Issuu

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

L I V I N G

MARCH 2007

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2/5/07 2:00:23 PM

san francisco 200 stockton street 415.392.2808 san jose 333 santana row 408.557.9926 shop www.gucci.com

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CONTENTS

Features 78 88 94 100

fashion Tiburon Getaway 88

Shot on location in downtown Tiburon. photos sasha gulish

home Dominican Convent Goes Green San Rafael sisters make a commitment to the global community. story p. j. bremier photos barbara ries

green How Green Is My Highway? Marinites have many environmentally friendly auto choices. story jim wood photos tim porter

journey Tuscan Infusion Discovering the sweet life south of Siena. story & photos ben davidson

MARIN

MARCH 2007

110

letters

at a glance

marin album

marin green

snap

fashion trends

life style

fyi

Readers respond to Marin Magazine.

Hot tips day by day for the Bay Area.

Living on the edge. by tim porter

Ken Kurtzig: reduce, reuse, recycle. by mimi towle

Out and about, in and around Marin.

Colorful spring jewelry and accessories. by somer ﬂaherty

Mill Valley restaurateur Peter Schumacher talks fashion.

Home: Fiery ﬁreplaces. by mimi towle Health: Cleaners and green. by somer ﬂaherty People: Tiburon’s Ruth Livingston. by p. j. bremier Books: Grace (Eventually), Anne Lamott’s latest. by samantha berry Business: Method to environmental madness. by tim porter

MARIN

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conversation

looking back

Isabel Allende discusses her passion for writing. by jim wood

The droughts of the ’70s in Marin. by jim wood

Departments

CONTENTS

MARCH 2007

2/5/07 2:36:42 PM

154

CONTENTS

128

Departments 74

made in marin Juno Baby—stealing the show. by mimi towle

106

110

galleries

115

marin green businesses

119

calendar

Girls getaway in Palm Springs. by julie keller

Bay Area museum highlights. by anne crump ray

171 green businesses certiﬁed by Marin County

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

flavor

128

Bungalow 44—Mill Valley favorite. by erika lenkert

143

microclimate

154

dialogue

Phenomena Weathervane,

Houseboat heaven in Sausalito. by jim wood

Reporter Leigh Glaser of KGO-TV. by mimi towle

Columns

The Cover acrylic on canvas, by Paul Jenkins,

Dine Out, insiders guide to Bay Area restaurants

view from mount tam

pov

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

represented by Robert Green Fine Arts in Mill Valley. For more information visit rgﬁnearts.com or call 415.381.8776. 12

MARIN

008-019_TOC_MH_.indd 12

Making Marin more efﬁcient. by jim wood

MARCH 2007

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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

Thank good n es s f o r

editorial contributors

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production manager

(this is ours)

Art art director Trpti Todd ext 112

Alex French ext 111 production@marinmagazine.com

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

Administration controller Jill Harmston ext 104 jharmston@marinmagazine.com Marin Magazine, One Harbor Dr, Ste 208,

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MARIN

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Sausalito, CA 94965, phone: 415.332.4800, fax: 415.332.3048, web: marinmagazine.com, e-mail: editorial@marinmagazine.com

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Advertising

Merlot

publisher

Cabernet Sauvignon

Lisa Shanower 415.332.4800 ext 107 lshanower@marinmagazine.com

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

Shoup Vineyard Cabernet

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

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destination marketing Debbie Joseph Shana Wong 808.739.2200

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

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

MARIN

MARCH 2007

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

THIS MONTH MARIN MAGAZINE GOES GREEN.

care products do the job on dirt without doing the same

We have devoted much of the issue’s editorial content

to the environment. When it comes time to throw stuff

to coverage about sustainability and other environmen-

away—don’t. We introduce you to iReuse, a Sausalito

tal topics. More important, beginning this month Marin

company that connects businesses, individuals and non-

Magazine will be printed on 30 percent post-consumer

profit agencies in order to keep what you don’t need out

waste paper. Our supplier, West Linn Paper Company,

of the landfill. Finally, we’re running the list of 171 Marin

estimates that putting this once-discarded paper back

Green Businesses on page 115 in recognition of their

to work again will save 184 trees, 10,000 gallons of

being certified as eco-conscious by the County of Marin.

water and 45.3 tons of greenhouse gas emissions with

Our other major features include a beautiful pack-

every issue. We believe each of us can take steps to im-

age of spring fashion photographs by Sasha Gulish that

prove the environmental health of the planet. This is

use the beauty—and the fun—of Tiburon as a back-

our small contribution.

drop, and a Journey piece by writer/photographer Ben

mentally friendly as the paper they are printed on. We

Davidson on Siena, where he discovers the simpler side of Tuscan life.

search for the greenest car in Marin and find plenty of op-

Two Marin authors add to the mix. In Conversation,

tions for eco-minded motorists—hybrids, fuel-stingy gas

we visit with Isabel Allende and in Books, we discuss

models, even a Honda that runs on natural gas. Greenness

Grace, Eventually, the latest work by Anne Lamott.

can also be next to godliness, as P. J. Bremier finds. She

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

takes us inside the new convent built by the Dominican

Marin Magazine, as we continue to celebrate this

Sisters of San Rafael, where the power is solar, the floors

extraordinary place!

concrete and the lumber environmentally certified. Green

MARIN

homes should have green cleaning products, and for those

Lisa Shanower, Publisher

we look at the success story of Method, a growing com-

Nikki Wood, Editorial Director

pany with Marin connections whose biodegradable home

Jim Wood, Executive Editor

MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

Inside the magazine is an array of stories as environ-

LE TTE R S

My wealth is well cared for...

“

Readers respond Thank you for “Marin’s 13 most influential” in the February 2007 issue. Here is my addition: Douglas P. Ferguson, attorney at law.

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

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

”

Doug has been extremely influential in shaping Marin County as it is today because of his numerous activities, including derailing the Marincello project; acquiring Slide Ranch; saving the land now occupied by the Zen Center at Green Gulch Farm; founding the Trust for Public Land; and development of the Marin Theatre Company and Rafael Theatre facilities. I can’t imagine what Marin County would be like without Doug Ferguson’s passion for and dedication to our community. Cris Chater, San Rafael

Noel M., client San Rafael

I am very pleased with the February 2007 issue of Marin Magazine. The cover photo and story about the Tiburon fountain are close to my heart because I spent a year filming Jeff Reed and Jennifer Madden while they made the sculpture. Second, I was pleased to read your POV about Marin’s most influential. I have recently completed my first documentary, entitled Turning the Tide. It is the story of saving Richardson Bay from being developed in the 1950s. Included in the film are five of your 13 people: Richardson is profiled as the Bay’s namesake, Reed is there as the original landowner of Tiburon, Caroline Livermore is profiled because she was instrumental in the preservation of the Bay, Dr. Marty Griffin tells of his involvement as “the goat lady’s doctor”

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and Mrs. Schultz is mentioned because she was involved too! —Dave Gotz, chairman, Tiburon Heritage & Arts Commission Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity and brevity. Send letters to Marin Magazine, One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965. Or e-mail to jwood@marinmagazine.com.

MARIN

MARCH 2007

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P OV

Making Marin More Efﬁcient Don’t laugh, LAFCO could be the answer BY JIM WOOD istrative departments. “We need more Twin

ing agency with the intent of gaining greater

Cities Police Departments,” said Christopher

efficiency,” he says. “It’s not the nature of the

Burdick at a recent regional strategy confer-

beast. Consolidations are more likely to occur,”

ence. Burdick, an alternate commissioner with

says Banning, of Mill Valley, “when taxpayers

Marin’s Local Agency Formation Commission

take the initiative, residents use petitions or,

(LAFCO), was referring to the Corte Madera

most often, when agencies themselves resolve

and Larkspur police forces that consolidated

to merge.” From there, he says, LAFCO kicks

27 years ago. Later, Burdick asked rhetorically,

in with “extended discussions, political pres-

“What are Ross and Belvedere, each with bare-

sure, and plain old persuading.”

departments?” In addition to its 11 cities, Marin has eight fire prevention districts, 11 mostly unrelated

Marin’s last local consolidation occurred in 1999, says Banning, when the Tamalpais and the Alto–Richardson Bay Fire Protection Districts merged.

sanitary districts, six community service dis-

Life would be so simple—and efficient—

tricts (e.g., Marinwood, Marin City, etc.), 16

with fewer agencies, districts and depart-

county service areas that perform a variety of

ments. Most of Marin County is being well

functions, and nearly a dozen other govern-

served by the Marin Municipal Water District,

ing entities of some sort, including the much-

Marin County Free Library system and Marin

maligned Marin Healthcare District.

Open Space District. Why not build on these

op Merger Could Cut Costs,”

Seven-member LAFCO—two county su-

successes? As it now stands, Marin can be de-

read a recent front-page

pervisors, two local city council members, two

scribed as a mishmash of competing fiefdoms,

headline of the Independent

special district members, one publicly appoint-

each concerned with its own welfare, often to

Journal. The article reported that San Anselmo

ed member—was established by the state leg-

the detriment of the overall county govern-

(pop. 12,190) and Fairfax (pop. 7,200) might

islature in 1963 to “discourage urban sprawl

mental process. (And that’s not mentioning

merge their police departments and by doing

and encourage orderly development of local

Marin’s 19 different school districts, each with

so “could save $430,000 annually” in dispatch

governmental agencies.”

its own school board, that serve about 26,000

“C

and other operating costs.

Marin has anything but “orderly develop-

K-12 students).

The story also stated that both cites are “reel-

ment” of local government. Peter Banning,

LAFCO (lafco.marin.org) merits the sup-

ing from long-term budget problems” and that

LAFCO’s executive officer, cites one exam-

port of county taxpayers, especially those serv-

“police consolidation between these two towns

ple: “In the southern Marin area, including

ing on district boards whose functions could,

has been discussed for more than 30 years.”

Tiburon, Belvedere, Sausalito, Mill Valley and

and many times should, be consolidated with a

What is it about efficiency that many

county unincorporated areas, there are 11 dif-

neighboring agency or municipality. It doesn’t

Marin municipalities, districts and agencies

ferent agencies (recently reduced to 10), over-

take a Harvard MBA to recognize that in

don’t get? Duplication and redundancy seem

seen by 50 publicly elected directors, that serve

Marin, greater efficiencies can be obtained—

to rule the land.

slightly more than 50,000 residents.”

and countless tax dollars saved—through mu-

Marin—one of California’s smallest coun-

Cutting down on government is difficult,

ties—has 11 cities, all but two with less than

says Burdick, an Inverness resident. “An elected

15,000 residents. And all but two have their

board rarely, if ever, will vote itself out of ex-

own police, planning, recreation, and admin-

istence—or initiate a merger with a neighbor-

MARIN

MARCH 2007

nicipal mergers and consolidations. That’s my point of view. What’s yours? Email jwood@marinmagazine.com

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: BARBARA RIES

ly 2,000 residents, doing with their own police

31 West Carillo Street, Santa Barbara

• reservations@AndaluciaSB.com

•

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

AT A G LAN C E

M ARCH THRU MARCH 28 Art at Town Hall

Bid on transformed bowling pins at local retailers and online to support Big Brothers Big Sisters. Various locations and online (Marin). 415.453.3800, bfks.org

A Year on the Lagoon, which features photographs by Leela Pratt, is now on view. Proceeds benefit Young Performers International. 1505 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon. 415.435.4355, youngperformersintl.org ▼

▼

THRU MARCH 24 Pins of Marin

MARCH 8 International Women’s Day It’s the global day to connect all women and inspire them to achieve their full potential. internationalwomensday.com

The Masque Unit Junior Theatre of Marin presents a musical adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Showcase Theater at Marin Civic Center (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, masqueunit.org

Why travel to Cannes? Over 225 films will be showcased in nine days at this year’s Tiburon International Film Festival. 415.381.4123, tiburonfilmfestival.com

MARIN MARCH 2007

026-027_at_glance.indd 26

The 36th annual spring season features four world premieres and the return of former San Francisco Ballet dancer Joanna Berman. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, odcdance.org ▼

Paige Peterson and Christopher Cerf talk about the Tiburon mascot and champion horse Blackie. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 415.927.0960, bookpassage.com

▼

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

MARCH 22—30 Tiburon International Film Festival

Join fellow lords and ladies at a royal Renaissance evening of dinner and dancing to benefit the Marin Symphony. Mill Valley Community Center. 415.479.8100, marinsymphony.org

MARCH 20 Spring Fever

MARCH 17 St. Patrick’s Day Parade

It’s time to find swim suits and baseball gloves, the first day of spring is here.

You don’t have to be Irish to take part in this annual celebration; just don’t forget to wear something green. Civic Center Plaza (SF). 415.675.9885, sfstpatricksdayparade.com ▼

▼

Follow the trail circumnavigating Angel Island in this 12K or 25K run. Angel Island State Park (Tiburon). 415.868.1829, envirosports.com

THRU MARCH 18 ODC Dance

MARCH 11 Blackie: The Horse Who Stood Still

MARCH 10 & 11 Snow White

MARCH 17 Romancing the Island

MARCH 10 Marin Symphony

MARCH 23 The Doobie Brothers

MARCH 23—25 Taste of Asia

With top hits and platinum albums, the legendary group has earned a fanatical following for it’s high-energy shows. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

Don’t miss this brand-new event inspired by the top cuisine of the Bay Area and the Asian Art Museum’s strong connections in the Asian culinary world. Asian Art Museum (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

2/5/07 2:51:27 PM

M A R I N ALBUM

Life on the Edge

— KURT VONNEGUT

PEOPLE WHO AREN’T FROM HERE—auslanders, tourists and pretty much everyone from Nebraska—like to laugh at where we put our homes: tucked in canyons, perched on hillsides, astride the water on stilts. What about earthquakes, they ask, or ﬂoods or storms or, these days, global warming? Oh, those crazy Northern Californians! Go ahead, make fun. Worry if you want. But that’s not our style. We prefer, perhaps foolishly, but nonetheless intrepidly, to live as close to the beauty of Marin as we can. We risk suffering the occasional nuisances of nature in order to enjoy the rewards of its daily intimacies. The shifting earth or the rising sea—potential realities, to be sure—is a small price to pay for the stillness of the redwoods at night, the expansive vista from an upper deck or the perpetual motion of a seascape that ﬂows right to our back door. It’s true, we live on the edge here in Marin—and most days we can see more. Here, for example, on the edge of Raccoon Strait off the Tiburon shore, we can watch a rolling bank of fog linger ominously in the distance as the morning sun does its best to warm a chill winter day. The edge. It’s a good place to be.

MARIN

MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”

BY TIM PORTER

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M A R I N GR E E N

Ken Kurtzig: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

BY MIMI TOWLE

Getting rid of a couch, dishes, or an entire ofﬁce build-

tigate a new career path, one of connecting businesses

ing full of furniture? Ken Kurtzig, founder of iReuse,

and making the county more environmentally efﬁcient.

and the 2006 Green Entrepreneur of the Year award

Kurtzig was inspired by parents with two very dif-

winner, can help. What makes him green is that by re-

ferent approaches to environmentalism. His mother, a

selling, donating (to nonproﬁts), and recycling, iReuse

technology entrepreneur, told him to be ﬁnancially suc-

keeps 1.2 tons of material out of our landﬁll each day.

cessful ﬁrst and then philanthropic and environmentally

What makes him an entrepreneur is he does this faster

conscientious. His father, an environmental consultant,

and cheaper than his competitors. For example, when

believed in day-to-day realistic solutions. “I launched

the owner of Pell Plaza in Novato wanted to clear out

iReuse several years after my father passed away,” says

his fully furnished 69,000-square-foot ofﬁce building,

Kurtzig. “But I know he would be proud since the com-

he contacted iReuse. The company reused 95 tons of

pany is based on his concept of saving green by be-

office equipment, the owner saved $49,000 by not

ing green.” His mother, however, was “a brutally hon-

hiring a hauling company, and he also received a

est skeptic.” After all, where’s the proﬁt in getting rid of

$100,000 tax deduction receipt.

people’s stuff without charging dump fees like the other junk removal companies do?” Kurtzig shrugs. “We have

ing and utilizing of local resources started at Salsalito

a win-win-win situation.” Now that revenues are growing

Taco Shop just two years ago. After learning that the

rapidly and his client roster includes Autodesk, Charles

owner, Joanne Malik, paid up to $2,500 a year to dis-

Schwab & Co. and Toyota of Marin, his mom is finally

pose of her used vegetable oil, Kurtzig, who drives a

on board. “The day my mother changed her mind about

biodiesel-fueled black Jetta, was compelled to inves-

iReuse was the day I knew I had a great company!”

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

Kurtzig’s idea for a company based on the reus-

MARIN

FEBRUARY 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

This could be your neighbor

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Elegant homes, consciously built.

S NA P KITCHEN MATRIX EVENT

Kevin Martin, Mona Aragon, William Ohs

Farina Wong Kingsley, Scott Howard, Roxanne Klein

Dinner and Design Recently, eager foodies packed the Kitchen Matrix showroom in the Galleria building of the San Francisco Design Center to hear top chefs Roxanne Klein, Scott Howard and Farina Wong Kingsley discuss the design of their kitchens. Guests sampled appetizers from each chef and sipped Hanzell Vineyards wine, poured by estate educator Laura Tackett and cellar master Jim Doescher. Guests at Kitchen Matrix’s Wednesday Night Fever event were also treated to Lapis

William Smith, Alicia Berkley

Kerry Lark

Luna wines poured by national sales manager Kent Higginbotham. Down the street the launch party for the San Francisco Antique District was a success with over 250 people in attendance. The party was sponsored and hosted by Ambiance Antiques and Southall Antiques. In Union Square Thomas Keller was in the kitchen when

PHOTO CREDIT: KITCHEN MATRIX/SHERI MONTGOMERY, ANTIQUES/ALEX BELTRAMO, LOUIS VUITTON/DREW ALTIZER

Louis Vuitton’s chairman and CEO Yves Carcelle hosted a dinner to celebrate the grand opening of the expanded downtown location, which has doubled in size, making it one of the largest in North America. At the Belvedere community center the Marin League of the San Francisco Symphony held its ﬁrst annual crab feed.

THE ANTIQUE DISTRICT

Julianna Glumac, Robb Mills

Teresa Beltramo, Jean Mastagni, Amanda Whitney

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Mary Bettencourt, Terry Pimsleur

Jim Doescher, Laura Tackett

LOUIS VUITTON DINNER

Bill and Kristine Moor

Andre de Baubigny, Juliet de Baubigny

Heather Vandenberghe, Nicole Bini

CRAB FEAST

Steve Albini

Mary Jo Barnett, Anne Hamblett, Claire Barnes

MARIN MARCH 2007

SNAP SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

Cheri Spolin, Shannon Cronan

Julie Begley, Lesley Koenig

George and Charlotte Shultz

Karen Caldwell, Rada Brooks

Across the Bridge San Francisco’s City Hall was transformed into a crimson, black and gold fête by designer Riccardo Benavides as the San Francisco Ballet celebrated its 74th season opening night with a Spanish Splendor-themed gala. Guests like Karen Caldwell echoed the theme with brightly colored couture gowns—nine of which were designed by Cecelia Bream, Pat TeRoller

Jerome and Mary Vascellaro

Marin’s own Lily Samii. The sold-out crowd dined on crab, lobster and caviar by caterer Paula LeDuc and went home with stationery embossed with a

Suzanne Felson, Pamela Joyner, Jennifer Smorgun

tango dancer design from Cartier. At Union Square’s Hotel Nikko, The Commonwealth Club of California and Yosemite National Institutes hosted the Galen and Barbara Rowell Lecture Series with Tom Brokaw. The evening featured a presentation of the Trent and Denise Cutler

Ladan Mozafar

Rowell Award for the Art of Adventure

COMMONWEALTH CLUB

Stanley Morrical, Jean-Noel Fourmeaux du Sartel

AlbertSthymmel, Bartridge, Shannon Forman, Nuria Laura and Eppy Giles Deborah London

MARIN MARCH 2007

Laurie and Ken Schaumburger

Judy Jorgenson, Kate Horan Dan Wiskind

Richard Goldman, Cissie Swig, Tom Brokaw

Doug McConnell, Beth Wald, Nicole Rowell Ryan, Tony Rowell

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTO CREDITS: BALLET, SHERI MONTGOMERY; COMMONWEALTH CLUB; PAUL ERIC FELDER

to Beth Wald.

“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 MARIN FLOOR CO. CANCER BENEFIT

Janis Hannigan

Dr. Michael Link, Chris Ribet

Kimberly Sherry, Scott Agueros

San Rafael and Beyond

DUXIANA

San Rafael’s Marin Floor Company welcomed friends and supporters to its showroom for a festive evening filled with music, a silent art auction and an informative lecture by Dr. Michael Link. Proceeds from the event support a pediatric cancer fund for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health at Stanford. On the other side of town, guests enjoyed a sneak peek at the latest Sharyn Johnson

Yoo Ri Clark, Roberta Becker

fabrics from the Heimtextil Show in Frankfurt at Duxiana, where it was hard not to make a purchase what with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Zero Breast Cancer Foundation. Over at the Marin Center, Marin Symphony attendees mingled at pre and post-concert receptions honoring the world premiere performance of Sala by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto

Sharon Doyle, Janice Barlow

Mark Wilson, Hans-Ueli Wernli

No. 3 performed by solo pianist Orion Weiss.

Aldis Simsons

MARIN SYMPHONY

Matthew Taddei, Lucinda Lee, Kirk Ludwig

MARIN MARCH 2007

Kathryn Gould, Peteris Vasks, Norman Ryan

Dzintra Geka

PHOTO CREDIT: SYMPHONY/JAMES HALL

Alasdair Neale, Orion Weiss, Noralee Monestere

Dick and Alison Fletcher

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SNAP GRACE SLICK

HEMINGWAY BOOK SIGNING

Margaret O’Leary,Roxanne Klein

Grace Slick, Jan Wahl, Frederick Warhanek

Mariel Hemingway

Bay Area Culture Across Marin, residents were out enjoying art, ﬁlm, literature and new beginnings. In Sausalito, Fingerhut Gallery held an opening party for artist and former Jefferson Airplane member Grace Slick. In Larkspur, the Lark Theater hosted a benefit screening of the Heather Willison, Mariah Kornberg

film Eragon directed by special guest and Marin resident Stefen Fangmeier. Novato’s Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy hosted a lec-

Dan Saﬁer

ture and book signing for Mariel Hemingway and her new tome Mariel Hemingway’s Healthy Living from the

MEYEROVICH GALLERY

Inside Out, which offers an approach to total body health. Over the bridge, art lovers came out to support the Meyerovich Gallery’s 20th anniversary celebration and the opening of contemporary artist Grisha Bruskin’s new show. Over at Manka’s Boat House on Tomales Bay, owners (and chefs) Margaret Grade and Daniel DeLong hosted

Sandy and Harlan Kleiman

David Akov, Tamar Akov

a memorial for the burned-down Manka’s. The wake included local wine, delicious food,

LARK THEATER

Alex Meyerovich, Leslie Meyerovich, Grisha Bruskin, Connie Wolf

Bernice Baeza, Stefen Fangmeier

Margaret Grade, Daniel DeLong

Sidney and Susan Goodwill

MARIN MARCH 2007

David and Kimberley Brody

MANKA’S

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P H OTO C RED IT: LARK THEATER/ JOH N G IL LESPIE , MEYEROVIC H/ TO M G IBBONS

old friends and fond memories.

FA S H I ON TRENDS 1

brighten up with bold colors This month take a cue from Rio de Janeiro, Cuba and Spain by choosing brilliant hues for this season’s accessories. “For spring, you can make a bold statement with a shocking bright shade, like electric blue or yellow,” says Rachael Lorenz, stylist and cofounder of Rock Star Confidential, a San Francisco based luxury styling business. However, bold shades pack a punch in small doses: try combining a jeweltoned purse or lemon-colored heels with a familiar little black dress for stand-out-in-the-crowd appeal or add adventure to tame office wear with a primary-inspired flat. Just let this season’s fantastic colors be your guide.

1. Sunglasses at Night These Isaac Mizrahi for Target square sunglasses are so bright, follow singer Corey Hart’s advice and wear them at night. $19.99 at Target (Novato). 415.892.3313, target.com

2. An Unconventional Choice For the femme fatale, the Vertigo pump from Christian Dior is a total knockout, although get it fast—there are only 34 pairs in the United States. $495 at Christian Dior (SF). 415.544.0394, dior.com

3. Electric Avenue Hit the town with the

sporty Lola Clutch in an energetic blue. $275 at M Clothing (Corte Madera). 415.924.8891, martymclothing.com

4. The Concrete Jungle With enough room to store the Blackberry and a pair of heels, the Yves Saint Laurent Downtown Tote in violet is the smart pick for a meeting or a mingling. $1,595 at Yves Saint Laurent (SF). 415.837.1211, ysl.com 5. Chic Comfort Seychelles Mile-a-Minute slingback ﬂats follow the trends but keep the feet ache-free and stylish. $70 at Nordstrom (Corte Madera). 415.927.1690, nordstrom.com by somer flaherty

MARIN

MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

FA S H I ON TRENDS 1 2

big, brilliant and bewitching gems This season, complete a polished look with a striking piece of jewelry. Although understated, simple, clear diamonds are beautiful, nothing says conﬁdence like an alluring colored gem. It’s a conversation starter, a showstopper and the perfect complement to the color’s of spring.

