Such beautiful writing - so atmospheric and you capture what I imagine growing up in Bolinas was like. A special place like no other. It also helps me better understand my father's draw to the place. He had a hippy easy side to him after all.
I'm so glad. It's funny how it works — I'd been working for weeks on a complicated literary essay, and then suddenly had the urge today to try to capture a little of that place and time. It means a lot that you find that it succeeded. About your Dad, I wonder if you happened to see this earlier piece, https://open.substack.com/pub/notesfromlinnesby/p/milosz-in-california?r=2u2cxe&utm_medium=ios? If not, I think that you might find it interesting and relevant. It's abput trying to figure it all out…
I’m so glad, thank you! Had been working on a different piece for weeks, and then suddenly this one just wanted to be written, out of nowhere. It just flowed, and it makes me happy that it shared that sense of ease.
I sure enjoyed this— took me right there and captures California for me too. Grew up with hippy parents in the 70’s. Sprouts with my avo and cheese in the pita…
Oh yes, sprouts! Did you grow your own also, in a basket in the kitchen?
Someone else who was a kid there/then has written a great- sounding book on the history of how hippie food became hippie food. My copy is in storage, and I haven’t read it yet. But I think its title is just “Hippie Food.”
Love "we like sheep"! There's a line in Handel which I always hear as "My heart is in Guiseley" (where I used to live). It's actually "my heart is inditing".
The impossibly ideal Christmas of British children's books resonates. I grew up in Scotland but no church, carol singers or snow, for the most part. I suspect Enid Blyton was always a fantasy, even when they were originally written (in fact part of their appeal! All those picnics, hikes, ginger beer!) The childhood Christmas that came closest to the template was the one on the East Coast of the US, which included snow and skating on a frozen lake ... Magical.
Oh, that sounds wonderful, and unforgettable. Did you ever read the Laura Ingalls Wilder book set on an upstate NY farm, partly in winter? (It told the story of her husband's childhood.) Was just mentioning it in the comments to another post — I think that it, and Tom's Midnight Garden, set the image for me as a child. It sounds like you got to experience the real thing, so marvelous.
Is that Farmer's Boy? I'm not sure I ever read it though the other Little House Christmases yes - who can forget the gift of Charlotte the ragdoll? And Tom's Midnight Garden with the skating along the river!
Your story of your Timex made me smile as I remember I too had one as my first watch and it was very robust!
I found this piece fascinating. I didn't know of Bolinas before your writing, but you have now brought it alive to me. As for the Handel, I sing, "And we live sheep, and cows aren't bad". Sacrilegious, I know!
Is it, “And we like sheep, and cooooooooooooooooooooooows aren't bad”? I love it.
It's so nice to hear of that similar experience, and with the Timex too. One of the best parts about falling unexpectedly into writing memoir in this way is learning that experiences that one thought were singular — even experiences as precise as being made happy by a specific sturdy watch as a small child — are in fact shared. It makes the world feel warmer, somehow.
That's interesting - it doesn't sound so different from my childhood winters in England. Mainly grey and wet, the occasional snow or ice day in January or February, which have tended to stick in my mind as they were so unusual. There was usually one day a winter where there was a decent snowfall and we'd switch to the local radio station in the hope that school would be closed - it only closed once in all my school years! Skating on frozen lakes and rivers still seems impossibly romantic to me.
Such beautiful writing - so atmospheric and you capture what I imagine growing up in Bolinas was like. A special place like no other. It also helps me better understand my father's draw to the place. He had a hippy easy side to him after all.
I'm so glad. It's funny how it works — I'd been working for weeks on a complicated literary essay, and then suddenly had the urge today to try to capture a little of that place and time. It means a lot that you find that it succeeded. About your Dad, I wonder if you happened to see this earlier piece, https://open.substack.com/pub/notesfromlinnesby/p/milosz-in-california?r=2u2cxe&utm_medium=ios? If not, I think that you might find it interesting and relevant. It's abput trying to figure it all out…
Thanks! I’ll take a look. And yes it’s nice when writing surprises us - so many lovely images you conjured
What a tender-hearted child you were, looking out for bugs. I was with you in Bolinas, could see what you saw. Well done.
