The coast of West Marin County, California, has always had a special place in my heart. The smells and light bring me right back to fond childhood memories of the area. Nestled in between Redwood forest and Eucalyptus groves is a community of people aware of how lucky they are to live in this special place: a place where blankets of fog cover the rich earth each night, and each day the sun burns through just enough of the haze to reveal mountains to the east and migrating whales to the west. This community of people lives in a bit of a utopia - existing in union with nature, and with one another. Jobs are scarce and affordable housing even scarcer, so they support and sustain each other, resisting the gentrification that has consumed most of coastal California.

At the center of this community is where you will find Bronwen Murch and her tribe. Bronwen's family owns and runs the local farm stand, selling produce grown on their farmlands, which lie adjacent to this very stand. Her husband Mickey was born on the farm, as were her three children Oliver, Arlo and Phoebe. The farm stand operates on an honor system, with two small scales and a notebook to log your purchases. This unusual model of living and conducting a business, particularly foreign to the mind of any city dweller, has found success in this community for many years. Rather than travel the long distance to a larger grocery store, locals will stop off and grab bags full of whatever is fresh and in season - eggs, lettuces, crabs, flowers etc. This local style of farming overcomes one of the largest downfalls in modern farming: the transportation of produce. No fossil fuel is lost in transport, no products are left to spoil. Simply put, this is food that nourishes the body and the community at a much lesser cost to Mother Earth.

I feel so thankful that my family is able to enjoy the bounty of their lands when we visit our cabin in West Marin. I knew when I met Bronwen and saw the ease with which she and her children thrive in this lifestyle that I wanted to shoot her for a journal. An inspirational mother and human being, we are happy to shine a spotlight on this radiant woman.

– Hilary Walsh