Issuu

life The Flight Brigade

At Novato’s Gnoss Field, every hangar

story jim wood photos tim porter

Shot on location at Gnoss Field in Novato.

editor somer ﬂ aherty photos sasha gulish

home Mind Over Meter

Engineer’s

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Departments

letters

Readers respond to Marin Magazine.

at a glance

Hot tips day by day for the Bay Area.

currents

Local people, events and happenings. by somer ﬂaherty

travel buzz

Roaming for sojourn deals and tips. by mimi towle

fashion trends

A golden opportunity for fall. by somer ﬂaherty

life style

Tiburon’s Christina Hansen on her personal path. by somer ﬂaherty

fyi

Community: Project Grace. by jim wood

Causes: Local designers give back for cancer. by somer ﬂaherty

Fashion: Fashions for fall season. by somer ﬂaherty

Decor: Back-to-school in style. by somer ﬂaherty

Education: Cost to educate a child. by tim porter

The Cover Flirtations, by Marin photographer Sasha Gulish. To see more of her work visit sashagulish.com, or to purchase a print go to marinmagazine.com/coverart.

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Departments

conversation

Two college students discuss the future.

Readers share their Hawaiian vacation memories.

galleries

Robert Green Fine Arts, Hespe Gallery, Gallery 291, Robert Allen Fine Art.

calendar

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

snapshots

Out and about, in and around Marin.

dine

Dine Out, an insider’s guide to Bay Area eateries.

microclimate

San Anselmo: the town that keeps on clicking. by jim wood

dialogue

Jeff Clarke, CEO of KQED. by mimi towle

Columns

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view from mount tam

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

pov

California Crisis. by jim wood

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Biennial 2009

September 5 th to November 29 th

Located just steps away from the historic Sonoma Plaza, SVMA presents professionally-curated exhibitions of diverse works by local, national and international artists, on loan from private collections, artists studios, museums and other prestigious sources.

551 Broadway, Sonoma, CA, 707-939-7862 www.svma.org

Open Wednesdays through Sundays: 11am to 5pm

see more at the

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nikki Wood ext 105 | nwood@marinmagazine.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jim Wood ext 106 | jwood@marinmagazine.com

SENIOR 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

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Daniel Jewett ext 116 | djewett@marinmagazine.com

COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER Cynthia Rubin

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS P. J. Bremier, Ian Charles, Anne Crump Ray

ART

ART DIRECTOR Anne Walzer

PRODUCTION MANAGER Alex French ext 111 | production@marinmagazine.com

PRODUCTION ARTIST Stephen Spoja

INTERNS Austin Geidt, Danielle Goodman

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Drew Altizer, Sheri Montgomery, Barbara Ries

ADMINISTRATION

CONTROLLER Maeve Walsh ext 104 | mwalsh@marinmagazine.com

OFFICE MANAGER Linda Reid ext 100 | lreid@marinmagazine.com

WEB

WEB EDITOR Daniel Jewett ext 116 | djewett@marinmagazine.com

Volume 5, Issue 9. Marin Magazine is published in Marin County by Marin Magazine LLC. All rights reserved. Copyright©2009. 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 $12 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.

SHOP BRILLIANTLY. AMERICAN APPAREL, ANN TAYLOR FACTORY STORE, BCBGMAXAZRIA, COLE HAAN, CONVERSE, CROCS. FOUR AREA LOCATIONS. GAP OUTLET, GUESS, J.CREW, KENNETH COLE, LUCKY BRAND, NIKE, NINE WEST, POLO RALPH LAUREN FACTORY STORE, PUMA, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE OFF 5TH AND MORE. * SAVINGSOF25% TO65% EVERY DAY.

LEGENDARY BRANDS. ABUNDANT SELECTION. REAL SAVINGS.

Haute Hippie • Elizabeth & James Catherine Malandrino • Tibi • Trina Turk

Rebecca Taylor • Rozae Nichols • Inhabit • Velvet

Graham & Spencer • Theory • Sanctuary

Nanette Lepore • Citizens of Humanity • Joie 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent • Kathy Kamei and SO much more

PUBLISHER Lisa Shanower ext 107 | lshanower@marinmagazine.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Michele Geoffrion Johnson ext 110 | mjohnson@marinmagazine.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER Leah Bronson ext 109 | lbronson@marinmagazine.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER Stephanie Ericson ext 108 | sericson@marinmagazine.com

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Alex French ext 111 | production@marinmagazine.com

PUBLISHER Lisa Shanower ext 107 | lshanower@marinmagazine.com

Ease your mind. Open your heart.

Spirit Rock oﬀers a tranquil setting in the rolling hills of west Marin where you can calm your mind and rediscover your natural compassion and good will. We oﬀer retreats, classes, one-day and evening programs rooted in the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition. We actively celebrate diversity and welcome people from all backgrounds.

U PCOMING P ROGRAMS

Saturday, September 5

Meditation and Sacred Dance with Donald Rothberg and Heather Munro Pierce

Reconnect to the moment through meditation and dance

Saturday, September 12

Embracing the Nature of Rage ~ A Day for Women with Ruth King Harness and transform the energy of rage

Saturday, September 19

Introduction to Mindfulness with Howard Cohn

A day of meditation instruction and teachings

Saturday, September 26

Power and Leadership with Phillip Moﬃtt

Finding wisdom and balance in the face of pressure

Every Monday Night at Spirit Rock

A popular evening of meditation, inspiring words and friends

GNOSS FIELD, MARIN COUNTY’S AIRPORT, sits just off the freeway on the north end of Novato, seen by passing motorists as a curious collection of distant buildings and an occasional plane landing or taking off. But for more than 50 years, Gnoss has provided a home ﬁeld to local pilots of all stripes—amateurs, pros and the occasional aviation adventurer. We spent a few days at Gnoss and returned with two features—“The Flight Brigade,” the story of the ﬁeld and its pilots; and Fall Fashion, a pictorial that we hope makes your sartorial senses soar.

Somer Flaherty, our departments editor, had a busy month. Not only did she ride herd on the fashion photo shoot, she also pulled together packages this month on gold jewelry (Fashion Trends) and back-to-school style and clothes (FYI Decor and FYI Kids).

There’s another 50th anniversary this year—Hawaiian statehood—and Mimi Towle joins the celebration with “Marin Mo’olelo” in GO, an entertaining scrapbook of vintage photos featuring the Hawaiian memories of locals with

aloha connections, including Supervisor Hal Brown, conservationist Dr. Marty Grifﬁn of Tiburon, and our own regular contributor P . J. Bremier (whose Home story this month, “Mind Over Meter,” takes you inside an engineer’s “off-thecharts” green home in Tiburon).

Also in this issue, in FYI Education, Tim Porter brings the school ﬁnancing picture down to the cost of a single student; Conversation discusses the future with Marin collegians Adam Joseph and Tatiana Huezo; FYI Community reports on Project Grace, a Sausalito program that helps families cope with grief; Life Style highlights Tiburon architect Christina Hansen; and Microclimate visits the leafy streets of San Anselmo.

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

Lisa Shanower, Publisher

Nikki Wood, Editorial Director

Jim Wood, Executive Editor

Readers respond

❯❯ DUI repercussions

Regarding August POV: I greatly enjoyed Jim Wood’s column. I agree totally with his main point, but I’d like to add a perspective. I served as a juror on a very similar case a few years ago (a young man accused of driving under the inﬂuence of alcohol and marijuana). Serving on a criminal jury (hopefully) really brings home the concepts of “innocent until proven guilty” and “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” In our case, most of us felt the young man was probably not innocent, but the prosecution didn’t prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. However, one woman was holding out. At one point she said, “I just can’t convince myself he’s innocent.” I gently reminded her that the defense didn’t have to prove innocence; the prosecution had to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The light bulb went on, and she voted “not guilty.” It sounds like there is no way, given the facts in this case, that the jury should not have found the defendant not guilty. It sounds like six of the jurors were “unclear on the concept.”

Paul Brenner, Ross

Thanks for your August POV—as always so interesting and on point. I agree with Jim Wood. With dollars so short, what a waste of funds. What can we do to change this?

Nancy Morris, via e-mail

I was wide-eyed with amazement reading Marin’s August POV. I was in a similar jury pool and found it very enlightening to be instructed to separate our prejudices from the facts of the case and left pretty impressed with the jury selection process even for a relatively small case such as this one.

The question Jim Wood asked was whether the laws in Marin are too tough? Sorry to be such a fuss budget, but I don’t think I’d want to be driving behind someone at night with my daughter in the car on Route 37 under the conditions the defendant put himself in that night. Having a few drinks is one thing; smoking marijuana and drinking and speeding suggest a combination to me that isn’t safe. I would prefer he had to think next time about the consequences of his actions in our county, slow down, and smoke his joint when he got home.

Elaine Vaughan, via e-mail

❯❯ Marine Mammal Center

Regarding “Pinniped Paradise” (August 2009), those seals (sea lions?) are adorable! Thanks for shedding light on the center!

Mary Winthrop, Fairfax

❯❯ Editors’ Choice Awards

What a brilliant idea to name the top five places in each town! Loved reading through the issue and about each town—especially appreciated the nod for putting Bungalow 44 in Mill Valley’s top list, what a great honor!

Peter Schumacher, Mill Valley

Thanks for sharing the little facts about each of the towns in the Editors’ Choice Awards. Who knew that you pronounced the ‘G’ in Gnoss Field, I’ve been saying it wrong for years; or the history of Larky the Larkspur Library mascot? And I’m not sure if I can get used to pronouncing Nicasio “Nee-cash-oh” but keep the facts coming!

Jessie P . Daniels, San Rafael

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 jwood@marinmagazine.com.

California’s Crisis

What went wrong? Where and when?

“CALIFORNIA IS EFFECTIVELY BANKRUPT,”

writes Mort Zuckerman in a recent issue of U.S. News and World Report. In July, the director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy tells the New York Times, “California is now the state that can’t.” A week later, a columnist in the Financial Times, the staid international business publication, declares, “California’s laws are shaped by plebiscites to a degree unmatched outside of Venezuela.”

When and where did California go so wrong? In addition, what can be done to make it right? I took these questions to Marin state Senator Mark Leno (D–San Francisco).

“In February of this year, we passed our ’09-10 budget; it was the earliest in the state’s history and it was balanced,” Leno says. “Since then, our revenue has fallen from last year’s $101 billion to $77 billion this year; that’s a drop of 25 percent of revenue—it just evaporated.” In all, says Leno, the Legislature has “resolved” a $60 billion budget deficit. “In February, it was $36 billion and now another $24 billion. That’s historically unprecedented:

BY JIM WOOD

it’s just a huge sum of money considering our entire budget totals about $85 billion.

“There isn’t just one thing,” says Leno. “Rather, it’s a combination of many things that got California into its current predicament.”

For starters, he cites Proposition 13, an antitax measure approved by voters more than 30 years ago. “Its impetus was that escalating taxes were causing seniors to lose their homes,” says Leno; “however, it limited taxes on commercial properties as well.” As a result, he now feels “homeowners are ‘subsidizing’ the taxes of commercial property owners whose buildings, which don’t turn over as often, are way under-assessed.”

Leno points out that when Prop. 13 passed, property taxes, income taxes and sales taxes each provided a third of California’s revenue stream. “Currently, however, as a result of Prop. 13, property taxes have fallen from that one-third formula and the state is overly dependent on income taxes, which are volatile, as we’re presently experiencing.” Corporate income and capital gains taxes have also fallen precipitously, Leno says. “Few states have such a small amount coming from property taxes as we do.”

A second cause of California’s cash catastrophe, says Leno, is Gov. Schwarzenegger’s abolishment of the state vehicle license fee. “The governor came to Sacramento chanting, ‘Let’s cut up the credit cards.’ Instead, what he did was cut the state’s vehicle license fee and, in essence, create a new spending program. That’s because the state’s general fund had to continue paying these fees to the cities and counties in order to keep them whole—and now that has cost the state $35 billion since

the governor took ofﬁce. That’s been a huge burden, and the governor now knows it.”

A third reason for California’s crisis, Leno says, is the ever-increasing costs of the state’s Department of Corrections. “One example is our ‘three strikes law,’ ” he says. “We’re the only state not requiring a serious or violent felony conviction as a third crime—this means stealing a bike from a garage can result in a life sentence.” In making his point, Leno points out “it costs $49,000 a year to house a prisoner; because of health care costs, that amount doubles at age 50 and triples at age 60.”

Admittedly at times discouraged, Leno volunteers a fourth cause of California’s calamity: “And then in 1996, term limits took effect,” he says. “So now we have even-less-experienced legislators making all these decisions.”

As California’s possible way out, Leno points to the levying of an oil severance tax—“22 states in the country currently tax those who extract oil from their lands”; altering Prop. 13 and allowing commercial properties to be reassessed—“that alone would result in $3 or $4 billion of revenue a year”; and lowering the threshold to pass the budget to a majority, rather than a two-thirds vote of the legislature— “this is a key reform needed in California.”

As for a key component of change in California, Leno points toward November 2010. “For our next governor we need someone who’ll speak honestly to the voters—and that is politically risky, but it must be done. We also need a good administrator, someone who can root out the waste, fraud and abuse we all know is there.” That deﬁnitely sums up my point of view. What about you?

E-mail jwood@marinmagazine.com.

SEPTEMBER 4–7

Sausalito Art Festival

View more than 20,000 original works from nearly 300 top-quality U.S. artists at this always-popular 57th annual event. Marinship Park (Sausalito). 866.468.3555, sausalitoartfestival.com

SEPTEMBER 19-20

Mill Valley

Fall Arts Festival

The 53rd annual event attracts artists from all across the U.S. The festival also features music, children’s activities and delicious food. Old Mill Park (Mill Valley). 415.381.8090, mvfaf.org

SEPTEMBER 7

Labor Day

Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894, two days after the May Day riots of the same year. This “day off for the working citizen” is a great time to pull out the barbecue and relax with family.

SEPTEMBER 11

Marin Jewelers Guild

See some rare birds as the guild kicks off a sales event in support of WildCare. Reception is Sept. 11 but the event runs Sept. 6–Oct. 3. Marin Jewelers Guild (San Rafael). 415.454.2711, marinjewelersguild.com

SEPTEMBER 15

Sugar Ray

The Southern California–based popsters fronted by former Extra host Mark McGrath come to San Francisco. This concert is sure to be a “fly” time. Regency Ballroom (SF). 800.745.3000, goldenvoice.com

SEPTEMBER 26

Guide Dogs for the Blind Gala

Enjoy a gourmet dinner and wine tasting benefiting Guide Dogs for the Blind and featuring Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Carriage House (Napa). 800.295.4050, guidedogs.com

SEPTEMBER 12

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 9

SF Symphony

Opening Night Gala

Michael Tilson Thomas and the SF Symphony kick off the 2009 season with an opening gala concert featuring classical music sensation Lang Lang. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.503.5500, sfsymphony.org

Great American Blues and Barbecue

More than 10 barbecue masters are joined by musical acts such as Austin de Lone’s Blues Band, the Delta Wires and the J.C. Smith Band at this fourth annual event. Fourth St (San Rafael). 415.383.3470, teamproevent.com

SEPTEMBER 25

Virsky

Live from Kyiv, the acclaimed 85-member Ukrainian National Dance Company will light up the stage with color and dance. Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6400, marincenter.org

SEPTEMBER 26

Sausalito Floating Homes Tour

Take a self-guided tour of 20 decidedly unique homes and learn about waterfront lifestyle. Kappas Marina (Sausalito). 415.332.1916, floatinghomes.org

SEPTEMBER 26

Blackie’s Hay Day

Take the kids out for a day of activities including pony rides, a rock climbing wall, reptile zoo and a petting zoo. Children who bring a book to donate get in free. Blackie’s Pasture (Tiburon). blackieshayday.com

Announcing 2009-10 Subscription Season

The Season of the Scribe

Alasdair Neale Music Director

A season celebrating the role of music in the lives and inspirations of writers. Hear their stories and the music that moves them.

MSMarin Symphony

Chapter 1

October 4 & 6

Playing the Grooves off Gershwin

Pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi performs in an all-Gershwin program including Cuban Overture, An American In Paris, Rhapsody in Blue and more.

Chapter 2

November 1 & 3

Chapter 3

January 31 & February 2

18th Century Splendor and Elegance

Violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn returns to perform Vivaldi's The Four Seasons; Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor.

The Bridge Between Here and Beyond

Hear the heavenly beauty of Mozart's Requiem, performed by the Marin Symphony Chorus, and Brahms' Violin Concerto, performed by Vadim Gluzman

Chapter 4

February 28 & March 2

Four Score and Seven Years Ago

Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait hallows the words of Abraham Lincoln; Debussy's Pr élude à “L’après-midi d’un faune” and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor.

Chapter 5

April 11 & 13

Magnum Opus, Magnificent Epics

World premiere of Magnum Opus-commissioned song cycle by David Carlson and librettist Susan Kinsolving; Barber and Wagner. Christine Brewer sings "Prelude and Liebestod" from Tristan and Isolde

“...on a very American note, I love Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.”

“There’s an inevitability and truth to a beautiful sentence or brilliant musicalphrase.”

“Great poetry, like great music, calls into question no less than everything.”

“When I was a moody, heartsick adolescent, I fell in love with Debussy’s ‘Afternoon of a Faun...’”

“The joys and challenges of collaboration have expanded with this new song cycle for Christine Brewer.”

All concerts at 7:30pm at Marin Center, San Rafael. Featured writers join Maestro Neale for his free pre-concert talk, 6:30-7pm before each performance.

Keisuke Nakagoshi

Elizabeth Pitcairn

Vadim Gluzman

Christine Brewer

Abraham Lincoln

Tobias Wolff

Barbara Quick

Roger Housden

Jane Anderson

Susan Kinsolving

FARM FOR ALL!

With inspiration from Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma,Tara Smith left a job in the insurance industry, bought a 234-acre plot of property with her hus-

the public to Tara Firma Farms, where you can go on a hike, fish in the pond, meet the animals, have a picnic and pick up chicken, pork, beef, honey and vegetables to take home. Tours are on Sunday at 10 a.m.; call to RSVP: 707.765.1202,

u irma e rk, e 1202, tarafirmafarms.com

Eat In

The Child Nutrition Act is up for renewal this month, and local slow food advocates like Hilary Jeffris are encouraging the public to get involved. The suggestion is to raise the federal funding for the school lunch program from $2.57 to $3.57 per child per day. Slow Food’s vision is that people will organize Eat-Ins across the country. Jeffris has organzied a Mill Valley Eat-In on September 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Boyle Park. “It’s a family oriented, public potluck,“ she says, “so tell your friends and don’t forget to bring a dish to share.” E-mail millvalleyeatin@gmail.com for more info.

UPDATE: GARA DIMA

Emebet Billingham has recently returned from Ethiopia, where her group, the World Family, is creating a community center for the village of Gara Dima.

“We worked with the Ethiopian staff on a program implementation plan to create economic strength through skill training, income generating activities and micro credit,” says Billingham. theworldfamily.org

GOLD IN TIBURON

Sign up now to swim next to (or behind) Tiburon resident and U.S. Olympian Erik Vendt, at this year’s RCP Tiburon Mile Open Water Swim on September 13, 2009. Vendt most recently was a member, along with Michael Phelps, of the 800 Free Relay gold medal–winning team at the 2008 Olympics. rcptiburonmile.com

SEPTEMBER’S HONOR ROLL

• West Marin community radio station KWMR is receiving almost $32,000 in grants for local service and efﬁciency thanks to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. • Over at WildCare, naturalist, illustrator, artist and educator John Muir Laws is the 2009 Terwilliger Environmental Award winner. • In Ross, teen Erin Shroed (pictured), one of the founding members of Teens Turning Green, has a little extra cash in her pocket thanks to her recent $36,000 2009 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam award in acknowledgement of her visionary leadership and outstanding service to the community. The money can be used for her college education or toward furthering her community service activities.

travel buzz

Head North, Keep on Going

BE THE FIRST IN MARIN to experience The Allison Inn & Spa in Oregon’s famed wine country’s Willamette Valley. Of special interest to Marin readers: both the general manager, Pierre Zreik, above left, and executive chef Nathan Lockwood hail from our great county. Zreik opened Sausalito’s Cavallo Point as the GM until moving north, and Lockwood’s latest post was at Fork, as executive chef.

Billed as the only luxury resort and spa in this burgeoning wine country it is a short drive from Portland, or a long (but scenic) drive from Marin County. There you’ll find 85 luxury guest rooms and suites with gas fireplaces, a signature restaurant featuring Oregon wine country cuisine and a pampering spa with 12 treatment rooms, a fitness studio and swimming pool. 503.554.2525, theallison.com

New digs in L.A.! Enjoy the recently opened Andaz West Hollywood and get all the area’s insider tips on what’s cool on the Sunset Strip and beyond. With this package, you’ll receive two pairs of Von Zipper sunglasses, daily breakfast for two and a personal cocktail lesson. Starting at $380. 323.656.1234, westhollywood.hyatt.com

Fall is a great time to visit Yosemite, and park-adjacent Evergreen Lodge offers a bevy of packages starting on Sept. 11: a bike-to-waterfalls package, including lodging, bike tours and meals ($275 a night); an ultimate getaway, including two massages, three-course dinner and breakfast ($430 a night); as well as a company meeting and retreat discount. 209.379.2606, evergreenlodge.com/fallpackages

TENT-SIDE PIZZA DELIVERY!

