Just a Thought Series ~ Time on my Mountain ~ December 10, 1970

Thinking of a sunshine day

On the dark lime velvet 

Of Tamalpa's robes

Sentries oak and noble redwood

Watching for the spirit wind

Mt. Tamalpais Glow
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Far below

The ocean's cycle

In lake like calms

Toy boats rock in the crispness

Of a December morn

Looking down from Mt. Tam to Stinson Beach

The clarity of winter

So defines itself

In the timelessness of the day

The innocence of truth's heartchild

Holds me in the peaceful void

Of non-seeking

Time
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Transcending the duality of

Observer and observed

I rest quietly in oneness

With the moment between

All time and no time

19 Ought 70 was a year of transition for me. I moved back to Marin County after six years away at college and spent part of the summer exploring British Columbia and Alberta with my dog and two friends I met along the way. Home in the fall to start the next chapter of my life. Growing up on Mt. Tamalpais is a gift that continues to shape my world. It's always a calming and magical place to spend time. 

Oops and a Buried Treasure ~ May 20, 2014

The Big Reveal: The Research Queen must confess a Big Oops. I need to clear something up before my work is identified as being from the "Ready, Fire, Aim Academy of Research". 

In my April 29th post I stated that the Summit Avenue property was purchased for $1,600 in 1894 from the Tamalpais Land and Water Company (error since corrected on that post). My initial information came from a conveyance document (these days it would be called the deed of trust) transferring property to the owners when the loan was paid off. There were two of the two page documents. What I didn't catch the first time around is that the documents were for two different lots. My great grandparents purchased Lot 134 for $2,000 (roughly $51,200 in 2014 dollars) in 1892. Lot 135 was purchased by a George Scott Henry for $1,600. I checked with my Aunt Betty and she doesn't know of a second piece of property or a Mr. George Scott Henry who was, coincidentally, the Secretary of the Tamalpais Water Company at the time. I'm working with the Marin Municipal Water District to see if we can locate a copy of the original plot map. 

The Buried Treasure: I just found the following receipt folded up in an unmarked envelope. Charles and Flora Beals (my great grandmother and her second husband) purchased Lot 134 in August 1892. They were buying it on time and this receipt outlined the special agreement. I can almost decipher all of the handwriting: 

"Interest is to commence as soon as lot is connected with main pipes of water system" and "Special agreement ~ $50 every month from October 8th, 1892 until $500 is paid up .... of capital, then a deed to be given and mortgage for balance for 1, 2 and 3 years at 7% interest with ..... to pay $50 every month or more".

What I find fascinating is provision (1) in the Terms of Sale: "No spirituous or malt intoxicating liquors, wine or cider to be manufactured, sold, exchanged, bartered delivered or given away on said premises prior to May 31st, 1915, under penalty of forfeiture of the right of possession until said 31st May, 1915, except as authorized by such conveyance." On page two of the document it states: "Provided however, that the party of the second part his heirs or assigns, may in good faith, on said premises, himself use and supply his own family with such liquors, wine or ciders."

California was not a dry state at the time, but there appear to be at least a couple of trains of thought on the subject. The liquor industry may have gotten some legislation passed to control perceived competition from private parties and the Women's Christian Temperance Union was starting to gain popularity in the 1,800's. Inquiring minds want to know the significance of May 31, 1915. Further research is called for, but that's for another day. 

The Surf is Calling Part Deux ~ April 17-18, 2014

Wednesday morning we're again up at dawn and on the bluff with our morning coffee. We decide to take the day off, put a picnic together and head to Muir Woods: Rod to read and rest his knee, me to wander about with my camera. 

Instead of taking the usual route up Mt. Tam and down to Muir Woods we took the coastal route south on Shoreline Hwy. The view is stunning. En route we pass the venerable Slide Ranch. The Miwok once fished and foraged for food at the site and in the late 19th century Portuguese dairy farmers purchased the land and produced milk and butter for the residents of San Francisco. The Nature Conservancy purchased 134 acres in 1969 to rescue the area from commercial development. The Slide Ranch non profit was established in 1970. It's open to the public for hiking and picnicking and to teach students and families about a healthy food systems and sustainability. We put it on our exploration list for the next time we're at Stinson. For now we continue south. 

