GATHER ROUND THE CAMPFIRE

There is still time to reserve your spot around the campfire for the 2015 Ratcliff Retreat, September 18, 19, 20.  While no one would be turned away, it is a great help to know the guest count soon for planning purposes, so please confirm this week. Here is an idea of new and exciting activities the 2015 planning committee have in store!

Further north along our California Coast there may be water falling from the sky the week of September 14, which will be a welcome phenomenon at any time, but for the Gualala area the weekend forecast expects sunny and cool conditions.  This bodes well for a beautiful trip north on Friday, September 18 – an off Friday as you know, so a leisurely drive begun early in the day may yield light traffic replete with scenic wonders.  Stop along the way in Petaluma, Valley Ford, Bodega Bay and Sea Ranch for road-trip treats and photo ops.  Gates at the Ranch will open at noon.  Directions to the ranch can be found here.

Campers will want to choose a spot in the big meadow or along the property fire road, and there will be time in the afternoon for a trip to the beach, a game of tennis, non-stop ping pong, etc.  Or you may want to help Kit chainsaw a fallen tree on the property around 3:30.  Dinner will be ready at 5 o’clock and will be kept warm for late arrivals until 9 pm. 

Stargazing walk ~ Keep your fingers crossed for a clear evening, as we embark on a stargazing walk to the bluff Friday night.  It will be a waxing crescent moon, the better to see stars, planets and satellites.

New this year is a visit to Pt. Arena Lighthouse Saturday morning – at 115 feet it’s the tallest on the Pacific Coast.  The fog signal building dates from 1896 and the property covers 23 coastal acres.  We will have a guided tour of the lighthouse and can explore the grounds, museum and gift shop.  Carpools will leave the ranch at 9:30 am to arrive at the Lighthouse at 10 a.m.  Advance reservations are required!  Make sure and sign up at the kitchen bulletin board or let Liz know by Monday 9/14. 

Featuring Dr. Marco ~ Back to the ranch in time for lunch, we will engage our minds with a talk by Dr. Marco Meniketti.  Last year Marco described the anthropological history of the California North Coast.  Any topic he chooses for us this year will be fabulous. 

Nature Hike ~ After lunch we have the traditional Nature Hike with Kit, a 2-3 hour exploration of meadow, canyon, bluff and forest terrains comprising the ranch.  We always visit the adjoining property owned by Kit’s uncle Walt Ratcliff.  Walt and Lois live in the original home designed by Walter Ratcliff.  Remember to bring your water bottle!  We don’t stock the retreat with plastic water bottles but have a drinking fountain handy for refilling your personal water accessory.

So much to photograph!  Andrea Wooding is planning the first ever retreat photo contest to make sure we document the festivities, so make sure your camera phone battery stays charged.  Also sketch!  Dave Olsen is organizing a sketchcrawl for kids and will have sketchbooks to take along with planned stops along the hike, continuing back at the ranch, where watercolor paint sets will be available. 

Kids will also enjoy an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for largest soap bubble – Nina, Michelle and Ron have been working hard in the Ratcliff Test Kitchens to achieve the perfect formula. 

Mandatory Volleyball ~ It’s Game On in 2015!  Alex Matson returns to wear the whistle and keep the competition at a fevered pitch.   Dinner will be served at 5:30, preceded by appetizers by Nina and helpers – for the third year we will have oysters both grilled and served on the half shell.  Dinner will be catered this year and presented rather elegantly by Janet and company.  Do you have camp, foldable chair(s)?  Please bring with you for dinner and gathering around the …

Campfire!  We have a new take on the Saturday night show:  a campfire circle where everyone has a role, if only singing along to a corny camp song.  Recite a poem, play the guitar, tell a joke or a ghost story, do a magic trick – there’s a place for all kids and grownups to shine.  We will need to have enough “volunteers” beforehand to get things rolling, so watch for a call for the something special you can share.

Sunday and Etcetera ~ We eat very well at the Retreat.  Sunday brunch is a highlight and Lisa Meniketti is in charge.  There are also many, many things to do at the Retreat that are not called out here.  Did we mention there’s a beach?  Also:  tennis, ping-pong, horseshoes, beachcombing, poker, piano playing, eating, drinking, napping, reading, talking, enjoying. 

Did we mention chores?  There’s lots to do!  The chores list starts circulating to everyone on the signup list this week.  Everyone needs to have at least one job.  And did you know that Saturday September 19 is Coastal Cleanup Day?  We can each do our part to say thank you to Mother Nature and the Ratcliff family by taking care of the property and the coast.  The retreat is a Green enterprise and we do our very best to keep our footprint light and the property pristine. 

