I was awakened from a deep sleep several nights ago to a
phone call from my neighbor asking if there was a fire at our house. She heard and then saw a big yellow fire
truck sitting at the bottom of our hillside property with its engine idling and
the sound of voices. There weren't any sirens or flashing lights. I leaped out of bed, threw on a coat, slipped
into my tennis shoes and ran out into the rain to see if there was smoke coming
from our house. Reassured that our house
wasn't on fire, I walked our property in the dark looking for trees that might
have toppled thinking that might be the reason for the fire truck.
As I crawled back into bed with my heart still racing, I
could see from the bedroom window the meandering beam of flashlights and vehicle
lights snaking up our narrow hillside road but  no siren or flashing lights to signal an
emergency. I slowly drifted into a fitful sleep. It wasn't until the next
morning I heard the rest of the story.Â
There was an ...
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After an outpouring of interest and over 10 offers, 1
Neame sold for $750,000. This Spanish
Style Bungalow with loads of character captured the imagination of many
prospective buyers. Located in the West End Neighborhood of San Rafael on a street with beautiful Mediterranean and
Spanish style homes, 1 Neame had been neglected for many years. It needed a buyer with the vision, experience
and wherewithal to renovate and bring it back to its original glory. We found such a buyer and the neighbors are
thrilled. It will be interesting to watch the transformation by the new owner and I expect to see it come back on the market with even more interest once it's...
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 Surrounding Neighborhood Homes
Opportunity knocks to restore and update this charming 1930's
Spanish Bungalow. It is surrounded on
all sides by beautiful homes of the same vintage and character. The main home is 2 bedrooms and 1 bath with
an interior courtyard that leads to a separate studio/office/bedroom with
bathroom. Many period details including
charming courtyard between house, studio and garage, Spanish tile roof, rounded archways between rooms, high
open beam ceiling in living room, hardwood floors, steel cased windows....loads
of charm, just waiting for the right buyer.
...
Interior designers, stagers, framers and shop
owners flock to the opening night of the Annual Fort Mason Holiday Print Sale to
snap up incredible prints by professional Bay Area artists at bargain basement
prices. Linda Lieberman, noted artist,
printmaker and long-time resident of the West End Neighborhood in San Rafael is
one of the featured artists at this year's 40th Anniversary of the Print Sale. The sale opens Friday December 5th and runs
through Sunday December 7th.Â
According to Linda, the Friday opening can get pretty wild, but come
Saturday or Sunday it will be less hectic and you will find...
Who will take care of Mittens and Socks when you're out of town for the holidays? Not to
be confused with Dogs who love you and want to be with you. Dogs will gladly hop in the backseat and go anywhere you go. Better yet,
most motels and hotels would rather have a dog for a guest than actual people.
Cats, on the other hand, are a horse of a different color, so to speak. They don't want to go with you and you don't
want to go with them! That's not to say you don't love your furry friends but they don't take kindly to change and travel.That's why the Cat's Cradle was invented. Conveniently located in ...
It may not be sexy, but even the most die hard packrat can't help but get excited when the word FREE is put in front of Shredding & Recycling. This past Saturday I sponsored a Free Shredding & Electronics Recycling Event for friends, clients and my West End neighbors at the Marin Modern office in the heart of the West End Neighborhood of San Rafael.
At 9 a.m. people started to arrive by car and on foot with boxes of documents to be shredded along with old computers, phones, CD players...you name it! Ron, with Integrity Shred, let everyone watch their documents, paper clips and binders go through the shredder and Mike from Renew Computers picked up the electronic equipment at the end of the...
The West End Neighborhood in San Rafael is home to a number
of distinguished artists. Clustered on
Fremont Hill, an off-the-beaten path neighborhood, are four diverse and
accomplished artists who call the West End Neighborhood their home.
Davis Perkins - Landscape Painter
California landscape painter, Davis Perkins, has an unusual
background. His art is inspired by a long career as a smoke jumper in Alaska,
firefighter and paramedic where he experienced nature in its rawest form. He would smoke jump in the summer for the BLM while attending...
West End neighbor and San Rafael Children's librarian, Hollie Stanaland (left) and her colleague Margaret Stawowy (right) invite you to visit the Children's Room at the San Rafael Public Library. Kick off 2014...
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What started as an interview with Lou Thoelecke about the
"Traffic Circle" in front of his house on Santa Margarita in San Rafael turned into a fascinating
conversation with a West End neighbor who is a passionate environmentalist,
accomplished winemaker, a Bronze Life Master at Bridge, a musician, trained chef,
former competitive tennis player, real estate investor and one-time neighbor to Jerry
Garcia. Between sipping Six Corners
Zinfandel, I took notes for the Neighborhood
Spotlight column in the West End Neighborhood Newsletter.
...
Pride of ownership!Â
This 3 bedroom, 3 bath West End Neighborhood home in Central San Rafael has been meticulously
maintained by the same owners for over 40 years. It is light and bright with
hardwood floors throughout, dual paned windows, a 2-car attached garage, a
family room off the kitchen and a bonus room/family room/office on the street
level entrance. The living room has a
big picture window with a brick fireplace and a formal dining room that opens
to the living room. The kitchen and
family room have beautiful morning light and look out on nature with a street
to street, privacy and a big deck accessed through the sliding glass doors in
the...