Jul/Aug 2023
-
Letter From The Editor
I was born in Tokyo and spent my summers there as a kid, visiting my dad after my parents split up when I was a year old. Fond memories of those years linger on—eating onigiri (nori-wrapped rice balls), riding the subway without parents, marble sodas and Ms. Pac-Man at Tokyo Tower, and hours of pool…
-
Meet a Tattoo Artist: Mo Bernal
Art has always been there for me, through good times and bad. I was born in 1964, so I’ve seen my share of both. Singing and drawing were my first forms of art and self-expression. I was born the fifth child in a Mexican family of seven, in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Art was not esteemed…
-
Park Place
No matter how many times I visit, I am astounded by the unfathomable immensity of Armstrong Woods’ towering coast redwoods. Words used to describe their grandeur are regularly superlative (gigantic, gargantuan, gorgeous) and infused with otherworldly enchantment (mysterious, mythical, magical). No matter their spiritual leanings, most who enter the sacred realm of these awe-inspiring, ancient…
-
Seasoned With Love: Cooking, Community And Culture With Morihouse
“We are not great at promoting or selling ourselves,” Adrian Lewis-Chang tells me right away as we sit down to discuss the constellation of cooking classes and clubs, pop-ups, and community creation that he and his husband Chris Lewis-Chang offer under their Morihouse umbrella. When I ask him why that is, he ponders for a…
-
Bites by the Sea
Like the oceanside hamlet it resides in, Jenner by the Sea, Café Aquatica is both a rest stop and a destination. Regardless of her customers’ travel plans, however, owner Rachel Kulinski makes it feel like home to all. A self-described transplant from the Midwest, she moved to West County 10 years ago. “I was looking…
-
Meet A Local Farmer
Hello! We’re Nick and Spencer, and we started Solarpunk Farms almost three years ago. We come from non-farming backgrounds—Spencer from biology and climate science and Nick from sustainable business strategy—but are now permaculturists-in-training. Our two-acre farm is two parts food forest (we have about 70 trees planted so far) and one part organic vegetable and…
-
Keep Cool
Our bodies were designed for swimming. I’ve been telling my kids this since they were old enough to know what water is. As a lifelong swimmer and lover of the water, I am admittedly biased—though most medical experts and physical training enthusiasts agree that swimming may just be the best exercise out there, thanks to…
-
Keep Your Spin Up
Kent Borowick had never hula hooped in his life until a couple of years ago. The longtime Guerneville resident—who also happens to be the town’s Santa Claus—has now lost pounds and gained friends as he hoops weekly with the Russian River Hoop and Flow, the best reason to head to the Guerneville plaza on Wednesday…
-
Confessions of a Germophile
Photos by Tammy Horton I confess, dear reader, that deep in the middle of this past wet gray January, constantly clad in galoshes and a rain jacket that never quite dried out, I dreamed a lot about Mexico. Hot dry beaches and warm water, cobbled streets and al pastor tacos, all called deeply to my…
-
The End Bit
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence was established in 1979 in San Francisco, with a focus on supporting people with HIV. The organization has since expanded to become a worldwide force for social justice. Despite their global reach, the Sisters remain deeply connected to their local communities and rely on them to help fund their charitable…