Alan
I have always enjoyed the outdoors and natural world and earned my BA in Zoology from the University of Connecticut. After serving in the U.S. Army for 6 years, I got an MBA from the University of Missouri and spent most of my career in hospital/health care planning, marketing, research, and disaster preparation.
Although I love living in California, I was born in Connecticut and have lived in 8 different states. Between business and travel, I’ve visited 46 states and nine other countries.
My wife and I started talking about the idea of co-housing with friends 30 years ago before we knew it had a name. After living in 3 single-family homes, we jumped at the opportunity to join the co-housing community here at Yulupa.
I especially like the intergeneration experience that we have here. Watching the young kids gain confidence and have all the “aunts and uncles” to help them grow is unique and rewarding. Monthly workdays, community meals and activities provide opportunities to get to know our neighbors better than anywhere else I have lived. I serve on the garden committee, which has made improvements every year.
I enjoy the sharing that characterizes our community. We ask one another for things we need to borrow and share many types of tools and supplies and we are really there for one another when someone needs help.
Learning to solve problems in community can sometimes be frustrating, but watching our community grow provides great rewards. I wish more people could enjoy living in a cohousing community.
I have always enjoyed the outdoors and natural world and earned my BA in Zoology from the University of Connecticut. After serving in the U.S. Army for 6 years, I got an MBA from the University of Missouri and spent most of my career in hospital/health care planning, marketing, research, and disaster preparation.
Although I love living in California, I was born in Connecticut and have lived in 8 different states. Between business and travel, I’ve visited 46 states and nine other countries.
My wife and I started talking about the idea of co-housing with friends 30 years ago before we knew it had a name. After living in 3 single-family homes, we jumped at the opportunity to join the co-housing community here at Yulupa.
I especially like the intergeneration experience that we have here. Watching the young kids gain confidence and have all the “aunts and uncles” to help them grow is unique and rewarding. Monthly workdays, community meals and activities provide opportunities to get to know our neighbors better than anywhere else I have lived. I serve on the garden committee, which has made improvements every year.
I enjoy the sharing that characterizes our community. We ask one another for things we need to borrow and share many types of tools and supplies and we are really there for one another when someone needs help.
Learning to solve problems in community can sometimes be frustrating, but watching our community grow provides great rewards. I wish more people could enjoy living in a cohousing community.
Marguerite
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thea
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TheaI recently retired from the VF Corporation after 36 years of doing sales, marketing and replenishment for the Wrangler Jeans division of the company. I have a daughter 26 . I am very involved in a community based project called the Southeast Greenway which will hold my interest for many years as planning land use for the old Highway 12 extension evolves. I also work with a group called the Santa Rosa Summit to build local resiliency by organizing and strengthening neighborhoods. I love to walk, hike, camp, cook and travel. I've made it to every continent except Antarctica.
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Blair
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Music is a big part of my life. I love rock, jazz, and classical, and play guitar--mostly self taught. I love cats especially and volunteer at the Humane Society. I graduated from Skyline Junior College, and am finishing studies in graphic arts at SR Junior College where they have an excellent department for learning disabilities. I enjoy lifting weights, running and hiking, especially in nearby Annadel State Park. I have a 2nd degree black belt in Karate and am currently training in Aikido. I have some dysphasia – difficulty processing receptive and expressive language – as a result of Asperger’s (high functioning autism). Because of this, it also takes me longer to establish relationships. Therefore, I like making new friends and living in a bigger immediate community group. I participate in committees and meetings to the best of my ability--I just need more time to pick up on the information.
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Diane |
MirabaiAfter eight years of living bi-continentally between Italy and California, I have chosen Yulupa as my new home (05/2013). Why does cohousing attract me? I am deeply interested in living in a community where we unite as a group and collaborate together while at the same time individuality and diversity are respected and valued. I am interested in living with like-minded souls who have an interest in helping their community and the world at large.
