Upper Village Unwrapped

The Season of Giving

St. Vincent’s Support

A look at the ongoing efforts of the historic St. Vincent’s Institute, the oldest continuously operating charity in Santa Barbara, page 54

303 MEADOWBROOK DRIVE • MONTECITO

friends and family to enjoy! The Ennisbrook gated community offers a

two heated pools, three championship tennis courts, pickle ball, gym, private wine lockers, basketball court, BBQ facilities, 50 acres of protected open space and a clubhouse. Conveniently located near world-class beaches, resorts, and fine dining and shopping at Montecito’s coveted Upper & Lower Villages. Montecito Union School District.

Montecito Miscellany – New art from Edie Sedgwick, the Waterhouse Gallery’s 38th, a birthday at Jimmy’s for Keith Moore, and more

A Suite Spot – The Cottage Family Suites offers a place to stay for families facing unexpected emergencies

Dear Montecito – A discussion with the Trans & Queer Commission at UCSB, Anusikha Halder P.32

Your Westmont – The college hosts a unique climate advocacy workshop and families learn how to afford college P.34

Upper Village Unwrapped – The holiday season is here, and shopping local is as easy as heading to the Upper Village P.44

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Brilliant Thoughts – What an honor to read about how we understand and acknowledge “honor”

Robert’s Big Questions – How are businesses run and how does that influence workplace democracy?

Far Flung Travel – A wind-swept trip through the islands sends Chuck into the water and close to the food chain

The Way It Was – Follow the founding, influence, and even the festivities of St. Vincent’s, the oldest continuously operating local charity

Local News – There are 8,000 reasons to be thankful for this town and its residents

Travel Buzz – A weekend at the pristine and historic Alisal Ranch brings fun for the whole family

On Entertainment – A Magical Cirque Christmas, the power of the Watkins Family Hour, and film festival awardees announced P.45

The Optimist Daily – How to be an ally this Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving P.46

Montecito Reads – An urgent call has Hollis rushing to Cottage Hospital to figure out what happened

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Calendar of Events – Elf brings some holiday silliness, California Star Ball dances through town, Snow N Glow shines on, and other events

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Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads

Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

by Gwyn Lurie

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” - John Wesley

Of all the places I’ve lived or spent any significant time, none take giving as seriously as Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara proudly boasts more nonprofits per capita than any county in this country. This means that not only do we understand the fundamentally important safety net our local nonprofits provide for the people of this region (and beyond), but it directly reflects the life values of those who call this com munity home.

November 29 is GIVING TUESDAY. Of course, this is not the only day of the year we give or think about the impact we’d like to have through our giving. This day does, however, reflect our already generous giving tendencies, on steroids. It has become the day we not only give, but we do so to the point where perhaps we’re giving something up.

Giving is not just for the rich; it’s for everyone. Not only because as human beings, we have a fundamental responsibility to give back, but because when we give, at any level, we have skin in the game. We are empowered to make a difference. We become part of Team Humanity and it gives our lives meaning. Because we are, in fact, our brothers’ keeper.

There is no question that the most interesting and compelling stories in this (and most) communities are of the work that is being done by the nonprofit organizations working day in and day out on the front lines of recovery, pressing for social and racial justice, uplifting our children and families, supporting the arts, and fighting to preserve our precious natural world.

Any day now you will receive our annual Giving List Book Santa Barbara –available online on Giving Tuesday at TheGivingList.com. The Giving List was created out of the belief that storytelling, one of the most powerful tools we have as humans, is vastly underutilized in educating donors on the foundational work being done by nonprofits.

Each nonprofit organization in this book took the time to work with us to tell their story in a way that can offer deeper insight into the work they do, and why it matters. We believe that helping organizations (big and small) gain direct access to individual donors is not just important but critical to their survival. And, of course, nothing is as impactful as giving locally, and the best way to change the world is to uplift our own beloved community.

In these pages, in honor of Giving Tuesday, we have taken the opportunity to intro duce you to the inspired and inspiring nonprofit organizations that are included in this year’s Giving List Santa Barbara!

That is not to say that these are the only nonprofits worthy of your support. But we do believe that this year’s Giving List organizations well represent Santa Barbara’s vibrant nonprofit and philanthropic culture. They are organizations that are doing important work, at an important time, and we believe are worthy of your strong consideration.

We like to say that living well is doing good. So, live well. Give until you give some thing up. And on behalf of all our Giving List partners, thank you for your incredibly generous and loving spirit, which is at the core of what makes our community the best on Earth!

Pea ce of Mind.

Gwyn Lurie is CEO and Executive Editor of the Montecito Journal Media Group

Village Beat

McMenemy Trail Project Moves Forward

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

Last week, Santa Barbara County’s Riding and Hiking Trails Advisory Committee (aka CRAHTAC) approved a plan to realign .6 miles of Montecito’s McMenemy Trail. According to Montecito Trails Foundation (MTF) Board President Ashlee Mayfield, the section of trail in question has significant issues and has been on the docket for improvement since at least 2008, she said.

The current location of the trail is less than ideal, Mayfield says, with multiple switchbacks that some users have cut through, creating both a hazard and potential erosion. Further impacting the user experience, there is extensive erosion along a fence line that has halted many equestrians and bikers from utilizing the trail. For many years, local trail groups have tried to improve the trail and min imize the cut-throughs, and MTF has long wanted to take on the project of relocation. The project was put on the back burner following the Thomas Fire

and 1/9 Debris Flow, as other trails including Cold Spring and San Ysidro were majorly damaged and needed repair. “Now, we have the bandwidth to tackle this, and we have a huge opportunity thanks to the private property owners where the trail is located,” Mayfield said.

The section in question is located on the San Ysidro Ranch property as well as the next-door neighbor’s. Both property own ers have given MTF the latitude to relo cate the trail anywhere on their properties, allowing the Foundation to build what they say is a better multiuse trail that minimizes suburban impacts from fencing and noise exposure, and maximizes chaparral, views, and offers a gentle grade for users. “We are really excited about this preliminary project, and we feel the trail will be greatly improved,” Mayfield said.

Opponents of the project say the realignment will be far less scenic, and steeper than the current trail. Others say the new location will be more prone to slides or washouts, due to hillsides that are not fully regrown from the Thomas Fire. There has also been questions relat

ed to the public process and community outreach, or lack thereof, related to this project. Mayfield says that the nature of our front country is less than ideal for building trails, and that the new route will be no more “at risk” than any of the other trails in the front country. She says maintenance due to weather is far prefer able and easier than battling intentional trail damage by users, which is what is happening in the current location. Because the section of trail in question is not on Forest Service land and instead on private property, a trail can be relocated without the usual public process, as long as easements are recorded.

“MTF has nothing to gain from this proj ect, nor do the property owners. We unani mously believe that the relocation of the trail will provide a far improved user experience and we are dedicated to the maintenance of the future trail,” Mayfield said, adding that

The green line shows the current location of the McMenemy Trail; the orange line shows a proposed relocation of a .6-mile section of the trail

the project has a long way to go before com ing to fruition. Next steps include research ing easement materials, hiring a consultant to perform an environmental review of the proposed trail location, further outreach to the public via hikes and volunteer days, and more. “We have a ways to go before this becomes reality.”

For more information, visit montecitotrailsfoundation.info.

Holiday Window Decorating

After a two-year hiatus, a contest for holiday window decorating on Coast Village Road is back, marked as the last hurrah for the outgoing Coast Village Association, which is evolving into the Coast Village Improvement

Montecito Miscellany New Art on the Market

by Richard Mineards

The late Santa Barbara heiress Edie Sedgwick, the original ‘60s “It Girl” and muse of the artist Andy Warhol, who died in 1971 at the age of 28 from alcohol and barbiturate prob lems, was the talk of New York again when her widower, Santa Barbara resi dent Michael Post – to whom she was married for just four months – sold off never-before-seen-artwork after a socially gridlocked preview bash at the legendary Chelsea Hotel.

The fab fête featured more than 400 luminaries, including artists, photogra phers, filmmakers and producers, col lectors, curators, and past and current residents of the hotel, where Sedgwick stayed when in Manhattan.

Among them were an old friend Greek shipping heir Spyros Niarchos, Lady Liliana Cavendish, Vincent Fremont of the Warhol Foundation, Griffin Dunne, Charlotte Kidd, Darren Aronofsky, Michael Avedon, Zac Posen, Taylor and Lizzy Plimpton, Laura Eastwood, Maia Twombly, Jay McInerney, and David Margolick.

Sedgwick’s sketches, many of them equestrian works, were sold by Bostonbased RR Auction.

“It was a historic event with the world of art and pop culture which had cultural reverberations on both coasts,” says for mer ABC News journalist Peter Lance, who traveled from our Eden by the Beach to attend the cultural blast.

Waterhouse Turns 38

Social gridlock reigned when Ralph and Diane Waterhouse celebrated the 38th anniversary of their eponymous art gallery in La Arcada.

The popular establishment, just a tiara’s toss from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, was founded in 1984 by Diane. It moved to its current location in 1991 and represents some of the city’s finest painters, many of whom are members of the California Arts Club and the Oil Painters of America.

Diane moved to our tony town in 1966 and her late father Joe Makray was a noted local portrait painter whose works still hang in Harry’s Plaza Café.

Miscellany Page 224

Luke and Stacey Swetland, host Ralph Waterhouse, Maria McCall, and Dirk Brandts

(photo by Priscilla)

Featured artists Wyllis Heaton, Rebecca Arguello, Michael Obermeyer, Craig Nelson, and Rick J. Delanty (photo by Priscilla)

Thanks From the Roots

On

behalf of the entire ownership team, thank you to the communi ty for supporting our application for a new cannabis retail dispensary in the Carpinteria Valley. While we recog nize we have some additional hurdles to clear, we are 100% confident that Roots Carpinteria will open for business at 3823 Santa Claus Lane in 2023.

I also wanted to update the commu nity on the very thorough, and lengthy process we’ve been undertaking. On Wednesday, November 16, the approval of a permit for our project was appealed to the California Coastal Commission. This makes the 4th frivolous appeal in almost as many months.

Frivolous is a strong word that gen erally people would suggest means, “without a serious purpose or value.” I am not suggesting that people’s feel ings about cannabis or even cannabis retail on Santa Claus Lane are frivo lous. I recognize that they are heart-felt. At every step on this permit-approval journey, our team has reviewed, recon sidered, and responded to every single concern raised by the appellants and the public. It is part of our commit ment to full transparency, responsiveness, and accountability.

One disappointing aspect of our oppo nents’ frequent appeals is their repeated use of the term “Youth Centers,” to describe what are essentially two Surf Camps. It is worth noting that under the existing zoning on SCL, Youth Centers are not allowed. This means if our oppo nents were to succeed in their goal of redefining these two family-owned busi nesses as Youth Centers, they would effectively and immediately become nonconforming and would need to be closed permanently.

A lot of local surfers would be very disappointed if the County unnecessarily

designated Surf Happens and A-Frame Surf Shop as non-allowed Youth Centers on Santa Claus Lane simply to pacify the appellants of our project. The Roots Carpinteria ownership team does not want to see that happen to these muchloved local businesses.

Roots Carpinteria’s business ethics, pri orities, and commitments are about more than operational excellence, best manage ment practices, or even standard oper ating procedures. While it is true that high operational standards, unbreachable ethics, and commitment to excellence will be on full display each day we are in operations, our store on SCL must and will also reflect our commitment to the vital matter of neighborhood safety and compatibility, and our annual pro gram for community benefits and social impact investments.

But it’s even about more than that. We are, as a team, fully invested, and relationally committed to supporting our neighboring businesses. We will have a fully defined and understood community involvement program that will feature a variety of innovative ways to help our community, including the other businesses on SCL, succeed and flourish. As one powerful example, Roots pledges 2% of our annual gross receipts to be donated annually to sev eral local nonprofits, charitable orga nizations, and foundations, including Surf Happens Foundation.

In addition to that, as Roots Carpinteria has been dealing with the numerous frivolous appeals of our proj ect, we have also been utilizing our government affairs team to work with the County, Santa Barbara County Association of Government, and even the State of California, to seek out available loans, grants, or other relief funds to assist the struggling businesses

on Santa Claus Lane who have endured a disproportionate financial impact from the freeway construction, and also the disruption now caused by the County’s Streetscape and Beach Access Improvement Plan. While it’s not possi ble to guarantee our success in pursuing relief funds, we have an outstanding team of local government experts that we are using to help us accomplish this. We are doing this at our own expense even though if successful it will pro vide significant economic relief to the other businesses on the Lane including Thario’s, Garden Market, and Padaro Beach Grill.

Many who started out apprehen sive or even reluctant about Roots Carpinteria coming to Santa Claus Lane have come around to become not just supportive but enthusiastic supporters of our store. This occurred through our concentratedly determined effort to openly address all concerns from the community, real or imag ined. We will continue moving forward with this same spirit and commitment, including full transparency, responsive ness, and accountability.

Moreover, we have always recognized and even take comfort in the fact that education and information are natural antidotes to fearmongering and misin formation. This is an important part of the normalization process taking place these past several years as communities throughout our county and state get per sonally acquainted with not only canna bis retail stores but also the extraordinary health benefits available to millions of people thanks to legal cannabis. Indeed, our vision and higher purpose as a com pany have always been to support our communities by opening stores and pro viding a safe, legal, carefully regulated, and taxed location for ethically sourced cannabis and cannabis-related products. This vision guides us in executing our mission statement and every important decision we make as owners, partners, and operators.

The Carpinteria Valley community and the rest of the county have our personal

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

Day

Thurs, Nov 24 2:25 AM 2.0 8:48 AM 6.8 04:04 PM -1.2 010:36 PM 3.8

Fri, Nov 25 3:02 AM 2.3 9:28 AM 6.8 04:54 PM -1.2 011:36 PM 3.6

Sat, Nov 26 3:44 AM 2.6 10:13 AM 6.6 05:50 PM -1.1

Sun, Nov 27 12:46 AM 3.6 4:36 AM 2.9 11:05 AM 6.2 06:51 PM -0.8

Mon, Nov 28 2:04 AM 3.6 5:48 AM 3.2 12:07 PM 5.6 07:56 PM -0.5

Tues, Nov 29 3:19 AM 3.9 7:33 AM 3.2 01:25 PM 5.0 09:01 PM -0.2

Weds, Nov 30 4:18 AM 4.3 9:28 AM 2.9 02:57 PM 4.5 010:01 PM 0.1

Thurs, Dec 1 5:04 AM 4.7 10:57 AM 2.2 04:27 PM 4.2 010:53 PM 0.5

Fri, Dec 2 5:42 AM 5.2 12:02 PM 1.5 05:44 PM 4.0 011:38 PM 0.8

“Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” – Charlotte Bronte

and deeply held commitment that these values I’ve shared here will not change.

Sincerely, Luis Castaneda, Director, Retail Operations, Roots Carpinteria

Hats Off to Giordano

Just a simple “hats off” to Jeff Giordano for his letter, “Tilting Towards Tyranny.” Five supervisors have unchecked authority. Citizens’ only recourse is removal from office. But it’s an uphill battle when supervisors rake in so much money from cannabis.

For three years or more, many of us have been interacting with the Planning Commission and the Supervisors directly about simply giving the only logical inter pretation that can be given to the existing

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net

President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net

VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net

Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net

Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe

Office Manager | Jessikah Moran

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Nadel, Bryce Eller

Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye

Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford

Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Gabe Saglie

Published by: Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.

How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

Our Town Veterans Day Recap at the Friendship Center

by Joanne A Calitri

The Friendship Center Montecito held a private Veterans Day cele bration to honor its senior mem bers who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. The event was chaired by Family Services Manager Kim Larsen and Development Director Sophia Davis Key event sponsor was Montecito Rotary Club President Tony Morris

The program, emceed by Carol Metcalf-Roth, starred Congressman Salud Carbajal and District Senior Representative Wendy Motta presenting Congressional Proclamations to each Friendship Center veteran. The National Anthem was sung by Deborah Bertling with Santa Barbara Council Member Eric Friedman speaking as well.

Each veteran’s biography was read and included their title, rank, military branch, years of service, and anecdotal stories of interest. These bios were framed and presented to each of the vets with purple violets as a tribute for their service.

Executive Director Heidi Holly

shared, “At Friendship Center we cele brate and honor our veterans who sac rificed so much for us and our country. We are proud to currently have 17 vet erans at the Friendship Center, most of whom receive support to attend through the Veterans Administration. My father served in the Korean War and words are not enough to express the gratitude I hold in my heart for our veterans.”

The Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel and Resort generously donated a catered lunch along with Pure Joy Catering’s patriotic themed cupcakes.

411: friendshipcentersb.org

Joanne A. Calitri is a profes sional international photogra pher and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

In Bloom Orchids

Let’s Reach Higher Together

Local News

We

Reasons to Be Grateful in This Week of Giving Thanks

by Sharon Byrne

It’s the height of autumn now, with cold nights, falling leaves, pump kins everywhere, and the most heartwarming of holidays this week. As we look back over this past year, we have a tremendous amount to be grateful for here in Montecito. Yes, the weather and scenery are lovely, and it’s fun to visit the villages and all that. But what makes the place truly special is YOU, the 8,000 people that call this semi-rural village home. So, we want to take a minute here and recognize that and highlight some of our marvelous Montecito neighbors.

