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facebook.com/cottagechildrenshospital
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Trust. Integrity. Responsiveness.
Since 1986, Carpinteria’s business professionals have partnered with Montecito Bank & Trust because we take the time to understand their personal and professional needs and provide a comprehensive financial solution that accomplishes their goals.
Member FDIC
montecito.com Stop by or call for more information Anthony Castillo, VP/Branch Manager Carpinteria Branch: 1023 Casitas Pass Road, Carpinteria, CA • (805) 684-0487
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If you stay... you will visit again & again!
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Kenyon McIntyre, Inc. General Contractor
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Safety and Environmental Protection are always Venoco’s Top Priorities VENOCO, INC.
We are proud to be a part of the Carpinteria Community!
Oil companies have operated in the Carpinteria area for decades and have brought jobs, revenue and many other economic benefits to the community. Venoco was founded in Carpinteria more than 20 years ago, and has owned and operated facilities in this community for 15 years. Venoco is a conscientious environmental steward and has contributed greatly to the economic vitality of Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County and California. In 2013, more than $4.8 million in property taxes were paid to the County of Santa Barbara and nearly $6 million were paid to the State. California received more than $32 million in royalties from Venoco operations alone. These royalties help pay for transportation, education and other statesupported local programs. The company has won numerous awards for safety excellence, superior maintenance practices and strict environmental protections. We value our strong reputation as a responsible operator and a respected community partner.
PHOTO: Michael Grant Edwards
6267 Carpinteria Avenue • Carpinteria, CA 93013 • (805) 745-2100 • www.venocoinc.com
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Best Western Plus Carpinteria Inn SUMMER2014 5
Leading Edge for Retail Foods First Natural Refrigerant in the Nation. Practicing Environmental Sustainability.
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“Experience the
Artful Life!”
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A whimsical store with everything you’ll need for quilting, knitting, needlework, inspired gifts and more… Hours: M-s • 10 to 5 sun. • 11 to 4
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REAL ESTATE SALES PROPERTY MANAGEMENT VACATION RENTALS
Whether you’re buying, selling or vacationing in the Carpinteria or Santa Barbara area, Coastal Properties provides in-depth assistance for all real estate needs.
Gary Goldberg, Owner/Broker
Locally owned and operated, Coastal Properties has been assisting sellers, buyers and vacationers in the area for nearly 20 years. Our team of experienced and knowledgeable agents specializes in all aspects of real estate, from residential and commercial sales to land development, property management, leasing and vacation rentals.
805.969.1258 www.coastalrealty.com Email: gary@coastalrealty.com
Let Coastal Properties guide you in your search for a dream home. We invite you to stop in and experience the friendly, professional and conďŹ dential service our company provides.
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CARP features 28
DESIGN. B UIL D. SUS TA I N .
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B UIL DING A C ENTER FOR THE AR TS
SUMMER 2014
Star-chitect Barton Myers designed his Toro Canyon living quarters to commune with the environment, which includes withstanding wildfires.
The Carpinteria Arts Center continues its step-by-step journey to creating an arts-centric downtown.
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PAST POR TRAITS
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HOME PAL ETTES
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Q&A: KEV IN DOTTS, O W N ER OF CROSSFIT C ARPI N T ER I A
Renny Yater, Andy Neumann, and John Moyer remember Rincon Point from the 1950s and early ’60s, a time when a handful of surfers was considered a crowd.
Spotlight on six of Carpinteria’s craftspeople and artisans. Potter, woodworkers, metal sculptors and more.
It’s come to Carpinteria – CrossFit, the national fitness craze with cult-like status. Just what is it? And why is it so darn popular?
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ON THE PATIO
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L EADER OF THE PA C K
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B EATING A PATH TO T HE FRANKL IN TRAIL
When it comes to patios, size really does not matter. Smaller just may be better in these slices of paradise.
Backcountry guide and outfitter Graham Goodfield knows Carpinteria’s vast mountainous backyard like, well, like the back of his hand.
The now 4.5 mile roundtrip path has big plans to cross the Santa Ynez Mountains to connect with East Camino Cielo and down to Jameson Lake.
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THE KICKS
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FAMILY REC IPE: SIAM EL EPHANT
Roots Reggae. That’s how some describe The Kicks’ music. The band’s loyal following has grown to a steady beat. Here, they’re known as Avofest headliners.
Curry on down to the Linden Avenue eatery for a bite of Thailand’s best flavors. 10 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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Farm to Table • Chef’s Seasonal Specials Sustainable Meats & Seafood Extensive Wine List
PLAYA
Beach Lodging
Relaxed Luxury Carpinteria’s Newest playalodging.com Reservations: 805.684.6555 SUMMER2014 11
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MAG departments
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FROM THE PUB L ISHER
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CHATTERB OX
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L A V IDA
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PIC TURE PERFEC T
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MOMENTS IN TIME
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L OC AL EATS
110
CAMPERS GUIDE
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REAL ESTATE REV IEW
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SUMMER READ: THE L AST DESPERAD O
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CONTRIB UTORS
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FINAL FRAME
ON T HE CO V ER David Powdrell captures Carpinteria’s official kickoff to summer: Rods & Roses. Along with thousands of flowers, an antique tractor display, classic cars, motorcycles, and race cars line Linden Avenue for a day dedicated to putting “petals” to the metal while celebrating the Valley’s number one crop and the piston engine. This year, Carpinteria’s summer begins Saturday, June 28 on Linden Avenue. Race you there!
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G “the perfect place to stay...”
Enjoy a wealth of activities … the “World’s Safest Beach” is right outside your door! Downtown is only a short, pleasant stroll. Oceanfront Two Bedroom Condos with Patio or Balcony • Elevator • BBQ Deck • Laundry • Free WiFi • Privacy • Views • Gated Secure Parking 4975 SANDYLAND ROAD • CARPINTERIA, CA 93013
Vacation Rentals 805-684-3570 800-964-8540 carpinteriashores.com info@carpinteriashores.com Weekly & Monthly Rentals SUMMER2014 13
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SMALL TOWN, EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEYS Welcome to the 16 th edition of Carpinteria Magazine, where our theme, “Small Town, Extraordinary Journeys,” showcases more Carpinterians and local businesses than ever! Start turning the pages, and get ready for a tour of architect Barton Myers’ masterpiece of a home. This jewel is designed to be with its environment rather than stand out of it. Steel and concrete meet form and function ensuring the house can withstand one of Mother Nature’s seasonal temper tantrums. The cliché “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” holds true for Carpinteria’s art scene. Over the past two decades, Step One: An Art Gallery has methodically morphed into the newly named Carpinteria Arts Center. On the horizon for its location in the heart of downtown is a dramatic new structure promising to serve as a community-based cultural center. Our Past Portraits series continues. This edition chronicles the lives of three pioneering surfers who rode the waves of Rincon as youngsters more than 50 years ago. Three different paths led to the same salty, wet destination. What long, strange trips they have been. The CrossFit culture has taken the fitness world by storm, and from the first box jump and burpee, athletes refer to their progress as a journey. Our Q&A with CrossFit Carpinteria’s owner Kevin Dotts shows us that community is core when it comes to his members excelling in the sport. Saddle up and giddyup into Carpinteria’s backcountry with Graham Goodfield’s Los Padres Outfitters, the only licensed company to lead multi-day trips into the Los Padres National Forest. A wish since he was a teenager, Goodfield’s business of bringing others on trips of discovery reflects his personal journey to where he is today. In this edition’s ChatterBox, settle into a sacred space where patrons find provisions for introspective journeys. In our Home Palettes feature, peek into the studios, kitchens, and workshops of six local craftspeople who have turned their personal musings into profitable ventures. Dig deeper into this issue and discover five private patio paradises and a plethora of classroom pets. And the icing on the cake? An authentic Thai meal in our dining feature. Finally, this issue’s cover image gives a nod to the 17 th Annual Rods & Roses Classic Car Show. There is no finer sentimental journey than a stroll down Linden Avenue, where hundreds of classic cars and motorcycles are the stars of the show. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 28. It’s a must! This publication is proudly written, photographed, and produced by Carpinterians. I know you’ll enjoy the pages that follow. Please patronize our advertisers and local businesses. This project couldn’t happen without them, and all of us at Carpinteria Magazine are grateful for their support. Keep a look out for the next issue in November 2014.
