Bolinas and Stinson

September 2011

The tiny hamlets of Bolinas and Stinson are still on the edge of my mental map of West Marin; go a little further and there are dragons, expanses of agate-laden beaches, houses with secret passageways and treehouses amid Ponderosa pines, lush gardens, seals hauled out along the lagoon, rushing water that creates cascades as the reef drains, hedges resplendent with passion flower vines, and dentists whose offices give you splendid views across bluegreen lagoon water surrounded by pine trees.

Toward San Francisco

A quiet road lacking powerlines rises on the Stinson side of the fault, rolling over ridges studded with fir trees sloping down toward the lagoon of Bolinas. The clear blue sky arched over golden hills and soft fog; the reef extended into the brightness of the setting sun over the Pacific Ocean. Fir trees blanketed the hills stretching from here to Sonoma and Napa counties across the ridges. I’d wondered if I’d stumbled into a woodblock print by Tom Killion.