Over the years I have lived in Northern California, I have found that there is more to learn, do, and explore than I could have hoped for when I first moved to Lake County and discovered its diverse, rich history and geological wonders. Today, I have learned that although I have yet to discover all of Lake County’s secrets, we are uniquely close to many other wonders in our neighboring counties.
Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of having my own personal guide and friend to share these wonderful adventures with: The Bloom’s very own writer/contributor and retired teacher, Kathleen Scavone. She, in her own right, is an explorer who has traveled to many continents, a voracious learner, an artist, an author, and an amazing friend who has walked these past two tumultuous years in my life more closely than anyone else.
I’ve learned from experience that the best adventure with Kathy is to show up at her house dressed for anything. It might be a day of shopping and visiting art galleries or tromping in the redwoods. And the best part of all for me is the surprise!
It’s fall now, when the leaves collect all their glory for one final curtain call and release their splendor for the world to see. Their interpretation of color defines autumn for us all. Puffs of white clouds grow and expand with every exhale when I step out of my warm car and zip up my coat at Jack London State Historic Park. Kathy tells me I will do some walking today, so I change into tennis shoes before making our way up to the “House of Happy Walls Museum,” which was built by Jack London’s second wife, Charmian London, after Jack’s untimely death on November 22, 1916, at only 40 years old.
But in his forty years, he lived a full life as an entrepreneur, a seal hunter, sailor, and an oyster pirate (yes, he stole oysters). Eventually, he got right with the law and became a fish patrol officer. He even got caught up in the Klondike gold rush, only to return home empty-handed. Eventually, he found his calling as a writer and is best known for the many books he wrote, including Call of the Wild (1903) and The Sea Wolf (1904). But he was also a war correspondent and published in countless magazines.
At the end of his life, he pursued a life as a farmer and rancher in Glen Ellen, Sonoma, known as “Beauty Ranch.” He wrote every morning and attended his farm in the afternoon (when Charmian, his wife, edited and sent off his work). We know all these things about him because Charmian and Jack’s half-sister, Eliza London Shepard, spent the rest of their lives after Jack’s death making sure the world remembered Jack London and that their dream farm and ranch would be preserved.
Charmian helped make that dream a reality by building the “House of Happy Walls,” with the downstairs a museum and the upstairs her home. And that is exactly what it is today on my visit. The downstairs tells the story of Jack’s early years, and the upstairs reveals Charmain’s life and her memories of her time with Jack, with Sonoma County vistas stretching out from the reading nooks. Even now, I can feel Jack’s presence in a home he never knew.
A half-mile walk from the now museum is the remains of the “Wolf House,” Jack and Charmian’s dream home, fully built and ready to move in before it succumbed to a fire. A short drive further is the “Cottage,” where Jack and Charmian lived in the heart of Beauty Ranch, Jack’s only home that he actually lived in on the ranch. Today, it’s the perfect picnic spot under a grove of eucalyptus trees.
The sun’s midday reach is slight compared to summer. But its golden rays have long ago banished the morning chill, so I take off my jacket before heading back to the car. Kathy shares more stories of years past, visits, and exploring the many trails at the State Park.
But the mood is quiet now as we both reflect and silently agree that this park and gift to explore for the public is largely due to Charmian ensuring Jack London would be remembered and their story told long after she was gone.
There is a lump in my throat that is taking me by surprise. It’s as if Jack’s words, remembered throughout the park on walls, plaques, and his books, are crying out as a flame makes its mark in the treed forests, saying, “Remember me. Remember my spirit and don’t let my light dim because I am gone.” And my mind wanders to other lives taken too soon from us and the things we do to hold onto them.
I swallow hard. I remember Jack, but most of all, Charmian, I remember the love you and Jack shared; it still shines bright.
Jack London State Historic Park
2400 London Ranch Rd, Glen Ellen, CA
(707) 938-5216