I have been following the Bhakti path (path of the heart) for nearly two decades. My spiritual life and yoga practices are important to me. I am an initiate of the Sufi International Ruhaniat and am also a member of a sweat lodge community. This Native American practice of purification and prayer has been a big part of my life for over a decade. As an international SoulCollage® Facilitator and Trainer, I offer workshops all over the world. In addition I have an accounting business with clients from Oakland to Shasta. |
Some of my passions include yoga and meditation, travel, pilgrimages to sacred sites, Nature and the nature of our species, esoterics,
facilitating groups, long walks, short hikes, writing, attending workshops, Dances of Universal Peace, Kirtan, movies and much more. ..especially growing and changing with every breath. |
Chip, Jessica, Felix, Freya
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Originally from Orange County, Chip and Jessica escaped north to the wonders of Sonoma County over 2 decades ago. They tried living all over Sonoma County and finally settled into Yulupa CoHousing as one of the first members to move in once it was completed, Fourth of July weekend 2005. Man was it hot that weekend! Looking for a small neighborhood where everybody knows their name, it was a great fit. Felix and Freya, then 7 and not yet 3 years old, have blossomed in the community environment Yulupa has provided.
Jessica works as a veterinary technician, she loves to hike the beauty of Sonoma County, hang out at the pool, camp across Northern California and swim laps with Santa Rosa Masters. She also enjoys eating all the abundance of food in this county, hanging out with her animals and going to church.
Chip works in sales. He enjoys comic books, video games, gaming in general and sci-fi/fantasy fiction reading. He also enjoys cooking for his family.
Felix is finishing high school and plans to attend our local Junior college to start his biology degree. He has been practicing MMA for 10 years now. His love is in animals and nature. He also enjoys comic books, video games, and movies.
Freya is finishing middle school. She loves to play with all the kids of Yulupa, and to care for the younger children. She always wanted to be the big sister! She loves to create things, art or food; climb things and she tells a great story. Her love is in the ocean and she hopes to be a marine biologist one day.
Jessica works as a veterinary technician, she loves to hike the beauty of Sonoma County, hang out at the pool, camp across Northern California and swim laps with Santa Rosa Masters. She also enjoys eating all the abundance of food in this county, hanging out with her animals and going to church.
Chip works in sales. He enjoys comic books, video games, gaming in general and sci-fi/fantasy fiction reading. He also enjoys cooking for his family.
Felix is finishing high school and plans to attend our local Junior college to start his biology degree. He has been practicing MMA for 10 years now. His love is in animals and nature. He also enjoys comic books, video games, and movies.
Freya is finishing middle school. She loves to play with all the kids of Yulupa, and to care for the younger children. She always wanted to be the big sister! She loves to create things, art or food; climb things and she tells a great story. Her love is in the ocean and she hopes to be a marine biologist one day.
Barbara
Baby boomer, vintage 1948. Raised by mother and step-father in burb of Chicago, while my heart longed to be on the farm in West Virginia with my dad. Deeply into horses most of my life, but now the horses are retired and I’ve taken to the much more practical bicycle for much of my transportation. Which has led me to civic involvement as a member of Santa Rosa’s city council-appointed Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board. But the main focus of my activism is solving the climate crisis by working with Citizens’ Climate Lobby for Carbon Fee & Dividend legislation.
Having lived in collective households for most of my adult life, I was ready for community sans roommates. I was introduced to Yulupa and immediately knew it was where I wanted to be. About the time I moved into Yulupa I started going out with my sweetheart Tom. We were married in our Yulupa living room by a Yulupa neighbor. I'm the happiest I’ve ever been---great community and great home life.
Having lived in collective households for most of my adult life, I was ready for community sans roommates. I was introduced to Yulupa and immediately knew it was where I wanted to be. About the time I moved into Yulupa I started going out with my sweetheart Tom. We were married in our Yulupa living room by a Yulupa neighbor. I'm the happiest I’ve ever been---great community and great home life.
Constance
I joined Yulupa in 2007 and have lived in various intentional communities most of my adult life. Yulupa offers me my own private living space as well as knowing my neighbors. I am semi-retired, an avid Argentine tango dancer, and dabble in art and languages.