We’re grateful to the Montecito Water District for sweating profusely over the drought and making sure good things happen when we turn on our faucet. We appreciate Nick Turner , Laura Camp , and their board of directors for all their service to this community. The same thing goes for the Montecito Sanitary District. The dirty job no one wants, so we appreciate the work that goes into making sure our services are tip top.

Our schools do a marvelous job, and they’re top-ranked. Principals Anthony Ranii at Montecito Union and Dr. Amy Alzina at Cold Spring care about our children and offer so many exciting edu cational opportunities to them. A com munity that loves its children is a healthy, happy community.

What about our first responders? We appreciate Sheriff Brown assigning Lt. Butch Arnoldi to us for the past four years. He’s a hands-on community policeman. Butch makes sure the Hands Across Montecito team is always safe on

outreach. He regularly reports on crime and advises us on how to be a safer community working with sheriffs. We’re excited the sheriffs are installing a fourth to a third of the county’s Automated License Plate readers here in Montecito, a great deterrent to any would-be trouble makers, like that Grinch!

No one can beat our Montecito Fire Protection District for top perfor mance. Whether they’re gearing us up for wildfire season, cooking and serv ing the hot dogs at Beautification Day, supporting the Hands team with fire safety, or lending their support to other fire teams that need a hand, we’re con stantly impressed by them. We’ve seen them cut up trees that have fallen across the road, bringing down power lines. We’ve also seen them place stars on the Hathaway tree, a lovely Montecito hol iday tradition. They’re truly a top com munity fire department, and a major part of our extended family here.

The Fire team also closes both our July 4th and Holiday parades. Your Montecito Association Events team, chaired by Houghton Hyatt, brought you a great July 4th parade this year, and a huge Beautification Day, back to its original pre-pandemic format. The events team takes care of everything, from getting up banners, to hanging kids’ artwork produced by our incredi ble schools, to organizing the food and fun. Isn’t it awesome that we have our own Montecito Magic Fairies? Some of those include our business owners, and there are too many to list, like Billie at Imagine Artful Things, Alison at Jeannine’s, Tony at Los Arroyos, Norm Borgatello, Mary at Tecolote, and our

have 8,000

Dana Newquist driving his 1937 Fire Truck in the Holiday Parade

Travel Buzz

The Alisal – Sure and Steady

by Leslie A. Westbrook

Grab your cowboy hat and cowboy boots, throw your kids or grandkids (if it’s a weekend) in the car, or perhaps indulge in a midweek romantic getaway and head on up to historic Alisal Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley for a tootin’ good time.

I’ve visited the downhome 10,500acre Alisal Ranch several times over the years, going back to when beloved Santa Ynez Valley cowboy poet/wrangler Jake Compass regaled young and old alike out on the horse trail and breakfast camp after a ride. So, I was excited for a long overdue return visit for myself and a dear friend, Montecito-based artist Cynthia James, to celebrate her birthday, albeit belatedly. We waved goodbye to her hus band Jorge, and headed out on a Friday afternoon, excited for a little dude ranch weekend/girlfriend getaway to The Alisal – just a 40-minute drive away.

As soon as I drove down the syca more tree-lined driveway, I felt happy and relaxed.

Although this was a repeat visit, I was pleased to find our “cowboy cozy”

(as Cynthia dubbed the décor) cottage at the far end of the spread (and golf course adjacent) with a splendid porch view across a huge expanse of tree-dot ted lawn accompanied by an inviting hammock. There have been upgrades and changes to the décor – which will be completed in spring of 2023 – but the ranch’s old-fashioned hospitality hasn’t changed one iota.

Our room (#42) featured a king-size bed in the combo bed/sitting room with a wood-burning stone fireplace and desk for the birthday girl; I took the twin bed in the little second room – home to the mini fridge stocked with complimentary drinks including a bottle of Diseño de California Rosé from the Santa Rita Hills and a spacious sink/dresser/wet bar – also the route to the loo, with shower and separate tub. The cottage had connecting doors in the event you are a larger group looking for adjacent rooms.

Unpacked and ready for grub, we strolled over to the atmospheric Oak Room bar where we discovered crunchy and delicious fried tempura-like shrimp appetizers at no charge.

Alisal Ranch has been hosting a series of visiting chef cook-outs and we had come

specifically for a fun-sounding early fall (that felt like summer) event. Brandon Cunningham from Montana’s Paws Up resort would be behind the outdoor grills on Saturday night.

Our Friday night dinner – we opted to dine outside on the oval lawn – began with a plate that included cheddar scones, zucchini muffins, a round of cheese, blis tered almonds, and fruit. Dinner starters included a perfectly dressed green god dess salad, we also tasted their deservedly popular tortilla chicken soup. Drinks and excellent local wines by the glass

are included in nightly rates. Cynthia ordered the most succulent chicken I’ve ever tasted and my thick grilled pork chop topped with a peach chutney was also excellent. Both were served with asparagus, other veggies, and mashed potatoes. We didn’t have much room for dessert – included in the three-course dinner – but tried two anyway, in the name of research.

On our stroll back to our cottage at dusk, a sweet doe and her two fawns

Take a ride on the slower side of life at the historic Alisal Ranch

A Suite Spot

Cottage Family Suites Opens

stay immediately and may not possibly be able to afford the cost of a hotel.”

by

Medical emergencies are not exactly planned, and there can be unexpected costs that come at inopportune times when they do arise. If a family has to stay overnight, this can add even more burden on an already stressful situation. Fortunately Cottage Hospital, in their ongoing effort to provide the best service they can to the

community, has recently launched their Cottage Family Suites to help families in those uncertain moments.

As Cottage’s Vice President of Advancement David Dietrich explains, “Somebody has a child that ends up in an intensive care nursery, or someone has a trauma or stroke and ends up in one of Cottage’s critical care programs – but they live in Santa Maria or they live in San Luis Obispo – the family has to get to town and try to find a place to

That is when the Cottage Family Suites comes into play. Set on De la Vina Street in a charming historic building, the set of suites features 12 one-bedroom apartments that include a queen-sized bed in the room along with queensized pullout sofa for housing up to four family members. The suites are kept for those moments of emergency and are available for up to three nights, of course extending the stay might be considered on a case-by-case and daily basis.

The Cottage Family Suites is actually an expansion of one of their previous programs. “For many years, we had run something called the Little Cottages, which is six small studio apartments within walking distance to the hos pital that were really designed for families who have a patient being cared for at Cottage, but they’re from out of the area,” says Dietrich. “While we have a waiting list right now at our Little Cottages, we expect to be able to completely fill the need with our new Cottage Family Suites.”

The newly renovated building has six apartments on the bottom with six upstairs. The historic nature of the structure meant that an elevator could not be installed, but they do have one ADA unit on site. The full concierge ser vices that are a proud part of Cottage’s offerings is extended to the suites as well, with their staff helping each guest find whatever they need. A small onsite office allows staff to welcome guests and get them checked in, give them a tour, and show them how the apart ment’s appliances work. Each suite also has a welcome binder, written in both English and Spanish, that includes more information and identifies the locations – often within walking distance – of key establishments they may need, like pharmacies, grocery stores, restaurants, and banks.

Of course, each apartment is equipped with important amenities that the family may need. A washer and dryer in each suite is especially helpful with pediatric families or for those staying longer than expected. And the last thing that a family needs to worry about in those moments is trying to find a laundromat or having to visit loved ones in days-old clothes. They find that most visitors are not keen on cooking, however there is a full kitchen along with compostable dishware and cutlery. Or more often, a microwave lets guests heat up leftovers from one of the nearby restaurants. Naturally, if a visiting family is spending time in appointments and hospital rooms, they may want to get some fresh air. An open courtyard sits in the center of the building, offering tables, chairs, and a charming spot for families to relax.

“[The Cottage Family Suites] are one of the impacts of the Reaching Higher Together campaign and we see it as

by Charles Dickens

A New Adaptation by Patrick Barlow Directed by Jamie Torcellini

Zach Rosen

The Cottage Family Suites is located in a historic, mission-style apartment building

The suites offer comfort and sup port for families visiting their loved ones during an emergency

A kitchen and key amenities are provided in each apartment

friends at San Ysidro Ranch who sent salads for Beautification Day.

Our parades are auto-lovers’ dream affairs, with Dana Newquist , a beloved godfather of Montecito, bringing in

all kinds of amazing vehicles, includ ing his own 1937 Fire Truck. It’s the Montecito Wonkamobile!

How about Jeffrey Clark at Montecito Customs, right next to the gas station on

East Valley? Did you know that used to be a blacksmith’s business? Jeffrey is also part of the automobile magic here, with the weekly Cars and Coffee every Sunday morning, and now a clothing drive. If you have gently used winter gear, drop it off with him! It’s going to a good home, cour tesy of Adam McKaig, a Montecitan who heads up Adam’s Angels. Adam will be feeding 500+ people experiencing home lessness on Thanksgiving and giving out the winter clothes you donated. Adam has been a great partner to your Hands Across Montecito team, one of the biggest suc cesses of the past two years, catching atten tion from county supervisors. Montecito Fire is also a huge supporter of Hands. The magic of the Hands team comes from its Montecito volunteers, who serve as eyes everywhere, and help people out of home lessness. They could not do it without another hugely valuable team player, and

that’s YOU, our Montecito neighbors who generously sponsored this project.

We’re also grateful for the Montecito Association’s History Committee, who serve as your conduit to Montecito’s past. Hattie Beresford writes wonderful articles about our history, here in these pages, Montecito’s own newspaper, our beloved Montecito Journal!

As you can see, there’s a lot to be grate ful for in our bucolic, idyllic community, and we give our heartfelt thanks, to you, our community, and our neighbors. We wish you and yours the Happiest of Thanksgivings, and all the joys of the holiday season.

The Beautification Day Committee

Sharon Byrne is the Executive Director of the Montecito Association

Volunteers on Beautification Day

Montecito firemen hanging a star on the Hathaway Family Tree

The Hands Across Montecito crew helping with a beach cleanup

The annual decorating of the Hathaway Family Tree (photo by Joanne Calitri)

Storytelling

Influenced by the pictorialist movement of the early twentieth century, Edward S. Curtis set out to create a photo and ethnographic record of Indigenous peoples living in Western regions from the Mexican border to Alaskan shores. 100 years later, Native people still contend with “Indian” stereotypes that are consequences of Edward Curtis’s vision.

This exhibit endeavors to present his breathtaking photogravures within the context of American colonialism.

Their daughter, Claire, 27, is edu cation director

An Aperitif of Piano

Italian pianist Alessio Bax , a fre quent visitor to our Eden by the Beach, who performed with the Santa Barbara Symphony at the Granada playing Schumann’s “Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54,” gave a private concert 48 hours earlier for VIP supporters in the second of its Concert Aperitif series

delicious canapés from Lorraine Lin Catering and quaffed wines from Stolpman Vineyards, Bax, who has appeared with more than 150 orches tras, collaborating with such emi nent conductors as Sir Simon Rattle , Vladimir Ashkenazy , and Sir Andrew Davis , played a number of works on a 1933 Chickering grand piano, includ ing Bach’s “English Suite No. 2 in A minor,” Ravel’s “La Valse” and de Falla’s “The Miller’s Dance.”

The series, which launched in October, features seven hour-long concerts at pri vate homes in the area to mark the sym

Sponsored by Knight Real Estate Group of Village Properties, First Republic Bank, Kathleen Kalp and Jim Balsitis, Kelly and Tory Milazzo

Native People through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis

2559 Puesta del Sol Santa Barbara, CA 93105 sbnature.org/storytelling

“Replastering a Paguate House,” 1925, Edward S. Curtis

Englishman Ralph, a founding mem ber of the Santa Barbara Art Dealers Association, painted many of his works in the Lake District, an area beloved by author Beatrix Potter and poet William Wordsworth, before becoming inspired in the ‘80s with California landscapes.

for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

at the historic APS aerie of Mary Collier , a revered French tutor at

Westmont College, hosted by maestro Nir Kabaretti

. As guests including Anne Towbes , Dan and Meg Burnham , Janet Garufis , Kathryn Martin , Nancy Golden , and Mikki Andina noshed on

Fellow art ists Michael Obermeyer, Bela Bacsi, and Steve Curry (photo by Priscilla)

Bob and Carolyn Williams with host esses Diane and Claire Waterhouse (photo by Priscilla)

Sponsor Keith Moore, hostess Dr. Mary Collier, and Janet McCann (photo by Priscilla)

Association thanks to the approval of the Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District earlier this year.

Holiday cheer is already apparent on the road, with lights, banners, and a holi day tree going up this week. Some offices and retailers have already gotten a head start on the festivities, outfitting their windows with various decorations.

Judging for the contest will take place on Friday, December 16. There is no theme, but organizers are encouraging all those with frontage on Coast Village Road to participate. There will be cash prizes, as well as photos here in the Journal, for the top three participants.

For more information, email CVA rep Robert Miller at robert@cvcgroup.org.

In Business: Home Crush

oven for steaming, roasting, baking, and more. Home Crush also features Dekko lightweight concrete fire pits in multiple colors, shapes, and sizes for natural and propane gas, and is the only retailer in the United States to sell these Canadian-built, ultra-light, sleek fire pits.

Montecito’s Aimee Miller recently opened Home Crush on Lillie Avenue, after converting a 1930s ocean-view Bungalow into an interactive design studio with mul tiple rooms, terraces, and destinations. “We kept the home feeling like a residence, but removed the doors so customers can come in and actually see stuff and how it lives in a room,” Miller told us during a recent visit.

The store’s grand opening was earlier this summer, but at that time, only the outdoor areas were open for business; now, the entire property is available to peruse, with all spaces used to display interior and outdoor furniture, décor, and more. A converted garage on the property is cur rently showing off seasonal items related to the holidays – think faux Christmas trees, stockings, interesting ornaments, and more – and during the warm weather, the space will offer summer items like luxury pool towels, specialty sunscreens, outdoor accents, and more.

Miller has set her focus on retailing lines and brands not sold elsewhere in Santa Barbara, or maybe even in California. “We focus on small-batch brands and wom en-owned lines. Everything has a story, and everything we carry will enhance your life in a way that’s interesting,” she said. Some exclusive items include FAR-infrared heater systems by Heatsail, and the Dome Pizza Oven by Gozney, which is a full outdoor

In addition to shopping décor, furni ture, textiles, and more, Home Crush is also a full-service design studio, backed by Miller’s 30 years in interior design and luxury staging. With Summerland quickly becoming the Santa Barbara area’s destina tion for interior design and décor, Miller says her style is different yet complementa ry to other outlets including Porch, Field + Fort, Botanik, Garde, and The Well. “We are all focused on helping Summerland to be known as the design mecca. We don’t carry what each other carry, and we work in tandem,” she said. At Home Crush, all items on site are available to purchase off the floor, a fresh change from the monthslong waitlists that can be experienced else where. “If you see it and want it, take it,” Miller said. “It’s all about instant gratifica tion here,” she said, adding that she has a strong following on Instagram, and when she posts about a new product or item, it could be sold out within a day.

The ocean-view location of the store lends itself to special events; the space can be rented out for photoshoots, rehearsal dinners, and more. “We want people to come here and feel comfortable, and I think we’ve accomplished that,” Miller said.

For more information, visit www. home-crush.com. The shop is located at 2500 Lillie Avenue in Summerland.

Kelly Mahan Herrick, also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond.

A FAR-infrared heating by Heatsail is available at Home Crush in Summerland, just one of the lines exclusive to the shop

The Dome Pizza Oven by Gozney is a full outdoor oven for steaming, roasting, baking and more, and is only sold locally at Home Crush in Summerland

NOV 24

DEC 24

Celebratethe Miramar Holidays at

Miramar is bringing the spirit of the season to Montecito this year. Enjoy the holidays at the resort with mouth-watering menus, awe-inspiring entertainment, and beautifully bespoke experiences. And—in true Miramar manner—each holiday celebration features spectacular service and impeccable attention to detail at every turn. Don’t miss the magic of Miramar, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

DEC 25

anksgiving

Kick off the holiday season and gather in gratitude like never before. You’re invited to give thanks around every table at Miramar. Join us for brunches, dinners, music, and more at all of your favorite Miramar restaurants and bars.

Christmas Eve Christmas Day

Count down to Christmas at Miramar. Dig into Seven Fish dinners on the coastline at Caruso’s, revel in the music of carolers in the Living Room, and delight in snowfall on the Great Lawn. Here’s to making this your most memorable Christmas Eve yet.

Unwrap the magic of Christmas morning at Miramar. Delight in a delicious brunch of festive favorites and whimsical touches for a holiday celebration that your family will cherish for years to come.

DEC 31

New Year’s Eve

A night of unmatched elegance awaits at Miramar, the place to be on New Year’s Eve. Join us for an unforgettable evening where the ordinary is escaped and the extraordinary is embraced, including an oceanfront champagne dinner at Caruso’s, a gala hosted in the Chandelier Ballroom, and showstopping performances in The Manor Bar, culminating in a truly magical midnight toast.

