New Member Spotlight on Bill Jones
I arrived in the Bay Area in 1971. In the early years I taught 10 and 11 year olds at Presidio Hill School in San Francisco. It was a small progressive private school that was started in 1918. This is where I first learned what community was all about. The parents, teachers and kids were an extended family.
In the later years I worked for the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, which is a part of the National Park Service. My job title was “Interpretative Ranger” which meant, generally, I told people about the Park. My favorite part was working with teachers to develop programs to get kids involved with the natural world and Golden Gate National Recreational Area.
I was lucky enough to have a duplex in the Marin Headlands, which was inside Golden Gate National Recreational Area. There I lived for the last 14 years of my 19 years at the Park.
As retirement was approaching I was looking for a place to live as well as a way to retire. Since I had Park housing, when I left my job I had to leave my home. I had been looking at cohousing possibilities for some time. I took cohousing tours in Santa Rosa, Cotati, and Sebastopol. Also, some places in Portland and Tucson were appealing. I was on the Wolf Creek Lodge newsletter email list for a year before I visited in February, March, and April. I joined in May 2011.
I retired on June 30, 2011 and moved to Grass Valley on July 31, 2011. I volunteer at the local elementary school in an anti-bullying program called Steps to Respect. I’m in a training program at Empire Mine State Park. I joined the South Yuba Club Fitness Center and take Qi Gong with several Wolf Creek Lodge members. I’ve also joined the local ACBL Bridge club and play with Wayne Vasey, another Wolf Creek Lodge member. I love it here, and the Wolf Creek Lodge community is ideal for me.