1. Veritable Verde This 14k white gold pendant is handmade by Mark Singerman and set with a bright green tsavorite garnet and diamonds—perfect for St. Patrick’s Day and any other. $1,785 at Valentino (Novato). 415.898.1915, valentinogold.com

2 . Aqua Env y When uniqueness and craftsmanship count, try this emerald-cut aquamarine and blue diamond ring custom designed by Jean-Louis VanDenBosch. $5,890 at Julianna’s Fine Jewelry (Corte Madera). 415.924.9711, juliannasfinejewelry.com 3. Bevy of Bijoux Make a statement with David Yurman’s Couture Mosaic Sunburst Pendant in 18k gold, red labradorite, carnelian, fire opal, yellow onyx, madeira citrine, ruby and rubelite on a box chain with a large curb chain necklace. $11,000 and $8,300 for the curb chain at Saks Fifth Avenue (SF). 415.986.4300, saksfifthavenue.com 4. Dreams Come True Throw your head back and show off Cartier’s Sleeper Earrings in rhodium-plated white gold with peridot gems. $4,300 at Cartier (SF). 415.397.3180, cartier.com

5. Artistic Expression Be the only girl on the block to rock this Janet Alix custom designed orange sapphire and purple diamond platinum ring. $9,800 at Alix & Company (Mill Valley). 415.380.0880, alixandcompany.com

MARIN

MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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FA S H I O N

life style Name Peter Schumacher Home Mill Valley Occupation Restaurateur: Buckeye Roadhouse and Bungalow 44 What are you wearing? My black jacket is by Armani, shirt is from the Rodin Collection at Gene Hiller. My watch is by Baume & Mercier, leather wristband, Levi’s jeans lowrise straight 529, belt from Famous For Our Look and ﬁnally, suede brown loafers, by Ferragamo. Where would you wear this outfit? Out to dinner, to a casual party. Pretty much anything Marin dishes up. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? I start the morning slowly, coffee with my wife Liz and our three kids, hot tub (I so thought I would never go there) and the New York Times. When I decide to get ready it takes me about ten minutes max. Describe your personal style. I like to think of my look as contemporary, original and individual. I deﬁnitely prefer jeans to a tux, but that can be fun as well. It’s important to me that I am comfortable in what I’m wearing. Who are your fashion influences? Johnny Depp! Favorite designers? Johnny Depp’s designer. No really, I don’t care much about designers but at the risk of sounding cliché when I need to spend money on my clothing it is usually Armani, which

Where do you love to shop in Marin? For my wife, i.e., Mother’s Day, I shop at Allie G, Canvas, M clothing and Mill Valley 44

MARIN MARCH 2007

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Mercantile. For my kids, Liz sends me to Swing in Larkspur. I personally shop at Banana Republic, Gene Hiller and Famous For Our Look. There aren’t enough small men’s stores I know of in Marin, so I tend to go into the city as well.

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Chan Luu • Gorjana • Devon Dowd • Kathy Kamei • Botkier Handbags Tretorn Tennies and SO much more . . .

What is always in your pockets? My money clip and cell phone. What else is there? What is the single most essential piece in your wardrobe? My leather wristband with silver beads that my wife made for me—I never take it off. What would you never be caught dead in? A Hawaiian shirt, Birkenstocks with socks, and pleated pants, even if they are coming back. What do you splurge on? Food, wine, bikes, skis. I also love watches but I really try to restrain myself. What is your best cheapo secret? Proof Lab in Tam Junction for one, the Stinson Beach Surf Shop behind the post ofﬁce, also a little hole-in-the-wall family-run store in the Northgate shopping mall across from the Gap. What’s your fashion pet peeve? See above. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? Besides my mountain bike? Probably my wife’s engagement ring in Zurich 20 years ago. Did it make you happy? Which one? If your life were a movie, what would be your theme song?

NEW for Spring! Corey Lynn Calter • Edun • Castle Starr • LAMade Trina Turk & Diane von Furstenberg Swim + Beachwear

There would be several themes, not sure what order they would be playing either: War of Man by Neil Young, Where Are You Going? by Dave Matthews Band, and Mea

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MARIN MARCH 2007

F Y I H OM E

FIERY ADVICE Experts weigh in on choosing a ﬁreplace ning installation of all wood-burning fireplaces and non– EPA Phase II certified wood-burning heaters. The ordinances also prohibit use of any non– EPA Phase II certified wood-burning stove or insert as of J uly 1, 2 0 0 8 , in the county and December 3 1, 2 0 0 8 , in Mill Valley. (Existing open-hearth fireplaces and units designed for cooking, outdoor fireplaces, and gas- and pelletfueled appliances are exempt from the ban.) As incentive, the county is offering $ 2 50 rebates to help homeowners meet the requirements. “The County of Marin’s ordinance is designed to get rid of the old polluting wood-burning appliances used to heat homes,” says county G reen Building program coordinator Alec H offmann. Paige L ambeth of L ondon Fireplace Shoppe in Mill Valley has been helping customers sort through these ever-changing issues for 2 4 years. hoosing a fireplace these days has evolved into a complex

In regard to the shifting standards, “we take the position of cheerful and

decision involving personal aesthetics, the environment and

progressive compliance,” he says. L ondon Fireplace Shoppe offers many

local regulations. G one the way of cultural darlings like ciga-

options to satisfy Marin’s various jurisdictions.

rettes and Oreo cookies, traditional wood-burning fireplaces are now

Mill Valley architect Eric L ayton has had a hard time giving up the

considered unhealthy, even deadly. A traditional wood-burning fireplace

aesthetics and feel of an open wood-burning fire. Still, “open fireplaces

emits up to a half pound of particulate matter (PM) in one evening, ac-

are simply not efficient in either heat output or emissions,” he concedes.

cording to the Bay Area Air Q uality Management District (BAAQ MD).

“Except for a few, their basic design is flawed and will actually pull heat

That means, with approximately 1.7 million fireplaces and woodstoves

from your home.” If you’re stuck on wood, his favorite is the Fireplace

in the Bay Area, a cold winter’s night here might elicit nearly a million

X trodinair, which has an excellent heat output and a clean burn due

pounds of ash, soot and minuscule pieces of metal, collectively known

to its built-in catalytic converter. H e also likes the Tulikivi soapstone

as PM 2 .5 and PM10 , not to mention the release of carbon monoxide

stand-alone fireplaces available at G reen Fusion Design Center.

and toxic pollutants such as benzene and dioxin into our atmosphere.

L ambeth has his own top picks. For W est County wood-burning cli-

And PM2 .5s are small enough to become trapped in our lungs, trigger-

ents, the L opi L eyden, a noncatalytic woodstove that can burn a normal

ing respiratory ailments like bronchitis, aggravating asthma and poten-

load of logs for up to 18 hours, is a popular choice. For those preferring

tially leading to more serious health problems.

the convenience of a pellet stove, the European-style Austroflamm is a

In an attempt to turn the tide of air pollution nationwide, the EPA

great option. And for fans of the sleek, tall, modern look, the award-win-

created a strict certification program for the manufacture of woodstove

ning Paloma direct-vent freestanding gas stove by H eat-N -G lo is a top sell-

and fireplace inserts. That program became effective in 1992 . Today,

er. L ambeth is also excited about carrying the Vision, a new gas fireplace

woodstoves and fireplace inserts emit only 2 to 5 grams of smoke per

that heats with beach stones, designed by G avin Scott for the company

hour, compared to up to 6 0 before the certification program. L ocally, the

European H ome (see photo above).

County of Marin, which serves unincorporated Marin and individual cities

Before you set your heart on a particular hearth, H offman suggests,

and towns, has stepped in to require cleaner wood-burning appliances.

check with your city or county planning office to make sure it meets the

The county and the city of Mill Valley have both adopted ordinances ban-

current code. —M.T.

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

2/3 VERTICAL

Innovation from Down Under T h e re’s a n e w f l a m e i n t ow n . EcoSmart Fire has created a sleek stainless-steel burner kit, the size of a phone book, that burns denatured ethanol and can be moved from room to room. It requires no gas lines and, more important, no vents or chimney. Co-developer Stephane Thomas of Australia believes the two-year development project was well worth it since, to his mind, this product could revolutionize fireplace design. “Using it is as simple as pulling a beer out of the fridge,” he says. “You open the slider, fill it and light it, and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy it. And the best thing is there no mess, no ash, no cleaning; it’s ready to be refilled and used the next day.” Marin Outdoor Living in Greenbrae is the EcoSmart’s top distributor in the United States and has already sold over $250,000 worth of product in just nine months. Marin Outdoor’s Dave Theriault, a six-year veteran in fireplace sales, agrees with Thomas’s assessment. “These units are super-efficient, great-looking and portable. Many people move the burn kit back and forth from the living room to the patio.” The cost? The burner kit is priced at $2,500, and a gallon of fuel, which lasts five to ten hours depending on burn rate, runs $12. As for codes? “The UL certification means it can be installed anywhere,” Theriault says. “People still need to check their local building codes, but UL is the best you can get for any product. Universal Laboratories submits anything it receives to extremely rigorous testing.” —M.T.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ADVERTISER

MARIN MARCH 2007

F Y I H EA LT H

CLEAN AND GREEN Hold your nose. That chemical odor that accompanies plastic-wrapped, newly dry-cleaned clothes is sparking health and environmental concerns from the Environmental Protection Agency. “Consumers need to be aware that the solvents used in dry cleaning, particularly perchloroethylene (PERC), represent significant hazards to the health and environment in a community, including people who work at dry cleaning facilities, people who breathe the air near those cleaners, and people who have their clothes cleaned,” says Robert Gottlieb, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy at Occidental College. “Consumers should also be aware that there are more environmentally friendly alternatives like professional wet cleaning that are comparable in cost and in their ability to clean the full range of garments.” Despite such alternatives, the Centers for Disease Control estimate 85 percent of dry cleaners in the United States are still using PERC as their primary solvent. “New machines are a major investment and dry cleaning companies are just beginning to find out about alternatives,” says Angela Namkoong, an outreach coordinator with the Garment Care Project at Occidental College. Professional wet cleaning, which uses biodegradable detergents and special equipment, is the most readily available greener option, but CO2 cleaning, which uses carbon dioxide as a liquid solvent, is the preferred choice, according to the results of a Consumer Reports magazine survey. But you may not want to shun your local laundry just yet. Marin County still doesn’t have a dry cleaner offering a CO2 process, though such franchises, like the design-savvy Hangers Cleaners, are creeping up the coast. For the next-best choice, try a company that offers a wet cleaning service, such as Belvedere and Mill Valley’s Vogue Cleaners and Alex’s Dry Cleaning Valet in San Rafael, a delivery-only service that uses hybrid vehicles. If using a green alternative isn’t an option, the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College suggests not accepting clothes back from your cleaner if they have a strong chemical smell (which means they were overdosed with PERC), airing the clothes out to dissipate any fumes from harmful solvent, and encouraging your dry

Healthy Shower Reduce the risk of cancer while taking a shower? Point Reyes Station resident and Moonessence owner Ted Giammona has released organic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay soaps made with grapes from West Marin’s Stubbs Vineyard. Research on the polyphenol antioxidant compounds found in the skins and seeds of grapes has shown that they may help inhibit the development of certain cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. For the ultimate potential health benefit, choose the Pinot Noir soap—red wine contains more polyphenols than white, because in the making of white wine the skins of the grapes are removed. Available at moonessence.com or at the Moonessence Petaluma headquarters. —S.F.

cleaner to look into alternative cleaning methods. —S.F.

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Villains in the Midst

Spring is just2/3around VERTICAL the corner!

Everyday household cleaners wreak havoc Who needs Stephen King? Consider the flurry of magazine and newspaper articles touting the latest toxicity reports on household cleaners, deadly phosphate- and petroleum–based villains (among others) that have been lurking in broad daylight on our countertops, under the kitchen sink and in the hall closet. Typical of the scariest plot, these cleaning chemicals are the worst type of bad guy—posing as good guys:they are actually linked to illnesses ranging from asthma and birth defects to neurological damage and cancer. Former Marin resident and author of Home Safe Home, Debra L. Dadd, has been a pioneering environmental and health consumer advocate for over 20 years. “You can clean most everything in your house with baking soda and vinegar and lemon juice and soap,” says Dadd. “You don’t need to have 20 different cleaning products in plastic bottles for all these different cleaning needs.” Vinegar can be used as a glass cleaner, an antibacterial agent and laundry additive; lemon juice is a grease cutter and brass polish; and baking soda is a mild abrasive, odor remover, carpet cleaner and more. To learn more about eco-friendly, nontoxic cleaners check out Dadd’s website, dld123.com, where she offers links to thousands of nontoxic, natural and earthwise cleaning options. To learn more on specific brandname products, go to the Household Products Database, created by the National Institute of Health at hpd. nlm.nih.gov.

ADVERTISER

C o m e c e l e bra t e o u r f a v o ri t e s e a s o n a t Gre e n Appl e s . O u r m e rc h a n d i s e C A N N O T be be a t.

green apples

—M.T

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MARIN MARCH 2007

F Y I PEO P LE

Ruth Livingston Multifaceted Tiburon designer BY P. J BREMIER PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

MARIN MARCH 2007

isitors who step into the chic show-

hired Livingston to redesign her Alameda con-

room of Ruth Livingston Studio on

dominium. “I had just sailed to Sam’s for lunch

Tiburon’s historic Ark Row enter a

and happened to walk in,” says Gallagher.

space of artful contemporary home furnish-

“Immediately, the style of furniture, the flow,

ings, accessories and objets d’art defined by

the curves and the feeling that there was some-

Livingston’s singular taste.

thing unique there appealed to me.”

The experience made such an impression

San Rafael resident Mitzi Cohen had a

on yacht broker Pat Gallagher that she recently

similar experience. She was so taken with

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Livingston’s showroom that she hired her to

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

redesign her home four years ago. “I absolutely adore her work,” says Cohen. “She has exquisite taste.” Livingston’s studio, while creating instant admirers, is just one expression of the talented designer’s identity. A Tel Aviv native who speaks four languages, served as a lieutenant in the Israeli army, and holds an MBA in marketing as well as a certificate in interior design,

Drapes Made Free Sale That’s right, pick from any of our beautiful European fabrics, even our 110” wide French fabrics and we’ll make the drapes for free.

Livingston has been influencing contemporary design in Marin for more than 25 years. While she embraces clean lines and a restrained approach, she punctuates her interpretation of design with elements of bold surprise—a conical occasional table crafted from stripes of mahogany and maple suggests a joyful exclamation point; a glass cocktail table resting delicately atop oxidized metal recalls a dramatically shaped branch; and drapery finials of woven steel resemble airy coils of twigs. Livingston’s showroom is also where she runs her busy residential and commercial interior design studio, develops and markets her stylish collection of furniture, and operates Ruth Livingston Home, a renovation division for properties, owned by her firm. The scope of Livingston’s interior design work is wide, from residences and hotels to offices and retail shops to staging properties for resale. “Every design is a solution to a challenge,” she says, “and I like to come up with creative solutions. Whatever style it is, I always make sure it’s unique to the client and the property.” The process is a collaborative one that involves the client, architect, other consultants and a select group of local artisans, including Deborah Childress, Kyle Reicher and Eric Powell, just to name a few. Livingston adheres to the form-followsfunction concept. “I space-plan first for lifestyle and activities and then consider style

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

535 San Anselmo Avenue, San Anselmo, CA 94960 Open Daily • 415.453.8200 The sale runs from Februar y 17 through March 18, 2007. See store for details.

MARIN MARCH 2007

“

I like to come up with creative solutions. Whatever style it is, I always make sure it’s unique to the client and the property.

”

— RUTH LIVINGSTON

and colors,” she says, “and I like furniture to be practical and, of course, decorative and sustainable.” Bob and Crystal Benbow hired Livingston to work on their Tiburon home—twice: first on some bathrooms and then, ten years later, when it was completely remodeled. “Ruth used a recurring theme of curves,” says Crystal Benbow. “It’s in the cabinets, the dining table, even the handles on the refrigerator. It gives the whole house a sense of bending and movement. Personally, I think she has amazing taste and an eye for design.” And a timeless one: “We didn’t know then if, or when, we would remodel,” Benbow says, “but Ruth visualized the whole plan so well that when we did remodel, the bathrooms fit in perfectly.” Livingston began designing furniture as a teenager, producing pieces for her famly that were made in a relative’s factory. Over the years, she designed many individual works, but it wasn’t until the 1995 San Francisco Decorators Showcase, and the debut of her Revolving Column Bookcase, that she began to

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consider creating a collection. Today, her eclectic 60-piece collection encompasses seating, case work, tables and lighting. It is represented in nine trade showrooms nationally as well as in the Tiburon showroom, which is open to the public. A Ruth Livingston design is defined by simplicity and function, often with references to

MARIN MARCH 2007

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nature, and are either lively with geometry— cones, spheres, balls—or graceful with fluid lines. They’re also serendipitously inspired— memories of Mediterranean sand dunes (the Wave line), an unraveling basket (the Woven Steel bases), her Asian travels (the Bamboo line)—and offered in a variety of finishes and a choice of natural textiles. She is committed to producing eco-friendly furniture and uses sustainable materials and nontoxic glues and finishes in her products. Only her handwoven Tibetan rugs are made offshore. This year, Marin County will recognize Ruth Livingston Studio as an official green business. Livingston’s signature pieces, in addition to the Revolving Column Bookcase, include the Athena, Mercury and Apollo wood armchairs and the Wave line’s sofa, lift television cabinet, console table and dining table. Small tables in the Woven Steel and Striped Cone lines have received prestigious design awards. With so many accomplishments to her credit, what are her favorites? That’s easy, she says, relying on an answer she gives often at speaking engagements. “My two boys, Jordan and Michael,” she says. “They’re my best creations.”

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2/5/07 4:58:17 PM

F Y I B O O KS

Everyday Miracles With her third book on faith, Anne Lamott proves she’s the funniest Jesus freak out there. BY SAMANTHA BERRY

MARIN MARCH 2007

Anne Lamott has an unremarkable life. “I hike

ness, and her ability to write about it with pierc-

every morning with my dog Lily, rain or shine.

ing wit and naked honesty, that have earned her

I come home and work. I take a nap every af-

a piece of the literary spotlight.

ternoon. I hang out with Sam. Every night I

In Grace (Eventually), Lamott’s third collec-

see my boyfriend, Rory. I just do the total mom

tion of essays on life and faith (the first two

thing, the quiet, aging hippie Marin thing.”

were Traveling Mercies and Plan B), she once

It would not be unfair to claim that someone

again explores the presence of grace in all its

who has written four national best sellers and

mysterious and surprising forms. Her themes

a whole slew of other beloved books—fiction

are the big ones: forgiveness, friendship, love,

and non—and who draws crowds of hundreds

death. But many of her details are quotidian:

whenever she gives a reading isn’t exactly living

skiing with her son, helping out at a friend’s spe-

an average life. But it is precisely her ordinari-

cial-ed dance class, worrying about her neck

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

and thighs, wrangling a group of five- and sixyear-olds while teaching Sunday school. She is, as she says in her introduction, “a vulnerable mess,” but she’s a vulnerable mess who manages to find something extraordinary in what might otherwise pass as an unexceptional day.

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Over the years, her short, funny essays, which are themselves a bit of grace, have become her trademark of sorts. “I love being able to start something and finish it within the same week or so,” she says. “I like to read [ a piece of writing of] this length and I’m always happy when I come upon it.” W hen asked what has changed since her first such book, she pauses. “I thought Traveling Mercies was going to be every single thing I knew about faith,” she says. “But things have changed. W hen I wrote the first [ nonfiction] book I was still in very deep grief about the death of my friend, Sam was a little boy, and Clinton was president—so I was in a much better mood about that.” Many things have indeed changed. Sam, whose life has been chronicled by his mother since his birth, is nearly 18 . L amott, who has written extensively about finding her way out of drug and alcohol abuse, has been sober for 2 0 years; and G eorge W . Bush is serving his second term as president, something she may have finally come to uneasy grips with. In the new book she writes, “I don’t hate anyone right now, not even G eorge W . Bush. This may seem an impossibility, but it is true, and it indicates the presence of grace, dementia, or both.” W hat hasn’t changed in the seven years since Traveling Mercies is her deep Christian faith, as well as her cranky sense of humor and her liberal politics. “I have been in the best mood since the [ N ovember] election,” she says from her home in Fairfax, where she is getting ready to appear at a benefit to raise money for a clean water system for a village in Sierra L eone. “It gave me a complete new lease on life. I feel like our country was really

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saved by the bell . . . we got a miracle.” W hich is precisely the kind of thing she writes about:

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a light in the darkness, a moment of hoped-

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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MARIN MARCH 2007

LOCAL TYPE Lipstick and Lies by Margit Liesche (Poisoned Pen Press,

Tiburon’s newest waterfront enclave at Paradise Cay Marina.

$25) Marin resident and librarian Margit Liesche’s first novel, Lipstick and Lies, has it all—spies, plucky heroines, dead bodies and espionage. Praised for its historical accuracy and its pageturning plot, Lipstick and Lies is set in wartime Detroit, where female pilot Pucci Lewis finds herself enmeshed in an intricate and thrilling web of intrigue. A Handbook to Luck by Cristina Garcia (Random House, $24) Anyone who had the pleasure of reading Dreaming in Cuban by acclaimed author Garcia (now living in the Napa Valley) will rejoice at her new novel A Handbook to Luck, which straddles the disparate worlds of Southern California, San Salvador and Tehran as it weaves a distinctly American tale full of love,

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tragedy and grace. Beautiful and elegiac. A Place of Innocent Recreations: History of the Sausalito Library by Elizabeth Leavy Stroman (Friends of the Sausalito Library, $20) While Sausalito had plenty of saloons a.k.a. poolrooms in 1906, the opening of the town’s first library was a true reason to celebrate. Read about the heroes and heroines who made it happen. All proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the library.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

BOOKSELLERS RECOMMEND THEIR FAVORITE MEMOIRS

Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull (Nicholas Brealey, $13) “Australian journalist Sarah Turnbull is on assignment in Bucharest when she meets a Frenchman. A few months later she goes to visit him and ends up staying. It’s a great book about what it would be like to come from another culture and live in France, and it reads like a novel.” —Henrietta Morgan, First Avenue Books, Kentfield

Brave Companions by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, $15) “It’s a collection of 17 short biographies of people like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederic Remington, whose lives have inspired and influenced the author and others. A great book to read and a great book to give as a gift.”

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The Tender Bar by J. R. Moehringer (Hyperion, $15) “This is a first book by a young man who grew up in a small town on Long Island with a mostly absent father. The author adopted a whole bunch of “uncles” at the neighborhood bar. It’s this motley collection of relatives and strange father figures, and the quality of writing is really tremendous.”

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MARIN MARCH 2007

F Y I BUSINESS

A METHOD TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL MADNESS STORY & PHOTOS TIM PORTER

It’s hard enough to be green these days. It’s

(When’s the last time a friend asked excitedly,

even more difficult to be green and clean. it’s

“Hey, have you seen the new box of Tide?”)

toughest yet to be green and clean and hip.

MARIN MARCH 2007

Method’s, uh, methodology is simple, says

Most of the sprays, scrubs and soaps on our

CEO Alastair Dorward. The company makes

countertops and in our cabinets are concoct-

eco-friendly cleaners that work as well as tradi-

ed from chemicals that do a great job remov-

tional brands, smell like real flavors (mint dish

ing ground-in grime, but can be just as nasty

soap, grapefruit wipes) instead of industrial

to things we’d rather not destroy—like the

solvents, and come packaged in eye-catching,

environment.

stylish containers.

Method, a small San Francisco compa-

“Our brand is aesthetically attractive,” says

ny that makes biodegradable home cleaning

Dorward, a Larkspur resident. “The fragranc-

products, is changing that, one dirty dish at a

es are great. And from a household safety and

time—and doing it with the type of buzz nor-

environmental point of view, our products are

mally more associated with glitzy hightech

better for people and their homes and better

than stodgy extra-strength laundry detergent.

for the environment.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

“These are themes that are becoming increasingly relevant,” he says. “Over the last ten years, people have become more conscious of design. Look at the success of the iPod as truly a mainstream brand. It has achieved much deeper [market] penetration because of design. And the greening of America has gone from a phenomenon that might be more true of places like Marin County to one that is becoming more prevalent nationally.” As the financial analysts say, Method has hit a sweet spot. In less than seven years since college buddies Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan launched the company with F&F (friends and family) money from their kitchen, it has become a 70-person international enterprise that Inc. magazine recently named the seventhfastest growing private company in America. Method sells more than 150 products, ranging from its signature bowling-pin-shaped (sort of) dish soap to air fresheners, in Target, Costco and other big stores across the United States, Canada and England. As a private company, Method doesn’t like to publicize its sales, but Information Resources Inc., a Chicago firm that tracks the consumer products industry, puts Method’s 2006 revenue at $55 million, up about 80 percent over the previous year. By comparison, 4 percent is considered a good growth rate in the industry as a whole, says Dorward. While those numbers are a drop in a bucket in a world where a mega-company like Clorox sells $66 million worth of Pine Sol alone in a year, Method’s investors, who include Silicon Valley luminaries like former Yahoo chief executive Tim Koogle, are no doubt thrilled with the return on their money. But the company has a larger mission as well. “Essentially what we’re doing is proving that business can be an agent for positive environmental change,” says Lowry. A Stanfordeducated chemist who got into the environmental movement because he “didn’t want to design chemical reactors for a living,” Lowry,

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN MARCH 2007

32, is most proud that Method’s products appeal to people who aren’t like him. “The idea was that the people who are like me, who are ‘dark green,’ are few and far between,” he says. “Method is being purchased by people who aren’t necessarily environmentalists. They’re people who want to go green, but don’t know how or tried to and were frustrated. We allow them to go green in a way that fits their lifestyle. For me, that’s real environmental change—that’s really moving the needle toward a better place.” Lowry wears the company hat of “chief greenskeeper” (think eco-green, not golf course green). “I shepherd the vision,” he says. “What a chief greenskeeper does is build greenness into every fabric of the business.” It is a more commercial approach to environmentalism, one focused on changing products and reinventing business models rather than persuading consumers to alter personal habits. “I have a different way of thinking about environmentalism,” Lowry says. “Traditional environmentalism is too stodgy, anti-business and too depressing. I actually think business itself, as the largest and most wealthy institution on the planet, has the opportunity and the onus to create these changes. “Traditional environmentalism says consumers should sacrifice for the environment,” he adds. “We think that’s wrong. Designers should design high-quality products that are green so the consumer doesn’t have to think about it. That’s what we do.” Method relies on an extensive matrix of standards to ensure greenness, things like the source of raw materials, the fuel cost of transporting them, and whether the product is biodegradable and the packaging recyclable. “The point is that we look across all factors in the [product’s] life cycle,” he says. “It’s a lot of work, but we do the homework so people don’t have to. We combine that with a beautiful aesthetic of great fragrances and great product design. It’s hip, not hippie.”

