weather. After looking all over the western United States, we decided on Marin. What makes you happy in Marin? Being with my family and just being outdoors when the weather’s great. What bothers you here? The trafﬁc’s getting worse. Some more nightlife would also be nice. What do you value every day? My health. Without that, nothing else matters. That and my family.

he spiffed-up new Lerman Law Building, on the corner of B and Second streets in San Rafael, offers more than a pretty facade for a well-worn corridor. Inside, Jeff Lerman and his

partners, including wife Michelle, head up Lerman Law Partners, LLP.

What is your personal idea of luxury? A weekend with no work…at a ﬁve-star hotel. What person has inﬂuenced you the most? My dad. He had great character, an incredible work ethic—a brilliant guy, self-made and a great father.

A lawyer for nearly three decades and a Marin resident for nearly half that time, Lerman recently stepped into the role of 2007 president of the Marin County Bar Association. His goal, one he shares with fellow board members, is to elevate the community proﬁle of that 70year-old institution. To this end, Lerman has written articles for the Marin IJ on two important community-related issues: prison reform

What has been the most fulﬁlling moment in your work? Winning my ﬁrst jury trial. The clients had become very good friends over the time leading up to the trial, and it was close. When you go through all the emotions and hard work that comes along with preparing for trial with a client, it creates a bond like nothing else.

and parent-teen liability for underage drinking—the latter particularly an issue during prom season. “Underage drinking and its companion, reckless behavior, are of such profound concern in our community,” Lerman says, “that last October Marin became the ﬁrst county in the Bay Area to approve a law that imposes civil penalties on adults who

What’s your desert island (favorite) book or album? “How to Get Off a Desert Island.” What’s your favorite place to unwind? In Marin, it’s in the hammock in my backyard. On vacation, Hawaii.

As a father of four, ages ranging from 11 to 20, Lerman supports this legislation: “This is the first prom season since passing this social responsibility law and we would like to help parents understand the extent of their liability.” To help further enlighten the public, the MCBA, in conjunction with the county board of education and YMCA, will host a town hall meeting where court commissioners, two lawyers and the district attorney will discuss these issues with interested parents of teenage children. Visit marinbar.org for more information. 154

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JUNE 2007

Do you have a favorite Marin view? There are so many Marin views I love. I think my favorite is in this forested area right near where we live in Lucas Valley. A creek runs through it and when the sun hits the water in the late afternoon, through the trees, it’s as pretty as any place I’ve seen in the world. How do you want to be remembered? I know it sounds trite, but it’s true for me: just as somebody who left the world a little better place for having been here.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

allow underage guests to consume alcohol in their home.”