Albion News

Winter in CA

It's hard to believe that I haven't posted for almost a year but here are some current exterior pics of the rock I have been rolling up this hill. Now its winter again and we move inside to actually do some of the fun stuff (as soon as the heat gets fired up). Yesterday morning was 29 degrees and fog.

The true face of this piece won't be revealed till we attempt to further "physicalize" the architect's intentions but we are working with a minimal pallette of concrete, VG douglas fir and glass. No trim, no tolerances and no excuses. At the end of the day, what most visitors call "is that going to be a school?", will become a family's home in the midst of pristine CA rolling farm land.

Right now, its still a skeleton but the interior shapes will start to reveal and warm themselves. This collaborative process of design (architect) and builder (janitor) has been a conundrum since before the pyramids of Giza... hey Pharoah, you wanna build what out here?? Regardless of where one enters the conversation (design, environment, politics, morality), this dance goes on.

For me, its about the HOW. How do we share ideas, how do we work together, how do we do no harm, how do we make meaningful choices, how do I afford more wine to cope with this madness, how, how how...

Conchita Cintrón

 
 
OK ... I'm drinking albarino, reading Hemingway and jonesing for Le Sud. But here's a reprint from Bruce Weber at the NY Times:

A headline in The New York Sun on Sept. 4, 1940, captured accurately, albeit with amused condescension, the startling anomaly embodied by Conchita Cintrón:  She’s a Timid Blue Eyed Girl But — She Kills Bulls Without Qualms.

Nashville G'tar Town 2009

     

A dear friend, David Hart, who owns Nashville Wine and Spirits in said Tennessee city, called out of the blue last week and put me on a plane to "the Athens of the South". They actually do have their own full size replica of the Acropolis with manditory Athena statue. When David calls, its bound to be challenging but I will always dive in because I don't want to miss out on something interesting. But I digress...

The Treasure of Sierra Keller

 

We have demented friends, John Keller and Leslie Harrison, who live on a pristine Sierra ridgeback. Leslie is a renown, pastel artist specializing in unique portraits of animals. John, on the other hand, is harder to describe. I first met John when he was a talented marketing professional in Monterey, CA; his side passions were music and sculpting. He created the first and still successfull Dixieland Festival, played country music on the side and loved horses and fine wine.

Eco Meltdown

 

The challenge of not blogging constantly is that the Event Tsunami rolls on. Given the demands of paddling my current Economically Melted Canoe upstream, I am still trying to make sense of all the unfolding drama. Elections, sourcing sustainable material, choices of building projects, wanting to expatriate... where is Rachel Maddow when I need her?

Sitting with the Fire

More on our CA fire... In 1967, I starting sneaking into the Tassajara Zen Center deep in Carmel Valley late at night (after driving the trecherous one hour, one lane dirt road in my funky '65 Buick Skylark). After much local wine and a lucious dip in the 120 degree hot springs, the monks would graciously come down and ask us to leave. Now, years later after being practioners and supporters of the SF Zen Center and putting in our time in the sesshin silence from here to France, Nancy and I watch as Tassajara burns once again.

Design Shifts

Lately, I have been in the myopic focus of work. Imagine my surprise when I lift my head and see the plethora of great design going on outside my bubble. Do I need a vacation?? Innovation is alive and well despite absolutely no support from our government. Maybe that's a good thing.

Santa Cruz Guitar magic

Growing up in a farming town breeds strange fruit. My childhood friend, Richard Hoover, and I struggled to express ourselves in the midst of limited possibilities. Now, he is one of the foremost luthiers in America with his 30 year old company, Santa Cruz Guitars and I am grateful to sit on my porch and play the wonderful guitar he made for me so long ago.

Count Down to the Acorn Soupe Gala!

Okay...I have had a little wine (Franciscan Chardonnay)...but TODAY the weather is changing in a far too foggy summer on the Coast and it is PRECRUSH time in Monterey. We are finally getting some sun!

Richard and I are excited to soon be heading towards our friends in sunny St. Helena to celebrate another year of Acorn Soupe Environmental Education and Arts programs.