JAN 01

New Year’s Day

Get ready to raise a glass to 2023 along the Central Coast. Miramar is offering a festive lineup of brunches, lunches, can’t-miss cocktails, and dinners, sure to make New Year’s Day memorably special. Cheers to starting the year in style.

To explore all of our holiday happenings, please visit us at: @rosewoodmiramarbeach www.rosewoodmiramarbeach.com facebook.com/RosewoodMiramarBeach/ email miramar@rosewoodhotels.com 805-900-8388

really in some ways hitting our core value of compassion,” says Dietrich. The Reaching Higher Campaign was launched to mark their 130th anniver sary with a lofty goal of raising $130 million. They are now in the sixth year of this six-year campaign, and although the end is in sight, having raised over $122M, they intend to contin ue with the campaign into the future. “Given the way that the pandemic has influenced and identified new needs, new costs, more expensive programs, like every everyone else with sup ply chain issues and increasing costs, we will continue fundrais ing, kind of under that umbrella of Reaching Higher Together, really going into the next several years,” he adds.

The building purchase and ren ovations are a program that has been funded entirely by philan thropy. So far, nearly $3.5M has been raised towards the $5M Cottage Family Suites project, and through the support of gener ous donors and families, they are now able to support these visiting families with these suites. “Given this 130-year history, we have a tradition of trying to honor fam ilies that have been supportive of this institution over so many decades, and so our donor rec ognition program is important to us. We want to make sure that if people have been major supporters, that we honor them historically, and we honor them this generation.”

As one enters the building, the main entryway dons the names of Nora McNeely Hurley and The Manitou Fund, along with the center courtyard bearing the name of David and Deidre Cronenbold in recognition of their generous gifts. The Hutton Parker Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network Partners and Supporters have also provided key support. Together, along with Cottage Hospital, their efforts have helped provide some home comforts for families facing an already stressful situation. The Cottage Family Suites is only one way that this campaign is bringing top health care and service to the community.

Or as Dietrich puts it, “That Reaching Higher Together campaign has as a central goal or vision that – to the extent that we can do this with the support of our community – we want to make sure that we offer access to the best health care in the nation to the people that live in this community. So, they don’t need to travel elsewhere to get the best.”

The SB Cottage Hospital Foundation will continue to seek charitable contributions to support the Cottage Family Suites. For more information, call (805) 879-8980.

The suite has a room with one queen bed as well as a queensized pull out in the living room

The entire building has been renovated with a historic, yet stylish, design

Celebrating donated over 20 years of Community Dividends®

In 2003, Michael Towbes introduced Community Dividends® an annual giving event that became a hallmark of corporate philanthropy in our communities. To celebrate 20 years, we awarded $2 million to 200 local nonprofits

We are grateful for the legacy and inspiration of Michael Towbes and the impact these nonprofits make each and every day across our Central Coast communities. And, we are grateful for all of you, our loyal clients who help to make a difference in our communities today and for generations to come.

Dear Montecito Anusikha Halder Trans & Queer Commission at UCSB

by Stella Haffner

Increasingly, the idea of intersection ality is finding its way into our every day conversations. This is a topic we explored in this column when talking to the Westmont Feminist Society, who hold up a mission to promote diversity and education. This week we’re talking to Anusikha Halder, the head of the Trans & Queer Commission at UCSB, to learn more about intersectionality, pronouns, and how queer representation is changing.

Q. What is your role on the commission?

A. I’m chair of the Trans & Queer Commission. Basically, what that means is that I’m in charge of making sure everything is running smoothly and that people on the executive board have the resources they need to host events and get involved with Associated Students.

How did the commission get started? Our commission started in 2007.

We’re something called a board com mission unit, which basically means we fall under Associated Students as UCSB, and we get a lock-in fee from student fees. That means our budget comes from students paying universi ty fees. A portion goes to us, and we redistribute those fees for LBGTQ+ events, for queer groups, and for gener

al resources and empowerment – that’s what our work is centered on.

Since the commission started in 2007, what would you say has changed?

I feel there has been a lot more diver sity in events we’re centering and iden tities we’re seeking visibility for. You can see that even on the executive board; there’s a lot more trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming individuals serv ing; there’s a lot more people of color serving; there are a lot more identities we’re aware of. This year, we’re acknowl edging individuals who are asexual and aromantic. I feel like that representation hasn’t existed historically.

How would you describe your identity and how would you say that fits into your work with the commission?

I hold several intersectional identities as someone who identifies as a Bisexual Bengali woman – a queer woman of color. A lot of my work on the com mission has been focused on promoting inclusivity for queer, trans, Black, and Indigenous people of color.

UCSB is a Hispanic serving institu tion, so we have had that representa tion on the commission before, which is a good step, but before I started being chair, our commission did have a tendency to be male dominated and not have any Black, Indigenous, or other ethnicities represented – which is important to recognizing the diversity in our community and needs. A lot of my work has been acknowledging the fact that just because we have representation and resources of LGBTQ+ people on the whole, we still have to give voices and resources to these further margin alized identities and make sure they get visibility too.

Can you tell me about your pronouns?

Yeah! So my pronouns are she/they. Basically that means that in conversation or when you’re bringing up my name you can either say “she has been doing this” or you can say “they have been doing this.” Those can be used interchangeably.

Oftentimes when someone has mul tiple sets of pronouns (for instance, she and they) they will put the pronouns they prefer first. I’m really comfortable with “she,” but I do like “they,” so that’s why I have them in the order they are.

Tentatively, I do identify as a cis-wom an, but those are the pronouns I res onate with and feel comfortable with. They don’t have to be inherently gen dered, it’s really about how you like to be referred to.

Some find it challenging to use the pronoun “they” if they haven’t been close to someone who uses they/them pronouns before. Do you have any advice?

My advice is, one, we’ve used “they” in conversation historically but also: language adapts and evolves to the needs of people. There’s something very con siderate and empathetic in referring

to someone the way they want to be referred to. And it might take some adjustment. It might take some practice. But most often people will understand that you’re putting in the work to use the proper language.

What is something people can do today to support the LGBTQ+ community?

There are several things you can do. There are a lot of great nonprofits like the Trevor Project, there are local com munity organizations that you can look into supporting, but honestly I think the number one thing you can do is educate yourself. If you don’t know how pronouns work, if you don’t know things about trans and gender non-conforming people, if you don’t know how difficult it is to get hormone therapy, these are all things you can educate yourself about and take the labor off LGBTQ+ people having to explain themselves.

Last question. A lot has changed in our lifetime in terms of social politics and LGBTQ+ advocacy. What would you like to see change in the greater world in the next five years?

Representation, absolutely. I think there is a general narrative, and you see it a lot in film, that queer and trans people and all intersections that align between LGBTQ+ people have to live this really hard life. That they have to really fight hard for acceptance. I know that fight will never be over, certainly not in five years. But I want there to be narratives that show that we’re allowed to have happiness, that life isn’t all about what is difficult.

From the shores of Scotland, Stella Haffner keeps her connection to her home in Montecito by bringing grads of local schools to the pages of the Montecito Journal

“Gratitude turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.” – Melody Beattie

Anusikha Halder is the head of the Trans & Queer Commission at UCSB

The Trans & Queer Commission provides support for LBGTQ+ events, queer groups, and general resources and empowerment

Bax,

phony’s 70th anniversary, and hopes to raise in excess of $2 million.

Water, Earth, Sky derived from trib al parables with each parable read in English and Chumash by descen dants, including Marianne Parra and Ernestine Ygnacio-DeSoto . The extremely entertaining program also featured Sibelius’ tone poem, “Valse Miscellany (Continued from 22)

Triste, Op. 44, No. 1,” and Mozart’s “Symphony No. 40 in G-minor.”

Celebrating at Jimmy’s

Oriental art expert Keith Moore celebrated the tenth anniversary of his half-century with a boffo bash in The Pickle Room, formerly Jimmy’s Oriental Garden belonging to the Chung family, where Keith’s father used to play saxophone. Keith, a sixth-generation Santa

Barbarian, as well as a life member of the Society of California Pioneers, even brought the sax, sans mouthpiece, to the 20-guest fête at the venue, which in the 1940s had a basement used as a gambling parlor and opium den.

He served on the board of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation for six years and was part of the process to protect the Old Chinatown property through historic easement.

Among those quaffing the wine and martinis, while noshing on the myri ad comestibles, were Brendon Twigden, Maria McCall, Dirk Brandts, Karen Poythress, Peter and Kathryn Martin, Nancy Newquist-Nolan, Mark and Alice Britton, Kevin and Sheila Snow, and Alexis and Caitlin Dakin.

Pacifica in the Museum

It was back to nature for Camerata Pacifica when it hosted its monthly con cert at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History rather than its usual venue at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall, which is undergoing renovation.

But the dynamic duo of percussionist Ji

Dirk Brandts, Maria McCall, Keith Moore, and Debra Merlo (courtesy of Dirk Brandts)

Brendon Twigden, Danuta Bennett, Katherine MurrayMorse, and Kevin and Sheila Snow (photo by Dirk Brandts)

Beverly Cavaliere, Keith Moore, and Nancy NewquistNolan (photo by Dirk Brandts)

Nir Kabaretti, Alessio Bax, Janet Garufis, Dan Burnham, and Kathryn Martin (photo by Priscilla)

Alessio Bax and Natasha Kislenko (photo by Priscilla)

Anne

Towbes, Alessio

and Nancy Golden (photo by Priscilla)

Le Bal Cristal

A glimmering night of unmatched elegance where the ordinal is escaped, and the extraordinary is embraced awaits at our New Year’s Eve Le Bal Crystal. Inspired by a glamourous French fête along the American Riviera, we invite you to celebrate with lively libations, spectacular performers, champagne toasts and so much more.

Your Westmont Workshop Inspires Christians to Climate Action

by Scott Craig

Westmont is equipping evangel ical students from across the nation who care deeply about the environment to lead their commu nities in answering God’s call to steward creation wisely. The college will be host

ing “Faith. Climate. Action: A Workshop on Christian Climate Advocacy,” attract ing about 40 students and faculty from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), and 10 InterVarsity student leaders to campus from June 25 to July 2, 2023.

This workshop comes at an opportune time, given the recent release of a major

PEW study that shows American evangel icals widely share a sense of duty to care for God’s creation, but are less likely to be concerned about climate change than other Americans. While environmental advocacy has not always been a priority for many evangelical communities, Amanda Sparkman, co-chair of Westmont’s Environmental Studies program, says we’ve arrived at a new moment, with studies showing that a younger generation of evangelicals have increased fervor and energy surrounding environmental issues, especially climate change.

“It’s clear that much of the current global climate movement has been driv en by young activists,” says Sparkman, a

Where possibilities become possible

evolutionary field courses. “We want to help young evangelicals to learn how to translate their passion into action, in a manner that is deeply grounded in their faith, and can bear fruit in their home churches and campuses in so many ways.”

ecological

The workshop features nationally-rec ognized experts, theologians, and pas tors, including Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy; Rev. Jessica Moerman, vice president for science and policy at the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN); Jeffrey

Andrew Chung

Westmont wildlife biologist who teaches a variety of

and

Several dozen evangelical students will take part in a climate advocacy workshop this summer at Westmont (photo by Brad Elliott)

Westmont students conducting research at Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens (photo by Brad Elliott)

Upper Village Unwrapped Holiday Shopping Along Montecito’s Upper Side

by Zach Rosen

The turkey has been put to rest (or maybe it put us to bed), and the holiday season is underway. With so much around our beloved town, it is easy to shop and support local. This is part one of four articles featuring the local stores that make our area so distinct.

This week features the Upper Village, and naturally there is only one place to start. For over 50 years, Pierre Lafond and Wendy Foster have defined the distinc tive Montecito style, both in fashion and way of life. The Pierre Lafond Market & Deli in the Upper Village is a local favor ite for morning coffee, grabbing some deli items and a bottle of wine for later, or just a few gourmet ingredients for the pantry. It will certainly be a stopping point for many locals as they prepare for holiday dinners and hosting parties. But it is heading Upstairs at Pierre Lafond where one gets the sense of what put them on the map, locally and around the globe.

Over the decades since opening, the second-floor store has grown to feature an expansive collection of kitchenware, home furnishings, apparel, and garden garnishes in the iconic style of the namesake couple, making it a suit able stop for decorating the home for the holidays or finding a gift. A kids’ area is filled with everything from felt finger puppets and stuffed animals to children’s books and clothes. A more masculine-themed section features trav el bags, headlamps, pocketknives, cold weather clothes, and other outdoorsy

It’s the holiday season Upstairs at Pierre’s

Plushies and kids gifts are just some of the many items featured in the store

Let s get shopping!

San Ysidro Village

Jenni Kayne

San Ysidro Pharmacy

Country House Antiques

New shipment! Swedish, French, English antiques & decorative accessories

Hogue & Co.

Come visit our shop, transformed into a festive holiday cottage, filled with trees covered in ornaments, beads & garlands. Custom flowers & plants for any occasion

House of Honey

A female collective of interior designers. We create spaces that celebrate life.

The holidays have arrived! From luxe takes on essential outerwear to the coziest knits, dressing for the weather has never looked better.

Jenni Kayne Home

Discover the makings of your dream space with essential décor and timeless furniture designed for your warmest welcome home, long beyond the holiday season.

Montecito Coffee Shop

For 30+ years, the best breakfast café in Montecito

Randy Solakian Estates Group

Coldwell Banker Realty Private Estates Brokerage

PCAB accredited ∙ Compounding ∙

Luxury gifts ∙ Cosmetics ∙ Vitamins ∙ Brand new shipments of beautiful holiday gifts & candles!

The UPS Store

Visit us for all your holiday packing and shipping. We are here to help!

William Laman

Furniture. Garden. Antiques. Hand selected antiques & home furnishings. Great accessories for entertaining and gift giving, in a beautifully curated setting

American Riviera Bank Bank on better.

San Ysidro Village

The elegant enclave of shops known as the San Ysidro Village is home to a range of businesses, including several that can help this holiday season. (There’s also conve niently the UPS Store for any items that need to be shipped off.)

The treasured San Ysidro Pharmacy is not just the local go-to place for any medici nal or nutritional needs, their year-round range of hand-selected specialties and choice accessories make this a great spot to find gifts as well. Several holiday-themed items have found their way on the shelves (maybe even some elves) and along with a warm, helpful staff, it is easy to find the gifts that you are looking for. Of note is their selec tion of candles, including a Frasier Fir-scented one that has become very popular this season. sanysidrovillage.com

It is the season of celebration, and whether you’re looking to host a holiday party or craft an intimate evening for a loved one, Hogue & Co. can help design the expe rience. Known for their pristine and prismatic floral arrangements, this kaleidoscopic shop can assist with the adorning of a dinner table, or a Christmas tree. hoguefloral.com

William Laman Furniture. Garden. Antiques. The name says it all and in each of those categories, this store has carefully curated items with a worldly and colorful flare that alludes to the Mediterranean vibes and everlasting sun of the Central Coast. The

Unwrapped (Continued from 34)

Frasier Fir can dles, candy canes, and other holiday treats at San Ysidro Pharmacy

Gifts for kids and more can be found at the San Ysidro Pharmacy

Flower arrange ments, ornaments, and party planning is offered at Hogue & Co.

The Jenni Kayne Collection has both a home and clothing store in the San Ysidro Village. Many of the casual yet classy clothing items are made from the always sooth ing cashmere and come in earthen tones like clay, olive, and black. The Cocoon Cardigan is a best seller and to welcome in the winter season, they are featuring some warmer wares like Shearling Moroccan Slippers. The Oak Essentials line of creams and beauty products are always a popular item and sold both individually and in sets. The home items have a similar simple, organic feel to them that would bring a clean aesthetic to home it is gifted to. jennikayne.com

store has a unique selection of home and garden goods spanning from rattan furnishings and Murano glass to a Belgian table set and antique mother of pearl inlayed tables. Each piece is hand-selected by interior designer Bruce Gregga and William Laman with the same care and consideration of those who crafted them. Any gift found here is likely to be a new favorite piece for whomever it’s given to. williamlaman.com

Antiques, furnish ings, and a little seasonal spirit at William Laman

A few delightful ornaments at William Laman William Laman features a range of worldly items

Jenni Kayne Home reflects the organic, clean feel of the clothing line

If you need a gift for that one person that is always tough to find something for, or are just having trouble with imagination, then Imagine Artful Things has already done the creative work for you. Known for their range of offerings that are intricate, quirky, and elegant all at once, Imagine is a longtime staple of the Upper Village, in that if you need to find something whimsical like a bejeweled stapler – this is where you would go. Their eclectic collection of items makes it an easy one-stop shop for gifts for the whole family, even that wacky Uncle Wally. A popular holiday item is an over-sized fold-out Christmas card, complete with ornaments. From cashmere wraps and distinctive jewelry to a brass boat-themed clock and even an otter-shaped tape dispenser, the store has gifts that span from the artful to the unimaginable. imagineartfulthings.com

While everyone likes gifts, really so much of this season is about what we give our kids, and Lemondrop focuses on just that. From clothing and shoes to toys and trin kets, this shop features a plethora of items for the young ones. Many of the gift items have an educational, science-y side to them and will help the kids learn a little as they play. There is also a whole table filled with unique board games so a gift for the kids can provide fun for the whole family. lemondropsb.com

With the kids taken care of and hopefully sleeping soundly, swing by Kismet for a little more of an intimate gift. With a selection of lingerie and hosiery in a graceful style, find something for that special someone to make them feel how you do about them. Of course, TRÉSOR next door offers fine jewelry if you’re looking for that “little bit” extra to go with it. Kismet also has a range of lounge and sleepwear if you’re looking for a more casual gift for around the home. kismetmontecito.com & tresormontecito.com

From clothes to creative toys, Lemondrop suits any kids’ tastes Get

Lemondrop has a range of board games suitable for the whole family

The colorful offerings found at Lemondrop

with a notable vibrant and European style. Whether it is a glass vase for growing your own avocado tree from a pit or their new line of aromatic Claus Porto soaps, this fragrant store makes you feel as if you’ve just stepped out of the shower and is sure to inspire your gift buying. eiderstudio.com

Here at the Journal, we often feel that books are the gift that keeps on giving, and Tecolote Book Shop has been our local literary spot for generations. With tomes from local authors and a vast selection of novels, nonfictions, and other works, Tecolote offers the best worded wonders to give to someone this season. The beloved book shop also has holiday cards (and some similarly themed puzzles)

to go along with any gifts. tecolotebookshop.com

If you’re still figuring out what to give this season, scan this QR code for more gift ideas!