Still on the fence?  We hope this causes you to land on the side of attending the 2015 Retreat – the 36th annual!  The signup list is posted on the bulletin board, or let a committee member know.  A big shout-out to the 2015 committee:  Kit, Bill B., Ron, Janet, Lisa, Nina, Andrea, Dave O., Michelle, Liz.  Special thanks to artist Carol Aust whose painting, Campfire #9 we use with permission at the top of the blog. 

HEY HEY HEY

There comes a moment during the long weekend at Lone Rock Ranch when the realization hits that we are part of something extraordinary, that not only are we having a great time, but that the event has taken on heroic proportions – of nature, of conversation, of hard work, of exertion, of silliness.  This, Dear Reader, is what has kept the tradition going for lo these 34 years, experiencing a group alchemy that makes the weekend come alive.

Heroic is an apt description of the Ratcliff Retreat, since even setting aside time in our modern lives requires sacrifice.  Add to that rush hour traffic and a long and winding drive along the coast, maybe in the dark, maybe with tired kids, then setting up camp and the journey becomes epic.  Then there is Neelanjana’s husband, Kuntal, who actually rode his bike part of the way – to Pt. Reyes Station; and Nina knowing the ride would likely give her motion sickness, renting a car anyway and stopping along the way to get oysters for Saturday’s feast.

Adventure is part of the deal—walking through a culvert under the highway, in the dark, feeling along a narrow, overgrown path and rickety plank crossings to get to a bluff overlooking a steep cliff and vast, nighttime Pacific—and makes the canopy of stars overhead on a clear, moonless night all the more magic.  Counting five satellites busily orbiting turns adults into kids and kids into astronomers. Kit's big hike of the property entails narrow trails on steep ascents rewarded by expansive views of the private cove with its signature "Sail Rock."  No matter how many times you’ve visited the ranch, it’s always a thrill to see the washing rock used by native peoples not so many years ago, and the axe head still stuck in a tree trunk, like an artifact from Oz, from when Bob Ratcliff surrendered the battle to that sturdy foe. 

Nature is full of surprises, this year in the plumage of a young and very tame resident peacock (!) or, as Janet E has since determined, peahen (!) who earned her nickname Poop-Head and could really caterwaul. 

Every year we lay ambitious plans to pile on the activities for a busy Saturday, but somehow just getting from points A to B around the ranch, making something to eat and cleaning up after leaves time for little else.  So by choosing to spend Saturday afternoon on the Friendship Bracelet project, Alison, Andie, Andrea and assorted young adults managed to slow down time.  











Wary of inertia setting in to squelch plans for mandatory volleyball Saturday afternoon, Alex Matson rallied the teams for a pitched game in the meadow, while over at the ranch house the ceremonial lighting of the Webers got underway. 

Food – the planning, shopping, prepping and eating thereof, is the major league sport of the retreat, and Ratcliff is blessed with some very, very good chefs. 

We are indebted to Nina for the oyster treat – not only for bringing them but for concocting three elegant dipping sauces then shucking dozens of the raw variety, ably assisted by Andie and Austin.   Enough can't be said about that Renaissance Gal Janet E.  What can’t she do? Her deft hand, eye and sensibilities were evident throughout the weekend, and her Middle Eastern dishes Friday and Saturday were healthful, exotic and beautiful.

At the Weber, our Celebrity Chef Jorge supervised a smokin’ crew of John, Chris and Mike to grill to a T oysters, crostini, tri tip and a monumental salmon—all under the watchful eye of Aura, the food inspector.  In order to be properly stupefied for the evening’s entertainment, wine flowed and a massive berry cobbler was dispatched, while Wafaa and Ken tamed the dishes.

The program got underway with Bill B’s emcee duties capably performed, acknowledging first-timers at the retreat Andrea, Chris, David, Neelanjana and Wafaa, noting retirees Bill W., Linda, Tom and Crodd, and expressing thanks to Kit and Janet T for the family’s generosity allowing the firm to retreat to Lone Rock Ranch.  Past recipient of the Spirit of the Retreat trophy Tom took the floor to announce the 2013 recipient:  Brian Feagans, who was about to become the hardest working trophy recipient in history.