Michael VanStry, Publisher
RMG Ventures, LLC Michael VanStry, President Gary L. Dobbins, Vice President 4856 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria, California 93013 Tel: (805) 684-4428 Email: info@carpinteriamagazine.com
CARPINTERIA MAGAZINE SUMMER2014 EDITOR Amy Marie Orozco PRODUCTION & DESIGN Kristyn Whittenton WRITERS Lea Boyd Fran Davis Kim Drain Glenn Dubock Peter Dugré Chuck Graham Amy Marie Orozco Rebecca Rockwell Michael VanStry PHOTOGRAPHERS Aaron Bratkovics Fran Collin Joel Conroy Glenn Dubock Chuck Graham Robin Karlsson David Powdrell CONTRIBUTORS Andres Nuño Marian Gregston PRODUCTION SUPPORT David Levine Rockwell Printing SALES Dan Terry, dan@coastalview.com, (805) 684-4428 ON THE WEB CarpinteriaMagazine.com
All articles, photographs and artwork appearing in this publication are the copyrighted intellectual property of RMG Ventures, LLC. RMG Ventures, LLC aggressively protects its intellectual property rights. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied in any form without the express written permission of the publisher. ©2014 RMG Ventures, LLC
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where shelter and nature converge
3823 Santa Claus Lane • Carpinteria • 805-684-0300 • porchsb.com SUMMER2014 15
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th 8 2 ANNUAL
m o c . t s e f o v a . www 4th & 5th , OCTOBER 3 r d
Goodwill and guacamole create a
2014
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS!
The California Avocado Festival provides a beach city venue where service groups, nonprofit organizations and the community come together in beautiful
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It has grown into one of the LARGEST FREE FESTIVALS in California. Avofest proudly boasts three days of fabulous food, a premier lineup of music, environmentally friendly practices and a great family experience.
EPICUREAN DELIGHTS • ENTERTAINMENT • EDUCATION • CONTESTS
THREE DAYS OF PE AC E , LOVE & GUAC A MOLE !
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Chatter Box
When Ad zen ture Calls
On a stormy day last spring, the wind blew a customer through the solid wooden door that opens into The Sacred Space. Her decision to return to the boutique, tea lounge and lush gardens accessible through that Lillie Avenue entryway transcended mere choice. She was driving north and “has to stop every time,” she says. “The energy brought me here.” Dozens of Buddhas of all sizes and nationalities, both the serious, skinny long-eared types and the round happy smiling Chinese Buddhas, line every room and the outdoor gardens. Owners Jack and Rose Herschorn import everything in the store from China, Nepal, India,
starting in 2004 when the Herschorns needed to expand from their home and into a commercial building. Jack had been the “Jack” in “Jack’s Famous Bagels,” among other things, before opening the spiritual boutique. “The center of the bagel was probably my focus,” he says with a chuckle. “What is that space? It must be sacred.” Every person who enters the store is offered a cup of tea. The warm herbal drink flavors the multi-sensory experience. For the eyes, the works of craftspeople from all over the planet contribute their art to the store’s contemplative displays. Gentle incense sticks diffuse their aroma. And out the back door, a lush and hidden garden opens to a rainforest of serenity. Fountains bubble in their auditory component to the peace-inducing adzenture. On the rainy day last spring, customers drizzled in, most return guests on personal journeys. “At some point, most people start asking, ‘Why was I born?’ or ‘Why am I on this planet,’” Jack explains. “When they come in here, we’re not pushing anything. We’re not like a house of worship.” He muses that there’s more than skillful importation of mystical trinkets behind the atmosphere created at his business, that there’s a continuum between the business he and Rose built and the Spiritualist history in Summerland—it was originally settled by Spiritualists in the mid 19 th century. “I like to think we’re on the power spot,” he says. – Peter Dugré
° ° °
Courtesy Photo
Indonesia and Thailand. “We’re importers of items of meaning,” Jack says. “Most have something to do with personal growth or spirituality.” Jack and his customer discussed how each item had likely been prayed over at its previous home, perhaps in its previous shrine. No doubt, the religious icons, including Ganeshas, Rosary Beads and Hands of Fatima, had been imbued with the cosmic imprints of previous users’ prayers, the owner and customer conclude. The Sacred Space grew at the east end of Summerland
Volunteers-in-law
A typical monthly meeting of the Carpinteria Chapter of California Women for Agriculture includes the business of promoting local agriculture and the scholarship fund, socializing, and the presence of charter members Mariko Matsuyama, 89, and Nobue “Nobi” Matsuyama, 88. Often mistaken for each other, the sisters-in-law look nothing alike, except for maybe their hair. “We think the same way, and so we always end up wearing the same colors,” Nobi offers an explanation for the confusion. The two have done the CWA mailings from the chapter ’s beginning in the late 1970s. Every month Nobi
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picked up the labels, bulletin, meeting minutes, and any other information from the state organization. Then they would assemble, fold, stuff, and post them. As time passed, the digital age reduced the number of mailings from about 35 to 25. “Ours was the easiest job. We did it at the office,” Mariko downplays any contributions their steadfast volunteering made toward the longevity of the group.
booth at Avofest or pitching in at the Mother ’s Day Plant and Flower Sale. At the end of January this year, K.M. Nursery closed. Everyone retired and everything was sold. Acknowledging it was a bit sad, they said they just couldn’t do it anymore. “Too old,” quips Mariko and adds, “I’m bored.” “I miss it,” confirms Nobi. “I miss CWA,” they say in unison. – Amy OrOzcO
° ° °
Barnyard Alley
It’s a warm spring morning and a small family fresh from church strolls up Willow Place, the alley that runs parallel to 8 th Street just south of Carpinteria Middle School. The boy, in his stiff suit coat, snaps a small branch off a roadside shrub and approaches a patchwork fence made of lattice, chain link, and what looks to be oven racks wired together. He pushes the branch and its waxy new leaves through the wire where the eager muzzle of a goat pulls and swallows them as quickly as they arrive. “Lots of people walk up and down the alley to check the animals out,” says Sheri Hultman, who lives in the main house on the four-lot property with her husband, cOurtesy phOtO
“Whatever needed doing, you could count on them. They’d do all the mailings for the meetings, and the Christmas party, anything,” says fellow CWA member June Van Wingerden. “Need a plant donated? They’d bring 10 and be amazed we could sell them for more than they could. Need a cake baked? They’d volunteer.” Mariko relied on box yellow cake, and Nobi was partial to chocolate box cake. “Betty Crocker,” Nobi specifies. “She always helped us,” adds Mariko. Before taking the Matsuyama name, Mariko and Nobi knew of each other in high school in Gila, Arizona, where they were incarcerated with other Japanese Americans during World War II. After Mariko married Kikuo, who everyone called “Kik,” and Nobi married his brother Jiro, they worked planting seedlings in 2-inch pots and one-gallon cans for the family’s business, K.M. Nursery in Gardena. K.M. was started by their parents-in-law and specialized in plants, landscaping materials, trees, and shrubs. “We needed to get out of Gardena because the smog was not good for plants. We needed to move for the kids and the schools. It was best for the children,” Mariko explains the 1965 move to Carpinteria. After the move, the sisters-in-law continued working at K.M. Nursery, which thrived in its new location, and enjoyed CWA’s activities: taking a shift or two at the chapter ’s information
JOel cOnrOy
Dennis, and their four children. Sheri’s mother, Sandy Evans, lives in the back house. Sheri spent many of her childhood years on the family property, and now she and her brood maintain the downtown barnyard, a mainstay of the neighborhood for over three decades. The goat tends to interact most with people ambling down the alley—he is always open to an edible handout and will appear quickly when visitors are around. But he’s not the only member of the livestock cast. The fenced SUMMER2014 23
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C hatter Box pen swarms with hens, dressed in plumage of various colors and patterns, and a goose that honks when its feathers are ruffled (pun intended). Bunnies are scarce midday but active in the early morning and late afternoon. “We don’t have roosters because we don’t want to upset the neighborhood too much,” Sheri says. For many local families, the alley farm offers a cheap and easy form of entertainment for the kids. The Hultmans don’t mind the spectators, and the animals don’t seem to either. Aside from the chicken eggs, the Willow Lane animals are not raised for food. Sheri, in fact, is a longtime vegetarian. She says that animal rearing is a tradition of sorts in her family, and she enjoys that her children have a connection to animals just like she did growing up. As a kid, Sheri raised a turkey among the other animals on the property. It found its way into the police blotter in an overnight escape, and the bird almost perpetrated a serious crime when, Sheri says, “it tried to hatch my sister.” Sheri’s mother got out of the shower one day and found the turkey, which had figured out how to break into the house, sitting on the face of Sheri’s infant sister. Sheri adds that though the animals won’t end up on a plate, they are not really pets. Her 13-year-old son, Grant, recently watched a hawk swoop down and snatch a bunny from the yard, and though he was surprised, he remained unshaken by the loss. The animal-filled pen helps to define the relaxed and unpretentious character of the neighborhood surrounding it. It has served as a learning tool for the Evans and Hultman children as well as all those Carpinterians who have delighted in its furred and feathered inhabitants. – Lea Boyd
° ° °
Shady Business
The greenery that envelopes Carpinteria did not sprout up wildly one day. Sure, Mother Nature had a hand in it. But while trees seem ripe with independence, shedding and blooming in cadence with the seasons, they sometimes need a little support. That’s where the City of Carpinteria’s Tree Advisory Board steps in. Not content to bask in the shade of the behemoth Torrey Pine, the five-member TAB constantly is monitoring the health and safety of all trees in the public parkways.
