Cathy's 3 Day Walk- continues...: Walking through a Lipinski painting

Mt. tam from Lucas valley by Kathleen Lipinski

Marin is filled with artistic people who have, in their own ways, expressed the beauty of this magical county in their writing, music and art. One of those artists is Katheen Lipinski. Her art has been painting Marin landscape for over 20 years. Glenn and I have a couple of her piece in our home. You can feel the warmth of the summer and the scent of the warming grass in her work like the one above as well as you can feel the kiss of the ocean's breeze floating over Bon Tempe Lake in this painting below.

It is a gift to capture the feeling of the air, the smell of the land, the sounds that surround you through art. Kathleen has that gift.

Mt Tam and Bon Tempe by Lipinski

This morning began when Glenn and I rendezvoused with Patti and John at the Bayside to get our final checks in the mail for our San Juan cruise in August. I arrived in my walking clothes and Patti asked if I was going to take a walk - which, of course I was hoping to do. Since I was dropping Glenn off in San Rafael this morning, I went through all the possibilities for a 3 hour walk in that vicinity.

I could go to China Camp.... Done that.... I could walk to Fairfax.... done that.... to San Anselmo to Greenbrae...done that. One place I haven't yet explored was Terra Linda. So I headed for Northgate Shopping Center where I parked my car and headed out.

I have sold homes of course in Terra Linda and shown many more, but I didn't really know what was at the end of Freitas Parkway. I was about to find out.

Freitas parkway is a four lane road with a large divider running down the middle.
Luckily the way was dotted with trees and oleander bushes, because as the sun rose higher in the sky, the chill was being replaced by a building heat.

The first half of the way was relatively flat and was easy peasy... and then it began getting progressively steeper. I walked by houses, Scotty's market, finally the two Home Owner Associations that sit at the end and found myself at the beginning of a bike trail.

They called this the Sleepy Hollow divide. I had heard there was a fire road that the kids at San Domenico are told about. They are to evacuate the school in case of fire in the canyon via this road. There were probably 20 cars sitting at the end of the road, and as I walked along I saw that this is quite a popular place to be. LOTS of people walking their dogs. Despite the bike route sign I only saw one bike, but it was 9:30 on a Tuesday morning. I even ran into our receptionist Meg and her son walking their dogs... small world up there in the hills.

As I walked along I looked back over Terra Linda and
thought how pretty those California hills are. They framed the verdant village below, making it look like a cool and comfortable haven.

Once I hit the crest of the road I looked down on San Anselmo. But what I was looking at was Brookside School, not Sleepy Hollow...I walked on...

There was an estate sitting at the edge of this open space that looked like a place I would like to live. they had a beautiful pool, vineyards and a tennis court.

The further I walked the more I felt like I was becoming a part of a beautiful landscape painting. A really good one. One where you can smell summer and feel the heat of a 90 degree day.

And there it was, the view. I have seen this view in many artist's works.Our venerable Mt. Tam standing watch over the people below. The blue sky softening as it touches the horizon.

The grass as it crunches under your feet....

The sound of the trail as you kick a loose rock....

The traces of rain gone by...

I looked at my watch and saw I needed to turn back in order to make some of my business appointments. When I had Sleepy Hollow in my sights and could make out the end of the Hollow, I headed back.

But first I took a picture. I really do love Sleepy Hollow...

Most of the wildflowers have gone... but these tiny purple ones were here and there.

I was looking for shade on the way back. the temperatures had climbed.

There was a very cool home set at the end of a San Anselmo Road... I don't think you can make it out. It had a curved retaining wall and a very modernistic design.