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Indeed, Dorward says, most Method prod-

Mediterranean Colors™

uct buyers “are typically drawn to it for the first time because it’s a kind of a cool package . . . and [then] they’ll be happy with the way it works.” After that, he says, comes the “feelgood element” about the environment. That’s OK with Lowry—whatever it takes to get them into the environmental tent. Until recently, he points out, many green products bore a stigma, undeserved or not, of being not quite as good as their browner counterparts. “The paradigm was ‘it’s either green or it works, or ‘it’s either green or it’s high performance,’” he says. That’s changing. “There’s more and more products like Method’s, and the Prius showed that an everyday passenger car that was green could actually pass somebody in traffic.” Such signals of a greenward cultural shift— like the popularity of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient

Before

Truth and the cover piece on Wal-Mart’s organic initiative in Fortune—suggest a tipping point into “eco-fabulous, the convergence of style and substance,” Lowry says. “And that is exactly what Method is all about.” Method has gotten a fair amount of media coverage lately, and the question always comes up of whether the company, with its alluring growth rate, might be sold or go public. Dorward demurs. “We’re not going to be the largest brand,” he says. “We see ourselves as a little tugboat that can move some of these big supertankers into a greener space. We’re not going to be the largest player, but to some extent we find ourself being a thought leader.” Lowry, too, has his own thoughts about the future and what he might do when Method no longer needs his greenskeeper services. “I have a million ideas,” he says. “I would love to start a car company someday, actually a personal transportation company, because somebody

After

needs to completely rethink the automobile and how we get from place to place. “Maybe someday when I’ve got a little bit more time on my hands,” he adds. “But now

Call for a free design consultation (415) 331-3886 showroom by appointment

I’m making soap.”

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN MARCH 2007

C O N V E R S AT I O N

ISABEL ALLENDE This San Rafael resident, author of more than a dozen acclaimed works printed in over 30 languages and latest novel Daughter of Fortune, is featured in the countywide One Book One Marin book discussion program. BY JIM WOOD

f you Google her name, you’ll learn there

During this February and March, in a reading

How long did you take writing Daughter

are “about 1,980,000 entries for Isabel

program titled One Book One Marin, everyone

of Fortune? Oh, many years; probably seven.

Allende.” And with good reason; hers has

in the county is encouraged to read Daughter of

I came to the United States and Marin in 1987

been an eventful life. Born in Peru; learned

Fortune, then join discussion groups and attend

because I fell in love with the story of Willie,

English in Lebanon; married at 19, self-edu-

seminars where the book will be discussed (see

who’s now my husband, and I wrote that book,

cated through extensive reading of William

accompanying schedule). On April 17 at 7 p.m.,

The Infinite Plan. But even prior to that I was

Shakespeare; exiled to Venezuela when her

at San Rafael’s Pickleweed Recreation Center,

thinking about Daughter of Fortune because

uncle, Chilean President Salvador Allende,

Allende will be interviewed by local radio/TV

I’ve long been fascinated by California history.

was assassinated; became a journalist and a

host Dario D’Arrigo and on April 20, also at 7

So in 1990, I started the research and contin-

playwright before writing her first novel, The

p.m., at Dominican University, she will appear

ued for two years. But then my daughter Paula

House of the Spirits, which was made into a

in conversation with KQED’s Michael Krasny.

got sick and died and, in 1993, I wrote Paula,

film starring Jeremy Irons, Antonio Banderas,

The public is invited to both events, which are

a memoir about her. And after that, I contin-

Glenn Close and Meryl Streep.

free of charge.

ued researching but couldn’t write—I was too

Seventeen years and half a dozen books

sad. For many years, I had writer’s block. So

later (including Aphrodite, about sex, food, and

What are your hopes for the One Book One

to get myself out of that horrible mood, that

aphrodisiacs), Allende, living in Marin, wrote

Marin project? To see One Book One Marin

depression, I wrote a nonfiction book about

Daughter of Fortune. “It’s a historical novel,”

continue on a regular basis and become a tradi-

lust and gluttony; that was Aphrodite, which I

she says, “the story of a Chilean orphan [girl]

tion in Marin. I understand that is what is now

finished in 1996. And then I wrote Daughter of

who roamed California’s Gold Rush territories,

happening in Seattle. I would love to see [the

Fortune. So it took many years of research.

dressed as a boy, looking for a lost love, but

program] become something that brings people

who eventually finds so much more; she finds

together. It’s a very interesting idea—to have

Where—and how—did you do your re-

freedom.” Daughter of Fortune, an Oprah Book

an entire community discussing one theme—

search for the book? I read numerous books

Club selection in 2000, has been published in

especially if the theme concerns the immedi-

on California’s Gold Rush, I spent days in

35 languages and had a worldwide release of

ate area and its history and involves ideas that

Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, and I read all the

650,000 hardcover editions and over 800,000

were once prevalent and are still prevalent

books by (former state librarian) Kevin Starr

in paperback.

now, such as immigration and femininism.

regarding that time period. Also, I wanted to

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTOS : TIM PORTER

read the letters written by the miners who came from Chile to California, so I went to a library in Santiago as well as the Bancroft. Fortunately for me, it was the Gold Rush’s 150th anniversary and there were exhibits, films and lectures in Oakland and San Francisco—I went to all of them. I even watched old westerns on television; they helped me with how people dressed and lived. In doing research, whether in a library or my office, I would mark passages in books with stickers and then made piles of books on the floor according to themes. Next, I pinned notes on the wall indicating where I read things so I could find them when they were needed. It’s a long process. Do you have a case in point? Yes, I remember reading somewhere that during the Gold

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Rush a bottle of champagne was cheaper than a glass of milk. Not because there were no cows, but because no one was interested in milking cows—they were too busy digging for

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gold. Also, bottles of champagne were easier to transport than milk. But I couldn’t rely on my memory. I had to be sure that I wasn’t making up a detail like that—one that really gives a sense of time and place to a book. So I would write down the book and the page where I read about the champagne and milk, place it on the wall, and be able to go back to it when I needed it. Did you know what you were looking for while researching Daughter of Fortune? Or did themes come out of the research? Themes came from the research, definitely. All I knew going in was that the story would be told by a foreigner, possibly a woman. But then I learned that at first very few women came here during the Gold Rush. An exception would be the prostitutes, and theirs was a very sad life I didn’t want to write about. However, in doing the research, I did find that some women came to California and dressed like men. One of them, she called herself Charles, distributed the mail. And though the men knew she was a woman, they treated her like a man, say, when she walked into a bar. But in other cases, women dressed like men, act-

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN MARCH 2007

ed like men, and no one knew any difference for years until they were preparing a body for a funeral. I thought this was a very interesting idea, a Shakespearean change of identity idea. By then, I knew my protagonist would be a woman, possibly a Chilean woman, but a woman who dressed like a man. And that’s how I got Eliza Sommers, whom readers meet in the first sentence of Daughter of Fortune. Is it true that eroticism is a theme in many of your novels? In all of my novels. There are certain themes that are always in my books. They are sex, death, violence, political issues and women’s issues. And I always try to write about individuals who are not sheltered by the big umbrella of the establishment, either because of their sexual preferences, or because they’re delinquents, or foreigners. When I can get the story from the perspective of the outsider, I feel more comfortable writing it. It would be hard for me to write about, for example, people from the Midwest with common sense—unless I could tell it from the perspective of an outsider, or a foreigner, who’s observing, at a certain distance. That’s why I like historical novels so much; they give you that distance. When you write, is it in Spanish or in English? With nonfiction or memoirs, I write in English; my novels, I write in Spanish. Fortunately, I have an excellent translator in Margaret Sayers Peden, an 80-year-old academic who lives in Missouri. Many times, because Americans don’t like to talk about sex or violence or death as Latinos do, she has saved me. “Ahh, Isabel,” she’ll say, “this is a little too direct for American tastes,’ or ‘I’m going to tone this down a bit for you.’” And I do not dream of correcting her.

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MARIN MARCH 2007

there is a reason for that: if it is a work of the imagination, you are like God. You can do

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

readers may say this is horrible. But you own your book; you can do what you want with the characters. H owever, when you write nonfiction—and I know this because I was once a journalist— you must stick to the facts as much as possible. And when you write a memoir, though it is always subjective, there are other people involved, many of them still living, so they have to be considered and that’s often difficult. But writing a novel is never torturous, it’s fun, always fun; writing Daughter of Fortune was fun.

ONE BOOK ONE MARIN MARCH EVENTS TUESDAY, MARCH 6: 7 p.m. Daughter of Fortune book discussion featuring librarian Sylvia Harris at the Novato Public Library. SATURDAY, MARCH 10: 3 p.m. Daughter of Fortune discussion at the Larkspur Public Library. TUESDAY, MARCH 13: 7 p.m. Daughter of Fortune book discussion featuring librarian Sylvia Harris at the Novato Public Library.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 16: 7 p.m. Film presentation of Dead in the Sierra at the Marin Youth Center, 11153 Third Street, San Rafael. TUESDAY, MARCH 20: 6:30 p.m. Discussion of Gold Rush literature at the Marin History Museum, 1125 B Street, San Rafael. TUESDAY, MARCH 20: 7 p.m. Daughter of Fortune book discussion group featuring librarian Sylvia Harris at the Novato Public Library. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28: 7 p.m. Daughter of Fortune book discussion group at the Mill Valley Public Library, 387 Throckmorton.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 29: 2:30 p.m. Daughter of Fortune book discussion led by Carol Benet at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library. THURSDAY, MARCH 29: 7 p.m. Daughter of Fortune book discussion group led by Dona Novack at San Rafael Public Library.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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MARIN MARCH 2007

PLAY

CURES FOR CABIN FEVER Getting out with the kids

BY MELISSA GEBHART

Stuck in the house? Are the kids climbing the walls, furniture and anything else they can use for traction? H ere are some tried-and-true remedies to combat the cold-weather blues.

Bay Model Visitor Center Built by the Army Corps of Engineers to determine the effects of proposed projects, the Bay Model in Sausalito is a 1.5-acre indoor hydraulic model of the entire San Francisco Bay Region and Delta, complete with simulated tides, water flow and currents from a bird’seye view. It has plenty of interactive handson exhibits that not only keep kids busy, but also teach them about water conservation. Also on site are the Marinship exhibit, chronicling the history of the W orld W ar II ships built and launched right at the Bay Model site from 1942 and 1945, as well as fresh- and saltwater-aquariums. Location: 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito. Hours: Tues–Sat 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Cost: free, donations welcome. 415.332.3871, spn.usace.army.mil/bmvc

Conservatory of Flowers The best prescription for weathering a long winter is a steamy tropical vacation, and what could be better than one with none of the hassle? Open the doors of this white-domed glass building resembling a fairy-tale palace, and you’re greeted by a rush of balmy air and towering palms. Immerse yourself in a lush world countries, including bananas, orchids, giant Amazonian lily pads and the fascinating carnivDoodlebug provides a creative cold-weather solution.

orous pitcher plants. K ids also get to see plants that produce many of their favorite treats such as chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon.

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

P H OTO: BARBA RA R IE S

of over 1,7 0 0 exotic plants from 50 tropical

Location: JFK Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Hours: Tues–Sun 9:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. Cost: Adults $5, youth (12–17) $3, children (5–11) $1.50, 4 and under free. Free first Tues of the month. 415.666.7001, conservatoryofflowers.org

De Young Museum Get cultured at the edgy de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. Closed for a complete remodel and reopened in October 2005, the textured-copper-faced de Young is a great place to take kids when it’s raining buckets, as the convenient underground parking in the Concourse Garage keeps everyone dry. Frequent visitor Heather Pedersen of San Anselmo and her two girls say the must-see is the tower observation deck. Step off the elevator to find floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic San Francisco views. Of course, there is also the extensive collection of art from the United States and the Americas, Africa and the Pacific. Pop into the de Young Cafe for healthy seasonal selections of local foods and dine with a view of the sculpture garden featuring a giant safety pin. Take advantage of free art classes on Saturdays for 3-to-12-year olds, taught by professional artists at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Location: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Hours: Tues–

DAI@ K76 ;D> AD F:7 E3EEK EA5;3> ?A67D@ %3D;@;F7

Sun 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Cost: Adults $10, youth (13–17) $6, under 12 free. 415.863.3330, thinker.org/deyoung

Mill Valley Community Center Pool Water may be everywhere outside, but this is water you actually want to be in. The indoor pool is open year-round for splashing fun and features a two-story corkscrew slide for thrills and a hot tub for a therapeutic dip after. There is something for everyone—open swim for the family, lap swim for the exerciser and family swim in the shallow area for those with little ones. Location: 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley. Hours: Call or check website for schedule, as times vary. Cost: $5–$6 kids (2–18), $7–$8 adults. 415.383.1370, millvalleycenter.org

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

A?7 E77 I:3F E ;@E;67 F:7 @7I>K AB7@76 DAI@ K76 ;D> ;@ ,AI@ 7@F7D IIIE:AB4DAI@7K769;D> 5A? ADF7 %367D3 ,AI@ 7@F7D 35DAEE 8DA? * ! MARIN MARCH 2007

Muir Woods National Monument When a breath of fresh air is just what every-

be gorgeous

one needs, Mill Valley resident Flavia Kirz gets her two young boys out to Muir Woods. Miles of paths under the old-growth redwoods provide endless adventures for energetic kids.

bettina .

“There are fewer people, the trees provide protection from the rain and the stream is full,” Flavia says. Steelhead trout may be spotted spawning in Redwood Creek and you might also encounter the elusive banana slug. Look

NOW OPEN IN MARIN

for a “bit o’ the green” around Saint Patty’s Day when the redwood sorrel, our own native version of the four-leaf clover, emerges. Wrap up with soup or hot chocolate in the snack shop and peruse the extensive selection of books by

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local authors in the visitor center. Location: Hwy. 1, Mill Valley. Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Cost: $3 adults, youth under 16

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free. 415.388.2595, nps.gov/muwo

Paint Pottery Let your kids explore their creative side at their photo by Cavan Clark

local pottery studio. Nine-year-old Annabel Vernon of San Anselmo says Doodlebug is her favorite place to paint, while her younger brother Isaac prefers the games. For those farther south, Mill Valley’s Mimi Pottery Place is a favorite. Both these spots welcome drop-ins, but call ahead to make sure there’s space. Locations: Doodlebug, 641 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo, 415.456.5989, doodlebugmarin.com. Mimi Pottery Place– Handmade Ceramics Studio, 237 Shoreline Hwy., Mill Valley, 415.388.8668

Plant Summer Bulbs March is a great time to get some physical therapy by putting in summer-blooming bulbs like begonia, calla, crocosmia, dahlia, lilies and gladiolus. Garden centers and nurseries will have them available, or go mail-order through such sources as Brent and Becky’s or Van Bourgondien Bulbs. Put on the rain boots, grab a trowel and take the kids outside for some Mom-approved playing in the mud. As a general rule, dig a hole three times the size of the bulb, add sand for good drainage, place the bulb and cover firmly. Your work will re-

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ward you with blooms all summer long, when the rain is but a faded memory. 804.693.3966, brentandbeckysbulbs.com;

OLD GOLD

800.622.9997, dutchbulbs.com

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Redwood Empire Ice Arena (a.k.a. “Snoopy’s Home Ice”)

Tiburon

Chill out at this Swiss-style arena, opened in

415 789-9583

1969 by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz

Mendocino

and called one of the most beautiful ice rinks

707 937-5005

in the world. “Puppy Practice” on Sunday mornings offers a group lesson for $7 adults, $5.50 kids, including skate rental. Chairs are provided on the ice for unsteady skaters and to ferry tiny ones. Get fortified by the fire in the Warm Puppy Cafe with a snack of hot chocolate and French fries. To make the drive even more worthwhile, visit the Charles Schulz Museum right next door for a healthy dose of Snoopy humor. Rink Location: 1667 West Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. Hours: Generally 12:30 p.m.– 4:30 p.m. with additional evening skate times;

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call ahead to verify, as schedule may change. Puppy Practice, Sun 10:30 a.m.–noon. Cost: Weekends $9 adults and over 11, $7 kids 11 and under, skate rental $2. 707.546.7146, snoopyshomeice.com Museum Location: 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa. Hours: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays (closed Tues), 10 a.m.–5 p.m. weekends. Cost: $8 adults, $5 kids. 707.579.4452, schulzmuseum.org

Young Performers Theater Get a dose of drama at this children’s theater at

Asian Art

Fort Mason. Young actors and adult professionals perform seven different plays over the year that are great hits for the whole family. March

Artifacts

features James and the Giant Peach, the familiar story of a boy, his insect friends and their

Furniture

adventures inside a magical peach. Be sure to call ahead for reservations, as it fills up. They even throw birthday parties that include play

Accessories

attendance, food and party space. Location: Fort Mason Center, Building C, San Francisco. Hours: Sat 1 p.m., Sun 1 and 3:30 p.m. Cost: $9 adults, $6 kids under 13. 415.346.5550, ypt.org

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

82 Main Street (Ark Row) Tiburon, CA 94920 415.435.2511

MARIN MARCH 2007

LO O K I NG BACK

When Marin Went Dry From 1975 through 1977, rainfall fell short

BY JIM WOOD

“For a while there, I honestly thought we’d be bringing water to Marin

Dana Roxon dramatically tell the story: “The winter of ’74-’75 we had 51

County in tanker trucks,” recalls J. Dietrich “Diet” Stroeh, “and people

inches of rainfall, which is about average. But in ’75-’76, it dropped to

would line up with their buckets, like they do in Africa or India.”

22.1 inches, and the next winter we had only 25 inches. They weren’t the

Times never got that desperate, but it was close. It was 35 years ago, from the spring of 1975 through winter of 1977, when little rain fell

driest years in Marin’s history,” adds Roxon. “It’s just that they occurred back to back.”

in Marin—and Diet Stroeh, cofounder of the Novato civil engineering firm CSW/Stuber Stroeh, was general manager of the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD). “Many people blamed me. I thought I’d be run out of town,” he says now. “At best, that I’d lose my job and my career would be ruined.” As it turned out, Stroeh has been hailed as a hero ever since. But for two years, waterwise in Marin, things were touch and go. Three factors contributed to the crisis. Early on, the county did not join Sonoma County’s Russian River system; instead, it relied on rain falling on the Mount Tamalpais and West Marin watersheds to keep its then-six reservoirs sufficiently full. Then, in the early 1970s, led by community activist Barbara Boxer, Marin voters soundly defeated Measure E, a plan to import Russian River water to augment the county’s reservoir system. And finally, it wasn’t that it didn’t rain at all during the winters of ’75 to ’76 and ’76 to ’77; it just didn’t rain enough. Figures supplied by the MMWD’s

Photos clockwise, from near left: In December ’76, Marin Congressman John Burton suggested the U.S. Navy’s desalinization could solve Marin’s water woes; at the drought’s worst, MMWD’s Diet Stroeh standing in the usually 25-foot-deep Nicasio Reservoir; in 1972, community activist Barbara Boxer, in an effort to control growth, defeated a measure to import Russian River water.

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Unless the soil is saturated—which according to meteorologists takes at least five inches of rain—runoff into reservoirs simply doesn’t occur. “So for those two years,” Stroeh recalls,

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“believe me, I was dancing as fast as I could. Twelve- and 15-hour [work]days were the norm.” At the time he was barely 40 years old, married, father of three. So what did he do as Marin was going dry?

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When previous months brought only a mediocre

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1976, he got antsy. By spring of that year, when Marin’s reservoirs were no longer full (even though February and March are often Marin’s wettest months), it was time to act. “Our first

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lion gallons of water in the coming year.” Those measures helped, but not enough. By June of 1976, it still hadn’t rained. Everyone in Marin was enjoying the balmy weather—except

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the increasingly concerned MMWD staff. While raising water utility fees would further reduce use, it would also bring down revenues—a classic catch-22—so the MMWD board came up with a clever scheme: Home and business owners using more than their previous year’s monthly averages would pay a premium on their overages of as much as 125 percent. The plan was a modest success, usage dropped slightly and revenues remained constant. As summer became fall in 1976, there came a few sprinkles—but no gully-washers. And the natives were growing restless as lawns and parks turned browner and dustier by the day. “I think it’s psychologically damaging to ask some consumers to curtail their water use, when others are building swimming pools,” one MMWD director reportedly proclaimed. “Any more statements like that and we’ll be bankrupt,” a prominent pool contractor replied. By December of 1976, and still no deluge, Marin’s reservoirs were at half capacity. And since desperate times call for desperate measures, as the old saw goes, Congressman John Burton made a suggestion: Station the Sixth

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Fleet in San Pablo Bay and use the Navy’s desalinization capabilities to meet Marin’s water needs. Others thought of using tanker ships to import water, but Stroeh pointed out that would be too expensive. Weeks later, however, he did propose having an iceberg towed up from southern Chile, according to The Man Who Made It Rain (Public Ink, 2006), a book by Michael McCarthy that chronicles the entire episode. “I told the board we’d anchor it in Tomales Bay, then have bulldozers break it up Theory

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melting and storing in huge tanks.” The idea wound up as mere fun fodder for the national press now covering Marin’s plight. Early in 1977, and still no rain, legendary Chronicle columnist Herb Caen lampooned Marin residents as “visiting long-lost East Bay relatives just to enjoy a hot shower.” Slogans like “Save water—shower with a buddy” and “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush

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it down” gained currency. Neighbors reported on neighbors for wasteful water habits; others, under cover of darkness, hooked up hoses and stole water off the meter next door. On the positive side, McCarthy’s book recounts, many Marinites learned to read their water meter, monitored their consumption closely, placed buckets in their showers to recapture water, and held block parties where prizes went to the most water-frugal families. By spring of ’77, something had to be done; summer was coming, and all of the Bay Area, as well as the state, was feeling the pinch of meager rainfall. But nowhere near like Marin—where fish were dying in Nicasio Reservoir and restaurants served water only on request. (At the Valhalla in Sausalito, legendary owner Sally Stanford put a “Closed for Repairs” sign on the men’s room door. “I cut my water bill in half,” she later remarked,

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“and for months, men peed in the bay.”) “We held Bay Area district meetings,”

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recalls Stroeh, “and with help from Supervisor

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Gary Giacomini and Congressman Burton,

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I managed to get 250,000 acre-feet of wa-

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ter from Los Angeles’s Northern California allotment.”

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But getting the water from the Sacramento

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River Delta to Marin was a huge problem. “We had no pipelines,” recalls Stroeh. He cajoled the Contra Costa Municipal Utilities District to have pipes made available that would bring fresh water to Richmond. Now the challenge was to get it across the Richmond Bridge, a six-month engineering job estimated to cost at least $6 million. “We didn’t have that kind of time,” recalls Stroeh. “Or anywhere near that kind of money.” After attempts at seeding clouds, dousing for new aquifers, and a West Marin Indian rain dance that was followed by a brief shower, Stroeh returned to the conference table. “Arnold Baptiste, a former Marin County supervisor, was a onetime friend of then-President Jimmy Carter,” he recounts. “So Giacomini and I flew off to Washington and met with Carter’s people and Burton’s staff in an effort to get money for Marin, which everyone constantly referred to

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as ‘one of the richest counties in the country.’” MMWD’s man-in-the-hot-seat wasn’t optimistic. Yet somehow, by playing politics and stress-

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ing that not only Marin but also the consistently Democratic entire Bay Area was close to having no water, they made their case, and financial aid in the millions was promised. “I was assured the proverbial check was in the mail,’” Stroeh says. “But after Caltrans gave the go-ahead to use the Richmond Bridge’s right lane and six miles of 24-inch pipe were in place, the money still hadn’t arrived.” The happy ending could not have been accompanied by a greater instance of bureaucratic bumbling regarding, of all things, the check’s payee. “Finally, in June of 1977, with the pipes in place and water flowing over the bridge into a parched Marin County,” Stroeh recollects, “I was presented with the federal government’s check for an initial payment of three million bucks at a ceremony near the Richmond Bridge.” And after the hoopla calmed down, the exhausted general manager took a sentimental moment to glance at the check. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he says. “It was made out to me personally.” That winter’s rainfall figure was one of the highest on record.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN MARCH 2007

MADE IN MARIN

WATCH OUT DORA! Juno Baby could be stealing the show

BY MIMI TOWLE PHOTO TIM PORTER

Exposing children to music is not only good en-

plush dolls. Takahashi, an accomplished com-

Juno Baby has been compared to Sesame

tertainment; it can also be beneficial to their de-

poser, writes all the music.

