Click here to share your thoughts... i got your book at a garage sale in columbus, ohio for $1. what a find! profound! gotta read it at least twice to get the continuity. Posted by: beatrice Wed Jun 24, 12:14 PM EST The magic of Canyon days glides across my inner being in unexpected moments bringing gladness and sometimes tears - I so miss many of you/us and seeing you, my canyon family of yesterday still so alive in my heart. Thank you Annabelle, Katheryn and all! Roberta Posted by: Roberta Llewellyn Thu Jul 31, 07:42 PM EST I came across this site and have not yet read the book. I will be ordering it and I'm really looking forward to it. I grew up in Moraga and lived there from the 70's thru to 1990. I've lost touch with most people from there. I used to hang out with Mark Burnett and Ethan Allen back in the JM days. Then they went off to Miramonte and I to Campo and we lost touch. I recall spending time out in Canyon with Ethan and Mark and really loved it. Some of my best memories were hanging out fishing in the creek and goofing off on the hill behind JM. It has amazed me to this day that a sub-culture like canyon could exist next to a money motivated society like Moraga. If anyone has emails for Mark or Ethan, please send them my email and tell them I'd dig hearing from them. Can't wait to read the book. I remember both Ethans place and Marks place like it was yesterday. I especially remember Ethan's out door shower. I currently live in Grass Valley and enjoy the remoteness with some luxuries. My email is russ@bhalaw.com Posted by: Russ Neault Tue Jun 24, 01:21 PM EST I couldn't put Handmade Lives down until I read at least the stories of you, Michael, William, Kathryn, Dave (and all of your offspring). Later, and more slowly I read the stories of others that I had become only slightly acquainted with. I was struck by the honesty and integrity of the individual accounts. Some had grown immensely, while others had merely changed (at least from my perspective). But I was not there very long, and I merely had caught a glimpse of life in Canyon. It was one of the few places that I have passed through in this life that had a feeling of community. And what a wonderful spirit. The music, the dancing, and the feasts were beyond belief. I was saddened by some of the accusations and histories that I was unaware of, yet glad to see that they were allowed to come to light, and hope that it will allow those who had suffered to find some healing through the exposure. I was also heartened to see that hardly anybody tried to whitewash the weaknesses or mistakes that many of us seem to make as we grow. Since I have raised a child of my own, but in a very different time and place, I marvel at your experiences raising families in such a free wheeling time as the 70s. Congratulations on your book, and your life. Posted by: russell Thu Jun 12, 07:27 AM EST Annie: I want to thank you for this beautiful collection of stories. I grew up in Berkeley and Oakland in the 60's, but we visited Canyon often, from the early 60's on. I worked for Canyon Construction (and along side Michael for awhile) in that time. There was something soulful and primal cultivated in Canyon during that time. Because I was somewhat raised within it, it was hard to define and understand. Now it is valuable to look back and review it as a history lesson. I am struck by how thoroughly we tried to rewrite the rules of society. The baby was thrown out with the bathwater, and while it was essential in some ways, there were many casualties as well. The testimonials of abuse and broken marriages and faded dreams is sobering. But there was something essential cultivated that lives on. Just a few weeks ago we were there at Deva's, pressing grapes and making wine. People brought food, wine was flowing, everybody helped...it was very alive and vibrant. There were many young couples, either engaged, newly wed, pregnant or newly parents. It seems as if the robust and enthusiastic life continues, but in a mature and wiser way. The carnage from the recklessness of the 60's was not for naught, but indeed got plowed in and has allowed a stronger community to flourish. Your book expresses ideals and sentiments that endure for me today. It helps me understand a little better who I am and how I grew up. Thank you for doing this project. And I thank every contributor who was willing to tell a part of their story. I am enriched. Posted by: seth m Tue Oct 30, 08:05 PM EST Illuminating. We appreciate your willingness to share the shadow side of your experience. We envy your good times. Posted by: sasha Sun Apr 8, 07:58 PM EST hey annie- just thinking of you and picked up the book and read through it again. how goes it all? love to hear from you. love e. Posted by: e zeller Sun Apr 30, 02:55 AM EST this book delights me no end. the dark illuminated by what you have learned. Posted by: firenza Fri Dec 16, 08:22 AM EST i found your book on the coffee table at rowe center, what a find, so now i will order it. i was there and you capture it. Posted by: donnie Sat Jul 9, 09:13 AM EST I am so proud to be born in that/this era; hippies are one of the highest (in the true spiritual sense of the word!) groups of civilization. I just love being with you both & love your book. KS Posted by: kathryn Tue Dec 21, 07:53 AM EST You all rock. May we return to such true values. franklin doty Posted by: franklin doty Sun Nov 14, 03:31 PM EST I am delighted to discover Handmade Lives. As a sociology professor and author I am documenting the social history of the American family, and this is indeed a definitive source. I shall contact you presently. Posted by: kgl Thu Jul 8, 11:52 AM EST I am blown away! I'll try to explain my feelings. I grew up in Moraga and have always been fascinated with Canyon. I probably was one of the few. I played soccer with three Canyon