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Tom
Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee Greatest state in the land of the free. Actually, I was born Feb 9, 1944 in Louisville KY. My family moved to Ojai, CA when I was 9. When we crossed into California, we asked our mother "Where is Roy Rogers?" Went through high school in Ojai. Went to UCLA on a Navy ROTC scholarship. Dropped out my senior year, but I never did drugs, if that's what you're thinking. 2 years active duty with the Navy 1966-68, no fun. Lived and worked various jobs in the East Bay. 
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Met my first wife working for McGovern in 1972. Read Mother Earth News, Organic Gardening, etc. Moved to Sebastopol 1975 to a 2-acre farm with old rickety buildings, old apple trees. Called it Me Gusta organic farm. Milked up to 25 goats, while working at the post office in Santa Rosa. Gave up the farm and the marriage 1979. Graduated 1979 from Sonoma State, solar energy. Installed solar hot water systems. Taught a CETA class hands-on solar and carpentry. Met my second wife there. Married 1983. Adopted a brand-new baby boy, 1986. My wife got pregnant and 8 1/2 months later we had a second son. I tried being a middle-school math teacher for 3 years. It was like beating my head against the wall. When I got hired with the City of Santa Rosa in 1990, my wife said "This is your last job." She was right, as always. Divorced 2008. Met Barbara - first date was November 11, 2007. Second date I helped put her refrigerator back together because it had to get moved up the stairs to 1354-D in pieces. Darn narrow staircases. Barbara and I are a great fit. Kind of like Goldilocks - this one is just right.
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Mary Ann
I was born in Indiana but have lived in California since 1975, and in Santa Rosa since 1989. I am happily married to Lori, my partner of 26 years. In June of 2015 I retired from a long career as an elementary school counselor. Now I get to spend more time on my other various interests, which include gardening, hiking, and playing classical music, playing with our cats, and practicing Zen meditation. I play bassoon and contra bassoon with a few local community orchestras, as well as, in a woodwind trio. In June of 2014 I was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest. Most of my practice is centered with groups involved with the Everyday Zen Foundation. Truthfully, I need meditation practice because I am such a nut bucket that I'd be lost without it!
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Marie
I joined the Yulupa community about a year prior to our move-in day in July 2005. While the community has changed quite a bit over the years, I remain passionate about the co-housing way of life. I particularly enjoy conducting monthly tours for those interested in co-housing, being part of The Meetballs cooking team, and participating on the Accountability and Orientation teams. In my profesional life, I am a psychotherapist in private practice; I also work for Memorial Hospice providing emotional support to patients (and their families) as they face death. In my personal life, I keep close connections with my mom, 7 sibs, 2 daughters and their SO's, and 3 fabulous grandkids. I love being outdoors in nature, writing, and having a spiritual practice (sometimes these all happen at once!). It's a full and rich life!
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Andrea and Arturo
The Guzman's moved in as the youngest owners and have lived here ever since. They met at nearby Sonoma State University and have been in love ever since. Andrea spends her free time running. Arturo enjoys baking bread from starter. They are Giants fans too
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Linda
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I am drawn to cohousing as a way to live more sustainably and in a community where I know my neighbors. I enjoy chatting in the courtyard, working together in the gardens, and having community meals. My neighbors share their interests, talents and reading lists, enriching my life in so many ways. I love watching the children play together, grow in confidence and mature. YCH is a great place for kids.
A few years ago I retired from a career in human services, training and career counseling. However, cohousing has brought so many new opportunities into my life that there is never a dull moment. In 2007 I became a Fellow of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy. After completing that program I joined a great group of neighbors and community members to work on the Southeast Greenway Campaign, an effort to create an urban Greenway on a 2-mile stretch of open space that was formerly slated for freeway construction. I love traveling with my best friend and partner, Alan, being a grandma, cooking, playing piano and hiking. I’m an active member of City Zen and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Santa Rosa. |
Beth, Jim, and Glen
For 19 years, we lived in Glacier Bay and Juneau, Alaska. In 2010, we sold our beloved home to sail and explore from Alaska to Baja Mexico on our sailboat. In 2014, we resettled in Santa Rosa where we were excited to buy a home in Yulupa Cohousing.