Comprised of two arborists, two landscape architects, and one representative from the community, the group meets quarterly to field requests and complaints from local residents and business owners. The TAB then makes decisions, in conjunction with the City Council, on how to address sidewalk damage, downed trees, water shortages, and other complex issues that sometimes pit nature against practicality.
JoeL Conroy
“When it comes to trees, people in Carpinteria are black or white in their views; there is no gray,” declares Leland Walmsley, chair of the TAB. “Everybody is invested in the value of the trees and the intrinsic value they give back to the city.” With limited revenue, and even less rainfall, the TAB must consider many factors when adding or subtracting greenery. Replacing one damaged tree with a like-size new tree can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But the board also has to consider safety issues, such as tree limbs dangling precariously over cars or playgrounds, or potential accidents caused by buckling sidewalks. “Many of the big trees you see here existed well before the city was incorporated,” Walmsley explains. “They grew big quickly and may not have been the best choice as the town grew up around them.” Now the TAB has a master plan that outlines procedures for removing trees and lists options for the types of trees that will thrive in a particular location. “Our plan is dynamic; it’s designed to work in stages and not decimate an entire block,” Walmsley says. “We’ll embellish working trees with new varieties and incorporate water-saving native plants where appropriate.” TAB member Kathy Henry feels that most people who
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come to the board “really want to protect the trees.” She came to the group by way of Carpinteria Beautiful, another environmentally savvy organization. Henry notes, “Some people want trees removed simply because they are messy,” and laughingly adds, “Well, that’s what trees do.” Even if it is just to complain, Walmsley is thrilled when people attend the board’s quarterly meetings. “It shows they care,” he says.
live and highly appreciative audience. There’s no one dominant theme. Some sing of love. Another belts out “I Don’t Care No More.” There’s a song about the transformational properties of a tiara. “Sinners” is a parody on the Garden of Eden and the doctrine of original sin.
– Kim Drain
° ° °
Tin Pan Lofts
“Asking a songwriter if he wants to sing is like asking a dog if it wants to go on a walk,” Arturo Tello quotes a fellow songwriter. Which explains why Tello, also a well known landscape painter, is the driving force behind a weekly gathering of musicians at the Palm Lofts Gallery. Technically, the Thursday night event is a “songwriters circle;” the songs are original, which makes it different from a jam session. The potluck and socializing is at 7 p.m.–sharing the excitement of fellow songwriter ’s CD release, news of a long absent member, and general chit chat. At 7:30, the ring around the buffet table moves to the circle of
Joel Conroy
chairs. Guitar strings are given a final pluck or two. Sheet music is straightened. Throats are cleared. A bottle is spun to select who goes first, and a coin toss determines if the direction is clockwise or counterclockwise. There’s a ceremonial tap on a gong and it starts. Then, the gallery, with its great acoustics and artwork on the walls, turns into a temple of sound. One by one, original songs are performed before a
Joel Conroy
Singing along is encouraged. Tunes are catchy or familiar, as some compositions, on a journey to get better and better, have been performed at more than one previous circle. The group has been in existence for four or five years. Its origin is the Songwriting Playshop offered through Santa Barbara City College’s Continuing Education program. Nowadays, along with Carpinterians, people show up at the Thursday night Songwriters Circle from Ventura, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and even farther away. The word is out, and folks have been known to show up on their way through town. It’s a floating community of songwriters. One week, there may be nine participants. Next week maybe more, or there may be less. “It’s beyond camaraderie. It’s a safe place,” says a cappella singer Penelope Salinger and adds, “ it feels like an honor to share [my music].” The organization of the circle is clear without being fussy or full of rules. A Facebook page posts the occasional update. Not really a rule, perhaps more a guiding principle is “no disclaimers.” Refrain from prefacing your piece with talk such as “it’s not really good … still working on parts of it … just finished today … this is the first time …” A typical Thursday night circle is show up, sing, listen. Or, listen, then sing. Maybe sing again. The thing is to sing. To sing your song. And listen to others sing their songs. It’s that simple. – amy orozCo
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FrEsH. ArTiSaN. DaIlY. Carpinteria 4191 Carpinteria Ave. #12 805.318.1819 Montecito 1235-C Coast Village Rd. 805.770.3136 Santa Barbara Public Market 38 West Victoria St. (at Chapala) Everywhere! crazygoodbread.com
All 100% non-smoking studio suites, 400 to 430 sq. ft. Free wireless hi-speed internet, fitness room and plenty of free parking Outdoor heated pool & whirlpool spa
Complimentary “Express Start” breakfast served daily Complete interior renovation completed April, 2014
5606 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 • www.carpinteriaexpress.com • ReseRvations 805-566-9499 SUMMER2014 27
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Design. Build. Sustain. B y Peter Dugré • Ph ot os By Fra n Col l i n
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A powerful gust of dry wind sends crispy oak leaves skidding across the pavement of a twisting Toro Canyon Road just down the driveway from architect Barton Myers’ house, a total revision of what a luxury home can be in the American Riviera. On the upper stretch of the rural foothill drive, roomy Tuscan villas—stucco walls, red-tile roofs—hide behind towering rows of eucalyptus. The homes, tributes to a different time and place, make no sense to Myers, whose residence balances pragmatism and style. Myers’ place, a regular on the pages of architectural publications as one of America’s finest specimens, is fire retardant among those crunchy oak leaves, dry winds, and constant threats of an inferno. Visually the minimalist design scores points with sheer angles and a metallic gloss that so starkly contrast the rolling hillside. He calls the more typical foothill homes “terrible Tuscans.” His place isn’t austere; it’s smart. The genteel 79-year-old architect, a professor and developer, has logged decades in the field redesigning urban centers, building theaters, museums and homes, and in the classroom thinking about architecture’s important role in society. “I think it should be a requirement that everyone take some sort of architecture appreciation course,” he says. The home exhibits Myers’ school of thought, which considers context, circumstance, and conditions as central to design. “It’s looking at a place and trying to understand its context. If architects appreciated the context, their architecture would be better,” he says. More than one lizard has roamed freely into Myers’ home since it was built in 1998. The glass and steel walls
OPPOSITE PAGE, architect Barton Myers received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently worked with Louis I. Kahn, one of the most influential architects of the 20th Century. THIS PAGE, TOP, three terraces make up Myers’ residence, with the main living quarters on the middle terrace. THIS PAGE, ABOVE, steel shutters protect every opening in the Myers’ home against wildfires.
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are roll-up doors. Most days, there’s hardly a barrier between inside and out with all the walls drawn and views overlooking the valley and then the Santa Barbara Channel and the islands. The property contains three similar structures terraced into the hillside. A lower-level guesthouse stands below the main home on the middle section, and on the upper level is the office, to which Myers recently relocated his firm, Barton Myers Associates, from Los Angeles. Each building has a pool of circulating water on its roof. From the main house, the water on the roof of the guest house— fitted with a lane for lap swimming—gives the illusion of bringing the distant ocean into the front yard. Liquid rooftops are more than ostentation; water is fireproof. And the walls, which when open allow the dining room to stretch onto the patio into the garden and onward to the unending views, can be fortified by a roll-down layer of steel. The steel cocoon, a 20-minute job to put in place, could withstand a wildfire until it was nearly knocking at the door and baking the structure at 700 degrees Fahrenheit. “This is the first house that I know of, other than a concrete bunker buried, that reasonably tries to deal with living in a very dangerous area,” Myers says. He laments the rebuilds after the three recent Santa Barbara area wildfires that simply resurrected residences that were torched in the first place.
OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, the dining area; a rooftop reflecting pool combats fires; and Barton Myers and his wife, Victoria, in the studio, situated on the upper terrace. THIS PAGE, TOP, like the entire home, the kitchen provides spectacular views of the ocean and surrounding area. THIS PAGE, ABOVE, built to coexist with its natural surroundings, all structures on the property are open and take advantage of ocean breezes. SUMMER2014 31
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Transformable walls seem futuristic but Myers considers the overall design of his home a throwback to the California Mission era. Spanish settlers built California homes as indoor/outdoor living environments, where the garden was as important as the home itself. “I wanted to reconnect the California home to the garden,” he says. Mission Era homes were very simple with big porches giving way to dirt plazas like the Presidio on Cañon Perdido in Santa Barbara. “You lived off of what you grew,” Myers says. On hillsides, he grows olives, blood oranges, cactus fruit, and grapes–strategically planted to limit the amount of fuel in case Toro Canyon lights up for the first time since the 1960s. Of the retractable walls, Myers comments that about the only life incompatible with the Santa Barbara area are houseflies and other nuisances; their absence allows a walls-optional lifestyle.
Ey Es on Carp i ntE ri a
TOP, the garden and surrounding vegetation help stave off destruction from wildfires. ABOVE, a shallow reflecting pool serves as fire barrier, also. The recirculating water sounds like a creek.
Although you can’t see Carpinteria from Myers’ home, it’s evident the architect has been musing about the city that lies southeast of his view corridor. Plans laid out on the drawing table in his 10-computer onsite office contain CAD mock ups of what could be built on the Carpinteria Bluffs if he had his way. He proposed building an office and homes with million-dollar views in the empty lot next to S&S Seeds, the last undeveloped sliver of the area known as Bluffs II, but was met with an emphatically lukewarm “not now” from city officials at a November 2013 pitch meeting before the Carpinteria City Council and Planning Commission.
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Decision-makers seemed more impressed by the pitchman who has a contagious way of using the word “wonderful” than with plans to erect residences at a place in the city that had historically been built with corporate offices and light industrial workplaces. At the meeting, he had said, “I live right next to you and want to build a stunning project for you.” Councilmen came away from the meeting with an amenable attitude toward the proposal, but the consensus was that overall zoning and city visioning would have to change in order for Myers’ project, which includes seven homes and 26,000 square feet of office space, to fly. Big-time moviemaker Ivan Reitman owns the property with a business partner, and, in order to turn a buck, homes would have to be part of the deal, Myers said.
Reitman had acquired the Carpinteria parcel with an eye on building a post-production studio there and had gained approval for the design in 1998 before a multimovie deal fell through and the Montecitan no longer needed a studio.
TOP LEFT, a pulley system opens and closes steel doors. TOP RIGHT, in his design work, Barton Myers is committed to the connection of house to nature. In 1994 he received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal, and in 2002 he received the AIA/Los Angeles Gold Medal. ABOVE, the Toro Canyon residence uses roll-down steel shutters as a defense against wildfire. SUMMER2014 33
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LEFT, Myers’ Toro Canyon residence has been honored with several awards including the AIA PIA “Innovation in Housing Award.” It also has been the subject of television programs and featured in numerous national and international publications. Slow to no-growthers in Carpinteria consider the Bluffs hallowed ground. Myers values the space for other reasons. He talked up the live/work potential at the city meeting. Office space next to housing creates a vital environment befitting Carpinteria as a living place, Myers argued, but city planners did not buy the line of thinking that office workers would be likely candidates to occupy 2,500-square-foot houses built on a bluff top. Houses likely to start at $1.5 million aren’t workforce housing, contended councilman Fred Shaw. Myers has been scaling back the original plans to resubmit to the city for review but like other developers before him, he was dubious of the possibility to get anything built. Still, he contends that Carpinteria’s desire to retain its small beach town character matches his intent. He’s the one to pull off balanced development. “As great a place as Carpinteria is, it doesn’t really have the wonderful project the area deserves,” he says. The Bluffs, he says, are one of the worthiest blank canvases for an architect in Southern California.
E a r n ing h i s s t r EEt c r E d Born into the Navy in Norfolk, Va., Myers graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, joined the U.S. Air Force, and trained with top gun fighter pilots in the late 1950s before completing graduate work in architecture at University of Pennsylvania. His firm set up shop in Toronto in 1968 and became a big name in Canadian architectural circles. Urban redevelopment was his thing. “I’ve spent most of my life trying to remake cities and towns in a smarter way,” he says. He gained notoriety for a functional, student-owned housing and marketplace building, Housing Union Building, at University of Alberta in the early 1970s, a pretty radical 1,000-foot-long building, which he says
taught the students “benevolent capitalism.” In 1994 he received the Gold Medal from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and had his hands on many university, museum and theater designs in Canada. Having been conferred professor emeritus status at UCLA, where he began teaching in 1985, Myers now delivers guest lectures, and his work still takes him all over the country. When he spoke with Carpinteria Magazine, Myers had just returned to his Toro Canyon home from a visit to Newark, N.J., where he had designed the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in the late 1990s. He earned a Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Renewal for that design. The following day he would leave for Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was scheduled to deliver a guest lecture in the classroom of one of his former students. He would likely hammer the importance of “regional contextualism” into students’ brains. “Some architects build the same white house whether they’re in Santa Barbara or Manhattan,” he bemoans. The firm is currently building Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., the largest theater building under construction in the United States. “Theaters are marvelous places. They’re like meeting places nowadays,” he says. Myers spent considerable time behind a podium talking down the Granada Theater when that was being redesigned in Santa Barbara. Among many other issues, he contends the balcony is too low and close to the stage and destroys the acoustics. In his home office space, Myers has a map of the Carpinteria Bluffs. In the space where Tee-Time Driving range sits, he has a round theater drawn into the 27-acre expanse. Next fall, UCSB’s Art, Design and Architecture Museum will host a retrospective of Myers’ work. ◆
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BuilDiNg
a center for The
Arts S T ORY BY FRA N D AV IS PH OT OS BY JOE L CO NR O Y
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together,” Vincent Van Gogh said. The observation perfectly describes the continuing evolution of the city’s arts center. What started as a vision by a few and a small downtown gallery has grown into an ambitious dream for a cultural center that will reach out to and serve the entire community. Carpinteria is home to a vibrant and thriving art community, and the Carpinteria Arts Center, along with the Plaza Playhouse Theater, is ground zero for a continuing exploration and expansion into the community of arts in all its forms—from visual arts to music, dance, sculpture, ceramics, poetry, and more. The Arts Center board and its executive director Sherri Frazer are now laying the groundwork for a capital campaign to construct a dramatic new building, one that will have a transformative effect on the downtown area. Envisioned as a community-based cultural center, the Art Center ’s proposed new home will incorporate flexible gallery and studio spaces and rooms for meetings, special events, art education and classes. “We want the Art Center to become the heartbeat of the community,” Frazer states. LEFT, the Carpinteria Arts Center sets sail on a capital campaign for a new building that will serve as a community-based cultural center. SUMMER2014 37
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Dramatic sails shading outside tables, bamboo planters and a freshly-painted cottage gallery are the latest phase in the board’s long-term plan to shift the Center to a new and more inclusive paradigm. “Art changes the world,” declares board co-chair David Powdrell, who references Leonardo de Vinci’s prescient depiction of the helicopter. His role on the board, which he views as critical, is “getting art into the community.” “The Carpinteria Arts Center will be a central hub for all ages in the community,” Frazer says. “There will be something for everyone,” she adds, stressing a wide range of ages and interests to be served, from toddlers to senior citizens. The Center already functions as a cultural hub and downtown destination, with a rich palette of artistic offerings, including changing monthly exhibits in the gallery and art walks, film showings, poetry readings and educational outreach programs.
Sponsored programs like Art by the Sea Summer Camp and Whales and Dolphins Summer Camp expand kids’ horizons, with hands-on classes that integrate art and natural history. The outreach program Bellas Artes exposes underserved children to the cultural traditions of Latin American art and gives them a chance to create their own artworks. One of Frazer’s goals is reaching out to more civic organizations to develop and expand collaborative programs. Surf ’n’ Suds Festival, Rods and Roses, Teen Art Fest, First Friday, Chamber of Commerce events and Art-niture are shining examples of the kinds of collaborations she’d like to see more of. The event known as Art-niture, which challenges local artists to create and donate art made from furniture, has gained in popularity since it was first staged by the Center three years ago. Every August, the grounds of the Center take on a carnival atmosphere as the unique pieces of art arrive for inspection. Last summer, a popular band performed under the sycamore tree as crowds circled the collection of curious auction items. Whimsically painted tables and chairs, trunks and platters were spaced throughout the TOP, the Linden Avenue space plays host to receptions, classes, and other community gatherings. ABOVE, Step One, An Art Gallery was the first milestone toward the ultimate goal of an arts center.