Street. Those are big shoes to fill. W e’ve

veloping minds. The online edition of the journal

In just three years, J uno and her pals have

been hearing this from our customers and are

Brain recently reported on a study finding that

attracted a nationwide fan base of music lov-

flattered to be compared to the quality, tradition

“after a year of musical training, children per-

ers young and old, along with a bevy of hon-

and reputation of Sesame Street. A lot of our con-

formed better in a memory test that is correlated

ors such as the 2 0 0 6 Parent’s Choice Award

tent was based on a research study, published in

with skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visio-

and the iParenting Media award. H ere is a visit

American Behavioral Scientist, which suggested

spatial processing, mathematics and IQ .”

with her creators.

that programs where “characters speak directly

Adam Adelman and Belinda Takahashi, a

to the child, actively elicit participation, label ob-

pair of N ew Y orkers transplanted to Fairfax,

Why the name Juno Baby? W e wanted J uno,

jects and provide opportunities to respond” were

have created a company that takes those stud-

our main character, to have an empowered

“positively related to expressive language pro-

ies to heart. J uno Baby provides kids with mu-

yet simple female name. The Roman goddess

duction and vocabulary.”

sic-flavored brain food—a musical DVD series

J uno is the G reek equivalent to H era (wife of

To ensure that our content was as strong as

about an inquisitive tot and her kooky friends

Z eus). J uno is the most important and power-

possible, we hired one of the researchers from

who experience life to the accompaniment of a

ful goddess and is considered the protector of

this study as a script consultant for our Juno

live chamber orchestra. The company also pro-

all women. And J uno also happens to be the

Baby series. This is where we feel Juno Baby

duces original music CDs, trendy apparel, and

name of our daughter.

is different. Although Sesame Street and a few

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

others are trying to involve the viewer more, most programming for children is a passive experience. In contrast, we invite viewers into Juno’s world and have them interact with the characters on the screen. Baby Einstein…the Wiggles…with so many toddler videos out there, is there room for another music series? We feel we have something unique to express through our characters, quality and music. Baby Einstein uses synthesized classical music, while the Wiggles play “kiddie rock.” In contrast, all the music of Juno Baby was composed for and performed by live orchestral musicians. The music is quite sophisticated yet fun, because children enjoy and can relate to the quirky character voices and story lines of the songs. In addition, we feel that our interactive content, bonus educational features, and language options (available in English, French, or Spanish) further differentiate us. Why are most kid-oriented albums created from electronic versions of classical music? Because it’s cheap. Classical music is in the public domain so it’s free to use. Instead of hiring live musicians or paying to license good instrumental recordings, many companies choose to make synthesized versions of classical music because it’s quick and inexpensive—no actual musicians are required. Why is it better for kids to hear music from actual instruments? An infant’s ear is entirely capable of hearing and appreciating the full textures, dynamics and colors of a symphony orchestra. Research has shown that babies prefer more complex sounds such as speech and music to simple tonal sounds and that an exposure to such complex sound patterns actually helps to develop parts of their growing brains. That being said, a simple electronic melody (even if it is by Mozart) does not represent the music as it was intended. To reduce the greatness and worth of a musical score to an electronic melody minimizes the complexities and artistry of the piece. It is impossible for a plastic electronic toy to replicate

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

MARIN MARCH 2007

the nuances of a bow drawn across the strings of a violin. There are subtle elements in a performance that are connected to the musician’s perspective and emotion. In our opinion, children are capable of appreciating so much more than what’s offered to them. How did you select your Juno Baby cast of characters? We wanted to create a colorful group of characters that children could easily relate to and have fun with. Each puppet has its own distinctive personality and style, strengths and shortcomings. Although the characters are so different from one another, they find a deep friendship with each other and have music as their common interest. There’s Juno, a perky pigtailed girl; Indie, a whiny cat; Bunny, a brassy rabbit; Murphy, an intellectual caterpillar; and Buzz, a mischievous bee. Tell us more about Belinda Takahashi’s background. Belinda’s life has been complete-

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ly immersed in music. She was concertizing on

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the piano by age eight and at ten was engaged in formal composition study. She has studied with some giants in the classical music world, from Pulitzer Prize winners to soloists from the Metropolitan Opera to renowned concert pianists. She attended Oberlin Conservatory as a composition major and received her bachelor’s degree there; she received her M.M. and Ph.D. degrees at the top-ranked music school in the country, the Eastman School of Music. Her award-winning compositions have been performed from coast to coast with performances at Carnegie Recital Hall. She has been commissioned by many artists and organizations, including the Institute for American Music, Meet the Composer, and the New Jersey Music Teachers National Association, and was chosen as the 2002 MTNA Composer of the Year for the state of New Jersey. How did you choose Marin and Fairfax?

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initely fit the bill. There is something so funky and charming about Fairfax. It has a smalltown feel but a diverse and interesting mix of people. W e also love living in the mountains

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right next door to W est Marin while also being so close to San Francisco. Then of course there’s Scoop ice cream. Where do you like to go in Fairfax to listen to music? W e have been so struck by the talent and eclectic mix of music that exists in Fairfax. W e have enjoyed listening to great jazz at BookBeat and dancing to some amazing bands at 19 Broadway. W e have also had fun catching open mike night there to see the interesting variety of performers in Marin. What are you going to do when your daughter wants to listen to music such as Barbie Hit Mix 2? Do you see any cultural value in letting her partake in pop music? Actually, she’s more of an ’8 0 s girl.

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W e’ve done our best to expose her to G wen

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Stefani, but for some reason, she seems to be favoring bands like Toto (her favorite song at the moment is “Rosanna”). Pop music is out there and we definitely enjoy listening to some of it ourselves, so we’re absolutely fine with it if that’s what she wants to listen to. H owever,

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we hope that’s not all she wants to listen to. It’s important for us to provide her with as many wonderful options as possible so that she’s exposed to different types of music from all countries, cultures, and time periods. W e feel that exposing children to a diverse array of music promotes an appreciation of and respect for people and things other than themselves or what immediately surrounds them,

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thus helping them develop an interest in and sense of empathy toward others, as well as

the potential to fall in love with some new and wonderful music. But of course, coming from a classical music background, we would especially love for our daughter to know and fall in love with music from the classical tradition. To learn more about Juno Baby products and

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TIBURON GETAWAY

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FASHION

PHOTOS SASHA GULISH STYLIST PEGGI JEUNG/ARTIST UNTIED ART DIRECTOR TRPTI TODD EDITOR SOMER FLAHERTY HAIR & MAKEUP SHERRIE LONG/ARTIST UNTIED MODELS JASMINE/LOOK MODEL AGENCY, RICH/LOOK MODEL AGENCY SHOT ON LOCATION IN TIBURON AT THE WATER’S EDGE HOTEL

On Jasmine Gold bracelet by Kenneth Jay Lane, $110 at Canvas (Mill Valley) 415.383.0520. Gold horn necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane, $58 at Canvas (Mill Valley). Sunglasses by Rims and Goggles, call for price at Rims and Goggles (Mill Valley) 415.383.9480. Jersey dress in daffodil by Diane von Furstenberg, $325 at Canvas (Mill Valley). The Gemma platform shoe by Elie Tahari, $395 at Bloomingdale’s (SF) 415.856.5300. On Rich Sunglasses by Mosley Tribes, call for price at Rims and Goggles (Mill Valley). Shirt by Elie Tahari, $198 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Sweater by Elie Tahari, $298 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Tie by David Donahue, $95 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Jacket by Polo by Ralph Lauren, $425 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Pants from a Corneliani suit, $1,495 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Dryden Oxford shoes by Cole Haan, $185 at Bloomingdale’s (SF).

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On Jasmine Shade hat by Trina Turk, $116 at Pearl (Larkspur) 415.464.1808. Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples, call for price at Rims and Goggles (Mill Valley) 415.383.9480. Torque Cachalong wide bangle by Frank Gehry, $1,300 at Tiffany & Co. (SF) 415.781.7000. Palmas dress by Trina Turk, $248 at M Clothing (Corte Madera) 415.924.8891. On Mochi Fish bracelet by Frank Gehry, $2,750 at Tiffany & Co. (SF).

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On Jasmine Oval diamond bangle bracelet by Simayof, $13,300 at Simayof (SF) 415.391.0152. Round diamond bangle bracelet by Simayof, $4,200 at Simayof (SF). Skirt by Nanette Lepore, $295 at Neiman Marcus (SF) 415.362.3900. Jil Sander shoes, $425 at Gimme Shoes (SF) 415.434.9242. Luggage by Goyard (SF) 415.398.1110.

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On Jasmine Organic hoop earrings by Shaesby, $275 at Catherine Jane (Mill Valley) 415.381.1255. Purse by Michael Kors, $395 at Bloomingdale’s (SF) 415.856.5300. Abel dress by Diane von Furstenberg, $345 at Green Apples (Sausalito) 415.331.8227. Isadora shimmer trench by Burberry, $775 at Saks Fifth Avenue (SF) 415.986.4758. Gwen Air thong by Cole Haan, $275 at Neiman Marcus (SF) 415.362.3900. On Rich Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples, call for price at Rims and Goggles (Mill Valley) 415.383.9480. Canali shirt, $195 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Desert jacket by Ben Sherman, $119 at Macy’s West (Corte Madera) 415.927.3333. Pants by Eli Tahari, $198 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Zegna tie, $145 at Nordstrom (Corte Madera) 415.927.1690. Nantucket espadrille shoes by Cole Haan, $165 at Cole Haan (SF) 415.391.1760. 82

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On Rich Suit by Corneliani, $1,495 at Bloomingdale’s (SF) 415.856.5300. Lacoste shirt, $98 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Pocket square, $10 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Dryden Oxford shoes by Cole Haan, $185 at Cole Haan (SF) 415.391.1760. On Jasmine Yellow sapphire ring by Simayof, $8,246 at Simayof (SF) 415.391.0152. White gold and diamond hoop earrings by Simayof, $26,000 at Simayof (SF). Gold dress by Missoni, $695 at Bloomindale’s (SF). Amina sandal by Cole Haan at Cole Haan (SF).

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On Jasmine Diamond and 18k gold earrings by Simayof, $37,400 at Simayof (SF) 415.391.0152. Diamond 16-inch necklace by Simayof, $150,000 at Simayof (SF). Diamond opera-length necklace by Simayof, $120,000 at Simayof (SF). Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples, call for price at Rims and Goggles (Mill Valley) 415.383.9480. Knit sweater by Sonia Rykiel, $815 at Bloomingdale’s (SF) 415.856.5300. Woven shorts by Sonia Rykiel, $690 at Bloomingdale’s (SF). Odele shoes by Ralph Lauren, $160 at Bloomingdale’s (SF).

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On Rich The Tiffany Mark watch by Tiffany & Co., $2,350 at Tiffany & Co. (SF) 415.781.7000. The Ruisseau shirt by Izod, $72 at Macy’s West (Corte Madera) 415.927.3333. Zip cardigan by Calvin Klein, $78 at Macy’s West (Corte Madera). Suit jacket by Claiborne, $189 at Macy’s West (Corte Madera). Suit pants by Claiborne, $79.50 at Macy’s West (Corte Madera). On Jasmine Orchid drop earrings by Frank Gehry, $450 at Tiffany & Co. (SF). Dress by Catherine Jane, $268 at Catherine Jane (Mill Valley) 415.381.1255. Icon scarf by Burberry, $225 at Burberry (SF) 415.392.2200. Opposite page: On Rich Mother-of-pearl cuff links, $275 at Gene Hiller (Sausalito) 415.332.3636. Tie by Pavone, $110 at Gene Hiller (Sausalito). Shirt by Luciano Moresco, $295 at Gene Hiller (Sausalito). Suit by Canali, $1995 at Gene Hiller (Sausalito). On Jasmine Platinum and round diamond brooch, $10,000 at Tiffany & Co. (SF) 415.781.7000. Platinum diamond ring, $12,900 at Tiffany & Co. (SF). Hollywood shirt by Club Monaco, $89 at Club Monaco (SF) 415.856.0828. Puzzle skirt by Catherine Jane, $230 at Catherine Jane (Mill Valley) 415.381.1255. Belt by WCM, $135 at Catherine Jane (Mill Valley). Shoes by Jil Sander, $425 at Gimme Shoes (SF) 415.434.9242.

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H OME D E S I G N

DOMINICAN CONVENT GOES GREEN San Rafael Sisters make a commitment to the global community STORY P. J. BREMIER PHOTOS BARBARA RIES

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Left: Sister Carla ascends the stairs; opposite page clockwise from upper left: rustic sliding door separates hall from dining room; recycled materials create staircase beam with sustainably harvested wood railings; spacious kitchen accomodates several sisters preparing meals together.

hen the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael commissioned a new convent in 2003, they wanted it to reflect their commitment to good earth stewardship and decided to build it green. As a result, they were given the gold—a gold certificate from the U.S. Building Council recognizing their efforts in sustainable building. For years, the congregation had been studying the Earth Charter, a global sustainable living

initiative, which they later endorsed. “It’s what we all should be doing,” says Sister Carla Kovack, O.P., one of two members of the order who conferred with the architects on the design of the convent. “We need to live more sustainably and simply and in right relationship with the earth or there won’t be an earth for the global community.” They chose the San Francisco architecture firm of Van Meter Williams Pollack to design the

eight-bedroom residence meant to function as both a home for training new sisters and as a hos-

BUILD IT GREEN HOME TOUR The Jane D’Aza Convent is one of at least 15 new or remodeled homes in Marin and Sonoma Counties featured on the Build It Green Home Tour scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 20. Ticket are $15. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 510.845.0472 or visit www.builditgreen.org.

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pitality center for the entire 130-member congregation, some of whom live off-site. “I thought it was a hopeful approach on the part of the sisters to set a vision for their congregation,” says architect Fred Pollack, who worked with architect Benjamin Chuaqui on the plans. “They wanted a resource-friendly and healthy place to live that would serve them in the future.” The Dominican Sisters of San Rafael have a long history in California that dates back more than 150 years. The congregation was formed in 1850 when the Bishop of California, Joseph Sadoc Alemany, persuaded Sister Mary Goemaere, a novice, to leave her French convent and

MARCH 2007

2/5/07 3:10:25 PM

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Sister Carla sits in the chapel that was designed to take advantage of garden views through strategically placed framed windows.

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open Santa Catalina School in Monterey, the first Catholic school in co-

thetically pleasing. The living room, for example, takes its color cue of

lonial California. In 18 54 the congregation moved to Benicia; in 18 8 9 it

teal and pink for the rugs and upholstered pieces from a hanging print

moved to its current location on G rand Avenue in San Rafael.

of Fra Angelico’s Annunciation. A sliding glass door between the room

From its original majestic four-story motherhouse on ten acres to a collection of wonderful buildings on more than 110 acres, the Sisters

and the hall, rather than a conventional wall, lets in optimal light and exposes an enclosed flower garden beyond.

have carefully managed the San Rafael campus, which up until 196 9

The chapel was designed to meet both environmental and reveren-

included the now-independent Dominican U niversity. W hen the moth-

tial requirements. There are no pews—only chairs that, along with some

erhouse was damaged by fire in 1990 , it was replaced with three small-

important religious pieces, were reclaimed from another Dominican

er convents and an administration building.

chapel that had closed in Manteca. The cabinets and suspended ceiling

The new green convent, named after J ane D’Aza, the mother of St.

are made from sustainably harvested wood panels.

Dominic, the order’s founder, was completed in 2 0 0 5. “I knew noth-

“It’s a distinctive space, and the direction of the ceiling is of ex-

ing about building before,” says Sister Carla, “but I learned from our

altation,” Sister Carla notes. The windows, framed on the exterior

architects. It was through their training, experience and commitment

to reduce glare, were an important design element. “W hen we were

to green building that I was really educated. And green building is not

thinking about the visuals for this room, we thought, what’s better than

just about the building itself, but construction, too. All of our unused

G od’s nature? So, no matter where you are in this room, you can look

materials were recycled instead of going to the landfill.”

out and see it.”

The 6 ,2 0 0 -square-foot, two-story shingle-and-stucco convent, built with strong lines and a vibrant brick-red exterior, takes full advantage of the latest pro-environment technology. It has rooftop photovoltaic

GREEN GARDEN, WILD MEADOW

panels, solar-powered attic fans and toxic-free insulation of reclaimed

The enclosed flower garden takes advantage of a sunny southern ex-

materials. W ith programmable gas heaters in each room, the interior

posure and offers the sisters the options of a pergola-shaded stroll,

remains at a uniformly comfortable temperature, even with a floor

contemplative rest or easy cultivating. The water table is naturally re-

made entirely from a mix of concrete and recycled fly ash.

plenished by a simple drainage method and, except for the J oseph’s

The roof solar panels heat the home’s water, all appliances are energy efficient and the toilets and showers are water misers. L ighting is

Coat climbing roses that beautifully repeat the color of the stucco, the plants are mostly native or low water use.

low-energy fluorescent, the paints, adhesives and sealants are made

Despite the low fence that lends an open feel to the garden, the

from low-impact materials, and the wood trim is lumber certified by

deer have yet to enter, presumably because they are misled by the over-

the Forest Stewardship Council.

head arbor. Instead, they graze in the adjacent meadow, a haven for

“There was a simplicity to the materials used, in part because of cost, but also because there was a conscious decision to utilize local materials that use less energy in production and assembly,” Pollack says.

small animals, birds and butterflies that was certified as a N ational W ildlife Federation wildlife habitat last year. At about the same time, the Dominican Sisters were also notified of another distinction—the J ane D’Aza convent had received gold certification from the U .S. G reen Building Council under its L eadership in

SIMPLE STYLE, FOUND FURNISHINGS

Energy and Environmental Design program, one of just 11 such desig-

Two hallways originate from the foyer on the first floor of the ell-shaped

nations in California at the time.

home. One runs the length of the stacked bedrooms and bathrooms (a material-friendly method of arranging rooms in the same pattern on each floor), and the other offers access to the three common rooms and a chapel. A staircase to the second floor features a beam of engineered

“There’s only one higher level and that’s platinum,” Sister Carla says, “but there are only a few of those certificate-holders in the world.” Then again, there’s only one environmentally certified convent in the world and it’s right here in Marin.

wood, and the railing is made of sustainably harvested wood, as is the rustic sliding barn door to the dining room. In the kitchen, where the impact of communal living can be highest, traffic flow was a key consideration, so the room has multiple workstations, plenty of counter space and a natural linoleum floor. The recycling alcove and the herb-and-vegetable garden outside reflect the sisters’ respect for nature. Recycled furnishings were used in every room. “I’m a good friend of Craigslist and the Salvation Army,” Sister Carla says. It took extra effort to coordinate the assorted pieces, but she wanted the rooms to be aes-

MARIN

MARCH 2007

G R E EN

HOW GREEN IS MY HIGHWAY? Marin motorists have plenty of clean cars to choose from STORY JIM WOOD

Valerie Robin and her daughter Samantha own hybrids—those fuel-saving cars that run on electric as well as gasoline power. “I just love my Prius,” says Valerie Robin, office manager for the Ark newspaper in Tiburon. “It’s a hatchback and I can easily fit my bike in the back.” That’s exactly what Samantha Robin didn’t want: the signature humpbacked Prius shape. “I didn’t like the bulky look,” says the 22-year-old, who works in Larkspur. “I wanted a car that looked like a regular car.” She bought a Honda Civic hybrid. As that mother-daughter difference shows, nowadays driving green is all about choice— especially in Marin, where high-level environmental consciousness and strict California emissions laws combine to give motorists more eco-friendly options than ever. “Californians are lucky,” says Jim Kliesch, a researcher with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that champions everything green. hicles, says Kliesch, “more environmentally friendly models are available in California than anywhere else in the nation.” Given the number of hybrids readily seen in any local shopping center, Marinites appear to be greener-minded than motorists anywhere else in the state. Case in point: in the last half of 2006 “over 19 percent of our sales were hybrids,” says David Shapiro, president and CEO of Cartelligent, a Sausalito auto brokerage that sells more than 200 cars of all types every month. By comparison, hybrids represent only 1.5 percent of car sales nationally, says Kliesch.

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PH OTO: STEPHEN LE FKOWITZ

Because California law requires automakers to sell a certain percentage of low-emission ve-

MARIN

MARCH 2007

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD INSIGHT THAT’S STILL VERY GREEN “I set my all-time record,” says Marin County’s “green supervisor” Charles McGlashan, “driving from Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood actually, back to my house in Mill Valley. I got 69 miles per gallon.” For that 200-plus-mile, sometimes hilly but mostly level journey, McGlashan’s vehicle of choice was—and still is—a two-seat two-door silver Honda Insight, one of the ﬁrst electric/gas hybrids on the

Valerie and Samantha Robin

market. “The Hamster,” as McGlashan has nicknamed it, features a 67-horsepower, three-cylinder gasoline engine plus an electric motor that kicks in during acceler-

A Hybrid for Every Taste

ation and when the car is climbing steep grades. From

There are numerous classifications regarding the “greenness” of any giv-

Kirkwood, McGlashan recalls, “I cruised along between

en car, and it is easy to get lost in the jumble of acronyms. The California

75 and 80 miles an hour, not using four gallons of gas

Air Resources Board labels the cleanest vehicles Z EV (zero emission ve-

the entire trip.”

hicle), PZ EV (partial zero emission vehicle) or ATPZ EV (advanced tech-

McGlashan even enjoys driving his Insight in stop-

nology partial zero emission vehicle). An increasing number of cars meet

and-go trafﬁc. “That’s when I push down on the brakes

these standards, including many gas-powered vehicles that come close to

and know I’m creating heat that turns a flywheel that

hybrids for their great gas mileage on the highway.

powers a generator that recharges the batteries of my

H ybrids, though, are not only stingy on emissions but also misers

electric motor,” he says. “I can actually feel the process

on gas. A hybrid uses its electric motor initially and in traffic, but the

happening.” Since he bought the car on his birthday in

more you accelerate, the more the gas engine engages. W hen you’re

2000, McGlashan says, the vehicle has averaged 54

cruising the highway, both the electric motor and gas engine are en-

miles to a gallon of gasoline. “And my Mill Valley house

gaged. Often the two work in tandem. And regardless of manufacturer,

has an almost straight up, killer-type driveway,” he says.

a hybrid will emit fewer greenhouse gases while traveling farther on

“The Hamster handles it easily. Absolutely no problem.”

every gallon of gas consumed. Beyond that fact is where debate about best hybrid begins. “N othing compares with the Prius,” says J im Dahme, the inhouse hybrid expert at Toyota Marin in San Rafael. Indeed, the Prius (meaning “to go before” in L atin) has impressive numbers: an EPA rating of 6 1 mpg for city driving and 51 mpg on the freeway. (H ybrids notoriously get better city mileage than highway because in town they run more on electric than on gas.) “It drives like a ‘ performance car,’” Dahme adds, though he bobs and weaves a bit when asked to define that term. quires dealers to post on a new car’s window sticker: the vehicle’s smog emission index and its estimated annual fuel cost. H ere again, the Prius does very well. On a scale of zero to three, with 0 .4 being average for cars of similar size, the Prius has a smog emission index of only 0.09.

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MARCH 2007

Its estimated annual fuel cost, based on 15,00

miles at

P H OTOS : TIM PORTER

Dahme didn’t emphasize two additional figures the EPA now re-

MARIN’S GREENEST CAR “Look no more,” says Marin Honda salesperson Malcolm Kaye when asked to identify “Marin’s greenest car.” He points to a whiter-than-white Honda Civic GX, with a colorful NGV nameplate near its left rear wheel. “It’s a natural gas vehicle.” On the outside, except for the NGV, the car looks like any other Honda Civic—a somewhat sleek but still utilitarian-looking compact. Even under the GX’s hood, things look conventional: there’s Honda’s usual in-line four-cylinder, 113-horsepower aluminum-alloy engine. “Everything $2.75 a gallon, is a mere $723. (By comparison, a $77,500 Corvette

looks the same,” says Kaye. “Except for this: next to noth-

has a smog index of 0.49 and fuel costs almost three times as high.)

ing ever comes out the tailpipe—the only car burning

P H OTOS : TIM PORTER

Not surprisingly, Keith Rey, general manager of Marin Honda in

cleaner is electric-powered.”

Corte Madera, doesn’t share Dahme’s lofty opinion of the Prius. “Honda

The California Air Resources Board agrees. The

is the greenest motor company in the world,” says Rey. Why then do

agency gave the Civic GX its ﬁrst Advanced Technology–

you see more Priuses on local roads than Civic hybrids? “Toyota is a

Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT–PZEV) certification.

marketing company,” says Rey, “one of the world’s largest. Honda is a

The website GreenerCars.com gave it a “green score” of

technical engineering company, the world’s finest.” A glance at a hybrid

57, two points ahead of the eco-friendly Toyota Prius.

Civic’s window sticker bears him out: the Civic is rated at 49 mpg city

The Civic GX gets a mileage rating of 28 mpg city

and 51 mpg highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $795 and a

(an equivalent rating, as natural gas isn’t a liquid), 39

smog emission index of 0.09 (same as the Prius).

mpg highway, estimated annual fuel costs of $679, and

Both the Prius and the Civic hybrid are considered partial zero

a smog emission index of .09 (in 2005, the EPA certiﬁed

emission vehicles (PZEVs) and are rated nearly identically by

the GX as having “the cleanest internal-combustion en-

greenercars.com, the website run by energy researcher Kliesch’s group.

gine on earth”). It’s sticker-priced at $25,185, but buyers

But the Prius does win by a bumper: factoring in such criteria as emis-

are eligible for a $4,000 alternative fuel tax credit.

sion, fuel costs and overall environmental impact, greenercars.com

Sounds good, but where do you get the natural gas

gives the Prius a “green score” of 55 to Honda’s 53. (The greenest car

to ﬁll ’er up? “Not to worry: there’s a refueling device that

of all, however, is a Honda: the natural-gas-powered Civic GX— it got

taps into your home’s natural gas supply,” says Kaye.

a 57. See “Marin’s Greenest Car” sidebar.)

“The garage can be your service station.” PG&E also has

Whatever the reason, Marin motorists appear to share Valerie

natural gas service centers around the state—including

Robin’s preference for the Prius: Mark McCollum, general manager

one in San Rafael—and some GX owners install a second

of Toyota Marin, says his dealership sells about 45 Priuses a month,

gas tank in their trunk to double the car’s meager 250-

more than 500 a year. “There’s no question we lead the country in

mile range.

Prius sales,” he says. By comparison, Honda GM’s Rey sells about half

Natural gas burns extremely clean (“after 10,000

that number of Civic hybrids—261 in 2006—even though a similarly

miles, your oil will look like new,” says Kaye) and comes

equipped Civic sells for about $2,500 less than the Prius.

almost exclusively from North America. Natural gas vehicles may also use carpool lanes without extra passen-

Midsize Cars and Compacts

gers and cross Bay Area bridges toll free. —J.W.

