Marcia's Studio
In early May I went to my 50th High School Reunion. Well, it wasn’t really my High School Reunion. It was a reunion of my buds. We went to two schools. Hollywood High School and Fairfax High School. (I went to Fairfax). We met at Marcia’s ranch that was about 15 miles outside of Santa Maria. There were 35 of us. We had all been unusual people and we still were. I would describe us as the intelligencia.
As a group we came from adequately comfortable homes. Our parents were well educated and in some cases, of the international set. (This had less to do with money as to do with comfort in living outside the USA.) Probably half of us had at least one parent who had been born in Europe and had come to North America escaping the Nazis or went to Europe escaping McCarthyism. This translated into that some of us had lived in Europe and several of us spoke more than one language… (Not me! I was the throw back of the crowd.) There were 6 artists and a big chunk of the rest were University Profs – now retired. Edward is a concert pianist. Marcia is an artist who owns a gallery in Santa Barbara and Joanne was one of the first four women included in Jepson’s History of Art. Len has revolutionized linguistics. Mike is a constitutional lawyer. You can google them all later.
Although not all of us have made significant inroads in the development of American Culture, we were all important to each other. These people were my oldest friends. Five of them had gone to Wonderland Ave. School, my elementary school. It was in the Hollywood Hills and they were part of my memories of the smell of sage and summer dust puffing up between my toes as we tromped around the hills before they were carved into housing projects.
We came together at Marcia’s ranch in the California Costal Range. It was real Chaparral country. Everything was in bloom. We walked, we talked and we ate. And, we renew old acquaintenances. Now the trick will be to keep up our friendships in this world of over activities and our shortening lives with it’s lack of time for those things that count in life. This visit was one of the high points of my present life. Now if I can only remember it.
on the road outside of Mt. Shasta
Wedgeleaf ceanothus or Buckbrush ceanothus is found from the Willamette Valley of west-central Oregon, south to the Rogue Valley and Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon. Also frequent along the coastal ranges of California, to the Liebre, San Gabriel, San Bernardino, Santa Rosa, and Laguna mountains in southern California. http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Plants/Ceanothus%20cuneatus.htm
Marcia's Studio
Allen Associates has completed the Burtt Art Studio, a 1,800 sq. ft. straw bale structure which has integral color natural lime plasters on interior and exterior walls. The roof is made from SIP panels with recycled content standing seam roofing. A Rinnai on-demand water heater provides domestic hot water and backup radiant floor space heating. A stained concrete slab serves as the finish floor. The bathroom has a composting toilet. The crowning glory was a dying walnut tree on site that was milled into planks for bookcases and shelving.
http://www.gballiance.com/pdfs/GBA.Greenspeak.Spring2005.pdf.
My oldest friends from the third grade. We all moved to the hills the same year. Joanne and her twin sister Ellie and Hatsy.
Every morning I walked with Gina and one day with Peter too. Peter and I had been in an Acting summer camp together one summer. We were paired together because we were the funniest ones there. We recited the Happy Prince together. 60 years later and we still remembered it word for word.
Saturday night was the main Event
