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THE SAGE HEN - Treat yourself to a quiet stay in a Tahoe-like setting for less than the price of a hotel room. Just an hour from San Francisco, this is the home of traditional jazz musician Lu Watters (1912-1989).
The immaculate brick home is fully furnished with old world Tuscan elegance, sumptuous leather furniture, Italian artwork, and tile floors throughout. Enjoy the 44-inch plasma TV with Bose sound system or listen to Lu Watters recordings from the days of his nightclub, Hambone Kelly's. Utilities, large capacity washer/dryer, natural fiber linens, local phone service included.
Easy access to highway 101, the Sonoma/Napa wine country hot spots in the Alexander, Dry Creek and Napa Valleys, Sonoma State University, coastal beaches, Valley of the Moon, Russian River resort area, and the giant redwood forests.
Lu built his home in what he called "the wilds of Cotati" when he retired from performing in his famous Yerba Buena Jazz Band. Located in a park-like setting with trees Lu himself planted decades ago. An amateur geologist, it is not by chance he chose to build his house on bedrock, unlike the fancy architects of San Francisco who built mansions on landfill along the marina.
THE SAGE HEN takes its name from "The Sage Hen Strut," a popular song Lu wrote on September 11, 1944, on his way to Hawaii on the SS Antigua, three days prior to composing Hambone Kelly. Lu had had his fill of celebrity by the time he settled in Cotati, preferring to open his home to the wild bird population rather than his two-legged fans. The coastal gulls were on a first-name basis with him, as he took regular trips to feed them hot dogs while he combed their beaches for stones and driftwood. His grounds are still a sanctuary for wild turkeys, mockingbirds, hummingbirds, and raucous bands of blue jays, which Lu distinguished as "the west jays and the east jays."
While not exactly wild, Cotati is still small enough to overlook, making it a peaceful retreat for anyone who wants to explore the beautiful surrounding countryside. |