While green driving started small with compacts like the hybrid Prius and Civic (and the now-out-of-production subcompact two-seat Honda

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Insight), it’s getting bigger. San Rafael marketing consultant Gary Tobin spent more than three months looking for a midsize hybrid. “I talked with dealers, friends, went online—the EPA website was excellent,” he

OLD CAR, NEW FUEL

says. “But nothing seemed right for my work until I Googled ‘environmentally friendly cars’ and discovered the 2007 Toyota Camry hybrid.”

Biodiesel Station Opens in Marin

Kliesch says Tobin made a wise choice. “There’s no doubt it will be

One fuel alternative that has gained national attention

on our 2007 list of greenest cars,” he says. “It gets 40 miles per gallon

is biodiesel, a clean-burning renewable resource that

in the city, 38 on the highway, is a PZEV and will have a GreenerCars.

has become popular as much for its domestic origins

com rating of ‘superior’ (the group’s highest).” With leather seats and a

as its nonpolluting exhaust. While some drivers opt for

navigation system, the Camry hybrid sells in the low $30,000s.

using straight vegetable oil, which requires an expen-

There are less-expensive alternatives. The midsize Hyundai Elantra,

sive conversion kit and is not a legal motor fuel, certi-

while not a hybrid, is nearly as green as the Prius and Civic hybrid and

fied biodiesel works in any diesel engine without the

costs about half as much. “I’m selling nearly ten of these a month,” says

need to make modifications. Marin residents Lance

Phil Sachs, sales manager of San Rafael Chevrolet. The Elantra’s eco-

McCardle and Cambell Jones began making their own

credentials are impressive: 27 mpg city, 34 highway with a four-cylin-

blend of biodiesel a few years ago as a fuel source for

der engine and manual transmission, a 0.21 smog index and estimated

McCardle’s eco-trucking company Blue Sky Shipping.

annual fuel costs of $1,220.

Their experiment worked so well, they invested in a com-

The Elantra’s more compact sibling the Accent is another green car

mercial-scale production and distribution company to

that saves a buyer a bunch of green. It can sell for less than $10,000,

offer a quality biodiesel to the public. “Though our fuel

says Sachs, and has an estimated mileage of 28 mpg city and 36 mpg

is available to any eco-conscious diesel-vehicle driver,”

highway, a smog index of 0.39 and approximate annual fuel cost of

McCardle says, “we are targeting inefﬁcient heavy pol-

$1,284. Those numbers won the Accent a “superior” rating from

luters such as construction trucks and tractors by offer-

GreenerCars.com.

ing licensed contractors and agricultural/off-road cus-

Other “superior” nonhybrid cars—so rated for their three- or four-cylinder engines, high mileage and extremely clean-burning engines—in-

tomers a signiﬁcant discount.” Unlike most biodiesel fueling stations, which offer

clude the subcompact Chevy Cobalt and the Ford Focus midsize wagon.

a few hours of service a week, LC Biofuels, located at the Green Fusion Design Center (14 Greenﬁeld Drive) in

Green SUVs?

San Anselmo, is open for ten hours a day, seven days a

Even the most environmentally minded families may have trouble fit-

week. And the customers are already lining up. “I have

ting all their kids and gear inside a compact or even a midsize car. And

been looking forward to a more convenient way to fuel up with biodiesel,” says Pete Reynolds, who searched eBay and craigslist for his ’97 Mercedes with a diesel engine capable of running on biodiesel. “It makes me feel good to use a locally produced, renewable fuel source instead of one pumped out of the ground half a world away, while at the same time reducing my contribution to global warming.” com and biodiesel.org. —M.T. Toyota Highlander hybrid

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P H OTOS : TIM PORTER

For more information on biodiesel, visit lcbiofuels.

Jim Dahme of Toyota Marin

while a green SUV may sound like an oxymoron, it isn’t. Three hybrid SUVs are now being sold in Marin: the Ford Escape, the Toyota

The Smog Index (S.I.)

Highlander and the Lexus RX 400h. “The Escape is the greenest SUV on the market,” says Logan Tuggle, sales manager of Ford of Marin in San Rafael. Enough with the sales pitch, let’s hear some numbers. Tuggle reels them off: city mileage of 32 mpg, highway as high as 34 mpg. A smog emission index of 0.09 and yearly fuel costs of about $1,100. The Escape hybrid, nicely equipped, sells for about $33,000. For another $6,000, or more depending on add-ons, there’s the hybrid version of the Toyota Highlander. “I like this car,” says Dahme of Toyota Marin during a drive from downtown San Rafael up to Lucas Valley Road. He should: the Highlander hybrid is a fine-feeling, smooth-running SUV that ranks among the greenest of green vehicles.

A little known (and often hard-to-ﬁnd) indicator of a car’s green qualities is what’s called the smog emission index. The California Air Resources Board requires a window sticker on all new cars under 8,500 pounds indicating its emissions index. According to CARB’s Karen Caesar, a scale of 0.0 to 3.0 indicates “the relative level of smogforming pollutants emitted by that particular make and model.” Caesar adds, “The lower the S.I., the lower the vehicle’s emissions.” She also states, “Cars are driving considerably cleaner now than ever before.” Here’s what a survey of Marin County auto lots and showrooms produced:

Compared to a non-hybrid Highlander, it averages at least 11 more miles to a gallon of gas, has a smog index of 0.09 vs. 0.4 and burns

Vehicle

$730 less in gas annually.

0.09 Toyota Prius and Highlander hybrid, Honda Civic

PH OTOS: TIM PO RTER

The Lexus RX 400h is the priciest of the green SUVs, running

hybrid and GX (NGV), Ford Escape hybrid, and Lexus

$50,000 and up. Lexus of Marin salesman Bob Kaufman says a 400h

RX 400h

with a V6 engine “emits nearly 70 percent fewer smog-forming emis-

0.21 Hyundai Elantra

sions than a conventional SUV.” GreenerCars.com rates the 400h

0.39 Hyundai Accent

“superior” based on its smog index of 0.09 and gas mileage of 33 mpg

0.40 Recognized average for most 2006 cars

city and 28 mpg highway.

0.41 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV

How green are Marin’s highways? Greener by the day.

0.49 Chevrolet Corvette MARIN

MARCH 2007

J O U R NEY

TUSCAN INFUSION DISCOVERING THE SWEET LIFE SOUTH OF SIENA PHOTOS & STORY BEN DAVIDSON

t is said the region south of Siena reflects the simple rural Tuscan

town with a single architectural scheme and in 1459 enlisted Rossellino

life. This undulating landscape, deep green in spring and golden

to transform Corsignano into a city that exemplified Renaissance ide-

in fall, spreads out before you like a painter’s canvas, adorned

als. Pienza’s focal point is the Piazza Pio II, with its classically inspired

with rows of cypress, quiet

Duomo and the Palazzo Piccolomini, consid-

lanes and stone farmhouses. It

ered Rossellino’s masterpiece. (As it turned

is an expressive land, full of timeless

out, during the building of Pienza, Rossellino

pleasures and wonderfully preserved

embezzled the pope’s funds and spent three

ancient habitations, many dating back

times his original budget. The pope, however,

to the Etruscan era more than two mil-

forgave the architect in gratitude for “these

lennia ago.

glorious structures which are praised by all

There’s no better place to start an

except those consumed by envy.”)

exploration here than Pienza, a gem of

Pienza is also renowned for its excellent

a Renaissance village commissioned by

local food products and exquisite ceramics.

Pope Pius II to be rebuilt in the 15th

Visitors strolling the Corso are immediately

century as an “ideal” city and papal

struck by the strong wafts of pecorino cheese

residence. Set high above the wide

emanating from little shops, where one also

and beautiful Val D’Orcia, with views

finds fresh-made pastas, white truffles, fla-

of distant Monte Amiata, the high-

vor-infused olive oils and specialty meats,

est peak in Tuscany, Pienza was the

including the famous cinghiale (wild boar),

pope’s birthplace, known at that time

pheasant, pork, and bistecca alla fiorentina—

as the rough-and-tumble village of

thick steaks grilled rare over charcoal and

Corsignano. (Pius II renamed it Pienza,

sprinkled with delicate spices.

in honor of himself.)

I’ve been fortunate to stay in Pienza twice—

From the humble Piazza Dante, you enter the city walls following

the first time just off the Piazza Dante in a simple room above the Dal

the main street, the Corso Rossellino, named after the town’s Florentine

Falco restaurant (where I became addicted to the ethereal ravioli in truffle

architect, Bernardo Rossellino. Pius II had dreamed of creating a model

sauce). The second stay was a splurge: the luxurious Il Chiostro di Pienza,

100

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A colorful farmhouse and moody valley views near the village of Montefollonico.

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101

Cypress trees, stone villas and hayfields typify the quiet landscape of Southern Tuscany.

a onetime monastery now a Relais and

glorious reds, including Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello

Châteaux retreat just off the Piazza Pio

di Montalcino—the latter among the most heralded (and expensive)

II. Centrally located Pienza makes an

Tuscan wines.

ideal base for a three-day immersion in

After lunch of handmade pici pasta and fresh salad at a small trat-

Tuscan culture, wine, cuisine, medieval

toria, I descended steep steps from town to the Tempio di San Biagio,

art and architecture, coffee, and other

a pilgrimage church located just outside the town walls. Designed by

Italian charms.

Antonio da Sangallo the Elder to rival the churches of Assisi, Lourdes and Santiago de Compostela, San Biagio is one of Italy’s most signifi-

Monasteries and medieval hill towns

cant examples of High Renaissance architecture.

In my tiny rental car, I drove from

a classic Tuscan hill town. One of the primary architectural features

Pienza down into the Val D’Orcia, fol-

here is La Rocca, a fortress that has been reconstructed from the ruins

lowing a cypress-lined road past a

of 14th-century Sienese walls and now encloses a public park and an

crumbling farmhouse, the Vino Nobile

enoteca. I climbed the fortress’s Tower of San Martino for unforgettable

vineyards and sprawling fields of wheat, corn, barley and sunflower to the hill town community of Monticchiello. After a stroll through this walled village, with beautiful views of the valley and Pienza in the distance, I headed on the back roads to Montepulciano, the highest Tuscan hill town. Built along a narrow tufa ridge, Montepulciano strikes a dramatic pose in the Tuscan hills. I ambled through the town’s winding streets, discovering hidden squares, Renaissance palaces and churches before pausing at an enoteca (wine cellar) just off the Piazza Grande. This was the perfect place to learn about and, of course, taste the region’s

102

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From Montepulciano, I backtracked through Pienza to Montalcino,

views of Montalcino, the Val d’Orcia and distant Siena.

Sitting pretty in charming Pienza.

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103

A stately cypress-lined lane leading to Locanda dell’Amorosa, a luxurious inn near Sinalunga.

104

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Just south of here is Sant’Antimo, home to a honey-toned

Clockwise from top

Benedictine monastery—a brilliant example of Romanesque architec-

left: cyclists glide

ture, now maintained by French Cistercian monks, who celebrate mass

along a winding route near Monticchiello, a

in Gregorian chant several times a day. It’s not certain when the abbey

Romanesque detail

was founded, but tradition attributes it to Charlemagne, who passed

from the monastery

through the region with his army in 781.

of Sant’Antimo, a lion’s

Just north of Montalcino, in the sparsely populated Crete

head adorns a colorful Tuscan urn.

Senesi, where white clay hills form a surreal backdrop pressed against the sky, lies the Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, arguably the best-known monastery in Tuscany. It was founded in 1313 by Sienese merchants whose desire to escape the ills and temptations of city life led to the creation of the Olivetan order. The loggia surrounding the monastery’s cloister contains a stunning series of 15th- and early 16th-century frescoes. Southern Tuscany is also known for its ancient (and working) thermal spas. One such hot spot is Bagno Vignoni, a spa village that once catered to travelers making their way along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route. A Roman-era piscina (bath) is the main attraction in the town’s main square. Members of the Medici family—who built the site’s Renaissance arcade—and Saint Catherine of Siena were among those who soothed their tired limbs in this historic spot. On the final leg of my Southern Tuscan odyssey, I drove across the Val di Chiana to Cortona, an enchanting hill town whose history dates back to

GETTING THERE

Etruscan times. After the Etruscans came the Romans, who lived here until the settlement was destroyed by the Goths. In later years, the town fell

Southern Tuscany is best toured by car

under the patronage of Siena and Naples, and finally Florence. Today, rich

(rentals are available in nearby Siena or

in art and history, Cortona is a fascinating place to explore. Painter Luca

Florence). For energetic travelers, the

Signorelli was born here in 1450; Florentine painter and Dominican friar

following active travel companies offer

Fra Angelico also made the town his home for ten years. The churches

superb cycling and cultural walking tours

of Santa Margherita, San Domenico, Santa Maria del Calcinaio and San

in the region:

Niccolo are all worth a visit. With its array of trattorie and ristoranti,

Backroads: backroads.com

Cortona is also a wonderful place to enjoy lunch and soak in the refined

Ciclismo Classico: ciclismoclassico.com

atmosphere that defines Southern Tuscany.

Classic Journeys: classicjourneys.com MARIN

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105

GIRLS’ DESERT GETAWAY Palm Springs provides relaxing oasis BY JULIE KELLER

PLANNING RESOURCES Cabazon Outlets cabazonoutlets.com Calla Lilly Inn 888.888.5787 callalilypalmsprings.com El Paseo elpaseo.com Indian Canyons indian-canyons.com Palm Springs Aerial Tramway pstramway.com Parker Palm Springs 800.543.4300 theparkerpalmsprings.com Palm Springs Follies 760.327.0225 psfollies.com Viceroy Palm Springs 800.670.6184 viceroypalmsprings.com

106

Girls just wanna have fun, and there’s no better place to

The Spa Rendezvous package ($2,010), available

do that than Palm Springs, CA. A onetime haven for

Sunday to Thursday, includes three premium rooms for

hipster Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra and his Rat

two nights, champagne on arrival, six 50-minute spa

Pack, this sunny desert town is now both an entertain-

treatments at the lavish Estrella Spa, discounts on addi-

ment oasis and a prime spot for a relaxing ladies’ get-

tional treatments and retail items, a poolside lunch for

away in the sun.

six and unlimited DVD rentals.

Just a quick flight from the Bay Area, Palm Springs has

Another option is to round up the pals and head to

ideal weather year-round. Winter and spring temps hover

the Parker Palm Springs for Camp PSYC (a.k.a. Palm

in the 70s and 80s. The thermometer can heat up to 100-

Springs Yacht Club), a spa camp for adults. This four-

plus in summer—perfect for hanging out in the pool or in

day, four-night package ($2,150 per person double oc-

the air-conditioned shops, galleries and casinos of this siz-

cupancy, $2,350 single) is a chance to unwind to your

zling city (this is also the time to get the best deals).

heart’s content, meanwhile participating in traditional

A host of hotels, from boutique retreats to posh spa

camp activities like horseback riding, hiking and cro-

resorts, welcome all-girl groups with packages for par-

quet. Get healthy with yoga and award-winning cuisine;

ties of every size. The charming Calla Lily Inn has a

feed your naughtier side with a spin through the exten-

Girls R&R Package (from $658), a two-person ticket in-

sive cocktail menu or an exotic dance class. End the day

cluding two nights’ hotel accommodations for two, a

gathered around the fire pit in your PJs, singing camp

$50 gift certificate toward dinner at one of three nearby

songs and eating s’mores.

restaurants, two one-hour in-room massages, two tick-

While champagne and poolside pampering are com-

ets to explore the Indian Canyons area and an evening

pelling draws, be sure to venture away from the resorts,

cordial of cognac and chocolates.

because Palm Springs is a mecca for shopping, art and

Meanwhile, a gaggle of up to six gals can sleep in

more. Pocketbooks of any size can meet their match in

style at the luxe boutique resort Viceroy Palm Springs.

the city’s vast retail districts. Palm Canyon Drive, within

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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walking distance of most resorts, is a mecca of boutique shops, restaurants and art galleries well worth a leisurely afternoon stroll; it’s also a treasure trove of midcentury modern resale stores that carry cool 1950s and ’60s vintage clothing, original furniture and household goods. In nearby Palm Desert, El Paseo, “the Rodeo Drive of the desert,” has more than 300 shops, boutiques, galleries, jewelers and restaurants to explore. The flower-filled walkway hosts outdoor art installations, making it a charming and picturesque place to browse. For bargain hunters, the outlet mall in Cabazon offers discount shopping galore. Natural attractions also abound. For a bird’s-eye look at the desert, hop on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which will fly you 6,000 feet up to the top of San Jacinto Mountain. Enjoy a drink at the mountaintop cocktail lounge while you take in the view. Or explore the 15-mile desert paradise of Indian Canyons via kayak, hike or horseback ride. While there, visit the Trading Post for Indian art and artifacts, books, jewelry, pottery, baskets, weavings and other crafts. Leave time to take a drive through Palm Springs’ residential neighborhoods. The town has the country’s highest concentration of midcentury modern architecture, most of it dating to Hollywood’s golden age when Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Howard Hughes, Dean Martin and others built vacation homes there. Check out the Las Palmas and Movie Colony neighborhoods for a glimpse of some of the stars’ former abodes. And don’t miss out on the town’s signature hot-steppin’, one-of-a-kind show: the Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theatre movie house. This celebration of the music, dance and comedy of the 1930s and ’40s is presented by a cast of 55- to 80-plus-year-olds who make retirement look anything but sedate. From sybaritic spa-ing to shop-till-youdrop, Palm Springs clearly has something for everyone. So whether you’re looking to vacation with a best friend or reunite the whole gang, pack your bags and get ready for an unforgettable girls’ time out.

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W INE COU N TRY HAWAII • AUSTRALIA • NEW ZEALAND • FIJI • TAHITI • GUAM • BALI

SONOMA ROLLS OUT THE BARRELS BY LUCAS DAVIDSON

vision of glitz and glamour may

In Napa Valley, participating wineries

surround many events in wine

along the beautiful Silverado Trail will pull

country, but some of the best

the bungs from their barrels for the semi-an-

activities in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino

nual Silver Pass Weekend (silveradotrail.

counties for developing one’s own taste in

com) on March 24 and 25. Twelve wineries will offer inducements including barrel samples, food pairings, and tastes of older library wines. Buy a Silver Pass through the event’s website, or at your first stop at one of the Silver Pass wineries. If the weather is good, stop at the homey Soda Canyon Store

Hawaiian hospitality, at the ocean’s edge On the sunny Kona coast, you’ll delight in lush gardens, tide pools with sea turtles and full resort amenities, such as the Kalona Salon & Spa. Rates start at $169* per room, per night and include two breakfast buffets daily. Call 1-800-OUTRIGGER or visit outrigger.com. *Promotional rates valid now through 3/31/07. Subject to availability. Taxes not included.

PH OTO: COU RTESY OF WINEG ROW ER S OF D RY C REEK VALLEY

(on the Silverado Trail wine are much more earthy and soulful.

north of Napa) for picnic supplies and plan

March is shaping up like an ideal month to

on lunching alfresco at one of the wineries

expose your taste buds to the unvarnished

with picnic areas, including Casa Nuestra,

truth of winemaking by participating in an

Monticello, Rutherford Hill, Stag’s Leap

array of barrel tastings and opportunities

Wine Cellars and Steltzner.

to buy barrel futures of hard-to-find wines.

It’s common to pair wine with cheese,

This sort of wine-without-packaging is

even wine with chocolate, but in Mendocino

the whole point of Sonoma County Barrel

County they take it to an extreme, and

Tasting month (707.522.5840; scbarreltas-

match wine with whale during two differ-

ting.com), during which different regions

ent weekends in March (707.961.6300;

on different weekends will cater to visi-

mendocino.com). As far as we know, no

tors with special programs, highlighted by

whales are harmed or eaten during this pe-

chances to taste (and order in advance)

riod; it’s just a good month for observing the

new vintages before they’re bottled (and

gray whales as they migrate up the coast.

quickly sold out, in some cases). Enjoy the

The Mendocino Whale and Wine Festival

casual ambience of winery cellars where

March 3 and 4 is a family-friendly weekend

winemakers will siphon samples from their

that includes wine tasting, arts and crafts ex-

handcrafted oak barriques with glass wine

hibits, live music and lots of seafood. The

thieves, (pipettes) and shoot them into

Fort Bragg Whale Festival March 17 and

visitors’ glasses for sniffing and sipping.

18 pours beer rather than wine, as regional

They might even let you spit on the cellar

microbreweries come to town for a tasting

floor like commercial wine buyers do. The

at historic Eagles Hall. Other events include

Russian River Valley events are March 2–4

a 5K and 10K walk and run, arts fair, chow-

and 9–11, while Sonoma Valley opens its

der tasting and guided whale walks at the

barrels March 17–18.

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.

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GA LLERIES

ART FOR ALL AGES Highlights of March museum offerings BY ANNE CRUMP RAY

he cultural landscape of the Bay Area

of American Art, presents works by Pablo

examples of his well-known minimalist mono-

is rich, and local museums are out to

Picasso alongside paintings, drawings and

chrome panels and calligraphic abstractions,

underscore that fact this spring, with

sculptures by his American contemporaries

as well as two paintings in their public debut.

nods to the antiquities, contemporary art,

and successors who were inﬂuenced by the

On view through May 13, the exhibition, from

craft, fashion, comics, architecture and lots

celebrated Spaniard. With reinterpreta-

New York’s Museum of Modern Art, aims to

of other goodies besides. The array includes

tions of Picasso masterpieces by Willem de

demonstrate why Marden is one of the most

a little something for everyone, from the arts

Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Jasper Johns, Roy

esteemed American artists working today.

omnivore to the casual museumgoer looking

Lichtenstein and Jackson Pollock, among

SFMOMA also tips its hat to a venera-

to entertain out-of-towners, providing a com-

others, the exhibition illustrates the consid-

ble local arts hub with California College of

pelling reason to celebrate the new season

erable impact Picasso had on the develop-

the Arts at 100: Innovation by Design, which

and make the rounds.

ment of modern art.

opens March 23 and continues through

A pair of traveling exhibitions opening

Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings

August 26. Organized to commemorate

February 23 at the San Francisco Museum

and Drawings—the ﬁrst comprehensive sur-

CCA’s 100th anniversary, the exhibition fea-

of Modern Art stacks the deck with art-

vey of Marden’s work in the United States—

tures a selection of notable graphic, industri-

world heavyweights. Picasso and American

assembles roughly 100 paintings and draw-

al and architectural designs by faculty and

Art, organized by the Whitney Museum

ings from the artist’s 40-year career, offering

alumni who have made signiﬁcant contribu-

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GARY BUKOVNIK Recent Paintings | Artist Reception | Thursday March 1, 2007 | 5 - 7PM

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

Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St., San Francisco, 415.581.3500, asianart.org; 10–5 Tues–Sun, 10–9 Thur, closed Mon; $12 adults, $8 seniors, $7 ages 13–17, free for members and children 12 and under

The Contemporary Jewish Museum, 121 Steuart St., San Francisco, 415.344.8800, jmsf.org; noon–6 Sun–Thur, closed Fri–Sat; $5 adults, $4 students and seniors, free for members and children 12 and under de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, 50

tions in art

Masters

and design.

Bamboo: Japanese

Over at

Baskets and Sculpture

the Fine Arts

the

Cotsen

Museums, glam-

Collection at the Asian

our takes center

Art Museum draws from an

stage with Masterpieces of French Jewelry at the Legion of Honor and Vivienne

impressive collection given to the museum in 2001 to illustrate the historical significance of the mas-

Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion at the

ter-apprentice relationship in Japanese

de Young.

craft. The breadth of the Lloyd L. Cotsen

The Legion’s exhibition, February 10

Collection—which contains roughly 900

through June 10, showcases the inimitable

works—makes possible a comprehensive

style and innovation that long have been

review of regional basket-making lineages

hallmarks of French jewelry design. More

over the last 150 years, while providing a

than 150 rings, bracelets, earrings and oth-

menagerie of exquisitely beautiful objects

er ﬁnery spanning the 1880s to the present

that showcase the precision and quality of

415.EXP.LORE, exploratorium.edu; 10–5 Tues– Sun, closed Mon; $13 adults; $10 students, seniors, and ages 13–17; $8 ages 4–12; free for members and children 3 and under

are on display and include art nouveau de-

Japanese craftsmanship.

Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., San Francisco, 415.863.3330, thinker.org; 9:30–5:15 Tues–Sun, closed Mon; $10 adults, $7 seniors, $6 students and ages 13–17, free for members and children 12 and under

Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon St., San Francisco,

signs by René Lalique and George Fouquet,

Two contemporary exhibitions worth not-

art deco pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels and

ing are R. Crumb’s Underground at Yerba

Cartier, late 20th-century creations by JAR

Buena Center for the Arts and Liminality:

Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park, 34th Ave.

(Joel Arthur Rosenthal), and a variety of

Art on the Threshold at the Exploratorium.

and Clement St., San Francisco, 415.863.3330, thinker.org; 9:30–5:15 Tues–Sun, closed Mon; $10 adults, $7 seniors, $6 ages 13–17, free for members and children 12 and under

baubles fashioned by artists such as Jean

YBCA’s presentation, March 17 through

Arp, Man Ray and Picasso.