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area. Art aficionados sipped wine and helped themselves to plates of appetizers and sweets. Would-be buyers drifted around the odd assemblage, checking bid sheets, hoping no one else would snag that coveted tile-encrusted chair, the whimsical bookshelf, or the bright red table painted with a woman’s face. Another eagerly-awaited annual event is the Artists Studio Tour which invites visitors to tour the studios and work spaces of 40 artists for a free behind-the-scenes view of art in the process of creation. The success of the Carpinteria Art Center is a lesson in the power of a dedicated core of volunteers. “Their longterm commitment is essential to achieving our mission,” Frazer states. Nearly 150 volunteers, many of them with a decade or more of history with the organization, work as gallery hosts, lend a hand with events planning and marketing, and serve on committees. Last year, gallery hosts alone amassed a total of 1,056 volunteer hours. Niels Johnson-Lameijer, board co-chair along with Powdrell, is passionate about the need to spread the art net wide. “The Art Center fills a need in Carpinteria,” he says. “People need a place to come together and express their art, all kinds of art, not just with a brush.” The building proposed as the Arts Center ’s new home, he adds, will be both a “place for art and an expression of art as well.” The bold design of the proposed new building created a buzz when it was first unveiled. The face of the two-story structure, a graceful glass-fronted curve, “is an abstract reference to the beach, ocean and water,” according to TOP TO BOTTOM, architectural renderings of the proposed art center include the Linden Avenue street view, a bird’s-eye view and a sectional perspective.
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architect Andy Neumann. His firm Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis was the board’s choice for the project, and the design was developed by partner David Mendro. Linden Avenue is an eclectic mix of building styles and designs, according to Neumann, with structures ranging from Victorian to 19 th Century plaster to ‘50s mid-century modern. A new contemporary building is another step in the continuing evolution of the streetscape. From an urban planning perspective, he maintains, a cultural center downtown will create a new sense of focus, fostering civic pride and identity. Downtown Carpinteria has already paved a path for art. A stroller on pedestrian friendly Linden Avenue can walk from the dazzling wall-sized beach scene mural on Wullbrandt Lane to the seal fountain sculpture and plaza with its tile depiction of the area’s mammoth grapevine. The eye-catching sails of the Arts Center wave from across the street, and at the corner another tile mural shows Chumash Indians constructing a plank canoe. Toward the beach an industrial building bears a mural of the coastline, and across the railroad tracks, the marine sculptures of Tomol Park grace a children’s play area. The town, it seems, wears its art-history on its sleeve. If “art is the stored honey of the human soul,” as American writer Theodore Dreiser maintained, then the
city of Carpinteria has managed to store up quite a bit of honey. The ongoing transformation of the Arts Center can be seen as a grand addition to that sweet supply, both as storehouse and purveyor. ◆ TOP, movers and shakers of the Carpinteria art scene, from left, Amanda McIntyre, executive director Sherri Frazer, Danielle Methmann, Louise Moore, Niels Johnson-Lameijer, Susan Misemer, Charles Lo Bue, Teda Pilcher, Norm Arnold, Marty Selfridge, David Powdrell, and Gary Campopiano. ABOVE, a lunch spot. Outdoor tables are perfect for a downtown picnic.
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Exhibits • LEarning • EvEnts • Community Art By the SeA Summer CAmp
upComing gAllery exhiBitS
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Driven to Abstraction • June 5 - July 21 Artniture • July 24 - August 4 Caminos 2 • August 7 - September 22
gallery hours: thursday - monday, 10am - 4pm
855 Linden avenue
Downtown Carpinteria
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teachpeerts LA VIDA
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PHOTO ESSAY B Y GLE N N DUBOCK
Every classroom seems to have one. Sometimes they are noisy, sometimes as quiet as a mouse. They are never late, tend to get along well with others but just can’t seem to graduate to another grade or another school. They are the Teacher ’s Pets. Some are furry, some have feathers – but they all bring a smile and so much joy to the instructors and the students.
Bunnies + Teacher = Learning
Courtney Vasquez, Kindergarten teacher at Canalino School, helps Flopsy and Cottontail adjust to their roles as teacher’s aides, models of good citizenship, and as a reprieve from grueling ABC lessons.
Reading, Writing, and Tarantulas, Oh My!
This tarantula - one big hairy arachnid - makes its home in a glass cage with a secure lid at the Canalino School library. With an appearance worse than its bite, the tarantula is less venomous than a honeybee. SUMMER2014 43
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LA VIDA
Cock-a-DoodleSchool
Why did the chicken cross the coop? To get to the Lou Grant Parent-Child Workshop side! The rooster is checking out the henhouse for a lesson in the birds and the bees.
Pig on a Blanket This
Guinea
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also
makes
its
home at the Lou Grant Parent-Child Workshop.
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Baby, It's You
With the run of the Kinderkirk Preschool and Daycare playground, Baby, the duck, is friends with all of the students and staff. Baby always quacks up schoolmates, from left, Harper Fraser, Gwyndolyn Hultman, Ashlynn Greenburg, and Reid Olesen.
Gills versus Lungs
Who is watching whom? Howard School students have a staring contest with freshwater goldfish. From left, teacher Chris Riley, Nick Auchincloss, Jordan Perez, Kyle Fenole, and Andrew Ziehl observe their finned friends. â—† SUMMER2014 45
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SUMMER@ LAGUNABLANCA.ORG/SUMMER
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Celebrate Carpinteria every
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JULY 4 AUGUST 1 SEPTEMBER 5 OCTOBER 3, 4 & 5 NOVEMBER 7 DECEMBER 5 & 6 JANUARY 2 & 3 FEBRUARY 6 MARCH 6 APRIL 3 MAY 1 JUNE 5
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EVENTS
Carpinteria comes alive on the First Friday & Saturday of each month. Expect a delicious weekend of entertainment, art, shopping & dining. Small towns have more fun!
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SHOP PLAY DINE STAY
America the Beautiful Celebrate Art Sounds of Summer California Avocado Festival Fall Harvest Light Up the Season Snow Much To Do Where the Heart Is Think Green Spring Fling Carpinteria In Bloom Surf’s Up
LAUREN WILSON DE SIGN
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STORY BY L E A BOYD
•
COURTESY PHOTO
Past Portraits POR T RA I T S BY GL E N N DUBOCK
In addition to having the World’s Safest Beach, Carpinteria boasts one of the world’s best surf spots: Rincon Point. Known as the Queen of the Coast, the cobblestone point offers legendary waves and draws legendary crowds from up and down the coast. There are, however, several Carpinterians who remember a time when the Queen hosted just a handful of surfers even as the choicest waves thundered through. These pioneering surfers were riding walls of water for a few moments, maybe just a few seconds, when the concept seemed impossible to most. In the 1950s and ’60s, the nascent sport had begun to catch on and create a culture of sandy athletes seeking another adrenalin jolt. To get it, they dragged heavy
boards across the sand, braved frigid waters before the advent of wetsuits, and swam after errant boards without the luxury of leashes. And they loved every minute of it. At least that’s how they remember it 50-plus years later. In this issue of Carpinteria Magazine, we turn our attention to three men who left their mark on countless Rincon waves. They have more salty stories than lines in their tanned faces. We share a few of these stories with our readers.
THIS PAGE, ABOVE, Rincon Point before its iconic status as a favorite surf spot. As surfing grew in popularity, the siren song of the Queen of the Coast drew surfers from up and down the coast to her waves.
