Ryan Kosakura, CFA, CFP® – Wealth Advisor
Standing there on the stage, I thanked everyone for showing up at Cancer Support Community’s annual Hope Walk, and then lost it when thoughts of my mom came flooding back.
Here’s the backstory: my mom lost her fight with late-stage pancreatic cancer more than two years ago. Her mom received the same diagnosis a number of years earlier at the age of 103 years old. Mom thought she would live to a ripe old age of triple digits until she heard the diagnosis no one wants to hear. Before her passing, she went through surgery that kept her in the hospital for over a month, countless chemo sessions, oncologist and palliative care appointments, radiation therapy and, finally, hospice. This may sound like a terrible way to spend your last days but there were also good days which I remember more now – family vacations, laughter, games, and learning to be grateful for the time we have with our loved ones.
This brings us back to the beginning of the story – Team Kosakura was recognized for our fundraising efforts over last four years. A younger me would have been horrified at the huge display of emotion in front of hundreds of people; the older me just smiled and was happy to get to remember mom one more time.
Kevin Goulding, MBA, CFP® – Wealth Advisor
My summer got off to a good start by hiking the 15+ mile “Circumambulation” of Mt. Tam on the equinox with 20 other hikers. Circling the mountain, we repeated a ritual performed for over 50 years that was started by the Beat Generation poets Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg and Philip Whalen.
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” – Gary Snyder
Kelly Gillette – Client Service Manager
My summer has been filled with exciting adventures in Country Music with my husband Pat. We were thrilled to attend Country Summer, the three-day music festival at the Sonoma County fairgrounds. The Friday show featured some amazing rising country music talent. On Saturday I got to meet singer/songwriter Russell Dickerson up close and personal and even got a picture to remember the experience!
At the end of June, we headed to Nashville for the first time. We loved it! What a fabulous city with so many things to do! Nashville embraces an array of amazing budding Country artists from the intimate acoustic sounds of The Listening Room to the eclectic Honky Tonks on the Broadway Strip and Printer’s Alley. The food in Nashville was heavenly. We enjoyed southern comforts like biscuits and gravy at Biscuit Love and elegant steak and seafood at Skull’s Rainbow Room. If you love Country Music and you haven’t been to Nashville, you owe it to yourself to add it to your bucket list.
Andrew Kirchner – Client Service & Trading Associate
My good buddy’s bachelor party weekend this summer was one for the memory banks! The huge Airbnb that was our South Lake Tahoe home-base proved to be an entertaining venue with its movie and game rooms, and BBQ grill under the pine trees. And our day trip to Need 2 Speed Indoor Kart racing track in Reno showcased the groups’ fierce competitive nature. A few of us even placed on the Track’s top 1% Hall of Fame!
One day, a black bear was spotted sizing-up our place for an afternoon snack. A wise local told us that bears are everywhere: in garages, on the trails, on the road. Apparently, they’re like racoons … very large racoons!
To wrap up the weekend I got to captain a blazing-fast pontoon boat around the lake to Emerald Bay, where a few brave souls made the plunge into the bone-chilling water. All-in-all, it was a fun-filled weekend.
Liz Tracy – Client Service & Operations Manager
Earlier this summer, my husband and I combined one or favorite past times, wine tasting, with exploring historical Amador County in California’s Gold Country.
We loved the Old Vine Zinfandel, Barbera, Sangiovese, Syrah, and Viognier wines, and found the area to be more laid back, fun and economical than what we often experience in other regions. Besides award-winning varietals, the region’s roots go deep in California’s wine history. The county has nearly 600 acres of vines that are more than 60 years old and is home to the oldest documented Zinfandel vineyard in the Americas.
Walking the streets of historic Old West towns like Amador City, Sutter Creek, and Volcano with their beautiful 1850s era Victorian architecture with stone from the area brings you back to a simpler time.