We introduced you to Acorn Soupe and their Annual Tree of Life Gala in two earlier posts: August 9th and 22nd. I am not sure at this point if any tickets are left for this year's Gala but Acorn Soupe is worthy of your support now or in the future.

Help us celebrate what humans can do, working together, in relation to the Earth, working with groups like Acorn Soupe.

This is what YOU are supporting by your involvement!  NP

 

 

Napa inspiration: Acorn Soupe

In 2002, July 4 precisely, we were privileged to return from several years in Nashville, TN to northern California.

In Nashville, we had tons of lovely friends, artists, musicians and dear bon vivants to hang out with, to work for and to travel with especially to France and back to our roots in California. After Nancy finished her MA from CIIS in San Francisco and began the PhD online, she wanted to return there;, Richard had an opportunity to return us to California, to work in Napa and Sonoma with an excellent green builder whom we have mentioned before, Bruce Hammond of Hammond Fine Homes. After moving across country again, we were privileged to have a few months respite by living on Bruce Neyers' (of Neyers Vineyards and Kermit Lynch Imports) lovely vineyard in a second home Bruce had recently acquired, which we promptly decorated with our art and then spent lovely days and evenings sharing meals and sunsets with friends. Thanks to Bruce and his family.

During that time we became active with Friendly Favors, a world wide, world class networking group started by our friends, Sergio and Gaye Lub, community activists and world travelers of deep heart and wisdom. Through Friendly Favors, we began meeting other lovely Napa and Sonoma folks at our intimate pot lucks where we shared food and discussed important issues with innovative people into the night. (If you would like to know more about Friendly Favors, contact us for an invitation.)

Two of those folks who hosted a dinner during that time were Sandra and Jim Perry of St. Helena. The Perry's opened their new, gracious and elegant home to us all on several occasions and the Perry's have generously hosted Richard and Nancy several times when we've travel to St. Helena from Monterey. We love being able to "go local" and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the area and the intelligence and creativity there even as we appreciate the cool fog, people and stunning nature of the Monterey Bay area.

At the time that Friendly Favors was becoming busier connecting brilliant people, perhaps under some of the influence of what we were all learning, Sandra Perry was also creating an environmental education program, Acorn Soupe, with her mom, Babe McCormick. From Jeff Mathy, Acorn Soupe's Outreach & Marketing Coordinator we got a little snip of the history of how Acorn Soupe came into being:

"Two women, both of whom grew up on a ridge between Napa and Sonoma counties, created Acorn Soupe.  Family heirs Babe McCormick Learned and her daughter Sandra Learned Perry, Acorn Soupe’s invaluable board president, had the vision, spirit and mettle to form McCormick Sanctuary, Inc., inspired by the creation of a 1,000-acre preserve from the historic McCormick Ranch. Their vision of Acorn Soupe incorporates meaningful ways to connect youth to their surroundings, engage them in stewardship activities, and teach them to teach others to make positive, personal decisions about the environment." 

All the emphasis in the above quote is ours, The Albion Millworks, and all we can say is Wow! Donating Napa land to environmental education!

We have now been delighted to watch over these years the program grow and flourish through hard times and now to become embraced and adopted widely in various communities in both Sonoma and Napa counties, through the generosity and vision of Sandra Learned Perry, her family and their community. We are happy to alert you to their work and ask you to consider connecting with them somehow, through a donation or some kind of involvement. To learn more, visit their useful site at www.acornsoupe.org

Their 7th Annual Tree of Life Gala Fundraiser is about to happen September 23rd at the lovely Spottswoode Estate in St. Helena: http://www.spottswoode.com/  If you would like to attend, be aware that seating for the auction and fundraiser is limited and contact Acorn Soupe very soon to participate. (You reading, Nashville and other friends? What a great time to come visit!)

In the next few weeks will be featuring more on The Acorn Soupe Tree of Life Gala and some of the wonderful auction items and generous donors. Stay tuned. A recent list of donors and donations can be found here but will be updated soon: Download donationsweekaug8.pdf