Get away from it all—but still have pizza delivered! Many of the state’s campgrounds and RV parks serve up coffee, tea and pancake breakfasts, while others have developed full-service restaurants with everything from pizza to smoked and barbecued salmon. Heading to Santa Cruz’s La Selva Beach Park? Count on fresh pizza delivery as well as a traveling hot dog cart. For a list of who serves what, check out camp-california.com

As if

you need an excuse to visit the 250-room oceanfront resort Montage Laguna Beach, recent recipient of 2009 Mobil ﬁve-star award for both the on-site spa and formal dining room, Studio: this month, the resort’s team of sommeliers has created unique events for the ongoing Artistry of Wine Series, which takes place Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Start off with discussions on organic and biodynamic vineyards on the 13th; the 20th focuses on “rain shadow” wine-growing regions around the globe; and a toast to “maverick” winemakers including: Gaston and Serge Hochar from Château Musar, Lebanon, Rene and Jean-François Rougier from Château Simone, France, and Eric Glomski of Caduceus in Arizona. montagelagunabeach.com

Rich golden tones take center stage as designers unveil a fascination for all that glitters SOMER FLAHERTY

a golden opportunity for fall

1 Pink, lemon, orange, sage and cinnamon-colored diamond band by Kathleen Dughi Jeweler, $24,900 at Kathleen Dughi Jeweler (Mill Valley). 415.383.0462, kathleendughi.com 2 33.03-carat cabochon-cut yellow beryl and diamond necklace by Stephan Hill, $15,000 at Stephan Hill Jewelers (San Rafael). 415.459.5808, stephanhill.com 3 18-carat yellow and rose gold ring with 71 carats of bezel-set diamonds by Elliot Chandler, $3,206 at Johann Paul Jewelers (Greenbrae). 415.461.1866, johannpauljeweler.com 4 Ruby, sapphire and diamond bangles of solid hammered gold. From $500 to $3,900 at Alix and Company (Mill Valley). 415.380.0880, alixandcompany.com 5 A 32.5-inch strand of 76 South Sea Golden Pearls by Janet Deleuse, $82,500 at Deleuse Jewelers. Custom pearl ring with yellow, golden and orange sapphires by Schoeffel Pearls, $9,500 at Deleuse Jewelers (Tiburon). 415.435.2484, deleusejewelers.com 6 Cognac pear-shaped diamond ring, $2,040; round brilliant natural champagne-color diamond ring, $2,000; natural cognac calf’s-head-cut ring, $2,240; natural champagne-color pearshaped diamond ring, $2,120 at Union Street Goldsmith (SF). 415.776.8048, unionstreetgoldsmith.com

name: CHRISTINA D. HANSEN home: TIBURON occupation: BUILDING DESIGNER / DESIGN CONSULTANT

lifestyle

Just before moving back to Marin from New York, building designer Christina Hansen had a lucid dream. In it, she observed the peaceful view she had enjoyed while growing up in Tiburon— that of Raccoon Strait protected by Angel Island. The island started sinking into the bay until it disappeared. There she was, in a very familiar place but with an altered view—no island, an expansive bay, another bridge, and a breeze. She says it was a fitting way to describe the adjustment needed on her return—same relative place, different perspective and more transparency. The Branson and UC Berkeley Architecture graduate has worked on the expansion for the Cleveland Museum of Art, a luxury residential project in Uruguay, historic landmark restorations and aims to have her practice grow into a think-tank group focused on high design. — S.F.

Describe your personal style. In pursuit of authenticity. Minimal yet warm. Expressive yet simple. Tailored yet tasteful. I’m a bit of a chameleon actually so it changes with context.

What advice do you have for young future architects? Stay focused. Be prepared to work hard. Engage with others and pay attention to interests besides the doings of other architects. Watch children in a new space. Allow your tastes to evolve. Safeguard your expression. Value integrity.

What was your most complicated project to complete? The one drenched in politics just after 9 / 11 in New York. I was project manager on a series of very large public preservation projects for the Department of Design and Construction, rehabilitating armories. Thankfully the funding was already in place, but it was a challenging environment nevertheless. At times it was tricky being a young professional woman pulling the teeth of high-powered men in suits. The completed projects were an achievement at a unique time.

How is architecture in the Bay Area different than in other parts of the United States? Architecture here is eclectic and a little sentimental.

Who are some of your design influences?

The list may include Franz Liszt, Oscar Niemeyer, Shigeru Ban, Gerhard Richter, Jean-Luc Godard, Merce Cunningham, Björk, Roger Waters, Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Ove Arup, James Turrell, Édith Piaf, Orson Welles…these people seem to have a sense of clarity. Then of course there is my family and close circle of friends.

What are you hoping to accomplish in the next five years? Five years isn’t very long. It would be satisfying to complete a couple of new construction projects in which my values are expressed and trust is earned within the local industry. I also hope to gather momentum on an investor pool for a new think-tank group focused on high-end design solutions.

Your family is first-generation American. How does that affect your perspective? I resolved when I was young that I had carte blanche to make up my own mind about things. That’s very American, right? I was raised with a European sense of discipline and value for traditions but also taught to try to do something meaningful with my life.

Do your other loves—short films and music—influence your design sense? Yes, absolutely. I’m interested in a good concept and integrity in the execution of that concept. It really doesn’t matter much to me what the medium is as long as something provocative is unraveling.

Where do you love to eat in Marin? I tend to indulge in the fabulous heavier savory side when going out…put a big grin on my face with a Beef Wellington at the Pelican Inn! Classic, delicious!

How do you spend your weekends? In the summer, sailing on a 505 dinghy on the bay with the spinnaker up hooked onto the trapeze wire skipping off waves—hanging on for dear life somewhere in between hysterically laughing and desperately crying.

INSPIRED BY WHERE WE LIVE

Project GRACE

HELPING OTHERS HEALS THE PAIN OF LOSING A CHILD

by jim wood

MANY SAY THE DEATH OF A CHILD IS THE WORST LOSS ANY PARENT CAN EXPERIENCE A part of you is gone, a loving aspect of life that will never, ever return. Parents are not supposed to outlive their children—yet sometimes that happens. And when it happens, two Marin mothers, Catherine Bowen Stern and Carole Mahoney, are available with a concept they believe will help ease the pain. It’s called Project Grace.

“The grief softens over time,” says Michelle Miller, “but it never goes away.” Poignantly, she adds, “I wouldn’t want it to go away; that’s all I have of Carolyn.” Eight years ago this month, while playing with her dad and brother on a

The only thing we killed during this photo shoot were a few hunger pains. Once you’ve tasted salad greens fresh from the field, you can never go back. Want to learn more? Start at one of the places where organic farming in Northern California first put down roots. In 1982, Fiddler’s Green became the first certified organic farm in the Capay Valley.

Come meet farmer Jim Eldon at the Marin Farmers Markets and hear stories of organic farming’s past, where it is now, and what its future holds. Just be sure to try some of Jim’s various exotic greens while you’re chatting. They’re as fresh as you can get. No pesticides. No middlemen. And no worries.

desolate Point Reyes beach, Carolyn, then eight years old, was swept to her death by a rogue wave. “Over time, my grief has taken a different form,” Miller says, “but the healing will be a lifelong process.”

As part of that process, on September 27th Miller and six other Marin moms who’ve lost children will fly to Bucerias, Mexico, and involve themselves in the lives of children living in an orphanage and those inhabiting the local dump. “The purpose of the trip is to get a grieving mother away from the environment that has isolated her,” says Mahoney. “Each mom will be honoring the memory of her lost child— and they all know that in helping others they will actually be helping themselves.”

“Personally, I’m looking forward to ‘getting out of myself,’” Miller says, “and realizing once again that everybody suffers.” The journey will cost each parent $1,000 (airfares not included) with a few “scholarships” available for those who can’t meet that expense. An earlier trip to Phoenix occurred in May and a Project Grace journey, in conjunction with Seeds of Learning, to Nicaragua in June 2010 will not only be open to bereaved moms but fathers, grandparents, siblings and, according to Mahoney, “anyone else who’d like to honor a loved one by serving a community in need.”

Project Grace was named to honor the daughter of San Francisco’s Anne Magill, who was lost to suicide. The project is a program of Sausalito-based CorStone, an international organization that aims to provide emotional support for dealing with conflict and crisis. Other participants have lost children to pediatric cancer, automobile accidents and heart disease. As for cofounders and directors Mahoney and Stern, their inspiration for starting the project came from seeing the film Motherland, which explores the idea of finding healing though service to others. On Wednesday, September 16, at 7 p.m., that award-winning film will be screened at the Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, with filmmaker Jennifer Steinman participating in a post-screening Q & A. For more information on Project Grace, call Catherine Bowen Stern at 415.999.2694 or Carole Mahoney at 415.381.4980.

Marin Civic Center (Sun & Thurs, 8-1, ALL YEAR)

Novato (Tues, 4-8, May-SEptember) Fairfax (Wed, 4-8, May-September)

stonestown (Sun, 9-1, ALL YEAR)

Newark (Sun, 9-1, ALL YEAR)

OAKLAND — Grand Lake (Sat, 9-2, ALL YEAR) Hayward (Sat, 9-1, All Year)

Meet Jim Eldon, of Fiddler’s green FArm, at the Marin Civic Center Farmers markets

Photo by Curtis Myers

NATURAL + BEAUTY

To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation fashion show features wearable art

Marin Designers Give Back

TO CELEBRATE LIFE BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION, a nonproﬁt that offers grants to organizations providing support programs, early detection screening, and emotional and educational services for women and men with breast health issues, is once again holding its signature fundraiser “Stepping Out to Celebrate Life.” The September 26th evening gala and fashion show at the Marin Center in San Rafael presents models, all breast cancer survivors, who will be showcasing wearable art on a 75-foot runway. Many of the designers, like Sausalito-based Holly Badgley, have close friends who have had the disease and are using the fundraiser as a way to give back to the community. The ﬁrst look at the fashions won’t be available until it hits the runway, but the following images offer a look into the seven featured Marin designers’ individual aesthetics. For tickets, call 415.455.5882 or go to tocelebratelife.org. —S.F.

Catherine Bacon From her Novato studio, Catherine Bacon creates day and evening wear in textural fabrics infused with motifs that represent nature and ancient cultures. catherinebacon.com

Michelle Ciel Noting a lack of colorful purses on the market, Michelle Ciel launched her own handbag company. The Mill Valley designer says she loves the infusion of vibrant color and unexpected textures. michelleciel.com

Holly Badgley Sausalito-based textile artist Holly Badgley creates hand-painted clothing using dyes she thickens to transfer rich colors into wool, silk and velvet. She then silk-screens her creations with ethnic designs to produce one-of-a-kind coats, tops and vests. hollybadgley.com

Danielle Schubert, Mill Valley Hat Box Schubert’s résumé includes some of the best fashion schools in the United States and Florence as well as studying under her late mother, a well-known milliner. The local designer travels throughout Europe selecting fabrics for her creations, which are then produced in Germany to her exact speciﬁcations. millvalleyhatbox.com

Nasimiyu Wekesa, Nasimiyu Designs The Mill Valley designer creates bold, one-of-a-kind, beaded jewelry based on the rich culture and history of her native Kenya. Her complex pieces include African trade beads, shells, glass and bronze and have been featured on New York runways. nasimiyudesigns.com

Yuri Schiller and Svetlana Trumm, Picky Studio The Russianborn designers, who now live in Marin, use photographic images they then print on fabric, which creates cutting-edge design. pickystudio.com

Jill Giordano and Brian Scheyer, gr.dano The Sausalito design duo develop modern takes on classic pieces with an emphasis on attention to detail. grdano.com

Back-to-School Fashion THE EXPERTS TALK

At Corte Madera’s Gymboree, vice president of design Anya Dinovich says, “Deep saturated colors of chocolate brown, raisin and gray paired with bright pops of color—greens, pinks and oranges” are big for fall, and animal and fall ﬂoral prints look entirely new with fresh color combinations.

It’s already time to start hitting the stores to stock up on that back-to-school wardrobe. We went to the experts and interviewed local store managers to ﬁnd out what’s new for fall. —Somer Flaherty

Ar t e M nd ay s o e e r o e

At Peek Aren’t You Curious, the children’s apparel store in the Village at Corte Madera, cofounder and mother of three Tina Canales says the store’s boys’ and girls’ collections are trend driven. The former vice president of women’s merchandising at Gap says, “My favorite pieces for girls are the bohemian Indian block printed khurtas and feminine floral skirts made from Liberty of London cottons. I personally love the idea of mixing a fun, casual T-shirt with a more refined piece, like one of our Liberty of London floral skirts. For the boys’ fall collection, we have really great tees with designs and motifs that range from global travel to surf-oriented. And they look amazing when paired with our jeans and a flannel plaid shirt.”

ian

en’t the children’s adera, coTina s the ’ ln. vice f women’s merces iIdibl k

MORE EXPERT TALK: Back to School Fashion

True Religion, the luxe denim house, is still producing its signature line of jeans and for fall, director of marketing Chana Taft Schuman says dark-wash skinny jeans are in for girls, while the brand’s Super T and Rainbow

Nearby at Nordstrom, store manager Lisamarie

Inesi says denim is still a strong trend for back-to-school fashion. “For girls, we’ll see skinny jeans with sweater vests and the boyfriend jean with delicate pink accents. For boys, denim looks will be enhanced with rocker tees and plenty of plaid. It’s all about expressing individual style.”

At Juicy Couture, accessories make the outﬁt. The teen line of backpacks, laptop cases and notebooks are in almost every shade of pink.

At left: Comfy and bright from Ella Moss. At right: DKNY kids’ collection fuses denim and knits.

line with big stitching is in for boys. Rainb stitch

left: Com Ella Moss. A fu

BACK TO SCHOOL IN STYLE

INNOVATIVE NEW TAKES ON WORKSPACE SOLUTIONS FOR EVERY-SIZE ROOM BY SOMER FLAHERTY

Whether you’re revamping a home ofﬁce or setting up a solution to back-toschool homework woes, the ideal desk offers just the right mix of functional space and storage for all that collateral.

1. Bookcase This bookcase camouflages space for a laptop behind a flip-down door and houses a lateral file cabinet below. When all parts are closed, the secretary has two shelves and two closed compartments. $999 at West Elm (Corte Madera). 415.927.0202, westelm.com

2. Basis Desk The Basis wood desk has a pull-out work surface to turn the piece into a console table. The deep drawer can even store a laptop. $1,099 at Room and Board (SF). 415.252.9280, roomandboard.com

3. Swoop Desk Two white scooped drawers clear worktop clutter plus the three cord cutouts route laptop and electronic plug-ins for a clean look. $299 at CB2 (San Francisco). 415.834.9370, cb2.com

4. Polo Desk Simple, clean lines, with two ﬁle drawers and pull-out keyboard space and side storage shelves, make this well-priced desk ideal for design on a budget. $295 at Scandinavian Designs (San Rafael). 415.457.5500, scandinaviandesigns.com

RSI Prevention

Sure, proper ergonomic design is one of the keys to preventing repetitive strain injuries (RSI), but to ensure your workspace is in top form it might be time to turn to a professional. Dr. Jon Kakleas of the Chiropractic and Physical Therapy Center of Marin provides in-office and home ergonomic workstation evaluations. He says four important points to consider when setting up your office are to make sure your computer screen is at eye level, have your feet flat on the floor while working, keep your wrists straight and horizontal to the work surface as you type and sit back in your chair with your low back well supported in its natural curve. (San Rafael). 415.499.8469, kakleaschiropractic.com

Sausalito’s Remedy Interactive provides software solutions that help businesses and individuals prevent workplace injuries including RSI. The company’s desktop ergonomic software for individuals, RSIGuard, follows the user’s computer usage patterns and suggests safer modiﬁcations, features awareness reminders to keep users conscious of correct body and work patterns while at the computer and rest reminders and video stretches that are shown during breaks. Remedy Interactive (Sausalito). 415.332.6433, remedyinteractive.com

MILL VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Amount spent per student* — $11,226

where the money goes:

Teacher salaries: $5,444

Administrative and support salaries: $1,629

Employee beneﬁts: $2,011

Books and supplies: $452

Services: $1,548

Other: $143

* Based on ADA (Average Daily Attendance), 2007-08

Educating Jackie

BY TIM PORTER | Jackie Flax is, as you can see, adorable. She’s smart, polite (and a bit shy) around her elders, wears braces, carries a huge backpack and, like so many other students at Mill Valley Middle School, has parents who support public education with their time and money.

Jackie is fortunate. She attends one of the best schools—public or private—in a county that two years ago Forbes magazine said provided the nation’s “best bang for the buck” in public education, graduating 96.8 percent of its high school seniors (in 2004) and having more than 60 percent take SAT tests.

Today, Marin’s 75 public schools still rank among the nation’s best; nearly two-thirds exceed national academic achievement levels. But the quality of that education—meaning, more literally, how well Marin County prepares Jackie Flax and her 29,000 public school classmates for adulthood—has never been more in doubt thanks to the sorry state of California’s ﬁnancial affairs. Anyone even casually aware of the Kafkaesque budget kerfufﬂe in Sacramento knows that public schools face grim times. The state has already cut $12 billion

PHOTO: TIM PORTER

in education funding and billions more are on the block.

With all public schools being at least partially dependent on state money, last school year’s fat-trimming has morphed into this year’s bone-whacking. Even here in affluent Marin County, it’s a mess. Teachers sacked. Classes cut. No summer school. Pricier bus passes. More proposed parcel taxes.

Marin can expect to lose “between $30 million and $60 million” in the coming school year “on top of $40 million it lost last year,” says county Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke. That could break down, depending on the ﬁnal state budget, to about $1,500 less per student.

The situation is “truly horriﬁc,” she says. Already, school districts have done away with at least 400 jobs, says Burke. “There have been signiﬁcant layoffs—custodial, secretarial, transportation. There will be fewer teachers.”

In Burke’s own ofﬁce, which oversees several of the county’s smaller school districts and coordinates countywide education programs, one-third of employees have been affected. “We’ve cut hours and jobs. It’s all squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. I have no more holes to cut. We will need to go into furlough strategy.”

Fifteen hundred bucks a student? That seems clear enough, but public school ﬁnancing is a complicated beast. Before tax dollars—or even your donations to a local school foundation—ﬁnd their way into a classroom, they must navigate a labyrinthine web shaped by court decisions, voter-approved initiatives, restrictive state and federal regulations and, of course, politics.

Understanding of the process by outsiders, i.e., parents and other taxpayers, is difficult at best. They are hampered by a plethora of obfuscating acronyms, ever-shifting funding mechanisms and, in this era of shrinking news coverage, scant public information about exactly what school districts are doing. (In Marin, the

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local news media don’t report all school board decisions, and trying to glean up-to-date data from some clunky district websites can be tougher than mastering freshman algebra.)

What you need to know is this:

Most Marin school districts depend more on local property taxes than on state or federal ﬁnancing. This can be a positive because if local taxes produce more revenue than a district needs, it keeps the extra. But it can also be a negative because the district has no control over its revenue, especially when property values are falling, as they are now. And many, but not all, Marin districts also benefit greatly from local school foundations. (Kiddo, for example, last school year gave Mill Valley schools more than $1.7 million to pay for the arts curriculum.)

These districts, says Burke, are already going to lose state and federal spending tied to speciﬁc programs (such as those for disadvantaged or gifted children), then “will be hit again and again as property taxes dip. We will be looking at an ongoing issue that will be more severe in our community than in other places.”

What you also need to know is this: the same recessionary forces responsible for the funding cuts are also jeopardizing Marin schools’ other critical lifeline—community involvement.

“One of the unique things about these public schools,” says Burke, “is that if they perform at the highest level, we’re going to support them. We in Marin understand the connection between good schools and economic prosperity. Our community schools have become dependent on that level of support, which shows itself not just in dollars but in human resources—volunteers.

“We are seeing,” she says, “that that type of support cannot be counted on right now. Some people (who were volunteers) are going back to work because maybe their spouse lost a job. Some people are unable to donate as they did previously—not because they don’t think it is important, but because they’re hav-

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ing to put food on the table. That’s another side to this.” Ultimately, though, all the best intentions of educators, all the ugly partisanship in Sacramento and all the anguished concerns of parents come down to one question—how well are we educating the kids?

By the time you read this, Jackie Flax and her contemporaries will be back in their classrooms, from Novato to Bolinas to Marin City.

