New California Joys

This is my first time "summering" in my new house (which is also my old house) in California. It's strange to be back home and yet feel so out of touch. So, I decided to play tourist and look at everything with a fresh eye. Here are a few of my new faves:

Best New Cafe: CIBO in Sausalito is topping all of the charts with its fresh approach to the traditional cafe serving up Italian breakfast and lunch. Everything is homemade and absolutely delectable, from fresh baked goods (the French macaroons are heavenly) to gourmet panninis (I love the ham & cheese cornetti, which is actually an Italian croissant) and the only place in Marin to serve the now famous "Blue Bottle Coffee". Cibo really knows how to make coffee, whether espresso or brewed, every cup is made to order and although it may take a few extra minutes, it is without a doubt the best coffee I have ever had outside of Europe. This is a "must see to believe" kinda place with a European design style which perfectly blends with the connected and incredibly beautiful water sculpture garden studio and art gallery. Located right over the Golden Gate Bridge on Bridgeway just down from the main drag. Oh, and please try the hibiscus lemonade!

CIBO
1201 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
7-5pm every day
415-331-CIBO
http://cibosausalito.com/


Best Free Event: Sausalito Jazz on the Bay. Apparently, this is the hottest new ticket on the bay. Free Jazz and Blues concerts every Friday night throughout the summer in downtown Sausalito. Bring your own picnic and pull up a stretch of grass. Even better, peruse the Organic Farmer's Market right next door beforehand and indulge in tasty delights. I feasted on roasted chicken and potatoes from RoliRoti (a mobile gourmet rotisserie) and bought a glass of wine from a vendor, followed by a mouth-watering organic sorbet in surprising flavors and served in the cutest, albeit expensive, little cups. Thoroughly enjoyable and with magnificent views of the bay. Many boats sail in for the event and hang out for the dinner hour, making it a great and easy event if you have children. Get your Sat grocery shopping done early and enjoy a bit of free fun before packing it in for the night or continue on to the No Name for more free jazz. Just what this sleepy tourist town needed . . . some groove.

For a list of the summer line-up see the webisite:
Sausalito Jazz and Blues by the Bay
Between the Ferry and Spinnaker behind Bank of America
6:30-8pm every Friday night, June-August
http://www.ci.sausalito.ca.us/Index.aspx?page=637


Best Local Getaway: Nick's Cove on Tomales Bay is without a doubt my new favorite place. It's sad but true that even though you may have a summer house it can still feel like "normal life" and not like a holiday at all. So, after taking stock of my family's rising frustration I decided to throw everyone in the car and run away up the coast and explore Pt. Reyes National Seashore for the first time in my life. Within an hour of lovely scenic exploration we ended up at Nick's Cove and Cottages. There are 12 cottages which are outfitted to glorious perfection down to the very last authentic detail and a restaurant that specializes in oysters, seafood and an extensive (of course) California wine list plus many fine bottles from various regions around the world (the sommelier kindly pointed this out to me.) I greedily swilled French champagne and chardonnay on his recommendation after gorging on delicious seafood. We also LOVED the chocolate espresso lava cake. Hey, I was celebrating my anniversary after all. They also serve a lovely brunch if you are just up for a drive, but if you do spend the night, the complimentary breakfast is yummy or custom order your favorite. *Hint: Check out the BOAT SHACK at the end of the pier for a real treat. (By the way, am writing to you from Nick's.) Oh, gotta go. My masseuse just arrived for my in-room massage :D

Nick's Cove and Cottages
23240 Highway One, Marshall, CA 94940
415-663-1033
http://www.nickscove.com/


Best Massage Studio & Hot Tub: (Hours later.) Speaking of massage, F. Joseph Smith's place has been in Mill Valley for a million years, but somehow I DIDN'T KNOW. How did this happen? I only discovered it in the last few trips to California. Meanwhile, I have been schlepping all the way out to Fairfax for the same experience for YEARS. This place offers EXCELLENT therapeutic massages and has newly installed outdoor hot tubs with an expected California hippy Zen decor and no frills. Joseph is a massage therapist who has been "practicing since 1971" he told me a bit gruffly and recommends that people like me need to keep trading with like-minded healers "otherwise you won't learn anything". OH. He also sells an inordinate amount of various and sometimes scarily large and apparently powerfully healing crystals. (They adorn the entire driveway and surround the massage studio, some about the size of caves.) I have never been disappointed by a massage here, nor has my husband, and we have been sampling for a couple of years now. Walk-ins okay. Go. Relax. Enjoy! *Warning, my husband says the Swedish sports masseuse is not kidding, but if I were you I would ask for BEA from Thailand.

F. Joseph Smith Massage Therapy Center
158 Almonte Boulevard, Mill Valley, CA 94941
10-10pm 7 days a week
415-383-8260
http://www.josephsmithmassage.com/

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year. I celebrated mine by sleeping for HOURS in my big white bed in the dappled sunshine. A day out of time. How luxurious! After years of working on Saturday this seemed so royally DECADENT. Oh, so this is what people do on Saturdays!! I felt like it was Mother's Day.

It's been exactly 3 months since I announced my sabbatical. I have sequestered myself in my office sorting through years of paperwork. Now that its done I am going to focus on my studio and my other creative projects. I find this to be a much more realistic rhythm, rather than cramming everything into a day or afternoon and wondering why I can never finish anything. What is your natural rhythm? Are you in sync with your own nature?

It's also Father's Day today and although we mistakenly celebrated it last weekend (Belgian Father's Day), we are celebrating again today. I think every Saturday should be Mother's Day and every Sunday Father's Day, a balancing decadence after a busy week for everyone.

Today I picked one of my new Devil Cards (a new division of my Joy! Cards). I got "Call in Sick" for the second day in a row. Amen.

Back to bed.

Dutch Standoff

Have you ever noticed that when you are passing through a door in this town, literally in the doorway, and someone wants to pass the other way, they just plow on through as if you are not there? ERRRRR. What happened to common courtesy, like waiting for you to pass or saying excuse me?

This has irritated from me DAY ONE when I moved to Amsterdam in 1998. It escalated when I was pregnant and would get ELBOWS, yes ELBOWS ladies and gentlemen, in my obviously pregnant belly or be practically run over when trying to manipulate my baby with carriage etc. through a door and someone would come towards me, apparentely totally unaware of my presence (which is hard to believe), and attempt to push right through the same dinky door even though I was quite clearly struggling to go through with my various apparatus.

Is it me? Or is this unacceptably RUDE?

Anyway, I call it the Dutch Standoff. My advice, hold your ground and express strongly PARDON (pronounced "par-d-own"). Smile too if you want to rub it in. Naturally, in a pinch you will resort to your own language, so a strong EXCUSE ME will also work. If you are feeling particularly fiesty, give them an elbow back. Personally, I have never done the vulgar elbow thing and opt for Supersonic Glaring accompanied with a sarcastic PARDON instead, which is amusingly effective resulting in a surprised response of, "OH, pardon" or a meek "sorry".

Honestly . . . in a culture that still has a bloody Queen you would think some chivalry would be in order.

War & Peace

(While my 4 year old son and I were listening to Heather Nova's song "Every Soldier is a Mother's Son" from her new album Jasmine Flower.)

Max: "What is war?"

Me: "Two opposing factions, e.g . armies, which each country has, groups, organizations or even between two people like husband and wife."

Max: "Do the soldiers kill each other?"

Me: "Sometimes, which is why I don't approve of war."

(very long pause)

Max: " . . . but Mama, if those soldiers kill each other then they can't put the seeds in the girls later."

Me: (impressed and laughing) "True, very true."