"Are You a Caterer???"

Well, no I am not, but I am a lucky person who has incredible friends who have helped me with not one but two fund raising events for our 3 day walk.

It started like this....

Once upon a time there was a girl who had the idea to put on a WINE WAR. She thought it would be particularly good to make the event even more successful, that there would be a live auction.

She thought long and hard about what she could donate to raise more money than ever to help end Breast Cancer... Hummm she mused, I know, everyone really liked that International Dinner I cooked at Alamo Ranch, I will recreate that! It could be a lot of fun, we will dress up and maybe even the guests will too. Hummmm she continued to muse... I will do it for up to 6 guests... Nah, that isn't special enough, lets make it 8. She thought about her house and how many people it would hold if the winner wanted to hold the party there. 8 was her limit.

But at the wine wars there was a brave and wise group of people who thought to themselves... That sounds like fun, but just imagine, if instead of 8 we invited a hundred! What if we charged them $50 each to go to the 3 day walk. The girl would make much more money and we would have a great time! And so the band of merry party hearties, bid on the item and won it!

They presented the idea to the girl who said, why yes! Of course! That would be a fine idea.

And that is how I found myself, along with most of my team at a beautiful home in San Rafael Friday night. We had an event where, not counting the help, there were 42 people in attendance.

The amount raised for the fight against Breast Cancer was $2300!

I presented a multi course international menu, along with a variety of beers and wines from around the world. A truly excellent band played... Plan "Be".

There are a lot of people to thank but first of all I want to thank Lindy Emrich and Toni Abruzzo for the passion to get this together. Lindy's clients the Klotzs volunteered their beautiful home as the venue. It is actually for sale and in my mind, you could find a better party home.

http://www.10glenside.com/

Most of the evening I was cooking, and serving but I took a break or two to dance and talk to the guests, a couple of whom, had touching stories of survival and a few stories of loss. It was yet another reminder to me of why I was there. All the way to the apple cobbler and hot fudge sundae, it seemed like everyone had a great time. I know we did!Plan "Be" was a fantastic band Toni's husband Gib is lucky to be related to one of the members. so special thanks to GIB! My team members never thought they would be back to Marin to work at yet another party to raise more money. They are the BEST. It was a lot of work I know. I hope they know how much I appreciate it. Finally a special thanks to Susan Gordon, who helped coordinate the donations, the invitations and so much more. That left me to concentrate on the food.

Right now, I am trying to put the house back in order and finish washing the paraphernalia. I am exhausted... but very happy. Happy to see so many people step up to join this fight. Happy to know that with support like this Cancer is going to be a thing of the past. Happy to stand by my friends, laugh, sweat and cry with them through this crazy journey we call the 3 day.

We are only two weeks away. The 3 day has been more like 6 months. A we look to the finish line, its nice to know that our little team has made over $22,000 ! Thanks for everyone who has played a part. Now enjoy the pictures (as soon as Toni sends them to me). It was a great night.

I can't hear you!!!!!!!

Ok , its official... we have our route announced and the cheering locations. Here is my unabashed plea that you come to cheer us on! I have read countless stories of how important the cheering sections are to the walks, but also what an incredible experience it is for the spectators. Come on down!

Friday, October 2:
9:15 am - 12:00 pm

San Francisco Zoo North Parking Lot. Sloat Blvd. and Great Hwy. San Francisco, CA

11:00 am - 3:30 pm Ocean Beach, Just north of Lincoln. San Francisco, CA

Saturday, October 3:
7:45 am - 9:30 am Fort Baker East Road Sausalito, CA

9:45 am - 1:45 pm Park Elementary School 360 East Blithedale Ave. Mill Valley, CA

Sunday, October 4:

8:30 am - 11:30 am Golden Gate Park - Japanese Tea Garden 50 Tea Garden Dr. San Francisco, CA

10:00 am - 1:30 pm Alamo Square Park (Along Fulton) Fulton St. & Steiner St. San Francisco

CLOSING CEREMONY:

5:00 PM (ARRIVE AT LEAST 1 HOUR IN ADVANCE FOR A GOOD SPOT!)