What can be said about the evening’s entertainment?  Everyone joined in a very ambitious singalong with musical accompaniment in the form of kazoos, clappers, snappers, boingers, clankers and spoons in a rendition of a summer hit song that started out catchy but fell on hard times.  And then we messed with it.  The result was both a joyful noise and an earsplitting cacophony.  Perhaps the peahen thought it was mating season.  Thankfully (irony indicated by italics) there is a video of the performance so those who missed it can appreciate the valor and heroism of Maestro Brian’s attempt to conduct our Peahen Caterwaulers’ Band!  HEY HEY HEY!

Sunday morning, Lone Rock Ranch, Lisa and Julianna are up early to get breakfast prepared for a surprisingly large crowd.  Neither sleet nor snow nor Highland Hospital stays Lisa from her appointed rounds.  Lisa kept dipping all the available bread into French toast batter and was about to batter the peahen, but toast and the bottomless fruit salad held out until it was time to pack up and go home. A fantastic crew made short work of packing up, and it must be said about all the work crews throughout the weekend – HEROIC!  Everyone really pitched in and, after all, working together is ultimately part of the fun.

When Kit’s dad Bob was in charge of the retreat and the ranch, after everyone had gone he would sit down with his big guest book and make a list of who had been there, not to slight anyone who wasn’t but rather to reflect on everyone’s unique contribution.   These days, Kit and Janet T see the final guests off and batten down the hatches.  The peace and quiet of this reflective time and the return drive home are magical in their own way.

In the spirit of Bob’s tradition, here’s who were there, and for those who didn’t make it, know you were missed.  2013:  Andrea; Bill B, Alison and Austin; Brian, Apeksha and Aanika; Chris and Aura; David; Janet E; John; Jorge; Ken; Kit and Janet T; Lisa and Julianna; Liz and Norman; Mike, Alex and Jack; Neelanjana, Kuntal and Aditya; Nina; Wafaa, Faisal, Faris and Giad; special guests Linda and Bill W; Tom and Sue; and Crodd, Andie, Kyle and Yezi.  Ron is always there in spirit (and promises to attend in 2015!).  Plus three very cute Yorkies, one shaggy dog, Tetsu the well-mannered Shiba Inu and the Poop-Head.

See you next year!

Photo credits:  Bill Blessing, Crodd Chin,  Kuntal Vahalia, Kyle Chin, Sue Estey.

COUNTDOWN

 

The 2013 Retreat is upon us and weather reports for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday are in the 70s.  There is a new moon on Friday so if we get clear nights the stars should be spectacular.  There will be an exceptionally high tide on Saturday - not great for sandcastle building but perfect for counting harbor seals in the water and on the rocks. 

The retreat has been a company tradition since 1978 and has taken place every year except 2001.  This will be the 34th year. While the list of attendees is still not quite complete, there will be about 35 guests at the peak event of the weekend, Saturday's dinner.  We will be joined by special guests the Mahle-Wongs, the Chins senior and junior, and the Patterson-Esteys.  Other confirmed guests include our newest employees Andrea Nadell and David Kelley, and first-timers Chris Naughton and Neelanjana Sen with their respective others/offspring.


GETTING THERE.  Lone Rock Ranch is, in good traffic, about a 3.5 hour drive from the Bay Area. Construction projects along 101 slow the road this year, so keep calm and carry on should leaving Friday afternoon present a traffic jam or two.  We are happy to issue various maps and suggestions, but find that Google does a fine job and recognizes the property address, which is:
 
30801 South Highway 1
Gualala, CA 95445
Telephone:  (707) 884-3889

(There's no cell coverage in the area yet.  Remember to turn off your devices or the roaming function will run down the battery.)

Watch the culvert markers as you leave the town of Gualala.  At the property gate the marker reads 1 Men 9.04 which means nine and four-tenths miles north of the Mendocino border.  There is a north-bound turnout immediately before the rustic wood gate to the property.  Keep an eye out for the Ratcliff sign.  There may be sufficient parking on the property itself but there is also a large turnout area on the south-bound side of Highway 1 just opposite the gate.

ACCOMMODATIONS.  Anyone not staying at the ranch should have made their reservations by now.  If anyone needs a list of lodging in the area, see Liz.  Intrepid guests staying on the property will be self sufficient with their own tent, tarps, etc.  Minimum requirement is a sleeping bag for those opting to stay in the bunk house or the dormitory style wooden tent structure.

