Featured

An Open Letter to the David & Lucile Packard Foundation

Photo Credit: Bradley Naranch @Sempervirens1`17

Friday, February 4, 2022 

Los Altos, California

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Attention: Human Resources

343 Second Street

Los Altos, CA 94022-3696

To Whom It May Concern:

For the past several weeks, before starting my shift at the Los Altos Tasting Room on downtown Main Street, I have stopped to stare at your foundation’s elegantly styled and aesthetically landscaped Second Street offices. At first, it did not register that this magnificent set of structures was, in fact, the global headquarters of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Eventually, it did. Slowly, after several additional days of careful deliberation, I resolved to write to you directly to inquire if someone of my background, abilities, and interests might not be a suitable fit for your organization, in whatever capacity currently is available.

I hold a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in modern European and world history from the Johns Hopkins University and am a summa cum laude graduate of Williams College. I also was the valedictorian and head prefect of my high school graduating class in Wheeling, West Virginia, where I was born. I taught for more than a decade at colleges and universities throughout North America, including as an Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral research and teaching fellow at Stanford. I am a published author and editor and have delivered over one hundred lectures, papers, and conference presentations in the United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and continental Europe.

Disappointed by the incremental pace of change and ambivalent sense of forward direction in American higher education, particularly in the humanities, I voluntarily left academia in 2016 to found my own environmental consulting firm, Sempervirens117, which is headquartered outside of Woodside, California in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I lead team-building workshops in nearby natural settings and organize corporate retreats throughout California for firms and non-profit organizations interested in improving on their sustainability goals and becoming more active in the rapidly expanding field of green economic enterprise. 

To help sustain this initiative during the COVID downturn, I recently accepted an unsolicited offer to work part-time at Byington Vineyard and Winery, a leading proponent of organic viticulture and sustainable winemaking in Silicon Valley. Currently, I serve as the Tasting Room Lead in their downtown Los Altos satellite location and also help to host corporate gatherings at their estate winery in Los Gatos.

While I deeply respect my present employers and enjoy the work that I do each week promoting local businesses like Byington who balance their environmental commitments with a healthy desire for sustainable economic growth, I would much prefer to invest my talents in more challenging projects in the private philanthropic sector. In 2021, I explored seriously the possibility of working for the Bridgespan Group, and I currently volunteer my time with TiE Global by helping their leadership committee to organize an upcoming conference that typically attracts 30,000 participants from more the 100 different countries, and whose keynote speakers are drawn from the ranks of leading Fortune 500 and other highly innovative companies in North America, Asia, Europe, and beyond.

Based on my previous career experiences as an educator, scholar, writer, and eco-entrepreneur, I have a particular vested interest in any number of major areas in which your foundation is active. These include: higher education reform, lifetime learning opportunities in nature, land preservation and regenerative agriculture movements locally and globally, climate change mitigation efforts, and investment in smart green technologies. It is my fervent hope that your foundation might have a place in its distinguished ranks for someone like me. Although I recognize that I am approaching you in a somewhat unconventional manner, I am hopeful that you will reach out to me about the possibility of future employment with your foundation, should you deem that my case has merit.

Yours sincerely,

Bradley Daniel Naranch, Ph.D.
Photo Credit: Bradley Naranch @Sempervirens117

~ Bradley Daniel Naranch, Ph.D. ~

117 Ware Road

Woodside, CA 94062

408-908-0908

bnaranch@gmail.com

Skills

Sales, marketing, and customer relations; Historical and archival research; University-level teaching, lecturing, and student mentoring; Qualitative and quantitative data analysis; Web content writing; Screenwriting and fiction; Proposal and grant writing; Editing and proofreading; Social media campaigns; Administrative support work; Team leadership training; Corporate workshop and retreat organizing; Environmental consulting services.

Current Employment 

February 2022 – Present

TiE Global, Santa Clara, California

TiE Con Silicon Valley Volunteer and Conference Organizer

  • Participate in weekly planning and sponsorship Zoom meetings for the annual TiE Con Silicon Valley gathering to take place in May 2022. Over 30,000 participants from more than 100 countries are expected to attend this flagship virtual event, which is funded exclusively by corporate and private donations (projected annual budget of $1,000,000).
  • Prepare bios and other conference-related web content for TiE Con Silicon Valley keynote speakers and other conference speakers, workshop hosts, and organizers.
  • Perform other volunteer work for TiE Global as required to help promote their mission in the San Francisco Bay Area.