habitants. Lance, Canyon and John Gotelli. We would come back there to pick them up for practice and that probably was where my initial interest came from. I am currently in New York City working as a fashion/rock&roll photographer. Everytime my wife and I come home to Moraga for the holidays, we visit Canyon to dream about how we can get ourselves living there and raise a family. To my amazement, this 4th of July was spent in the Catskills and a friend of a friend named Eric handed me this book on Canyon. I almost fell into the fire! I read just about every story and am fascinated that things I had thought as a kid about Canyon are as fascinating as I had thought. I understand Montana's feelings about the "Moraga Morons" because I thought they were too. Reading Canyons memoir as well as Marcus Burnetts's who I had met at the Moraga Barn and simultaneously lived with in NYC were fantastic! I spread the word to a friend Hilary Porterfield, this morning, and we've talked twice on the phone regarding this today. She had lived back there briefly and knew William quite well. This has touched something that I can't explain and I want to get involved somehow. Let me know if there's photography or anything, that I can do for the good of the cause. Thank you for putting this Memoir out. Sincerely- Jeff Forney Posted by: Jeff Forney Tue Jul 6, 01:48 PM EST You sound like a kindred spirit. I wish that I had know you at John Muir in '63 - probably the worst time of my life! Glad that life was good to you! Fred U. Posted by: fred ulf Tue Jun 8, 01:44 AM EST Anniebelle, after reading these comments and rereading the book, maybe I am even ready to come out! Love to you... Posted by: Susan Sat Dec 13, 06:19 PM EST While you were exploring yourself, I was preteen, living a life like you described in rural India, discovering the beauty, depth & meaning of my culture. What you were searching for we had in our veins...Your book gave me a very accepting perspective on the 60s generation. It must have been a predesigned blueprint of Kaliyuga that such a movement should occur, breaking down the old structure, wanting to build new, not knowing how to begin and not having a wise grandma down the lane who would tell them how to & to whom they would listen. Your friend riding a wave of time, Vatsala. Posted by: vatsala Sun Nov 16, 09:28 AM EST My young days were miles away from the way you lived Annabelle, but I really was dreaming to live just the way you did, away from the naterial life, to paint and write. I did not have the courage to break away, to disappoint my parents. I love to open the book and disapear for a while to my younger dreams. Brigitta, Sweden Posted by: Brigitta Sun Nov 16, 09:23 AM EST this book, as your lives then, has a timeless quality. it will become more relevant as the pendulum swings back to consciousness and compassion. george harvey Posted by: george harvey Wed Aug 13, 08:45 AM EST Kudos for assembling an authentic rather than market-driven memoir; it rings with honesty and many different facets of truth. Robin Mayer Posted by: Robin Mayer Tue Aug 12, 12:38 PM EST thank you for a bold, brave and inspiring book, for not omitting the hard parts, for believing there is still hope. lucinda fry Posted by: lucinda fry Sat Jul 26, 07:26 AM EST So this is what it was all about? How illuminating! ML, Fort Lauderdale Posted by: marjorie Sat Jun 14, 09:13 AM EST Im writing a book on the social history of the American family, and your excellent book will be very helpful to me. you've done a remarkable job. Posted by: don Sat Jun 14, 09:12 AM EST We love you Katheryn keep up the good work. Inspires and instills a desire to get back to nature. Loveth always, Julia & Daemeon Posted by: Julia & Daemeon Mon May 26, 05:50 PM EST I've spent the last week devouring your book. I LOVED IT! Reading the whole thing from beginning to end rather that the few vignettes I had read before, gave me a sense of the community, its good parts and more troubling parts. It has been making me think about a lot of different aspects of life, parenting, boundaries, community. Thanks for putting such an inspirational book together. Joan Posted by: joan Wed Nov 6, 07:37 AM EST Tales well told, lives well lived, that's what it's all about, isn't it? Congratulations on a fine memoir - it's one I'll go back to frequently. Thanks so much to all of you. Pete and Melinda, Goshen, N.H. Posted by: pete Wed Oct 16, 03:40 PM EST I started Handmade Lives with some trepidation because I generally don't like collections - they often lack focus. What a great surprise ! Your book is beautifully focused, well organized , and has a strong message. It helped me put my own life in a clearer context. Thanks for sharing your message with the world. Posted by: howard Sat Oct 5, 09:48 AM EST I have yet to order this book, but am a former member of the family and would love to read it. I am sure it defines the 60's in a very accurate way..and am interested in the different views of the people involved...I am hopeful that I can get a copy soon! Thank you, Annabelle for writing this. former...sister-in-law...Helen Westling Posted by: Helen Tue Oct 1, 11:26 PM EST Your book is very reminiscent/ evocative, and I think very brave (particularly in the statements by the "younger generation" of Canyon residents, and in the letter-dialogue re: bad things that happened.) I especially appreciated the point that you made so strongly and well, that even when people who've lived this kind of experience ground their lives in other ways as time goes by, they (we) continue to work out of a hope and commitment for humane change. I find this to be deeply true in my own experience, and it is good to see it written in something as tangible as a book. Posted by: victoria, new hampshire Mon Sep 9, 12:10 PM EST What a wonderful and unique book! The group of people