“In not many days, those bright-eyed children are going to be there and they expect us to be there,” Burke says. “We need to get everybody clear. We need to understand the importance of making those kids feel welcome.”

Now more than ever, she says, local schools need the community to step up and fill the gaps. “I can’t tell you how important it is that we need their hands in the classroom,” she says, referring to parents. “I want the children to be able to walk in and for us to be ready.”

HOW TO LEARN MORE

to learn more about the ﬁnances of your local school district, start with the district website. Some, like Novato Uniﬁed, provide in-depth details. Others are more cursory. A number of other organizations track school funding issues and compile data on funding and test scores:

Ed-Data: Revenue, expenses, ADA spending, links to all Marin school district sites, and much more on all California public schools. ed-data.k12.ca.us

EdSource: News feed on school ﬁnance issues; backgrounders on funding terms, and more. edsource.org

California Dept. of Education: API test scores. Click on county info for Marin. cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/ Great Schools: Private ranking of schools, parent feedback, scores and more. greatschools.net

Our Future

Two Marin college students share their outlook on what’s ahead BY

JIM WOOD

This month, Tatiana, or “Tati,” Huezo begins her sophomore year at the University of California, San Diego. In 2007, she graduated from San Anselmo’s Sir Francis Drake High School with honors and received grants and scholarships that enabled her to continue her education. “The Marin Education Fund made it all possible; they are absolutely the greatest,” she says. “I’m the ﬁrst one in my extended family to even think about going to college,” she adds with a bright smile. UCSD has an undergraduate enrollment of 27,000; Huezo is majoring in biochemistry and hopes to go into medicine.

Tatiana’s parents, Pedro, a self-employed landscaper, and Anna, who cleans homes, were born in San Salvador. Both proudly became U.S. citizens several years ago. The family, including Tati’s younger sister, lives in Fairfax. In her 19 years Tatiana has traveled to San Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala, as well as New York City and Atlanta, Georgia.

ABOVE : Adam Joseph RIGHT : Tatiana Huezo

In June of this year Adam Joseph graduated from the Branson School in Ross; he’s now a freshman at the University of Virginia and leaning toward a major in biomedicine. “We’re still working on that one,” he admits with a sheepish grin. Adam was one of 2,000 students nationwide nominated by their high schools to be a Jefferson Scholar, an elite program providing 24 all-expense-paid four-year scholarships. “He’s the only one from the West Coast,” beams Sheri Joseph, his mom. The University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville, has an enrollment of 12,000.

Adam’s dad, Don, is a biotech executive and both parents are university and law school graduates. They and Adam’s younger sister and older brother live in Tiburon. Over his 18 years Adam has traveled throughout the United States and in Italy, Germany, France, Laos and Cambodia.

QPlease tell us the path you pursued leading to college.

TATIANA HUEZO: Even when I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. My grades at Drake High were a 3.9 and good enough to get into UCSD. I learned about the Marin Education Fund as a junior in high school, and by far the best decision I ever made was to go to their Summer Application Institute. I was one of 60 selected and we spent a week at Dominican University, living in dorms, touring college campuses, attending workshops and getting things like the SAT workbook, which was great for ﬁrst-generation (American) students who cannot afford an SAT course. My parents worked hard so I could go to college, but they couldn’t help with all the applications that had to be ﬁlled out to get in. When it came to all that, the people at the Marin Education Fund were my parents.

ADAM JOSEPH: After Bel Aire and Del Mar schools, it was a tough decision whether to go to Redwood High or Branson. My brother went to Redwood and had a great time; my mom went there too. I researched Branson and decided at the last minute I wanted something different, maybe a smaller school community.

retire early and we can spend more time together. . . . . .Main Street doesn't kid around about their incentive based fees, which make them care about performance just as much as Mom and Dad. . . . . . and now that my college planning is complete, I sleep like a baby!

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It was all my idea and my folks were supportive. Over the four years I played baseball and my grades were not perfect but good. After being nominated as a Jefferson Scholar, I wrote essays, had several interviews, then ﬂew back to Virginia where the interviews were done by alumni panels and there was a lot of social interacting where you had to dress up. Not to toot my horn, but I think they were looking for good kids who’ll graduate and then go off and do cool things.

QDid your high school in Marin prepare you well for college?

TH: At UCSD, at ﬁrst, I was mad. I was unprepared for a whole different style of teaching. At high schools in Marin there is such a great opportunity for students to interact with their teachers, it makes it hard to fail. But college is different. You’re put in a university with 27,000 competitive students, who are all from the top of their classes, and you have to ﬁght for yourself. No one is going to insist you attend classes; no one takes attendance; you’re on your own. You have to take your education into your own hands. If anything, in Marin, I had such great teachers that maybe they spoiled me.

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AJ: Branson did a great job of preparing us for university work. They taught me to be academically independent. My first two years, teachers always asked for students to come in and talk. My last two years were different: by then I was expected to act on my own. Teachers were always available, but if I wanted a conference, it was up to me to initiate it. In other words, I controlled how I did academically. So at University of Virginia, I am ready to seek out my professors, not expect them to come to me. In addition, at Virginia, there are orientation seminars—but as many have attended each one as are enrolled at Branson, about 320 kids.

What do you see as America’s biggest challenges?

TH: We really need universal health care. Right now our health care is really expensive and it

isn’t taking care of people who need to be taken care of. For too long we’ve neglected health care while focusing on other problems. Sure, it’s a hot topic and debated now, but nothing ever seems to happen. I really hope that by the time I’m leaving med school, I can be 100 percent excited about entering a ﬁeld of medicine that is really ready to serve people. I really hope that happens. Another thing that concerns me is our social construction, including race and class and gender; I think racism is still with us. Also, the distribution of wealth in America is ridiculous. They say that the wealthiest 2 percent of the people control 90 percent of the wealth. That doesn’t seem right.

AJ: America is transitioning between two time periods. We’re realizing our lifestyles and political structures aren’t working. Something has to change and everyone’s trying to figure out what that change will be, what the new forms of energy will be. From an environmental standpoint we’re motivated in two ways: first, by the damage we’re doing to the planet and, second, by the fact that we’re running out of resources. We need to find new sources of energy. In the Bay Area, this is easy to see—a Prius on the freeway, solar panels on the roof—and Marin, because it’s affluent, is like a microcosm of what’s to come. However, it’s easier to lead the charge when you’re able to. But other parts of America are also becoming less reactionary and more proactive. I don’t think they’re insensitive to what is happening; it will just take time.

QWho inspires you?

Gives you hope?

TH: My mom and dad. They worked too hard for me to ever give up. I owe it to them and myself to ﬁnish what I’ve started. I want people to look at me and say, “She made a difference.”

AJ: That at both Branson and Virginia, there are all these teachers and staff dedicated to making our lives, my life, successful. In addition, I look up to my parents—they’ve been so proactive.

the FLIGHT BRIGADE

BY JIM WOOD

The low, pale green buildings make it hard to spot from Highway 101. The tall, cluttered sign at the Atherton off-ramp north of Novato doesn’t help matters, and the following mile of bumpy, patchedup two-lane asphalt screams, “This can’t possibly be the way.” But keep going and you’ll arrive at Marin County Airport, mostly known now as Gnoss (“guh-noss”) Field.

More than 200 private pilots call the county-owned general aviation facility home. “We’re a colorful and compatible group of people,” says Mark Sheron, president of the Gnoss Field Community Association, a recently formed group he says is “hoping to call attention to Gnoss Field and the things that happen out here.”

The daring but mostly not-so-young men (and a few women) who berth their ﬂying machines in Gnoss Field’s hangars are a contented group. All ﬂy for pleasure, but several also take to the air regularly for work.

Chuck Jessen, for example, a Mill Valley filmmaker and director, says he flies himself “to L.A. about once a month. At 200 miles an hour, it takes just under two hours; I love it.” Though taking his own twin-engine 1955 Cessna 310 plane, which has more than 4,300 hours of flight time, costs more than flying commercial, the 6-foot-3 Jessen is happy to avoid the cramped seats, crowded airports and delay-and-cancellation drama of major airline flights.

Kirk Heiser, president of the San Rafael architecture firm Heiser and Associates, regularly flies himself to his many projects. “For 30 years, I’ve flown up and down California,” he says. “The other day, a problem came up regarding a school in Kern County; I got there almost immediately.” In recent months Heiser’s business has had him landing at airports in Torrance, Truckee, San Luis Obispo and Eureka—places not frequented by the airlines: “I can visit two or three job sites in a day.” He pilots an efficient 1982 Beechcraft Bonanza previously owned by a Microsoft exec. Novato attorney Lou Franecke has a job that might seem at odds with being a pilot. “As an aviation attorney,” he says, “I fly throughout the West investigating airplane crashes.” Franecke’s recent cases have taken him to Fresno, Santa Barbara and Grants Pass, Oregon. “It’s so much faster in your own aircraft than flying Southwest out of Oakland.”

Franecke—who growing up wanted to be an astronaut and solo-piloted when he was just 16—can be pre-ﬂighting (safety inspecting) his Beechcraft Bonanza 10 minutes after leaving his house.

Gnoss Field is celebrating its 50th year of operation—more or less. Actually, it was in 1946 that two former World War II pilots carved a dirt airstrip out of a cow pasture in the same general location as the current ﬁeld. According to old-timer Woody Binford, “a couple of old Aeronca Champs, an open-cockpit Stearman biplane and a Stinson high-winged job dominated the scene.”

Seasonal ﬂooding from nearby Black John Slough was a problem, though, so in 1959 the county got involved. Within a decade, a Federal Aviation Administration study was completed, an additional 40 acres were purchased, and the runway was relocated a quarter mile east, reoriented to its present northwest-southeast alignment and paved.

The ﬁeld’s name is a tribute to William Gnoss, a 1960s Marin County supervisor who led the effort to fund the enterprise and presided over its ofﬁcial opening on October 25, 1968. In 1995, the 3,300-foot-long runway was widened to 75 feet. An 1,100-foot extension is now under study. “It’s not imminent,” airport manager Ken Robbins says. “We’re looking at completion near the end of 2011.”

Gnoss Field, which operates under the purview of the county Department of Public Works, has fuel and service facilities for prop and jet aircraft, but it has no commercial air operations and no control tower. Pilots determine on their own when, where and how to take off and land.

Adding to that challenge, the ﬁeld is famous for treacherous crosswinds affecting the many take-offs heading into the northwest. “It can be tricky,” says Jessen. “Wind socks on opposite ends of the runway are often blowing in different directions, but over time we get used to it.”

Further, pilots are instructed to stay away from the high-end homes in the hills along Atherton Avenue near the south end of the ﬁeld: “We have very speciﬁc noise-abatement procedures that specify tight approach and departure patterns,” Jessen says. “We like to be on good terms with our neighbors.”

Flying is an expensive pastime. The training needed for a pilot’s license can cost “up to $10,000,” says Dave Ward, owner of AirWard,

Lou Franecke—who growing up wanted to be an astronaut and solopiloted when he was just 16—can be pre-ﬂighting (safety inspecting) his Beechcraft Bonanza 10 minutes after leaving his house.

Though taking his own twin-engine 1955 Cessna 310 plane costs more than ﬂying commercial, the 6-foot-3 Chuck Jessen is happy to avoid the cramped seats, crowded airports and delay-and-cancellation drama of major airline ﬂights.

Matt Mitchell, Larkspur/Corte Madera

motorcycle cop and a pilot for the past two years says, “It’s like a museum out here — two pilots are building their own plane, one’s restoring a Merlin Mustang from the 1930s and another hangar has a brand-new Citation jet sitting inside.”

a flying school and plane rental service based at Gnoss. The purchase price for even a well-used plane can run from $30,000 to over $100,000 (and much, much more for new, high-tech models). Net costs per ﬂight hour including fuel can be $125 an hour and up. Then there’s the required annual airframe and power plant inspection (at least $2,500,” says Franecke) and next comes hangar rent. The tariff for one of Gnoss’s 195 steel units averages $300 a month.

Each of these hangars has “a different story to tell,” says Matt Mitchell, a Larkspur/Corte Madera motorcycle cop and a pilot for the past two years. “It’s like a museum out here—two pilots are building their own plane, one’s restoring a Merlin Mustang from the 1930s and another hangar has a brand-new Citation jet sitting inside.”

Mitchell’s own hangar resembles something out of a ’40s Gary Cooper movie, one involving barnstormers and air shows. It holds Mitchell’s seven-seat 1965 Piper Cherokee (nicknamed “Big Eddie”), his motorcycle, a Doodle Bug motor scooter, two bikes, a microwave oven, fridge, boom box, and an overstuffed armchair that faces a tiny dust-covered TV. “Can you tell it’s my home away from home?” he asks. Mitchell uses his plane strictly for recreation. “A favorite ﬂight for my wife, Debbie, and me,” he says, “is to take off, head straight south for

John Wayne Airport and Newport Beach, meet some buddies; then we’ll ﬂy ‘squadron-style’ over to Catalina Island.”

A friend of Mitchell’s, 24-year-old aviation mechanics student Rob Anderson, prefers the opposite direction. In his four-seat Piper Cherokee, “my favorite destination is Shelter Cove, a ﬁshing village about an hour north between Fort Bragg and Eureka. Their little landing strip juts out to sea, so it’s a little like landing on an aircraft carrier.”

Both the county sheriff’s department and the California Highway Patrol keep planes at Gnoss, and the ﬁeld is sometimes used by the Coast Guard, the state Department of Forestry, and the U.S. Air Force’s Civil Air Patrol. Numerous humanitarian ﬂights also originate here, says Gnoss Field Community Organization’s Sheron.

For example, Jeff Clarke, CEO of San Francisco–based KQED, is active with several other Gnoss pilots in Angel Flights, a nationwide group providing free air transportation to meet charitable or medical needs. One recent mission involved a Stanford Medical Center kidney patient. Clarke and another pilot “picked her up in San Jose and ﬂew her home to Red Bluff,” he says. “It turned (what would have been) a tough four-hour drive into a scenic ﬂight of just over an hour. We enjoyed helping out.”

Rob Anderson visits with Matt Mitchell in Mitchell’s hangar, which Mitchell claims is his “home away from home.”

LIVIN LEGEN

“HE COMES IN most mornings,” says airport manager Ken Robbins, “he gets his cup of coffee, walks into the pilots’ lounge and talks with whoever’s there.” That’s Henry Beadle, age 96, Gnoss Field’s living legend.

“Being mechanically inclined, I was drawn to airplanes back in ’29,” he might say at first meeting. “I pretty much taught myself to fly.” The conversation could then focus on the Waco 10 biplane flown in the late ’30s and that it had a Curtis OXX-6 engine similar to the one displayed adjacent to where Beadle is sitting. “Only that has two magnetos,” he points out. “Mine only had one.” Then he softly laughs and his eyes sparkle.

Beadle’s glory days came during World War II, when the then-28-year-old volunteered with the Army Air Corps. He taught pilots how to fly a Waco CG-43 glider, the kind that was filled with troops, jeeps and guns then towed in pairs behind enemy lines by a lumbering C-47. Beadle flew both the glider and the C-47 and developed a method with which the plane, while airborne, could snatch a glider off the ground.

“Instructing was a good job,” is about all he’ll say about his wartime service. Beadle was discharged at Novato’s Hamilton Air Force Base in 1960 and has lived in Marin ever since. “For a few years, I flew recreationally with the Aero Club at Hamilton,” Beadle recalls, “then I sold my Stinson and in 1973 built a Mustang II—it was powered by a Lycoming 0-320 and cruised along at 170 miles per hour.”

There’s a display case in the pilots’ lounge at Gnoss Field holding Henry Beadle’s old flight logs, his army cap and photos of the planes he’s flown in the past. And if you’re lucky, Henry will be sitting nearby—coffee in hand, waiting to talk. –J.W.

LIFE ON THE RUNWAY

FALL FASHION TAKES FLIGHT

PHOTOS SASHA GULISH

EDITOR/STYLIST SOMER FLAHERTY

ASSISTANT STYLIST DANIELLE GOODMAN

HAIR & MAKEUP

MILES BERDACHE/ARTISTS’ SERVICES

MODELS ARIELLE/FORD; HEATHER/LOOK

SHOT AT GNOSS AIRPORT IN NOVATO

On Heather Red silk dupioni golﬁng gown with rufﬂe detail by Cari Borja, $875 at Cari Borja (Berkeley) 510.981.0067. On Arielle Top by Eileen Fisher, available at Eileen Fisher (Mill Valley) 415.388.4400. Red and black with metallic novelty peacock fulllength skirt by Cari Borja, $750 at Cari Borja.

On Arielle Jacket by Tory Burch, $895 at Tory Burch (SF) 415.398.1525. Lucien blouse by Trina Turk, $248 at M Clothing (Corte Madera) 415.924.8891. Avedon jeans by Citizens of Humanity, available at Allie G (Mill Valley) 415.381.2554. Green lamé heels by Paul Smith, available at Paul Smith (SF) 415.352.3520 On Heather Lace cap-sleeve tunic by Eileen Fisher, $178 at Eileen Fisher. Leggings by Splendid, $54 at Koze (Tiburon) 415.435.1916.

On Heather Dress by LA Made, available at Allie G. Khaki jacket by Paul Smith, available at Paul Smith. On Heather, middle photo Supima tank by Michael Stars, $38 at Michael Stars. Vest by Isda & Co., $99 at Koze. Scarf by Troo, $24 at Koze. Sarge jacket by Trina Turk, $278 at M Clothing. Leggings by Splendid, $54 at Koze. Steel Marina chain watch by Gucci, $935 at Gucci (SF) 415.392.2808. Boots by Frye, available at Item Shoes. On Arielle Peggy dress by Trina Turk, $218 at M Clothing. Belt by Eileen Fisher, available at Eileen Fisher. New Jackie purse by Gucci, available at Gucci. Vintage bracelet found in Florence, Italy.

Opposite page on Arielle Blazer by Tibi, available at Green Apples (Sausalito) 415.331.8227. Supima tank by Michael Stars, $38 at Michael Stars (Corte Madera) 415.496.2020. Rock Star jean by Eileen Fisher, $198 at Eileen Fisher. Necklace by J.Crew, available at J.Crew (Corte Madera) 415.927.2005. Shoes by Steve Madden available at Nordstrom (Corte Madera) 415.927.1690. This page on Heather Love Theme Dress in antique gold by Nanette Lepore, $598 at M Clothing. On Arielle Dress by Rebecca Taylor, $375 at Green Apples. Carson boots by Frye, available at Item Shoes (Larkspur) 415.925.0109.

On Arielle Wool buttonfront cape by Christopher Fischer, available at Green Apples. Jeans by Citizens of Humanity, available at Allie G. Shoes by Martha Davis, available at Metier (SF) 415.989.5395.

mind over meter

Engineer’s home is greener than anyone thought possible

STORY P. J. BREMIER PHOTOS BARBARA RIES All Frank and Monika Levinson hoped for when they planned their sleek, contemporary Tiburon home was that it would be beautiful, comfortable, eco-friendly and energy-efficient. Within a year of its completion, however, the house would earn two top construction industry awards and one green building award and rank among the first homes in the Bay Area to earn a GreenPoint rating from the nonprofit Build It Green. This fall, it will be featured in an exhibition at West Coast Green in San Francisco. The house also inspired its architect, Colleen Mahoney, to open Green By Design, an eco-showroom just below her Mill Valley architecture office.

Not bad for a stylish but unpretentious house with big views and inspired by an even bigger dream: to be so energy-efficient it would be “literally off the charts,” Mahoney says. “There won’t be another one quite like it because what the clients wanted was almost impossible to do. It could easily have been a tear-down, but with the Levinsons’ sincere interest in being very green, we kept the majority of the structure, the floor plan and the rooflines, but gave the whole home a face-lift with seismic and energy-efficient upgrades.”

Thinking green

Frank Levinson is an engineer who has been interested in energy conservation since the late 1970s, when he formed Levinson Energies, a ﬂedgling energy conservation company that initially attracted only two customers.

Today, he chairs the green building category of the California Clean Tech Open, a business plan competition; philanthropically works with church congregations here and in his home state of Indiana to reduce home energy consumption; and blogs (smallworldgroup.com) about his

own home’s energy-conservation progress.

Naturally, he has a philosophical interest in the latter. “I’ve always felt we have a responsibility as people of the world to be better stewards,” he says. “This was my chance to see if we could build (with) a carbon-neutral footprint.”

The two-story, three-bedroom home on two private acres is bright and airy. An attached two-bedroom apartment has its own kitchen and living space for overnight guests, but a concealed monitor and white board lets it double as Levinson’s conference room.

In the main house, Mahoney removed a wall so the kitchen would share the San Francisco bay and skyline views with the living and dining areas. A curved glass staircase in the foyer and glass railings outside further capitalize on the views. “There are ferryboats going back and forth to Angel Island, sailboats and tankers crisscrossing the bay and fog rolling in and out right outside their win-

OPPOSITE : The dining alcove has views of the bay as well as of foliage. ABOVE

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT : Exterior deck with views of San Francisco Bay and the city beyond; entry door; Don Larwood and Colleen Mahoney.

CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT : San Francisco Bay view; window seat in the master bedroom; encased bookshelves house 1,500 books and are easily concealed; powder room is painted a warm tone and features custom sink.

dows,” Mahoney says. “It’s living art. We didn’t want the architecture to compete with it.”

She collaborated with the couple in choosing green materials such as Forest Stewardship Council–certified maple wood for interior floors, doors and cabinetry and the exterior cedar siding; CaesarStone and Zodiaq for countertops; no-VOC paints and finishes; energy-efficient LED lighting and Fleetwood doors and windows; recycled stainless steel sinks in the kitchens and recycled Oceanside mosaic tiles in selected bathrooms.

She also helped them with non-green choices, such as the granite countertops in the main kitchen. “Frank and Monika made every decision to reduce their carbon footprint, but there will always be unique places where homeowners have to weigh aesthetic choices and ultimately do what makes them happy,” she says. “Granite is durable and beautiful—they truly loved it—and the kitchen is a centerpiece of the house.”

Another collaboration was the clever storage solution for the family’s collection of 1,500 books. Instead of

predictable bookshelves in the media room, Mahoney’s team came up with four pull-out stacks concealed within a graceful wall that mirrors the curves of the nearby glass staircase. “That’s just one of the many ‘wows’ in this house,” Mahoney says.

All systems, all efficient

The home is highly insulated for maximum energy savings; there’s soy-based foam in the roof and exterior walls and UltraTouch recycled denim insulation in the interior walls. To make it even tighter, the home’s underside is also insulated with foam sealant and ﬁberglass batts.

Two photovoltaic systems provide power for everything from house to hot tub, while one solar hot water system heats the home and another warms the pool. “We’ve cut our gas use by 90 percent,” Levinson says. “I’ve replaced the gas furnaces with electric heat pumps, but my wife loves cooking with gas, so we still use gas [in the stove and oven]. On the other hand, we produce more electrical energy than we use, so the house is pretty close to being a net-zero-use house.”

One of the “impossible” aims of this project was to reduce the phantom energy that appliances use simply by being plugged in or in standby mode. The Levinsons cut energy use 70 percent by conﬁguring appliances and electronic devices to turn off automatically when not in use.

Consumption of gas, electricity and water is easily monitored with a real-time Agilewaves home resource monitor, which “shines a light on where you can make changes to reduce your overall carbon footprint,” Mahoney says. Without it, Levinson wouldn’t have noticed that one of his solar panels was defective, losing 25 percent of its output.

Buttons on an in-home energy dashboard control the television, lights, the window shades, the HVAC systems and the security alarm. It was designed for simplicity. “I

ARCHITECT / INTERIOR DESIGN : Mahoney Architects & Interiors

GENERAL CONTRACTOR : Larwood Construction

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER : Weir Andrewson

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT : Suzman & Cole Design Associates

LIGHTING DESIGN : Anna Kondolf & Associates

HOME CONTROLS : SoundVision

PHOTOVOLTAICS : Sun First!

wanted my grandmother to be able to use it and not be confused,” Levinson says.

Outside, in a landscape designed by Suzman & Cole Design Associates to be subordinate to the view, droughtand deer-resistant plants, many aromatic, hug a steep terrain made accessible by a stone staircase. The garden is irrigated by a sophisticated rainwater collection system of oversize gutters, twin 7,500-gallon cisterns and a satellitecontrolled weather-monitoring station.

Even though Levinson figures the house produces enough power to plug in his future hybrid car, he’s not sure the project is ﬁnished. “I’ve learned a lot from both the house and the apartment,” he says. “If we took it further, we could probably save another 5 to 10 percent.”

One of the best aspects of Hawaiian culture has got to be the laid-back practice of storytelling—or as the locals say, “talk story.” Whether the speaker is a tutu from Wailuku who speaks eﬀortless clipped pidgin English gesturing with large jiggly arms or a skinny tourist from Texas with hands in his pockets and a drawl, sharing life experiences enriches us all.

As the 50th state observes its 50th anniversary, we turn to a few readers for their fond Hawai‘i memories from the past ﬁve decades. While there wasn’t room for all their photos, we think they’ve captured the essence of why Hawai‘i remains such a beloved place.

A youthful Harold C. “Hal” Brown, now a Marin County supervisor, his sister and father, Judge Harold C. Brown Sr, arrived in Honolulu in July 1956 after a ﬁve-day Paciﬁc crossing on the famed S.S. Lurline. His sister Helen recalls:

“The thing I remember consistently throughout the trip was the heavenly fragrance of ﬂowers everywhere. The warm trade winds brought scents of plumeria, jasmine and gardenias. In most of the photos my brother and I are scowling; this has nothing to do with Hawai‘i—we adored the trip and loved being with our father. We (just) didn’t like our photos taken, and Dad would stop people on the street and say, ‘Look at my children, aren’t they wonderful?’—

then tell us to ‘emote’ and take our photo. He was always trying to teach us new vocabulary, and ‘emote’ was his word for getting us to show some of our personality. He never used ‘say cheese.’ Everywhere we went we were treated like royalty. The only exception on the whole trip was when we went to the Outrigger Canoe Club, which was the Hawai‘i branch of the Lakeside Olympic Club. We showed up but my father and brother weren’t wearing the required jackets and ties so the mâitre d’ offered them the option of borrowing jackets and ties to wear over their aloha shirts or eating in the kitchen with the staff. We ended up eating dinner in the kitchen at a big round staff table and had so much fun.

We stayed at the Princess Ka‘iulani, the newest hotel at the time. While this was the ﬁrst of many, many trips, at the time I thought, I hope I remember everything because this might be a oncein-a-lifetime trip.

HELEN BROWN, SAN RAFAEL

By the time Valary Bremier and her sister P. J. sidled up to sit on musician Don Ho’s lap for a photo in 1983, he had recorded 15 best-sellers, starred in his own TV show in the ‘70s and performed nationwide sharing his brand of aloha.

“The trip I took to Hawai‘i with my sister and our great-aunt Pauline was a big adventure—with no parents! Upon arrival, we quickly sought out Hilo Hattie and bought pretty ﬂowered pink blouses and pareos (sarongs), wearing them everywhere with fragrant plumeria leis and a hibiscus tucked behind our ears. We wove reed hats and learned to hula under the shade trees of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I remember sitting in the bleachers to watch the hula dancers of the vintage Kodak show, drinking guava juice at every breakfast, learning to snorkel at Hanauma Bay and touring an almost deserted Iolani Palace. Every evening started with mai tais decorated with little paper umbrellas and regardless of what else we did we always managed to listen to a few numbers by Barry Kim, who sang at the Hilton’s beachside lounge. My sister and I had a crush on him. The only night we two-timed him was when we got front row seats to the Don Ho show: ﬁre dancers, hula girls, exotic costumes, corny jokes and Don Ho crooning ‘Tiny Bubbles.’ The house was packed and everyone was happy. Afterwards, we went backstage to meet him. He turned out to be as relaxed, friendly and funny as he had seemed on television specials.”

VALARY BREMIER, GREENBRAE

“We first traveled to Hawai‘i in August 1968. I remember loving how a beautiful local girl (dressed in costume) greeted us at the Honolulu airport with the traditional orchid flower lei. While this still happens today, this tradition is not as elaborate as it was in 1968. We stayed at the Kuhio Palms on Kuhio Street, Waikiki. A few years later, I met Nick Sporick (in photo). He was 20 and I was 17; he was going to the University of Hawai‘i and was from New Jersey. Nick was teaching me how to surf off Waikiki beach. I looked forward to seeing him in Hawai‘i during holidays and summer breaks. When Nick graduated he became a pilot for the U.S. Air Force, flew for the Hawaiian Air National Guard and then flew for Aloha Airlines. Through the years we have remained friends and my twin sons played with his two daughters when we visited the islands. Nick lives in Kailua, on the island of Oahu. Back in 1968 we fell in love with the island spirit and culture and spent our summer vacations every year in Hawai‘i. And we still do to this day.” DONNA WHITNEY, SAN RAFAEL ss at e at Iodho ht rs, was ned R A E

Jet travel increased in the sixties allowing Hawai‘i to become an annual destination for many families.

Marty Griffin of Tiburon traveled to East Maui on an expedition to study a jungle valley adjacent to the Seven Sacred Pools, which had just been purchased by Laurence Rockefeller. Their findings of rare birds and plants led to acquisition of the land by the Nature Conservancy. This photo is from the November 1968 issue of Honolulu Magazine, where his article “The Wild Grandeur of Kipahulu” was published. “Dr. Martin Griffin, the author and expedition physician, here studies the rare silversword,” the photo caption read. In his article, Griffin recounts the trip:

“I was met in Hana by Dr. Milton Howell, a general practitioner who has served this isolated community of 1,300 persons for six years. He is co-chairman of the Valley of the Seven Sacred Pools project…The next morning I met Harry Hasegawa, expedition provisioner, who operates the third generation Hasegawa’s General Store at Hana. It has all the sights and smells and clutter a general store should have, plus a catchy tune which plays several times a day, titled ‘Hasagawa’s General Store,’ now a popular island song.”

L. MARTIN GRIFFIN, TIBURON

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The Kodak Hula Show was a ﬁxture in Waikiki from 1937 through 2002. This daylight (easier to photograph) event was the brainchild of Fritz Herman, manager of Kodak Hawai‘i, and was the only exposure most visitors had to authentic hula. Iolani Palace is a Hawaiian national treasure and the only oﬃcial state residence of royalty in the United States.

“I remember how beautiful (and big) the home of the late Queen Lili‘uokalani was to me back in 1964, when I visited Oahu with my family. My brother and I are sitting in the queen’s chairs in this photo. On the tour we learned that the queen was an accomplished musician and wrote the song ‘Aloha ‘Oe, which we learned to play on our new ukuleles. This was fun, but what I really remember paying attention to was the story of how the queen was held hostage in her palace because sugar barons had tricked her and then there was a military coup.

I was also fascinated by how King Kamehameha pushed his enemies off the (Nuuanu) Pali! That was a really long drop. I also liked the Kodak Hula Show where they made poi, and I tried it. A year later our family moved to Oahu to live. I wonder if my parents were actually researching our new home while we thought we were on vacation. “

MIKE RATIANI, MILL VALLEY

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Tales you tell. Stories you sing. And legends you re-live.

Play in the art of Hawaiian mo‘olelo, or storytelling, as you recall long Fairmont Kea Lani days.

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THE QUESTION OF STATEHOOD

When Cliﬀord Naeole talks enthusiastically about the future of Hawai‘i to tourists and locals, it’s obvious he’s not only qualiﬁed for his role as cultural adviser at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, he seems destined for it. So when the idea of “celebrating” statehood came up, Naeole gently steered his well-intended colleagues instead toward the concept of “commemorating.” Why? He explains.

Can you explain why everyone may not be “celebrating”?

This is a complicated issue that has been debated at length in Congress as well as at many a kitchen table. For those who judge us from afar by what we ﬁght for...I urge them to speak to a Hawaiian and understand that we are indeed a nation. Know also that these efforts are not “antiAmerican”...but rather “anti-abuse of power.” Here is a very brief explanation of why statehood is considered a controversy by Hawaiian people.

On January 17, 1893, due to pressures from American businessmen, Queen Lili‘uokalani was held captive by a U.S. military coup in her palace. To prevent bloodshed, she eventually signed a statement under protest temporarily yielding her power to the U.S. government. A provisional government was established under businessman Sanford B. Dole.

In a message to Congress on December 18, 1893, President Grover Cleveland concluded that this “act of war” had not been approved by Congress and a “substantial wrong has thus been done which a due regard for our national character as well as the rights of the injured people requires we should endeavor to repair” and called for the restoration of the Hawaiian monarchy.

In 1898 President McKinley reversed Cleveland’s decision and signed a joint resolution of Congress on July 7 that annexed Hawai‘i to the United States.

Leading up to the vote on statehood, much of the Hawaiians’ national land was seized for

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territorial use with still-unfulﬁlled contracts of ﬁnancial retribution.

On August 21, 1959, the people of Hawai‘i were given a ballot that critics maintain did not include a vote for Hawai‘i remaining a nation unto itself.

Also, 75 percent of the Hawaiian population was restricted from voting due to gender, property ownership, income (a voter had to earn at least $600 a year) and age. Once the votes from those who qualiﬁed to vote were counted, Sanford B. Dole became the ﬁrst governor of the state of Hawai‘i.

How do you talk to your children about this aspect of Hawai‘i’s history?

Truthfully. I cannot change the truth nor disguise history. However, I strongly urge my children to understand they must look to the future and be contributors to Hawai‘i’s future through intelligence, patience, wisdom and most important, aloha.

ISLAND CLASSICS

There are hundreds of well-loved hotels and countless great vacation condos throughout the islands, but a few classic properties have attained legend status. More stories...

OAHU

Royal Hawaiian The Royal Hawaiian was built in 1927 by the Matson steamship company. The resort was the second hotel in Hawai‘i (the nearby Moana Surfrider was the ﬁrst). The property has been recently renovated and thankfully, it’s still pink.

“Every Christmas for many years our family would ﬂy to Oahu and stay at the Royal Hawaiian in Waikiki. We would meet up with my dad’s parents and his extended family. My favorite memories—well, the fact the hotel was pink, I loved that. I had Shirley Temples every night while the adults had cocktails; I loved the grilled cheeses at the pool snack bar and

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snow cones on the beach. This was years before Waikiki was built up, so there were no big hotels on either side. It was fantastic! I took my daughter Lily there last year to the luau and she loved the pink hotel too. A girl after my own heart!”

COURTNEY ROBERTS (PICTURED ABOVE WITH FAMILY IN 1977), MILL VALLEY

BIG ISLAND

Kona Village Johnno and Helen Jackson built this property in 1961 on the site of an ancient Hawaiian ﬁshing village. They brought in construction materials by barge and eventually created an airstrip to transport guests and supplies.

“To us, Kona Village is a little bit of paradise. For the past 10 years we have enjoyed getting away from everything: no phones, no television, no radios—only the beautiful scenery, the warm sun and sand, a great tennis program and wonderful people. We have the opportunity to spend time with our kids, to read, to have some incredible food and just to truly relax.”

CAMERON LANPHIER, ROSS

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Laurence Rockefeller famously spied this white sand beach fronting jet black lava ﬁelds from an airplane, then sailed back to swim in the bay. In 1965, he developed, this iconic luxury property, which has recently been totally renovated.

“When I was 14 and I stayed at the Mauna Kea with family friends, I remember my friend and I were allowed one frappe per day from the beachside bar. I also remember they had the best macadamia nut pancakes ever, drizzled with honey! We thought everything was very luxurious. We happened to be sunbathing in the lounge chair next to Rock Hudson (and his boyfriend) on the beach. My friend’s parents were scandalized, and we had no idea why. The frappe guy had to ﬁll us in.”

BARRY MURRAY, MILL VALLEY

MAUI/LANAI

Maui Sheraton The Maui Sheraton was built atop Pu‘u Keka‘a, Black Rock on Ka‘anapali Beach in 1968 and still remains a popular destination for travelers.

“In 1967 after we had moved to Hawai‘i, we sailed over to Maui and anchored off the beach. Then we swam in and had an onolicious dinner at the Sheraton Maui; we snorkeled off of Black Rock and watched the authentically clad beach Kanes light the torches and then dive in the water off the cliffs. Quite exciting for a nineyear-old and his family! On that same trip we went to Manele Bay on Lanai (pre-resort). We met some old guys who hunted with bow and arrow. We ate fresh axis deer around a ﬁre pit. There was a harbor but no lodge resort on that pristine beach. It was really the best beach in the world.” MIKE RATIANI, MILL VALLEY

KAUAI

Sheraton Kauai Built on the north end of idyllic Poipu Beach in 1968, the Sheraton Kauai was damaged by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. The hotel was completely renovated in 1997.

“Pre-Iniki, I went to Hawai‘i for the ﬁrst time with a platonic college friend. He booked us into a big hotel on Maui for a few nights. It was sunny and glamorous but not very ‘native,’ and I kept joking, ‘Can we go to Hawai‘i now?’ We ﬂew to Kauai and drove in pouring rain through the tree canopy to Poipu. It was so misty, green and lush we joked about seeing menehune by the road and I felt, ‘OK, this is Hawai‘i.’

A few years later I brought a boyfriend there, eventually we got married, and while we’ve stayed at other Kauai hotels, the Sheraton has become our place. We’ve gone back so many times we’ve actually lost count.”

CYNTHIA RUBIN, SAN FRANCISCO

Coco Palms The Coco Palms was famous for entertaining luminaries at the turn of the century and remained the island’s “it” spot for decades. Unfortunately, today the property remains closed after being damaged by 1992’s Hurricane Iniki.

“I can picture it right now, but keep in mind this is from the perspective of an 11- or 12-yearold—53 years ago. The palm trees were enormous; they were like redwoods to us. The property was beautifully manicured yet totally tropical, all the building very natural looking. If you get a copy of the (Elvis) movie Blue Hawai‘i you’ll be able to see some great images: lagoons everywhere, the rooms like grass huts but very fancy. Every night they’d have a ceremony when someone would light the torches and they’d play special drums; there was hula dancing and entertainment. My brother and I loved the luaus. There was beautiful fruit—I’d never had a papaya; I tried it and loved it. There was an abundance of everything and everybody was friendly, relaxed and nice.”

HELEN BROWN, SAN RAFAEL

For more Hawaiian classic quotes, go to marinmagazine.com.

Classic Beauties

Robert Green Fine Arts, Hespe Gallery, Robert Allen Fine Art

BY ANNE RAY

APIONEER OF ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM who is credited as one of the ﬁrst “action painters,” John Grillo has a secure position in the pantheon of great American artists. Even more remarkable is the fact that Grillo, now 92, continues to add to his considerable oeuvre, which spans more than seven decades.

As a tribute to the artist’s enduring and inﬂuential career, Robert Green Fine Arts in Mill Valley presents a fall exhibition of his work titled Seven Decades, highlighting the evolution of his paintings from the 1940s to the present. Comprising watercolors and oil paintings, the exhibition includes three works from each decade, showcasing Grillo’s tireless creativity and stylistic versatility.

“Abstract painting is on a level with music. It’s a physical outburst from your whole being,” Grillo has said. His art ﬁttingly reﬂects the intimate nature of this creative expression, ranging from gestural strokes to controlled applications of color to golden monochromes, emphasizing his artistic development over the years.

The exhibition will run from early September through the end of October, with a public opening reception; contact the gallery for dates and details.

Robert Green Fine Arts, 154 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley, 415.381.8776, rgﬁnearts.com; 1–7 Tue–Fri, 11–5 Sat–Sun, and by appointment, closed Mon

FROM SEPTEMBER 3 THROUGH 26 San Francisco’s Hespe Gallery hosts a solo show for local rising star Kim Cogan. The Korean-born, San Francisco–based artist paints hauntingly beautiful cityscapes and interiors that have been winning him a growing following in recent years.

Most of Cogan’s compositions capture scenes familiar to San Franciscans, though he steers clear of the obvious landmarks in favor of anonymous buildings, neighborhood streets and storefronts.

“San Francisco is such a unique city with so many different moods. It has always been a big part of my life, and I wanted to try to capture the city by characteristics which are distinctively San Francisco, yet omitting everything that is iconic,” he has explained. He paints with stunning attention to detail but diverges from photorealism through the infusion of decidedly painterly touches—paint drips and smears for an effect reminiscent of a blurred view through a rain-drenched windshield.

The exhibition at Hespe includes roughly a dozen new paintings, encompassing Cogan’s characteristic cityscapes as well as recent ﬁgurative works. The gallery hosts an artist reception, open to the public, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on September 3.

Hespe Gallery, 251 Post St., Ste. 420, San Francisco, 415.776.5918, hespe.com; 11–5:30 Tue–Fri, 11–5 Sat, closed Sun–Mon

OPPOSITE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Kim Cogan, Descending a Staircase, 2009 (oil on canvas); Kerry Vander Meer, Green Pleats, 2008 (Mixed media on panel)

BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 3, ROBERT ALLEN FINE

ART in Sausalito invites viewers to see new works from Oakland-based artist Kerry Vander Meer. While Vander Meer is best known for her inventive intaglio prints and sculptures, her most recent pieces bridge these two passions, offering layered panels and works on paper that suggest sculptural afﬁnities.

Titled Clusters: New Mixed Media Works on Paper and Panel , the exhibition showcases Vander Meer’s exploration of scale and texture, with larger, sometimes nongeometric compositions that incorporate elements such as fabric. The imagery remains consistent with the artist’s earlier series—colorful, abstract designs that pay homage to the natural world—but the new combinations of materials allow her to embrace pattern in an even more dynamic way than her labor-intensive prints have done. They also afford opportunities to juxtapose the characteristics of the media, with precisely cut, collaged pieces placed alongside ﬂuid drips and splotches.