July 1, assembles a colorful, whimsical, raun-

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., San Francisco, 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org; 11–5:45 Fri–Tues, 11–8:45 Thur, closed Wed; $12.50 adults, $8 seniors, $7 students, free for members and children 12 and under; additional $2.50 ticket required for Picasso and American Art

Vivienne Westwood, organized by the

chy array of comics and drawings by the

Victoria and Albert Museum in London,

underground comic king (and native San

chronicles the provocative career of one of

Franciscan) dating from the 1960s to the

Britain’s foremost fashion renegades. On view

present. The Exploratorium’s show, which

from March 3 through June 10, the presen-

opens March 8 and continues through June

tation features Westwood’s irreverent, punk-

3, highlights the expanse of its interior space

influenced designs from the last four de-

by inviting Seattle- and Bay Area–based art-

cades, from garments created for the Sex

ists to create site-specific installations that

Pistols in the 1970s to couture gowns.

explore the impact of spatial environments

Also at the de Young is a traveling

on human experiences.

tribute to the 20th-century American

Finally, there’s still time to see the

artist Charles Sheeler. Charles Sheeler:

Contemporary Jewish Museum’s exhibition

Across Media, on view February 10

The Jewish Identity Project: New American

through May 6, looks at the multifaceted na-

Photography. Originally scheduled to close

ture of Sheeler’s art-making—which incorpo-

in February, the exhibition has been extend-

rated drawing, film and printmaking in ad-

ed through April 29.

dition to the painting and photography for

Anne Crump Ray is a regular contributor to

which he is best known—and includes iconic

Marin Magazine and an editorial associate at

images from throughout his career.

the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Previous page: Pablo Picasso, Bathers with Beach Ball, 1928; oil on canvas; above: Cartier and De Sedles, necklace, 1936–37; Hillwood Museum & Gardens, bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973 (platinum, sapphires, diamonds); left: Vivienne Westwood, ball gown, from the Vivienne Westwood spring/ summer 2002 Nymphs collection.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD PHOTO: MIKAEL JANSSON

MUSEUM INFO

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Tim TimWeldon WeldonSoul SoulDance Dance 60 60xx48 48inches inchesMixed MixedMedia Media

Stroud &Schelling

fine art photography

415 388 8137

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Magid Accountancy Corporation 883.9300, magidcpa.com Marin County Federal Credit Union 499.9780, marincu.org Mortgagegreen 461.8080, mortgagegreen.com Ruth L. Zamist, CPA 459.1077 TLC Capital Solutions 462.1308, tlccapitalsolutions.com Wealth Plus, Inc. 924.8936, wealthplusinc.com

Fitness & Recreation Gold’s Gym 924.4653, goldsgym.com/ cortemaderaCA Practical Martial Arts 927.0899, practicalmartialarts.net

Food & Drink

Arts & Entertainment Academy Studios 883.8842, academystudios.com Corporate Media Systems, Inc. 457.9550, cmsrents.com Debra Amerson Design 267.7606, debra-amerson.com EduTracks 457.1171, edutracks.com Lark Theater 924.5111, larktheater.net Lucasﬁlm Ltd 662.1772, lucasﬁlm.com Marin Arts Council 499.8350, marinarts.org Rob Badger Photography 339.1330, robbadger.com Ursa Minor Arts & Media 459.6869, ursaminor.com

Automotive Excelsior Auto Clinic 883.2347 Novato Toyota 897.3191 Mellow Motors 924.2211 Mill Valley Car Wash 380.9274 Ron Cromwell Chevron 892.5393

Building & Construction Anastasio and Associates 721.7274 Applied Home Performance 462.0245, appliedhomeperformance.com Avalon Builders Inc. 707.939.9221 CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group Inc. 892.4763, cswst2.com EcoTimber 258.8454, ecotimber.com Electric Bill’s Company 491.1881 Green Builders of Marin 884.0700, greenbuildersofmarin.com Green Fusion Design Center 454.0174, greenfusiondesigncenter.com Healthy Home Plans, LLC 383.5105, healthyhomeplans.com I. Cannan Electric 596.3676, icannanelectric.com Marin Builders Association 462.1220, marinba.org Moondance Painting 510.409.9583 Natal Modica Construction 531.3363 Skyside Studios 883.9455, skysidestudios.com T.A. Gibbs Co. General Builders 453.6519 Van der Ryn Architects 332.5806, vanderyn.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

W. Bradley Electric, Inc. 898.1400, wbeinc.com West Coast Green, LLC 383.5105, westcoastgreen.com 88.HVAC 215.0533, 88hvac.com

Business Services Amy Skewes-Cox Environmental Planning 454.8666, rtasc.com/amyskewes-cox.htm Avatar Community Business Center 457.5773, avatarbiz.com Axion Design 258.6800, axiondesign.com DesCom Studios 461.6677, descomstudios.com Direct Dental Administrators, LLC 457.2863, directdentalplans.com Dollars & Cents Associates 332.0260, aac-nw.com Inspiration, Inc. 472.5570, inspirationinc.com Kahl Consultants 499.0838, kahl.net Relish 389.8116, relishthefuture.com WRA, Inc. 454.8868, wra-ca.com

Career Services Green Career Track 456.1037, greencareertracks.com

Family Services Family Institute of Marin 479.3276, familyinstituteofmarin.org Family Service Agency of Marin 491.5700, fsamarin.org Marin Advocates for Children 507.9016, marinadvocates.org Marin Child Care Council 491.5770, mc3.org Marin Family Action 444.1778, marinfamilyaction.org NAMI Marin 444.0480, namimarin.org

Financial Services Bank of Marin–San Rafael 485.2252, bankofmarin.com Bank of the West–Novato 897.1131, bankofthewest.com Circle Bank–Novato 898.5400, circlebank.com

Aramark Muir Woods 388.7059, aramark.com Bubba’s Diner 459.6862 Fairfax Coffee Roasters 451.1825 Fairfax Scoop 453.3130 Good Earth Natural Foods 454.0123, goodearthnaturalfoods.net Lark Creek Inn 924.7782, larkcreek.com Lydia’s Lovin’ Foods 456.5300, lydiasorganics.com Marin County Farmers’ Market Association 472.6100, marincountyfarmersmarkets.og Perry’s Delicatessen 456.3580 San Anselmo Coffee Roasters 258.9549 Stefano’s Pizzeria CM: 924.9666, MV: 383.9666 Three Twins Ice Cream 492.8946, threetwinsicecream.com

Health & Beauty EO 945.1900, eoproducts.com KW Botanicals 459.4077, kwbotanicals.com Tween Beauty 457.3176, tweenbeauty.com

Health Services Good Healthy Fun! 383.3716, drcory.com Marin Medical Labs 209.6076, pathgroup.com Novato Community Hospital 209.1538, novatocommunity.org Speech Language & Learning Services of Marin & Sonoma 479.7880, speechlanguage.info

Interiors Atmosphera 455.8430, atmospherahome.com Bamboo & More 383.8912, bambooandmoreonline.com Carolyn Robbins 460.0339, carolynrobbinsdesign.com Green Fusion Design Center 454.0174, greenfusiondesigncenter.com Illuminate Lighting Design 453.5510, illuminatelighting.net Plantris Productions 488.1060, plantris.org Ruth Livingston Studio 435.5264, ruthlivingston.com Tamalpias Natureworks 454.9948, tamalpais.com

Insurance Fireman’s Fund Insurance Fund 899.4047, ﬁremansfund.com Farallone Paciﬁc Insurance Services 493.2500, fp-ins.com

Janitorial Services Building Care Systems 884.4484, buildingcaresystems.com MARIN MARCH 2007

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Marin Green Buisiness D irec tor y

In April of 2002, the Community Development office of Marin County implemented a Green Business Program certiﬁcation program to encourage local companies to integrate environmentally responsible practices into their bottom line. Here’s the list of local businesses that have made the commitment and earned their certiﬁcation. Go to marinsustainability.org to learn more.

Landscaping and Garden Supples Equinox Landscape Const. Corp 456.6480, equinox-landscape.com Gardeners’ Guild 457.0400, gardenersguild.com Green Jeans Garden Supply 389.8333 Growing Image Landscape 332.5910, growing-image.com Heritage Landscapes 458.8155, herlandscapes.com Horseshoe Hill 868.8805

Legal Services Bay Area Legal Aid 479.8224, baylegal.org/ ofﬁces5.html Family and Children’s Law Center 492.9230 Law Ofﬁce of Russell Marne & Associates 479.8100, trialassociates.com Legal Aid of Marin 492.0230, legalaidmarin.org Legal Self-Help Center of Marin, Inc. 492.1111 Marin County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Services 499.1813, marinbar.org Marin Mediation Services 499.7493

Lodging Resorts & Residences Auberge Resorts 380.3465, aubergeresorts.com Embassy Suites 499.5902, embassymarin.com Inn Marin 415883.5952, innmarin.com Marin Headlands Hostel 331.3536, norcalhostels.org/marin Mountain Home Inn 381.9000, mtnhomeinn.com Novato RV Park 897.1271, novatorvpark.com Villa Marin 492.2401, villa-marin.com West Point Inn 388.9955, westpointinn.com

Mail & Copy Services

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

Avatar Community Business Center 457.5773, avatarbiz.com Postal Services Plus 459.2567

Memorial Services Fernwood 383.7100, foreverfernwood.com

Excellence Knowledge Prevention

Municipal Services Central Marin Sanitation Agency 459.1455, cmsa.us County of Marin Civic Center 499.6570, co.marin.ca.us Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District 472.1734, lgvsd.org Novato Sanitary District 892.1694, novatosan.com

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

Aesthetics Health Comfort Professional Memberships: American Dental Association, California Dental Association

www. dentistryrocks .com (415) 388-2172

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

Center for Volunteer and Nonproﬁt Leadership of Marin 479.5710, cvnl.org Earth Matter 388.8961, earthmatters4kids.org Environmental Education Council of Marin 485.4908, eecom.net Headlands Institute 332.5771, yni.org Latino Council of Marin 492.4420, latinocouncil.org Marin Conservation Corps 454.4554, marincc.org MarinLink 472.0211, marinlink.org Marin Space 492.9444, marinspace.org Mill Valley Masonic Lodge 388.9857, mill-valley. freemasonry.biz Next Generation Scholars 444.0737, nextgenerationscholars.org Novato Human Needs 897.4147 Pro-Human Foundation 459.2837, greencollarworks.org MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Seaﬂow 229.9366, seaﬂow.org Senior Access 491.2500, senioraccess.org Slide Ranch 381.6155, slideranch.org Strategic Energy Innovations 507.2184, seiinc.org YMCA Pt. Bonita 331.9622, pointbonitaymca.org Young Imaginations 472.7338, youngimaginations.org

Photo Services Nita Winter Photography 339.1310, nitawinter.com Pics 454.4111

• • •

f i r e p l a c e s h o w r o o m n a t u r a l s t o n e o n d i s p l a y f i n e u m b r i a n c e r a m i c s

Product Distribution Birkenstock 892.4400, birkenstock.com WorldWise, Inc. 721.4700, worldwise.com

Real Estate At Home in Marin 451.8111, athomeinmarin.com Diana Hammer, Coldwell Banker 453.7585 Carolyn Lenert 256.2371, carolynlenert.com Green Key Real Estate-Marin 897.2800, greenkeyrealestate.com GreenerMarin at Keller Williams 497.3130 greenermarin.com Live Oak Design Group 499.1640, lodg.net Mortgagegreen 461.8080, mortgagegreen.com

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle iReuse LLC 218.5424, ireuse.com Marin Sanitary Service 485.4548, marinsanitary.com

Renewable Energy Energy Management Services 871.8929 SolarCraft Services, Inc. 382.7717, solarcraft.com Sun First 458.5870, sunﬁrstsolar.com SPG Solar 459.4201, spgsolar.com

We’re far more than building materials Visit our New Design & Décor Showroom

S A N R A FA E L

415 455.1575

s h ow ro o m : : : 5 4 8 D u B o i s S t : : : w w w. s h a m ro ck ma t e r i a l s . c o m

The Landscape Light Pros™ – Your landscape deserves the best lighting.

Retail/Shopping Ambatalia Fabrics 388.6278, ambataliafabrics.com Bamboo & More 383.8912, bambooandmoreonline.com Book Beat 256.9060, bookbeatfairfax.com Cabaline 663.8303, svn.net/cabaline EcoExpress 883.6060, ecoexpress.com Hannah Styles 924.8266, hannahstyles.com Marin Outdoor Living 924.8811, marinoutdoorliving.com Navitas Naturals 888.645.4282, navitasnaturals.com REI Corte Madera 927.1938, rei.com Zuma 663.1748

Schools Cascade Canyon School 459.3464, cascadecanyon.org Manor School 453.1544 Marin Academy High School 453.4550, ma.org Oak View Nursery School 479.6026, oakviewkids.org San Anselmo Cooperative Nursery School 454.5308, sananselmoco-op.org Sir Francis Drake High School 453.8770

Security

• Design and Installation • Maintenance and Service Contracts • Low-voltage CAST Landscape Lighting for Homes of Distinction • Servicing new or existing lighting systems.

Redwood Security Systems, Inc. 388.5355, redwoodsecurity.com

Storage & Moving Supplies Bellam Self Storage 454.1983, bellamstorage.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Jay Nelson, Owner, The Landscape Light Pros™ 415.272.7510 • jay@thelandscapelightpros.com • www.thelandscapelightpros.com MARIN MARCH 2007

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CAL E NDA R

MARCH ARTS & EVENTS GUIDE 15—April 15 The Good German Set during World War II, an Aryan couple risks the consequences of harboring a Jewish publisher in Nazi Germany. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org 16—April 22 Our Town Thornton Wilder received the Pulitzer Prize in 1938 for Our Town, since then it’s been considered one of the best American plays ever written. Don’t miss bringing the entire family to see this love story that offers a look at a simpler time. Ross Valley Players (Ross). 415.456.9555, rossvalleyplayers.org

The Good German at Marin Theatre Company, March 15—April 15

THEATER Thru 11 Hedda Gabler After a tedious sixmonth honeymoon, Hedda returns home to face her new married life—her lavish house, her tenuous wealth, the return of a passionate former lover—and, most terrifying of all, her own self. A.C.T. (SF). 415.749.2228, act-sf.org

Thru March 25 Jersey Boys The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons comes to the Bay Area. The Tony award winner for best musical features the hits Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry and Walk Like a Man. Curran Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com 3 Strangers We Know Short stories by Mavis Gallant and Lorrie Moore performed by an award-winning theater group. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

10 & 11 Snow White Masque Unit Junior Theatre of Marin celebrates its 45th anniversary with a musical adaptation of Snow MARINMAGAZINE.COM

White and the Seven Dwarfs. Meet the princess, the mischievous dwarfs, the prince, the huntsman and the evil queen. Showcase Theater at Marin Civic Center (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, masqueunit.org

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

22—April 22 After the War When over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II, San Francisco’s bustling Japantown suddenly became an urban ghost town until other races began to ﬁll the vacant-neighborhood. The play examines happened when the Japanese-Americans came back. A.C.T. (SF). 415.749.2228, act-sf.org 23—25 Dance Palace Theatre Group Listen to true stories of American women who served in the Vietnam War in Shirley Lauro’s A Piece of My Heart. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

COMEDY 14—18 Slow Fire The Paul Dresher Ensemble presents a glimpse into the thoughts of one man in isolation. Writer and performer Rinde Eckert plays a man caught between the American dream of success and consumerism and the alienating psychoses of contemporary urban living. Project Artaud Theater (SF). 415.392.4400, artaud.org

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

15—April 1 Plain and Fancy Follow the cultural collision that occurs when two New York sophisticates ﬁnd themselves in Amish country. Eureka Theater (SF). 415.255.8207, 42ndstmoon.org

Debbie Campo of the San Francisco Comedy College along with other comedians for an evening of stand-up. Sam’s Cafe (Tiburon). 415.435.4527, sfcomedycollege.com MARIN MARCH 2007

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MUSIC 1—3 John Adams The United States premiere of A Flowering Tree from conductor John Adams was commissioned by New Crowned Hope (Vienna), San Francisco Symphony, Barbican Centre (London), Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York) and Berliner Philharmoniker. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org

7—10 Beethoven’s Triple Concerto The Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio presents three centuries’ worth of musical thrills, from Mozart’s great Jupiter symphony to Beethoven, with conductor Alan Gilbert. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org 9 Altan This traditional Irish band brings Celtic music to contemporary audiences. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

2 The Bridge Part bluegrass, blues, soul and funk, the band features the mandolin, saxophone, guitar and drums. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820, sweetwatersaloon.com

4 Starduster Sundays Hosts Jan Wahl and Cynthia Glinka along with the Starduster Orchestra and guest vocalist Sheilah Glover will get you swinging to the sound of the big-band era. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, ticketweb.com 5 Murray Perahia World-renowned pianist Murray Perahia returns to San Francisco for a solo recital performance. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org

9 Musical Fortunes New music based on Jewish and Romani roots with Dan Cantrell, Kitka, Michael Alpert, Rumen Shopov, Dusan Ristic and others. Presented in conjunction with the Jewish Music Festival. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org 11 Youth Orchestra Concert Under the leadership of Benjamin Shwartz, 100 young instrumentalists will perform three concerts. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra is in its 25th anniversary season this year. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org

14—17 Yundi Li In 2000, Li became the youngest winner ever of the prestigious

SPOTLIGHT ON: TIBURON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Why travel to Cannes when over 240 ﬁlms from more than 70 countries will be shown at the sixth annual Tiburon International

Warsaw Chopin Competition. Hear him on the piano with conductor James Gafﬁgan. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org

16 & 17 Mill Valley Philharmonic Marin’s community orchestra will perform two concerts as part of a series that will feature works created for the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts Project. The program of orchestral music will include Symphony #2 by Ernst Bacon, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the work, From a Moonlit Ceremony by George Frederick McKay and Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland. Tamalpais High School (Mill Valley). millvalleyphilharmonic.org 17 Storm and the Balls Don’t miss the Rockstar Supernova ﬁnalist and Bay Area favorite as she performs with her band. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820, sweetwatersaloon.com

18 James Moseley Band This Bay Area guitarist and vocalist is back playing R&B. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820, sweetwatersaloon.com

22 Les Dudek You probably remember him from The Allman Brothers Band but Les Dudek has also played with Steve Miller Band, Stevie Nicks and Cher. Sweetwater Saloon (Mill Valley). 415.388.2820, sweetwatersaloon.com

23 The Doobie Brothers With a multitude of top hits, Grammy awards and platinum albums, the legendary group has earned a fanatical following for its high-energy shows. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

Film Festival? “With so many cultures and traditions on this planet, the powerful and artistic medium of ﬁlm provides a better understanding of humanity, while simultaneously allowing us to become closer to our global neighbors,” says Saeed Shafa, founder and executive director of the festival. “The ﬁlm screen is more than just a surface for projecting moving images; it’s a window to other cultures, topographies and environments. It’s

Animation Studios question-and-answer ses-

an invitation to see our international neigh-

sion and tributes to John Ford, the great

bors in our own backyards.”

American director, Marcello Mastroianni, the

This year the global spotlight is on Tunisia, with a number of the country’s films

120

unforgettable Italian actor and French ﬁlm pioneers. —SF

being showcased at the festival’s Tiburon

March 22—30, Tiburon International

Playhouse Theater and the Corinthian Yacht

Film Festival (Tiburon). 415.381.4123,

Club venues. Other standouts include a Pixar

tiburonﬁlmfestival.com

MARIN MARCH 2007

23—25 Mendelssohns Elijah Conductor Herbert Blomstedt once held the same post as Mendelssohn—director of Leipzig’s esteemed Gewandhaus Orchestra—making him uniquely qualiﬁed to lead this piece. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.864.6000, sfsymphony.org 24 Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca Ricardo Lemvo combines Latin and African elements with an occasional merengue or Afro-Portuguese excursion. With his band, Makina Loca, he sings songs that celebrate life. He hopes to inspire his audiences to let MARINMAGAZINE.COM

loose and dance away their worries. Osher Marin JCC (San Rafael). 415.444.8000, marinjcc.org

25 San Francisco Opera Fresh from debuts at the New York City Opera and the Portland Opera, Laquita Mitchell will amaze audiences in a Schwabacher Debut Recital. Temple Emanu-El’s Martin Meyer Sanctuary (SF). 415.864.3330, sfopera.com 25 & 27 Marin Symphony Alasdair Neale conducts Duruﬂé’s Requiem performed by the Marin Symphony Chorus plus Volkert’s Songs from the Sea and Debussy’s La Mer. Don’t miss free preconcert talks and the Tuesday night postconcert wrap party. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marinsymphony.org

31 Michael Feinstein See the only Bay Area appearance of this Grammy award winner who hit success with his Broadway one-man show Isn’t it Romantic. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

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DANCE Thru 4 The Sleeping Beauty This ballet is set to one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous scores and unites fantasy, sorcery and romance. Featuring stunning scenery and costumes, the sparkling tale of Princess Aurora, her prince, the evil Carabosse and a whole storybook full of characters is a must-see. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.865.2000, sfballet.org Thru 18 ODC/Dance Downtown The 36th annual spring season features four world premieres by ODC Artistic Director Brenda Way and Co-Artistic Director KT Nelson. A highlight will be the return of former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Joanna Berman, dancing with ODC in Investigating Grace. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, dcdance.org 3 Belly Dance Superstars The troupe combines lively tribal, Egyptian and cabaret genres with mesmerizing choreography. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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13—24 Mixed Repertory This ballet program includes: Spring Rounds, Chi-Lin and Eden/Eden. War Memorial Opera House (SF). 415.865.2000, sfballet.org

16 Fox Trot Take a lesson with Helen

PHOTOGRAPHY: BARTONE

Andrade and learn the dance created by vaudeville actor Harry Fox in 1914. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

23 & 24 Yin Mei Dance The Bay Area debut of New York-based Yin Mei Dance explores themes of artistic and spiritual signiﬁcance at the intersection between Asian traditional performance and Western contemporary dance. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

GALLERIES MARIN Art Abloom A full-spectrum art experience is offered in a creative, nurturing, stimulating and noncompetitive environment. 735 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.256.1112, artabloom.com Artisans Art Gallery Abstract Assumptions A juried show of 2D and 3D works by various artists, thru March. 853 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.460.5208, artisansartgallery.org Art Works Downtown The Edge of Abstract Juried by Dianne Romaine, this exhibition calls for artists exploring uncharted territory in the realm of abstract art, thru March 2. 1337 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.451.8119, artworksdowntown.org Claudia Chapline Gallery The exhibition spaces include two skylit galleries and the sculpture garden. Claudia Chapline presents changing exhibitions of unique new painting, sculpture, drawing, mixed media, and ﬁne crafts by local artists. 3445 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach. 415.868.2308, cchapline.com Pedersen Associates Landscape Architects www.pedersenassociates.com 24 H Street San Rafael CA 94901 415 456 2070

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MARIN MARCH 2007

Donna Seager Gallery The Art of the Book A gallery specialty and annual celebration of the book as art, thru March 15. 851 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.454.4229, donnaseagergallery.com

Edith Caldwell Gallery Ongoing work. 819 Bridgeway, Sausalito. 415.331.5003, edithcaldwell.com Falkirk Galleries Learning to Look An exhibition of work from three children’s art programs, thru March 3. 1408 Mission Ave at E St, San Rafael. 415.485.3328, falkirkculturalcenter.org Gallery Bergelli Contemporary and original paintings and sculptures on display. 483 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.945.9454, gallerybergelli.com Gallery Route One SuperNatural/Painting of and by Nature Work by Elisabeth Setten and Far From Home: Exploring Cultural Identity Work by artists Parichehr Azari, Pat Lau and Judy Shintani, thru March 16. 11101 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1347, galleryrouteone.org Marin Society of Artists Founded in 1927 by a small group of artists and craftspeople, the society operates its own gallery and is documented as a nonproﬁt organization with over 450 members. 30 Sir Francis Drake, Ross. 415.454.9561, marinsocietyofartists.org O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Favorite Things Work by artist Cayen Robertson in the loft gallery, March 6—March 30. 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.4331, ohanloncenter.org Robert Beck Gallery Ongoing work. 222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.456.7898 Robert Green Fine Arts Work by Sam Francis, thru March. 154 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.381.8776, rgﬁnearts.com Sam the Butcher Colors. Unveiled. Work by Belvedere artist Marie-Louise Ullmark, thru April. 19 Ross Common, Ross. 415.902.1019 Studio 333 Affordable studio space for local artists, where they can display their talents. Art lessons also available. 333A Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.8272, studio333.info The Painters Place Original Art and Prints Artwork by Stan Painter, Krystal Allen, Chester Arnold, Christin Coy, Barbara Lawrence, Dan Cooper and Charlotte MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Britton, thru April 30. 1139 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.461.0351, thepaintersplace.com Tiburon Town Hall A Year on the Lagoon Photographs by Leela Pratt to beneﬁt Young Performers International, thru March 28. 1505 Tiburon Blvd, Tiburon. 415.435.4355, youngperformersintl.org Toby’s Gallery Work by Kathleen Goodwin and Richard Blair, thru March. 11250 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1223

06/07 54TH SUBSCRIPTION SEASON

brilliance, up close and personal

William Lester Gallery Work by Douglas P. Morgan, March 2—March 26. 11101 Shoreline Hwy, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.9365, williamlestergallery.com

SAN FRANCISCO

Hauntingly beautiful songs of the sea

ArtHaus Mixed Media Paintings Work by Marc Lambrechts, thru March 31. 411 Brannan St, 415.977.0223, arthaus-sf.com Berggruen Gallery Numerals An exhibition of historic prints by the contemporary American master Jasper Johns. 228 Grant Ave, 415.781.4629, berggruen.com Caldwell Snyder Gallery Recent Paintings Floral imagery by artist Gary Bukovnik, thru March 15. 341 Sutter St, 415.296.7896, caldwellsnyder.com Elins Eagles Smith Gallery Recent acquisitions by gallery artists, thru March. 49 Geary St, Ste 520, 415.981.1080, eesgallery.com Fraenkel Gallery Colors of Shadow An exhibition of new work depicting bare, interior spaces by artist Hiroshi Suginoto, thru March. 3049 Geary St, 415.981.2661, fraenkelgallery.com Frey Norris Gallery Zanitas Baby An installation and acrylic on masonite by artist Susannah Bettag, thru March 14. 456 Geary St, 415.346.7812, freynorris.com Gallery Paule Anglim Ten Stones An exhibition of new paintings by Anne Appleby devoted to the stone, thru March 3. Plein Air Work by Robert Bechtle, thru March 3. 14 Geary St, 415.433.2710, gallerypauleanglim.com George Krevsky Gallery A Closer Look Take a deeper look at the gallery’s colMARINMAGAZINE.COM

reat yourself to a night of music that literally shimmers—both with the harmonies of the modern French school, and with themes of the sea. For information on free pre-concert talks and post-concert receptions with the musicians, click www.marinsymphony.org/accessible.htm

