It'
s 480 acres with a hunting lodge built around 1940, a
guest cottage, a cabin, a couple of barns, and a whole lot of chaparral. "A
shack on a ranch" has been my dream for some time now. This fills the bill.
There is history everywhere. The lodge was built by the grandfather of the two brothers who sold me the place. There's a stone lion from the Sutro Baths, an obelisk from the Golden Gate International Exposition, and concrete street lamps that look like they were salvaged from San Francisco. There are banks of windows in the lodge that came from a warehouse in Oakland, and two of the doors came from a neighbor's apartment building on Rose Street in the Piedmont District. They still have the street numbers on them.
This area is a little pocket that the developers haven't touched yet. I heard that there are 300 people living in 200 square miles. A lot of people think I'm out of my mind. I live on solar/wind power, a well, and septic. I have to be my own PG&E and water company. There's more work to do than I can accomplish in my lifetime. Still, it's not like I have to mow the grass. I live a simple life and am reminded daily of the important things: the aromas, the daily variation in beauty, the wildlife, the cruelty of nature.
I've got views of Mt. Hamilton, Mt. Diablo, the Sierra, the Central Valley, and there are many places where you can stand and see all of them at the same time. The nearest house is a mile away, and the nearest neighbors in residence are two miles away, but there is a strong community spirit, because we know we need each other.. I'm lacking in many of the essential skills and eqipment I need to be self-sufficient, but I've got friends and businesspeople who love to contribute.
The elevation is 3400 feet. Yes I do get snow in the winter, and in summer there are no cooling breezes from
the coast. In exchange for that, I can usually look down on the fog, and the
night-time temperatures tend to be 15 degrees warmer than they are down at the
main gate, which is 900 feet lower in altitude. These two photos show my pasture and two barns in winter and summer.
MOPD is a lousy acronym, but "My Own Private Diablo"
encapsulates my love for the Diablo range, the value I place in the land besides
just the house, this incredible chance to own a tiny piece of it, and the hell
that it could become, especially when it becomes a hot dust bowl in summer, or
I have to cross raging creeks in winter.
It's my friend Lee who gave me the most support for this dream and would have loved to see it come true. I miss her every day.
Click one of the links below for more information about the place.
Nature:
History of the Ranch
Special Topics
Next: Orientation by Map Back to Nancy's page Last updated February 21, 2010