Robert Allen Fine Art hosts a reception for the artist from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on September 3, open to the public. The exhibition remains on view through October 23.

Robert Allen Fine Art, 301 Caledonia St., Sausalito, 415.331.2800, robertallenﬁneart.com; 10–5 Mon–Fri, closed Sat–Sun

ABOVE: John Grillo, Untitled, 1949 (Gouache on paper)

SEPTEMBER ARTS & EVENTS GUIDE

THEATER

Thru September 6 August: Osage County The Westons return to their rural Oklahoma homestead where they are forced to confront unspoken truths and shocking secrets. Curran Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

Thru September 24 Too Big to Fail The Tony Award–winning San Francisco Mime Troupe opens its 50th season with a series of free shows in the North Bay. See website for locations and times. 415.285.1717, sfmt.org

Thru September 27 Marin

Shakespeare Experience Julius Caesar or Twelve Night or All You Need Is Love under the Marin sky this summer. Jay Karnes of the hit television show The Shield plays Brutus in Julius Caesar. Dominican University (San Rafael). 415.499.4488, marinshakespeare.org

Thru September 27 Wicked The cultural phenomenon that got its start in San Francisco is back for an extended stay. Orpheum Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

10–October 4 My Name Is Asher Lev The Marin Theatre Company opens its 43rd season with Aaron Posner’s adaptation of the classic novel by Chaim Potok. Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org

11–October 11 Premiere! The Ross Valley Players are back with the ﬁctional story of a playwright who discovers an unknown play by William Shakespeare. Barn Theatre (Ross). 415.456.9555, rossvalleyplayers.com

18–October 25 South Paciﬁc Lincoln Center Theater presents a reinvention of the story of love in the tropics threatened by the realities of war. Golden Gate Theatre (SF). 415.512.7770, shnsf.com

COMEDY

Tuesdays Mark Pitta and Friends The comic hosts an evening for up-and-comers and established headliners to work on new material. 142 Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, 142throckmortontheatre.com

DANCE

25 Virsky Live from Kyiv, the 85-member Ukrainian National Dance Company will light up the stage with color and dance. Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6400, marincenter.org

MUSIC

Tuesdays Swing Fever This always-entertaining band, which has been playing since 1978, gives tribute to jazz artists and composers, playing selections from its roster

South Paciﬁc opens at the Golden Gate Theatre September 18

PHOTO: JOAN MARCUS

of over 1,000 tunes. Panama Hotel (San Rafael). 415.457.3993, panamahotel.com

2 Al Green The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member comes to the Bay Area bringing his unique mix of soul and gospel. The Warﬁeld (SF). 800.745.3000, thewarﬁeldtheatre.com

4 The Neville Brothers/Dr. John Enjoy a night of music served up Louisiana style. Regency Ballroom (SF). 800.745.3000, goldenvoice.com

5 The Tubes The San Francisco–based satire band is back. Great American Music Hall (SF). 888.233.0449, gamh.com

6–27 Summer Music Series Stop by Town Center Corte Madera every Sunday for great music while you shop. Town Center (Corte Madera). 415.924.2961, shoptowncenter.com

9 The Gipsy Kings Hear the masters of rumba ﬂamenco perform. The music features kinetic guitar work and passionate vocals. Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6400, marincenter.org

9 SF Symphony Opening Night Gala Michael Tilson Thomas and the SF Symphony kick off the 2009 season with an opening gala concert featuring classical music sensation Lang Lang. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). 415.503.5500, sfsymphony.org

11–13 Yoshi’s San Francisco The Bad Plus combine avant-garde jazz and rock and pop inﬂuences. Yoshi’s (SF). 415.655.5600, yoshis.com

11 Metallica The legendary band plays in Marin County for the ﬁrst time to beneﬁt the Marin History Museum’s planned Marin Rocks exhibit. Veterans’ Memorial (San Rafael). 415.499.6800, marincenter.org

12 Pops in Peri Park Check out the ﬁnal Golden Gate Brass free performance of the season. Peri Park (Fairfax). 415.927.7853, town-of-fairfax.org

13 Sexy Sunday A musicians’ showcase featuring female artists who rock hosted by Kricke. Peri’s Silver Dollar (Fairfax). 415.459.9910, krickie.com

PHOTO BY TRINA TURK

Sausalito Art festival

15 Sugar Ray The Southern California–based popsters fronted by the former Extra host come to San Francisco. Regency Ballroom (SF). 800.745.3000, goldenvoice.com. Regency Ballroom (SF). 800.745.3000, goldenvoice.com

17 Summertime Family Concert Series

Bring the family for an evening of jazz and blues with the Pamela Rose Band. Marin Art & Garden Center (Ross). 415.455.5261, magc.org

19 Loretta Lynch, the Hollyhocks and Yard

Sale An evening of rockin’ female vocal harmony. Hotel Utah (SF). 415.546.6300, thehotelutahsaloon.com

20 Scott Amendola Trio The inventive drummer is joined by Jeff Parker on guitar and John Shifﬂett on bass. 142 Throckmorton (Mill Valley). 415.383.9600, 142throckmortontheatre.org

GALLERIES

MARIN

Aperture F/64 Fine art and black-and-white photography 635 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo. 415.482.0480

Art Abloom Studio and Gallery Learn how to make art. Artwork on display and classes. 1527 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo. 415.256.1112, artabloom.com

Art on the Waterfront

See more than 20,000 museumquality, original works of art including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, fiber art, fine glass, woodwork, mixed media and photography at this one-ofa-kind Labor Day art event. The festival includes wine, food, children’s activities and live music from acts such as Night Ranger and the English Beat.

September 5–7 at Marinship Park in Sausalito. 415.331.3757, sausalitoartfestival.com

Art Bar Realism and Beyond Collection of oil paintings by Pete Hackett, Deanna Lee, and Adam Miller, thru September. 46 Main St, Tiburon. 415.435.5999, artbar.us

Art Works Downtown One of a Kind Furniture by Alison McLennan, thru September 25. Also catch ArtRageous: Great Balls of Fire, September 121337 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.451.8119, artworksdowntown.org

Claudia Chapline Gallery Mixed Media Works on Paper from the 1960s A rare showing of work from Fred Blackman, thru September 7. 3445 Shoreline Hwy, Stinson Beach. 415.868.2308, cchapline.com

Community Congressional Church Work by Black Tie Botanicals, thru October 8. 145 Rock Hill Drive, Tiburon. 415.435.9108, ccctiburon.org

Donna Seager Gallery Group show of new works by current gallery artists. 851 Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.454.4229, donnaseagergallery.com

Gallery Bergelli Paintings by Bryn Craig, September 25–October 30. 483 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur. 415.945.9454, gallerybergelli.com

Gallery Route One Positively Magnetic The annual Box Show is back and is a major fundraiser for GRO, thru September 13 11101

Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1347, galleryrouteone.org

Marin Society of Artists Fall Rental 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross. 415.454.9561, marinsocietyofartists.org

Mona Lease Gallery Summer Suites Sea, land and ﬁgure paintings by Michael Fram, thru September 15. 39 Greenbrae Boardwalk, Greenbrae. 415.461.3718, monalease.net

Northbay ArtWorks Rotating exhibits and classes. 7049 Redwood Blvd, Ste 208, Novato. 415.892.8188, northbayartworks.com

O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Take Two: Refuse Rescued and Recreated Group show, thru September. 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.4331, ohanloncenter.org

Robert Allen Fine Art Clusters New mixedmedia works from Kerry Vander Meer, thru October 23. 301 Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.2800, robertallenﬁneart.com

Robert Beck Gallery Early California and contemporary plein air paintings on display. 222 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo. 415.456.7898, beckgallery.org

Robert Green Fine Arts Summer group exhibition of gallery painters. 154 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley. 415.381.8776, rgﬁnearts.com

Sam the Butcher Photography from Mick Laska. 19 Ross Common, Ross. 415.902.1019, samthebutcherart.org

Smith Andersen North The Spirit of the Shadow Sam Francis. 2240 A Fourth St, San Rafael. 415.455.9733, smithandersennorth.com

Studio 333 Josef and friends every Wednesday. 333A Caledonia St, Sausalito. 415.331.8272, studio333.info

Studio 4 Art Work by local artists at this brand-new gallery and workshop offering materials and classes. 1133 Grant Ave, Novato. 415.596.5546, studio4art.net

Tomales Fine Art Tomales founders day and sale, September 6. 27050 Maine St, Tomales. 707.878.2525, tomalesﬁneart.com

OH SHEET! BY THOMAS BARBÈY

ArtHaus Temptation New paintings by Andrea Arroyo, thru September 26. 411 Brannan St, 415.977.0223, arthaus-sf.com

Berggruen Gallery Ongoing work. 228 Grant Ave, 415.781.4629, berggruen.com

Cain Schulte Gallery

Counting New work by Owen Schuh, thru October 17. 714 Guerrero St, 415.543.1550, cainschulte.com

Caldwell Snyder Gallery

painter Paul Balmer and sculpturist Julie Speidel, September 10-30. 341 Sutter St, 415.296.7896, caldwellsnyder.com

Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery

Deaccession Sale. 49 Geary St, 415.981.1080, eesgallery.com

George Krevsky Gallery

hibition of landscape, portrait, still life, and sculpture pieces, thru September 26. 77 Geary St, 415.397.9748, georgekrevskygallery.com

Gregory Lind Gallery

Aaron Parazette and experimental ceramic artist Anders Ruhwald thru September. 49 Geary St, 415.296.9661, gregorylindgallery.com

Meyerovich Gallery Works on Paper 1976–2008 John Baldessari. 251 Post St, 415.421.7171, meyerovich.com

Rena Bransten Gallery Work by Dennis Gallagher. 77 Geary St, 415.982.3292, renabranstengallery.com

Weinstein Gallery California artist John Anderson, thru September 23. 301 Geary St, 415.362.8151, weinstein.com

MUSEUMS

Bay Area Discovery Museum Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China Learn about a child’s life in China, thru September 13 (Sausalito). 415.339.3958, baykidsmuseum.org

Bolinas Museum The 17th annual art auction and museum fundraiser takes place at Susie and Mark Buell’s Peace Barn, September 19. (Bolinas). 415.868.0330, bolinasmuseum.org

Falkirk Cultural Center Home: A Concept, A Place See and purchase artwork from more than 30 local artists, September 4–October 3 (San Rafael). 415.485.3438, falkirkculturalcenter.org

Marin History Museum The new exhibit, Growing the Future: Farming Families of Marin, tells the history of farming in Marin and runs all year (San Rafael Council Chambers). 415.454.8538, marinhistory.org

Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Dreams and Revelations The ﬁfth annual fall national exhibition, thru September 20 (Novato). 415.506.0137, marinmoca.com

BAY AREA

Asian Art Museum Lords of the Samurai An intimate look at the daimyo, the provincial lords of the warrior class in feudal Japan. The exhibit features more than 160 works from the Hosokawa, powerful military nobles with a 600-year-old lineage, family collection, thru September 20 (SF). 415.581.3500, asianart.org

California Academy of Sciences Journey to the Stars, the new Morrison Planetarium show, opens. The show is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg and opens September 26. The academy celebrates its ﬁrst anniversary September 26-27. (SF). 415.379.8000, calacademy.org

Contemporary Jewish Museum Susan Hiller: The J. Street Project Film and photographs of the 303 roads, streets and paths In Germany that refer to a Jewish presence, thru October 20 (SF). 415.655.7800, thecjm.org

de Young Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs After 30 years the boy king is back in San Francisco. The exhibit features more than 130 works from the tomb of Tutankhamun, as well as those of his royal predecessors, his family and court ofﬁcials,

thru March 28, 2010 (SF). 415.750.3600, thinker.org

di Rosa Preserve New work from painter and musician Mike Henderson, thru September 19. 5200 Carneros Hwy (Napa). 707.226.5991, ext. 34, dirosapreserve.org

Exploratorium Relections See yourself as never before during the last month of this temporary exhibit closing September 20. Waterfront/Ft. Mason (SF). 415.397.5673, exploratorium.edu/outdoor

Legion of Honor John Baldessari: A Print

Retrospective More than 100 prints representing four decades of work are on display, thru November 8 (SF). 415.750.3600, legionofhonor.org

SFMOMA Photographs 1946-2004 See more than 200 images from the iconic photographer Richard Avedon in the only U.S. showing of this exhibition, thru November 29 (SF). 415.357.4000, sfmoma.org

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Wallworks YBCA’s new Director of Visual Arts, BettiSue Hertz, curates this unique exhibit featuring the large-scale works of commissioned artists, who have covered the building and gallery walls with art, thru October 25 (SF). 415.978.2787, ybca.org

EVENTS

Mondays Boomercize Classes This low-impact ﬁtness program features dance steps and music from the American Bandstand hit parade. Marcie Judelson leads the one-hour workout. Presidio Dance Theater (SF). 415.608.4503, boomercize.com

2 Lars Ulrich Presents Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich presents and discusses the unusual documentary The Five Obstructions. Smith Rafael Film Center (San Rafael). 415.526.5845, caﬁlm.org

4–19 Film Night in the Park Bring your blankets, chairs and family for ﬁlm night in the park. Check the website for a complete list of ﬁlms, such as Rear Window and The Dark Knight, as well as times and places in

Marin and San Francisco. 415.453.4333, ﬁlmnight.org

5 Food for Thought David Mas Masumoto will discuss some of his farming techniques that have been adopted by farmers across the nation. Toby’s Feed Barn (Point Reyes Station). 415.663.1542, ptreyesbooks.com

5–7 Shamanism and Alternative Healing Conference Presentations, panels and individual healing sessions are available at this conference mixing Western medicine with shamanistic practices from Africa, South America, Mexico and Europe. Dominican University (San Rafael). shamanismconference.org

6 Sand Sculpture Contest Win prizes in multiple categories for building the best sand sculpture. Drakes Beach (Point Reyes National Seashore). 415.464.5140, nps.gov

6-7 Festa del Libro Discover some great Italian children’s literature at this second annual event. Book Passage (SF). marinitalians.org

7 Marin City Blues, Jazz and Soul Enjoy music and ethnic food at this 12th annual event. Rocky Graham Park (Marin City). 415.332.8316, performingstars.org

9 Filmmakers’ Conversation Academy Award–wining ﬁlmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf present and discuss their latest documentary, Empress Hotel, which puts a human face on homelessness. Smith Rafael Film Center (San Rafael). 415.526.5845, caﬁlm.org

10 Sustainable Film Festival Sustainable Fairfax and Permaculture Marin present the ﬁlm We Are What We Eat and a talk by ﬁlmmaker Aaron Lucich. This series is produced by Sustainable Fairfax, which teaches the community how to live sustainably. Drake High School (San Anselmo). 415.726.3040, sustainablefairfax.org

11 Marin Jewelers Guild See some rare birds as the guild kicks off a sales event featuring metal bird pins in support of WildCare. Reception is September 11 but the event runs September 6–October 3. Marin Jewelers Guild (San Rafael). 415.454.2711, marinjewelersguild.com

11–13 Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival Three days of fun celebrating food and wine in the mountain air. The Village at Northstar (Truckee). 888.229.2193, tahoefoodandwine.com

12 Katmandu Fall Festival Enjoy music, food, shopping and dance celebrating the many cultures of Nepal. Depot Park (Sonoma). 707.938.1807, katmandufallfestival.org

12 Great American Blues and Barbecue More than 10 barbecue masters are joined by musical acts such as Austin de Lone’s Blues Band, the Delta Wires and the J.C. Smith Band at this fourth annual event. Fourth St (San Rafael). 415.383.3470, teamproevent.com

12-13 Chocolate Festival Indulge in chocolate, wine and more chocolate at this 14th annual event. Ghirardelli Square (SF). ghirardellisq.com

18–20 The Late Show Gardens See a celebration of garden design that addresses the challenges of our changing environment. Cornerstone Sonoma (Sonoma). 415.461.4168, thelateshowgardens.org

19 Annual Home and Garden Tour Five unique Napa homes are featured at the 10th annual Napa Valley Symphony League home and garden show. 707.226.8742, napavalleysymphony.org

19 Bocce Ball Invitational Enjoy lunch and a tournament beneﬁting Warm Wishes. Albert Park (San Rafael). 415.472.0211, warmwishes.org

19-20 Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival The 53rd annual event is highly competitive and attracts artists from across the nation. The festival also features live music, children’s activities and delicious food. Old Mill Park (Mill Valley). 415.381.8090, mvfaf.org

20 WOOFstock 2009 Dogs are welcome at this event featuring music by the the Zydeco Flames. Marin Humane Society (Novato). 415.506.6265, marinhumanesociety.org

23 Annual Wine Dinner The Marin Charitable Association hosts its 11th an-

nual wine dinner honoring Elaine Petrocelli of Book Passage. Corinthian Yacht Club (Tiburon). 415.686.3516, marincharitable.org

23 Garden Feast 2009 Attend a garden party and beneﬁt luncheon supporting the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society. Strybing Arboretum (SF). 415.565.3239, sfbotanicalgarden.org

24 An Evening with Elizabeth Gilbert The author of the memoir Eat, Pray, Love discusses her writing and spiritual and travel adventures. Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). 415.499.6400, marincenter.org

25 Oktoberfest on Main Enjoy beer, bratwurst and bands at this popular event. Main Street (Tiburon). tiburonchamber.org

25 Friday Forums The monthly luncheon offers discussions of Marin issues. Jason’s Restaurant (Greenbrae). friday.forums@gmail.com

26 Fundraising Gala and Fashion Show The To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation will honor the lives of women and men diagnosed with breast cancer at this 14th annual event. Marin Center Exhibit Hall (San Rafael). 415.455.5882, tocelebratelife.org

26 Blackie’s Hay Day Enjoy a day of outdoor activities including pony rides, a mechanical bull, a rock climbing wall, reptile zoo, games and a petting zoo. Children who bring a book to donate get in free. Blackie’s Pasture (Tiburon). blackieshayday.com

26 Fairfax Body and Soul The festival features health and wellness speakers, exhibits, music and organic food. Peri Park/Fairfax Women’s Club (Fairfax). 415.456.5574

26 Dipsea Hike/Run This community hike helps to raise breast cancer awareness. Old Mill Park (Mill Valley). 415.507.1949, zerobreastcancer.org

26 Sausalito Floating Homes Tour Take a self-guided tour of 20 unique homes and learn about waterfront lifestyle. Kappas Marina (Sausalito). 415.332.1916, ﬂoatinghomes.org

26 Guide Dogs for the Blind Gala Enjoy a gourmet dinner, live and silent auctions and

SUMMER READING

BY JIM WOOD

The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance by Joan Ryan, Simon and Schuster, 2009, $24. This mostly medical drama grabs and doesn’t let go. Journalist/author Ryan lives in Ross and might reach best seller status with this candid accounting of her teenage son’s near-fatal accident. Out 9/9/09.

And a Voice to Sing With by Joan Baez, Simon and Schuster, 2009, $16. Paperback edition of Baez’s 1987 autobiography (with updated introduction).

Pop stars, peace marches, Vietnam bombings, music and family photos are all there. Plus people like Dylan, Martin Luther King, the late Mimi Farina, David Harris and son Gabe.

wine tasting beneﬁting Guide Dogs for the Blind at this seventh annual event. Guest of honor is Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Carriage House (Napa). 800.295.4050, guidedogs.com

27 Sausalito Chili Cook-off Come and taste unique chili creations at this popular event. Dunphy (Sausalito). ci.sausalito.ca.us

28 Kid Lit Salon Beginning and established children’s book authors and illustrators are invited to the monthly salon. Book Passage (Corte Madera). 415.927.0960, bookpassage.com

30 Tam Valley Speaker Series Learn where we are in the universe from astronomer Kenneth Frank. Tam Valley Community Center (Mill Valley). 415.388.6393

NATURE WALKS/TALKS

3 Marin Sierra Club Enjoy a hike in scenic Muir Woods via Fern Creek. Meet at Miller and Locust avenues in Mill Valley at 9:30

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, McSweeney’s, 2009, $24. Nonﬁction work—three years in crafting—deals with New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina and much more. Zeitoun, a Syrian-American father of four, saves his home and business, then helps others in need— and mysteriously disappears. Research covers Spain, Syria, the United States and Islam.

a.m. 415.461.9255, sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org

5 Moonlight Hike Join the Marin Moonshiners for a monthly three-mile hike to experience the sunset, moonrise and a picnic. Reservations required. Pelican Inn Pub (Muir Beach). 415.331.0100, whatshappeningcalendars.com

12 Orchard Tour Explore the horticulture of growing olive trees and learn about olive harvesting techniques on this special tour. McEvoy Ranch (Petaluma). 707.778.2307, mcevoyranch.com

12, 26 Sunset Hike and Dine Join this local club for a monthly two-hour hike on moderate to steep trails on Mount Tamalpais with a mid-hike wine and cheese break. Reservations required. Mountain Home Inn (Mill Valley). 415.331.0100

16 Marin Scuba Club Author James A. Martin will discuss and show images from his book The Islands of San Francisco Bay which discusses the history and geology of

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard, William Morrow, 2009, $24.99. Mill Valley’s Joyce Maynard writes often about the state of New Hampshire. This time a 13-year-old boy from Holton Mills has a life-altering experience over a sultry Labor Day weekend. “A poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence and devastating treachery,” says one reviewer.

the Bay. The Flatiron Salon (San Rafael). 415.453.9556, marinscuba.org

19 Marin Art and Garden Center Make you green garden greener. Learn how to make environmentally friendly gardening choices with classes developed by StopWaste. org. Marin Art & Garden Center (Ross). 415.455.5261, magc.org

RETAIL THERAPY

Robert Allen and Beacon Hill One of the nation’s leading designers of decorative fabrics has moved to the San Francisco Design Center. The new showroom will also feature the home furnishings and decorative accessories of Christopher Guy. 101 Henry Adams St (SF). 800.333.3733, robertallendesign.com

Kathleen Dughi Jeweler View the fall collection of Italian designer Paola Quadretti at this special trunk show, September 17-18. 11 Bernard St (Mill Valley). 415.383.0462, kathleendughi.com

Giving Back

The Foundation for Reed Schools put on a memorable Summer Sizzle Fashion Show with more than 200 locals in attendance. The event raises money to support art, foreign language, music, PE and technology in the

Jonathan Kathrein, who was attacked by a great white shark at Stinson Beach in 1998 and is the cofounder of Future Leaders for Peace, held a fundraising event at Wipeout Grill in Greenbrae. The group holds programs at schools where students learn leadership, mutual respect, communication and goal setting. From left, Irene and Peter Tabet, Jonathan Kathrein, Molly Kron.