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R E N N Y YAT E R Rincon has served as both playground and office to Reynolds “Renny” Yater since the early 1950s. The quiet Carpinterian, considered one of the best surfboard shapers of all times, has watched thousands of waves wrap around the famed cobblestone point, many from the perspective of the sand and his favorite from within the grasp of the waves themselves. Yater grew up in Laguna Beach when bodysurfing’s popularity was paving the way for surfing. In 1947, at age 15, he surfed his first wave on an 80-pound “plank” at Doheny State Beach; he was hooked. His first Rincon experience came a few years later. By then he was entrenched in the sport, surfing regularly and chopping up the old-style planks to craft flat-bottomed, rounded top shapes that followed the newest trend. In the late 1940s, he saw a picture of “this place called Rincon,” which had been recently pioneered by legends Bob Simmons and Joe Quigg. Yater and a friend got skunked on their first roadtrip to Rincon. The Queen of the Coast is finicky about the direction of her swells, and she was flat when Yater first laid eyes on her. On his next attempt, he saw her in all her glory, but this time the shear size of the swell kept the young surfer out of the water. By the mid 1950s, however, Rincon had become a regular destination for Yater and friends. Catalina Island effectively blocked winter swells along the Los Angeles coast. “We’d just kind of run out of surf in the winter,” he said. During the winter lull, they caravanned north, surfing Rincon and camping in their cars on the side of the highway. “We were seeing surf that we didn’t see down there—far more powerful surf,” he said. Then there was the frigid water on bare skin. Wetsuits did not emerge on the scene until the late 1950s; thus early Rincon sessions tended to be brief. Yater remembers burning tires on the beach to thaw numb extremities before dipping back into the freezing water. But the payoff was perfect, uncrowded surf. “On a really good day, maybe there’d be 15 guys in the water.
RENNY YATER PRIVATE COLLECTION
That was a crowd,” Yater says. Yater surfed Rincon for the joy of racing along a peeling wave face, but also for the research and development opportunities the point provided. New materials like fiberglass and polyurethane foam were hitting the market, allowing for smaller, thinner boards that functioned better in local conditions. “My whole thing was designing boards and trying to make them work better,” Yater says. And he did. The Yater Spoon, developed in 1964, secured Yater ’s place in surf history and remains among the most popular longboard designs today. The spry 81-year-old, who has lived on Padaro Lane since the 1970s, last surfed Rincon about six or seven years ago; he recently gave up cold water surfing due to shoulder injuries. He grows bright-eyed when he reminisces about his involvement in the earliest days of riding Rincon’s perfect waves. “We were fortunate,” he says simply. “Yah, it was a good era.” ABOVE, Renny Yater surfing Rincon circa Christmas time 1966. Photo by B. Baker. OPPOSITE PAGE, in the early years, surfing was not for the faint of heart. Surfboards were primitive and heavy, and leashes were still a distant innovation. Renny Yater changed that with his surfboard designs and shaping, which he continues today.
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AN D Y N E U M A N N On Andy Neumann’s 16 th birthday, his mom picked him up from school and took him straight to the DMV. He passed his driving test, dropped off his mom at home, slid the nose of his board in the trunk and headed down the highway to spend the rest of the afternoon surfing Rincon Point. “It’s truly one of the best waves in the world,” Neumann says from a sunlit office in his Carpinteria-based architecture firm, Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects. Neumann moved from Holland to Santa Barbara at 8 years old. He grew up in Montecito and surfed his first wave at Rincon in the late 1950s, when he was just about 10. Fred Hepp, his sister ’s boyfriend at the time, lent Neumann a balsa wood Velzy board and took him to Rincon, introducing the boy to a lifelong passion. “There was a great sense of freedom,” Neumann says of surfing Rincon in that era. “It was sort of newly discovered. The whole sport was sort of newly discovered.” Montecito offered decent waves just down the road from Neumann’s home, but Rincon trumped every surf spot around. Before Neumann could drive, he regularly bicycled to Miramar, and if conditions looked good, he would get his older buddy John Bradbury to drive him to Rincon. Neumann recalls debating with Bradbury over whether he should chip in 25 or 50 cents for gas. Neumann’s first board was a Gordy, his next a custom Yater with four curved stringers. He took the custom board
out in all types of surf and often shared the lineup with its shaper, Renny Yater. Yater was a hero to Neumann and a role model to many young surfers. “He wouldn’t stand out until the waves were really challenging, then you really saw how good he was, how graceful,” Neumann said. As a young teen, Neumann found the presence of Rincon’s older regulars comforting. “If the waves were big and I was scared, I had the sense that they would help me out,” he says. Neumann always got his schoolwork finished, but says, “Good surfing was number one.” He remembers telling his mom that he was spending the night at a friend’s house while the friend did the same. The teens slept in a station wagon at Rincon and paddled out before dawn to catch a handful of waves before showing up salty to school. During high school, Neumann helped to found the Hope Ranch Surf Club and was a member of the Santa Barbara County Surf Club. Through these elite clubs he had access to Hollister Ranch and could enter exclusive surf contests, such as the annual Malibu Invitational. When Neumann announced that he was going to college at U.C. Berkeley, his surfing pals thought he’d lost his mind to move away from the Southern California surf. After earning a degree in architecture, Neumann returned to Carpinteria in 1971 and developed a reputation for inspired design. Now the highly acclaimed 67-year-old architect says surfing means as much to him as ever. He competes in both the Rincon Classic and Malibu Surfing Association Classic Invitational annually, and keeps a variety of boards in his car should the opportunity arise for a session at Rincon. “It’s still my favorite spot,” he says. LEFT, Andy Neumann surfing Rincon in 1964. Photo by Bob Cooper. OPPOSITE PAGE, Neumann, the architect, went to U.C. Berkeley with a surfing scholarship from the United States Surfing Association. He graduated with honors with a five-year professional degree in architecture. ATE COLLECTION ANDY NEUMANN PRIV
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JOHN MOYER John Moyer is an even-keeled kind of guy, but he gets giddy describing what he calls “the surfing moment of my life.” It was January 1964, and a swell was building at Rincon. Moyer, 16, convinced his mom to drive him to the beach just as the sun started slipping below the horizon. Only one car sat on the side of the highway, Renny Yater ’s, and the crowd consisted of Yater and one other surfer. Moyer caught a hollow, peeling wave as soon as he paddled out. The liquid lip hovered over the goofy-footer ’s left shoulder. “I just remember it roaring,” he says. “I was blown away. I’d never been in a wave like that.” He rode it to the seawall at the bottom of the Cove, then paddled back out and caught an identical wave. The perfect session lodged itself permanently in Moyer ’s memory. By then, Moyer had been infected with the surf bug for a few years. His introduction to the sport came when the mother of his best friend, Barrett Jackson, made her older son, Curtis, take the two adolescents to watch the movie “Surf Fever” in 1960. “Literally we didn’t know what surfing really was,” Moyer remembers, “and then we walk into the thing and we were star struck … We were goners.” Surfing quickly became everything to Moyer. He had been an active member of the Boy Scouts of America before surfing, “but that went down the tubes,” he says.
He wasn’t going to miss a swell for a camping trip. After seeing “Surf Fever,” Moyer began riding waves at Main Beach, at the base of Linden Avenue, where a lifeguard named Bill Ming took Moyer ’s lunch as payment to use his 8-foot, 6-inch balsa wood board. Surfboards then were a rare commodity. Barrett found a board buried in the sand at Second Beach, at the base of Elm Avenue, Moyer remembers. “It was like gold—and it wouldn’t even float.” Moyer began surfing Rincon before he owned a board. Young surfers waited on the sand for someone to come in and lend them a board while the board’s owner warmed up on the beach. Moyer remembers being yelled back onto the sand so a board-lender could resume his session. His first several years of surfing were all sans wetsuit. So desperate were some surfers to extend sessions, he once heard of someone who tried wearing a tight wool sweater. “It was horrible,” he recalls. Some of the guys in the lineup wore dive jackets, but their thickness prohibited agility. Moyer, who now works as a designer for the Santa Barbara architectural firm PGA+RRM Design Group, stopped surfing regularly a few years ago after he sustained a shoulder injury. “But I still love it,” he says. “It’s just the purest, most exhilarating thing.” And though he’s not in the lineup at Rincon very often anymore, the 66-year-old is a regular spectator from the top of the stairs leading down to Backside. “Even now I see a couple of lines in the water and my heart starts to pick up,” he says, a half century since his unforgettable sunset session. ◆ LEFT, John Moyer surfing Rincon in the early 1980s. Photo by L. Paul Mann. OPPOSITE PAGE, Today, Moyer works as a designer for the Santa Barbara architectural firm PGA+RRM Design Group. ATE COLLECTION JOHN MOYER PRIV
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Drough t Com pat i bl e the offi Ci al D r ought pr oCl amation Doesn’t stop a Col orf u l Carpet of f l owers we av i n g a s peC taC ular v i ew. the yel l ow Daisies, pu rpl e salvia, anD reD kangaroo paw thriv e i n Car pi nter i a’ s near perf eCt C l imate of 70- to 80-Degree temps in the su mmer anD miD-50s to high-60s in the winter. photo b y DaviD p o wDre ll
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By Peter Dugré Ph otos By Joe l Con roy These artisans and craftspeople make homemade products so you don’t have to. They turn their personal musings into one-of-a-kind wares, furnishings, home décor, and edibles that deliver smallbatch quality one painstaking cut, screw, nail and insignia at a time. Etsy opens doors for consumers to find craftspeople from around the country, but Carpinteria Magazine recommends searching the living rooms and garages of the valley to find the workshops where craftsmanship and skill are top priorities. Read on to discover what’s being made by your talented neighbors.