Fort Mason, San Francisco

The route will take us from the Cow Palace down to the Great Hwy, through the Presidio to Crissy Field on day one, from Crissy Field to downtown Mill Valley and back to Crissy Field on day two, and finally through the streets of San Francisco to the finish at Fort Mason.

I am SOOOOOOOO ready for this! Months of preparation and countless miles of training and now it's time!!!! Have you donated yet??? Cause if you have you have been taking this journey with me. I am so proud of my team for the dedication they have shown by taking the time and effort to do this walk. We have cancer in our sights, its time to kill the *****!!!!!

DONATE

Oh by the way I have not been walking these past few days, I have been cooking. We are having a fund raiser in San Rafael tomorrow night and I am cooking for 60 people. This is more tiring than walking 20 miles for sure!

Pieces of a quilt

Back in the day, I used to quilt. It was a hobby of mine that occupied my time, when the kids were young and I wasn't working (in the workplace anyway).

When you begin a quilt, you begin with the design stage. You pick your pattern, color scheme and go shopping for the fabrics, the batting and lay everything out to begin the work. It starts with cutting the fabric, carefully, since each piece needs to line up just right, or your quilt will not work. You need to take your time, be careful and sure in your cuts.

As you move on to the piecing of the quilt, it can at times feel overwhelming. Quilts are constructed over time. They do not go together in the course of a single day. When you begin to join the pieces, this too must take the utmost of care. You have to be certain you have your pieces in the right order.

I found a wonderful trick to keep me moving forward. Especially with a quilt, you can see sections that you can focus on completing one at a time. Each day, as another section is complete you see the quilt take its shape. Before long you are half way done. You hang the completed sections on the wall and stand back to see the progress. Seeing how far you have come, helps you begin the next section, and then one day, you are done... with the piecing.

Then you move onto the quilting itself.

Once again, you complete one section at a time. I would say to myself, when I get through three blocks, I can go to bed. Or once I finish this row, I will go get a manicure!

This technique I used to quilt, I used to get through chemo therapy. I only needed to focus on completing this one session. After that, I would start looking at how far I had gone, not how far I had to go. It helped me show up. It helped me look back one day and say, "I'm done with that! Now on to the rest of my life."

Now I am only 20 days from the 3 day walk. Look how far we have come. We are almost there and there is no time to sit back and reflect since we still have work to do.

Today I had a scheduled open house. But it was also a training day. I got up early and ate a trail bar, packed up my fanny pack and headed out the door by 7:11 am heading down the hill to squeeze in a walk. I left Glenn a note that said I was walking across the bridge. Looking at the the time, I knew I couldn't dawdle. In order to get across the bridge and back in time to shower and be at my open house by 1, I needed to keep on track.

The sky was filled with high grey clouds. The weather report said there would be a Northerly front coming through in the afternoon. But despite the clouds, the air was so still it made the creek appear to be a mirror. Even the bay, once I reached there, was flat and shiny. The reflections of the clouds mirrored the grey while the sun sent small rays dancing on the surface.

I found today, that in the past 3 days when I hadn't walked, I had gotten a little stiff. As I walked through Sausalito, I thought maybe I should call it quits early. I did after all have things I needed to do. It would have been understandable. But I reminded myself of my quilts. I picked an object in the distance and said to myself "When I get to that sign, I will see how I feel." And as it usually is, when I got to the sign I felt like I could go to the next object, then the next. Before I knew it I was at the base to the bridge. I headed up the hill and found myself more winded than usual. But once again, I set my eyes on the horizon and found a bend in the road and told myself, I could reevaluate once I reached that. Then low and behold I was on the bridge and walking across the bridge. There was scarcely a breeze as I walked between tourists and athletes. When I reached the SF side I found a tiny piece of pride and accomplishment for pushing onward.

I looked at my watch and knew I needed to head back quickly. I called Glenn and told him to meet me at the Coast Guard station at Fort Baker by 11.

Then onward I headed and made it back across the bridge to Glenn's car exactly at 11.

