< PreviousAbove: The Sea Ranch Master Planning Locational Score, 1969, by Lawrence Halprin, The Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania by the gift of Lawrence Halprin Previous images Cover: The Halprins’ View © Jim Alinder. PP 2–3: Sea Ranch Circle, Ohlson Beach © Jim Alinder. PP 4–5: Aerial Panorama of The Sea Ranch © Craig Tooley.9 Contents 7 Welcome 9 Contents 11 A Day in the Life 17 Our History, Concepts, Covenants and Rules 21 The Sea Ranch Association 23 Our Sea Ranch Governance 29 Our Sea Ranch Public Services Services Covered by Assessments Services Not Covered by Assessments 41 Services to The Sea Ranch Not Provided by TSRA 45 Health Care and Emergency Services 51 Community Resources 61 A Concluding Note 62 Credits10 Clockwise from top left: Bobcat © Rozanne Rapozo; Oystercatcher and Chick © Craig Tooley; Shoe and Paw Print © Jasmine Alinder; Seagull © Rozanne Rapozo, 11 A Day in the Life of The Sea Ranch 5:30 a.m. A bobcat in the meadow between Black Point and Brigantine Reach pauses in her hunt for voles to note the presence of a rival fox. An owl hoots to its mate in the hedgerow beyond, then swoops out. 6:00 a.m. An early riser in Condo One tastes his first coffee of the day and watches the dawning sun silver the Pacific. 6:30 a.m. Clamping tally sheets to clipboards, pairs of volunteers train their spotting scopes on Gualala Point Island. As participants in the annual sea bird count, they scribble down numbers of gulls, oystercatchers, cormorants, and murres, and note a newly hatched pelagic cormorant. 7:30 a.m. A Clusters resident and her dog stride quickly down the Madrone Meadow trail, heading for Ohlson Beach. The grasses are shiny with dew. Along the way, they pass the looming bulk of the White Barn and the modernist profile of Ohlson Rec Center. She waves to the man peeling the cover off the swimming pool, then ambles down steep steps to sand pockmarked with boulders. Gulls wheel up into the air, screeching to declare the human and canine arrival. 8:30 a.m. Settling into her desk chair, with a backdrop of redwoods through the window before her, a new full-timer switches on her computer and begins her telecommuting workday. “I open my door to check my soundscape – the forward crashing and backward pulling of the surf. And then, The Air – the wind freshens every breath and enlarges every thought.” Alice Wingwall, 201912 A Day in the Life 9:15 a.m. On Crow’s Nest Drive, a man climbs into his car on his way to yoga class. At the Del Mar Center, he greets regulars unrolling their mats, stretches stiff muscles, and breathes deeply as the group comes to attention at the instructor’s call for the first position. 10 a.m. A car pulls out of a driveway on Green Cove Drive and heads to Gualala on Highway 1. The driver picks up ten lunch boxes and delivers them to coastal neighbors on behalf of Meals on Wheels. 10:30 a.m. A woman on Rock Cod places a scone and a late morning cup of tea onto a table, sits down, and focuses her binoculars. She quickly passes over a group of walkers on the Bluff Trail and out to where the ocean is a deep blue. A lone fishing boat is setting crab traps. Then she spies what she’s been searching for: the vapor spout of a migrating whale. Noon Three Sea Ranchers meet for lunch, taking their favorite table, waving to the many others they know. While sipping lemonade and waiting for their sandwiches, they consider possible plays and casting for the next performance by The Sea Ranch Thespians. 2 p.m. High pitched cries rise from a harbor seal rookery just north of Shell Beach. A newly born pup demands her mother’s attention. 2:30 p.m. Squeals and splashes rise from the waters of Moonraker pool as a scrum of children play Marco Polo. 3 p.m. Members of the Archives Committee gather in Room 1 of the Del Mar house. During the next hour, they update the list of people to be interviewed for the oral history program and listen to a report on ways to digitize the unwieldy collection of blueprints of early Sea Ranch houses. Meeting adjourned, they uncork a couple of wine bottles and toast the acquisition of a new set of flat files. 4:30 p.m. Beneath the Hot Spot’s towering redwoods, families cluster around The Sea Ranch shepherd, eager to hear how his flock munches down meadow fire fuels. Afterwards, volunteers with Sea Ranch Kids show dozens of children how to build toy sheep from cotton balls, and s’mores from graham crackers, chocolate and roasted marshmallows. 13 A Day in the LIfe Clockwise from top: Seals © Michael Delman; Deer, © Mel Gerst; Slow, Wildlife Area © Christine Kreying14 5:30 p.m. A group of south end residents tread carefully down the steps to Pebble Beach. Once coolers and picnic baskets are unpacked, chairs unfolded and towels spread, they share information about the new neighbor on Wind Song Lane, along with wine and cheese. Two “green thumbs” discuss plans for the expansion of the Native Plant Garden. 7:30 p.m. As the setting sun stains the ocean crimson, a photographer sets his tripod firmly in the ground and points his camera due west, waiting for his chance to shoot the “green flash.” 8:00 p.m. Dusk. Crossing the road, a doe freezes midway and a car’s headlights reflect brightly in her eyes. Coming to a full stop, the driver waits, knowing that where there is one deer, more often follow. The doe trots off and soon, out of the bushes, a small fawn scrambles after her. Sighing in relief, the driver continues, thankful for the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit on all Sea Ranch roads. 9:30 p.m. After dinner at a neighbor’s, a couple walks back to their house on Deer Trail, lighting their way with an iPhone. Before they go inside, they pause, turn off the phone, and gaze up into the brilliantly starry night. 11:30 p.m. Two young bucks, velvet still on their antlers, graze in Leeward meadow, then raise their heads warily at a rustle in nearby coyote brush. A skunk toddles out; the deer resume their munching. It is any day, and every day, at The Sea Ranch. A Day in the Life15 A Day in the LIfe The Green Flash © Mel Gerst17 Our History, Concepts, Covenants, and Rules The Sonoma County coast of California is a unique and strikingly beautiful part of the world. Those who visit here are often drawn to find a way to stay or return on a regular basis. In 1964, Al Boeke, looking to build a new community for Hawaii-based Oceanic Properties, believed he had found the perfect place: the Del Mar Ranch owned by the Ohlson family, located on a stretch of coast and woodlands at the north end of Sonoma County. His recommendation? Buy the whole ranch! He realized his vision would require a brand new and complex endeavor. At the beginning, “the basic notion is that we would respect the land. We would put people on the land in a way that they were inconspicuous. We would build architecture that was not architectonic, that seemed natural in this place.” Al Boeke, 2008 Del Mar Point, Sunset © Marty CovingtonNext >