Blind Babies Foundation recently had a beneﬁt at Pixar Animation Studios with a viewing of the new movie Up. The event featured a silent auction with Pixar memorabilia, guided tours of the studio complex, and a guest appearance by Up star Edward Asner, above right, pictured with Jonas Rivera.

Locals enjoyed a day of sun, barbecue and music by the Sofa Kings at Stubbs Vineyard to raise money for Schools for Kabul, a student-run fundraising group that supports educational projects in Afghanistan. The group has already built one school in Kabul and hopes to raise more money for arts programs and student scholarships in the city. schoolsforkabul.com.

Left, Percy Stubbs.

At the Tiburon home of Joe and Heidi Shekou, the Marin Symphony held a prelude recital featuring piano soloist Robin Sutherland. Above left, Goli Majlessi, Shalu Saluja, Leslie Banning Call. Above right, Dr. Ifeoma Ikenze.

Tiburon public schools. Below, from left, Holly Seifer, Cynthia Kenneally, Tina Warren, Patti Stadlin, Candace Nordstrom.

Local Narada

Michael Walden and music legend Sting (pictured at left) performed a beneﬁt concert at Davies Symphony Hall to beneﬁt Christopher Rodriguez, a young boy who was paralyzed by a stray bullet while at his piano lesson.

Car aﬁcionados celebrated the ﬁrst annual Marin Sonoma Concours d’Elegance at the Marin Center Fairgrounds. Classic, vintage and alternativefuel cars made up the 206-strong automobile display.

Top photo, from left, Ken Meislin, Mitchell Meislin, Sandra Lew, Barbara Meislin.

Below, Jack Damato, Mogens Bach.

Around Town

Matanzas Creek Winery welcomed guests to the annual Days of Wine and Lavender event. The Bennett Valley winery features two acres of lavender, has a lavender culinary program on site and is open to the public. Above, Constantinos “Taki” Laliotitis and Michaela Baltasar.

Sausalito residents at left, Maryann Phillips and Corinne Cappell, attended the Shu Uemura boutique’s birthday event and “Lashion Show” featuring the new Lashes in Nature collection.

DINE OUT

CORTE MADERA

CHAMPAGNE BAKERY French This casual bakery displays fresh-made pastries, croissants, tarts, cookies and cakes, to be enjoyed indoors or out on the patio. Brioche French toast and the French dip sandwich with Swiss cheese are among the many menu options. Catering is also available. 103 Corte Madera Town Ctr, 415.927.5470, champagnebakery.com

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

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, izzysrestaurant.com

LA MAISON DE LA REINE Vietnamese A refreshing change amid the plethora of Italian, Mexican and Chinese options. The crunchy cabbage chicken salad with peanuts, fresh spring rolls, and combinations of pho are delicious. 346 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.0288, lmvietnamese-cuisine.com

MARIN JOE’S Italian Pasta and other Italian dishes have been served here for over 50 years. Pick from soup, salad, seafood mesquite-grilled or sautéed meats and over 10 pasta options guaranteed to satisfy. Have a drink and hear local musicians at the well-known piano bar. 1585 Casa Buena Dr, 415.924.2081, marinjoesrestaurant.com

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 cooked or raw fish, chicken or beef. 223 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3474, paciﬁccatch.com

RICK’S WINE CELLAR California This oneroom bar and wine shop is located in the same spot where Marin’s first wine bar opened back in 1988. Now it’s owned and operated by Marin natives Rick and Candy Mendell, whose customers call it the “Cheers of Corte Madera.” Offerings include a glass, a flight or a bottle, all of which pair nicely with the cheeses, salami and hot paninis. 207 Corte Madera Ave, 415.927.9466, rickswinecellar.com

FAIRFAX

CHAD’S GARDEN & GRILL CAFE Italian Pop in for a fennel-apple-and-walnut salad on the deck or one of the savory paninis or wraps. Menu includes lots of healthy vegetarian selections. 85 Bolinas Rd, 415.454.7864, chadscafe.com

DEER PARK VILLA Italian This “best place for a party” (Paciﬁc Sun) sits on four garden acres; the Ghiringhelli family has been turning out Italian favorites here since 1937. Come for the famous veal parmesan—or your next big celebration. 367 Bolinas Rd, 415.456.8084, deerparkvilla.com

FRADELIZIO’S Italian Home-style comfort food, fresh ﬁsh, and good wine add up to an excellent

BITES

SUSHI IN MARIN & SF DINING

Sushi is Tops in Marin

place for a family night out. 35 Broadway Blvd, 415.459.1618, fradelizios.com

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

PANCHO VILLA’S Mexican A Fairfax favorite for over 30 years. Since 1976, head chef Francisco has been turning out treats like chile relleno stuffed with jack cheese, cilantro and onion and crab enchiladas topped with a mild tomatillo sauce and sour cream. 1625 Sir Frances Drake Blvd, 415.456.4331, panchosfairfax.com

Sushi Ran chef Allan (Hyun Min) Suh brought top honors back to Sausalito, emerging as the grand champion sushi chef in the Sushi Masters California Regional Competition in San Diego. Suh won for his signature roll and Morikomi plate. His win follows the victory of Sushi Ran’s executive chef Mitsunori Kusakabe, who recently won the world championship in the Seven Sushi Samarai competition held in London.

For more sushi options, head to the new Tsukiji Sushi, in the former Ora space in Mill Valley. The restaurant, named after Tokyo’s famed ﬁsh market features chef Roy Lui, who will be working alongside former Sushi Ran chef Haruo Komatsu. Lui already owns sushi restaurants in San Rafael (Akira) and San Francisco (Morpho), so why Mill Valley? “Many of our former customers are located in Southern Marin.” says Lui. “And most importantly, people in Mill Valley know good sushi. The servers are mostly from Mill Valley and Sausalito so the restaurant has a local feel. The restaurant is located in Sunnyside’s infamous “restaurant killer” locale so quality food and local visitation are incredibly important in keeping the restaurant aﬂoat.” 24 Sunnyside Ave. (Mill Valley). 415.383.1382.

Dinner Downtown SF

Want to catch a showing of Wicked or Rent at the Orpheum Theater but aren’t looking forward to parking prices? Head to American gastropub Urban Tavern, which has made the trip to the city a little easier with a $34.95 pre-theater dinner package, which includes a three-course prix ﬁxe meal, a glass of wine and ﬁve hours of complimentary parking. For an additional $15 per person, guests will be transported, via town car or limo, to and from the theater that they will be attending. The package is valid with proof of a theater ticket for a Shorenstein Hays-Nedelander performance. Urban Tavern (SF). 415.923.4400, urbantavernsf.com

After the theater, indulge the sweet tooth with downtown’s Oola Restaurant Monday soufﬂé nights. Pastry chef Alicia Montalvo (previously of Aqua) whips up the rich dessert, alternating ﬂavors among Valrhona chocolate, lavender and passion fruit. If you don’t make it on a Monday, don’t pass on a late-night roasted beet and watermelon salad with pistachios, goat cheese and a thyme vinaigrette. Oola Restaurant (SF). 415.995.2061, oola-sf.com –SF

PHOTO: ERIC RORER

GREENBRAE

JASON’S Italian The restaurant’s Greenbrae location (it was formerly on Andersen Drive in San Rafael) ﬁlls the space that was formerly Giorgio’s. A crowd of regulars enjoys creative seafood dishes with Italian ﬂair. Enjoy the ceviche, crab cakes or blackened salmon on the large outdoor covered patio. 300 Drakes Landing Rd, 415.925.0808, jasonsrestaurant.com

WIPEOUT BAR & GRILL American Who says you can’t go back to being a carefree teenager for a night? This family-friendly hot spot has surfboards hanging from the ceiling, fun-in-the-sun music, a full bar and large televisions displaying surfers riding waves. The only thing missing is the sand at this surf-style, upbeat eatery. 302 Bon Air Center, 415.461.7400, wipeoutbarandgrill.com

KENTFIELD

HALF DAY CAFE American A tucked-away setting of intertwining ivy and great white windows makes the perfect breakfast nook. The setting is casual but elegant; the menu includes lattes, exceptional pastries and much more. Dine on the outdoor patio or inside where the view is just as divine. 848 College Ave, 415.459.0291, halfdaycafe.com

LARKSPUR

E & 0 TRADING COMPANY Southeast Asian New chef Arnold Eric Wong is keeping the restaurant’s innovative plates as tasty as ever. Without reservations, try a spot at the large communal table. 2231 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.925.0303, eotrading.com

EMPORIO RULLI Italian Pastry chef Gary Rulli is renowned for his Northern Italian specialties and treats. The Larkspur location (there are three others) is a popular spot for lunch. 464 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7478, rulli.com

FABRIZIO RISTORANTE Italian Traditional Italian dishes with an extensive wine list from regions all over Italy; outside seating makes the experience even more special. 455 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.3332, fabriziorestaurant.com

LEFT BANK RESTAURANT French Known for award-winning French cuisine and its lively brasserie ambience, this corner spot rates high with locals for well over a decade. the frugal can opt for happy hour (4–6:30 M–F) and enjoy appetizers, all priced under three dollars. 507 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com

MARIN BREWING CO American Grab a cold beer made right on site and pair it with ﬁsh and chips—fresh cod dipped in Mt. Tam pale ale batter, served with steak fries and homemade tartar sauce. 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.4677, marinbrewing.com Believe in What You Buy

RUSTIC BAKERY California Organic mouthwatering pastries, breads, and sandwiches are on the menu here including Meyer lemon mascarpone danishes and bacon, avocado and heirloom tomato sandwich with mesclun. 1139 Magnolia Ave, 415.925.1556, rusticbakery.com

TAM CELLARS Wine bar This wine shop includes an elegant bar with seating for up to 36 people, 30 wines by the glass and tasting flights. Tam Cellars specializes in hard-to-ﬁnd wines and smallproduction wineries. Enjoy a glass or bottle to pair with the selection of appetizers. Live music on Thursdays. 1803 Larkspur Landing, 415.461.9463, tamcellars.com

TAVERN AT LARK CREEK American The next chapter in the 1888 Victorian Murphy House is being written by chef Randy Lewis and culinary director Adrian Hoffman. 234 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7766, tavernatlarkcreek.com

THE MELTING POT French Just across the street from the Larkspur Ferry terminal is a round redbrick haven for fondue fans. Share the “Big Night Out” feast featuring chef’s specialties, or design your own spread with cheese fondue, salad, choice of meat entrée and chocolate fondue dessert. 125 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.461.6358, themeltingpot. com

YANKEE PIER American This family-friendly casual clam shack is harbored in a quaint house built in 1924 as a private residence. Though known

for beer-battered ﬁsh’n’ chips, clam chowder and tasty salads, Yankee Pier serves fresh seafood delivered daily from both coasts with special dishes by chef Chris Ball. 286 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7676, yankeepier.com

MILL VALLEY

BALBOA CAFE MILL VALLEY California The San Francisco institution has already become a place to see and be seen in Mill Valley, especially after the 142 Throckmorton Comedy nights. Come for the pan-roasted Alaskan halibut or risotto but come back for the amazing burgers. 38 Miller Ave, 415.381.7321, balboacafe.com

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. The warm dark-wooded bar with red leather booths is a popular spot for cocktails, conversations or a light meal. 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, known for tasty spirits and eye candy. 44 E. Blithedale Ave, 415.381.2500, bungalow44.com

CHAMPAGNE French Enjoy a croque monsieur, linger over a flaky, buttery croissant with a cappuccino, or pick up chocolate-dipped strawberries for your next party. All that and more at this French bakery cafe. 41 Throckmorton Avenue, 415.380.0410, millvalley.champagnebakery.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 an intimate dinner, large groups and anything in between. Happy hour starts at 4:30 in the sizable, comfortable bar area, where you can snack on antipasti or order your whole meal. Owned by Roberto Zecca and Chef Duilio Valenti, both from Milano; the kitchen uses local and organic ingredients—it’s the Italian way. For special occasions and private parties, reserve the olive-press room. 152 Shoreline Hwy, 415.289.5777, frantoio.com

INDIA PALACE Indian Known as “that great restaurant in the Travelodge,” India Palace is a favorite among the takeout crowd; however, eating on site is a treat too. 707 Redwood Hwy, 415.388.3350

HARMONY Chinese Dishes here are an infusion of many ﬂavors. The barbecue pork bun is ﬁlled with house-made roasted meat in a savory sauce; fresh mussels are accented with red chili and Thai basil. Pair your pick with wine, beer or tea. Strawberry Village, 415.381.5300, harmonyrestaurantgroup.com

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JOE’S TACO LOUNGE Mexican A longtime local favorite, Joe’s serves up regular fare such as tasty ﬁsh tacos, burritos and enchiladas as well as more unusual items like Mexican pizza, tofu salad, and crab tostados. Colorful interior and (usually) quick service makes this a fun, easy stop. And if there are too many unsupervised kids for a peaceful meal, takeout is easy too. Alone? Grab a magazine and seat at the counter and enjoy the action. 382 Miller, 415.383.8164

LA BOULANGE BAKERY Take your pastries and coffee in a bowl and lounge on the patio for a relaxing morning as you’re practically transported to Paris at this adorable bakery. The staff is professional and friendly. Be sure to try their outstanding breads, as they’ll put your standard sandwich bread to shame. 800 Redwood Hwy, 415.381.1260, baybread.com

LA GINESTRA Italian A favorite family spot for over 30 years; getting a table or booth can take a while. While this old-school Italian eatery is known for traditional pastas, veal dishes, pizzas and dry martinis, the familiar wait staff is also part of the attraction. 127 Throckmorton Ave, 415.388.0224

MARIA MARIA Mexican The menu at Maria Maria draws from diverse regional cuisines of Mexico, including slow-braised duck tacos, guacamole prepared tableside and Guajillo marinated red snapper filet. 651 E. Blithedale, 415.381.1070. mariamariarestaurants.com

PIAZZA D’ANGELO Italian It’s always a party at this long-standing hot spot. A great place to meet up with friends for a fresh plate of pasta, zuppa di pesce or pollo novello, or make some new friends at the bar. 22 Miller Ave, 415.388.2000, piazzadangelo.com

PIATTI RISTORANTE AND BAR Italian The staff prides itself on capturing the warm and welcoming atmosphere of a traditional Italian trattoria. Try for a table at the window for a truly exceptional view right on the water. Take a peek at the impressive collection of Italian wines to go with your rustic seasonal Italian meal. 625 Redwood Hwy, 415.380.2525, piatti.com

RAIN TREE CAFÉ American/Homestyle In the Strawberry Village shopping center, casual American fare: soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and gourmet crepes. Savor the Mill Valley crepe: smoked salmon, capers, spinach, and Dijon in a fresh warm wrap. Breakfast is served all day. 610 Strawberry Village, 415.380.8886, caferaintree.com

ROBATA GRILL AND SUSHI Japanese Robata translates as “by the fireside”; fittingly, food here is cooked on an open fire and served in appetizersize portions to pass around the table and share. 591 Redwood Hwy, 415.381.8400, robatagrill.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 extensive bar menu. It’s also a great place

for lunch. 615 Strawberry Village, 415.383.3444, theplela.com

TOAST American Take the kids for an omelet or pancake breakfast at this cozy venue; lunch and dinner, too. 31 Sunnyside Ave, 415.388.2500, toastmillvalley.com

TONY TUTTO PIZZA Italian Tony has been pouring his passion for pizza into his cooking for two decades and is now sharing his family recipes: “It’s all about excellence in pizza, sprinkled with musical ﬂavors and kissed with colorful passion. We feature creative artisan-style pizza using the best imported, natural and local organic ingredients.” Mostly outdoor seating, so dress accordingly. 246 E. Blithedale Ave, 415.383.8646, tonytuttopizza.com

NOVATO

CACTI GRILL American Grill A former bell tower church, the family-friendly restaurant now boasts a covered patio and serves a 21-day dry-aged steak and ﬁlet mignon enchiladas. 1200 Grant Ave, 415.898.2234, cactigrill.com

EN CANTO Mexican Barbed wire orbs, lights, festive music, and an addictive bean dip sets this family-friendly restaurant apart from the plethora of others in Marin. The sting of waiting for a table can be relieved by the En Canto House Margarita on the patio. 940 Seventh St, 415.892.1471, encantorestaurant.com

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FINNEGAN’S MARIN American This pub-style restaurant features tasty appetizers, grilled ﬂatbread pizzas and entrées, including New York steak, garlic herb chicken and a braised beef and pork ragu that will really stick to your ribs. Wine, beer and cocktails are available. 877 Grant Ave, 415.899.1516, ﬁnnegansmarin.com

GRAZIE Italian Locals love this family-owned and -run Grant Avenue restaurant for delicious paninis, salads and the unbeatable homemade cookies. Enjoy good weather on the outside patio or people watch in this always-bustling restaurant. 823 Grant Ave, Ste E, 415.878.0202

PORTELLI ROSSI Italian This casual cafe offers huge portions (most priced under $20), a garden patio and a family-friendly environment. Stop in on Saturday and Sunday nights for the live jazz band on the patio. The early-bird special includes a three-course meal for only $12 every night if you’re seated before 6 p.m. Closed Mondays. 868 Grant Ave, 415.892.6100, portellirossi.com

SONOMA LATINA GRILL Mexican As if Novato didn’t already have some great taquerias, the owners of La Tortilla Factory in Sonoma have brought us Sonoma Latina Grill. The menu includes standbys like tacos, burritos and enchiladas made with fresh, local and organic ingredients, plus a list of favorites from the Sonoma location. In keeping with the fresh/non-processed theme, the tortillas are made by hand with natural and organic whole grains. 5800 Nave Dr, Ste D, 415.883.2662, sonomalatinagrill.com

TOAST American Sister to the popular Mill Valley location, Toast Novato features outdoor dining and architecture by Stanley Saitowitz and still has the great dishes by executive chef Michael Garcia that have made the southern Marin spot a not-tobe-missed destination. 5800 Nave, 415.382.1144, toastnovato.com

TUSCANY COUNTRY GRILL Italian The Chicken Pesto Panini and Eggplant Parmagina are among many of the favorites at this charming and spacious Italian eatery. The menu is eclectic, prices are fair and the portions are enormous, so be prepared for leftovers throughout the week. It brings in a bit of trafﬁc during lunchtime so make reservations or arrive early. 1516 Grant Ave, 415.998.2800

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. In the mood for a cigar? The restaurant has an extensive list. 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. The wine and beer list is extensive. 23 Ross Common, 415.925.9200, marcheauxﬂeursrestaurant.com

DANA SCHABERG

DEBBIE HAROLD

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, frescotrattoria.com

SAN ANSELMO

AVA California Chef Dan Baker, of Marché aux Fleurs in Ross, has another winner with AVA, which features a California-only wine list and a menu where nearly all the ingredients come from within 100 miles—if not the Marin County Farmers’ Market. The small menu includes seasonal flatbreads, pasta and six seasonal main dishes. 636 San Anselmo Ave, 415.453.3407, avamarin. com

COMFORTS Cafe This cozy spot features local ingredients and serves breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. Be sure to try the Philly cheesesteak and Chinese chicken salad, both classics. 335 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.9840, comfortscafe.com

CUCINA RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR Italian Proprietor Jack Krietzman (of Pacific Heights’ Jackson Fillmore) has brought Milan to Marin with his 42-seat family restaurant. Relax with a glass of wine and have a slice from the to-die-for thin pizzas, topped with items like trufﬂe oil and fontina cheese. 510 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.2942, cucinarestaurantandwinebar.com

DREAM FARM California As the website claims, a taste of rural Marin in downtown San Anselmo, showcasing the bounty of our area’s awardwinning farms, dairies, and ﬁsheries. Best yet is the price point: dishes range from under $6 to nothing over $20. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.453.9898, dreamfarmmarin.com

INSALATA’S Mediterranean Award-winning chef Heidi Insalata Krahling offers Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes prepared with local organic produce and artisan meats. 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.457.7700, insalatas.com

MARINITAS Mexican The sister restaurant of Insalata’s, Marinitas continues to ﬂourish as it brings Latin ﬂair home to Marin. It may not be as cheap as most Mexican restaurants in the area, but this is not your typical south-of-the-border spot. The festive atmosphere and funky decor complement the excellent food for a classy, lively experience. Finish strong with the rich Tres Leches Cake. This place gets packed, so make reservations. 218 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.454.8900, marinitas.net

TACO JANE’S Mexican Named after the owner’s mother, this casual but colorful place welcomes the whole family. Don’t miss out on Jane’s handmade agave margarita or griddled plantains with Jane’s crema. 21 Tamalpais Ave, 415.454.6562, tacojanes.com

SAN GERONIMO

RED TAIL BAR & GRILL California The beautiful views overlooking the San Geronimo Valley redwoods and wildlife will captivate you while you indulge in

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TWO BIRD CAFÉ California This roadside cafe has it all, including fresh ﬁsh and goodies from the garden. These guys were doing local and sustainable even before it was so popular. 625 San Geronimo Valley Dr, 415.488.0105, twobirdcafe.com

SAN RAFAEL

CAFE GRATITUDE Raw The waiters might push the affirmations theme a bit too much, but the tasty (and healthy) food is worth it. Besides the knowledge you’re supporting local farmers and sustainable agriculture, the raw food and vegan samosas are hard to resist. Best to bring a group and sample lots of items on the menu. 2200 Fourth St, 415.824.4652, withthecurrent.com

SABOR OF SPAIN Spanish Under new ownership, this Spanish wine bar is a great place for a date or a big party. The gazpacho is world class here and a must-try. 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. Great for large parties, the dining room holds 240. The Pacific red snapper meuniére and roast sirloin of beef are standouts. 931 Fourth St, 415.456.2425, srjoes.com

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To win, you must be speciﬁc. Sure, its a building with a French name but we want to know where it is located? Hint: A nearby restaurant can satisfy your French craving.

