Starting with our cover—Mill Valley painter Eric Zener’s languorous image of a bather at rest—this issue of Marin Magazine dives headlong into poolside living. P. J. Bremier tells us about the latest trends in backyard pools, from all-natural grottoes filled with salt water to shimmering infinity pools to the still-classic (and still very popular) rectangle.
If staying home and doing laps isn’t your idea of a getaway, Bonnie Monte has the answer—a second home. Baby boomers never met a trend they didn’t love and their latest is buying (or building) vacation retreats. For Northern Californians, this means a second home within an easy drive (Mendocino to Tahoe) or a place to enjoy a favorite activity (fly-fishing in Idaho or golfing in Arizona).
Don’t have a pool? Don’t want that second house? There are other solutions to the summertime stuck-at-home blues. Ben Davidson hops continents to Croatia, where he finds the Dalmatian Coast perfect for biking, beaching and basking. Closer to home, on the California coast, Grant Griffith visits with the Pink Lady of La Jolla—La Valencia hotel, one of the grande dames of hospitality.
Here in Marin, at the Point Reyes National Seashore, hired marksmen will soon begin shooting hundreds of nonnative fallow and axis deer that roam the park. The park service sees them as a destructive threat to native deer and other animals; would-be protectors call them magical creatures with as much right to life as any native species. Editor-at-large Tim Porter sorts it out for us.
In the departments, Conversation talks with Carole Migden, Marin’s state senator, and Mimi Towle engages in Dialogue with basketball champion Jennifer Azzi. And in Microclimates we head to the north coast of Marin to discover the idiosyncratic charms of Dillon Beach; and then we drive down Highway 1 for a talk with restaurateur Pat Kuleto about Nick’s Cove, his new resort and restaurant in Marshall.
Also in this issue, Somer Flaherty guides us through summer must-haves—barbecues and active wear—and Erika Lenkert visits the Kitchen at 868 Grant in Novato.
As always, our wish is for your good reading. Enjoy Marin Magazine, as we continue to celebrate this
extraordinary place!
Lisa Shanower, Publisher
Nikki Wood, Editorial Director
Jim Wood, Executive Editor