My husband, Jim, and I are both biologists. We met as graduate students at UC Santa Cruz. For 19 years, I taught biology at the University of Alaska Southeast and involved students in my research on harbor seals and Steller sea lions in Glacier Bay National Park. I enjoy writing, hiking, gardening, photography, boating, and volunteering, primarily for Citizens’ Climate Lobby. I’m currently writing a book and am an active member of three memoir-writing groups.
Before retiring, Jim was employed by the Biological Division of the US Geological Survey. His research was in Glacier Bay where he led a small team to test the effectiveness of high latitude marine reserves. Jim has always had a passion for sailing and discussing world and national issues. We enjoy taking our boat to the Bay Area to attend interesting lectures and conferences, most often in San Francisco or Berkeley. Interested in combining his scientific expertise with his boating skills, he recently earned his USCG Captain’s license. Jim is also an avid bike-rider, which makes it possible for us to own only one car.
During our three years sailing and exploring, our son, Glen (age 10-13), was a crucial crew member. When people assume I home-schooled him, I tell them I bought the course materials and he homeschooled himself. While we were cruising in Mexico, he became proficient in Spanish and an avid surfer. After we moved to Santa Rosa, Glen adjusted to life as a sophomore in public high school. During his senior year, he attended our wonderful Santa Rosa Junior College. He is now a student at UC Santa Barbara majoring in computer science. He has a close circle of friends and enjoys skateboarding, climbing, programming, running, and building things.
We so appreciate being part of the Yulupa Cohousing community and how everyone made us feel welcome from the beginning.
For 19 years, we lived in Glacier Bay and Juneau, Alaska. In 2010, we sold our beloved home to sail and explore from Alaska to Baja Mexico on our sailboat. In 2014, we resettled in Santa Rosa where we were excited to buy a home in Yulupa Cohousing.
My husband, Jim, and I are both biologists. We met as graduate students at UC Santa Cruz. For 19 years, I taught biology at the University of Alaska Southeast and involved students in my research on harbor seals and Steller sea lions in Glacier Bay National Park. I enjoy writing, hiking, gardening, photography, boating, and volunteering, primarily for Citizens’ Climate Lobby. I’m currently writing a book and am an active member of three memoir-writing groups.
Before retiring, Jim was employed by the Biological Division of the US Geological Survey. His research was in Glacier Bay where he led a small team to test the effectiveness of high latitude marine reserves. Jim has always had a passion for sailing and discussing world and national issues. We enjoy taking our boat to the Bay Area to attend interesting lectures and conferences, most often in San Francisco or Berkeley. Interested in combining his scientific expertise with his boating skills, he recently earned his USCG Captain’s license. Jim is also an avid bike-rider, which makes it possible for us to own only one car.
During our three years sailing and exploring, our son, Glen (age 10-13), was a crucial crew member. When people assume I home-schooled him, I tell them I bought the course materials and he homeschooled himself. While we were cruising in Mexico, he became proficient in Spanish and an avid surfer. After we moved to Santa Rosa, Glen adjusted to life as a sophomore in public high school. During his senior year, he attended our wonderful Santa Rosa Junior College. He is now a student at UC Santa Barbara majoring in computer science. He has a close circle of friends and enjoys skateboarding, climbing, programming, running, and building things.
We so appreciate being part of the Yulupa Cohousing community and how everyone made us feel welcome from the beginning.