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On a whim we decide to check out the Muir Beach Overlook. Besides being one of the best viewpoints in the area, it has a fascinating history. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor four "base end fire control stations" the were constructed to house soldiers assigned to watch the water for enemy ships with powerful spotting scopes. If they saw anything they could relay coordinates to nearby command centers so batteries could take aim at targets. Ships, thank goodness, were never sighted and the "gopher holes" were decommissioned after the war. 

We ate our picnic lunch with a guest looking on and then walked around a bit, checking out the breathtaking views from Bolinas to San Francisco. 

Off we go to Muir Woods, or so we thought. Granted it was a Thursday afternoon, but we were stunned by the crowds. There were cars parked all the way up the six mile route to the park. Fortunately there is a path across the road so pedestrians weren't in the road. We looked at each other and decided we'd do this another time, like 9 am on a Monday morning! Starting to think about the last time we were there, it was probably 30 years ago. Funny how things change. The biggest population group on the paths was our generation. Rats they're all retired and on the road! Good grief Em-R-Us.

Back to Stinson for a walk, a thorough housecleaning, and a lite supper. Friday morning we decide to pack up and have breakfast at the Parkside in Stinson so we don't have to clean up the kitchen again. It was an "excellent" choice. We head out about 9 got home by 11.  

The North Bay Full Circle Tour ~ April 07, 2014

Today we head to San Francisco and UCSF for my quarterly appointment with Dr. Price. First stop is San Anselmo to meet up with my old friend Tony Houston. He's loaning us his Tam High (Class of 1963) letterman sweater so Rod can wear it in the Apple Blossom Parade. We are in the Sebastopol Area Senior Center contingent: knew the time would come when we'd qualify! We'll be cruising down Main Street Saturday morning in a 1967 red Camero rag top. Oh baby! 

We head across the Golden Gate and down through the Presidio. Realizing we're going to be way early we decide on a spontaneous visit to the Legion of Honor. Unfortunately it's closed but a stroll around the grounds is a no brainer. It's 72 degrees, sunny, no wind, and not even a ripple on the ocean. The absence of wind in April is a highly unlikely scenario in the Bay Area.

We always take Irving Street to the parking garage at UCSF and every time we must drive past this little brick service station, no doubt abandoned for years. I've fallen in love with it and want to bring it home. The possibilities are endless: workshop, outside kitchen, studio, office, a shady place to sit outside. 

We arrive early and the doc is able to see us at 1:30. This is a routine quarterly pow-wow, update and check up. In late April I'll be awarded 2 points to the MELD score bringing my number up to a 31. In late May I meet with the Viral Hepatitis team at UCSF before starting a 2-3 month regimen of Ribivarin and Sofosbuvir to rid my system of the Hep-C virus and have my quarterly CT Scan to check on my resident hepatic tumors Audrey II and Carmine. 

We're out of the City and ahead of the traffic by 2:30 and decide on the back way home via Tam Valley and Mt. Tamalpais. There is virtually no one in the parking lot at the top so we pretty much have the mountain to ourselves for a quiet walk. It's really hazy, but the views, as always, are breathtaking. 

Trail around the top ~ looking west

Indian Paintbrush

CA Poppies - Looking down toward Bolinas

Douglas Iris

We drop off the west side of the mountain at Bolinas and head up Hwy 1 for home, stopping in Tomales for a bite to eat and a camera stroll. Check out the "saddle bags" on this honey bee. Fortunately he's built like a C-130 and doesn't need a lot of room to take off.

We covered three counties today ~ saw Mt. Tam from San Francisco and San Francisco from Mt. Tam. The world is dressed in spring green and wildflowers. Small waterfalls sing on the wooded roadsides on both sides of the mountain. It's one of those magical days we often share. 