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John Scott Designs Hand thrown ceramics
John Scott has been throwing clay since 1958 when Eisenhower was president. The Palm Lofts craftsperson graduated from UCLA in 1961, and he counts himself fortunate for having started out in an era when most pots were still made by potters, not the 3D machinery of today’s factories where thousands of pots are manufactured for big box store consumers. Scott’s work has been sought after by numerous architectural firms to compliment home and building designs over the decades. “The architects liked the idea of people making things,” he says. The secret to success as a craftsperson is, he tersely states, “all crafts require a commitment to the chosen material,” a material Scott offhandedly refers to as dirt. Glazed, colored, and uniquely textured, the dirt emerges from Scott’s home kiln as durable and decorative. He hopes a carefully selected vase or bottle made with his hands can be valued by families for generations. Scott also crafts wall sculptures and other specialty orders, which can be viewed on the Carpinteria Arts Council’s annual Artist Studios Tour. His work can be purchased at Palm Lofts Studio, 410 Palm Ave., #B1, or at Gumps in San Francisco.
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Alan Clark Whimsy Antiques and WhimSea product line
Beach rubble looks like home décor through Alan Clark’s eyes. Clark, who is behind Linden Avenue’s Whimsy Antiques with wife Karen, calls his sculptural product line WhimSea. “I love to recycle and repurpose,” Alan says of incorporating driftwood, sea glass, and other found materials into his work. The UCSB Studio Art major has an eye for stylized home décor, and according to the craftsman, a mastery of all manner of hand and electric tools is the crafty side to his creativity. The 25year veteran says he creates items like words mounted on driftwood and picture displays as an outlet for creativity and to share his creations. Find WhimSea products at Whimsy Antiques, 962 Linden Ave., Porch on Santa Claus Lane, and Plum Goods on State Street in Santa Barbara.
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Mike Millan Furniture Making and Repair, Carpentry
Woodworker Mike Millan knows a quality piece of wood when he sees one. He has spent decades working the saws, chisels, and hand planes to craft and repair fine furniture. “The wood-craftsman needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of wood and incorporate that into the design,” comments Millan, who said the learning process to attain his repertoire of techniques and knowledge was slow and arduous. He mastered woodworking through decades of trial and error. “Lots of times the wood itself suggests a use,” says the craftsman about his inspiration for creating unique furniture. Find examples of his furniture, like the popular hand-cut, dovetailed wooden trays, on Facebook or by visiting his Carpinteria garage shop on Juniper Lane.
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Cortnie Alter Madera del Mar
Driftwood is resurrected in Cortnie Alter ’s assemblage creations. The artist says patience is key as she layers and fits driftwood into her designs like puzzle pieces for her Madera del Mar line of home design. Her passion for collage started in her formative years. “I have traded out my glue stick for a nail gun, but in reality, I’m still that girl making collages,” she says. Being raised in an ocean-loving family made the choice of driftwood as a medium a given, and surfing goes hand-in-hand with beach combing for Alter. Her most popular products are mirrors, peace signs, and hearts, which can be found on Etsy and Fresh Crib online or in select boutiques along the Southern California coast including Porch and Seastrand in Carpinteria.
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Maureen Foley Red Hen Cannery
A love of fresh fruit led Maureen Foley to her Red Hen Cannery line of jams, marmalades, and other specialty food products. The slowsimmering process of keeping her inventory plush for Farmers Markets involves both the drudgery of being systematic, “it requires patience, more than anything,” she says, and a refined palate for how to let the fruit fully express itself in jams. “For instance, not everyone loves persimmons, but we discovered that that they’re really amazing dehydrated,” she says. Fruit is in Foley’s blood. She grew up on a Carpinteria avocado orchard that also had a u-pick berry stand. She learned the jam trade from the women of the family. Also a writer and artist–check out the hand-drawn labels– Foley channels some of her creative spirit into the jams. Red Hen Cannery’s slogan is “Fruit as poetry.” Look for her Meyer Lemon and Strawberry or Roast Peach and Brown Sugar jams this summer, available at Carpinteria Farmers Market or at redhencannery.com.
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Beno Coleman Metal Sculpture
Beno Coleman’s alchemy is in breathing new life into discarded mild steel, most often with a mask and torch. A tow-truck driver for Colson’s Towing by day, Coleman is often knee deep in scrap metal, but to the tinkerer-by-trade, the twisted metals are materials from which to make sculptures, furnishings, doodads, or whatever else Coleman fancies. “I’m inspired by the possibility to produce something that nobody else has ever seen,” he says. The heavy metal furnishings at Island Brewing Company were cut and welded by Coleman. He has crafted metal into everything from a samurai warrior statue, which he values so much he put a $20,000 price tag on it, to tools that he uses every day at the garage. “I have fun with [my art] – a lot of fun, almost to the point where it’ll cost me my job,” he says. Selected works can be viewed at 910 Maple Gallery in Carpinteria. ◆
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Moment in Time
Cat Ch i n g a buz z a bus y bee wor ks the f iel ds gathering neC tar and pol l en f rom a matil ija popp y.
photo b y da i v d p o wd re ll
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Moment in Time
A l l H Ai l t He Q ue e n A HAwk’s eye view of A perf ec t dAy At rinc on. eAs y to s ee wH y sHe’s c A l l ed tHe Q u een of tHe coA st ’rou nd Here.
pHoto by Gle n n d ubo ck
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Moment in Time
Pa i n t e d S k y the after -work c rew watc heS f inal b ru Sh StrokeS aPPl ied to the Sky Painting at the end of the oc ean.
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Inside
the Box
with
Kevin Dotts Q & A with the owner of CrossFit Carpinteria IntervIew b y MIChA e l vA n S t ry Ph otoS by AA ron b r At k ovI CS There are no mirrors. no scales. no machines. little more than a warehouse space in carpinteria’s west-end industrial park, four red walls with giant roll-up metal doors and 20-foot ceilings frame the 1,600-square foot “box.” inside, ominous, oversized wood boxes, rows of kettle bells, racks of dumbbells, piles of wall balls, pull up racks, climbing ropes, gymnastic rings, and oversized tractor tires wait for the next scheduled class to arrive. on the contrasting red wall, a white board shows the workout of the day, or “WoD,” along with names and accomplished weights and times of those in previous classes. above it, a timer to keep track of it all and the words “better today than yesterday.” This is the crossFit carpinteria box. Kevin Dotts opened his box in July 2012. Prior to that, the 40-year-old carpinterian was an autism specialist in the Bay area, owning two schools and four clinics. OPPOSITE PAGE, Kevin Dotts, owner of CrossFit Carpinteria, opened his “box” in Carpinteria’s west end industrial zone in 2012.
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After selling his practice, he and wife, Valerie, moved back to his hometown to raise their three young daughters. “It’s still relatively new,” Dotts explains. CrossFit, Inc. was founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman. Since then, nearly 9,000 affiliate boxes have opened in 97 countries. It’s taken the world by storm. “Pretty much everyone coming in here is new to the sport,” Dotts says. Carpinteria Magazine sat down with Dotts in his box to do something every CrossFit athlete loves to do: talk about CrossFit. His resounding message: “Everyone can do it!”
H ow di d you com e t o op en a c rossFit box in carp i nteria?