Thank you, Rona! Have added a second FN to address any ambiguity (remembering our discussion from last summer’s companion piece).
I enjoyed this memoir very much, and the way you share your delight in the memories with a fond ease.
I’m so glad, thank you! Had been working on a different piece for weeks, and then suddenly this one just wanted to be written, out of nowhere. It just flowed, and it makes me happy that it shared that sense of ease.
I sure enjoyed this— took me right there and captures California for me too. Grew up with hippy parents in the 70’s. Sprouts with my avo and cheese in the pita…
Oh yes, sprouts! Did you grow your own also, in a basket in the kitchen?
Someone else who was a kid there/then has written a great- sounding book on the history of how hippie food became hippie food. My copy is in storage, and I haven’t read it yet. But I think its title is just “Hippie Food.”
What a lovely piece, as usual. It took me into your world and put a smile on my face.
Thank you! That makes me so glad.
Love "we like sheep"! There's a line in Handel which I always hear as "My heart is in Guiseley" (where I used to live). It's actually "my heart is inditing".
Love it! Too funny.
I associate the Messiah so strongly with Huddersfield I think I'm genuinely surprised that it exists outside of Yorkshire ;-)
😊. Is there a famous performance that is done there? Or did you also do singalongs there?
The impossibly ideal Christmas of British children's books resonates. I grew up in Scotland but no church, carol singers or snow, for the most part. I suspect Enid Blyton was always a fantasy, even when they were originally written (in fact part of their appeal! All those picnics, hikes, ginger beer!) The childhood Christmas that came closest to the template was the one on the East Coast of the US, which included snow and skating on a frozen lake ... Magical.
Oh, that sounds wonderful, and unforgettable. Did you ever read the Laura Ingalls Wilder book set on an upstate NY farm, partly in winter? (It told the story of her husband's childhood.) Was just mentioning it in the comments to another post — I think that it, and Tom's Midnight Garden, set the image for me as a child. It sounds like you got to experience the real thing, so marvelous.
Is that Farmer's Boy? I'm not sure I ever read it though the other Little House Christmases yes - who can forget the gift of Charlotte the ragdoll? And Tom's Midnight Garden with the skating along the river!
Yes, and yes!
Your story of your Timex made me smile as I remember I too had one as my first watch and it was very robust!
I found this piece fascinating. I didn't know of Bolinas before your writing, but you have now brought it alive to me. As for the Handel, I sing, "And we live sheep, and cows aren't bad". Sacrilegious, I know!
Is it, “And we like sheep, and cooooooooooooooooooooooows aren't bad”? I love it.
It's so nice to hear of that similar experience, and with the Timex too. One of the best parts about falling unexpectedly into writing memoir in this way is learning that experiences that one thought were singular — even experiences as precise as being made happy by a specific sturdy watch as a small child — are in fact shared. It makes the world feel warmer, somehow.
I am glad you liked it!🐮It does makes the world feel warmer, but I also think it is the quality of your writing that we feel a part of it.
Oh, thank you for that! It makes me very happy.
That's interesting - it doesn't sound so different from my childhood winters in England. Mainly grey and wet, the occasional snow or ice day in January or February, which have tended to stick in my mind as they were so unusual. There was usually one day a winter where there was a decent snowfall and we'd switch to the local radio station in the hope that school would be closed - it only closed once in all my school years! Skating on frozen lakes and rivers still seems impossibly romantic to me.
I loved reading this. So do “real” winters, with snow and ice and so forth, also feel vaguely associated with books and stories for you?
Probably the Wind in the Willows. I can’t offhand think of many wintry books but I remember Mole getting lost in the snow.
I live on higher ground these days so I do get more snow and ice now than I used to. Still not the level of Mole’s experience though.