The Visual Road Home ~ Oct 29, 2013

The roads home provide visual delights at every turn. Autumn is a great time to travel the coast. The winds of spring and summer have settled into breezes and the sun remains warm. 

 

Hwy 46 ~ From Paso Robles to Cambria



North of Cambria ~ Hwy 1

 

 Way to Big Sur ~ Hwy 1

 

Golden Gate Bridge ~ Hwy 101



Mt. Tamalpais ~ Hwy 101

 

The Vineyard Trail Next Door

  

If you come to a fork in the road, take it ~ Yogi Berra



Eyes Wide Open ~ April 8th, 2013

By o'dark thirty and we're up, dressed and fed. Rod fixed breakfast and packed snacks to take with us. We have to be at the UCSF Transplant Center to start the day of interviews at 6:50am. We're a little worse for wear due to our sleepless night, but you can't let a little thing like that get in your way.

7:00am ~ The first stop is for a presentation to the group of us being evaluated today. It's primarily informational and a forum for any questions. There's a certain amount of comfort derived from running into one or more of your "teammates for the day" at each appointment. We are all in this together so we share a common bond.

9:30am ~ Meet with the hepatologist (liver specialist) who let's us know up front that a possible show stopper for being listed for a transplant is my run-in with breast cancer in 2011. They may request further information and evaluation from one of their oncologists.

10:30 ~ Meet with social worker who has a lot of questions for us and clarifies UCSF's stance on drugs and alcohol. Many patients needing transplants have abused or continue to abuse drugs and alcohol. So even though my liver problem is due to chronic disease and cancer the playing field needs to be level. If I'm listed, they can request a random drug test at any time and it must be done the same day. If we're in Tucson or Telluride and get a call, we have to find a local lab. If we're traveling where there is no cell service we need to let UCSF know ahead of time.

I haven't had a drink since 1990 but I need to avoid any alcohol which includes that used in cooking, mouthwash or cold medicine. I don't smoke but I need to stay away from any source of second hand smoke because it will register in my system. Though restaurants and venues in California are smoke free, in many other states there are no such laws. Casinos and penny slots are off my dance card.

12:00 ~ Meet with the financial person who goes over our insurance coverage. 

1:30 ~ Meet with one of the transplant surgeons. He doesn't mince words. At first we thought him a bit arrogant, but then realized he is on the front line of these surgeries and is a realist. Age can play a major role in success and recovery (I'm 68 and could be 70 by the time I reach the top of the list).

Northern California is one of the largest regions in UNOS (United Network of Organ Sharing) and I have type "O" blood, the most common. What this means is the pool of people in our region waiting for livers is huge. There is a 15 month to 2 year wait once you're on the list. He suggested we look into "Multiple Listing" which allows me to be listed in other regions such as Jacksonville, FL or Cleveland, OH with a smaller population base. If we take advantage of that option it would mean relocating for 6 months. Yikes!

If I have a liver transplant I will be on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of my life. A body considers any transplant an "introduced species" and will try to reject it. Though there will be much tweaking and fine tuning of the drugs there are a host of potential side effects.

2:30 ~ An ultrasound is my last appointment. I've been fasting all day so by now I'm hungry, tired and cranky. The afternoon's saving grace is the amazing view from the 6th floor waiting room: Golden Gate Park, Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and Mt. Tamalpais (where I grew up).  

Room with a view 

 

 Urban Getaway

3:30 ~ We make our escape from UCSF, take off for a bite to eat and head back to the flat. The plan had been to spend another night in SF so we could play tourists for a day, but were exhausted. Time to head home and get a good nights sleep.

We met our host for the first time this afternoon and let him know we were prepared to give up the cost of the room for not staying a second night, but he insists on refunding it. We visited until about 6pm and then headed north.  Our first experience with airbnb (www.airbnb.com) was a positive one. It's a great way to meet new people wherever you're travelling.