Eider features a colorful and European flare to their wares Home and kitchen gifts are on the table at Eider

Tecolote is begin ning to feel like the holidays

Zach Rosen is the Managing Editor of the Montecito Journal. He also enjoys working with beer, art, and life.

SE ASON T the

SEASONTis the

Enjoy the best of the holiday season in the enchanting embrace of El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel. The sounds of live music fill the air as delightful cocktails tempt your taste buds. Snuggle up by the fireplace with a hot toddy and disappear in the magic of the holidays.

njoy the best of the holiday season in the enchanting embrace of Belmond El Encanto. The sounds of live music fill the air as roasted chestnuts tempt your taste buds. Snuggle up by the fireplace with a hot toddy and disappear in the magic of the holidays.

Enjoy the best of the holiday season in the enchanting embrace of El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel. The sounds of live music fill the air as roasted chestnuts tempt your taste buds. Snuggle up by the fireplace with a hot toddy and disappear in th e m agic of the holidays.

Welcome in the new year with a new season of splendor and spectacle. Rejoice in the tinkling sounds of Champagne flutes, and enticing musical entertainment at our intimate New Year’s Eve celebration.

Welcome the new year with the tinkling sounds of Champagne flutes and live jazz at our intimate New Year’s Eve celebration.

November 24 (1:30-7:30pm)

Welcome the new year with the tinkling sounds of Champagne flutes and live jazz at our intimate New Year’s Eve celebration.

Thanksgiving Dinner

December 1 (5-7:30pm)

November 26 (12-7:30pm)

Thanksgiving Menu

December 10 (5-6:30pm)

Hanukkah Celebration

December 13 (2-4pm)

Painting in the Garden with The Painted Cabernet

December 21-23 (1-3pm)

Butterfly Tea and Live Music

December 23-25 (7:30-9:30pm)

Festive Al Fresco Movie Night

December 24-25 (4-9:30pm) Christmas Menu

Hanukkah Lighting Ceremony December 4, 11, and 18 (11:30-2pm)

Bellini Sunday Brunch December 25 (12-7pm)

December 28-30 (1-3pm) Butterfly Tea and Live Music December 31 (5-9:30pm)

Christmas Brunch December 28 (11-1pm)

New Year’s Eve Celebration

Merry Movie Screening at Riviera Theater

January 1 (12-4pm)

December 31

New Year’s Brunch

NYE Gala Dinner, First Seating with Live Vocalist and Piano (5:30-7:30pm)

NYE Gala Dinner, Second Seating (8:30pm-12:30am)

January 1 (11:30-2pm)

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Schloss, T.B. Walker professor of natural and behavioral sciences at Westmont and senior scholar at the BioLogos Foundation; Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, vice president of the EEN and, along with Moerman, a Yale Public Voice on the Climate Crisis Fellow; and other lead ing voices at the interface of faith and cli mate. The project is also working with the internationally recognized Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

“We believe that young evangelicals could be a significant force in moving society toward greater environmental sus tainability,” says Marianne Robins, a Westmont historian who co-chairs the environmental studies program and the workshop. “Scripture calls us to love our neighbor, and to care for the poor – advocating faithful action on climate change is such a critical way to respond to that call.”

Generously funded by a nearly half-mil lion dollar grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, which will cover trav el, room, and board costs for participants, the workshop is just one part of a larger program. The grant also funds significant investment to make Westmont a flagship campus for sustainability, and will pro vide valuable student internship experi ences. Beyond Westmont, the program will also support and counsel workshop participants nationwide as they return

home to practice what they’ve learned in their home communities.

Guiding Low-Income Students to College

Westmont hosted a community event with education and financial representa tives exploring the best ways low-income students can fund a college education on November 15. About 100 underpriv ileged high school students and their families attended “Affording Your Dream College,” which was held in partnership with several county education initiatives.

“Education is the most powerful and transformative tool that helps shape the future and change the lives of communi ties,” says Irene Neller, vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communica tion. “Formal education is about gaining the knowledge and life skills to become a better person, which then creates a better society. We all want to become the better versions of ourselves and education is the means of life-changing experiences. But we also know that for many local families, affording a college degree can seem daunt ing. This partnership addresses affordabil ity, opportunity, so we can inspire students to dream big with great hopeful realities.”

Speakers included Sean Smith , Westmont director of financial aid, and Brianna Aguilar from Montecito Bank

& Trust. Both offered expertise and advice on the many ways one can pay for col lege. The evening included representatives from Resilience, Education, Adventure, Community and Health (REACH), Program for Effective Access to College (PEAC), and Mission Scholars.

REACH is a two-and-a-half-year fel lowship for students in Santa Barbara County that prepares students to take control of their future. REACH is able to work with students as they transition from high school to college and pro vide resources and community partner connections to make the best-informed decisions. By combining academic and outdoor components, REACH supports students through the SAT/ACT process, college applications, and the transition of their first year of college. They also get the opportunity to learn life skills through outdoor activities.

PEAC is a college readiness and access program to help close the achievement gap and change the trajectory of low-in come, first-generation college students. PEAC provides a system of academic and social-emotional support to guarantee students are prepared to enter a university.

Mission Scholars uses comprehensive college admissions guidance, mentor ship, and career development training to help low-income students reach their full potential and become a change in their communities.

During the event, five students received their admission to Westmont, including four Augustinian candidates, a select group of students from around the world who will compete for scholarships worth 85 percent of tuition.

“I loved seeing our local families gather together for a night organized for their students in mind,” says Araceli Espinoza, Westmont guest and campus relations manager. “This type of event helps students and parents with financial college prepara tion to establish a strong financial founda tion. A strong foundation is crucial for our students to reach academic success that can establish a generational change for many of these families. The entire event was filled with purpose, but admitting five students to Westmont, and seeing the smiles and tears from the audience made the event a night to remember.”

“When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.” – Sam Lefkowitz

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

Panelists offered advice at “Affording Your Dream College” (photo by Josh Guinto)

During the event, five students received their admission to Westmont (photo by Josh Guinto)

Jake

Shimabukuro Christmas in Hawai'i

by Steven Libowitz

Santa Barbara’s regular traditional hol iday shows such as The Nutcracker and Christmas Revels will be arriv ing next month, along with sing-along Messiahs and holiday parties. But the highlight of the season just might be tak ing place even before the calendar flips to December as American Theatre Guild’s Broadway in Santa Barbara series presents A Magical Cirque Christmas on Monday, November 28 at the Granada Theatre.

The show is hosted by magician-com ic Carisa Hendrix, a Guinness Book of World Records holder and former Magic Castle Stage Magician of the Year, who in her sassy, sharp-tongued, Dorothy Parker-style alter ego, Lucy Darling, also portrays a character in the show. As the pandemic was waning, Hendrix was tasked with revitalizing the show to take note of our new reality. So now in addition to somehow combining magic, cirque performers, and a Christmas juke box musical, the extravaganza has also been turned into a modern-day fairy tale.

“I wanted to make something about togetherness and how we hadn’t really been in the holiday spirit,” she explained. “So, I came up with the Guardian of Time, who has to turn the key on the clock that changes the season from Halloween to Christmas, but he’s just not up to it because he feels so alone.”

Fortunately, the clock has a fail-safe mechanism that summons Lucy Darling as a sprite to talk him into doing his duty or turn the key herself.

“But she hasn’t had to do that job in 10,000 years, so she’s been out drinking and partying the whole time and she for got how to do it,” Hendrix said. Instead, she tries to cheer up the Guardian of Time with circus acts and acrobats and “all sorts of illusions and amazingness” that form a big part of the production with performer Rola Bola, unicyclist Jonathan Rinny, juggler Christopher Stoinev, foot juggling duo Ray Rodriguez Lara and Henry D’Boyd Collado Green, plus aerial acts with specialties including a contortionist-archer and lyra acts.

But when the Guardian is still slow to turn the key, the sprite gets impatient and ends up breaking it, Hendrix said.

“That sends everyone spiraling through time, which gives us this wonderful opportunity of landing in Christmases from different decades.”

That includes rollicking 1920s-style hol iday straight out of The Great Gatsby, a rockabilly holiday from the 1950s, and a classic Victorian 1890s London Christmas reminiscent of Charles Dickens – all with their own appropriate music and circus acts.

“Instead of a hodgepodge of Christmas music that feels out of context, we give each era its due,” Hendrix explained. “We have a great singer and it’s really lovely, although things keep accelerating

and escalating and eventually we spiral into nothingness and Lucy has to use her magic to keep the clock ticking.”

It’s an ambitious story with large-scale effects, which requires the cast and crew to show up at 6 am for the one-show stops, Hendrix said.

“All the lights and props and rigging and aerial apparatuses have to be built from scratch every day,” she said. “There’s just 21 of us – myself, the singer, and 10 of the best circus performers I have ever seen and a nine-member skeleton crew. The only way we do it without going crazy is that we’re really close – having a blast together on the bus at night, doing movie nights with popcorn or dancing the macarena. I’m just obsessed with magic, but the show is even way more fun than I thought it would be.”

Which would mirror the message of togetherness that winds up tying the show together at the end, because it’s a Christmas show and everything has to work.

“That’s how they magically put the key back together so the Christmas season can start,” Hendrix said.

American Theatre Guild presents A Magical Cirque Christmas on Monday, November 28 at 7:30 pm at the Granada Theatre. See granadasb.org for tickets and more information.

‘Hour’ Town: Watkins Variety

Heads to UCSB

play covers, do instrumentals, have guests, whatever we wanted,” Sean recalled. “It was incredible because everybody who played there were among our heroes. It’s like, we’re now in with the cool kids. We figured it would be fun for a while.”

Show

The first time Sean and Sara Watkins brought the Watkins Family Hour (WFH) to Santa Barbara was back in March of 2014 in a Sings Like Hell show at the Lobero. The monthly gig at L.A.’s famed Largo anchored by the brother and sister (guitar and fiddle, respective ly), who represented two-thirds of the Grammy-winning bluegrass trio Nickel Creek, was barely a year old and the concert was their first time away from its home base – a one-off to satisfy an invitation from Montecito’s own Glen Phillips, a friend and colleague.

WFH was a regular gig that started as an opportunity to get in some relaxed public performances in between Nickel Creek tours and mushroomed into so much more.

“Back then, the owner told us he didn’t care how many people showed up. We could use the gig to try out new songs,

Nearly two decades later, WFH is not only still going strong, it has become its own little institution. This Americana variety show, in the truest sense of the word, has become a gathering place where the duo works out new material while collaborating and experimenting with an ever-widening circle of other players. Their eccentric guests have ranged over the years from fellow folkies and singer-songwriters such as Gillian Welch, Fiona Apple, and Jackson Browne to jazz greats like pianist Brad Mehldau, rocker John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame, and even comedi ans such as John C. Reilly.

“It’s been a huge cornerstone in our lives, and enabled us to meet so many of our friends and musicians here in L.A. and become a big part of this community,” Sean said. “It’s never gotten old because it’s always evolving as we bring in new people and try different combinations and do different things. It’s an incredible vehicle, a conduit for creativity and col laboration with people we probably never have worked with or even met otherwise.”

There have been many magical moments over the years, Sean recalled, ones where a dozen people or more would drop by for the gig during the

“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.” – William Blake

Therese Curatolo giving a lively perfor mance at A Magical Cirque Christmas

Casey Ely and Krysten Howard swing through the show

Caroline Rinny adding an elegant flare to the show

Oleksiy Alex Mruz finds balance in his act

Native American Heritage Month How to Be an Ally This Thanksgiving

Native American Heritage Month begins in November, a month when many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. While this cultural month has excellent intentions, it is significantly more complicated for Native Americans.

Thanksgiving Day reminds many Native Americans of the genocide of their people, the theft of their lands, and suffering cultural eradication. Historical documents and tes timonies more correctly describe the first Thanksgiving, which was celebrated in 1621; Native Americans were not invited and the events that followed were hostile and deadly.

This is just one of the numerous historical misconceptions that make this month so difficult. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of Native American assimilation, forced relocation, and genocide after the European invasion.

In fact, many Native Americans have observed the National Day of Mourning instead of Thanksgiving since 1970. This day honors Native ancestors and gives space to mourn the massacres that took place. It also protests the racism and injustice Native Americans suffer today.

While the intentions behind this heritage month are good, it often has unexpected consequences, repercussions, and microaggressions that are painful for some Native Americans. To be an ally this Thanksgiving, consider incorporating some of these actionable steps into your observance of the holiday.

1. Learn about the Native American Nations and Tribes in your area

This month, allies may help Native Americans by “doing the work” on their own to learn about Native American history and culture. Using the Native Land app or website to learn whose land you are on is a great start.

Simply enter the name of your place to discover about the languages, treaties, and history of the land you’re on. Even though it does not display the current tribal nation boundaries, you can use this information to learn more about the almost 600 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

2. Celebrate and recognize Indigenous existence all year round

Year-round learning includes celebrating Indigenous art and fashion, watching Native American media, reading books by Indigenous authors, supporting grassroots Native-led organizations and companies, and learning about their history and the realities of their lives today.

3. Incorporate Indigenous foods into your Thanksgiving traditions

Consider celebrating Thanksgiving with Indigenous foods such as corn, beans, pumpkins, and wild rice. It’s an opportunity for folks who are unfamiliar with Native cultures to learn about Indigenous meals, recipes, and culinary skills while enjoying Native ingredients.

This is also an excellent moment to review the distinction between appropriation and appreciation of cultures.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The fol lowing person(s) is/are doing business as: Gilmour Land Surveying INC, 470 Linfield Place, Apt F, Goleta, CA 93117. Gilmour Land Surveying INC, 470 Linfield Place, Apt F, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on No vember 18, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002825. Published November 23, 30, December 7, 14, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The follow ing person(s) is/are doing busi ness as: Central Coast Plumbing & Mechanical, 100 Vega Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. Kristopher R Dills, 100 Vega Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed

with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 16, 2022. This statement ex pires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002800. Published November 23, 30, December 7, 14, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The fol lowing person(s) is/are doing business as: Ramirez Plumbing, 314 W Canon Perdido #5, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Clarion Call Express, INC, 1401 21ST St. Ste. R, Sacramento, CA, 95811. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on October 21, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland,

County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0002590. Published November 9, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The fol lowing person(s) is/are doing business as: ReGen Coop; Dreamscape Santa Barbara, 506 S Salinas, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Regenerative Landscape Alliance, LLC, 506 S Salinas, San ta Barbara, CA 93103. This state ment was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on October 24, 2022. This state ment expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002599. Published November 16, 23, 30, December 7, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 22CV03990. To all interested parties: Petitioner James Chi

am Ken-Ming filed a petition with Superior Court of Califor nia, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to James Tan Ken-Ming. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objec tion that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed Octo ber 19, 2022 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: December 28, 2022 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published November 16, 23, 30, December 7, 2022

Did You Know……

• Montecito Library is the busiest library in SB County based on population, with over 45,000 visits in a typical year!

• Funding for operating the Montecito Library comes from two sources: SB County and the Friends of the Montecito Library.

• Friends of the Montecito Library fund up to 50% of the library’s $400,000 operating budget each year.

• The Friends of the Montecito Library need your help to ensure that our library remains open at least five days a week. We want it to continue to be a place where both young and old are inspired and can learn and expand their horizons.

Montecito Reads

In the ICU

by MJ Staff

Take a sneak peek of Montecito by Michael Cox in this ongoing serialization of his yet-to-be-published book. This fictional story is inspired by “tales of true crime THAT HAPPENED HERE.” After an emergency call, Hollis rushes toward the hospital. Chapters 35 and 36 are available online at montecitojournal.net and the QR code below.

over so she could escort me to the Intensive Care Unit. I had so many questions, but at that moment, I just wanted to see my family. I traversed the endless walk in a fog; if the nurse had quizzed me on the escape route, I could not have begun to answer. Finally, she delivered me to the doors of the ICU waiting room. She paused with her hand on the door and met my eyes with a flash of sympathy. “In here,” she said, pulling the door open.

