For over three decades I lived in Marin County, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I love that county and it served as a wonderful place to raise a child, my Antonia. But places that lovely don’t stay unnoticed and as people discovered its beauty and moved in, the county became more and more crowded, and pricey. I longed to move to a place that was more still. I took a trip with Antonia to Washington state, which I loved and imagined that might become my home. But hard as I looked I could not find the “right town”. Encouraged, but confused, I returned back to Marin and resumed my busy life, which included a jaunt up to meet new clients in Mendocino County. Antonia accompanied me and as we drove along the two lane highway running along oceanside we passed a small sign at the entrance to a small offroad. “Kathryn Hall, Publicist, Frog Pond Road. Do you think they’d go for that in New York?” I joked.

As we entered the small village of Mendocino my eyes lit up as I surveyed the architectural charm and the plethora of lovely gardens.

“I think this is the town I was looking for in Washington!” I excitedly told my daughter. I went directly to a realtor and inquired about houses. “I have just the place,” she said. And she drove us back to Frog Pond Road! As we entered the driveway I knew immediately this was my next home. And so it was.

One of the places I loved in the small town of Mendocino was Gallery Bookshop, owned at the time by Tony Miksak. I met Tony and he happened to interview me for Mendocino’s local paper, because, frankly, that long ago it was news for a business person, a publicist, to be running her business from the woods!

Recently I had the occasion to drive out again to the coast and I could not resist driving up Frog Pond Road where I planted that first garden that was the nascent inspiration for my new book Plant Whatever Brings You Joy. Where I had first scratched out a small plot there now grew a small datura with a Buddha planted below it. I smiled. The wooden fence now bore thick purple passion flowers. My small vision had been seen and cherished and augmented. How dear.

But now I was returning to drop off the first copies of Plant Whatever Brings You Joy: Blessed Wisdom from the Garden, all these many years later as I will be doing my first booksigning at Tony’s old bookshop, also seen, loved and expanded, the Gallery Bookshop, facing the beloved Mendocino headlands and the Pacific Ocean, a most lovely place to be.

So I have come full circle, my dearest readers, and will begin my public presentations at the very spot the vision began. I hope locals folks can join us the evening of September 17th at 6:30PM. I would so love to see you. More information can be found here. Thank you!

Love and blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Posted on August 15th, 2010 by Kathryn
Filed under: People at Work