the family in the forest

 Emkay and Lara first met at a San Francisco cafe in 1994. Emkay was on a weekend leave from his job in Yosemite and Lara was selling her art on the streets of San Francisco. Fast forward 29 years of marriage to the present day and we have long ago left San Francisco life behind, started a family and moved to this gorgeous property to raise our 4 children.

 We love having guests from around the world or from down the street visit this beautiful land. We can't get enough of sharing what we know about the natural beauty that surrounds us. Santa Cruz is an absolutely amazing community with incredible people, fantastic art, great food, out of this world local microbrews, gorgeous old growth redwood trees, and an incredible beachfront with world renowned surfing. We feel blessed every day to be able to call Santa Cruz our home.

Lara, a 22 year San Francisco based kilnformed glass artist, is the designer of this beautiful property, the hard scape, landscape, cabins and interiors. Lara developed her interest in art at an early age, learning art theory and techniques from her artist mother and then went on to study in London and later attended University in San Francisco.

Lara's creative curiosity stimulates her to always explore the world through travel, experiencing art, collaboration and the making of the world around her more beautiful. “Everything beautiful is art, but nature is the ultimate artist”. If you are interested in the local arts community and offerings Lara would love to share with you. Stay turned for artist retreats on the land. 

One of her  life mottos is "Live to Travel."  She will find any reason to go and experience a new and exciting destination. When traveling, she loves the local food and the natural wonders of an area because everywhere you go they are always different. She also  loves being around people that love being where they live and that truly believe they live in the best place on the planet  She does not want a cookie cutter experience but rather to feel her feet be in the soil of the place she is visiting - this will get her off the beaten path and onto the road less traveled-not the tourist road,  but the road only the locals know.

She is not a Holiday Inn kind of girl. She wants to support local people and find the yummy stuff that the locals know about.  She doesn't want to travel to Turkey and be surrounded by only Americans.  It always seems to be the locals that know the secrets of what’s really great in their community. 

 Because of her extensive travel experience, she  knows the little things travelers need to make them feel comfortable and at home while on their adventures.She has tried to make Forest Cabins feel just like that! With over a decade established in the Santa Cruz community, she has her finger on the pulse and can offer you insider local knowledge to help your stay be more exciting and entertaining.  

Emkay is happiest in nature. As a child,  he was always playing in the dirt, climbing trees and getting lost in nature. Emkay worked as a nature camp counselor and a Camp Director for NYC underserved kids. He loved being in nature for the summer, but flourished teaching urban kids about nature. Emkay worked in Yosemite National Park,  taking children and families on hikes, teaching about the native animals and rocking out on the guitar for campfire songs. Emkay went on to teach environmental education to San Francisco school children.