There were several pods of people in the room, all experiencing their own flavor of anguish. In the far corner, I spotted Isabel sitting next to Cricket, their heads folded together. Cricket’s eyes were fixated on the carpet in front of her feet, and she had a wad of Kleenex in her hand. Isabel spotted me first, but she said nothing. Her face simply balled itself into a look of agony as she stood and ran to me, throwing her arms around my waist and planting her teary cheeks against my midsection. Cricket followed, her head bowed, her legs moving slowly. She picked up speed as she got closer and eventually, the three of us formed a Crawford family huddle of tears.

I massaged the backs of both of their heads, pulling them in tighter, grateful for their clothes-soaking tears. I am not sure how long we stood like that, but it took a tap on the shoulder from an operating room nurse to break our embrace apart.

“Dr. Johnson wanted me to tell you that we will be in surgery for the next few hours, but he will come find you when he has an update,” she said. “For now, try to make yourselves as comfortable as possible. Move around, go for a walk, get a drink in the cafeteria. Just remember to leave a cell phone contact number at the reception desk, and we’ll track you down as soon as there is something to report.”

Montecito

by Michael Cox

Chapter 37

I drove to Cottage Hospital as if I planned to be a patient, not a visitor. By the grace of the Fates, I arrived without accident. I parked on Junipero Street, a short sprint from the hospital’s emergency room entrance. As soon as I shifted my Subaru into park, my emotional dam broke. Nickel-sized tears pelted my pant legs; my airways clogged with snot. My forehead fell to the steering wheel as I sobbed. It was a thirty second burst of unre strained fear; the controlled exercise of a pressure valve to keep the pipe itself from exploding.

As quickly as it began, it – at least temporarily – ended. I slapped myself three times to reinitiate dominance, much as a dog owner grabs his pup’s muzzle. There would be plenty of time for crying, but I could not let Cricket see me broken before the battle even began. With the interior of my elbow, I mopped my face and exited the car.

As the automatic doors parted, memories of past hospital visits came roaring back. After all, there is no such thing as a colorless trip to a hospi tal; each visit its own line in an earnest poem.

“Trip Crawford?” I asked the frazzled crew of nurses at the reception desk. “I’m his father.”

Several heads turned to me at once, a few perplexed expressions sug gesting that they might not have every hospital patient’s name committed to memory. But the intake nurse nodded, then asked a colleague to take

We all nodded in unison. She reached out and put a hand on Cricket’s shoulder. “Think good thoughts,” she said, forcing a smile.

I followed Cricket and Isabel back to their seats, already tagged as the domain of the Crawford family. In my experience, ICU waiting rooms operated like tent cities. Families intuitively staked their territories, sepa rated – if they are lucky – by a few chairs so that one group’s quiet con versation did not interfere with another’s silent contemplation. Even when empty, the seats somehow let it be known they were saved. Eventually a family would disappear, their loved one coming through or losing their fight. Those who remained behind would watch as a new family and its new tragedy took the old’s place.

“What happened?” I asked when I finally felt the cloak of privacy. Cricket shook her head. “We don’t know.”

“Something spooked Trip’s horse,” Isabel said in a hush.

“But these are trained horses, right?” I asked. “They don’t just take off at the sight of a mouse, do they?”

“We weren’t with them when it happened, dad,” Isabel said, staring at her shoes. “Me and mom and Genevieve were way behind. Priscilla and Trip had gone ahead of us.”

“So, then what?” I asked. “They were ahead of you, and then what?”

“I don’t know what it was, dad,” Isabel said. “But Priscilla just… she just–”

“She just screamed,” Cricket interrupted. “One of those blood-curdling, high-pitched wails straight out of the movies.”

I tried to calibrate this cryptic information. Was the scream cause or was it effect? Was Priscilla’s scream remarkable in an absolute sense – you would have heard it if standing next to a concrete mixer – or only notable relative to the silence of the surrounding mountain trail? So many questions. I settled on the simplest: “Why did she scream?”

“We don’t know, dad,” Isabel repeated. “When we got to her, she was crying so hard. She was trying to say something, but I couldn’t understand her.”

Cricket cleared her throat. “We had to focus on Trip.” She hung her head. “He was… uh, he needed our full attention.”

As usual, Cricket was right. I was trying to understand the why, she was

Scan here for Chapters 35 & 36

dealing with the what. “Of course,” I said. “Of course. Did the paramedics tell you anything?”

Cricket closed her eyes. “They were very kind,” she said, “but no. They didn’t really say much. It was, uh… other than the obvious things, it was hard to tell how bad the damage was.”

I buried my head in my hands. “What were…,” I cleared my throat and dropped my voice to a whisper, the words feeling obscene. “What were the injuries you could see?”

“His leg was broken,” Isabel said.

I felt a flood of relief. Broken bones healed. A little time; maybe surgery. At worst, the insertion of a metal pin. He would get a cool cast his friends at school could scribble on. Just a broken leg; this was good news! Maybe Isabel and Cricket were overreacting, still suffering from shock.

“Not broken,” Cricket clarified, “more like shattered.”

There goes that theory, I thought, erasing my brief spout of optimism. I closed my eyes. “Upper leg or lower leg?”

“Both,” Isabel said. “It was…,” she shuddered without completing the sentence.

“And then, there was so much blood around his head,” Cricket contin ued. “I think that’s the hardest part. I just couldn’t tell. There was just so much… blood.”

“I think he hurt his ear,” Isabel said. “Did you see that, mom?”

“Yes, dear,” Cricket said, her eyes squeezed shut as if trying to unsee it.

“Was he…,” I paused, unsure if I had the stomach to hear the answer to my next question, “Was he in pain?”

“No,” Cricket said, sitting up a little straighter and taking a deep breath. “No. He was unconscious.”

“He moaned a little when they put him on the stretcher,” Isabel added, “but he didn’t wake up.”

“But his pulse?” I asked. “He never lost his pulse, did he?”

“It was weak,” Cricket confirmed, “But no. Even in the ambulance. He never…”

She did not need to complete that sentence. I knew what she was unable to say: He never died. I sat back in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, my mind wandering from the what back to the why of it all. “Do you think Priscilla’s scream spooked Trip’s horse?” I asked.

Cricket shrugged. “It might have been her scream, or it might have been whatever caused her to scream,” Cricket said. “I don’t know, Hollis. We are in the dark here too.”

“Do you—”

“I don’t know, Hollis,” Cricket said, placing a hand on my knee. “I don’t know.”

We sat in silence for what felt like a long time. No one pulled out a phone. No one grabbed a magazine. We just sat, lost in the maze of our thoughts. We would hear from the doctor soon, but until then, we had only our imaginations. These moments are a good test of one’s internal optimism barometer. Without the burden of actual knowledge, my brain tried to discount what Isabel and Cricket had reported of Trip’s physical injuries. It was as if I had heard a rumor from an untrustworthy gossip; I needed proof before I would believe.

But if I was an optimist when it came to what, I was fighting lunacy when it came to why. I had gone too deep down the Cyrus Wimby rab bit hole by this point; my head was full of borderline insane conspiracy theories. This was an accident, I kept trying to tell myself, it has nothing to do with Cyrus. This optimistic mantra did me no good; by the time Genevieve and Priscilla joined us in the waiting room, I was ready for my straight jacket fitting.

“Have you heard anything yet?” Genevieve asked breathlessly. Priscilla stood behind her mother, bleary eyed, her head bowed, squeezing Genevieve’s waist like a life preserver.

Cricket shook her head. “It’ll be a while I’m afraid.”

Genevieve took the seat caddy-corner to Isabel, and Priscilla climbed into her lap, curling like an infant. “I just don’t know how this could hap pen,” Genevieve said. “Trip was riding Flip-Flop. She is one of the gentlest horses in our stable. She barely trots.”

We all nodded. A fog of blame hung over the room, searching for a place to settle. Genevieve wanted to make sure we were not intent on blaming the horse. Believe me, Flip-Flop was nowhere near the top of my suspect list.

Priscilla curled tighter into her mother’s lap. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked. “Oh, honey,” Cricket said. “This isn’t your fault.” She reached across and patted Priscilla’s knee.

Again, I nodded, but something told me not to wave away this particular apology. In my experience, children do not say I’m sorry the way adults do. We use it ceaselessly as shorthand for I’m sorry for you: I’m sorry you got fired; I’m sorry your dog died; I’m sorry it rained on your birthday. These are not events we adults are trying to absorb blame for. But when kids say I’m sorry, they are genuinely apologizing. Fair or unfair, they feel respon sible and are requesting absolution. I am not saying that in that moment I felt that Priscilla had shoved Trip from his horse, but she was expressing remorse for some set of actions that she felt played a role in Trip’s injuries. This, in my opinion, demanded follow-up.

I waited. Cricket did not follow up. Genevieve did not follow up. Isabel did not follow up. This was probably my clue that humans who reside out side the fog understood that now was not the time to pick Priscilla’s wound open. I suspected that this collective belief was based on thousands of years of Homo sapiens interaction, evolving from grunts and howls to the words of William Cullen Bryant. Priscilla needed time to process and heal, it was determined; she would talk when she was ready.

This was a wise consensus, no doubt. And a man more sensitive and empathetic might have heeded this unspoken advice. But I was ready now, and as far as I was concerned, Priscilla’s apology was my invitation to inter rogate an eight-year-old.

“Priscilla, honey,” I said, leaning forward on my knees. “Can you tell us what happened?”

As soon as the question was voiced, Genevieve tensed. As if registering her mom’s anxiety, Priscilla shook her head side to side, saying nothing.

“Anything at all?” I pressed. “Do you know why Flip-Flop got excited?”

Priscilla looked up at Genevieve.

“I don’t think she’s ready to talk yet,” Genevieve said.

I nodded, registering her subtle suggestion to stop, then ignored it. “I know this is hard, Priscilla, but you were the only one there when it hap pened. Do you remember what made you scream? Was there a loud noise? Was there a fallen tree limb? Did Rosaland get scared?”

Priscilla nodded her head, yes.

“Oh,” I said, tingling at this initial response. The adults wanted me to stop, but Priscilla wanted to talk; I just knew it. “So Rosaland got scared too. And does Rosaland get scared very often?”

Priscilla shook her head, no. Genevieve sat up straighter; Cricket placed a hand on my thigh. More clues that my behavior was not within the social norms. On the plus side, I recognized them. On the minus, I ignored them.

“I see,” I said. “So, something must have happened, right? Because if Rosaland doesn’t get scared often, but she got scared today, something must have made her scared. Don’t you think?”

Slowly, Priscilla nodded, yes.

“I know you want answers, Hollis,” Genevieve interjected, “but I really think it would be best if we all take some time and let our heads clear.” She hugged Priscilla tightly.

I nodded at Genevieve without the slightest intent on stopping. I fully

acknowledge this was mean, selfish, immature behavior, but if given the opportunity to rewind time, I would do it all over again just the same. “Priscilla, honey,” I continued. “Did the thing that scared Flip-Flop and scared Rosaland also scare you?”

Priscilla nodded, yes. Cricket squeezed my thigh. Genevieve hugged tighter.

“Wow,” I said and meant it. With each small revelation, Priscilla peeled back another layer of opacity. “That must have been something really frightening, huh? Is that what made you scream?”

Again, she nodded, yes.

“There are a lot of wild animals on those trails,” Genevieve blurted. A flash of rage filled my face: why was Genevieve interfering? Couldn’t she see that Priscilla was helping us understand what happened to Trip? Calm down, Hollis, I told myself. Genevieve was just protecting her daughter; it is a mother’s instinct. I smiled. “Your mom is right,” I said. “There are all kinds of animals up there. Some are kind of scary. Do you think it was an animal that scared everyone?”

Priscilla shook her head, no. Genevieve glared at Cricket with eyes that said, make him stop!

But I would not stop; I could not stop. “Ok,” I said. “So, it wasn’t an animal. That is really helpful. Thank you for being so helpful.”

Priscilla looked up at her mom again, this time with an expression of relief.

But apparently Genevieve saw it differently: “Hollis, really. That is enough,” she said. “I know you all need some space to focus on Trip and his injuries. We only dropped by to give you our best wishes and because Priscilla wanted to make sure you knew how sorry she was that this—”

“What do you think it was, Priscilla?” I interrupted. “What could have been so frightening that it scared Flip-Flop and it scared Rosaland and it scared you so badly that you screamed?”

“Hollis,” Cricket interjected, joining the chorus of adults subtly denouncing me. “I think Genevieve is right. Why don’t we—”

“What was it, Priscilla?” I asked.

Again, Priscilla looked at her mom. I could read her face clearly. She was not asking to be saved from the mean man asking all the intrusive ques tions. She wanted permission to speak.

“What was it, Priscilla?” I repeated.

“I think it’s best if we—”

I moved to the edge of my seat, almost in a catcher’s squat. “What was it?” I whispered.

Priscilla squeezed her eyes shut as if chasing away a vision. “It was a man,” she said.

Chapter 38

Cricket took her hand off my thigh and joined me on the knife edge of her chair. “A man?” she said.

Genevieve shook her head in protest. “Sweetie,” she said, “I think you are confused. There wasn’t any man up there.”

Priscilla tucked in her chin. “There was, mommy.”

“Tell me about the man,” I said, and I meant it. I was not humoring Priscilla, asking her to describe her imaginary friend. I believed her. As crazy as it might have sounded, and as easy as it would be to dismiss her story as some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder, I was certain that Priscilla was telling the truth. There was a man in those woods. “Was he really tall like your dad? Or was he short like Isabel?”

Priscilla stared at me, her eyes unfocused. “He was in the middle,” she said.

“Sweetie,” Genevieve said again, pulling Priscilla’s chin out of its tuck so that their eyes could meet. “We talked about this. There are no men up there. There are no roads up there. There are no homes up there. You did not see a man.”

Priscilla re-tucked her chin once again. “But I did, mommy.”

My skin prickled. Why was Genevieve trying so hard to silence Priscilla? As a parent, I had certainly seen my fair share of wild imaginations and creative story telling. I did not need Genevieve to referee the conversation to come to a reasonable conclusion. Who was she trying to convince that there had been no man, Priscilla, or me? “What was the man wearing?” I asked, pressing forward.

Genevieve scowled at me.

Priscilla squinted, again rewinding her mind’s eye. “Black,” she said. “And did the man do anything?” I asked. “Did he try to talk to you?” She shook her head, no. “He tried to grab me.”

Simultaneously, Cricket and I leaned so far forward that our heads nearly clunked.

“Priscilla? Come now,” Genevieve said. “I’ve heard quite enough.”

Priscilla buried her head in her mother’s chest just as Cyrus came through the door of the ICU waiting room, fresh from his round of golf at The Valley Club.

“I came as soon as I heard,” he said, rushing to Genevieve’s side, kissing his wife. “Hollis. Cricket. Isabel. I am so sorry this happened to your poor sweet boy. I just don’t know how—”

“Is that when you screamed, Priscilla?” I interrupted. Cyrus’s arrival guaranteed that I was on a countdown timer. Genevieve had suggested I stop; Cyrus would demand it. “Did you scream when the man tried to grab you?”

Priscilla nodded, yes.

“What is this about?” Cyrus asked.

Now ignoring both of Priscilla’s parents, I charged toward the finish line. “And is that what scared Flip-Flop?” I asked.

She nodded, yes, again.

“What are you talking about, Hollis?” Cyrus said. His spine straightened; his eyes narrowed. He was not used to his questions going unanswered.

“Priscilla thinks she saw a man on the riding trail,” Genevieve said, encir cling Priscilla in her arms as if to shield her from me. “Even though that is impossible. Preposterous really. Tell them, Cyrus.”

I found Priscilla’s eyes through Genevieve’s arms and locked on them. “When Flip-Flop started to run,” I asked her, “what did the man do?”

“Flip-Flop knocked him down,” Priscilla said, her voice muffled. “But then Rosaland got scared and …and …and I never saw the man again.”

“Hollis, what are you doing?” Cyrus challenged. “I think it’s pretty clear that Priscilla has been traumatized by today’s events. This story makes absolutely no sense and–”

“Why do the two of you keep interrupting your daughter?” I said, stand ing to – at least temporarily – obtain a height advantage. “I’m just asking her what happened. She was there; you were not. Why can’t she answer a few questions?”

Cricket reached for my arm to pull me back into my seat, but before she could, Cyrus stood as well; my height advantage evaporated.

“You’ve been through a lot today, Hollis,” Cyrus said. “But this is inap propriate. Why don’t we all take a deep breath and agree to discuss this again when Priscilla has gotten some sleep and had a chance to reflect.”

This was the first time I had laid eyes on Cyrus since my discovery of his chain of undisclosed bank accounts with their zero balances. And then, of course, there was the end of that chain: the anchor. The Zurich bank account in a notorious zone of secrecy, Switzerland. I had only just linked that account to the CryptoWallet when the call came from Cricket. I had only just begun to see what that Zurich account held. But now that I had seen it, the Cyrus Wimby before me was unrecognizable. Nothing that I thought I understood was true.