Here’s how to play: Go to marinmagazine.com/shot, agree to the rules and submit your answer. Simple. We’ll choose the winner randomly from all the correct answers. Good luck!

And the winner is: Richard Lindenberg of Novato, who won July’s Call the Shot by identifying the main gate at Hamilton Field.

SOL FOOD Puerto Rican With south-of-theborder treats like yellow rice, beans, plantains and authentic Puerto Rican dishes, this tiny oneroom eatery on Fourth Street just off Highway 101 can be hard to get into, but worth the wait. 732 Fourth St, and 901 Lincoln Ave, 415.451.4765, solfoodrestaurant.com

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

THERESA & JOHNNY’S COMFORT FOOD American Cooking like Mom used to make. Drop by for eggs Benedict, tuna melts, coffee and some of the best milk shakes around. 817 Fourth St, 415.259.0182, theresa-and-johnnys.com

SAUSALITO

ANGELINO RESTAURANT Italian Father-andson chefs Pasquale and Alfredo Ancona offer handmade pastas and seasonal antipasti at this authentic Italian restaurant, which has been serving food from the Campania region for the past 24 years. 621 Bridgeway, 415.331.5225, angelinorestaurant.com

ARAWAN THAI RESTAURANT Thai Known for its consistently tasty Thai food and efficient, gracious service. For light fare try the imperial or Siamese rolls (vegetarian), or dig into the delicious

pad thai noodles or garlic and pepper prawns. Arawan Thai has been a local favorite for over nine years. 47 Caledonia St, 415.332.0882, arawan.com

AVATAR’S Indian Looking for “the best meal of your life”? Let owner Ashok Kumar order for you. One-room casual dining for lunch and dinner. 2656 Bridgeway, 415.332.8083, eatavatar.com

CAFFÉ DIVINO Tuscan Locals come for the tasty pastas and salads, as well as coffee drinks, in a funky one-room setting. Free delivery in Sausalito. 37 Caledonia St, 415.331.9355, caffedivinosausalito.com

FENG NIAN Chinese Busy at lunch and dinner, this spacious hangout has been a popular spot for wonton soup, potstickers and daily specials for nearly two decades. For an indulgent treat order the Szechwan crispy calamari or honey-glazed walnut prawn. Free delivery. 2650 Bridgeway, 415.331.5300, fengnian.com

FISH Seafood It is all about the fresh fish here. You can dine at one of the picnic tables or purchase fresh fish to cook at home. Casual, cash only (and bring a lot of it!). 350 Harbor Dr, 415.331.3474, 331fish.com

HORIZONS Seafood/American There isn’t a better place for waterfront deck dining with stunning views of Angel Island, Alcatraz and the San Francisco skyline. Horizons is a favorite with locals and visitors. Enjoy lunch, dinner and brunch daily, featuring fresh seafood, salads, sandwiches, pasta and steak. Deck dining, valet parking and docking facilities available. A full bar serves draft beers and specialty cocktails and has an extensive wine selection. 558 Bridgeway, 415.331.3232, horizonssausalito.com

MURRAY CIRCLE American Enjoy the sun on the deck of this Cavallo Point restaurant. Locals say they come back for the fresh seasonal ingredients like wild sturgeon and Wolfe Ranch quail that chef Joseph Humphrey cooks up. 601 Murray Circle, 415.339.4750, cavallopoint.com

PARADISE BAY American Enjoy the sun or dine under the stars at this waterfront restaurant. Patrons’ favorites are the organic beef sandwiches and fresh Maine lobster clubs. 1200 Bridgeway, 415.331.3226, paradisebaysausalito.com

PICCOLO TEATRO Italian Translating into “Little Theater” in Italian, Piccolo Teatro used to be a theater before it became the exquisite restaurant it is today. Executive Chef Travis Flood spends weeks mastering each dish. Customers seem unanimous in finding the food quality, service, and ambience phenomenal. 739 Bridgeway, 415.332.0739, piccoloteatrodisausalito.com

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

SAYLOR’S RESTAURANT AND BAR California/ Mexican Marin’s ﬁrst tequila bar offers over 100 tequila options. Nightly meal specials include chicken pot pie, roasted salmon, baby back ribs, and traditional meatloaf. If you’re in for a wild night of entertainment there are frequent events like margarita night and flight night tequilatasting parties. The private dining room is perfect for large parties. 2009 Bridgeway, 415.332.1512, saylorsrestaurantandbar.com

SCOMA’S Seafood Whether it’s for the view of San Francisco or the historical background, visitors flock to this location and its romantic setting. The array of fresh seafood and meat dishes are as appetizing as the Italian pasta dishes. 588 Bridgeway, 415.332.9551, scomassausalito.com

SPINNAKER Seafood Chef Phil Collins excels at preparing seafood, and it shows in the beautiful plate presentations. Set right on the water, this romantic spot is great for an evening occasion. 100 Spinnaker Dr, 415.332.1500, thespinnaker.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

TASTE OF ROME Italian This local landmark has evolved from a cafe into a full-service restaurant offering pasta, pizza, sandwiches and salad in an authentic Italian ambience. Find the green, white and red awning and you’re there. 1000 Bridgeway, 415.332.7660, caffetrieste.com

TOMMY’S WOK Chinese S crupuously fresh ingredients and free-range chicken make the yellow coconut milk curry here divine. Nice atmosphere and good takeout. 3001 Bridgeway, 415.332.5818, tommyswok.com

WELLINGTON’S California British transport Jeremy John and his wife Jill have created an expansive (2,400-square-foot) wine bar with a homey feel, board games, views of the bay and a worldly cellar featuring affordable bottles and special reserves. The menu offers wines by the glass for $5 to $20 and tasting flights of any three wines for $12. 300 Turney St, 415.331.9463, wellingtonswine.com

WINSHIPS RESTAURANT American The morethan-four-decades-old nautical-themed restaurant is luring locals and tourists with hearty breakfasts and lunch options like tender fried calamari, clam strips, mussels and a giant prawn cocktail. 670 Bridgeway, 415.332.1454, winships.com

TIBURON

THE CAPRICE California Expansive Angel Island and San Francisco skyline views and an intimate atmosphere make this waterfront restaurant a top pick for romance. Beyond these attractions, locals like it for the food, including a three- to ﬁve- course menu created by executive chef Gregg Sessler

AESTHETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE PLASTIC SURGERY

Diplomate: American Board of Plastic Surgery

American Board of Surgery

American College of Surgeons, Fellow

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

Harvard Medical School, 1965, cum laude

Massachusetts General Hospital

Internship and Residency in General Surgery

The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Chief Residency in Plastic Surgery

United States Air Force Regional Hospital

Chief of Surgery

Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons, Past President

Mt. Tam Laser and Skin Care, Kent eld and Petaluma

Medical Director

Long Firm Thighs Lifted Seat

—who according to Michael Bauer “has crafted a menu that can stand up to the big boys.” 2000 Paradise Dr, 415.435.3400, thecaprice.com

COTTAGE EATERY California Foodies rejoice. Executive chef Edward Carew doesn’t disappoint with his creative and thoughtful menu full of locally sourced foods. The restaurant itself is familyfriendly and has a homey, bed-and-breakfast feel. The baby octopus and the meatballs are consistently raved about. Closed Mondays. 114 Main St, 415.789.5636, thecottageeatery.com

GINZA Japanese Whether you simply go for the volcano roll or indulge in the eight-course Omakase meal, the fresh ingredients coupled with the tremendous view of San Francisco keep this place busy, so make reservations or get there early. 41 Main St, 415.789.5123, ginzasushi-tiburon. com

GUAYMAS Mexican Situated right next to the Tiburon ferry terminal on the waterfront. The touch-it-you’re-so-close city views and outdoor seating make it a great place to bring visitors on a warm summer night. 5 Main St, 415.435.6300, guaymasrestaurant.com

MILANO Italian Located in the Cove Shopping Center, this family-owned neighborhood spot is known for its pasta and friendly service. A good place to take the kids—or catering option for your next birthday party. 1 Blackﬁeld Dr, 415.388.9100

NEW MORNING CAFE American Sit outside or indoors at this casual cafe. On a sunny morning, tables will be ﬁlled with locals enjoying the sun and extensive breakfast menu; lunch served as well. 1696 Tiburon Blvd, 415.435.4315

LOCAL

CONTESTS &

ROONEY’S CAFÉ & GRILL American If you’re old enough to remember Cheers on prime time, here 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. 27 Main St, 415.435.4527, samscafe.com

SERVINO RISTORANTE Italian 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. Spacious bar, and weekend music is also a big draw. 9 Main St, 415.435.2676, servino.com

TIBURON GRILL California The atmosphere here is truly enchanting with two outdoor patios, two indoor ﬁreplaces, and candlelit tables during the evening. No item is more than $20, including the steak, with entrées falling in the $14 to $18 range. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. 1651 Tiburon Blvd, 415.435.5996, thelodgeattiburon.com

WEST MARIN

BLUE HERON INN Local A daily changing chalkboard menu features the fresh seasonal bounty of nearby organic farms. An outstanding staff creates a friendly and comfortable atmosphere, right by the wharf. 11 Wharf Rd, 415.868.1102

DRAKES BEACH CAFE American If you’re OK with the long drive, you can’t beat the view and the fresh local ingredients used to make the burgers, salads and soups at this casual spot (Inverness). Walk on the beach after lunch. 1 Drakes Beach Rd, 415.669.1297, drakesbeachcafe.com

NICK’S COVE American This collaboration of famed restaurateurs Pat Kuleto and Mark Franz has attracted visitors (and accolades) nationwide. Large windows open the 130-seat eatery to the picturesque Tomales Bay and Hog Island. Menu consists of the freshest available local seafood, oysters and bounty from nearby West Marin farms including Bodega Bay Dungeness crab cake and Tomales Bay clam chowder (Marshall). 23240 Hwy 1, 415.663.1033, nickscove.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 every night. The menu includes combinations using regional and organic greens while the bar features a full wine list (Olema). 10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.663.9559, theolemainn.com

OSTERIO STELLINA California Whether strolling in from a day of hiking or celebrating a romantic anniversary, Osterio Stellina accommodates any occasion. The menu is Italian-inspired using organic, local ingredients. If you’re looking for something unusual try the Goat Shoulder. Don’t leave without indulging in the standout lemon ice cream sandwich (Point Reyes). 11285 Hwy 1, 415.663.9988, osteriastellina.com

PARKSIDE CAFE American Most people know it as the ultimate breakfast spot but lunch and dinners are great here too. Choose from an array of organic locally grown produce and artisan meats and wild seafood. The grilled quail, the Hawaiian butterfish and the rib-eye steak are standouts (Stinson). 43 Arenal Ave, 415.868.1272, parksidecafe.com

PINE CONE DINER American Just off the main road, Joannie Kwit has re-created the ultimate neighborhood diner. Vintage china and homemade curtains complement the eclectic but homey menu featuring local fare. A favorite for locals as well as tourists, bicyclists and motorcyclists (Point Reyes Station). 60 Fourth St, 415.663.1536, thepineconediner.com

SAND DOLLAR American Originally built from three barges in Tiburon in 1921, the Sand Dollar Restaurant was ﬂoated to Stinson that same year and still exists today. Enjoy live music along with local barbecued oysters and New England clam chowder. Sunny deck is great in the afternoon (Stinson). 3458 Shoreline Hwy, 415.868.0434, stinsonbeachrestaurant.com

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MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UP

Patrick Bornemann

San Francisco Decors, Sausalito

Patrick Bornemann, owner of San Francisco Decors, brings over 25 years of experience to creating a home’s perfect color palette. Listing architects such as Jean Nouvel and Frank Loyd Wright along with painters such as Tiepolo, Bellini and Rosko as his inspirations, Bornemann says he translates his client’s desires into what he calls the “language of color.” Raised in the South of France, he studied for years in Italy before coming to the United States, and loves the process of “conception, presenting samples and ultimately working on job sites.”

Five years from now, what changes will your business experience?

I hope to have some international projects and I wish to open a trade/craftsman school about European traditional decorative techniques here in Marin.

What part of your business drives you crazy?

I live in Marin but there is a huge demand for my work up in the wine country. The long commute is the worst thing for me. I keep good jazz music on my radio to ease the pain.

Describe your business philosophy.

To make my clients happy and feeling cozy to be in a home with the colors and textures they chose.

What is your competitive edge?

We are able to dramatically increase the value of our clients’ properties and estates by adding a beautiful ambiance and decor.

Patrick Bornemann, San Francisco Decors, 10 Liberty Ship Way, Sausalito, 415.888.3269, sanfranciscodecors.com

Jim Bradanini

Bradanini and Associates

“Bradanini and Associates is a full service boutique landscape architecture ofﬁce specializing in California’s twin traditions of gracious outdoor living and beautiful gardens,” says owner Jim Bradanini. The ﬁrm carries each project from conceptual design and design development, through installation. “We coordinate our work with other design professionals or construction specialists and assist in obtaining approvals from jurisdictional bodies, such as city or county planning departments and design review boards.”

Describe your business philosophy. I exceed the expectations of my clients and deliver the project on time and on budget.

What is your competitive edge?

I have years of experience working with many clients on different sites. This has enabled me to understand the unique opportunities to enhance each garden.

What makes you excel at what you do?

I have a commitment to design excellence, with creative problem solving and the ability to respond imaginatively to a client’s needs and affectively communicate those ideas through words and beautiful graphics.

What future changes will your business experience?

Landscape architects have always been sensitive to environmental issues. There is a new emphasis in landscape architecture directed toward sustainable design and conservation.

Jim Bradanini, Bradanini and Associates, 90 Throckmorton Ave, number 16, 415.383.9780

Dr. David Goltz

Mt. Tam Orthopedics, Larkspur

“Mt. Tam Orthopedics is the premier orthopedic surgery practice in the North Bay Area,” says Dr. David Goltz, who also provides on ﬁeld medical care for the U.S. Ski Team at international competitions as well as care for local high-school athletic programs. “We offer evaluation and treatment of the full range of disorders of bone, joint, muscle, tendon, ligament and spine.”

What is your competitive edge?

Part of our competitive edge is the broad practice experience offered by our large group. Mt. Tam has over 100 years of combined clinical experience, caring for the people of Marin and beyond.

What service that you offer is your favorite?

My involvement with the U.S. Ski Team is really a favorite of mine! When riding a lift in Italy with my ﬁrst aid kit, I had an amazed realization that I was at work!

What makes your work worthwhile?

Working with motivated athletes and children are what makes it all worthwhile.

Five years from now, what changes will your business experience?

Over the next 5 years we will see additional growth with addition of another spine surgeon and likely another sports medicine specialist. What is one of the best parts about working in Marin?

Both my wife and I are from Marin so it’s nice to take care of people in your own hometown.

Dr. David Goltz, Mt. Tam Orthopedics, 18 Bon Air Rd., Larkspur, 415.927.5300, mttamorthopedics.com

SAN ANSELMO

The town that keeps on clicking

BY JIM WOOD PHOTOS TIM PORTER

“You have reached the town of San Anselmo…ofﬁce hours are 8:30 to noon and one to four o’clock, Monday through Thursday…on Friday we are closed to the public.” So states the answering machine at San Anselmo’s town hall, where operations have been cut back signiﬁcantly.

First it was the rejection of a citywide parcel tax, then the ﬂood of ’05 and ﬁnally the recession of ’08. However, stroll down San Anselmo Avenue then up Sir Francis Drake, and except for a few empty storefronts, you’ll feel everything is coming up roses. Teapod, an open-air organic tea bar, has live music, Kismet has expanded and now offers shoes, two local moms purchased Dogville and stalwarts such as Chadwick’s of London, Sunnyside Nursery and Ludwig’s Wine, Spirits and Cigars (opened in ’39) appear as busy as ever. For a look at a town that’s been clobbered yet keeps on clicking, do yourself a favor and visit San Anselmo. The sidewalk spirit can be infectious.

And apparently, more such spirit is on the way. “We’re really excited about ‘San Anselmo Vision,’” says Connie Rodgers, the never-say-die president/CEO of the San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a Europeanstyle marketplace and townhouse project with plenty of underground parking.” The ambitious three-story project will replace several blocks of outdated strip commercial development on the southern end of San Anselmo Avenue, she adds. “We know it’s doable. We just have to do it.”

Meanwhile, a San Anselmo fait accompli—one that has everyone talking—is the recently completed Red Hill Community Park on Shaw Drive off Drake Boulevard. According to the town’s recreation department, the $2.2 million, two-plus-acre complex features a soccer and lacrosse ﬁeld, a baseball diamond and (especially popular) a dog park. “I’ve been on the town council for 17 years,” remarks San Anselmo Mayor Peter Breen, “and for 15 years we’ve been trying to get a community park together.” And how has it turned out? “It’s probably the ﬁnest sports facility in the county,” he says.

In turn, Breen is possibly the best mayor San Anselmo could hope for. “I was actually born in San Anselmo, 72 years ago,” he conﬁdes with a smile so broad it’s almost a laugh. “We have a wonderful, well-spirited town. Us older folks anchor the town and because of the good schools, young families are moving in all the time.”

Along with much of San Anselmo, Breen is looking forward to Sunday, October 4, aka Country Fair Day. “The whole town will come together with a parade of kids, fire trucks and lots of noise.” The event honors the reopening of town’s fire station, which was extensively damaged by the 2005 flood. “We’re back in great shape,” he adds. “We’ve recovered indeed.”

It seems like a similar verdict applies to the local real estate market. Vance Frost of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, who is also a director with the San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce, has noticed a recent upswing in sales. “Bank of America and Wells Fargo are getting competitive with loans over $417,000,”

he says, “and that’s a real good sign.” San Anselmo’s highest 2009 sale, Frost reports, was $2.6 million for a home on 23 acres off Summit Road; the lowest was “around $255,000” for a lot with a house he calls “pretty much a tear-down.” Family homes on average-size lots in San Anselmo “are like the rest of Marin County,” he adds; “they sell for between $750,000 and 850,000.”

But when it comes to the people of San Anselmo, that just-like-elsewhere aspect may not apply. “I’ve been here 31 years,” says Battalion Chief Joe Langlois of the Ross Valley Fire District’s San Anselmo station. “I’ve met folks, then I meet their children, and now I’m meeting their grandchildren—I don’t know if that happens much anymore.” One of his responsibilities is to train the town’s volunteer ﬁre department. “They augment our crew. There’s 20 of them and they’re very reliable—we really count on them.”

