Recently when he became interested in clothing design him, he took up sewing and has demonstrated a skill and imagination for creating his own clothes. He is supported in this by his talented wife Galen who unfortunately was not in California during our brief visit.
We arrived to Boulder Creek via interesting secondary highways that took us through a variety of farm lands. We were able to see artichokes growing in the fields as well as the large variety of other fruits, nuts and vegetables.
We travelled into an area that is very close to the San Franscio Bay area and yet because it is on the south side of a mountain from the Bay area it has a total country feel. Boulder Creek itself apparently has had very little change in the last 100 years and the one street town of about 4000 people feels extremely laid backed and rural. Yet, within 25 minutes driving you could be in one of the busiest urban areas on the west coast of the USA. The sense of isolation was evident to us when we left and drove hwy 9 (which is over the mountain to the Bay area) and discovered that it was EXTREMELY windy with lots of sharp switch backs for a distance of approximately 25 miles. If you were a sports car enthusiasts you would love this road with the corners and no straight stretches.
Now we arrived at Bruce and Galen’s place called “Ancient Oaks” around lunch time to be greeted by Bruce in his eclectic garb reminiscent of the 60’s and 70’s. Immediately we were priviledged to be given a grand tour of the property starting with the yard with a variety of areas designed and developed with an artisitic view. I can only mention a few of the many impressions that we enjoyed.
The old International bus that has a 2nd bus top welded on top making it a double decker of sorts (called NoFurther). This is Bruce’s art studio and we were thrilled to be given an opportunity to sign our names in the bus as many others have done.
Up the hill above the bus is a small studio that sits alone overlooking the property. This contemplative studio has a great location for mediation and study.
When we returned to the house we were able to see a few of the ‘gardens’. One of the gardens is called a rondelle which was designed by Galen. The artwork using carvings, glass and pottery is incredible. The plants and pots are placed around in such a way they complement the goal of creating a relaxing and spiritual garden. One of the features is the ‘rock sofa’ which Wes and I checked out.
There is much more to be described about outside that could incude the newly paved driveway, the redwood trees, the fruits, the vegetables or any of the flower beds.
The house is not a huge house, but feels solid and well built. The original full length porch has been enclosed and added as living space to the house. We noted that Galen’s collection of pigs ornaments are extensive and displayed prominently throughout the house. The Christmas tree in the dining room surprised us. The feature of the house that really caught our attention was the Turkish Lounge off the kitchen equipped with futons and tuffets.
After the house tour we visited the mascots, three Viennese Potbellied Pigs outside the Digibarn. Then we were given a tour of the Digibarn. The Digibarn is a collection of computer hardware with an emphasis on personal computing. This collection represents a history of personal computing and is recognized by many authorities as a valuable resource and collection. Both Wes and I were transported back in memory as we looked at many of the computers in his collection such as the Radio Shack TRS 80, VT180 by DEC, the WANG, etc. Many pioneers and developers of computer technology have visited the Digibarn and donated equipment. No doubt Bruce can share many stories of the history and the people he has interviewed as he has developed this museum. If you are interested in more information see www.digibarn.com.
Bruce has been involved in renovations on the property since May of this year and has made many improvements. It is his hope to complete this phase of tasks by the end of this week, but he has many more ideas. As we left, one task they were working on was the patio with a mosaic of a peacock in the center. Bruce has creatively envisioned the use of pottery plates and glass rocks to create the mosaic which they were experimenting with as we left. We are excitedly waiting for a picture of this in a completed form. Other samples of works of art can be found around the property.
As we organized to leave the next morning we recognized how fortunate it was that we were able to have such a pleasant visit where Bruce was not on any speaking engagements and had time to visit. He is a very busy speaker on an international scale so spends time traveling as a guest speaker around the world. Thank you Bruce.
We traveled from Boulder Creek to northern California following Boulder Creek Road which would have made anyone with car sickness issues a challenge. We did enjoy some of the mountain views. We camped at a KOA Klamath Falls which interestingly no longer has any falls. The falls disappeared when the water was diverted at some point in the history of the area. We are starting to feel the fall and the chiller weather.
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