There were times today when I felt tired, and not up to the task of this walk. But at the end of the day as I sat in my vacant listing in Greenbrae, I felt quite complete. The day had me meeting all my commitments, while I completing a 10 mile walk. Not bad for a morning's work!

An old foundation at the base of Marinview above Tam Valley School.

A pair of ducks

Egrets

Snowy egrets

Ducks

The sun on the water

Dancing

Egrets in flight

Egret at Gate 6 1/2

Maybe Allison will have a crossfire one day.... U of Denver

Houseboats on a mirror

Recording studio

Boats in Sausalito

Presidio Yacht club

Coast Guard

At base of bridge

Ready to head across

On the bridge

The restroom line... no thank you.

Under the North tower

Boat and kayaks on the bay

19 Gregory Place, Greenbrae - 1pm-4pm

Join our team. Donate to our walk. Each donation is another important piece to our fight to end cancer. As every piece is added, we become stronger.

Come on you can do it... It doesn't have to be big... but it has to be something.

DONATE

Things that hide under your bed....

... staring into all their yellow eyes, without blinking once, and they were frightened and called him the most wild thing of all....

Every once in awhile, I get very anxious. Looking to the right of me, to the left of me, behind and in front of me, I don't see anything particularly scary. The feeling builds and builds until I feel it bubbling out of my heart. It feels a lot like when I heard I had Cancer. If you have gone through a life trauma before, I suppose there is always a piece of you that is anticipating another nasty surprise.

I am a little like Max in Where the Wild Things Are.

Max was mad at his mother who sent him to bed without his supper. She called him Wild Thing. There were monsters living under his bed. He made friends and eventually became King over with these creatures. In doing so they lost their power and somehow the title wild thing, became something to celebrate instead of fear.

To me, it isn't my mother sending me to bed without supper that has me unnerved. No it is rather my monsters, who live in the box where I keep my own insecurity. Every once in awhile the lid slips off and they come slinking out. I haven't invited them, they just think its time to scare me a little. There are a host of monsters that disguise themselves so you don't notice them creeping up on you. They come and whisper in your ear and warn that you are not good enough in one way or another. The best way to deal with these nasty critters is to turn on the light. Look them square in their yellow eyes.

I have to admit, that even though, I have done a pretty good job at staring them down, leading them in a wild rumpus, dancing and marching to my command, they still sometimes whisper in my ear. With the walk only 22 days away, I am hearing the drone building. "Cathy, you think you are fit enough? HA! 60 miles is a long way." "Cathy, you have lost a little weight but, you haven't lost that much. You are going to get more tired than the rest.""Cathy, your leg is going to give you too many problems to finish this walk" "Hey, dummy don't you hear me yelling at you?!"

Its time for the flood lights. I have come a long way in a short time. I have walked 20 miles twice and nearly as far a couple more. All together I have walked hills, valleys, beaches and streets totally hundreds of miles. I have worn out 2 pairs of shoes. By stretching and taking my time, my leg is in much better shape. And yes... yes ... yes I do deserve to finish this walk. I have, and my team has, raised over $21,000 so far. And my total is getting close to the $10,000 goal I have set for the walk.

Each and every woman who fights the battle against Breast Cancer is just hoping for a light to shine in their lives, that makes the monster of Breast Cancer behave. Each donation is another light to help give someone battling Cancer the tools to become the victor.

I want you to add another light that will make the monster of Cancer, climb back into its dark place and never ever raise it's ugly head again.

Together we will make a difference, together we already have.

PLEASE DONATE anything you can.

Besides, you'll help me believe, I can put any old monster back in its box. I can wrap them up and stick them back underneath my bed, until I invite them out for a wild monster dance as I sit back, look at them and laugh.

The 17 Mile Drive - Be jealous, be very jealous!

It all started with an email. "So do you want to walk the 17 mile drive?"

When Jill asked, I didn't hesitate saying "Of course!"

