Fairfax revisited: nesting in a home
We stayed in Fairfax, California in 2014, over the summer when Ruya turned one. And we found ourselves back in Fairfax for Aziz Elan's first birthday. So it seems to be the place for birthday candles and deer. This time we stayed in autumn, catching the end of a hot summer and leaves falling. We rented a huge and characterful house in the neighborhood. It was a home well lived in - children and grandchildren were felt throughout. And while we were there we savored the many spaces: the sand area and bubble spot, the squirrel hide away and outside staircase where the sun shines. Mostly we enjoyed what brought us back here, the nature, like the huge and grand old tree that stood over us.
Fairfax is far enough from the city to feel like its close to nature, yet it is just in reach of San Francisco, though the I hardly went to SF with the kids. This visit we stayed close to home. With a big period of sleepless nights due to my boy fighting the idea of sleep with all his might, and a three year old who hated the idea of putting clothing on when we went out, days were often spent being at home. And that brought me closer to understanding what home is, and why it's important.
In the background of this stay simmered conversation on the home base. It's the pertinent issue we keep coming back to in different ways. We don't have a base yet but it's imminent. I know I will paint wings on the walls, reminding us we can come and go. And I will plant trees, reminding me that roots are the foundation of all life. I felt the goodness of home in my time in Fairfax. The house we stayed in is a home in the real sense, not an Airbnb home wannabe. It is loved, lived in and old. It gave me a feeling of being somewhere safe and sound. And a sense that home is a place of rest, a place to find respite and create. It made me realise that having a base, no matter how much time we spend there, would give us all a nest in form and heart. And it showed me how a house is not necessarily a home. Making me question what exactly makes a house into a home? I am living that question with no answer yet.
Much of the contentment I felt was because of where the house was located. The context makes the space. The two playgrounds close by showed up the bohemian quality that still lurks here. Where breastfeeding a toddler is totally cool, as is wild hair and barefeet. Its international - I always meet someone from a foreign place - and its got a central base of long timers. The Marin WASP element does pervade, but its tempered enough with quirky characters and hippy vibe to make me feel unconstrained.
Nature is also very close by, though I felt how dry it is getting here now and further North calls on me. Lake Lagunitas is ten minutes away, with forrest, lakes and a rocky stream my children played in after the first rain came. Large trees grace every block and redwood groves are easy to access fifteen minutes into the valley. You can see some stars at night and Ruya found the moon.
As we prepare to leave this place, going North to isolated coastline and forest, I leave with a feeling of being happy to return again one day. Fairfax remains a little gem of arty culture in a place that is being eaten by tech. And whilst I think technology and its culture has great use, I remain most pulled by the smell of soil and hand grown vegetables, messy paint and long discussions on stuff that isn't really measurable. Like home and what that might actually mean.