It's been a long day

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Today was an eye opening experience: surreal, real, fascinating and scary. It was a lot to take in. Now it's a waiting game to see whether I get listed for a transplant or not. If not, we started exploring Plan B.

It's time for an adventure under the stars!

Reaching for the Sun ~ July 25, 2012

I grew up in Mill Valley on the middle ridge of Mt. Tamalpais, a magical mountain to all who climb her slopes. My girlfriends and I spent countless hours in the woods hiking and exploring: fire roads, deer paths, creeks, the old rail bed of the Crookedest Railroad in the World, and the ruins of old inns and cabins that had burned in the 1929 fire. It was better than any modern day amusement park. The only criteria from our parents was to look out for each other and be home by dark.

It continues to be foggy in Stinson Beach so we decide on a trip up Mt. Tam for a picnic and walk. Sure enough we break into sunshine just before we get to the end of the road at the top. Perfect!

Blue sky at last!



The fog hovers to the west, but it's warm on the bench where we have lunch before taking the trail around the crest. The views are spectacular. There is such a simple and serene beauty here it captures the heart. While doing a little research, I found this wonderful poem by poet and artist J.L. Stanley.

Fire Trail at Midnight on Mt. Tam

I walk by starlight

Up the winding fire-trail

Between sandstone and scrub oak,

Up to the edge of a terrible cliff

And listen to the waves break

So far below.

The stars explode here

Away from the city glare,

They skitter and hiss

Making me gasp

As they fall from the sky.

I feel several thousand years

Younger, as I pause,

Closed in and breathless

On this moonless night wondering

When I had forgotten the sea

And the stars and roads that wind slowly.

And if I could believe

This road would lead

To other roads and on and on

It would be enough.

Me thinks the next time we ascend the robes of Tamalpa it will be by the dark of no moon. The State Park closes at dusk but some of my childhood haunts and trails are no doubt still in existence.

Twilight on Tamalpais ~ March 14, 1921

Once again I'm back to work on family genealogy. The thrill of the hunt, an archaeological dig and jigsaw puzzle all rolled into one. You never know what you'll find around the next corner. Sitting cross-legged on my studio floor I was looking through a small file cabinet for a specific photo. I got sidetracked by a manila folder filled with some ancient newspaper clippings. Among them was the following poem.

Twilight on Tamalpais

High upon a mountain, whose fingers touch the sky,

Whose pillared sides and giant trees saw men and nations die;

There, standing in the twilight, in Nature's fiery tone

I breathe the air of freedom and joy to be alone.

Below, there ride the straining ships ~ the greyhounds of the deep

Upon whose decks the silent crews their silent watches keep;

And in the middle distance, as greylike as a tomb,

As befits a dreary prison, is Alcatraz in the gloom.

Behold the distant ocean, the soundless, tossing sea

As silent as an ocean in any dream could be;

The stretches of the City, flung far across the Bay,

Whose myriad houses glow with light ~ the light that ends the day.

Alone to feel the silence, alone and all in peace,

The calm, still peace of even, as daily labors cease;

The passing breath of sunset, in lovely shades of red,

The peace and joy of living 'mid the splendors of the dead!

All I know is that it was written by Frank Livingstone, San Francisco, March 14, 1921. It was no doubt cut from the local newspaper by my grandmother or great grand mother.

Undated, photo/postcard of Mt. Tamalpais in same file

Anyone who has been up on the mountain will recognize the views and thoughts he describes. I could only smile at the similarity of my own journal entry written 91 years later (March 2012 blog: Just a Thought Series ~ December 10, 1970). It appears Mt. Tam holds magic for all who spend time in her embrace.