Cyrus’s face was stern, but not angry; the converse of my own, I suspect ed. I am sure an objective observer would testify that the tall, good-looking man with the impossibly long fingers was calm and rational while the other guy sounded a little reckless, a little unhinged, a little angry. Guilty as charged.

As I suspected, my opportunity to question Priscilla was indeed over. That is, unless I was prepared to punch Cyrus and rip Priscilla from Genevieve’s arms. The punching would have been a relief, but I was not yet ready to become a kidnapper. With every ounce of strength in my body, I summoned the courage to say, “I’m sorry, Cyrus. I don’t know what I was thinking. You’re right.”

Cyrus’s shoulders relaxed; a smile returned to his face. He placed a hand on my shoulder: “It is ok, my friend.”

Tune in next week for more Montecito

Michael Cox is a 2005 graduate of the Stanford

School of Business and a Wall Street refugee. Including Montecito, Michael has written three novels, each in various stages of the path to publication. He can be reached at mcox@alumni.gsb.stanford.edu.

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Karr

Graduate

ordinance for cannabis growing. The ordi nance ALREADY requires “best available technology.” No one disputes that this is carbon filtration or at least carbon scrubbers. So why, why, why have the supervisors not had the fortitude to join Colorado and so many others in stating simply and plainly that the existing ordinance requires growers to install this technology?! When odors become excessive, supervisors are apparently urging growers to do this on a friendly basis as good neighbors. That’s great! But why not require it? It’s not as if growers don’t have the financial means to do so when, as Jeff points out, they are making $700 a pound profit on a $100 investment!

Come on supervisors, wake up!

Jim Mannoia

Repeat Processes

I don’t think people understand what is really going on with China’s seemingly heroic efforts to eradicate COVID. COVID is a gift sent by Mao Tse Tung from beyond the grave to Xi Jinping, China’s current dictator. Mao locked down the country during the long Cultural Revolution while he consolidated absolute power. Xi is getting practice doing the same. Lenin pioneered the original playbook whereby the communist dictator declares a “new economic policy” or “glasnost” whenever the people get tired of the dictator’s unfulfilled economic promises. Party leaders invite capitalist investment by promising they are ready to turn away from totalitarianism.

Once capitalist nations like the U.S. rebuild the economic infrastructure, the dictator locks the country back down into communist feudalism for another 50-year dark age, until the process is repeated again.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Time for New People to Surface

I genuinely respect those who disagree with me, but I remain convinced that Joe Biden is, by far, the worst U.S. President in my lifetime. Despite his continuous attempts to place blame elsewhere, his numerous failed policies include being the cause of our present inflation, our south ern border crisis (about which he does nothing), and the reality that we are no longer energy independent. He has need lessly drained our strategic oil reserves and

spends time embarrassingly pleading with unfriendly nations to increase oil produc tion when we have what we need here in the good old U.S.A. He totally fails to understand that we are going to require fossil fuels for many more years simply to produce and generate the items needed for renewable energy. Biden’s disastrous actions truly represent a “cart before the horse” situation.

I acknowledge the character flaws of Donald Trump, but his domestic and for eign policies were far superior to those of Biden. I’d much prefer a President Trump to a President Biden. However, I am sorry that Trump recently announced his inten tions to enter the 2024 presidential race. We need “new blood” and I would much prefer people like Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Glenn Youngkin to emerge as candidates. At this point in time, I think a DeSantis/Haley team would be ideal. We also need to “clean house” and replace the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Mitch McConnell with competent people who may have differing views but will work for the people and not solely for their respective political parties.

Our republic is a great county, one of the few where people can openly express views on who should govern it and how it should be governed. I have expressed my thoughts. I hope others will do likewise.

Sanderson M. Smith, Ed.D.

Public Service Stations a Service

I watched #45 make his comeback speech on C-SPAN.

The beauty of this public service sta tion is not only do you get to see the speech, but you also get to see the real feeling of what it’s like to be in the room.

No talking pundits to deal with.

No chyrons to read.

The speech was very tame and fairly well given.

Then as the camera panned out, some guests started leaving early.

Then it got really interesting.

Mr. Trump’s paid staff were directing those who wanted to leave to stand or sit back down.

So much for freedom of choice in the Sunshine State.

Steve Marko

by Ashleigh Brilliant

The U.S. Marines have as their “Hymn” a song which at first cel ebrates their history, going back to the early 19th Century, with a reference to American military force being used (for the first time abroad) to subdue the piratical behavior of certain North African governments known collectively as the Barbary States (“The shores of Tripoli”).

The song then goes on to claim that the Marines fight for “Right and Freedom,” and adds, as a further jus tification for fighting, “To keep our honor clean.” This sounds like a noble sentiment – but what exactly does it mean? What is honor, and how do you keep it clean? In the past, it often had to do with violence, but on those occasions, it was an individual matter, usually a dispute involving only two parties, which was settled by means of a duel. And what was the disagreement about? It could be something relatively trivial, when somebody felt they’d been insulted or offended, probably public ly, since otherwise it would hardly be worth making an issue of.

So, the way to keep your honor clean was to literally fight it out. And, if this was to have any meaning, it must be with real weapons, entailing the risk of injury or even death. In most civilized countries, this practice became illegal centuries ago. After all, what were law courts for? Yet, for some reason, dueling was tolerated, if not sanctioned, even in supposedly enlightened societies like the new United States. The most notorious instance was the 1804 duel between a Secretary of the Treasury and a Vice President – something about public insults in the press – resulting in the death of Alexander Hamilton, and the permanent disgrace of Aaron Burr. But “honor” was satisfied – or was it?

Honor is not, strictly speaking, a mat ter of law. And yet, in the courtroom, the Judge (but nobody else) is addressed as “Your Honor.” It is a title of esteem, whether deserved or not, simply by vir tue of a position one holds.

But is that what the Marines are singing about? Is it a matter of custom? In some of Hamlet’s first lines, he talks about a custom of which he disapproves (late night revels and carousing) as being “more honored in the breach than in the observance.” In other words, the honorable thing is not to do it. For the Marines, the honorable thing is to win the respect and esteem of others – even, or particularly, of the other military services. One way of doing this is by getting into action first. Traditionally, Marines are chosen for important or dangerous assignments,

such as guarding government facilities. This explains the boastful tone of that “Marine Hymn’s” last stanza:

“If the Army or the Navy Ever look on Heaven’s scenes, They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines.”

Incidentally, the music of that “hymn” was borrowed, or stolen, from a French opera, Geneviève de Brabant, a work of Jacques Offenbach, who also gave us the “Can-Can.” I don’t know how honorable or dishonorable that would be consid ered. After all, our National Anthem came musically from an English drinking song. However, appropriating somebody else’s tune doesn’t seem to be considered as improper as plagiarizing their words.

But then there’s the “honor system,” as it prevails in many stores and eating establishments, where the customer is trusted to calculate the bill, and leave the correct payment.

The same idea, of trusting people to be honest, also rules student behavior at various schools, and is particularly embodied in the “Honor Codes” of many military academies. Part of the code is that you are not supposed to lie, cheat, or steal – but the crucial part is that, if you know of one of your fellows misbehaving in that way, you have to turn him in. This, of course, is dia metrically opposite to that other more traditional “code” which states that you don’t “rat” on a friend or associate, no matter how offended you may feel by their conduct.

This reminds me of an often-quoted statement by E.M. Forster, that “If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.”

While I’m quoting, I might as well conclude with a couple of my own observations on this subject:

“All honor to those who do for money the work that nobody really wants to do.”

“Sometimes it’s an honor to be discovered – Sometimes it’s a disgrace.”

Robert’s Big Questions Workplace Democracy?

by Robert Bernstein

Some years ago, I helped an engineer friend get a job at our company. Soon after she started, I invited her to attend a Science and Engineering Council meeting with me. I was shocked when she told me she had to miss the meeting because the new owners of the company were requiring her to get tested for drugs.

I was one of the founders of the original company and the idea of drug testing would never have occurred to us. Notably, they were only testing new employees. A case of “divide and con quer.” The existing employees wouldn’t know this new policy was happening and the new employees would assume it was always this way.

At a company-wide meeting I chal lenged the company president who was visiting from New York. He said, “Our customers are asking for this.” I replied, “Suppose your customers were asking you not to hire Black people. Would you go along with that?”

What are the bounds of what a busi ness can demand of its employees? There may be gray areas. And there may in fact be jobs where some intrusive testing may be necessary. But how can it possibly matter what drugs an engineer does or does not use on her own time?

The new owners were also quick to fire people with little regard for how this impacted real people, the important work being done, or worker morale. Think of Elon Musk and his Twitter debacle. They dealt with the resulting fear and anger by locking the doors and hiring armed guards. Unthinkable for us founders.

My political scientist friend Jerry Fresia recommended a book to me called Workplace Democracy, which discussed such issues from a very practical stand point. The book consisted of case stories of businesses that were run with varying degrees of worker control.

Jerry pointed out to me that most peo ple spend most of their waking hours at a job, working for someone else. Does it make sense to say we live in a democracy if most of our waking lives have no dem ocratic control at all?

not want to spend much time in the world of management. They were willing to dele gate their democratic control to others.

All of the original founding members owned a share of the company. But those shares were worth nothing until or unless the company was sold. Which gave an incentive eventually to sell to a corporate entity that did not respect the original values of Acme.

Workplace Democracy was full of sim ilar examples to what I observed. But it also included some spectacularly success ful examples of sustainable workplace democracy. Most famous: The Spanish Mondragon Corporacion Cooperativa and Israeli Kibbutzim. Mondragon has over 250 companies with 80,000 worker/ owners and over $10 billion in sales.

In contrast, many U.S. cases had work er ownership, but little worker partici pation in decision making. Workers are still alienated from their work. Successful workplace democracy requires a funda mental rethinking that makes the work creative and meaningful as well as being structured in a way that inherently encourages participation.

Mondragon began with a young Catholic priest José María Arizmendiarrieta settling in Mondragón, Spain. In 1943 he built a technical college that also promoted his humanistic principles of solidarity and participation. In 1955 he established the first Mondragon company, Talleres Ulgor.

Current Mondragon companies include consumer and industrial manufacturing as well as retail, finance, and insurance. Top management wages are only about five times the lowest wages. Worker wages are above industry averages.

Mondragon is immersed in a larger economy that rewards exploitation and externalizing environmental harms. And not all workers are owners or managers. But they have demonstrated long-term success operating on principles includ ing: Democratic organization, participa tory management, social transformation, social responsibility, and constant renew al/innovation in all areas.

Can you imagine a future where these principles are found at every company? Can you imagine a future without this?

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

At the same time, several of my co-work er friends were brainstorming the idea of starting a new company based on more worker control. It was very idealistic, and they followed through with high hopes, creating a company I will call “Acme.”

Over the years I was able to watch what happened at Acme. Early on there were conflicts when some people felt they were working harder than others. More conven tional standards of work hours, vacation time, and benefits had to be established.

Some of my engineering friends really just enjoyed their engineering work and did

Robert Bernstein holds degrees from Physics departments of MIT and UCSB. Passion to understand the Big Questions of life, the universe and to be a good citizen of the planet. Visit facebook.com/ questionbig

“Let me encourage you to get up every day and focus on what you do have in life.” – Victoria Ostend

Far Flung Travel

The Pelagic Food Chain

by Chuck Graham

The weather window was tight. It was one day, and we took advan tage of it, circumnavigating the 27 coastal miles of San Miguel Island, the most northwesterly isle in the Channel Islands National Park.

After several solo circumnavigations of this wave-battered, teeming islet, I was gratefully joined by four kayak guides who I work with at Scorpion Anchorage on the southeast fringe of Santa Cruz Island. We were about 55 miles north west of that tranquil locale. Paddling around San Miguel Island has always had a different feel to it. It’s a little vulnera ble, a little exposed. The elements can all strike at once, wind, swell, fog, currents, and the food chain all factoring in.

However, launching our kayaks at Cuyler Harbor on the northern edge of San Miguel Island was nothing but serene. A sunrise start has always been calming, soothing, with pink and orange hues melding across the islandscape. This day was no different as Sean, Caco, Zack, Jacob, and I paddled to the north west, as squadrons of California brown pelicans and Brandt’s cormorants hovered above us. We had an early morning pelag ic audience offsetting a large northwest swell sweeping over wave-battered rocky spires and the craggy appendage that is Harris Point.

Harris Point protrudes to the north west and has always been a great indicator of what to expect for the rest of the day. We could see at least three miles south west beyond Castle Rock, well within what has come to be known as “Shark Park.” If the northwest winds were up at that point, then we would’ve turned around, but up to that point my weather app was spot on, nary a wisp of any winds swirling around five wired kayakers.

Castle Rock

Nothing grows on Castle Rock. From afar, it appears like an ancient cinder cone, barren and lonely with a smidge volcanic upheaval. But I’ve never been alone at Castle Rock. It has always been smothered with bellowing California sea lions and precocious northern fur seals.

Aerial views of Castle Rock revealed a massive sinkhole in its center. My last two circumnavigations, I’ve tried paddling into a precarious entry point to access the innards of the cave-in. However, like my two other attempts the entry point was difficult at best, and I think it’s like that most days because it is so exposed to swell from the south/southwest and west/ northwest. Jacob and I tried backing into it, but actual entry into this hidden grot to would have to wait for another day, maybe an elusively calm one.

As daunting as Castle Rock was, as it appeared, we couldn’t tell that to all the northern fur seal pups. At just a few months old, they played around our kayaks and atop the dense canopy of giant bladder kelp without a care in the world. Like small children, their curiosity knew no bounds. They poked their heads out of the water, their ears sticking straight out with their cute, snub-nosed faces beaming our way.

They warmed themselves on the water, by way of “jugging.” While lying on the surface of the water, the pups brought

their pectoral and tail flippers upward until they connected, thus creating a jug handle. Northern fur seals and California sea lions have lots of veins in the tips of their flippers allowing the sun to warm their flippers and circulating heat throughout their bodies while remaining on the water.

Point Bennett

The graveyard of wayward ships has become one with the maze of reef passages surrounding Point Bennett. It’s a foul weath er region that gets hammered by everything the ocean can throw at it, and it just happens to be the site of the largest congregation of seals and sea lions in the world.

Depending on the time of year there can be anywhere between 30,000 to 50,000 pinnipeds at Point Bennett. Amongst all the sights, sounds and smells, there’s plenty of drama surrounding the sand spits and weather-beaten crags of argu ably the most volatile region surrounding the Channel Islands National Park.

I can’t recall how many times I’ve paddled through and around the unpre dictable reef passages of Point Bennett, but it’s smack dab in the middle of the California Current, the food chain alive and well. However, I’ve always man aged to stay in my kayak, that is, until October 24, 2022.

From Harris Point out to the northern fringe of Point Bennett, all I was seeing was swell running out of the north/northwest. The path I chose through the first couple passages, there were no big surprises as I kept an eye over my right shoulder for any sneaky waves from “the great north.” The third reef passage totally threw me off. Southerly swell stacked off the horizon, stretching across Point Bennett. I was out in front leading the way. I knew there was no escape. We were all going to get wet with sea lions and fur seals mocking us.

I peered over my right shoulder and told everyone we were going for a swim in the food chain. I told them to hang onto their kayaks as best they could right before I plowed through the first wave. It swept me off my kayak as I successfully latched

onto my dry bag holding my camera gear. That first wave pushed me past everyone. The next wave took all four kayak guides at once. Two guides were swept past me. Over the years, I’ve spent many occasions around the Northern Chain swimming after my kayak. In this instance, I found myself laughing, enjoying a challenging moment in the food chain. In the water with seals and sea lions, they remained playful and curious as I looked at the guides’ faces who were utterly bewildered. There were three waves in that set out of the south, and then it was calm again. We climbed back into our kayaks, and suc cessfully rounded Point Bennett. Once at Adams Cove out of the wind and swell and amongst hundreds of happy seals and sea lions, that harrowing moment was already in our rearview mirrors and seemed like a long time ago. Fortunately, island time is good for that.

“Be thankful for the blessings of the little things, even when you don’t get what you expect.” – Victoria Ostend

Castle Rock is a barren fortress from the windswept swells

Riding into a moment of calm in Cuyler Harbor

A yellow-rumped warbler going about its business on a giant bladder kelp canopy

Pinnipeds seem to not have a problem with the waves

Northern fur seal pups about to just start jugging it

An unsuspecting Caco in a moment of still waters

Chuck Graham is a free lance writer and photogra pher based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands National Park

Hye Jung and pianist Soyeon Kate Lee were both in fine form with a program featuring Emma O’Halloran, Caroline Shaw, Rachmaninoff’s “Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42,” Joseph Schwantner, Christopher Cerrone, and Chopin’s “Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17, No.4.”

A fun new locale...

New Rocking Racks

Local fashion designer Catherine Gee has opened her eponymous 2,400-squarefoot flagship boutique in La Arcada.

Around 150 guests turned out for the opening bash, which showed off a

host of all-silk wares she has been designing since 2015.

Catherine became known for her core slip dress style and has since grown the brand into full ready-to-wear with the emphasis on silks, printed blouses, and dresses with luxe velvets, high quality

cottons, and bold eye-catching jacquards. She gained industry recognition when she became the winner of WWD and Galeries Lafayette (Paris) Crème de la Crème Emerging Designer competition in 2016.