August 2021 – Present

Byington Vineyard and Winery, Los Gatos, California 

Tasting Room Lead, Guest Experiences Guide, and Corporate Events Liaison

  • Oversee sales and office management duties at the Los Altos Tasting Room, including tracking inventory, advertising and promotional campaigns, and routine communications with wine club members using Omnisend.
  • Help to organize corporate and other group events at the Los Gatos estate winery, including leading tours and facilitating team-building and other social activities.
  • Host guided wine tastings and other full-service guest experiences at the Los Gatos estate winery.

January 2016 – Present


Sempervirens117, Woodside, California 

Founder, Retreat and Event Organizer, Team Training Leader

  • Sempervirens117 is a boutique consultancy business based in Woodside, California that helps Silicon Valley companies develop greener products and promote sustainable solutions on their social media platforms.
  • Organize and lead team training sessions in open public spaces in San Francisco Bay Area foothills, vineyards,  mountains, and coastlines that are paired with post-session, seminar-style discussions at local farm-to-table restaurants. Each session is designed to strengthen divergent thinking skills, expose participants to group-based leadership approaches, and develop a work-life balance that includes quality time spent in nature.
  • Offer fully customizable corporate retreats and workshops in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino County, Big Sur, and the Sierra Nevada.  

Education

September 2008 – June 2010

Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 

Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Humanities

  • Participated in the Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral program in the humanities.
  • Organized workshops and research presentations.
  • Edited and published multiple articles and essays in the field of German nineteenth-century history.
  • Presented dozens of conference papers and workshop panel presentations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, England, and Germany.

September  2000 – May 2007

The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland  

Ph.D. Recipient

  • Specialization in modern German political, cultural, and intellectual history. 
  • Dissertation explored the origins of German colonialism and its relationship to political unification and global expansion between 1848 and the First World War.

August 1998 – July 2000

Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany 

DAAD Postgraduate Research Fellow

  • Recipient of a two-year German Academic Exchange Service research grant to visit archives in Germany and Austria to collect materials for my dissertation at Johns Hopkins University. 
  • Attended graduate student workshops and participated in lectures and seminars.

September 1996 – June 1998

The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 

M.A. Recipient, with distinction

  • Specializations in modern Germany, early modern Germany, colonial and postcolonial Africa, and modern Britain. 
  • Advisors were Sara Berry, Vernon Lidtke, Mack Walker, and Judith Walkowitz.
  • Attended graduate workshops in the Anthropology Department.

September 1992 – June 1996

Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 

B.A. Honors Recipient, summa cum laude

  • Phi Beta Kappa graduate (3.9 GPA) with dual majors in history and German studies. 
  • Honors thesis was on the origins of German colonialism in East Africa.
  • Volunteered for the Berkshire Energy Project, which provided free winterization services to low income renters in Western Massachusetts.
  • Attended 8-week intensive language training at the Goethe Institute, Prien am Chiemsee, in Bavaria, Germany.
  • Spent junior year abroad as a fully matriculated student at the University of Erlangen, in Bavaria, Germany.

August  1988 – May 1992

The Linsly School, Wheeling, West Virginia 

  • High school class valedictorian and head prefect with 3.95 GPA. 
  • Served as one of three captains of the men’s varsity soccer team. 
  • Track and field middle-distance runner.

Previous Employment

September 2011 – June 2015

The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 

Visiting Assistant Professor

  • Taught undergraduate lecture courses and seminars in European and world history, in addition to specialized offerings in the history of science and the history of cinema.
  • Presented dozens of conference papers and workshop panel presentations in the U.S. and Canada.
  • Co-edited an essay anthology, German Colonialism in a Global Age (Duke University Press), and published historical essays.

September 2008 – June 2011

Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 

University Lecturer 

  • Taught advanced undergraduate and graduate seminars in European, world, and colonial history, in addition to courses in the history of science and theory of imperialism. 

