A Change of Venue

On this frosty morning, I got dressed in walking clothes. Unlike most of my days in the past several months, I didn't have pressing reasons to sit at my desk in the office. I was able to think instead of where to go ... and when to go ... on a WALK!

Glenn and the dogs joined me for the start of the day at the Mill Valley dog park. The dogs definately wanted to stay after it was time to gather up the blue rubber balls and head home. But eventually they relented and allowed themselves to be lifted into the XTerra for the short ride up the hill home.

Glenn headed off to work and I began to think. Where should I go? Should I head to SF? Up to Healdsburg or over to Sonoma? I forgot my friend Barbara was off visiting her daughter in So Cal, and thought for a minute I would head to Sacramento... instead I drove over to Napa.

I didn't have an idea of where to walk when I was there so today was a meandering kind of day.

When people from other places think of the California Wine Country, I would guess the average person thinks of Napa. Napa, compared to other wine country towns... is more of a city. But the closer you get to the old "core" of the town, the homes tend to look more and more Victorian. Stained Glass windows and gingerbread detail make each unique from the other. But in the initial part of my walk I walked along the waterfront on Napa River and saw a new development of Hotel, Restaurant and Condos.

The walk along the river is along a newly poured walkway.
There are numerous restaurants, including a two new ones of Food Network stars, Chef Morimoto and Tyler Florence.

This one ...

And this one.

The new condos are above the restaurants.

3rd Street Bridge

Street Art....

Little Napa Ducks

Napa Wine Train... We have a trip donated from them for Wine Wars...

Not the food though, just the trip!

Down the center of town is a new outdoor mall. It lacks personality to my eye...

So I headed west toward Hwy 29. This fine old home is the headquarters for the

"Wine Spectator."

This is the Beazley House where Glenn and I stayed eons ago!!!

Some of these old homes, are just homes, and I think in need of some TLC.

This home has the most beautiful chandeliers hanging inside.

I am guessing it used to be residences of some school officials.

Back in town I stopped for lunch at Fish House. Run by the Larkspur Restaurant Group who run Yankee Pier. I felt the setting was lovely... the crab sandwich pedestrian.

Which I suppose is appropriate for a walker.

It was full.

Me...

After lunch I crossed the 3rd Street Bridge to walk the other side of the River.

Looking back at the new development.

Walked through an opening in the fence.

There are these eagle/osprey along the river I suppose to scare away the other birds.

But these domesticated geese weren't scared at all.

I kept my distance so they wouldn't chase me.

Looked like a Yacht Club to me.

Some homes had slips for their boats.

I crossed back over the river after taking one false turn... But I knew where I was now.

Napa... all I needed to do was follow the river.

Back to town and my waiting car.

When I got back home the dogs were waiting at the gate with their wagging tails. I walked into the kitchen to see the dog food container on inside and a half a bag of dog food gone.

Ummmmm maybe they should behave better on leashes and

next time I should take them with me.

Muscle memory

So in the post about my SF walk I touched on a concept that I think is pretty interesting. I mentioned somewhere along the walk my body seemed to remember it could walk long distances. Your body does remember you know.



If it has been a long time since you have just relaxed, sometimes it takes a moment or two before your shoulders come down from around your ears, your breath comes from deep within instead of from around your nose, your frown slowly turns upwards into a contented grin and you melt into body as you look over the scenery.



But your muscles also remember stress. Funny how it doesn't take as long to remember how to tense into a tight ball of nerves and unhappiness. A phone call can be the trigger - Opening an unwanted piece of mail - An unkind word and you can find yourself immediately thrown into a place of reacting to and instead of being at peace with your environment.



The body is a pretty incredible thing, almost as incredible as your mind (which I have heard is a muscle too).



Think back can you feel what it felt like to be on a swing when you were little. To some of us it felt like we were birds flying. To others it evoked fear. But I bet all of us can remember and our hearts beat just a little faster as you feel the air rushing by your face and your sense of gravity momentarily suspended.



If you have ever been pregnant undoubtedly you can feel what it felt like even though your child is now decades old. You remember how when you placed your hand on your belly you could feel their movements as they twisted and turned inside. You remember how your back felt, and how at times it felt as if your ribs were expanding. And although it was quite the physical act, most of us remember most the emotion of the birth and how it caused the pain to become not so poignant of a memory.



There is another feeling not all of you can feel. That would be feeling the presence of a piece of your body that has been taken away. This is something a woman who has had a mastectomy does know. After my surgery I could literally feel my left breast even though it was gone. I could feel the heat on the outside of my chest wall and the tingling of skin that was no longer there. There are times when I am quiet, that I still can feel the sensation of having it there still. I know it is gone. But I feel it none the less. And those times for me are little sad. But...in a way, they are also reaffirming. Those times remind me that although my breast may be gone, I am still here. They tell me that I have been blessed beyond measure with the opportunity to try and spare others from having pieces of their bodies discarded. The fact that my breast is gone has given me permission to fight until Breast Cancer is gone from our existence. And for that I am very grateful.

Muscle memory. Yup, more to that story thank just a long walk.

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Why we need to decompress

Yesterday was a good example of how best to keep your head in the middle of the stress that 2011 is bringing many of us. I found with each step my body and my mind connected to things beyond those things which had taken over every cell of my being. The worry over what really is a temporary situation. The demands of other people who wear their stress like a badge of honor. I needed to distance myself from that just to have the perspective it takes to navigate through those rough waters.





Just the act of saying " I will not be available today" caused a weight to be slowly lifted from my shoulders. Yesterday was a long walk. 12 miles takes 4 hours. So by the time I reached the bridge I found I could breath easier. By the time I reached the Sports Basement I found my thigh and hamstring muscles were the only thing in me that felt tight. By the time I hit the embarcadero, even they were relaxed. It was as if they had a memory of walking that far and had just woken up.





