3838 (big rock ranch), 5858 (skywalker ranch) and the presidio tours....
ok...now that I'm back on the home front, i figured i should complete the San Fran blog...
to set the background: Joe (my husband) is the eldest of 6 kids...Andrea being the 6th. Andrea and her husband Bill live in San Fran with their two kiddos; Will and Tori. Andrea works for George Lucas of the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and LucasFilm, LTD conglomerate.
On Monday, Andrea sped us out to Marin County, North of Golden Gate Bridge. George owns some 3,500 acres sprawling in Lucas Valley. The Valley itself was quite a lush site itself do to the recent rain deluge. We arrived at the Big Rock Ranch first:
a simple address sign marks the entrance of Big Rock
Big Rock Ranch holds the animation department of LucasFilm LTD, this day the animators were busy on a "new" project and we are not allowed to enter the animation studios. The Big Rock is designed in true prairie style a la Frank Lloyd Wright! The walls were adorn with original Star Wars, Indiana Jones and other artwork. You wouldn't realize these pieces were original artist drawings, paintings etc as you walk by them in the office hallways. Another great common theme throughout the ranches and Presidio was George's collection of original movie posters, some hand painted during the Cold War in Poland at a time the artists were not allowed to watch the movies and therefore; relied on a description of the movie to create the posters!
Alec saunters to peek out the "Wright" windows
that provide views to the outside world....
Part of the Big Rock Ranch tour also included Koi ponds, bridges and the Yoda statue marking the entrance to the Ranch.
Alec and Owen at "entrance" Yoda statue
On to the Skywalker Ranch witch houses George's "office", a fitness center, the Sound department, guest housing and Skywalker Ranch Inn, Skywalker Firehouse, General Store and Cafe, George's "Coppola" vineyards, George's Kobe beef and one wayward coyote!
skywalker ranch address...
Skywalker Ranch is unbelievable in a "I just saw a Wookie walk by" kind of way...of course, George doesn't have his Ewoks and Wookies roaming the grounds freely, but the "unrealness" is there just the same. The Ranch is nestled in a valley surrounded by green, rock, vineyards and animals! George built his personal office within a traditional Victorian ranch house. We were prevented from entering the house as George decided to start a fire in the fireplace the week before and somehow managed to start a chimney fire...the house was under renovation from the fire.
George plants Francis Ford Coppola grapevines for his own bottled wine. Of course, I snatched up a bottle of that rose' to bring home. He also planted Olive trees to press his own Olive oil. The Sound house is nestled in the valley hear and I'm told that you can see the sound engineers roam the grounds every so often with long booms to capture natural sounds to place in movies etc...
George's "office" with full wrap-around porch
...that's it for today! More tomorrow!
M
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