Hot Tubs and Peacock Feathers?

The cliche image of Marin County is that 70's idea of hot tubs and peacock feathers... and although I will admit to a bit of hot-tubbing in my day, the Marin County we know and love is so much more than that. We experienced the best of it this week with our friends Pam and Jerry. Waking up to the sunlight through the trees in Madrone Canyon, drinking coffee and watching the sun rise over the Bay, smelling the good warm redwood smells of the forest - that's the real thing.

We spent a day with Pam in West Marin at Pt. Reyes, which I'm guessing is one of the great small towns in this country. Lunch at Stellina to celebrate (belatedly) Pam's and Dick's birthdays - all locally grown ingredients and the freshest tastes on earth. Walking down the street, we noticed signs in the store windows to mourn the loss of one of Pt. Reyes' young men in Iraq - such a waste. He was obviously beloved in the town, but he'll never again shiver in the morning fog, then enjoy the slowly mounting warmth as the sun burns it away... never taste a briny Tomales Bay oyster, smell that beery, cheery smell when someone opens the door of the Western Saloon, or whiff the sharp tang of cheese in the making at Cowgirl Creamery. We're grateful for his sacrifice, and for the reminder that life is to be cherished.