Alasdair Neale, conductor The Marin Symphony Chorus

Sunday, March 25, 2007, 7:30pm Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 7:30pm DURUFLÉ Requiem VOLKERT Songs from the Sea DEBUSSY La Mer

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lection with paintings and works on paper. Artists include Jack Levine, Theresa Bernstein, Ruth Gikow and Adolf Dehn along with two recently acquired artworks by Milton Avery, thru March 10. The Art of Baseball The 10th annual exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculptures, by various artists from across the country, approaches the national pastime with passion and insight, March 15—April 28. 77 Geary St, 415.397.9748, georgekrevskygallery.com Gregory Lind Gallery Watermoreorless Work by artist Franklin Evans, thru March. 49 Geary St, 415.296.9661, gregorylindgallery.com Hackett-Freedman Gallery A Culture in the Making The gallery celebrates its 20th anniversary by featuring more than 40 works by San Francisco and New York artists who helped reshape American culture in the 1950s and 1960s; on display thru March 3. Painted sculptures and reliefs on display by Manuel Neri, March 8—April 28. 250 Sutter St, 415.362.7152, hackettfreedman.com Hang Art and Hang Art Annex Time Artist Yoon Jeong Lee’s vibrant paintings are abstractions of the continual shifts and changes of the city, thru March at Hang Art. Mythologies This group show draws from stories of the past and present. Artists Fain Hancock, Ivy Jacobsen, Stephanie Jucker, Laine Justice and Freya Prowe, will exhibit new work, thru March at Hang Art Annex. 556 & 567 Sutter St, 415.434.4264, hangart.com Jack Hanley Gallery Work by artist Michael Bauer, March 7—March 31. 395/389 Valencia St, 415.522.1623, jackhanley.com John Pence Gallery Drawings and Small Still Lifes Work by various artists such as Dean Larson, Will Willson, John Morra and Sarah Lamb, thru March 3. 750 Post St, 415.441.1138, johnpence.com Linda Saytes This seascape and landscape artist is currently working on a cityscape and Golden Gate Bridge series which is open to the public to view. Hunters Point Shipyard Bldg 101, Studio 2120, 415.824.5756, saytesart.com 124

MARIN MARCH 2007

Meyerovich Gallery Miro and Picasso Works on paper, thru March 15. Robert Motherwell Collage and Lithographs, thru March 15. 251 Post St, 415.421.7171, meyerovich.com Newmark Gallery San Francisco Red Sparrow Work by artist Anna Conti, thru March. 251 Post St, Ste 412, 415.392.3692, newmarkgallery.com Paul Thiebaud Painting, Collage, Sculpture Work by artist Matt Bult, thru March 3. Recent paintings by Yaz Krehbiel, thru April 21. 718 Columbus Ave, 415.434.3055, paulthiebaudgallery.com Rena Bransten Gallery Sculptures by artist Joana Vasconcelos, thru April 7. 77 Geary St, 415.982.3292, renabranstengallery.com SF Botanical Garden Botanical Images, A Closer Look Local artist and gardener I’Lee Hooker presents a series of ﬁne art plant scans, which are printed on archival paper, thru March. Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture (SF). 415.661.1316 ext. 303, sfbotanicalgarden.com

MUSEUMS MARIN Bolinas Museum Inverness artist Michael O’Shea’s photo etchings of familiar images with surprising textures are on display, thru March 4 (Bolinas). 415.868.0330, bolinasmuseum.org Marin History Museum Marin’s Own “Daughter of Fortune”: The Life and Adventures of Louise Arner Boyd Join Dawn Laurant, for a compelling presentation of one of Marin County’s true “daughters of fortune.” Louise Arner Boyd chose a life of adventure, somewhat similar to the main character Eliza Sommers in Isabel Allende’s novel. Born to great wealth in San Rafael, Boyd opted out of a traditional privileged lifestyle by following her ambitions to become an arctic explorer. Overcoming the challenges of subzero temperatures, polar bears and rogue icebergs, Boyd led eight arctic expeditions and became the ﬁrst woman to ﬂy over the North Pole, March 27 (San Rafael). 415.454.8538, marinhistory.org

B AY A R E A Asian Art Museum Princes, Palaces and Passion: The Art of India’s Mewar Kingdom In the making for more than eight years, this exhibition features more than 70 artworks, and is the first ever outside India to focus on the arts of the Mewar kingdom, thru April 29 (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org COPIA Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005 This exhibit traces the development of flatware and the dining traditions in the West across five centuries, from the Renaissance to today, thru April 30 (Napa). 888.512.6742, copia.org de Young Vivienne Westwood More than 150 garments and accessories by the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood on display, March 3—June 10 (SF). 415.750.3614, thinker.org di Rosa Preserve Jock McDonald: A Series of Series A showcase of 24 large platinum prints from eight recent photographic series, March 24—May 12 (Napa). 707.226.5991, dirosapreserve.org 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 Beats Per Minute: Contemporary Art Influenced by Folk Art Practices Explore the recent movements in contemporary art that utilize traditional folk art mediums and practices, March 13— April 22 (SF). 415.227.4888, mocfa.org San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design CCA: A Legacy in Studio Glass This exhibition features the work of 33 faculty and alumni of California College of the Arts who have made important contributions to the American studio glass arts movement, thru April 8. 415.773.0303, sfmcd.org SFMOMA Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings Marden’s first U.S. retrospective features more than 100 pieces ranging from the 1960s to the present, thru May 13 (SF). 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org MARINMAGAZINE.COM

YBCA Sensacional! Mexican Street Graphics Explore the vernacular design of comic books, ﬂyers, posters and signs common in Mexico, thru March 4 (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

3350 Sacramento Street

San Francisco California 94118 415 673 8388

CHOISIS

FAMILIES/KIDS MARIN 9 Guest Scientist Day Join a scientist from the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Science for a handson exploration of eelgrass habitats. Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito). 415.339.3900, baykidsmuseum.org

10 Dance Palace Trivia Bee Don’t miss this wild and wacky 12th annual trivia competition. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org

16 Pajama Night Bring the kids for games, pizza and crafts while the parents have an evening off. Doodlebug (San Anselmo). 415.456.5989, doodlebugmarin.com

17 & 18 Bowl for Kids Sake Enjoy pizza

CHOISIS aussi 3615 Sacramento Street

San Francisco California 94118 415 673 8388

and prizes while bowling to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters. This year’s goal is to raise $175,000. No experience is necessary, bring the entire family and go for a strike! Country Club Bowl (San Rafael). 415.453.3800, bfks.org

18 St. Patrick’s Day Get ready for ﬁngerlicking good food at the annual St. Patrick’s Day barbecue. Dance Palace (Point Reyes). 415.663.1075, dancepalace.org BAY AREA 8—June 3 Liminality: Art on the Threshold Large-scale artworks that create a heightened awareness of the architecture within the museum. Visitors are encouraged to think about how the treatment of architecture affects the way we feel within the space. Exploratorium (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu

13 The Wiggles Stretch your imagination and join the Wiggles, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus and Wags the Dog on their tour, Racing to the Rainbow Live. The Paramount Theater (Oakland). 510.625.8497, ticketmaster.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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MARIN MARCH 2007

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EVENTS 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

10 Marin Symphony Join fellow lords and ladies at a royal Renaissance evening to beneﬁt the Marin Symphony. The event will feature dinner, dancing and an enticing auction. Come in your ﬁnest Renaissance attire or stick with the classic black tie. Mill Valley Community Center. 415.479.8100, marinsymphony.org

Thru 24 Pins of Marin Bid on transformed bowling pins at local retailes to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay. Various locations and online (Marin). 415.453.3800, bfks.org

10 V Day Join the worldwide campaign to stop violence against women and children. See The Vagina Monologues with Robin Wright Penn, Nina Wise, Shaun Landry and more. Marin JCC (San Rafael). 415.868.8851

2—8 Becket Peter O’Toole was fresh from

17 Romancing the Island Follow the trail circumnavigating Angel Island in this 12K or 25K run. Angel Island State Park (Tiburon). 415.868.1829, envirosports.com

Tuesdays and Thursdays Doodlebug

his performance in Lawrence of Arabia when cast as 12th-century England’s King Henry II in Becket. Smith Rafael Film Center (San Rafael). 415.454.1222, caﬁlm.org

3 Marin Moonshiners Meet for a hike at The Pelican Inn, then take a break to eat and toast the sunset and full moon. Pelican Inn Pub (Muir Beach). 415.331.0100

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MARIN MARCH 2007

17 St. Patrick’s Day Parade You don’t have to be Irish to take part in this annual celebration. Civic Center Plaza (SF). 415.675.9885, sfstpatricksdayparade.com

21—25 Flower and Garden Show Check out a garden made completely of poisonous

plants or another made with a combination of stone seating, dramatic plants and an ancient wall. Cow Palace (SF). 800.569.2832, gardenshow.com

22—30 Tiburon International Film Festival Over 225 films will be showcased in nine days at this year’s Tiburon International Film Festival. The opening-night gala will be held at the Corinthian Yacht Club following the opening-night film at the Playhouse Theater. The gala will feature a mix of international cuisine and global entertainment. Various venues (Tiburon). 415.381.4123, tiburonfilmfestival.com

23—25 Taste of Asia Inspired by the top cuisine of the Bay Area and the Asian Art Museum’s strong connections in the Asian culinary world. The three-day event features special dishes from San Francisco and Bay Area restaurants; unique Asian entertainment will ﬁll the museum throughout the evening. Tasting seminars will take place at the museum on Saturday and Sunday with culinary experts conducting samplings. Asian Art Museum (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS Ongoing Writing Mamas Salon A warm, encouraging and supportive place for members to talk about motherhood and writing. Well-known authors make special guest appearances; check website for schedules. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 415.927.0960, writingmamas.com 11 Blackie: The Horse Who Stood Still Paige Peterson and Christopher Cerf talk about Blackie, a horse who made standing still a lifelong endeavor, while at the same time becoming a champion rodeo horse, tourist favorite at Yosemite Park and a Tiburon mascot. Book Passage

Don’t

miss the

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

party of the YEaR!

(Corte Madera). 415.927.0960, bookpassage.com

16 TranceDance / Vision Quest Wilbert Alix leads a weekend exploration of healing sounds and rhythms, breathing techniques and innovative sensory deprivation to induce a deep inner journey and spiritual well-being. Mountain Home Studio (Kentﬁeld). 415.381.8683, trancedance.com

26 Anne Lamott This novelist and memoirist of works Plan B and Traveling Mercies, is featured at the City Arts and Lectures event. Herbst Theatre (SF). 415.392.4400, cityboxoffice.com 29 Age Interrupted Lecture Learn about the latest choices in plastic surgery and age-defying procedures at the office of Dr. Kimberly Henry. Medical office (Greenbrae). 415.924.1313

NATURE WALKS/TALKS 31 Flukes & Flippers Spend a day with a naturalist watching for gray whales and

other marine mammals as they pass the Point Reyes Peninsula. This seminar is cosponsored with the Marine Mammal Center (Point Reyes). 415.663.1200, ptreyes.org

RETAIL THERAPY Thru 24 Pins of Marin Over 60 local artists transformed bowling pins for Bowl For Kids’ Sake, a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters. The pins will be in an online auction and available at local retailers. Pins of Marin (Marin). 415.453.3800 ext. 229, bfks.org

17 A La Folie Event The lingerie line Dessous will hold a trunk show at A La Folie’s newest location in Berkeley. The event will feature a fashion show, discounts, sweets, champagne and a lingerie rafﬂe. A La Folie (Berkeley). 510.845.1616, dessousnyc.com.

24 Spring Into Style Don’t miss this fabulous shopping event packed with talented designers and must-haves for spring fashion. Regency Center (SF). appelandfrank.com

Runway 2007 Saturday, April 7

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

County pubic libraries have teamed up with Book Passage, the Marin History Museum, Friends of Libraries and others to promote the reading of Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune. Several events will occur throughout the county at libraries and community centers. Various locations (Marin). 510.839.3100, onebookonemarin.org

Thru April 2 One Book One Marin Marin

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

For ticket information: www.marinadvocates.org or 415.507.0179

MARIN MARCH 2007

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F LAVO R

COMFORT FOOD IN MILL VALLEY Bungalow 44— local favorite BY ERIKA LENKERT PHOTO SASHA GULISH

e may live in a region where the

At first glance the menu seems a gourmet

Halfway through our first meal—and the

latest trendy ingredients and cu-

version of American cuisine’s greatest hits. Order

menu—my party was convinced that executive

linary themes are as ubiquitous

a burger and you’ll get ground Kobe beef—with

chef and partner Robert Price, who also over-

as the Toyota Prius. But it’s nice to know that

truffled fries. Super-crispy and peppery fried

sees the kitchen at the Buckeye, is as skilled

when a craving for American comfort food hits,

chicken with silky mashed potatoes is joined by

now as he was in 1994 when he first won

one of the best places for satisfaction is in our

arugula salad. Saucy and sassy barbecue-spiced

me over at San Francisco’s bygone Rumpus.

own backyard at Mill Valley’s Bungalow 44.

creole shrimp tangles with artichoke heart slices,

Virtually every dish is a hit, and the near-miss-

Tucked into the space best known as the

tiny cubes of andouille sausage, and a block of

es—such as an overly vinegary arugula side

former Avenue Grill, the restaurant is virtual-

creamy grits. Meat loaf, onion rings, Caesar sal-

salad—are trivial enough not to tarnish what

ly two destinations in one. The main area is

ad…they’re all here and done very, very well.

amounts to a very satisfying dining experience.

contemporary and lively with black banquettes

But a closer look proves that the menu

Desserts, such as classic butterscotch pud-

and high-back chairs, an open kitchen shield-

highlights the flavors of not yesterday’s but

ding buried in a pile of whipped cream, are

ed by acoustic panels and frosted glass, and a

today’s America, where international influenc-

tasty, but I can’t help but pine for Price’s famed

jumping bar that continues to hop long after

es are part of the local fabric in the same way

Rumpus finale, the heavenly chocolate brioche.

the tables have been cleared. The adjoining

that Italian-influenced North Beach and exotic

The pudding-like cake moved me to head to

room is whisper quiet with a crackling fire dur-

Chinatown are just as San Franciscan as the

Rumpus regularly and on one occasion plead

ing winter, ambitious artwork, and removable

Marina or Pacific Heights.

for a to-go order when I arrived after the restau-

plastic panels that allow for breezier seating

The integration of more loosely “American”

rant closed. It also prompted Gourmet magazine

during warm weather. Navigated by managing

items is not as much a philosophical issue as

to request the recipe nearly a dozen times—to

partner Peter Schumacher, who holds the same

it is a dilemma for the hungry diner. You may

no avail. Should you book a table at Bungalow

title at sister restaurant Buckeye Roadhouse,

come in with your heart set on an onion rings

44, which I definitely recommend, perhaps you

the two spaces satisfy decidedly opposing at-

starter and braised beef short ribs entrée, but

could do us all a favor and lobby for the famous

mospheres: one for festive diners and imbibers

be easily swayed by a beginning of roasted as-

dessert’s resurrection.

throwing back specialty cocktails and one for

paragus with tomato confit, olives, goat cheese

Bungalow 44, 44 E. Blithedale Ave., Mill

diners who prefer a little peace and quiet with

and parmesan jus followed by creamy Maine

Valley, 415.381.2500; bungalow44.com; entrées

their wine and food.

lobster spaghetti.

$15.50–$25.95, dinner nightly

128

MARIN MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

À LA CARTE VODKA SAVED!

MUCHAS GRACIAS

PARISIANS IN AMERICA

St. Helena’s Marko Karakasevic, who earned

Matthew and Terces Engelhart have brought

Seasoned chefs Peter and Isabel Award,

the title of “Vodka Visionary” from Food &

their popular food-with-gratitude concept to

who recently moved to Marin from Paris,

Wine Magazine a few years back, felt “pret-

Marin County, in the location formerly occu-

have opened up a new spot in the old

ty darn lucky” last January. Just a few days

pied by Dipsea Café and the Flying Pig on

Denny’s on Redwood Highway in Novato.

before the cold snap obliterated this

the Miracle Mile in San Rafael. This is the

They offer American fare in large portions,

year’s citrus harvest in California, he

fourth and latest Café Gratitude, famous for

and the “homemade deserts like crème

picked up 8,000 pounds of Meyer

its well-priced, delicious, organic, raw food,

brûlée and tiramisu are excellent,” says pa-

lemons directly from a grower.

juice bar and good vibe. 2200 Fourth St,

tron Edwige Wagner. 415.898.4233

“We make our citrus-flavored vod-

415.824.4652, cafegratitude.com SICILIAN SENSATION

kas just once a year using 100 percent real fruit,” explained

DIVINO DELIVERS!

Ristorante Mezzo Mezzo has opened at

Karakasevic. “If we’d waited a

Exciting new changes are afoot at the al-

1025 C Street in San Rafael. First-time res-

week, we literally wouldn’t have

ready popular Caffe DiVino in Sausalito. New

taurateur Giovanni De La Renta describes

been able to make our Blood

owner Elizabeth Nebot has hired Tuscan chef

his menu as traditional Sicilian. Offerings

Orange Vodka or Meyer Lemon

Elena Fabbri and has spruced up the menu

include mezzo mezzo carpaccio; salmon,

Vodka this year.” Charbay is

with organic goods from the farmer’s mar-

octopus and shrimp with a pistachio al-

available at many local bars,

ket and Veritable Vegetables. Best yet, they

mond sauce; and sardi mpanati, sardines

restaurants and grocery stores.

offer a free delivery ($10 minimum) within

with sun-dried tomatoes and arugula.

charbay.com

Sausalito from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 415.331.9355

415.459.0330, ristorantemezzomezzo.com

1/2 HORIZONAL

click and be served. ADVERTISER

www.jessieetlaurent.com

We deliver fresh, savory entrées from our kitchen to your door. Visit our web site or call Jessie et Laurent for all of the details.

800-632-5869 San Francisco Peninsula Marin East Bay San Jose Sonoma

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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INSIDER’S GUIDE

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

cabbage chicken salad with peanuts, fresh spring rolls, and combinations of pho are delicious and healthy. 346 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.0288 PACIFIC CATCH Pan-Asian This well-priced fresh grill eatery offers a bounty of Pacific Rim–inspired small or main plates, like the generously portioned wasabi bowls filled with rice (white or brown), veggies and your choice of fresh or raw ﬁsh, chicken or beef. 133 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3474, paciﬁccatch.com

FAIRFAX

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

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

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

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

LA MAISON DE LA REINE Vietnamese A refreshing change amid the plethora of Italian, Mexican and Chinese options in town. The crunchy

SORELLA CAFÉ Italian Not only is the food satisfying and tasty; the service is friendly and the ambience is warm and inviting. A plate of olives

is presented before the meal and a colorful bowl of Gummi Bears is brought out once your dinner plates are cleared—nice touch. 107 Bolinas Rd, 415.258.4520

LARKSPUR LARK CREEK INN American This ﬂagship eatery for the Lark Creek Restaurant Group opened back in 1989 and was hailed by the New York Times as having “the best home cooking you can imagine.” It remains a perennial special occasion spot and is still known for inventive country cooking—as well as a cozy bar scene. 234 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7766, larkcreek.com LEFT BANK RESTAURANT French Known for award-winning French cuisine and its lively brasserie ambience, this corner spot has held court with the locals for well over a decade. Those with a petite appetite/budget can opt for happy hour (4-6 M-F) and enjoy appetizers, all priced under three dollars. 507 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com PICCO California Chef and celebrated restaurateur Bruce Hill deserves the generous accolades he has received for this eclectic shared plate heaven. Dishes like mini-burgers and seasonally driven menu items, along with risotto made every half hour, keep people coming back. The Picco Pizzeria and Wine Bar next door is cozy (not many seats) but already famous for its wood-ﬁred pizzas, great wine selection and soft-serve Straus Family Creamery ice cream. 320 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.0300, restaurantpicco.com

E SCAPE TO A TIME OF GRACIOUS SERVICE AND CHARM

HOTEL WHITCOMB is a landmark piece of early 19th-century architecture and decor located in the heart of San Francisco’s theater and arts district and only minutes from the City’s most famous attractions. • 460 stylish Guest Rooms and 13 Parlor Suites • Enjoy elegant comfort in our Piano Bar and Restaurant • More than 20,000 sq. ft. of Meeting and Event space • Ideal business accommodations with our Internet Cafe, Free wi-fi and on-site Starbucks Call 1-800-227-4747, or visit HotelWhitcomb.com today!

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YANKEE PIER American This family-friendly casual clam shack is harbored in a quaint house built in 1924 as a private residence. Yankee Pier serves fresh seafood delivered daily from both coasts for dishes by renowned chef Anthony Bowman. 286 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7676, yankeepier.com

MILL VALLEY BUCKEYE ROADHOUSE American Oysters Bingo, baby back ribs and chili-lime “brick” chicken are a few of the satisfying, comfort-food-type menu items that have made this classic roadhouse a favorite since the ‘30s. 15 Shoreline Hwy, 415.331.2600, buckeyeroadhouse.com BUNGALOW 44 American Much like sister restaurant Buckeye Roadhouse, Bungalow 44 offers a mean dose of homey carbo- and lipidladen dishes, such as the burger, fried chicken and trufﬂe fries, as well as a few lighter items. The bar is a neighborhood favorite, serving up tasty spirits and eye candy. 44 E. Blithedale Ave, 415.381.2500, bungalow44.com 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 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 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 PIAZZA D’ANGELO Italian It’s always a party at this long-standing hot spot. A great place to meet up with friends for a fresh plate of pasta, zuppa di pesce or pollo novello, or make some new friends at the bar. 22 Miller Ave, 415.388.2000 PIZZA ANTICA Cal/Italian Light and delicious 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 SMALL SHED FLATBREADS California As a slow food chef, Ged Robertson uses only local, mostly organic ingredients. Crowd favorites include the Mt. Tamal-Pie, a delicious fresh salad atop a flatbread. 17 Madrona St, 415.383.4200, smallshed.com THEP LELA Thai This jewel is tucked away in the back of the new Strawberry Village. Diners come for the tasty kee mao noodles, pad thai, fresh rolls and MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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

Hi, I’m Mia. Bryan’s Stunt Double.

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 KITCHEN American Restaurateur Henry Hautau has succeeded in creating an intimate 45-seat restaurant in downtown Novato. Executive chef Jason S. Hoffman, who has worked at Insalatas, Azie and Waterfront, offers items like orange-and-spice scented house brined pork chop and star-anisebraised short ribs. 868 Grant Ave, 415.892.6100, kitchen868.com WILDFOX American Perched on the hillside off Highway 101, this rustic mesquite grill offers a menu full of comfort food and drinks, like the smooth cosmos, and seafood risotto, with bits of butternut squash. 225 Alameda del Prado, 415.883.9125, wildfoxrestaurant.com

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

SAN ANSELMO CUCINA RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR Italian Proprietor Jack Krietzman (also of Paciﬁc Heights’ Jackson Fillmore) has successfully brought Milan to Marin with his 42-seat family restaurant. Relax with a glass of wine and have a slice from the todie-for thin pizzas, which are topped with items like trufﬂe oil and fontina cheese. 510 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.2942 FORK California This intimate spot was awarded a “Top Food in the Bay Area” designation by Zagat for 2007. Opt for the seven-course tasting menu as well as tasty à la carte options, such as seared day boat scallops, warm beet salad and sunchoke risotto. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.453.9898, marinfork.com INSALATA’S Mediterranean Award-winning chef Heidi Insalata Krahling opened her own spot in

Yes, I stand in for Bryan when he is picking up his daughter Maggie from school, napping at home while his wife Cathy is at work, realigning his Chakras when he’s feeling verklempt, or doing whatever he does when he’s not here at Bryan’s being Bryan. Like the real Bryan, however, you can ask me or any other of us stunt Bryans anything you want. Whether its about a cut of meat, what’s in a heat-and-serve meal, a recommendation on a fresh catch – you name it – if Rudy, Leslie, Ohlman, Tony, Irene, Josue, Alison, Isai or I can’t answer your question, its to bed with no dessert for us. So take it from me, Bryan (wink, wink). Come buy everything.

