A Piece Of My Heart — Janis Kobe
Janis’s Sonoma Journey — I Found & Stayed
This is the second of three stories about Janis’s relationship with Sonoma Valley.
🟩 The View That Introduced Me to Sonoma — Chapter 1
Janis first experiences Sonoma from a commune high on Cavedale Road, then from a home overlooking the valley on Lovall Valley Road.
🟥 A Piece of My Heart — Chapter 2 — I Found & Stayed (You are reading this story.)
🟦 Teaching Sonoma to See — Chapter 3 — I Helped Build
Click above to continue Janis’s journey as her love of art becomes a way to teach, create and strengthen Sonoma’s arts community.
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After years of seeing Sonoma from the surrounding mountains, Janis moved into town and became part of its daily life. Other places entered her story, but Sonoma remained the place she wanted to return to—cozy, comfortable and held in her heart.
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After living on Cavedale Road, I found acreage on Lovall Valley Road. We bought a house there, and I designed and remodeled the interior myself.
The property had 18 acres. Our house sat at the top, where we could look out and see the lights of Sonoma. Once again, I lived on a mountaintop. I was connected to the valley, but I was not yet very connected to downtown.
That changed when I moved into town. I rented a little house on Second Street East and had a wonderful landlord. Living there gave me a different experience of Sonoma. I was no longer looking down at the town from a distance. I was part of its everyday rhythm.
I also spent several years working in a shop on the Plaza, where Chico’s is now. The store carried Native American jewelry and wood carvings. The owner went on buying trips and returned with beautiful pieces made by artists from different tribes.
I was happy working there in sales. People from the Bay Area would come to Sonoma, visit the shops around the Plaza, eat, drink and enjoy themselves. The Plaza drew visitors then, too, but I remember more of a balance between visitors and local people. There were fewer tasting rooms, and the shops seemed to serve the community as well as the tourists.
I have lived in other places, and there were times when I left Sonoma. But I came back. This is where I want to be.
Sonoma is like a piece of my heart. It is cozy and comfortable, and people are friendly. I would not want to live anywhere else.
Now, as I approach 90, that feeling has not changed. Sonoma Valley is home.
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Janis’s attachment to Sonoma developed in stages: first through the valley landscape, then through a home overlooking town and finally through daily life on Second Street East and the Plaza. Her decision to stay was less a single moment than a repeated choice to return to the place that felt most like home.
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This story was created from interviews with Janis Kobe conducted by Don Lundgren. Janis’s words have been edited for length and clarity while preserving her voice, experiences and meaning.