are so talented, bright, creative, life-affirming and adventuresome. It was a great idea to juxtapose the thoughts of the parents with the thoughts of the children. I was fascinated by how well the kids turned out. In spite of the experimental nature of their parents' lives, they must have found a security with each other and within the community. The continuing closeness of the children is wonderful, as is their self-awareness. The continued connections among some of the adults also affirms the experiences of the 70's. A sincere affirmation of love and life, however imperfect, would seem to go a long way in compensating for other flaws. Posted by: Arthur Hohmuth, Chair, Psychology Department, College of New Jersey Wed Aug 28, 11:55 PM EST The people who contributed to this book are, in some ways, like archetypes to me, rich symbols of life's personalities and possibilities. What energy got turned loose! And how that was burned into our emotional memories, how it has shaped our inner lives, and our outer lives too. Annabelle, I think you have done a very good thing for all the people of our generation and our children, who wonder what it was ALL about, that is, ALL of it, the bigger picture. I continually sift for value, for weight, for meaning and benefit in all of my past and my doings, and you have helped me add to it. Posted by: bob Thu Aug 22, 07:45 AM EST Have just finished Handmade Lives & was sorry to see it end. In the 60's I was living in the south & bringing up four children. The news we received in that area about the counter-culture movement centered on drug use & practice of free love. Even then & there I knew in my heart there was more to this movement than publicized & am gratified to see in this book the accomplishments great & small brought about by these rebels. Their courage, honesty & idealism created an atmoshere that impacted the civil rights movement & other social reforms, as well as ending the Vietnam War. It's good to know the lessons learned & the values intilled are still part of the lives of these people. A very interesting & worthwhile book! Cindy, Brunswick, ME Posted by: cindy Fri Aug 2, 03:31 PM EST What an amazing and moving story. The cumulative power of it is that the Canyon inhabitants get to speak in their own unique and very human voices, expressing their individual perspective of what it was like to live in Canyon and the special impact of that time in their lives. This only happens because the editor didn't try to control or spin what they were saying. Her hands off approach lets each voice be clearly heard. And I think that's very "Canyon". Posted by: Mac MacDevitt Sun Jul 28, 05:58 PM EST Your book grew and grew on me because of its honesty. By the end I found it profound. I understand you hippies much better now. Posted by: shirley Tue Jul 23, 03:17 PM EST Most of all I have enjoyed reading about the lives of so many people that I was once close to. These stories are a part of who I am. The Question I ask myself is: What would my story read if I never had faced my past? I don't think it would be a story that I would know how to write. Today more than ever I'm glad that I took the time out of my day to day life to look back at my past, in doing so it has freed me to be myself. Posted by: Teresa Thu Jul 18, 04:58 PM EST As William's brother Hobby I am so pleased to see this documented and implemented in such a way as to inspire and enlighten. I remember driving up the coast from La Jolla in 1970 to visit William in Canyon. It was a love experience I have and will treasure for all time. Thank you. Posted by: Hobby Tue Jul 9, 02:56 PM EST Just received the card today forwarded from my old address. My forwarding expired months ago but I guess my mailman thought this was a card not to be missed! Katheryn and William were college friends of mine in Denver in the 60's. Both wonderfully gifted and now the subject of the cover of this terrific looking book. I am sending my order in today. Love you Holmes. Congrats. Posted by: Lindsay Green Sat Jun 29, 08:44 PM EST Wow. Lots of wisdom in these pages. Many raw moments. Some full of joy, others tears. I am humbled by the reflective honesty and writing skill of every contributor. Peace. Posted by: Craig Wed Jun 26, 02:52 PM EST Annabelle, In a world of swirl, currents, eddies, churning and chaos, it is sooooo good to have the fractal certainty of your spirit. The book, the idea of the book, the timeless quality of the impulse for the book, are all consistent with the woman I knew in Vermont so many years ago. I am proud of you! Doug Posted by: Doug Nielsen Tue Jun 25, 08:24 PM EST annie-belle, got your card today and just ordered a copy of HANDMADE LIVES. i cannot wait to read your book. and to share it with my family. i know that it's wonderful before i even see it. and magical, and lovely, and loving,and smart...like everything you do! thnx in advance for your creation! love, peace and flowers, rachi Posted by: rachi Mon Jun 24, 09:33 PM EST anne im wonderful how are you dear/handmade lives in my mail today/how great/without spot checking it ill start from page 1(comments later)...many blessings ...... ricky Posted by: ricky Thu Jun 20, 02:43 PM EST Congratulations on your publication! I remember chatting with you while you were working on your book here in Cambridge with my cousin, Jessica Zeller, some time ago. I am looking forward to reading your book over the summer. I will watch for you in the press. Good luck with the marketing. This next stage should be fun for you. Warm Regards, Lynn Kargman, Cambridge Posted by: Lynn Kargman Wed Jun 19, 09:55 PM EST i canīt wait to get the book, i grew up with annabelle... Posted by: kaxie Wed Jun 19, 02:23 PM EST I got the book. I love it. Thank you to all who contributed. Let's keep up the magic. peace and love Posted by: Miklos Fri Jun 14, 12:17 PM EST