I’m remembering back to that day on the bay, en route from San Francisco to Jack London Square. I met the betrothed couple there in Oakland, to plan the wedding ceremony. We convened at Heinold’s First and Last Chance, the bar that slants at a sharp angle after first being wrenched into that position by the Quake of 1906. The hands of the wall clock are still stopped on the minute the quake struck Oakland, a moment frozen in time for a hundred years. We sat at an old wooden table, and they showed me plenty of papers, diagrams, scripts, and swatches. Interesting that they’d be getting married in Sonoma, where Jack London chose to live when ready to escape the pressures of the city. Today, in Sonoma, I attended the County’s Deputy Marriage Commissioner training. That’s right – one couple, one day, one place, and just one shot at it. I’d better pay attention and get it right, to make everything legit! Training went well – quick and easy at the lead of a friendly and efficient instructor. Afterward, on the way home, I stopped by Glen Ellen and Jack London State Park. I made a quick tour of the exhibits before the place closed, then walked outside along the grounds. I stopped at London’s grave – simple and modest, prepared exactly as he had described in a casual comment to his family. At that moment I realized the reverence I have for him – my favorite American, in fact, although Ben Franklin comes in at a close second. Jack London lived hard, came up from nothing and attained adventure and glory through wit, discipline and desire. He was controversial and judged by lesser minds, as great spirits are – but he stayed true to his dreams and his craft, defining an era and reaching the hearts of the masses. After a moment there, I walked through the forest to the ruins of Wolf House, Mr. London’s dream home which burned just days before he was scheduled to move in. Was it an accident, or sabotage? It’s difficult to know, and practically irrelevant considering how devastating it was. This marked the beginning of his decline, although he never gave up and instead spent good years at nearby Beauty Ranch, there innovating in the field of sustainable agriculture. It’s a little-known fact that Jack London experimented and brought new farming methods to America, much of it inspired by Asian techniques. Although he kept a vice for the bottle, still he maintained his lifetime habit of writing virtually every day without fail. In fact, his ritual is the inspiration for this blog, although he wrote at least 1000 words early each morning, and I only 250, at any point in the day… hence the title T250, or 250 words text – just an exercise in the discipline needed to live the dream, and a log of the dreams and desires of the common man.