Bryan’s Fine Foods Corte Madera Town Center

927.4488 www.bryansﬁnefoods.com MARIN MARCH 2007

131

San Anselmo back in 1996. Her menu features Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes prepared with local organic produce and artisan meats. 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.457.7700, insalatas.com LOCOCO’S PIZZERIA Italian Worth driving to from all over Marin, and it’s an easy place to meet with friends and family. The pizza crust is divine as is the house salad. 638 San Anselmo Ave, 415.453.1238

SAUSALITO CAFFÉ DIVINO Tuscan Sure, you’ll find great coffee drinks in a funky one-room setting, but locals also come for the tasty pastas and salads cooked by Tuscan born chef-Elana Fabbri. 37 Caledonia St, 415.331.9355, caffedivinosausalito.com GAYLORD INDIA Indian Rated as a “Restaurant of Excellence” by Zagat, Gaylord’s new location in Sausalito also features million-dollar views of San Francisco and the bay. All of the dishes including samosas, curries and tandoori are made with fresh 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, thick bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado, is excellent, which is why this little one-room spot is always bustling. 3001 Bridgeway, 415.331.0390 POGGIO Italian A great place to celebrate a special occasion, or simply enjoy a night out. Executive chef Peter McNee cooks up delicious Northern Italian cuisine using fresh and local ingredients, including produce from the nearby Poggio chef garden. 777 Bridgeway, 415.332.7771, poggiotratoria.com SUSHI RAN Japanese Fresh, innovative small plates are just big enough to share, the traditional sushi is melt-in-your-mouth good and the wine, cocktail and sake lists keep the pickiest barﬂy well satisﬁed. Even the prices don’t deter the herd of sushi enthusiasts, who line up nightly to partake; reservations required in main room. 107 Caledonia St, 415.332.3620, sushiran.com

SAN RAFAEL SABOR OF SPAIN Spanish Named as Best Tapas/ Small Dishes restaurant in Marin by the Paciﬁc Sun in 2006, this bustling corner hot spot with a Spanish-only wine bar is a great place for a date or a big party. 1301 Fourth St, 415.457.8466, saborofspain.com SAN RAFAEL JOE’S Italian Guido and Theresa Farina are now running this Marin institution, which has been famous for serving up sophisticated yet casual Italian fare since 1947. 931 Fourth St, 415.456.2425, srjoes.com S E A F O O D P E D D L E R Seafood Don’t be fooled by the industrial location, the food is 132

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great. Fresh varieties of East and West Coast fish flown in daily. Dine indoors or out, or better yet, rent out the banquet room for a party. 100 Yacht Club Dr, 415.460.6669, seafoodpeddler.com SOL FOOD Puerto Rican With south-of-theborder treats like yellow rice, beans, plantains and authentic Puerto Rican dishes, this tiny one-room eatery on Fourth Street just off Highway 101 can be hard to get into, but worth the wait. 732 Fourth St, 415.451.4765

Furniture Made from Recycled Wood

SUSHI TO DAI FOR Japanese Getting a seat in this popular sushi spot can be a challenge, but patience will be rewarded with tasty and fresh sashimi, unique sushi rolls and great prices. 869 Fourth St, 415.721.0392

TIBURON ROONEY’S CAFÉ & GRILL American If you’re old enough to remember Cheers on prime time, this is your dinner spot. There’s not a long bar, nor a bartender named Sam (he’s across the street); however, there is an undeniable neighborhood feeling 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

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

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

WEST MARIN DRAKES BEACH CAFE Local If you’re OK with the long drive you can’t beat the view and the fresh local ingredients used to make the burgers, salads and soups at this casual spot. 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. 10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.663.9559, theolemainn.com MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline, Angel Island and Tiburon. Since 1976, Gaylord has been rated among the top ten Indian restaurants worldwide. Zagat Restaurant of Excellence.

india

on the

bay

201 Bridgeway, Sausalito, California 94965 (Parking Lot at 2nd & Main Street) (415) 339-0172 • www.gaylords.com MARIN MARCH 2007

133

PINE CONE DINER American Just off the main road, Joannie Kwit, has recreated the ultimate neighborhood diner. Vintage china, homemade curtains compliment the eclectic but homey menu featuring local fare. (Point Reyes Station). 60 Fourth St, 415.663.1536, pineconediner.com

SAN FRANCISCO AME Pan-Asian On the ground ﬂoor of the St. Regis Hotel, Ame Restaurant was designated Best New Restaurant in 2007 by the Zagat guide. Known for raw treatments such as sashimi, crudo, tartare and carpaccio. Dinner only, reservations recommended. 689 Mission St, 415.284.4040, amerestaurant.com BONG SU Vietnamese Brainchild of Tammy Huynh, executive chef and co-owner of the popular Tamarine in Palo Alto. The interior is a mix of the modern and traditional silk, wood and steel elements such as a giant bong su (plumeria), floating orchids in towering glass vases…and possibly the most talked-about design feature, the barely-there hostess uniforms. The restaurant was voted as 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, 415.951.4100 HAR R I S’ R E STAU R ANT Steak House This San Francisco institution has hosted local and international luminaries for nearly a century. Wine Spectator ranked Harris’ as one of the nation’s top ten steak houses. 2100 Van Ness Ave, 415.673.1888 LARK CREEK STEAK Cali/French The most recent addition to Lark Creek Restaurants’ portfolio, this farm-to-table traditional American steak-house offers a boutique approach to the old-time favorites such as a basket of crispy fried Ipswich clams, tartare of beef tenderloin and red-wine-marinated hanger steak. 845 Market St, 4th ﬂoor, 415.593.4100, larkcreek.com MAMACITA Mexican Known for its authentic Mexican cuisine and 100 percent pure agave tequila margaritas, this Marina restaurant has quickly become a local favorite. The citysearch. com audience recently voted the eatery the best Mexican food and bar scene in San Francisco. 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 hand-crafted charcuterie such as salami and prosciutto, 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. 500 Jackson St, 415.955.0663, perbaccosf.com QU I NCE 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 Cypruss Club on Jackson Street. In 2006, SF Chronicle’s Michael Bauer put it on the “must-visit list” and people have obeyed in droves. 500 Jackson St, 415.956.7040, scotthowardsf.com

Call for a Free Estimate • Interior/Exterior (415) 459-3271 • Bonded & Insured • Lic. No. 642695 134

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adl i b

MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UP

Vijaya Jhothi

Dan Thompson

Safronya Retreat, San Rafael

SPG SOLAR, San Rafael

“Safronya Retreat is a wellness spa inspired by

“SPG Solar is Marin’s most experienced devel-

saffron, the most precious herb in the world,” says

oper, designer and installer of high-performance

owner Vijaya Jhothi. “Health is the most precious

solar systems for homes, businesses, and large-

commodity we have; at Safronya, we provide a

scale commercial and government facilities,” says

“We founded Sweet Things bakery 30 years ago,”

sanctuary for discovering your unique needs. We

President Dan Thompson. “SPG Solar was the

note owners Marsha Lasky and Sharon Leach.

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yoga, meditation and cooking demonstrations.”

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cookie and cake shapes for each holiday. Three

At Safronya we believe that when individuals are

Describe your business philosophy.

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Personalization of service is our edge. The Ayurvedic approach we use never sees any two individuals as similar even if they manifest similar symptoms.

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What makes your work worthwhile? My belief that our services can really help individuals lead more balanced lives in today’s world of hectic schedules and demands. Vijaya Jhothi, Safronya Retreat, 523 D St, San Rafael, 415.259.0433, safronya.com

Sweet Things and At Home, Cove Shopping Center, Tiburon

years ago we opened At Home at Sweet Things.

Describe your business philosophy.

What is your competitive edge?

Marsha Lasky and Sharon Leach

What is your competitive edge? We truly care and believe in what we do.

Which service that you offer is your favorite? Our turnkey solar systems—we offer the complete package regardless of size or complexity. From energy analyses, design, installation, system monitoring to post-installation customer care, we make going solar simple.

Five years from now what changes will your business experience? Energy and its sources will develop at a rate we have never seen. We are on the leading edge of renewable energy and its technologies, so in five years, I anticipate a lot of positive and exciting developments in energy. Dan Thompson, SPG Solar, Inc., 863 E. Francisco Blvd, Suite A, San Rafael, 415.459.4201, spgsolar.com

It has unusual home and personal accessories, which we find all around the world.”

Describe your business philosophy. Our goal is to create an inviting environment for us and our customers filled with wonderful desserts and exciting accessories.

What are your thoughts regarding working with a partner? We give the other person “their way”. . . most of the time.

What is your competitive edge? We look for new and beautifully designed merchandise in France, Belgium and Italy or wherever we might be.

What makes your work worthwhile? Our customers love what we do, and we love doing it for them. From the shortbread “hugs and kisses” to the pink-blossomed cupcakes, the “mmmmmmm!” makes it all worthwhile. Marsha Lasky and Sharon Leach, Sweet Things, 415.388.8583 and At Home at Sweet Things, 415.388.8566; 1 Blackfield Dr, Tiburon, sweetthings.com

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Tour Spain Right in Your Own Backyard! Rated #1 Tapas Restaurant & Wine Bar ~ Best Selection of Wines from Spain in the County! • Tapas, Vinos, Paellas • Wine and Gourmet Food Shop • Wine Tastings • Opera and Wine • Live Music & Flamenco • Catering, Banquets • Take-Out

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Educating Children from 2-5 Celebrating Our 15th Year! • Indoor/Outdoor Classroom • Natural Science Program • Spanish and Music • Reggio Emilia Art Studio This Spring

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MARINMAGAZINE.COM

M ICROCL I M ATE

HOUSEBOAT HEAVEN

Sausalito’s floating homes are like no other BY JIM WOOD PHOTOS TIM PORTER

tan Barbarich is frequently asked what it is like to live on a houseboat. “Let me say first,”

he responds politely, “we prefer the term ‘floating home’ rather than ‘houseboat.’” He goes on to explain that boat implies an open-water craft and that “our homes, most of which

weigh hundreds of tons, rarely if ever move.” Barbarich, by the way, is president of Sausalito’s Floating Homes Association. All told, Marin County’s thriving floating community consists of more than 450 homes, about three quarters of whose owners belong to the Floating Homes Association. Local water living is as old as California, dating back to the 1850s, when tidelands could be purchased and held in private ownership. (The only other significant West Coast floating home communities are in Seattle and Portland.) As a result, residents of Sausalito’s five fully permitted floating home marinas—Commodore, Kappas Marina, Yellow Ferry Harbor, Waldo Point Harbor and Varda Landing—have 20-year leases and make monthly payments to various entities, one of which involves the government of Greece. Monthly amounts range from $600 to $900, depending on location. (Actually, most of Sausalito’s floating homes are in unincorporated county land, not within city limits.) “That’s probably the only downside to living in a floating home,” says Barbarich, who lives with wife Sonja on Liberty Dock in the Waldo Point Marina. “You don’t own the mud that’s beneath your home.” Most floating homes sit on cast reinforced concrete hulls that, in many cases, form the lower level of the house. “There are a few Styrofoam floats and even fewer of the old wooden or steel hulls,” says Barbarich, “but

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MARCH 2007

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Top to bottom: Stan and Sonja Barbarich on their deck; kayakers take in the sunset; Amy Pertschuk and Chris Krueger with ﬁve-yearold twins Nicholas and Mia enjoy the ﬂoating home lifestyle.

lending and insuring restrictions have pretty much led to their demise.” Amy Pertschuk and husband Chris Krueger have lived on Liberty Dock for almost ten years. After their five-year-old twins, Nicholas and Mia, were born, they chose to remain in their floating home “so our children would be close to nature and natural surroundings,” Pertschuk says. Indeed. Tied up to the family’s two-bedroom, two-bath two-story home are a Whaler and a pair of kayaks. “When the herring are running, like they are now,” says Pertschuk, “our so-called ‘front yard’ comes alive with ducks, pelicans, herons and egrets.” Young families, however, are more the exception here than the rule. The estimated average age in the community is 48, and around 15 to 20 percent of the residents are retired. “Many artists with studios at home or a nearby waterfront location live here,” says Michele Affronte, a realty agent with Prudential California who’s lived on the water for more than 15 years. Several of Sausalito’s water dwellers are travelers who can easily rent out their homes when they’re away. Prices of floating homes vary considerably. Affronte has listings from $295,000 for a “cozy” one-bedroom, one-bath to $745,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bath with “Ralph Lauren–inspired interior design.” An expected offering she’s excited about has three bedrooms, two baths, approximately 2,500 square feet, and a “nice location with views in every direction.” Affronte holds the record for the highest floating home sale ever: $1,090,000. “That was last summer,” she says. “It had four bedrooms, three baths, a deepwater location, views of the Bay Bridge and San Francisco, hardwood floors, and a stone fireplace—oh, and the kitchen had marble counters, a Viking range and a Sub-Zero refrigerator.” So if you think you know what life in a floating home is really like, think again.

144

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MARCH 2007

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

ESCAPE TO MILL VALLEY!

Elegantly Rustic Retreat

At the base of Mt. Tamalpais, you’ll find total privacy in this irreplaceable Redwood setting. Across from a babbling brook, this completely remodeled home boasts a gourmet kitchen, a luxurious master suite, hardwood floors, lavish landscaping and impeccable attention to detail. This Mill Valley pied à terre is uniquely ideal for indoor/outdoor entertaining and makes for memorable dinner parties and casual get-togethers. Elegantly rustic, friends and family will never want to leave!

Offered at $995,000 MATTHEW POULIOT 415.265.7020 www.PouliotProperties.com ROBERT D. YOUNG 415.407.7775 www.RobertYoungRealEstate.com

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO McGuire Real Estate started back in 1919, when my grandfather Wal ter E . M c Guir e founded the company with a commitment to excellence. In 1997, we expanded our McGuire Family to Marin County; opening in Mill Valley at 1040 Redwood Highway. Proudly this grew McGuire to 5 Bay Area offices. It was a natural move for us. The Marin marketplace encompasses some of the most beautiful and signifi cant real estate in the world. This

McGuire Real Estate

combination of Marin’s breathtaking beauty and McGuire’s values−integrity, knowledge and e x c ep tional s e r v ic e − make f o r an

Spotlight on Mill Valley

unbeatable formula. Here’s why . . . Over the years, many of our competitors have succumbed to or merged with the major conglomerates. But bigger isn’t necessarily better. At McGuire, we recognize the value of maintaining a regional, locally-owned and managed brokerage, providing our clients

lthough new to the management side

beyond approach. Instead of giving clients basic

of the real estate brokerage industry,

printouts about their houses, McGuire provides

Heidi Pay brings a wealth of related

CMAs that are handbound in a cloth book ﬁlled

experience to her new post as vice president and

with detailed analysis and glossy photos.

sales manager of McGuire’s Mill Valley branch.

What the Mill Valley office has not had,

informed service. As a Marin resident myself,

For Pay’s MBA thesis, she created a business

however, is the same level of brand identity the

my family and I live, shop in, and visit the

plan so comprehensive that it secured ﬁnancing

San Francisco offices has experienced. Pay is

same neighborhoods you do.

for the construction of a North Coast hotel

working to change that, and she envisions an

owned by her family. Pay went on to get the

oﬃce that has fully optimized all its resources.

with distinctive, personalized and regionally-

As the real estate industry evolves, McGuire remains responsive and willing to meet every

hotel running and then oversaw its operation.

“That looks like having the office services

new and necessary change. But with these

She has also managed specialty contracting

executed seamlessly,” she says. “It looks like

advances, consumers are inundated with so

companies, personally rehabbed multiple

providing all the agents with all of the support

much data that the human element is more

properties, owned rental properties for the past

and infrastructure they need to do their jobs

important than ever. Our sales associates

15 years, and consulted for a master planning

at the highest level. It looks like excellent

are experts at interpreting the data that

company hand ling architectura l desig n

marketing and a high level of visibility for our

guidelines for properties worldwide.

agents and our clients.”

matters most and then treating you as their ‘knowledge partner’ in the process. We pride ourselves on being here, being accessible, and being good counselors to our clients. I invite you to get to know us−call Heidi Pay, our Marin manager at 383-8500. I know you’ll find that we offer a truly unique experience in such a crowded marketplace. The difference

“It’s a different route,” Pay acknowledges.

In her new role, Pay will ensure McGuire

Yet it’s also a route that has prepared her well

retains its unique position of being an upscale

for this opportunity. In addition to her business

boutique oﬃce that has the resources of a large

development and marketing acumen, Pay has

company. That combination allows agents to

nurtured an understanding of technology and

spend more time interacting with clients and

how best to use it in real estate.

less time dealing with administrative tasks.

between being great and being adequate is

“I bring a fresh perspective on how to shape

Pay will also act as a personal business

walking the walk. I speak for all of McGuire

the Mill Valley oﬃce into what will be a major

co a c h for e a c h a ge nt a nd d e s i g n a n

Real Estate when I say, we walk the walk.

player in Marin,” says Pay, who has owned a

individualized marketing plan. Many real estate

We look forward to hearing from you.

home in the county for 23 years.

agents follow a standardized approach, which

Sincerely,

Like the original San Francisco offices,

doesn’t always ﬁt.

the Mill Valley branch of McGuire has always

“ T he Ma r i n m a rket i s muc h more

provided its clients with stellar service delivered

sophisticated than that,” Pay says. “This is a

Charles Moore

with integrity. Its Comparative Market Analyses

highly astute population that is looking for a

CEO, McGuire Real Estate

are but one tangible example of this above-and-

higher level of service and knowledge.”

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Meet the people who make McGuire a success

Jean O’Korn

Leslie Tognazzini

Mill Valley Office

(415) 389-5644 j okorn@mcguire.com

(415) 389-5634 lstognazzi ni@mcguire.com

ean has been selling real estate in Marin County for over 20 years and has a vast knowledge of the area.

As a McGuire Partner and Top Producer, she is committed to providing every client with caring and professional personal service. The rules she works by: attention to detail, thoughtfulness, excellent negotiation skills, passion for her

ith over 20 years of experience as a Realtor, Leslie brings a great depth of knowledge to her clients, in

addition to providing them a distinctive level of one-on-one service. A native San Franciscan, she currently works with both buyers and sellers in central Marin. Leslie is quick, creative, and will get the job done.

clients’ best interests, and most important of all—living the “Golden Rule.”

Lotte Moore & Sarah Kowalczyk

Arlene Manalo

Mill Valley Office

(415) 383-850 0 lmoore@mcguire.com skowalczyk @mcguire.com

(415) 389-5647 amanalo@mcguire.com

elling distinctive properties from San Francisco to West Marin, Lotte Moore and Sarah Kowalczyk are

your bridge across the bay. Making a forceful real estate team, these two women collectively have over 30 years in sales experience. They make things happen—and dream big. This dynamic duo gives double the service, the energy, and the commitment to the sale or purchase of your home.

rlene has been part of the Mill Valley community as a business owner since 1981 and started in real estate

in 1986. She believes that real estate offers one of the best opportunities for building wealth through appreciation whether for personal residences, income property, or land. To Arlene, real estate truly is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, as well as timing, making the best of market conditions, and being a hardworking, knowledgeable professional who will put in the extra effort to get the best possible deal for her clients.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Meet the people who make McGuire a success

Anna Boucher

Kate McInerny

Mill Valley Office

(415) 389-5645 aboucher@mcguire.com

(415) 389-5641 kmcinerny@mcguire.com

or over 15 years, Anna prides herself on representing, marketing and selling the most distinctive luxury homes

y life in Marin and work as a Realtor blend in so many great ways. Through every aspect of my life

in Marin and San Francisco having sold approximately $22

(neighborhood, schools, affiliations), I meet fascinating

million in property over a 12-month period. Anna focuses her

people, show and sell wonderful properties, and rely on an

energy philanthropically by making contributions in her client’s

exceptional business network. Since 1984, McGuire has

names to their favorite charity or non-profit organization. Anna recently sponsored the Bay Club of Marin’s fundraiser for the Big Brother’s and Big Sister’s Organization. Anna has sold homes through her networking and affiliation with Who’s

been like family to me. From big, heavy MLS books to cell phones and web-based MLS technology, we have “grown up” together!

Who in Luxury Real Estate. See her featured inside back cover of Marin Magazine.

Rich Waters

Don Kaiser

Mill Valley Office

(415) 389-5623 rwaters@mcguire.com

(415) 389-5643 dkaiser@mcguire.com

ich has a wealth of local knowledge, contacts and associations in both Marin and the City, that help to focus

oving to Marin was exciting, but living in Novato has been rewarding. This community has offered me

on the ideal property for you. He welcomes the opportunity

the opportunity to raise two sons, who have gone on to

of meeting with prospective buyers and sellers to be help

complete college and received NCAA sports recognition. The

council and share his experience about Real Estate in Marin.

commitment of the educators and coaches and the entire

His goal is to become a vital link in your success in reaching

city to make this a wonderful place to make a life is what I

a favorable outcome in either the sale or purchase of real

want to extend to my real estate clients. As a Realtor, I can

estate in the Bay Area. It’s the clients that you are privileged

help you find your dream.

to serve that add to the rewards of being a Realtor!

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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

2006 Mill Valley Ofﬁce Top Producer

5 Starbuck Drive, Muir Beach

Judy LeMarr 415-380-4642 jlemarr@fhallen.com www.marindreamhome.com • 5 Bedrooms • 3 Baths • Views of Mt Tam, SF, coastline • Open space views in back • Hardwood ﬂoors, stone ﬁreplace on main level • Large lot

Service

Experience

Results

Offered at $1,399,000

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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MARCH 2007

149

OPES/opés/ • n./latin for wealth

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

(415) 464-9500 Palo Alto • Marin • San Mateo

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

opesadvisors.com

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Stunning Floating Home Contemporary and Cape Cod styles fuse seamlessly together in this exquisite 3 bedroom 2 bath ﬂoating home. Custom designed by the current owner using the ﬁnest quality and craftsmanship. This is a very large home measuring approximately 35 ft wide including the wraparound deck.

Michele Aﬀronte and Gabor Bunda Specializing in Relocation, Marin County Real Estate and Floating Home Sales (415) 798-0236 www.come2marin.com • mgmarin@earthlink.net 221 Caledonia Street, Sausalito, CA 94965

150

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MARCH 2007

The kitchen features a Wolf range and Miele oven. French doors complement the endless water views creating a relaxing atmosphere. The formal dining room faces the dedicated open water berth next to this home. The master bedroom is larger than most oﬀering beautiful water views, a separate dressing area and wall to wall closets. The spa-like master bath is grand and sumptuous. Oﬀered @ $895,000

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

Location, Location, Location THIS GRACIOUS HOME is beautifully situated on one of the most prestigious streets in Belvedere, at the end of the culde-sac. With commanding Bay, Tiburon, Angel Island, and Golden Gate Bridge views, the 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath residence intertwines sophistication with a casual elegance. The property is sited on a street to street lot and is terraced and lushly landscaped with stone steps and pathways that meander through lovely rhododendron, roses, and various cut flower gardens. Featuring: Architectural moldings, hardwood floors, gorgeous windows, view and entertainment decks, patio, beautiful formal living room with fireplace, stunning cook’s kitchen, dreamy master suite, spacious media/family room with fireplace. Excellent schools and easy commute to San Francisco, minutes from the town of Tiburon, close proximity to yacht clubs, shopping and outdoor recreation.

Offered at $5,995,000

Marilyn Rich

415.464.3741 www.MarilynRich.com

Whitney Rich

415.464.3729 wrich@pacunion.com

•

400 Elm Avenue, Larkspur

309 Oakdale, Corte Madera

1065 Meadowsweet, Corte Madera

117 Crescent Road, San Anselmo

JMarin_0307_spread.indd 2

2/5/07 4:50:49 PM

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Development opportunities in Marin Make your dream home a reality —find it on Jimmy’s new website.

Pictured here are just some of our upcoming new listings. Please note all of our current listings at www.JimmyMarin.com.

Log on to www.JimmyMarin.com

REAL ESTATE KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST

Jimmy Wanninger 415.990.8990 24/7 Check out the Mt. Tam Cam at www.JimmyMarin.com

D I A LO GUE

Leigh Glaser

BY MIMI TOWLE

You could live anywhere. Why Marin? I love Marin—the views, open space, rolling hills, and patchwork of quaint little towns . . . it reminds me of my grandmother’s quilt. What makes you happy in Marin? I am happy that we get a little taste of all four seasons here. Rainy winters, warm springs, fog sometimes and hot spells in the summer—it is a perfect climate. What bothers you here? Traffic, traffic, traffic! I’ve lived in Marin for ten years and lately there has been a traffic explosion. If you don’t get errands done before 2 p.m., you’re stuck in traffic. And don’t get me started about the morning commute. What do you value every day? My family and friends. My husband makes me laugh and my daughter is such a treasure. What is your personal idea of luxury? My idea of luxury isn’t really material. To me having your health, a loving home and close friends is priceless. Although a personal shopper wouldn’t be bad. “If it hadn’t been for my love of southern storms, I might have ended up on the Grand Ole Opry,” says Leigh Glaser, veteran meteorologist at KGO-TV. Her late father, Jerry Glaser, cofounded the

What person has inﬂuenced you the most? My mother: a true southern woman. She has taught me grace and humility through her warmth and compassion as well as manners and the importance of nice stationery. E-mails will never take the place of thank-you notes.

Country Music Association and owned country music radio stations throughout the South. “I remember Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash coming to the house and singing in the backyard. That’s what

What has been the most fulﬁlling moment in your work? Now. I can truly say after all this time I still love my job.

it was like growing up in Nashville,” she says. Like her father, Glaser went into broadcasting—but a fascination with the weather, not warbling, wound up shaping this southern gal’s media career. Glaser had already worked as a weather forecaster and reporter in Durham, North Carolina, Seattle and Los Angeles before landing at

What’s your desert island book or album? Right now I am trying to get through How to Deal with the Terrible Twos and How to PottyTrain in One Day—so if I’m successful with these books I might ﬁnd time for a little light reading for myself. By the way, any advice in those areas would be appreciated.

KGO-TV in 1991. (Along with her weather forecasting, these days she’s also a live reporter for KGO-TV’s new afternoon show View from the Bay.) An early champion of the environmental movement, Glaser and her producer Penelope Dunham tackled topics like emission controls,

What’s your favorite place to unwind? Well, if you ask my husband he’d say, “Leigh never unwinds.” I love being at home with family and friends or just by myself. I am away from home so much that when I get the chance to “hang” around the house . . . I hang. And love it.

Superfund cleanup sites and the spotted owl, efforts that earned her a spot on the Washington, D.C.–based Environmental Advisory Board for the National Radio and Television News Directors Association. A full career meant little time for a personal life, but that changed in 1999, when her boss set her up on a blind dinner date. At Servino’s in Tiburon, she met Napa native Ashton Wolfson; the connection blossomed into a marriage, and now they have a beautiful two-year-old daughter, Alexandra Leigh Wolfson, aka “Lexi Leigh.” All in all, it’s probably best predicting storms won out over country crooning, she says—especially since “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” 154

MARIN

MARCH 2007

Do you have a favorite Marin view? Atop the Miwok Trail on Mount Tam, looking down over the Paciﬁc Ocean. It takes a while to hike to the top but the view is worth it. It takes my breath away. What do you like about yourself? That no matter the situation . . . I have a plan. Since I’m a working mother, plan B or C is often the course I take. I’ve learned to be ﬂexible. How do you want to be remembered? As a loving wife and mother. I hope my daughter will cherish our time together as I have with my mother.

MARINMAGAZINE.COM

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