Just a Thought Series ~ Dec 10, 1970

Perched on the dark lime velvet of Tamalpa's robes

Sentries oak and noble redwood

Watching for the spirit wind

Muir Magic

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Far below the ocean cycles in lake like calm

Toy boats rocking in the crispness

Of a December morn

The mountain wraps me in her spirit 

What good fortune to have grown up in her embrace

I am both observer and observed

Resting quietly between all time and no time

The sun warming my face

Mt Tamalpais Reflections

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Beauty in Small Packages

 Mt. Tamalpais 12/25/11

“Consider the Lichen. Lichens are just about the hardiest visible organisms on Earth, but the least ambitious.” Bill Bryson

I Left Town with Santa and Returned with the Fool on the Hill

December 21st was our 25th wedding anniversary. How time flies when you're spending it with your best friend: still in love and still laughing. We had some lofty ideas about what we were going to do to celebrate: from returning to the scene of the crime in Gold Hill, NV to spending a few days on the Rogue River in southern Oregon at our favorite getaway. What we decided on was a little staycation to explore some of our own neighborhood and off we went to Healdsburg, a little town about 20 miles to the north of home. 

We went up Tuesday morning and returned Thursday afternoon. The weather was unseasonable to say the least: cold in the morning, but sunny and in the mid sixties during the day. I actually had to water my flower barrels before we left town!

We rented a small cottage about a quarter mile from the downtown square and did a great deal of exploring on foot: walking to breakfast, lunches and our anniversary dinner, 9 antique stores and cooperatives, and two second hand stores. One afternoon we hopped in the Honda and visited two nearby casinos and entertained ourselves for a couple of hours at each. On the way back we stopped at the huge Salvation Army Thrift Store complex north of town (an awesome place to shop for anything). 

Needless to say we had more to show for the shopping than from the casino play, but it was all fun. We found 3 shirts for Rod and 3 sweaters and a tank top for me. We scored a pair of vintage wrought iron stands that will make great new stick stands for our fair displays and this awesome jester's hat (Peter Connors has met his match).

      
On our first day walkabout we passed a small bar and restaurant called Barndiva. The menu looked interesting so we decided that's where we'd have dinner on the 21st. When we arrived I mentioned to the hostess we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and thought nothing more of it. During a fabulous and tasty dinner our waiter delivered to flutes of champagne as a treat from the house and the truly decadent dessert arrived with candles. We felt really special and were delighted with the whole experience.

It's amazing what you can find close to home and the best part is that it took less than an hour to get home. We're usually on the road this time of year, but since Rod saw his family in November we find ourselves at home with no promises to keep for only the third time in 30 years. What a delightful dilemma! We're going to do a little work outside today since it will again be sunny and warm. Christmas day we're going to pack a lunch and head down to Marin County for a picnic and hike on Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods.

The Excellent Birthday Adventure

Early on St. Patrick's Day we packed up the truck with garden tools, hiking gear, books, and a cooler of cookables. We were headed to a friend's cabin at the beach for three days of unplugged bliss with no distractions but for the sound of the ocean.

We did our gardening chores first: trimming the weeds, pruning shrubs, repotting plants for the patio. Why is it always so much more fun and less of a chore when you are puttering in someone else's garden? Never could figure that out but we've volunteered to return on a monthly basis to work and stay.

With the chores done, the next stop was the reading room, to read of course, but to also work on warming the tones and reducing the glare of winter skin. I worked at the coast for 34 years and springs were always windy and cold. The big exception was El Nino in 1997 and this sure seemed a carbon copy. It was 70 degrees with only a light breeze in the afternoon. We're talking shorts and a tank top weather! Coffee in the same spot at dawn to watch the sun come up, though in long pants, bundled against the morning chill.

Presents Everywhere

The ride home was awe inspiring. We headed south on Hwy 1 for a few miles and then turned up into Mt. Tamalpais State Park. We have a couple of favorite places up on the mountain to sit and just be. This view looks south towards SF west of the Golden Gate Bridge. Off to our left was a view of Oakland, Berkeley, Mt. Diablo and SF and to our right the Farrallon Islands. When it was time to go we dropped down to Bolinas and headed home on Hwy 1, one of our roads travelled.