September 2007 – June 2008

The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 

Visiting Assistant Professor

  • Taught undergraduate lecture and seminar courses in German, European, and world history.
  • Presented multiple conference papers and workshop panel presentations in the U.S.
  • Published articles and conducted research in the field of German overseas history. 

September 2004 – June 2007 

Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland –

Visiting Assistant Professor

  • Taught undergraduate lecture courses in German, European, and world history.
  • Presented multiple conference papers and workshop presentations in the U.S and Europe.
  • Conducted summer research in German and Austrian archives and presented my findings at conferences in the Netherlands and London. 
  • Published articles in the field of German nineteenth-century and overseas history.

Select Awards

  • University of Montana Research, Conference, and Travel Grants.
  • Stanford University Research, Conference, and Travel Grants.
  • Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities.
  • Loyola University Summer Research Travel Grant.
  • Johns Hopkins University Research, Teaching, Conference, and Travel Grants.
  • German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Grant.
  • Advanced Placement Co-Scholar of the Year for West Virginia, 1992. 
  • The Linsly School Class of 1992 high school valedictorian and head prefect.

References (upon request)

Vish Mishra (vish@clearstone.com), Venture Capitalist and Board Director, Clearstone Venture Partners, Menlo Park, California

Amy Madsen (amadsen@byington.com), Co-owner, Byington Vineyard and Winery, Los Gatos, California.

John Eglin (john.eglin@umontana.edu), Professor of History, University of Montana. 

J. P. Daughton (daughton@stanford.edu), Associate Professor of History, Stanford University.

Katherine Stern Brennan (kbrennan@loyola.edu), Associate Professor Emerita of History, Loyola University Maryland

Photo Credit: Bradley Naranch @Sempervirens117

#sustainablemind

“The Missing Piece” by Tamara Levitt.

Tamara Levitt is an expert meditation guide and Head of Mindfulness at Calm (calm.com). Today’s episode was her best ever. During the course of an 11 minute podcast on Calm, She weaves an captivating parable about our search for the perfect mate using Shel Silverstein’s book, The Missing Piece, as narrative raw material. Coming one day after Valentine’s Day, Tamara designed her memorable meditation around questions of intimate love and lifelong companionship.

From the Calm app.

Finding the right fit, however, isn’t always about love. Sometimes it’s about a career path, business partner or work-life balance. I taught European and global history for more than a decade and was constantly looking for the right fit. I interviewed for tenure track jobs at Harvard, Stanford, Wellesley, and the University of Toronto, among many others. I taught at Johns Hopkins, Loyola University in Maryland, the College of William and Mary, Stanford, and the University of Montana.

From the Calm website.

Then, after much mental struggle, I voluntarily left academic life to start my own company, Sempervirens117.

Sempervirens117 Outdoor Team Training experiences involve group activities in nature followed by farm to table meals or outings to local sustainable wineries, such as Byington Vineyard and Winery in Los Gatos, California.

Sempervirens117 is an environmental consulting firm specializing in outdoor learning and group bonding opportunities in Northern California. We work with families, local businesses, non-profit organizations, and major corporations in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond to create viable foundations for a better, greener, more equitable, and sustainable world. We teach our revolutionary 17 Steps to Sustainability modular outdoor learning method during two highly interactive team-building retreats set in beautiful locations in the Pacific coastal redwoods near Santa Cruz and in Mendocino County. In late 2022, we will also be developing a new retreat located in Big Sur. Our longer term plans for 2023 also include a fourth retreat to take place in Humboldt County near Redwood National Park and the mighty Klamath River.

From the Calm website.

Along with my organic keto coffee, I begin each morning listening to Tamara’s Daily Calm podcast, along with those of her colleagues, Jay Shetty and Jeff Warren. They help me find the inner rest needed to channel inspirational thoughts from mere flights of imaginative fantasy. We will not achieve sustainable living as a humanity on this planet until we each discover sustainable ways of living as healthy individuals with dynamic minds and resilient bodies. Sustainability starts with a mind at rest. Find inner flow and watch the world follow.