And then, life and work started throwing road blocks in the way, like a grand test to see how much I really wanted to go. The truth is, I REALLY wanted to go. I needed to go. And I was determined to go, and off I went. On Tuesday after signing up a new listing and getting all my work ducks lined up, I packed my car and headed down to Carmel, where Jill had reserved a room for us at the Cypress Inn.

The Cypress Inn is an old time Carmel institution owned by Doris Day. As you may know if you are old enough, Doris Day is quite the animal lover. In this Inn dogs are welcome. (I didn't see any cats, but they may be welcome too). There were dogs of varying sizes from a huge Canary dog to a tiny yorkie. One thing was true of them all, they were very well behaved. Dreams of having my doggies come to the Carmel Inn, were dashed, as I noticed each and every dog sitting quietly at their owner's feet in the bar.

Jill's folks have a home in the area, so she has spent a lot more time in Carmel than I have. She suggested Le Bicyclette for dinner. This tiny little restaurant was just around the corner from the Inn. Maybe 20 tables in all in the restaurant. I have to say that wine list was quite surprising...check out some of those prices!





We got a nice little bottle of Bandol and enjoyed our dinner of pork cheeks.

and Heirloom tomatoes, grown at the local middle school garden.

When the sun woke us, and the day was laid in front of us, I was ready to take a walk. Jill had some preparation to do. So, I decided to walk around the block.

Carmel in the morning, with the streets nearly empty, is a pleasure to explore. Window shopping is definitely less expensive than shopping during store hours!

But I certainly would have liked to take home a blue dog.

The Tuck Box, is a fine little tea room, that my Mother used to take me to. I took my daughter Allison there when she was in Middle School. I seem to recall asking Katie to come to Carmel with me for a Mother daughter day, but she wasn't much interested at the time. (I think she was 13). I still remember eating my first scone there, my first crumpet and enjoying mile high lemon merinque pie! I guess that is pretty typical for me, I always remember the food. But I also remember my Mom. She loved Carmel. And as I headed back to the hotel, I thought about her and how she would be smiling thinking of me walking with Jill on the 17 mile Drive.

When I came back to the room, Jill was almost ready to go. It was down to deciding what to pack. She had brought a lot of food choices, p and j sandwiches, crackers, dried fruit of several types, fresh peaches and more. I suggested she pack it all.... but she did leave out a couple of things.

My pack was a little more.... compact!

We asked the concierge if he had any advice for walking the 17 mile drive. He said, "Oh you don't want to do that!" I gave him a look and explained we were walking in a 60 mile walk in less than a month. He told us it wasn't about the distance, but the danger. In his french accent he said "You see, the road is quite narrow and it is dangerous for you to walk there. I know of a lovely 2 hour walk you should walk." I gave him another look and he then went on... "Or... you could walk the 17 mile." I made him happy when I asked for a taxi's number in case we find it too difficult. With a smile he handed me a card with the phone number... and Jill and I defiantly strolled out to our cars. I believe I heard her murmur..."imbecile."

We parked down by the beach and began our walk at the Carmel Gate of the 17 mile drive, with no intention at all of taking any silly cab. Boldly we walked where cars have gone before, through the gate and onto the famous 17 mile drive. In short order we were at Pebble Beach and in front of the old Del Monte Lodge. Now, since the course's sale years ago, the Del Monte Lodge is simply "The Lodge." It is the last public course we would see in awhile. Of course, Realtor that I am, I loved looking at the estates, cottages and homes that grace the edges of the road. Your mind wanders and imagines what it would be like to live the life behind iron gates, rose trellises with the ocean breeze waking you to the sound of the waves at the beach below.

How about this one... or

This one?

Or this one....

You know I don't think I can decide.

Back on the road. Note the lack of a pedestrian lane.... Jill kept warning me that the drunks would soon be out.

Maybe we could hid from them here...

Or here......

The water started taking on deep blue hues as the sun began clearing the fog from the sky.

Monterey has pines unlike any others. They are hundreds of years old, and have been sculpted by the hands of time. Granite boulders peak their heads out of the sandy soil. Then in the midst of this dramatic landscape man has made his mark, in the form of golf courses, gated estates and googly eyed tourists.