Over the years Catherine’s designs have attracted a host of A-listers includ ing Halle Berry , Charlize Theron , Naomi Watts, Olivia Wilde, Alessandra Ambrosio , Jessica Alba , Rebecca Gayheart, and Mila Kunis Catherine’s fashions are sold in more than 200 stores across the U.S.

Silky Songs

After staging Puccini’s triumphant work Tosca at the Granada, it was time for Opera Santa Barbara to turn to comedy for its latest production, Rossini’s La Scala di Seta – The Silk Ladder – at the Lobero, a one-act vin tage work from 1812.

Home-grown soprano Jana McIntyre, who sang in Handel’s Semele last season, was at the top of her form playing a Paris

Modeling Gee’s designs are Chris Lancashire, Patty Ficke, and Nicholas Karadimas (photo by Priscilla)

Catherine Gee in front with Jodi de Marcos models below (photo by Priscilla)

Nina Dunbar, Josh Shaw, Fred and Nancy Golden, and Timothy Accurso (photo by Priscilla)

Marilyn Gilbert, Kostis Protopapas, with Marilyn’s daughter Kirsten Skirvin (photo by Priscilla)

Soyeon Kate Lee gave a riveting performance at Camerata Pacifica’s latest concert

Nicole Daniel, Robert Montanes, and Carly Williams (photo by Priscilla)

La Scala di Seta

artists: Matt Peterson, Benjamin Brecher, Josh Shaw, Christina Pezzarossi, Alexis Enyart, Christian Sanders, Efrain Solis, and Jana McIntyre (photo by Priscilla)

The Way It Was The Sisters of Charity and St. Vincent’s Institute

by Hattie Beresford

In 1854, Pope Pius the IX conse crated Thaddeus Amat y Brusi as bishop of Monterey. The reluctant prelate (he had tried to ditch the papal appointment) moved the headquar ters of the diocese to Santa Barbara where he planned to build a cathedral for the relics of the newly beatified Saint Viviana. Arriving in December of 1855, the glass coffin containing her bones (which were encased in an elabo rately garbed wax effigy) were ceremo niously delivered to the chapel recently created in the Nicolas Den Adobe on the corner of Figueroa and State Street. Thus established and domiciled at the Mission, the Spanish-born Amat set to work.

In 1858, at Amat’s request, two Sisters of Charity from Emmitsburg, Maryland, and one Daughter of Charity from Spain arrived in Santa Barbara to establish a combined orphanage, boarding school, and day school. Sisters Andrea Gibbs and Mary Mullane traveled to Santa Barbara via the Isthmus of Panama using ships, trains, mules, and more ships to com plete the treacherous journey. Landing in Santa Barbara on January 5, they were joined four days later by Sister Angelita Mombrado.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph were founded in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1809 by the now-can onized Elizabeth Ann Seton. Her organization was patterned after the

Daughters of Charity founded by St. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac in 1833 in France. There, they were called “daughters” to dis tinguish their organization from their cloistered sisters.

Both the American and French orga nizations were apostolic orders devoted to working with the poor and serv ing humankind. Both required each sister to renew her vows annually so each might leave the order freely. In 1850, the two orders merged, and the American branch adopted the blue habit, white collar, and white cor nette of the French branch. Though referred to as “Daughters” today, in the United States the order continued to be called Sisters of Charity well into the 20th century.

Initially, they established a school in the Aguirre Adobe, a once elegant 19-room house that stood on the corner of Carrillo and Santa Barbara streets, the site of today’s Little Town Club. In 1863, the school was moved to the Cieneguitas area, where a small tribe of Chumash had a village and an asistencia , a small rural mission, dubbed San Miguel. The proper ty belonged to the Santa Barbara Mission, which ostensibly had held it in trust for the Chumash people until Mexico achieved its independence from Spain and secularized the mis sions and appropriated the Catholic lands. The 1.13 acres of Cieneguitas, however, was confirmed as belonging to the Roman Catholic Church by Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

Moving Back to Town

Six years later, now under the direc tion of Sister M. Polycarp O’Driscoll, the Sisters returned to downtown Santa Barbara where they built a two-story, brick school building complete with dormitories at 925 De la Vina Street. They advertised a curriculum given in English or Spanish for children of all denominations. Board and tuition for the year ($150); bedding ($15), books, and stationery ($25); and there were extra charges for materials needed for embroidery, crochet, etc. Orphans, it is presumed, were given these services gratis and supported by charitable dona tions. At the end of each school year, an elaborate and instructive public pro gram was given, in which pupils sang, gave speeches, recited poetry and essays, and played musical instruments.

On March 16, 1874, disaster struck. The beautiful new building burned to the ground due to a faulty flue, a strong northwest wind, and the lack of water. Four days later, the supporters of St. Vincent’s came to the rescue by plan ning a fundraising concert. José Lobero offered the free use of his new theater and helped organize the program as well. The Morning Press article said, “We hope the Sisters of St Vincent’s institute will

receive the assistance they deserve in rebuilding a home for themselves and their little charges, not alone that we desire to see this structure again standing as an ornament to the town, but also because of the respect we have for this noble order of devoted women.”

Help arrived from many sources and by September 1874, the foundations of a new building were being completed. This one was to be three stories high and built of stone and brick. It was to be much larger than the previous edifice with greater elegance of architectural design as well. Completed in time for the 1875/76 school year, it would house the school and the orphanage until the 1920s. In 1877, the Sisters also established an infirmary on the part of their property fronting Carrillo Street.

By 1880, the community was showing its support for St. Vincent’s by attending annual Orphan’s Fairs. That year, craft items made by the scholars and boarding pupils of the school and a raffle were fea tured at a multi-day event.

By 1913, the fair had grown so elabo rately that different days were given over to different themes. María de la Guerra Taylor had charge of the Spanish eve ning and Miss Annie McCaughey had charge of a wildly popular Irish evening. Complete with tableaux and songs such

“Give thanks not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of your life.” – Catherine Pulsifer

In 1863, the Sisters moved into an adobe home in the Cieneguitas area where a small band of Chumash Indians had a village. Nearby was the Asistencia of San Miguel. The drawing shows the area, but the Sisters’ school is indicated at the bottom left as being off the map.

St. Vincent’s girls garbed in communion white to celebrate a feast day (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

St. Vincent’s circa 1877 had grown to three stories and was surrounded by newly planted trees (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

as “Come Back to Erin” and “Exile,” the evening ended with a costumed presen tation of “Home Rule” with representa tions of the English King, Ireland, and Columbia welcoming Ireland with “a

pleasant smile.” (If only that had been historically true!)

In addition to all the performances and a doll contest, the number of booths had grown to include booths devoted to hats,

candy, children, ice cream, cascarones, flowers, games, and crafts. Over the years different groups in town treated the orphans to excursions and theatrical and musical performances.

For some reason, it was common for the newspapers to list the names of those who were orphans at St. Vincent’s Institution. In January 1902, for instance, the names of newly enrolled orphans and half orphans (children who had lost one parent) were as follows: half orphans –Elena Espinosa (age 13); Ernestine (13), Margaret (12), and Irene (2) Carrillo; Ethel (11) and Camilla (3) Burnette. Louise Martinez (8) had been aban doned, and Clara Bejar (2) was a full orphan. For working widowers, it was often impossible to care for their young daughters and there was no option but to send them to the sisters. (I can only won der, however, at the motivation behind a public announcement of names, but perhaps it reminded donors that the need was great and continually existed.)

A New Home

By 1922, the beautiful St. Vincent’s building was showing its age and limita tions. Due to the lack of a heating system in the building, extreme cold forced the Sisters to put the children to bed to keep them warm. Water had to be heated in pails and other containers to provide daily baths. Plans arose to build a new, modern facility on their 60-acre ranch tract in Goleta. They planned to sell the block of the current site and build anew with the proceeds. The orphanage, which was open to all girls, was the only orphanage in the tri-counties. That year, the orphan popu lation numbered 130, 40 of which ranged in age from infant to 8 years of age.

In 1924, St. Vincent’s made the move back to Cieneguitas, where a new mod ern facility had been constructed. In 1936, St. Vincent’s opened a residential program and school for children with developmental disabilities. When these students were mainstreamed into the public schools in 1985, St. Vincent’s program changed to provide a commu nal housing program for special needs children. In 1996, St. Vincent’s opened a transitional housing program for single mothers and infants.

Today, St. Vincent’s continues to support

the community with programs to strength en low-income families and seniors. They provide affordable housing, early child hood education, and family enrichment opportunities for people of all faiths. Five Sisters are an integral part of their 15-per son management team. The current site is fast approaching its 100th year and the institution has reached its 164th year. St. Vincent’s is the oldest continuously operat ing charity in Santa Barbara.

Get Involved!

St. Vincent’s is still actively assisting the community. Find out more about how to support the ongoing efforts of St. Vincent’s below.

For More Information: www.stvincents-sb.org (805) 683-6383

(Sources: stvincents-sb.org; contemporary newspaper articles; daughtersofcharity.com – the journey west; Michael Redmon’s History 101; and Beresford’s The Bishop and the Saint)

Hattie Beresford has been writing a local history column for the Montecito Journal for more than a decade and is the author of several books on Santa Barbara’s historic past

With new construc tion commencing at Cieneguitas in the background, the remains of the original school await destruction (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

A view from the Clock Building on State Street shows the resurrected St. Vincent’s and with an infirmary facing Carrillo Street (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

The class photo circa 1914 shows an assortment of students, orphans, community members, and Sisters. Notice the spectacular cornettes of the nuns. (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

Students and cornette-coiffed nuns gather at the front of St. Vincent’s in the early 1900s (Courtesy of Santa Barbara Historical Museum)

beauty who lowers a silk ladder from her window for her lover, played effectively by tenor Christian Sanders, to climb to her bedroom.

Tenor Benjamin Brecher, last seen in this summer’s production of La Traviata, and baritone Efrain Solis rounded out the cast in the entertaining 90-min ute production with current Chrisman Studio artists Christina Pezzarossi and Matt Peterson.

Josh Shaw ably took the director’s chair, with Alexis Enyart conducting the Opera SB orchestra.

Filling Empty Bowls

Santa Barbara Empty Bowls celebrat ed its 25th anniversary at the Foodbank’s Hollister Avenue warehouse when 800 supporters and 50 volunteers, includ ing Congressman Salud Carbajal and Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte , turned out to help raise around $100,000 for the cause.

Soups From the Heart provided a selection of liquid refreshments, includ

ing Asian noodle, Tuscan whole bean, curried yam, and sausage and kale variet ies, with guests receiving a ceramic bowl as well.

Danyel Dean, the ceramics expert who founded the popular event, described the anniversary as “an honor and a delight.”

Between July and September, the Foodbank served 111,000 individu als in Santa Barbara County. The nonprofit is seeing record figures for people needing help given the recent high inflation.

Flipping Houses

Former TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is selling a 1,910-squarefoot cottage in the Hedgerow District for $5.8 million.

Built in 1915, the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath property is a fully renovated pre-Craftsman home.

It’s Ellen’s eighth real estate transaction this year – a value that translates into one multimillion dollar deal inked nearly every month.

Ellen and her former actress wife Portia de Rossi acquired the cottage barely six months ago for $5.4 million.

More Michelin

The Santa Ynez Valley is now home to two more Michelin-rated restaurants after Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos and peasants FEAST in Solvang were among 37 new eateries added to the Michelin Guide California.

They join a growing list of restau rants in the area to have earned a Michelin rating.

Bell’s, a beloved French-inspired bistro in Los Alamos and sister restaurant to Bar Le Côte – became the first Santa Ynez Valley nosheteria to earn a coveted Michelin star last year.

And First & Oak in Solvang was the first Valley eatery to be included in the California guide when it was awarded a Michelin plate in 2019.

Ripple of Hope Awards

Prince Harry and his former actress wife Meghan Markle are winging to New York on December 6 for a Ripple of Hope awards ceremony for their char itable efforts to be hosted by Kerry Kennedy, JFK’s niece.

The top tier “Pioneer” package, includ ing four seats at the main table where the Sussexi will be seated, sells for $1 million, with other packages costing $500,000, including VIP reception access at the 54th annual Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization bash, which will also honor Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Cruising Godmother

Santa Barbra warbler Katy Perry and British actor fiancé Orlando Bloom have just returned to our rarefied enclave after a short cruise on the new $1 bil lion cruise ship, Norwegian Prima, from Reykjavík, Iceland, to Cork, Ireland, en route to Amsterdam.

The former Dos Pueblos High stu dent is the 965-foot, 3,100 passenger ship’s “godmother” and was checking out the new Norwegian Cruise Line’s mega vessel.

New House Available

On a personal note, I see the late Ivana Trump’s former 8,725-square-foot home on Manhattan’s Upper Eastside is on the market for $26.5 million.

The five-bedroom, five-and-a-halfbath house, just a tiara’s toss from Central Park and opposite the late Italian designer Gianni Versace’s town house, is where The Donald’s ex-wife died in July at the age of 73, after falling down the grand staircase.

I spent many enjoyable evenings at the ornately decorated property for pri vate dinners and parties. Ivana bought the townhouse for $2.5 million in 1992, the year her much-publicized divorce was finalized.

Proceeds from the sale are to be split between her three children – Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Eric.

Sightings

Prince Harry at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii for Veterans Day... Rocker Adam Levine sporting a lavender and blue manicure, with his daughter Gio, 4, at Pierre Lafond… Singer Lady Gaga checking out the Rosewood Miramar’s new Japanese eatery AMA Sushi.

Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask when necessary and get vaccinated.

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than a decade

“Appreciate and never take for granted all that you have.” – Catherine Pulsifer

Foodbank volun teers offering hand made bowls and soup for the annual Empty Bowl event (photo by Priscilla)

Soup team Elly Iverson, Nick Franco, and Dani McCall offering some to Geoff Gray (photo by Priscilla)

Jordan benShea and Merrillee Ford presenting the artistic handcrafted bowls (photo by Priscilla)

Grammy Awards, with unique one-timeonly combinations.

“But there’s also periods where it’s just Sara and me playing as a duo that are super special because getting to play music in public with your sibling is always great.”

Among the additions in the canon was making WFH a recording project. Three albums have been released over the last seven years, two containing covers recorded with dozens of WFH guests, sandwiched around a more intimate sib ling effort titled simply Brother Sister in 2020. Promoting the latest disc, which came out earlier this year, is the impetus for WFH finally returning to town for a date at Campbell Hall on November 29.

“It’s a 20-year anniversary celebration of the people and songs that have been a part of the Family Hour over the years, and new ones like a cover of the TuneYards, which we heard on the radio and just decided to record,” Sean said.

The UCSB show features longtime WFH collaborator Rich Hinman on pedal steel guitar and singer-songwrit er-guitarist Margaret Glaspy as a special guest, each of whom will offer some of their own material. But with L.A. just 90 miles away, surprises are likely in store.

“We’ve got a lot of friends,” Sean said. “We’ll definitely be inviting a bunch of them.”

Film News: SBIFF Comes Into Focus

We’re still nearly 80 days away from the 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which returns after two years of accommodations for COVID to its traditional mid-winter time slot for an 11-day span, February 8-18. But SBIFF’s big gala, the 15th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, which will honor Michelle Yeoh at the Bacara, is just around the corner on December 9. The Malaysian-born actress who rose to fame in 1990s Hong Kong action films has become a global icon as an actress and much more – having over the years been named the greatest action heroine of all time, one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World,” and, just this year, one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world. No doubt the award gala –

the first since the passing of its namesake Montecito-dwelling screen legend, will put extra attention on her critically acclaimed role in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which is sure to garner her an Oscar nomi nation for best actress.

Meanwhile, several of SBIFF 38th year’s acting awards have also been unveiled. The Modern Master, the fest’s most pres tigious nod, goes to Jamie Lee Curtis, who has had dual notable roles in theaters this year, on February 11. Most recently she portrayed Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends, returning to a character she first took on 44 years ago, and in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Being busy is de rigueur for Curtis, who has long demon strated her versatility as a film actress, with nominated and prize-winning roles in such popular classics as True Lies, Trading Places, and A Fish Called Wanda

Cate Blanchett, who 15 years ago was crowned a Modern Master on the heels of her dual roles as Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and one of the metaphorical portrayers of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, returns to SBIFF for a third honoring interview, becoming the fest’s first two-time winner of the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award. Ten years after being recognized for her Oscar-winning role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Blanchett will be honored on February 10 for her critically acclaimed portrayal of another title character, Lydia Tár in Todd Field’s Tár, which is almost certain to earn her an eighth Academy Award nomination. She also stars in Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio. Brendan Fraser has been tapped to pick up the American Riviera Award on Valentine’s Day 2023 in recognition for his work in both smart indepen dent films and action-packed blockbust ers, with his role as Charlie in The Whale, due in December, landing him in Oscarologists’ top spot for an Academy Award at GoldDerby.com.

