Christine, Clare’s Mum, treated Clare, me, little Jason  (Cooper)and very tiny Lucy to a stay at Yosemite in one of the cabins at the hotel.  Steven, John Anderson, Lin Cotton, and Tom White all went hiking in the park. We ladies and children all swam and lounged by the pool, and the ladies drank margaritas. In the late afternoon Clare and I sat down to tea to relax.  After dinner we had our espressos in the lounge. Christine took care of the kids at those times so Clare could have breaks. We all had a ball. Dinner was a dress up affair in the hotel. Cooper was between 2-3 years old. He dressed in his shirt, pants, bow tie and sports jacket and determinedly walked into dinner each night to dine in fine fashion. Lucy was too little to dine and was busy sleeping in the cabin with a babysitter.  Clare, her Mum and I had so much fun visiting together and being with the kids. 

Looking at the waterfall from the hotel, seeing bears from the windows was definitely my idea of roughing it!

So many wonderful memories with Clare -- so many ways she touched my heart and mind, so many ways she was generous, wise, funny. Surely having had such a presence in my life is a blessing that vastly outweighs sadness that we have had the last visit, the last cup of tea and talk, yet in the early stages of separation I know this too is a real feeling that in time becomes woven more intricately into the full tapestry of a relationship of many years. Among so many images, I recall

Sitting on the deck with Clare, when a partial eclipse made the leaf dapples turn to crescents - beautiful, ephemeral, a call to be present and not still mentally sorting out illustration layout or missing references, or whatever the task of the moment.

Learning circle dances from her (I think from Findhorn) at a weekend trip to Sim van der Ryn's sustainable village - a joyous feeling of community as we explored other ways to think about how we build and live.

Trekking to the suburbs to visit model homes as we sought to understand the messaging and expectations embodied therein. Sometimes with Cooper and Lucy, who provided insightful input, particularly on the gender stereotypical childrens' bedrooms.

A time-lapse film strip of visits, cups of Earl Grey, healthy nibbles (and the occasional chocky bicky treat, dear to my Aussie childhood), either at the kitchen table or on the deck once it was built (what a truly terrific deck design!), talking about a dazzling array of topics from the most mundane to current events, updates on colleagues, spiritual exploration and more, interspersed with companionable silences just being there.

Thanks and love to a friendship that has turned a corner but remains vital and present in my life. Love and comfort to all of her family and loved ones - I know you also have a trove of memories that you can run through your fingers like smooth special river rocks whenever you think of Clare.

Carolyn

As an Italian horticultural therapist in Rome, Italy, I have studied on Claire's pages, to my great advantage.

But when she took me with her memoir on the Isle of Iona she transformed my perspectives on life and death, and offered me joys I often go back to. I've never looked at peebles the same way since, nor at my time on this beautiful planet.

With deep gratitude, she will continue in the my heart.

Federica Cane, Rome

In Memorial published by the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley.

https://ced.berkeley.edu/news…

I wrote poetry with Clare at the C.G. Jung Institute's Deep River poetry group in San Francisco . Clare's writing perch was next to a window overlooking La Fayette Park-- the lush green hill, buses and cars passing by. On the wood desk where she sat was a small figure of an analyst - either Freud or Jung. No doubt- influencing her composition of gorgeous psychological poems. Clare enters my poetic landscape often, and always will. How lucky we were to swim inside words together all these years.

Te veo, dear lady of the sea.❤️

I am lucky to have so many fond memories  of Auntie Clare, especially with my visits to Berkeley in my early 20s. She welcomed me into her home and we went around for little adventures. On one such adventure we went to a form of relaxation yoga , where I believe a good portion of the participants in the class fell asleep. Another time she took me to a Buddhist temple where we sat in on a service and ate fresh bread. Or another time we went and saw the movie Eat Pray Love.  And at the end of the day, we had the shared interest of a nice bowl of cereal for an evening snack. 

Sending all my love to her family in California; I’m thinking of you during this sad time.