Net Zero Architecture: The David & Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters in Los Altos, California

It is entirely the case that the elegant external manifestation of the David & Lucile Packard Foundation mirrors the internal core of its mission to improve the world through the enlivening power of spontaneous philanthropy. There is nothing pretentious about the physical appearance of the well-endowed foundation’s headquarters in downtown Los Altos. It is the largest net zero building in the entire state of California. This is sustainable citizenship done 100% right.

The building materials reflect the core principles of green product design: wood, stone, metal, & glass. The landscaping includes abundant native plants and drought tolerant features. Branding is nonexistent. Next door, there is a gas station and clothing diversion bin. A few steps away is a locally owned hardware store and a grocery store. While it is private land, there is a single public bench where visitors can sit and admire the near perfect asymmetric architecture that reveals as much as it hides in publicly visible seclusion. Truly, I would love to come to work everyday at a structure this well designed, maintained, and organized.

Our Origin Story and Present Mission: A Post-Pandemic Outlook for the Future

The trail to Franklin Point on the scenic San Mateo coast.

We recently made some important updates to the sempervirens117 home page that we’re really excited to share:

“Semper virens,” in Latin, means “always green.” The scientific name of California’s majestic coastal redwoods is Sequoia sempervirens.

Our company got its start in a rustic, redwood-shingled cottage in the Santa Cruz Mountains outside of Woodside, California, at the green edge of Silicon Valley. The cottage’s street address is 117. On long walks into the surrounding forest, the inspiration for our company was born.

If Steve Jobs were still alive, we’d like to think that he would have approved.

At sempervirens117, we are recreating the open space learning centers of classical Athens but updating them for the global concerns of the twenty-first century.

Our team training sessions are geared for Bay Area tech professionals and beyond interested in developing sustainable solutions for their companies that benefit the planet Earth by reducing carbon emissions, saving energy, and optimizing patterns of consumption and natural resource use in order to combat climate change in our lifetimes.

Navarro Point Preserve and Nature Trail, near Anderson Valley, where out four-day “Augmented Sustainability” workshop is held.

Our sessions include weekend retreats and 4-day workshops situated in some of the most beautiful and pristine parts of Northern California within a few hours’ drive from San Jose or San Francisco.

Our innovative training modules are led by our company founder, a global studies scholar and university history professor educated at Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Williams College, and Germany.

Each module pairs outdoor learning exercises with seminar discussions accompanied by organic, locally-sourced meals and includes online feedback assessments with participants after.

The training sessions focus on developing cross-functional skill sets such as first principles thinking; group-based decision making; and communication strategies designed to connect with multiple demographics.

Our objective is to unlock the hidden creative superpowers of our talented and motivated clients, so that they will create the solutions humanity needs to survive this century’s climate challenges and enable future generations to thrive in the next.

Our “Powering the Green Economy” long weekend retreat explores remote coastlines, beaches, and redwood forests in and around Santa Cruz less than an hour away from SFO airport.

From there, we access sites of interest using public trails and nature preserves at times of the day like sunrise or sunset, when fewer distractions are present.

The sunrise trail to Cascade Creek Beach, San Mateo County, California.

When the work of formal team building is over, we depart for farm-to-table restaurants, tasting rooms, coffee roasters, and beer gardens for informal discussions and brainstorming.

Please contact us if you’d like to find out how your company can sign up for a one-day session, retreat, or workshop, or if you would like to learn more about our “Profiles in Green Power” company and personal history opportunities.

“Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains” – Steve Jobs

Fern Canyon trail in Van Damme State Park, Mendocino County, California.

Why You Should Listen to Mark Knopfler’s Privateering This Weekend.

Leave it to musician and songwriter Mark Knopfler to prove that bigger sometimes IS better.

Mark Knopfler’s Privateering is available as a 2-disc CD collection on Amazon.

There is a lot of music on this album: 20 tracks spread out over 2 CDs. And not just quantity, but quality matters here, as Mark outdoes himself by exploring multiple musical genres and thematics, proving himself not only a master guitar player, but also a masterful, if somewhat enigmatic, storyteller. “Redbud Tree” opens things off marvelously, but things only get better and more immersive from there. You can press play and settle back into your chair for the next hour or more; Mark and his talented team of fellow musicians will not let you down.