ARRIVING.  Check in at the main ranch house when you arrive where helpers will be happy to orient you to the various structures on the property and possible camping spots.  Campers will want to select a spot, either in a spacious meadow "tent village" or along the fire road circumnavigating the property.  Camping is prohibited across the highway.  If you have a lot to unload you can drive up to this meadow but the meadow is not available for extended parking.  The rule of thumb is first come, first served for all campsites, bunks, cots, etc. on the property. 


WEATHER. Be prepared for coastal weather.  It is generally warm in the day and cool with fog and dew at night, so make sure and bring a tarp if camping out of doors. 


FIRE AND WATER. Water is spring fed and collected in water tanks on the property.  It is delicious and safe to drink as it is purified with an ultra violet system devised by Kit.  But this is a very dry year and we are conscientious about our water use.  A chemical toilet helps minimize the use of the restroom facilities.  Smoking is limited to one designated area plainly marked and everyone is asked to be extremely careful about fire danger as the meadow/forest environment is vulnerable.


MEALS. Friday night dinner will be self serve anticipating a range of arrival times and will wrap up around 9.  Saturday breakfast will be available from 8:30 to 10:30 and be continental style, with oatmeal, toast, boiled eggs, etc.  Lunch at noon will feature sandwich fixings and can be packed up for a picnic or eaten at the ranch house.  Saturday evening, anticipating robust appetites after a busy day, will feature appetizers around 5 o'clock and a big dinner at 6.  Sunday we fix a substantial brunch to linger over until it's time to clean up and depart.  Meals are a community effort and everyone is expected to help out.


ACTIVITIES. At dusk Friday evening Kit will lead a small walk around the property and to the ocean bluffs.  Meanwhile the ranch house is ground zero for fireside conversations that may go on into the night. Anyone up for a game of poker can find playing cards and poker chips ready to go. 

Saturday morning offers pursuits for every interest:  exploring the beach and picking huckleberries, to playing tennis, horseshoes, ping pong and more.  Mid morning the crafts corner will get busy making friendship bracelets, and loungers will poke their noses into books and bask in the sun.  After lunch is the big hike, exploring meadow, forest and ocean ecologies and including a stop at Kit's uncle Walt's home in what was the original structure on the property.  Sharp eyed hikers will want to be on the lookout for something found in nature that might serve as a musical instrument for the after dinner show. No sooner than returning from the hike it will be time for mandatory volleyball, a game where keeping score is pretty much a state of mind. 

After dinner and a few announcements we will venture into a tin pan alley orchestral singalong led by Brian Feagans.  Sunday mornings usually get off to a slow start as everyone straggles awake to coffee and brunch.  As time winds down and final visits to the beach or games of ping pong wrap up, everyone chips in to clean up and head for home.  Gualala is a perfect place to visit Sunday afternoon as the shops and art galleries have something for everyone.


A few precautions. As can be expected, Lone Rock Ranch is home to plenty of critters, not all of them welcome by our species.  Ticks:  An estimated 1% of ticks in Mendocino County may carry Lyme disease. Check yourselves, kids and dogs, wear light colored clothing, stay out of tall glasses, use tick spray.  If you do get bitten by a tick, report to a member of the safety committee for extraction and bagging for testing.  Bees/Wasps/Mosquitos: "Bee" on the lookout.  Those allergic to bees should be prepared with any required medication.  The first aid kit will contain Benadryl.  Mice:  Untold generations of mice have called the ranch their home and to our knowledge none of them has ever carried the Hanta Virus that was such a concern around Yosemite last year.  We will hope to have everything scrubbed down and ready for occupancy, but will also have cleaning supplies on hand for anyone needing to shape up Mother Nature.

HAVE A SAFE DRIVE EVERYONE, AND ENJOY THE RETREAT
The Committee:  Bill, Brian, Janet, Jorge, Kit, Liz & Ron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS TO DO AT LONE ROCK RANCH

Welcome to the house that Kit's dad Bob built in the 1950s. It hasn't changed much, and in fact offers a respite from the hustle-bustle of modern life. No internet access or cell coverage. No soccer practice or planning commission meetings. Instead, get up a game of tennis among the pines; relive the glory of the Olympics with non-stop Ping-Pong; experience a pristine, private beach where you can build a sandcastle or just dodge the incoming waves. Play some horseshoes; take a walk; read a book; take a nap. Do make time for simple enjoyments between the more organized activities planned for the weekend:

Friday, after everyone's arrived, set up camp, and eaten dinner, we'll make s'mores and tell ghost stories around the fire pit. Earlybirds on Saturday morning can get some coffee and go pick huckleberries while the dew is still heavy in the meadow. After breakfast, we'll commence the big teeshirt tie-dye operation led by Brenna Blessing. Meanwhile there will be expeditions to the beach for disorganized play, including an exciting walk through a tunnel and down a cliff to get there.

