The photos and comments in this article tell about one aspect of Road Scholar Program 21900 (
www.roadscholar.org ) I attended recently. It was a hiking and walking program that explored Marin County, California from north to south and east to west! One reason I wanted to enroll in this particular program was that it included an afternoon/evening in the seaside village of Sausalito. The first place our van let us out was the Sausalito Visitors Center, shown in the photo below. It was there I learned that Sausalito developed rapidly as a shipbuilding center in World War I, with its industrial character giving way in postwar years to a reputation as a wealthy and artistic enclave. It is a picturesque residential community, (incorporating large numbers of houseboats), and a tourist destination. It was this "houseboat" factor, that made me eager to visit the town, because houseboat living has been a part of my life since I was a youngster ( my father built two different houseboats that gave me many days/nights of enjoyment, plus I had a houseboat of my own (called the "Ms. Trish"), after I became a "grown-up" living on my own.
As instructed by one of my photography teachers, who always said to look at the postcards available, when visiting a new area, a post card of a fancy houseboat , called the Taj Mahal, caught my eye at the Visitors Center. Since our leaders had told us the houseboat section was not close to where our group would be walking, I had no expectation of getting to see this most unusual houseboat. So you can imagine my surprise and delight, when as I was strolling up and down the marina docks, I look up and saw that this impressive floating structure was right in front of me!
I reasoned that it must have been away from the more well known houseboat "neighborhood", because it was too big to fit there!
It appeared to have its very own sailboat, powerboat, and fire hydrant, as well as a velvet rope, that might as well have said "KEEP OUT" in giant letters (although it did not).
The photo above is the walkway a visitor would need to traverse to get to the Taj Mahal, if they were coming from the parking lot--quite a nice row of yachts!
I enjoyed seeing the
orange sea creature that was painted on the side of the boat above.
The sign on the houseboat below says "Wooden Shoe---Sausalito".
Several of the houseboats had gained extra living space by building up, instead of out. One reason for this is the limited docking area, such that up or down are the only options for expansion.
Most of the houseboats (see kayak below) had some sort of private watercraft on their decks---kayaks, paddle boards, rowboats, canoes, or skiffs. This enables the owner to take full advantage of the water for getting around the "neighborhood"!
The floating edifice below appeared to have been a commercial venture at one time, although there was no evidence of it being in operation at the time of my visit.
Across from the floating docks, there are also several lodging structures built out on piers, as seen in the photo below:
Once I had walked up and down every single dock in the downtown area, I switched over to the non-floating section of downtown, and enjoyed photographing the Spanish style architecture, as shown in the corner building below:
For a complete list of ALL the restaurants, shops, and attractions in Sausalito, log on to
www.VisitSausalito.org , because these photos barely "scratch the surface" of what is available!
The photo above shows "Bridge Street", which is the main way visitors coming by land will enter Sausalito.
The photo above shows another area of houseboats. Most of the 400+ houseboats of various shapes, sizes, and values, are located along the north end of town, approximately two miles from downtown.
Although this waterway between the houseboats looks tranquil, the humming toadfish makes mating noises underwater, keeping some residents awake at night.
The roots of the houseboat community lie in the re-use of abandoned boats and material after the de-commissioning of the Marinship shipyards at the end of World War II. Many anchor-outs came to the area, which created problems with sanitation and other issues. After a series of tense confrontation in the 1970s and 1980s, additional regulations were applied to the area and the great majority of boats were relocated to approved docks. Several are architect-designed pieces that have been featured in major magazines.
One of Sausalito's downtown parks is famous for the two elephant statues that define its entrance.
In fact, one of the elephants was being used as the backdrop for a bicycle photoshoot I happened upon.
Between the two elephants, this lovely fountain is constantly providing the soothing sounds of flowing water.
This plaque tells the name of the park, and some of its history.
The song "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding was written by the R & B singer in 1967, as he sat on a rented houseboat docked in Sausalito. So, naturally, that song was going through my mind, as I photographed these folks below "sittin' on the dock of the bay"!
I was intrigued by the way some of the trees had been "manicured" in one of the city parks:
The manicured tree limb below, provided a nice "frame" for a waterfront scene:
Seeing this weather vane (shown below) on top of one of the houseboats, reminded me of a poem I embroidered and framed many years ago:
Here is a photo of the finished work:
To me, the poem is another way of stating the Apostle Paul's words in his letter to the Philippians: It says, "For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation." (Philippians 4:11-12)
I am thankful to God, that the "winds of life" blew me to the little village of Sausalito! Visiting this place gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!! Tricia
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