Lunch in Marin County

Marin County Civic Center

The first time I was in Marin was in 1971. I drove up from L.A. with my roommate at the time (who I will be seeing in Telluride on my way back to Florida). The occasion was a wedding of his Army buddy that was held on Mount Tamalpais. There were flowers in the hair, mescaline in the punch and the warm smell of colitis in the air. Somewhere between the vows and leaving, a total stranger handed me with a Hershey-sized bar of Afghan government stamped hash because he was getting clear.

Today I drove from Walnut Creek to San Raphel for lunch with a friend. The number households and the average household income of Marin has exploded since 1971, but I don't think they've touched the infrastructure. The roads are antiquated and in poor repair. They voted down BART so all 250 thousand plus people drive everywhere (unless they are jogging or biking). 

I was early, so I stopped at the Marin County Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The last time I was there was after that wedding in 1971. Its not my favorite building of his. Truth to tell, I find it a bit fussy with all those globes, circles and the gold paint. The same motifs (minus the gold paint) work better at the Guggenheim in Manhattan. The interior spaces are interesting however and the use of natural light is impressive. Unfortunately, Wright could not anticipate the utilitarian accouterment of recycle bins and OSHA signage, but if you block those out the building still has a certain Disneyesque mid-century flair.

I've known my friend through life and name changes. Currently, she lives in a lovely group house a few blocks from the civic center. A central member of the household is Leo, a labrador retriever who loves to retrieve tennis balls from the pool. The human members of the house, my friend included, are involved with a consciousness studies group. Like me, she is living a life she never planned or imagined - actually, like almost everyone I know or have met on this trip. 

Leo the wonder dog

On the drive back, the fog had cleared and I was treated to spectacular views of San Quentin, the Carquinez straits, and the tastefully painted oil refineries tucked into the hills bordering on the bay. There are more pictures on Facebook.