Get Out!

Four ways to go outdoors and enjoy what nature has to offer this season.

BY JOAN TAPPER

Granted, even during the cool, rainy weather of what passes for winter in the 805 area, it’s not too daunting to leave the house. Snow means heading up to the mountains to ski, not shoveling your walk, and even when we wake up to a brisk 40-degree morning, we often exchange a sweater for a T-shirt a few hours later when the temperature has risen to 60. Still, by May, longer days of sunshine and refreshing breezes are excuses to spend more time outdoors. It can be enjoyable to putter on the patio or in the garden. But why not venture farther afield? Here are a few ideas.

For the Birds

The equipment is minimal (binoculars, sensible shoes, water), and the fee is nonexistent. What could be easier than showing up at 8:30 a.m. for one of the twice-monthly, two-hour bird walks led by Peter Thompson, a volunteer for the Santa Barbara chapter of the National Audubon Society (santabarbaraaudubon.org)? Newbies and veteran birders alike are welcome. “There are regulars and also people just passing through town,” he says.

Venues dot the landscape from Carpinteria to Goleta. “We’re fortunate with different habitats here,” Thompson says, “with mountain chaparral, ocean for seabirds, and freshwater locations like Lake Los Carneros. The new North Campus Open Space at UCSB is a hot spot for birds, with a gorgeous restored habitat. And it’s flat. Anyone can do it.”

This time of year is particularly good, with lots of species migrating at the birds’ peak coloration for breeding. What will you see? Commonly sighted birds are California scrub jays, acorn woodpeckers, and California towhees—“They’re practically tame,” Thompson says—as well as warblers, hummingbirds, and countless shorebirds, depending on the location. There are also surprises. When the North Campus Open Space restoration project brought in rocks and created above-ground warrens to attract burrowing owls, one of those birds—which Thompson says are “not rare, but uncommon”—actually showed up.

It’s helpful, he notes, to have a good field guide. “And you can also get apps for your phone that will play birdsong,” Thompson says. “Listening is important, because you often hear the bird before you see it.”

A lifelong birder who grew up in the Midwest and moved to the 805 area in retirement, Thompson says the activity appeals to different personalities. While some people are diligent about keeping track of every species they see, his attitude is simply to enjoy it. “I think the best part is being able to get out and enjoy a new location, being with like-minded people,” he says. “It’s social.”

Watery Wonders

The Channel Islands are called the Galápagos of North America because among the 2,000 species of plants and animals there, 23 are found nowhere else in the world— and the islands are just 20 miles off the Southern California coast, protected as a national park.

“It’s a true treasure, an unparalleled marine habitat,” says Michael Cohen, founder of Santa Barbara Adventure Company (sbadventureco.com), which runs a June-through-August kayak excursion to the Painted Cave on Santa Cruz Island, among many other trips. Named for the colorful mosses and lichen that grow on a geological seep, the huge cavern is one of the world’s deepest sea caves and juts far above emerald green water that Cohen says seems to be lit from underneath. “The cave tapers as it goes way back,” he says, “and there are sea lions hauling out. It’s world-class kayaking in your backyard.”

Exploring the cave is a highlight of a daylong trip that begins aboard a charter boat in the Santa Barbara Harbor and heads straight across the channel to the west end of Santa Cruz, with whale watching along the way. At the island, participants board tandem kayaks and begin by exploring smaller grottoes and caves. “The marine life is incredible,” says Cohen. “There are dolphins, kelp forests with garibaldi, seabirds—a procession of different species.” During the summer the waters are generally calm, and the pace for the nearly three hours of kayaking is slow. No experience is necessary. The participant-toguide ratio is eight to one, and a skiff serves as a support vehicle.

Back on the charter boat— which boasts hot showers—a hot barbecue lunch is waiting, and later there’s time for snorkeling (wet suits and gear are provided).

“With kayaking you’re able to be in a small craft and connect with nature,” says Cohen. “You’re in rhythm with the water. It’s a form of meditation. You get to be in the moment, in the wilderness of the ocean.”

Dwarfed by the entrance to the Painted Cave, a group of kayakers emerges from exploring the innards of Santa Cruz Island.

Art in the Open

Plein air painting is alive and well in the 805 area, where a wealth of local professional artists are known for such work. And for those who’ve always hankered to take a sketchbook or easel and a box of paints to a scenic ocean-view bluff or patch of woods, the Santa Barbara City College School of Extended Learning (sbcc.edu) provides that opportunity.

John Iwerks—a landscape painter and member of The Oak Group, whose exhibits support the preservation of open spaces—is one of the artists who leads eight-week classes for adults both indoors and out. He’s quick to say, “Nature is the teacher,” but that downplays his role with the 20 to 30 students in his charge, whom he schools by going from one to the next, offering encouragement and helpful comments.

“I may demo a sketch or talk about how to incorporate air, light, and color,” he says. “I point out things that make it easier. Everyone [gets] something different. I might talk about perspective or suggest a technique like scumbling— using a dry brush when oil painting to give a sense of mist. On a foggy day we talk about values and shadows.”

Iwerks began teaching in the early 1990s and after 20 years took a five-year break, before recently returning. “I started feeling like I missed it,” he says. “It keeps me humble.”

He rotates class locations among mountains, architectural views, and coastal and wooded areas but keeps in mind the fact that everyone will have to tote an easel, a box for paint, canvases, a sketchbook, a lightweight backpack, and a stool from the parking lot to the chosen spot.

“I find places where you can relax and enjoy what you do,” Iwerks says. “There is no right or wrong. There’s a camaraderie. It’s a great experience—watching the light change, then walking through the scene.”

A plein air artist works in watercolor to quickly capture the landscape.

Imparting inspiration, Danielle Dall’Armi addresses rose growers and floral artists at a recent workshop at Rose Story Farm.

A designer works with a handheld bouquet.

Smell the Roses

“I want everyone to step out of our own small world and experience nature, something bigger than yourself,” says Danielle Dall’Armi, the creative force behind Rose Story Farm (rosestoryfarm.com) in Carpinteria. For her, that means sharing her property through workshops and gatherings that allow visitors not only to enjoy the artful setting and the vision of thousands of rose bushes in bloom but also to spark an appreciation of floral crafts.

She kicked off this season with a three-day experience for farmers, rose growers, floral designers, and artists from around the country. It was a special, scholarship-only event that combined technical information with design inspiration and networking. But local rose aficionados can look forward to one-day workshops that will be open to the public and include a tour of the farm, perhaps breakfast or lunch, tips on rose care and design, and, most important, some hands-on experience.

“We plan to have two or three over the summer,” Dall’Armi says. “Thirty years ago, when we bought the property, our dream was to have opportunities for likeminded people to get together. It’s fun to pick things from the garden and make things. Anyone can do it. If you have good products to work with, it’s hard to fail. Many times people are blown away by what they can do with their hands.”

Dall’Armi notes that there are all kinds of ways people can enjoy the rose garden. She’s considering intimate alfresco concerts and opportunities for plein air artists to come and set up their easels. But for now, floral workshops top the list.

“In this area we have bluffs, beaches, hiking trails that a lot of people never experience,” she says. “Being at Rose Story Farm may be a bit more romantic, but mostly I want people to get out in nature, even if that means planting one rose in a pot on your balcony.”

The beribboned result.