shade

On an unseasonably warm Monday nearly six days after the US government shut down, Mr Giba sits underneath the shade of a large tree chain-smoking cigarettes with fellow veterans.

Leave in place the salute-to-embroidery interior, the Hollywood window shades and silkscreened wheels.

Outside, its low-sloped roof, wide eaves, textured wood and brick surfaces, and its shaded porch set behind broad overhangs are welcoming and human scaled.

Picnic in our backpacks, my husband and I hiked in from the Palomarin Headlands — about 2.5 miles — along cliffs where you can spot gray and humpback whales, and shaded paths where dappled shadows dance.

Hers is maximalist, hippy and eclectic, while her boyfriend dresses like a "typical skater in his 20s", in vintage band T-shirts and Vans in various shades of grey.