Even if you are already a committed fan of Mark’s music, particularly his solo efforts since the disbanding of Dire Straits in the 1990s, my advice is that you play all 20 tracks multiple times before forming an opinion. Listen to the music, then focus on the words, and then try to meld the melodies to the mood of the lyrics. It’s like mixing oil and vinegar to make the perfect salad dressing. Each is potent on its own, but together they create new textures, tastes, and tempting possibilities.

The profound influence of traditional Delta Blues is evident all over the album, but especially in the songs on Disc 2. There is also a lot of humor hidden beneath patches of darkness and light. Many of the songs on the album have a vivacity that lends them an up-tempo sensibility. Disc 1 has more meditative topics and a beautiful, unlikely love song about the rainy romantic possibilities of living in Seattle. Even in the Age of Amazon.

Several songs are reflections on lost lives – drowned, shipwrecked, or sunk in battle. “Haul Away” and “Dream of the Drowned Submariner” are among the best. These tracks practically demand a glass of rum or single malt in your glass as you listen to them, so plan accordingly. Please don’t play this album during your daily commute! Save something this fine for the weekend instead. You will thank me later.

Sustainable Earth Solutions #1: SIGG Swiss-Made Reusable Metal H2O Bottles

I have been using SIGG Swiss-made metal reusable water bottles for years. I started when I moved to Northern California in 2008 and added several more in various sizes when I relocated to Western Montana in 2011 for a four-year teaching position in Missoula. I have lost a few over the years and dented others while hiking, mountaineering, or cross-country skiing. Through it all, I have always been so grateful not to have to store my drinking water in plastic, which is of course derived from fossil fuels and cannot easily be recycled. All those Nalgene and other plastic water bottles I see other hikers using on the trails made me shake my head in disbelief. There is a better and easier way!

SIGG metal bottles cost less than $30 on Amazon. There is a beautiful copper model that I will be adding to my collection soon. Well, I requested it ads a gift. And it is definitely the sort of gift that keeps on giving – for years.






The 1.0L size I find too large for simple day hikes. I much prefer to use two or three 0.6L sized ones in my backpack, which allow me to stay hydrated throughout my journey.





Metal is one of the most recyclable materials on the planet, especially the high quality aluminum used by SIGG, which has its headquarters in Switzerland and still makes its products there. That matters to me, as well, since I know that the employees who manufacture the bottles receive top quality social welfare benefits and fair wages. Unlike other parts of the world and product chains where these things definitely cannot be assumed.





There is a lot of stuff out there to buy that makes the planet a dirtier, less pristine place. Reusable metal water bottles that stand the test of time do not. They help encourage us to get out and explore of natural settings, to stay hydrated when we do, and to do our part to keep plastic waste to a minimum. You could do worse than giving a SIGG metal bottle as a gift the next time you’re looking to something nice for a friend, family member, or acquaintance. 





Franklin Point Overlook, one of my favorite places to visit on the San Mateo coast, California.

	


	





	

		
Vince Guaraldi – A Bay Area Jazz Master
	


	
	

		






The Definitive Vince Guaraldi 2-disc compact disc collection is available on Amazon.





Jazz music from a Bay Area master that is suitable for all ages and times of the day.





If there is a more iconic album cover in all of American West Coast jazz history, I have yet to come across it. A nattily dressed man in dark suit, thick rimmed eyeglasses, and an enormous handlebar mustache casually rests one foot on a children’s piano while a beautifully coiffed blond boy in a black and red striped tee shirt, shorts, and potato shaped brown leather shoes looks curiously at the white keys from a short distance away. The boy, of course, is Schroeder from Charles Schulz’s beloved “Peanuts” comics, and the mustachioed man in the dark glasses and suit is – who else? – San Francisco’s own jazz piano master, Mr. Vince Guaraldi. 





