Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: August in Sacramento, anyone?

[David L. Mandel (75407.2361]

I cannot tell a lie. Most Sacramentans endeavor to get out of our valley for as
long as possible during the summer, and we consider it most successful if
there's a spell of 110+ days during the week that WE managed to have been in the
mountains or at the coast or up north.

Partly for this reason, however, several of us have posted notes in the common
house looking for house sitters at various times over the next few months. So, I
thought, why not offer this splendid opportunity to the Internet virtual
community? If anyone would like to experience a week or two of real live
cohousing at Southside Park, message me here. Most residents will still be here
at any given time, but I know there are places available for most of August and
the first week of September. July too, probably; I'll inquire via our bulletin
board and/or ask at Saturday's general meeting. Some places (like mine, Aug.
1-23) even come with a friendly dog (backup care available, of course). All
would have some plants that need watering. The tomato harvest here should be in
full swing; you might even hit the city's annual Tomato Festival (I'll check
those dates). 

To temper the heat: our units do have air conditioning for the really bad days,
and they also all have attic exhaust fans that make a big sucking sound and
bring in cool evening air quickly -- it does cool off at night, usually. You can
see our tourist attractions (state Capitol, quaint old town, railroad museum,
lots of malls) and cool off in our rivers. Also, one of the best things about
Sacramento, we always say, is that it's a short (90 minute) drive to San
Francisco, elsewhere on the coast or in the other direction, Lake Tahoe and the
Sierra Nevada. Plus, it's not really all that bad. Our municipal slogan: "But
it's a dry heat."

BTW I'm still looking for any leads on interesting communities in Ireland, where
we'll be chilling out for a couple weeks in August.

Happy summer, all.

David Mandel, Southside Park Cohousing, Sacramento

Here's my brief bio, as seems to be becoming the custom:
Born in Chicago
First turned on to community living during a year in kibbutz after high school
Stints as a student and radical activist in Ohio and New York, a couple years
each
Then 10+ years in Israel, mostly Jerusalem, working as a journalist and
continuing as a political trouble maker and doing law school in between.
In Sacramento since 1985, finally escaping mainstream journalism last year and
now working for Legal Services of Northern California as staff attorney for its
Senior Legal Hotline.
Second main job: parenting and other family stuff.
Other real work: since late 1988, developing our cohousing place (25 units,
urban, mixed income, completed in September 1993 -- see the second edition of
McCamant/Durett's Cohousing book or a recent article here by Don Lindemann for
more details); perpetual involvement in progressive Jewish groups, most often
working with Palestinians and others in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Fun stuff: Getting back into my viola after many years of neglect; escaping to
wilderness areas whenever possible to hike, ski, canoe, etc.