S2E15: Sarah Davis (From our Houseboats Series)

Film photography by Michelle Kilfeather

Sarah Davis grew up unlike most of us. After her parents split up when she was young, her dad eventually decided to live in a houseboat down on Mission Creek. He brought Sarah and her brother with him part-time.

In Part 1, Sarah describes growing up on that houseboat (she still lives in a houseboat, albeit a different one, on the creek today). She talks about some of the colorful characters who were her neighbors, and ends this episode on her parents, whose lives involved the art and music scenes of San Francisco in the '70s, '80s, and on.

The thing about houseboats is ... they sometimes sink. In Part 2, Sarah tells the story of how the three of them built a new houseboat, the one Sarah lives in today with her daughter down near the ballpark. She goes on to describe efforts to get more active spaces built in the surrounding neighborhoods, areas that seemingly grow and change overnight.

We recorded this podcast on Sarah's houseboat in Mission Creek in February 2019.