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Kai and Nick
As a single parent, I became involved in Yulupa to provide a community of support and growth for myself and my son, Nick, an extended family. From working with collectives before, I also liked the idea of learning to live with others, and the challenges that that brings. I work long hours as a family medicine doctor, so home-cooked community meals are a treat! I hopped a freight train when I was younger and helped start a women’s health center in Santa Cruz. My son is now an adult and still at Yulupa. We’ve forged some great friendships here. Spare time involves art projects, binge watching crime shows on TV, and trying to exercise. We have dos gatos. I would like to use all of the available spaces this year for vegetable gardening so that we could grow food for ourselves plus extra for the poor. |
Chris, Lisa, Aaron, Bender, Frye, and Grommet
Chris has been the ordained minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Santa Rosa for a decade, and has owned his Yulupa unit since 2007. Lisa works for an amazing bike company and is building a practice as a naturopathic doctor. They love rock-and-roll, gardening, spirituality, fine wine, their two cats and their scrappy mutt, and a good laugh, and they love Chris’s son Aaron, a college student, who lives with him when he is in town.
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DorothyI came into the Yulupa community after seven years in Vermont, living in Burlington Cohousing. Those years confirmed my commitment to locate my life among others in a shared context. Learning to live with and among the ongoing challenges of differences. Additionally, the joys of new friendships and associations.
I enjoy “making things” and have spent twelve years as a painter. Primarily in acrylic exploring the interaction and surprises of water and pigment on paper. Also some works in watercolor and oil on stainless steel. The latter because I was struck by the quality of colors when back-lit by the sheen of the steel. I enjoy music, films, reading, assisting friends on their farms (cultivating seeds for summer and winter garden starts), participating in a book club, and working in the gardens of Yulupa. I recommend: Bill Bryson A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING; Stephen H. Buhner THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF PLANTS; Thomas J. Elpel BOTANY IN A DAY; Nancy Ross Hugo SEEING TREES; Dana Gioia 99 POEMS. Films I have loved: BAGDAD CAFE and BABETTE’S FEAST. I heartily recommend any / all the CD recordings made by the Cypress String Quartet. |
Susan
My family is most important to me; my two sons 'are the gift that keep on giving.' They've given me two daughters-in-law and five GRAND LOVES. They call me Nana, and melt my heart. My sons are both high school social studies teachers. Joey, after working 11 years in an inner city High School in Chicago, now works for the Chicago Teachers Union. Matthew teaches AP Economics and Government at Burlingame HS. I am a proud mother.
I'm a Registered Nurse, and have a masters degree in Organizational Development. I've had a number of positions over my career. My two favorite were working in labor and deliver - I estimate I was with more than 2,000 women during their labor and/or delivery; and as the leader of the nurses union at Cook County Hospital in Chicago for 10 years. It was during the time public hospitals were being closed; we 'Saved County Hospital.'
Currently, I work for a small soft ware company here in Santa Rosa, selling soft ware products and consultation services to our clients, Federally Qualified Health Centers, across the country. Our software is designed for Population Health Management and analytical reporting, using data from an Electronic Health Record. It's a fascinating time to be in Health IT. I'm what is called an Informatics Nurse.
I'm a very active member of the Center for Spiritual Living. For one thing, I sing with the One Heart Choir, which is awesome and inspiring. There are 85 choir members. We sing at all three services on Sunday mornings 6 or more times a year, and have a concert every year or two.
I'm a Registered Nurse, and have a masters degree in Organizational Development. I've had a number of positions over my career. My two favorite were working in labor and deliver - I estimate I was with more than 2,000 women during their labor and/or delivery; and as the leader of the nurses union at Cook County Hospital in Chicago for 10 years. It was during the time public hospitals were being closed; we 'Saved County Hospital.'
Currently, I work for a small soft ware company here in Santa Rosa, selling soft ware products and consultation services to our clients, Federally Qualified Health Centers, across the country. Our software is designed for Population Health Management and analytical reporting, using data from an Electronic Health Record. It's a fascinating time to be in Health IT. I'm what is called an Informatics Nurse.
I'm a very active member of the Center for Spiritual Living. For one thing, I sing with the One Heart Choir, which is awesome and inspiring. There are 85 choir members. We sing at all three services on Sunday mornings 6 or more times a year, and have a concert every year or two.