And through economic downturns, ﬂoods and near-droughts, San Anselmo has stood behind its downtown merchants—and vice versa. “Some have been here a long time in the same place,” says the chamber of commerce’s Rodgers, “and some have expanded into new locations.” An example of the latter is Heidi Krahling, who recently opened Marinita’s, a high-energy regional Mexican restaurant just up Drake Boulevard from her renowned Insalata’s. “People are calling her new location ‘San Anselmo’s stimulus package,’” Rodgers jokes.

As for the businesses that, like faithful residents, seem to have been around forever, it’s a lengthy (and often clever) list: Debbie Does Desserts, Marin Coffee Roasters, Eden Day Spa, Fleet Feet Sports, Bubba’s Diner, Comforts, Jack’s Drugstore, Seawood Photo, the ever-so-charming San Anselmo Inn, Lo Coco’s Pizzeria, Whyte’s Books, the San Anselmo Barber Shop (opened in 1927, same two chairs, same barber for 57 years), Doodlebug, Taco Jane’s, Cedar Chest, Grasshopper Pilates and enough antique stores to qualify as Northern California’s antique capital.

If that’s not enough nostalgia quotient for one town, note this: both the Bank of America and Wells Fargo here have high-ceilinged, marble-ﬂoor interiors where people happily stand in line to talk with tellers. As is often asked about San Anselmo: Was Norman Rockwell its town planner?

9 Dots Lane, Mill Valley

This classic Mill Valley craftsman home sits on a half+ private acre of remarkably designed gardens. Four bedrooms, three and one half baths, two fireplaces, great room, formal living room, master bedroom with access to meditation room/Japanese tea house, outdoor shower, sauna and lots of nooks and crannies. Four distinct “outdoor rooms” for dining, lounging, reading or musing happy thoughts.

By Appointment Only

View online at www.9DotsLane.com

Offered at $2,350,000

Casa Encantada, Mill Valley

Nestled on almost an acre sits this four bedrooms, five baths Hollywood-style Hacienda. Featured in Better Homes and Garden and Home Magazine , nothing compares to this resort-style Middle Ridge estate. This remarkable home has innumerable custom details: outside Cabaña kitchen, sundrenched pool, four patios, separate guest suite, bocce ball court, outdoor fireplace, hand-carved fountains, balconies, niches, antique fixtures, and more.

By Appointment Only

www.300Summit.com

190 Via La Paz, Greenbrae

352 Molino Avenue, Mill Valley

This property is an excellent value with two beautiful homes on one large, sunny lot. The main house is an exquisite custom craftsman home with three bedrooms, three baths, large formal living room, dining room, office, gourmet kitchen, family room and wine cellar with views of the surrounding mountains and San Francisco (from the master bedroom). The second unit is a three bedroom, one bath cottage with a charming family room, updated kitchen and laundry room with views of Mount Tam (this property rents for $2550/month). Each of the homes have their own private yards and separate gated entrances. Unique to Mill Valley, there is plenty of off street parking for your family and friends. The property is located in the hills of beautiful Homestead Valley a block away from Molino Park and just minutes from downtown Mill Valley.

View online at www.352Molino.com

Offered at $2,350,000

Much sought after tri-level home. The first level offers 3 bedrooms and 2 very nicely updated full bathrooms, views of the bay from the Master bedroom and Mt. Tam views from the other bedrooms. The main level has beautiful hardwood floors, updated kitchen, formal dining and living rooms, as well as casual eating area and family room and 2 separate fireplaces. The downstairs has another bedroom/office with huge playroom or another family room with yet another fireplace–leading out to the pool in the back yard, additionally it has a full bathroom and separate laundry room. Bon Air Center, great schools, Larkspur ferry and 101 so many conveniences.

View online at www.190ViaLaPaz.com

Offered at $1,450,000

99 Glen Drive, Sausalito

Positano in Marin. This is a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath is a rare Sausalito midcentury modern home offering a vacation home feel with great water views. It has a gourmet kitchen, stainless steel counter-top and Carrera marble surfaces and backsplash, custom lighting and wine fridge, and beautiful hardwood floors through out. It is light and bright, with upgraded skylights, a newer roof, upgraded electrical, repaved drive way. New Ipe upper and lower decks, custom stainless steel cable railing. Finished “bonus room” / store room with workbench. A very special home not to be missed!

View online at www.99Glen.com

Offered at $1,149,000

Architecturally stunning home designed by Allan Steinau has a timeless quality. Great care was taken to integrate the design with the environment. The walls of glass leading to decks ﬂood the home with light. Special touches such as Asian carved dining room doors from Gumps underscore the unique aspects of this property. Minor upgrading through the years has been seamlessly in tune with the original design. Boat lift. It doesn’t get any better!

4 Bedrooms ♦ 5.5 Bathrooms City to Mt. Tam Views ♦ Boat Lift

Offered at $3,195,000 www.95WestShore.com

Fabulous 3 bedroom + 2 bath end unit with spectacular views! No deed restrictions on this unit (per the HOA). Enter into this bright, spacious property and you won’t want to leave! The view spans from the SF skyline to Mt. Tamalpais. The bright living room looks out at the bay and city lights. The expansive deck enjoys the sunrise, allday sun, sunset and moonrise. Plenty of storage and 1-car covered parking. Conveniently located with an easy commute to SF and close proximity to shops, restaurants, downtown Tiburon, and open space.

3 Bedrooms ♦ 2 Bathrooms ♦ Views Expansive Deck

Offered at $699,000 www.18JanetWay-164.com

321 Summit, Mill Valley

Completed in 2001, this beautiful gated estate combines quality craftsmanship with a comfortable, well-designed 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath ﬂoor plan. Situated on a southfacing lot with spectacular San Francisco views, the home features formal living & dining rooms, family room, TV room, ofﬁce and solarium. 321SummitAvenue.com

2 Tamalpais, Mill Valley

This dramatic 4BR/4BA home on Middle Ridge was rebuilt in 2007 to the latest standards and technology and exudes style and elegance. The contemporary interior design includes a high tech kitchen, beautiful hardwood ﬂoors throughout, and stunning ﬁxtures in the new bathrooms. Full San Francisco views. 2Tamalpais.com

Stunning New Home

Mill Valley. Stunning new home designed by renowned architect Jerry Kler. Soaring 30 foot high ceilings, elevator servicing all three levels, master suite plus two en suite bedrooms, over 3000 square feet of decks, guest house, Bisazza tiled pool with spa. This home looks as if it belongs in the Hollywood Hills but is nestled behind an enormous row of eucalyptus along the 101 corridor at Tiburon Boulevard. This estate home has sweeping southwest views of Mount Tam and allows its owners to live comfortably in the middle of life's hustle and bustle, yet enjoy privacy, Marin’s best weather, striking architecture and easy access to San Francisco. Main house with 3 bedrooms/3.5 baths. Over 5,500 square foot home on .96 acre lot. Guest house, pool and spa. Offered at $2,995,000

Marin Metropolitan

Mill Valley. This modern interpretation of Bay Area architectural style built new in 2006 offers organic serenity in a unified green design that is totally complimentary to its dramatic natural surroundings. Features include dramatic living spaces, concrete fireplace, fir floors and high ceilings. Great room opens to kitchen with access to decks, patio & play areas. Main floor en-suite bedroom, separate of fice on upper level, lower level master suite with spa bath & same floor proximity to children’s rooms. Serene views, privacy, plenty of parking, easy access to town & trails. Four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and approximately 4,000 square feet. Offered at $2,450,000

View Lot with Approved Plans

Tiburon. View lot with approved plans to build 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath multi-story home on exclusive Corinthian Island. The planned design incorporates an elevator for both its residents and their automobiles, loft style living spaces and walls of glass. Steps from the ferries, yacht and tennis clubs, Main Street shops and restaurants. Enjoy the mildest weather in the bay area. This exceptional opportunity presents itself but once in a great while. Detailed plans, architectural renderings and permits are available. Offered at $750,000

Mill Valley

This has got to be the quintessential Mill Valley home. It is a private oasis nestled among the trees in a park like setting on a very sunny large lot. Located .5 miles from downtown Mill Valley on a small street, it is one of those rare ﬁnds. It was originally built in the early 1900s and totally rebuilt in 2000. All the interior details are impeccable and the grounds boast a rock lined creek, an inﬁnity swimming pool with waterfall, a fountain, hot tub, grassy lawn, and plenty of outdoor living.

• The home is about 4600 square feet with top of the line ﬁnishes throughout.

• Two story entry foyer with French limestone and mosaic ﬂoor.

• Three ﬁreplaces: one in master, one in living room and one poolside.

• Five bedrooms, 3.5 baths, huge living room with separate sun room, formal dining room, breakfast room, wine cellar, media room/library, home of ﬁ ce and a two car garage.

• Large storage areas both inside and outside the house.

• 4Cottage.com Offered at $3,500,000

Corey Graham 415.971.0167

c.graham@deckerbullocksir.com

coreygraham.net

www.61Wolfback.com

This 4,200 sq. ft., 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath custom residence was recently completed in 2009 and boasts floor-to-ceiling walls of glass that invite the views of San Francisco and Bay into every room. A radiant-heat-warmed home with custom high-end finishes throughout has wonderful living spaces that flow freely to over 2300 sq. ft. of decks and outdoor living areas. $3,195,000

www.15VistaDelSol.com

This 3867+ sq. ft. , 5-bedroom, 4-bath home lies on a one-third acre lot with views of the Bay and southern exposure. Main level includes formal living and dining rooms, eat-in chef’s kitchen, family room with bay windows, formal entry & ﬁfth bedroom.The upper level features a grand master suite with bay views and vaulted ceilings, plus 3 other large bedrooms, & 2 baths.The lower level includes a large bonus au pair/rec & 3-car garage. $1,875,000

www.408TennesseeGlen.com

This spacious 3,860± sq ft Craftsman home in Tennessee Valley offers one of the greatest values in Mill Valley. Priced approx. $570 per sq ft, this home has 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, high end finishes, great flow, and plenty of room for a large family. Built in 1999 on a private half acre± lot near parkland. $2,200,000

2009 SALES

SOLD

2440 Filbert Street, San Francisco

333 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon 28 Vine Avenue, San Anselmo 32 Edgewood Avenue, Mill Valley*

1655 9th Avenue, San Francisco*

9 Wildflower Court, Corte Madera 93 Eldridge Avenue, Mill Valley** 134 West Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley

89 Moore Road, Novato* 1410 Vistazo Street #7, Tiburon 512 Browning Street, Mill Valley*

PENDING

18 College Court, Larkspur* 401 Eldridge Avenue, Mill Valley 29 Glen Court, Sausalito*

* indicates buyer representation ** indicates buyer and seller representation

One of the best and largest custom homes on the Belvedere Lagoon, completely remodeled in 2006, with ±4,100 square feet of luxurious contemporary design. Pivotal steel and glass entry gate welcomes you to a private, beautifully landscaped walkway to the main entrance. Stunning kitchen by Johnny Grey, with honed Zimbabwe granite counters, warming and cooling drawers, artisan glass, exotic wood and imported marble/stone flooring and counters. Large adjacent family room and dining area with NanaWall opening to huge waterside deck and spa. Upstairs master suite with Mt. Tamalpais and lagoon views, steam shower, jetted tub and lavishly designed and decorated closet/dressing area with huge, drawered, center isle and marble-top vanity and sink. Limestone and Cumaru wood floors, skylights, radiant heating, great open floor plan with wide halls and doors, and beautiful lagoon views. Five bedrooms and four full baths…

$4,850,000

Peter Coyote's Tree House. Gated and totally private, stunning gardens and blooming trees, Mt Tam view and interior finishes of exotic, imported woods. Hot tub, “mushroom deck,” breakfast nook and large family room, two separate offices, 5000-bottle wine grotto and beautiful master bath with walk-in jetted tub. Four bedrooms (two en suite), three and one-half baths… $2,450,000

Originally the Blanding Estate Carriage House, now beautifully transformed into one of Belvedere’s most prominent vieworiented residences. Gracious patio/garden entry & inviting foyer with captivating Golden Gate Bridge view. Kitchen/family area with granite-top center isle, butler’s pantry & adjacent terrace with San Francisco skyline & bay view. Formal living & dining rooms with adjacent water-side terrace with riveting bay views from the Bay Bridge through Mt. Tam, study with fireplace, powder room & bedroom with full bath complete the entry level. Downstairs level comprises 1400± sq. ft. master suite with fireplace, small pantry with fridge, large water-side terrace & stunning marble bath, walk-in closet & second full bath. A second guest suite with full bath completes this level. A third level with its own separate entrance comprises a large living area, 2 bedrooms & 1 bath. Two-car enclosed garage and multi-car off street parking. Five bedrooms (4 en suite), five and one-half baths, including the master with his & her baths… $14,800,000

JUST LISTED

Living and dining rooms with hardwood floors, high, beamed ceilings, skylights and walls of glass overlooking the San Francisco bay and financial district skyline. Main-floor master with view-side deck, beautiful bath with large walk-in closet, jetted tub and separate shower. Guest suite with full bath on main level, and downstairs includes central family area and three bedrooms, all with acce ss to view-side deck, and one and onehalf baths. Five bedrooms, three full and two half baths… $3,249,000

For more photos and information, visit globalestates.com

mostly orig bldg… $5,750,000

Woodlands, 2.8 ac, mostly lvl,

4,000+ sf, Lagoon waterfrnt, gorg remdl, wndrfl outdr livng, top-flr mstr, 5 bd, 4 ba $4,850,000

4709 Paradise Drive, Tiburon

Originally the Bartalini family hunting lodge, now expanded and updated into a 4bd/4.5ba, 5600+/-sf estate property on 1+/acre with spectacular SF Bay views. Privacy and meticulously landscaped level grounds. Offered at $4,325,000

1915

Straits View Drive, Tiburon

5bd/5ba, luxury home with unobstructed, breathtaking views of the Golden Gate, San Francisco, Angel Island and more. Formal dining room, family room, decks and patios. www.straitsview.com

Offered at $3,800,000

84 Shady Lane, Ross

Cheerful, 3bd/3ba, brown shingled home on one of Ross’s favorite streets. Open living/dining area, family room with views of rose garden, deck off of kitchen for evening dining. Great schools. Offered at $1,695,000

415.613.0100 shelhart@apr.com

South Knoll Road, Mill Valley

Exquisite, Nantucket-style, new, luxury home. 5bd/4.5ba, 3393+/sf, .25+/-acre lot with level, fenced, sunny backyard. Bay and Mt. Tamalpais views. Award-winning schools. www.69SouthKnoll.com

Offered at $2,495,000

Martling Road, San Anselmo

Ideal Sleepy Hollow family home resort on .4+/-acres. Level yard, pool, gardens and privacy. 4bd/3ba, office. Views. Chef’s kitchen, living/dining rooms unified in one welcoming space. www.10MartlingRoad.com

Offered at $1,375,000

Los Cerros Drive, Greenbrae

A Heartthrob in the Greenbrae Flats. 4bd/2ba, master suite, bath with heated floors, living room with coved ceiling, veranda with views to lush, flat backyard, new kitchen, family room, poolsite. Offered at $1,595,000

Exquisitely restored 1896 residence designed by John White, associate of the renowned architect, Bernard Maybeck. With distinctive peaked roofs, towering chimneys and exquisite grounds, this elegant residence is the “crown jewel” amongst Ross’ major estates be cause of its architectural integrity and coveted location. Walking distance to Ross School, downtown restaurants, shops an d Phoenix Lake, the gateway to Mt. Tamalpais’ amazing trails its convenience is beyond compare. This 3 acre private estate consists of a 6BD, 4.5BA main residence plus 5 ancillary buildings: 7 car garage/carriage house with workshop and spacious office suites above; guest house with outside spa, pool cabana with fu ll bath, spa house with gym and hydrotherapy pool, and a 2nd guesthouse with beautiful views and terrace. Included is a 1 acre legal flat lot which can be developed separately. With a tennis court, pool, expansive gardens, Redwood grove and seasonal creek, this truly is a unique indoor/outdoor paradise.

Mill Valley

Fabulous Craftsman style home. Beautiful, sunny, level cedar fenced yard and gardens with grapevines running through the front portion of the fence. Top quality in every detail. Gorgeous kitchen with granite counters, Thermador 6-burner professional range, and open breakfast bar. Separate dining room, 9-foot ceilings, Marvin windows, French doors, two wood-burning ﬁ replaces, including one in the master suite, attached two car garage and slate front porch. Close to Whole Foods and down town Mill Valley for restaurants and shopping.

• 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths, Of ﬁ ce

• Hardwood Floors

• Built in 2000, approx. 1,865 square feet

• Lot Size is approx. 6,030 square feet

Offered at $1,445,000 Deborah Fletcher

Just a few minutes north of th the Golden Gate, yet a million miles GoldenGateyetamillionmiles away, is Seadrift at Stinson Beach. For over 30 years, Seadrift Company has been the expert in Real Estate sales and premium vacationrentalsinStinsonBeach

JEFF CLARKE

BY MIMI TOWLE

| When Jeff Clarke, CEO of KQED Public Broadcasting and longtime private pilot, entertains visitors, he gives them a literal bird’s-eye view of the county. “You fly out of Gnoss, head east and cross the ridge for a look at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point, cross the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, pass between Angel Island and Alcatraz with San Francisco off your left wing, fly over the Golden Gate Bridge and then along the Pacific to Point Reyes lighthouse and back to Gnoss,” he says. “There’s nothing like it.” Since moving here in 2002, Clarke has also been flying back and forth to Sugar Land Regional Airport, five minutes from his home in Houston, Texas, which is where he will land indefinitely once his replacement is found at KQED.

This past June, after a successful run in the Bay Area heading up the awardwinning public radio and TV stations (KQED won seven Northern California Emmy Awards last May), Clarke announced his retirement from broadcasting. Besides his day job, Clarke served as a governor of the Commonwealth Club of California, a trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California and a founding member of the Family Violence Prevention Fund in San Francisco. By this time next year, as he settles back into what he describes as the ﬂat environs and both tropical and politically conservative climate of Houston, we hope he looks back wistfully to a fruitful era at the helm of the number-one PBS and NPR station and a time when getting to work meant partaking in one of his favorite activities: crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

Why Marin? The open spaces, landscapes (and) community feel of Southern Marin, along with reasonable commutes for both my wife and me to the city each day and good timing in the real estate market, helped us decide to make Marin home.

What will you miss about Marin? I’ll miss the climate most, given Mill Valley’s wonderfully moderate temperatures.

What person has influenced you the most? My father. Dad taught me how to enjoy the simple things in life, to be proud of our life’s work regardless of what type of work you chose to do, to give back to the community, to care for and love my family and most important, when and how to relax.

What has been the most fulfilling moment in your work? There have been many. From spinning my ﬁrst record and reporting my ﬁrst newscasts on WCWCAM/FM in 1965 to producing documentaries and anchoring around the country. Becoming a CEO at Houston PBS in May 1992 and at KQED in 2002. And presiding over KQED Heritage Celebrations, where we honor local heroes from the diverse communities throughout the Bay Area seven times a year.

What’s your desert-island favorite book or album? I’m a big fan of live performance, so the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over concert DVD is my choice for desertisland musical enjoyment. As a reader I’m more inclined to enjoy nonﬁction works, so my choices would range from David Kennerly’s The Shooter, about life as a photojournalist as well as his time as President Ford’s White House photographer, to Dan Rather’s saga of growing up in Houston to Henry Aaron’s account of a great baseball and life story. Just for fun I also might sneak one of Jim Lehrer’s novels onto the island.

What’s your favorite place to unwind? Airborne over America’s stunning beauty. There is a peace of mind as well as a feeling of great accomplishment when you are ﬂying at altitude enjoying the landscapes below.

What do you like about yourself? My optimistic life view, my sense of humor and my longevity on this earth.

EVERY TIME A HOME CLOSES

A COMMUNITY OPENS

Buying or selling a home is an important transaction. Even more important than the transaction is the life transition associated with a new home. At Paciﬁc Union Real Estate the d eal doesn’t end at closing time. As new families become our neighbors, they also become part of Marin’s most important renewable asset –a community that offers a truly exceptional quality of life.

There are countless reasons people choose to live here. For the beauty. For the kids. For the culture. To stay young and healthy.

To grow old well. Whatever brings them here, and whatever challenges they face here, they ﬁnd an active community of individuals and organizations dedicated to supporting their neighbors.

Paciﬁc Union invites you to join us in supporting Marin’s local programs by volunteering or contributing. Our agents already support many of these causes with their time and commissions and would welcome the opportunity to open the doors of community participation for you. Just ask. VISIT OUR

Central Marin 415-464-3700

Southern Marin 415-383-1900

Novato 415-878-8000

Larkspur 415-945-6300

Downtown Mill Valley 415-380-6100