In an effort to keep the tourists safe, there are signs at regular intervals warning of imminent danger.

Art ... artist ... one in the same.

More warnings.

It's too bad this camera can't capture how perfectly this stone house moulds to the granite that surrounds it. It is just about perfect and looks as if it grew there. Unlike some other ill conveived homes that look like they would be better suited for the Sonora Desert.

The pure drama of the scenery can leave you breathless.

Well, there you go.... a walker.

What a place to take a walk!

The lone cypress is 250 years old. It is the iconic symbol of this 17 mile drive.

How many tourists have taken a photo here? The sun has come out!

The water is clear and beautiful.

The beaches pristine.

There are MANY golf courses on the drive. All I believe are private with two exceptions.

Jill on the road. I am thinking right about now, why are all these clubs private. I would really really like to find a public rest room!

I think Jill is breaking some sort of Cypress Point law.... PRIVATE means PRIVATE. Jill they could throw you into jail. Unless we join the club, and frankly I don't have a several hundred thousand lying around. Cypress Point is one of the most exclusive, if not expensive clubs in the world. Jill knows stories about a certain Football coach who was refused the use of the club, even as a guest, because he wore shorts... Don Shula.

Jill's Dad played here with Bill Banker (of Coldwell Banker). I thought that might give us entry rights (especially since I was looking for a ladies room). Especially considering I used to work for CB. But..... Jill assured me, they would call the paddy wagon if I tried to use their facilities. Jill's Dad says a busy day on the course is 3 -4 foursomes.

Don't feed the mammals!

Look carefully, on the rock is some sort of squirrel.

There it is!

Seal are perched on the right side of the rock, while pelicans hold court on the left. You can hear the seals barking out before they take a dive into the blue waters.

This home with the turkey buzzards in the tree, make this mansion look a little like the Munster's house.

These world class golf courses are a budding Tiger Wood's dream.

By this time in the walk, I am feeling like I own this road!

Except for maybe the bikes, and the cars and the buses and the trucks and ... and.... and....

Actually, I was happy that we were there on a Wednesday. The weekend might have been a little nerve racking. And THAT would have been a shame. This is a place where you should let the glory surround you, transport you...in a peaceful escape. It is almost impossible to imagine a more beautiful place on earth.

The deer on the course think so too.

See what I mean?

Too perfect to be anything man made.

We asked a German tourist to take our photo.

Thanks!

More beauty.

Ok if man is going to add something, at least its green....

This stretch of the road has been known for a LONG time dating back to turn of the century tourist days. This point is named after a Chinese man named Joe, who had a shack here. He sold souvenirs in the 1890s.

Finally a golf course that would welcome us!

And look at the view from the deck. We chose to eat outside on the deck where we could enjoy the view and the breeze.

We asked our cute waitress to take a picture of us eating lunch. After walking so many miles, this is one of the few times you feel like you can order and not think of calories!

Check out those pants.....

This section of the 17 mile drive is not along the coast. It winds through the Del Monte Forest and by ranch style homes. As we made the turn toward the Carmel gate, we walked alongside a creek were there were native fuschias growing along the edge.

At the end of the road, we walked 17 miles +.

We took one wrong turn and as luck would have it got to talk to some pretty fine looking firefighters, who were quite impressed that we mid century modern women had walked the whole 17 mile drive. As we headed down the last 1/2 mile Jill looked to me to be a lot like a thouroughbred heading home to the stall. She was flying down the hill. I started feeling my calves cramp up and said to myself... "Nope... I am not screwing this up in the last 10 minutes!" and slowed my pace to that of a human being.

Added to our total, of course there is the walk to and from the cars, and down to the beach in Carmel. I am guessing .... we are just about THE most buff chicks on the planet, not to mention the luckiest. I am so glad I took the challenge of #1 taking the time to take the best walk on the planet aand #2 Not letting other competing things trip me up and finally #3 just completing this. Now we both can say we have done it...we walked the 17 mile drive... And isn't that just amazing?!

NOW jealous people.... donate and let's end cancer.

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