24 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM ship began). Every month, I’ve enjoyed collaborating closely with our incredible creative director Britt Johnston, our senior editor Johanna Harlow, and an all-star cast of associate publishers, writers, photographers and other passionate contributors. PUNCH stories have a way of sticking in your mind—like my interview with Dr. Philip Pizzo, a multifaceted physician and the founder of Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute (August 2022). He believes community, wellness and purpose are the pillars of longevity—and espouses the value of regularly shaking things up. And indeed, inspired by all my experiences at PUNCH, I’ve decided it’s time to start a new chapter. As we kick off 2024, I am officially handing off to a wonderful new editorial director, Andrea Gemmet, who will introduce herself in our next issue. My plan is to fully embrace writing (including stories for PUNCH!)—and to keep exploring all the Peninsula wonders and opportunities around us. I’m especially excited for outings with my octogenarian parents, Ron and Carolyn Gevurtz, who live in Foster City. Up first: an art tour and tasting at Sonoma’s Donum Estate (September 2022). Please know how much I’ve appreciated your positive feedback and support. I also want to add a special callout to my husband Doug, who has been my steadfast partner through every challenge and adventure. Now, enjoy all the gems in our January issue, and don’t forget that every PUNCH story (including the ones referenced in this note) can always be found online at punchmagazine.com. Dig in—and let’s all aspire to #livingthepunchlife! Sheri sheri@punchmonthly.com {editor’s note} tournaments, so suffice it to say, we didn’t have a whole lot of time to explore our own backyard. Back in 2018, #living yourbestlife started trending, and the buzzy excitement of my new job inspired me to put a personal spin on it: #livingthepunchlife. For me, #livingthepunchlife meant seeing (and covering) a sweeping bucket list of local sights and attractions—from Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (January 2020) to Mt. Hamilton’s Lick Observatory (August 2019) to Sam McDonald Park (March 2021)—and meeting one fascinating person after the next. What I’ve always loved about PUNCH is that you don’t have to be famous to be in our pages—you just have to be contributing to the Peninsula’s unique culture. From the very beginning, one subject seemed to organically lead to another. For example, a stay at Canyon Ranch Woodside (April 2020) connected us with equus life coach Nina Clark Ericson (August 2020) who tipped us to Silicon Valley matchmaker Amy Andersen (February 2021) who introduced us to accomplished children’s book author Kate Jerome (April 2022). Everywhere I looked, I saw potential stories—whether it was a display of State Street artisan honey (May 2023) or a curious-looking pup (“Diary of a Dog”) passing us on the street. Since 2018, we’ve watched Naomi and Ilana graduate from college and launch independent lives and careers. I started drinking coffee for the first time (February 2019), beat a cancer scare (April 2019), took up pickleball (July 2021) and celebrated my 60th birthday. Oh yeah, there was also that pandemic. Along the way, I’ve worked with an incomparable team at PUNCH, first and foremost, our publisher Sloane Citron, who envisioned this publication as a way to give back to our Peninsula community (and went from zero to seven grandkids since our partnerHere we go… 2024! When I first started at PUNCH in September 2018, both of our daughters were away at college. Reflecting back on my early editor’s notes, I made a point of rejecting the melancholic “empty nester” label in favor of “free bird,” which evokes a sense of empowerment and possibility. That mindset aligned perfectly with my new gig at PUNCH, which propelled me into a constant state of discovery. Despite having lived here since 1995, I still felt like a Peninsula neophyte. Raising athletic, active kids meant a relentless schedule of practices, games and away ABOVE: Sheri Baer and family enjoying Holidays at Filoli; Foster City’s Ron and Carolyn Gevurtz.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==