Sitting waiting for the ferry the phone came out. The messages began to arrive in slightly panicked tones that I tried to ignore. And when I came back home I worked on work tyring to create some peace in the middle of confusion. When my husband came home late, he seemed impatient at hearing about the work things, having enough of his own to worry about. And I, I tried to remember what my body had told me.





What is important is how you fit into this world. Your feet on the ground, your eyes at the horizon. Its remembering that each step brings us new perspective. There are discoveries around each bend. You, you are constant in your own world and finding a way to embrace the time you are given here should be your mission. Appreciating the people around you who help you in your journey should be second nature. But often we are found drowning in temporary waters of worry.





I am so glad I discovered walking. Yesterday was a reminder to me that I need to make it "non-negotiable".





So as I am thinking back on the day and evening yesterday I am focusing on how it felt to walk across the bridge with the wind whipping my face and making may hair fly around my face. I recalling the guy on the skateboard being pulled by about 15 little dogs. Yesterday is about standing up for what I need and not settling for a postponement. And I wish... I wish we all could find a way to do the same.





Hey let's not forget...yesterday I also found out that Cavallo Point is supporting my walk again this year! Any day I see that someone does that ... makes me glad.

DONATE to my Walk

or DONATE to the Silent/LiveAuction or Raffle

Back on the road again and I feel FINE!

Sausalito 9am... Heading off to get some perspective.

Seals at low tide

Where will your steps take you??? To a world without Cancer....

Tide and current lines..... leading to Angel Island

Cavallo Point... THANKS for your donation to Wine Wars III.... A night for 2 in a historic room with breakfast for two at Murray Circle...

Geese on the waters edge at the Coast Guard Station... Fort Baker...

Glenn's favorite...Pride of Madera... See I am always thinking about you.....

Its been a long time... old friend. Time to make the climb to say hello.

Hey you folks out east you got any flowers sprouting out there?

I am thinking no.....

So..... here it is ...your dollars at work.

I'm back!

At the other side....

The Warming Hut.... and of course the bridge...

Mommy boot camp

Little boy at the shore...

Rock art...

Don't know if you can tell this is a guy on a skate board... being pulled by dogs...

Alcatraz on the horizon

Swans have returned to Palace of Fine Arts... They are very flexible...

After a long time the Palace is open again. Lots of reconstruction.

The Palace was built in the days of the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915

Rich architecture... In what was meant to be temporary...

Art that was to be for a short time only

But like most things of beauty... they are meant to last.

Angles...

Swans on the water.

Benches in peoples names.

Its a stunning place.

Mr Swan thinks so.

On to the Marina. As I walk by I remember the 1989 earthquake.

Can't really see it but there is a telescope inside... A number of these homes have these beautiful brass telescopes pointed out to the bay.

Back in the days of the earthquake people wondered if prices would ever come back here at the Marina... This property is listed for... $6,000,000

This one has a unique terrace

On to Fort Mason...

Some soulful trees...

Then through Fisherman's Wharf down the Embarcadero and to the Ferry Building and finally....

The Ferry Ride home...

The world is so different...

I am looking out my office window and a seaplane is taking flight above Richardson Bay. The sun is warm and bright on the hills of Strawberry Point as Tiburon peeks its head over the nearest rise. The water is dancing in tiny sparkly waves as the wind ever so gently calls out its tune.



I came into the office after grabbing a walk with Patti for the first time in a long time. She has been extraordinarily busy with her work. I have been doggedly working on escrows and listings in a different Real Estate world. We talked about our work as we walked, as we often do. And we noted how different things seems to be today than they were when we first started in business.



It is a different world. Not all of the change has been bad. I still remember the chauvinistic environment in which I first hit the sales world. Its not the same today and that is good thing. But there are somethings especially in the current economic environment that are decidedly not good. Like... truth and honestly being challenged. Loyalty and in some cases ethics being tested. To some people it isn't what is right or wrong, it might be "what can I get away with." The bar seems to set pretty low. Hard to not seek some sort of advantage over the other guy if the Jones are doing the same. Society has given a free pass to many who bend the rules. Unfortunately it seems sometimes to be human nature to see just how far the truth will stretch before it breaks entirely. Really what's a person to do? And you know... I have a hard time relating.



Everyone is cutting back. One person does the job of 3. Job security for many is precariously perched. In Real Estate we see many people with very low professional standards representing banks in Bank Owned properties on the market. Buyers look at addendums written with the intent of taking away all reasonable rights. My job has been to try and help my clients avoid the pitfalls that are hidden in between lines. I feel like we are all being challenged to hold tight to what is right in the face of this.



It is a different world.



Patti and I both have had moments in our own personal lives where we suddenly found ourselves in a different world. We both are Cancer survivors. We both found ourselves suddenly facing our own morality, when seconds before it was the furthest things from our minds. Battling Cancer certainly has some darkness to it, but I believe it also had incredible light.



You find, when you are battling cancer that some people get it and some, just don't . For some people being close to a person with Cancer is so frightening they simply stay away. But there are others who far from running away, seek to embrace you and strengthen you for your fight.



In a strange way, I find similarities to what we all are dealing with in 2011. We should indeed be there for each other. This should be a time in business and life that we recognize what is real and what is important. We should never turn our backs on what is true and real and lasting, simply because times are tougher. Walking with Patti, I remember this. I am so happy that we will continue to have these days in the midst of this crazy new world to remember just what and who is important in our lives.

JUST in case your forgot how important ending Breast Cancer is....

here's chance to do something to show you remember...

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