The Virtuosos Award, still likely to be the most talent-packed night at SBIFF as eight actors share the stage in one evening, on February 15 honors Austin Butler (Elvis), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) , Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Nina Hoss (Tár), Jeremy Pope (The Inspection), and Jeremy Strong (Armageddon Time) , plus Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan, making it four actors from the film receiving awards at SBIFF. More to come soon. Visit sbiff.org for details and tickets.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” – Anne Frank

Sean and Sara Watkins have spent a special hour with friends for over 20 years

appeared across the lawn – the doe leapt over the wooden fence, her two youngins tried to figure out their course. One followed mom’s lead; the other slipped between the fence posts, providing a per fectly magical sight after a delicious and filling dinner.

A Little Alisal History

The history of the land is fasci nating and includes a land grant to Raimundo Carrillo in 1843, who sold to Henry Pierce in 1868 after floods and droughts wiped out crops and a pestilence decimated Carrillo’s cow herds. In 1882, after creating a meth od to irrigate the fields by leveraging the Santa Ynez River, Pierce renamed the ranch “The Alisal,” a Chumash word for sycamore, honoring the trees. The next owner, Charles Perkins, put the ranch on the map as the owner of a 1925 Kentucky Derby winner, Flying Ebony. When Perkins died in 1943, Ann and Pete Jackson gener ously donated a 58-acre parcel with Nojoqui Falls to Santa Barbara County. Many Montecitans have ties and/or old friendships to both the Perkins and Jackson families, who also lived or live in Montecito. On July 16, 1946 – with accommodations for just 30 guests, plus barns and rodeo fields, Alisal

opened to the public. Clark Gable mar ried here in 1949 and other Hollywood stars were visitors including Groucho Marx, Gregory Peck, Mickey Rooney, and Kirk Douglas.

Today, there’s not only the horse-filled barn with other darling animals, but a golf course, boating and fishing on Alisal Lake, tennis courts, and a basketball court. Who needs TVs (there is one in the library should you insist on popping your bubble of silence) with all this to choose from?

Saturday night did not disappoint. A fun band, The VineYardByrds, inspired little kids in cowboy boots to wiggle on the dance floor. Big round tables with bandana print tablecloths were soon filled with guests who hit the buffet featuring fare from both vis iting Chef Cunningham, of The Green O Resort in Montana, and Alisal Executive Chef Craig Riker (formerly at Oliver’s in Montecito).

Chef Cunningham’s menu included a fab little gem wedge salad, woodfired sunchokes, grilled Wagyu New York strip steak, and Vietnamese glazed king salmon lettuce wraps. Chef Riker manned the smoked beef ribs, lemon grass marinated shrimp with ginger and Fresno chili sambal, and smoked kielba sa, among other offerings. Pastry Chef Fernando Yepez turned out a dessert

table filled with tasty sweets.

We joined a lively table that included ranch owner C.J. Jackson and his love ly wife, Mary ; Alisal Ranch Manager Kathleen Cochran and her husband, Joe (a dead ringer for Jeff Bridges); a younger generation of the Firestone clan ( Nick Firestone and his wife, Samantha , who has a jewelry line, Friend + Firestone); and Lia Barth , the ranch’s onsite marketing manag er who grew up in Montecito, and her beau, Chase Carhartt of Carhartt Wines. It was fun to talk “old family” Montecito/Valley gossip and meet the younger generation of hard-working Valley folks.

One highlight was channeling my inner child and visiting the barn and pet ting zoo where I interacted with darling goats (one loved my hat), chickens, pigs, and a tortoise named Richard Parker. I also joined a table of human kids to paint a good luck horseshoe to hang over my Santa Ynez Valley cabin door.

Another highlight of our weekend repast was the 15-minute, open-air truck ride through the property to tranquil Alisal Lake, a huge spring-fed lake that spills over into the creeks on the property and eventually feeds into the Santa Ynez River. Kids and parents can fish off the dock with worms for blue gill – catch and release, of course; others engage in stand-up paddleboard ing or small boat excursions into hid den coves. Cynthia and I opted for

lazing on dock-side chairs and enjoyed the sun glistening on the lake, ducks paddling by, and plenty of birdsong and mossy trees providing inspiration for her artwork.

It’s lovely to stay at a retreat that honors the past – and doesn’t feel like it has to be trendy or chic to be relevant, although the spa gift shop features some very mod ern takes on cowboy chic designed by Carpinteria-raised Heidi Merrick

The historic 75-year-old Alisal Ranch is a special place in our midst that enve lopes one and family and friends in a safe and friendly vacation cocoon – and most guests, thoughtfully, wear masks indoors. October and November are some of the nicest months to visit Alisal (as well as spring) when the temperature is perfect, so what are you waiting for?

For information and reservations, go to AlisalRanch.com

Leslie A. Westbrook is a Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel writer and journalist who loves exploring the globe. A 3rd generation Californian., Leslie also assists clients sell fine art, antiques, and collectibles via auction. lesliewestbrook.com

Grab one of the charming cottages for an all-inclusive weekend on the ranch (photo by Victoria Pearson)

From cozy cabins adorned with fireplaces to plenty of outdoor activities, the Alisal Ranch offers experi ences for all interests

Alisal Ranch fea tures a series of visiting chefs and culinary delights like this BBQ boot camp (photo by Sara Range)

There’s fun for the whole family on the ranch (photo by Nicki Sebastian)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

Get Into the ACT with Elf the Musical – Ojai ACT gets the jump on the holiday theatrical offerings by opening its intergenerational production of Elf the Musi cal the day after Thanksgiving. Directed by Gai Laing Jones, who is considered Ojai’s preeminent theater educator, the Christmas-time musical features a cast aged seven to 70, with Andrew Eiden starring as Buddy – the happiest worker at Santa’s workshop who grew up at the North Pole, being raised by a commu nity of elves, yet doesn’t realize he’s a human – and Marisa Miculian portraying Jovie, the disenchanted Macy’s worker who captures his heart. James Baker plays Walter, Buddy’s Christmas-spiritless dad. Based on the 2003 hit film that starred Will Ferrell, the stage musical has become a holiday staple for both professional and community theaters nationwide. Elf is the charming tale of Buddy, who finds out he’s a human who arrived at the North Pole when he hid in Santa’s sack on Christmas Eve and stowed away on the flight back to the North Pole. Ever the optimist, Buddy heads south to find his human family in New York and unwittingly helps everyone around him discover the meaning of Christmas. Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan adapted the book, with music and lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. For the second year in a row, the Ojai Art Center Theater is partnering with Help of Ojai to collect food for their food pantry, and family tickets to see Elf the Musical will be included in a number of holiday food packages provided by the nonprofit. “Help of Ojai gen erously hands out food for the belly,” explained Tracey Williams Sutton, Ojai ACT’s Artistic Director. “We want to ensure there’s also food for the soul.”

WHEN: Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, today through December 18

WHERE: Ojai Art Center Theater, 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai COST: $25 general, $20 students, $10 children 12 and under INFO: (805) 640-8797 or ojaiact.org

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30

La Arcada Plaza Christmas Walk – One of the more charming spots in down town Santa Barbara continues its tradition of kicking off the holiday season with

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27

No Business Like Snow Business – The Snow N Glow Holiday Festival is coming back to Ventura for a second consecutive wintertime wonderland – this time prom ising more, bigger, and better attractions. Family and friends of all ages can enjoy such festivities as gazing in wonder while strolling through an immersive light trail filled with more than one million glowing holiday lights, snow tubing for everyone on a giant four-lane hill made with real snow, sipping hot chocolate and roasting your own holiday treat at the build-yourown-s’mores bar, renting a private igloo to host your own holiday party including the chance to build a snowman with freshly delivered snow, free visits with Santa and friends, and much more. Tonight’s opening festivities also include a fabu lous fireworks display to ignite the night for a new holiday season.

WHEN: Opens tonight, then open 4-9 pm weekends, and daily during the week of Christmas, through December 26

WHERE: Seaside Park at the Ventura Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura COST: $15.95 and up INFO: (805) 585-7811 or snownglow.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25

California Star Ball – While most of America might still be recovering from a turkey tryp tophan or sugar-induced stupor, hundreds of professional and amateur dancers from across the land will be gathering across the street from East Beach as the California Star Ball comes to town for a three-day weekend. The annual event of the California Star Ball DanceSport Cham pionships, the longest-running National Dance Council of America sanctioned ballroom compe tition, has a new location for its 61st year – the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort – thanks to its new owner, the top flight ballroom instruc tor/competitor David Alvarez. The Ball features a huge slate of competitions spanning everything from novice to pro divi sions, single-digit youths to 40-year veterans in Smooth, Latin, Rhythm, and Ballroom divisions, plus Cabaret/Theater Arts and much more. There are daytime and evening sessions, and you don’t even have to be a dancer to partake, as everything is open to spectators. We’re told the evening compe titions will rival anything seen on Dancing with the Stars as national champi ons perform routines all through the weekend.

WHEN: Today through Sunday

WHERE: 633 E Cabrillo Blvd.

COST: $25-$30 each afternoon/evening INFO: www.californiastarball.com

a family-friendly, music and magic filled evening al fresco. Guests are invited to wander the enchanting, sparkling tree-filled plaza in the heart of State Street as it is transformed into a winter wonderland with music, visits from Santa, and even the chance of snow flurries. Local merriment makers, including a brass band and Christmas carolers, create musical memories and invite you to sing along to familiar holiday tunes, between handfuls of complimentary freshly-popped popcorn, holiday goodies, and kids tugging along parents for a free photo with Santa. All of La Arcada’s two dozen restaurants, shops, and galleries will be open for early dining and holiday shopping. WHEN: 5-8 pm WHERE: 1114 State Street COST: free INFO: (805) 966-6634 or laarcadasantabarbara.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1

Exploring Elements of Existence – UCSB Department of Theater & Dance’s fall dance concert carries the symmetrical name of “Within Existence | Exis tence Within.” But the title isn’t just some clever phrasing as the performanc es, which feature choreography by five UCSB senior dancers and UCSB Dance faculty members Christina McCarthy and Christina Sanchez , contain curated original and imaginative pieces that form a holistic and contemporary con cert. The quintet of student choreographers is working to build an experience for audiences that keeps them asking questions. These dance creators have channeled the culmination of three-plus years of dance curriculum in the hope that the audience will focus on the humanistic elements of live perfor mance and, through that empathetic lens, feel compelled to manifest change in their community. To that end, Bailey Dodgion ’s contemporary ballet work uses fast-paced virtuosic and athletic movement juxtaposed against a mys terious duet that emerges and disappears throughout the piece. Jazz Hayes ’ similarly dancer-centric model contains minimalistic and highly detailed movements that trap the dancers in a liminal space of transition between states of being. Jaliana Apawan Semien ’s piece originates from a place of exploration in movement vocabulary generated from the seven virtues and seven sins. Leia Zorba ’s work employs the seven archetypes of femininity to explore the ways in which feminine power has been undercut by the confining stereotypical ideas and old-fashioned notions about women. Dalya Modlin ’s offering creates an atmosphere of memory, loneliness, and reflection that pairs individual dancers floating in a state of reverie on one side of the stage, with a group of dancers flowing through a visceral interpretation of emotion

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” – Shakespeare

Virtual Visit with a Vivacious Memoirist –Joyce Chopra has produced and directed a wide range of award-winning films that range from Smooth Talk, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the Sundance Film Festival, to The Lady in Question, an A&E thriller starring the late Gene Wilder. She has received American Film Festival Blue Ribbon and Cine Golden Eagle Awards for her numerous documenta ries that include That Our Children Will Not Die, which delved into primary health care in Nigeria, and her autobiographical Joyce at 34, which is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. At age 86, Chopra has just published, a frank, can did, and unsparing memoir revealing how she learned to navigate the Lady Director: Adventures in Hollywood, Television and Beyond deeply embedded sexism of the film industry, helping to pave the way for a generation of women filmmakers who would come after her. She shares stories of her bruising encounters with Harvey Weinstein and Sydney Pollack, her experience directing Diane Keaton, Laura Dern, and a host of other actors, and her deep friendships with Arthur Miller and others. Chopra also documents both the successes and failures of her six-decade career while providing an intimate view of a woman’s struggle to balance the responsibilities and rewards of motherhood and marriage with a steadfast commitment to personal creative achievement. Chopra will talk about her life, career, and the book in a virtual conversation with Chaucer’s Books.

WHEN: 6 pm

WHERE: Zoom or Chaucer’s YouTube channel @chaucersbooks1901 COST: free INFO: (805) 682-6787 or chaucersbooks.com/event

and recollection on the other. Pieces by Sanchez and McCarthy, who also directs, round out the shows.

WHEN: 7:30 pm tonight & tomorrow, 2 pm Saturday

WHERE: UCSB Hatlen Theater

COST: $17 general, $13 seniors, children & students in advance; $19/$15 at the door

INFO: (805) 893-2064 or theaterdance.ucsb.edu

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1

Christmas in Hawai’i – Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro has experienced a phenomenal career arc that has taken him from local phenom in his native Hawai’i to headlining at the Hollywood Bowl and just about every other major venue across the land. The best part of it is that Shimabukuro’s ascension is entirely earned, as the former prodigy who forged his own path continues to take the ukulele to points previously thought impossible, still expanding and exploring his seemingly limitless musical vocabulary. This holiday season – the jolly ambassador of aloha who spreads cheer throughout the year and continues to inspire a ukulele revo lution – brings joy to the world with his special Christmas in Hawai’i concert. Drawing on a vibrant catalog of holiday classics, selections from his recent Jake & Friends album, and a slew of his signature favorites, the merry live show – in which Shimabukuro steps up to the Granada Theatre, the crown jewel of downtown Santa Barbara venues – should brighten up the season while serving as perhaps the least clichéd show of Christmas.

WHEN: 7 pm

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street COST: $31-$61

INFO: (805) 899-2222 / granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535 / ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu

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Trusted, Experienced Caregiver, CA State registered and background checked. Vaccinated. Loving and caring provides transportation, medications, etc. Lina 650-281-6492

LIVE-IN PROPERTY CARETAKER

Longtime

WRITING SERVICES

THE MOST SPLENDID

Honor your spouse or your parents with the ultimate expression of love and admiration. I will work with your special person to re search, write and publish a stirring biography or autobiography. The published book will be professional, impressive, thorough and en tertaining. Give this as a holiday present this year and we’ll have the book finished by next December. David Wilk (805) 455-5980. Great references. www.BiographyDavidWilk.com

Donate to the Parrot Pantry! At SB Bird Sanctuary, backyard farmer’s bounty is our birds best bowl of food! The flock goes bananas for your apples, orang es & other homegrown fruits & veggies.

Volunteers

Do you have a special talent or skill? Do you need community service hours? The flock at SB Bird Sanctuary could always use some extra love and socialization. Call us and let’s talk about how you can help. (805) 969-1944 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED K-9

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness

French Fries

Lucky’s Home Fries or Fried Sweet Potatoes 12 Lucky’s Half & Half

Skinny Onion Rings or Herbie’s Potato Skins

red wine shallot or peppercorn cream sauce

Prime Filet Steak Frites, 7 oz. 55........................................................

Sautéed Tofu, Japanese vinaigrette, green onions, shiitakes 20........

Cambridge House Rope Hung Smoked Salmon, 28................................ toasted bialy or bagel, cream cheese & condiments • Sides •

Maine Lobster Roll, warm buttered brioche roll

Chili Dog, onions, cheddar & kraut - all on the side

Chicken Parmesan, San Marzano tomato sauce 32........................... imported mozzarella, basil Salmon, blackened, grilled or steamed 32........................................... lemon-caper butter sauce, sautéed spinach

Grilled Chicken Breast Club on a Soft Bun 25 bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado

Reuben Sandwich, corned beef, kraut & gruyère on rye

sauce

Sliced Filet Mignon Open Faced Sandwich, 6 oz.

39 • Tacos and other Mains •

Chicken or Swordfish Tacos 25 Steak Tacos 29........................................................................................ all tacos served with beans, guacamole, salsa, tortillas Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich 26 topped with coleslaw. served with fries

Lucky Burger, choice of cheese

26 Vegetarian Burger, choice of cheese (burger patty is vegan)

Fries, Farm Greens or Caesar

Lucky’s Salad 25 romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, avocado, peppers and roquefort

Chilled Poached Salmon Salad of the day

Old School Chinese Chicken Salad

arugula, radicchio, shrimp, prosciutto, beans, onions Charred Rare Tuna Nicoise Salad

Chopped Salad

two shrimp, 2 oz. crab, egg, romaine, tomato cucumber,, avocado Cobb Salad, tossed with roquefort dressing

arugula, radicchio, endive, sautéed onion Seafood Louie

Sliced Steak Salad, 6 oz.

Main Course Salads

Lucky Meatballs, tomato sauce, grilled ciabatta

Lucky Chili, cheddar, onions, warm corn bread 19 Fried Calamari, two sauces

Matzo Ball Soup or Today’s Soup

French Onion Soup Gratinée

15 Burrata, tomatoes, arugula, evoo

Grilled Artichoke, choice of sauce

18 Giant Shrimp Cocktail (4 pcs)

Farm Greens, balsamic vinaigrette

14 Jimmy the Greek Salad, french feta

Caesar Salad 14

Arugula, Radicchio & Endive, reggiano, balsamic vinaigrette

15 roquefort or thousand island dressing

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge

• Smaller Plates and Starter Salads