Inside, there are not one but two wonderful long playing CDs filled with Vince’s classic compositions and jazz interpretations recorded between 1955 and 1966, all beautifully mastered by Joe Tarantino in Berkeley and released in 2009 by Fantasy Records as a “definitive” anthology. A revealing, well written essay on Vince’s life and musical legacy is provided by jazz journalist, Doug Ramsey, and the liner notes include essential details on the original recordings and the many talented musicians who accompanied Vince over the years, like guitarists Eddie Duran and Bola Sete, bass players Dean O’Reilly and Fred Marshall, and drummers Colin Bailey, John Markham, and Jerry Granelli.





The Definitive Vince Guaraldi gets played more often, all year long, on my home stereo than any album in my jazz, rock, folk, or classical music collections. Maybe it’s because I acquired most of Vince’s music shortly after moving to the Bay Area, or because I feel a special connection to his familiar haunts in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco and in Menlo Park, where he passed away following a heart attack in 1976, while taking a breather between gigs at a local club – a music man to the very end. Maybe because the 2-disc collection works so perfectly well with mealtimes in the afternoon and evening, with California cuisine and local wines. Disc 1 contains some of Vince’s best original works, like “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” and “A Star Song.” Disc 2 has all the Peanuts classics, plus great Latin and Brazilian inspired tunes, and several previously unreleased recordings, such as “Blues for Peanuts” and superb version of “Autumn Leaves.” You cannot go wrong with any of the tracks on either CD. Press play, pour some wine, light a few candles, clink glasses, and prepare to enjoy one of American music’s greatest gifts to humanity.





If you are a true fan of what you hear on this anthology, I highly recommend adding additional albums to your collection, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Flower is a Lonesome Thing, The Latin Side of Vince Guaraldi, Vince Guaraldi with the San Francisco Boys Chorus (which has very cool versions of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind’ and the Beatles’ “Elanor Rigby”), Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus, and North Beach (my favorite of his individual albums). 





If you love jazz – even if you are just a casual listener – The Definitive Vince Guaraldi will make you a believer in the power of music to heal, to make happy, and to help dull the pain of daily life. Peanuts songs may be the gateway drug to Vince’s musical treasures for younger listeners, but beyond those wonderful, well-loved tunes, there lies a veritable ocean of possibilities to explore, one poignant song and near-to-perfect piano performance at a time.






	


	





	

		
All the Roadrunning, by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
	


	
	

		






To call this immortal album a series of duets would be like calling the Bible just another book.





All the Roadrunning, by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, is available in multiple formats on Amazon.





There are duets. Famous ones, even. And then there is All the Roadrunning. It’s immortality on a shiny compact disc, showcasing two of the best singers, guitar players, and performers in the past 50 years. Together. Playing and singing and swinging in time to songs that defy easy categorization. To call these songs duets would be like calling the Bible just another book. Maybe a good book. But not THE Good Book.





That’s what All the Roadrunning is: THE Good Book for lovers of true blue, honest-to-goodness music. You know! M-U-S-I-C. The kind you knew as a child watching Sesame Street. Or the Muppet Show. Or Laurence Welk, for all I care. Grand Ole Opry. The actual opera houses of Florence, Paris, or Vienna. Music. The kind that resounds in memory, that makes you tap your toes, and the kind that fills your hearts and makes you dream at night of a better, kinder, gentler world.





Will this album get played at weddings? “This is Us” certainly deserves it. Will it make anyone’s top 100 list of the best albums of the 21st century? Who the heck cares! I don’t. Mark doesn’t. And as for Emmylou – that woman is ALL woman, and she bleeds music, and she won’t stand for any amazon.com reviewer nonsense. She’s been there. Done that. 





Mark and Emmylou: you are welcome at our Santa Cruz Mountains cottage anytime. Maybe you’re on tour in the Bay Area. We’ll treat you to a hazy IPA at the Fieldwork biergarten in San Mateo’s Bay Meadow. Or gin and tonic and whiskey cocktails at Venus Spirits Distillery in Santa Cruz. We’ll sip local wine at Ridge Monte Bello while looking out over Facebook, Google, and Apple headquarters and dig into homemade rye bread and smoked salmon and cured ham and sausages and goodness knows what else. Because when you make music this good, you deserve credit where credit is due. 5 stars does not do this music justice. Wine, food, and Pacific sunsets do. Mark and Emmylou, you must trust that what I am telling you is true!