After lunch, gather for the big hike of the Ratcliff property, visiting Kit's uncle Walt's place (with the original house built by Walter Ratcliff). Later on the grudge matches will begin as the 33rd annual Mandatory Volleyball Championship pits the jocks against the couch potatoes for fierce rivalry and pulled muscles.

Dinner will come together with the helping hands of many as we prepare everything fresh and from scratch. Sue Estey cranks up her magic ice cream machine for anyone wishing to take a turn. Save room for dessert which we hope features a masterpiece of huckleberry harvesting in a locavore "buckle" (and homemade ice cream). After dinner (and liberal libations) we will get to know one another in a game of truth or tall tale, when we all (employees, better halves and young'uns) put our make-believe skills to the test to mislead the audience about our claims to fame.

Sunday morning is the perfect time for another walk to the beach or around the property, just so long as you report for a decadent French toast brunch before 10:30. Then it will be time to clean up and head home, or head to the local attractions in the town or Gualala or, north, to the seaside communities of Anchor Bay and Point Arena. A museum of the area's history is located at the Point Arena lighthouse and is highly recommended.

We have a great group attending this year, and know everyone will chip in and help out to keep everything running smoothly. We have given the “help” the weekend off, so all the cooking, cleaning and organizing will be our responsibility. You need to "volunteer" for chores and a list is circulating through the office which we need back by Wednesday.

HUCKLEBERRY HEAVEN



Last year was a bumper-crop year for huckleberries at the ranch, and this year looks to be another.  This means fresh huckleberries on cereal, huckleberry syrup on dessert, huckleberry cobbler, huckleberry ice cream, etc.  We'll send out the foragers with empty tin cans to gather the berries, then sit around the table sorting out the stems and duds until there is a beautiful bowl of blue.

Retreat planning is off to a great start, with Kit, Ron, Brian, Patricia, Jorge, Tom, Mike, Bill and Alison Blessing kicking things off.  Alison is our guest chef, helping to plan Saturday night's big dinner and Sunday morning's brunch. We've also asked Sue Estey if she will make a return appearance with her magic ice cream maker.

Everyone is welcome to the planning meetings, every Wednesday at noon from now until the retreat.  We are eager to know our guest count, so please let us know your plans.  Look for the retreat sign up sheet, via email this year, that  asks about food allergies and other predelictions.

Time to place your tee shirt order!  Please complete the order form, also via email, by Wednesday, August 22.

LOOKING GROOVY

Did tie-dye ever really go out of style? Here is this year's tee shirt design, Bill Blessing's 11th hour entry that launched a wave of nostalgia today and handily won first place over the other 6.5 entries.  The plan is to issue two versions, one on factory-dyed product, the other on white shirts that will be hand dyed at the retreat.  Jorge snagged second place with his cubist parti, and Rob won the bronze with his stately riff on the Ratcliff corporate look.

Thanks everyone for entering, with a special shout-out to Miss Aanika Feagans for letting her dad show her art.

SALT AND PSYCHOLOGY

Welcome to RATTITUDES, the official retreat blog. Watch for new postings with retreat announcements. Better yet, join using the button below and add your own comments.

SALT AND PSYCHOLOGY:  Fitting thoughts with which to begin ramping up for the 2012 Ratcliff Retreat. 
Salt:  suggestive of the sea or sailing life.  To add zest or liveliness to, to season.  Sharp, lively wit, pungency of expression.  To stock up or store away.  [Worth one's...] worthy of continued support, deserving of sustenance.  [With a grain of...] with reservations concerning truthfulness or accuracy.  Psychology:  The science of mental processes and behavior.  The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, group or activity. 

You will find lively psychology, fresh air and exercise, wonderful food, laughter, relaxation, conversation and quietude, closer to nature than most of us get to experience in our daily lives.  What's more, there's Kit, expounding on deep stuff.

We hope you will join us this year, the 33rd annual.  The dates are September 7, 8, 9 at the Ratcliff ranch, at the coast in Mendocino County, about 10 miles north of the town of Gualala.  Planning gets underway Wednesday August 8, at noon, with meetings every Wednesday through August.  All are welcome.