I was CrossFit-ing in Santa Barbara and thought, “Hey, there is a need for this in Carpinteria.” I knew it wouldn’t be a big box because of the size of the city, but thought it would be really good for Carpinteria to have. It was also a great way for me to be motivated to work out and stay healthy.
w H at i s tH e tH eory beH i nd cr ossFit ? By definition, CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movements done at high intensity. It is really three things: weightlifting, gymnastics, and monostructural cardio, which is rowing, running, or jumping rope. The idea behind CrossFit is to be good at everything but not necessarily great at any one thing. We see a lot of people who are really strong but can’t run a lap on a track, or someone who can run a marathon but can’t do a pull up. CrossFit touches on many, many physical skills.
compare y ou r box to a t ypical g ym . wH at’ s di FFerent? TOP, Dotts walks class members through the posted workout of the day, also known as the WOD. While everyone in the class will do the same WOD, each participant scales it to his or her strength and ability. ABOVE, the whiteboard lists the day’s workout along with the athletes and their accomplished weights and times for the WOD. OPPOSITE PAGE, before any WOD begins, CrossFit coaches walk participants through the movements using PVC pipes. Dotts demonstrates an overhead squat. He will make sure members are moving correctly before they move from PVC pipes to barbells.
It’s pretty much all training. All you have to do is show up. The workout is scheduled and there is a coach here who takes you through all the movements and the class. We do everything as a group. And as you can see, there are no machines.
des cri be tH e ty p es oF pe ople com i ng i nto y ou r box. w H at are som e oF tH eir common goals? wHat motivates people to walk t Hrou gH t He door ? For most, it’s a fitness program for them. Most people have their own 9-to-5 jobs and families and
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“I t e l l e ve r y o ne wh e n th e y s tart th at my g o al I s not to m a k e y o u as s o re as I can. [l au g h s ] we try to ease y ou I n and s cale th I ng s as mu ch as we ca n. ” they are just coming for a great overall fitness program that works on everything. Their goals may be to increase physical skills, become stronger, become healthier, lose weight or lose body fat. Then we have the small percentage that are actually doing this as a training program … as a supplement to their passion such as a marathon runner or a professional sports athlete.
Is C r o s s FI t F o r every o n e? I would say everyone can CrossFit, but it’s not necessarily for everyone. Some people don’t like to work out with other people, or don’t want a trainer telling them what to do. Even though everyone can do it, some people may not enjoy intensive workouts and increasing their heart rate.
It’ s n o t t h e k I n d o F p r ogram y ou sh ow u p Fo r wI t h h ea d p h o n es on, get y ou r w or k o ut d o n e a n d l eav e. t h ere Is deFI n It ely a “ gr o up t h In k ” el ement. Right. I think the key to the success of a program like this is the idea of “community.” When people feel that they are part of a group that is doing the same thing and has common goals, that keeps them involved. We
want people who come here to see that we are really interested in them and their progress. Community is core. So is having highly qualified and certified coaches.
a lot oF Controv ersy surr ounds t he s p or t. CrIt I Cs say It’ s dang e rous For mos t p eop le and th at a lar g e pe r Ce ntag e oF th e C oaCh es are u nqualIFIe d. Anything is dangerous if you are not doing it correctly. In terms of qualified coaches, people have to do their own due diligence in researching the gyms and trainers they are going to trust with their fitness program. We list all of our coaches’ accreditations and certifications on our Web site. We are also constantly training our coaches.
I t’ s been Called “ CrossFI t ’s s eCret” In reC ent ar tICle s medI a C onv ersatIons . w hat my oly sIs and h ow do you th e CrIt I Cs ?
dI r t y lI t t le and soCIal Is rhabdore spond t o
Rhabdo is when you break down too much muscle tissue. Symptoms are very easy to notice: swelling, nausea. We see it in athletes who push too hard and don’t listen to their bodies and stop a workout. In terms of the percentage of people who CrossFit that SUMMER2014 75
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have gotten Rhabdo, it is so minimal. But that’s what everyone hypes up. I bet there are more people who have gotten Rhabdo working out in regular gyms than CrossFitting. Athletes need to know when to stop. Also coaches need to know how to program for new CrossFitters to prevent injuries.
W h at do y ou tell s omeone Who m ay be i nti mated or ap p reh ens i v e about star t ing a jou rney i nto Cross Fi t? Yeah, that’s a big thing. I hear that a lot from people trying to get their friends in here and they say they are really intimidated. People see what is on TV or YouTube, which are the professional athletes who work out three or four times a day. That is such a small percentage of the people who actually CrossFit. Before starting CrossFit, we have an “on-ramp” program. It’s usually two evening classes where we lecture on a few topics and go over the movements and safety. We really focus on making sure new members are moving correctly. When people start coming to class they use PVC pipes before taking on any weight and the coaches are right there training them. Really, once people get in here, the first on-ramp usually eases them. Also, CrossFit, by definition, is universally scalable.
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crossFit carp by the numbers: Opened:
JULY 2012 # MeMbers:
80+
YOUngest MeMber:
Vincent, age 15 OLdest MeMber:
sue, age 71
(and she works out every morning)
Largest deMOgraphic:
age 30-45
FeMaLe MeMbers:
60%
MaLe MeMbers:
40%
# OF sUperVised cLasses each week: 35 percentage of members who have joined cF carp that are new to crossFit:
99
OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP, it’s CrossFit without the heavy lifting. “Burn” classes are high-intense cardio classes with light lifting. The class stretches before the workout. OPPOSITE PAGE, mIddlE, barbell ready for a workout. OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOm, five accredited CrossFit coaches lead the 35 classes held every week at the box. All Carpinterians, they are, from left, dan Paice, Jeremy Salgado, Kevin dotts, leah Wing, and Emmanuel Campuzano. AT RIGHT, FROm TOP, tools of the trade include wood boxes, kettlebells, and plates. SUMMER2014 77
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Everything we do here can be scaled or modified so that it works for every single person in the class. That’s why we can have 16-year-olds working out with 71-year-olds. They are doing exactly the same WOD, just at different levels.
The b ox h a s c h a n g ed a n d g row n s i nce o pe n in g Tw o y ea r s a g o . w h aT does ca r pin T er i a h ave T o l o o k for ward T o i n T he c o m i n g y ea r ? We are going to start monthly competitions for members. They are a great way for us to all get together as a community. We are continuing to build our membership and may look to expand. We’ve added additional classes and the sizes of the groups are really manageable.
gram] is about being physical and active, it’s also about getting kids to work hard, be dedicated to completing tasks, and trying new things. It shows them how to work as a team as well as how to work as an individual.
h ow does cross fiT as a li fesTyle spill inTo ev ery day li fe aT h ome w i Th your wife and dau gh Ters? My wife CrossFits. We work out together all the time. And my kids come here and CrossFit with us, too. They are always climbing the ropes and swinging on the bars. Overall it makes our family active and healthy and that’s very important to us. ◆ For more information on CrossFit Carpinteria, visit www. crossfitcarpinteria.com.
and you’re going To sTarT having classes f o r kids ? Yeah, Jeremy [Salgado] and I recently became certified for CrossFit Kids. We are looking to start those classes before school’s out for the summer. Although [the pro-
ABOVE, Kevin and Valerie Dotts enjoy spending active and healthy time at the box with their three daughters, from left, Abigail, 6, Kaleigh, 8, and Madelyn, 4.
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The Central California Surf Magazine GREEN ISSU E
Fukushima AP RIL 201
Jim Marti
4 CEN TRA
L CAL IFO
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RN IA SUR
say
FIN G MA
GA ZIN E
Travel Ala DEE PZI NE
ska
.CO M
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Think of them as patio-ettes. Carving out a small piece of space and creating your own private paradise. Brick, concrete, wood, tiles, loose rock ... all that’s immaterial. Here’s what matters: the feel, the essence, the sigh of contentment when surveying your kingdom, where size does matter because after all, good things come in small packages. There’s one more essential element–the space, it must be outside. Otherwise it’s not a patio, and certainly not a patio-ette.
Photos by Joe l Con roy • s t ory by A m y oroz Co
We iNteRRUPt this VieW FOR a sURF RePORt
LEFT, Doug Graziani’s million dollar view comes with an additional price tag. With being able to hear the sur f breaking and his crow’s nest look on Rincon, he’s the de facto guy friends call for the sur f report. Rivermouth, Indicator, and Backside ... he sees them all. Graziani built the wooden deck. His father built the adjoining cottage, which first served as a shed, with a hand saw, hammer, and nails in 1964. Back then, there was no nearby electricity.
OMG! LOOk, it is sO cLOse tO the beach!
ABOVE, amenities aplenty. This cozy nook on Linden Avenue was designed for lucky visitors as their home away from home. The new kid on the block, Playa Lodging, provides limitless people watching possibilities and an ocean view, both with a sense of privacy and intimacy. Foggy evening? Pull the chairs closer to the fire. Hungry after a full day of playing at the beach? Start the barbecue and get grilling.
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Not your gardeN variety outdoor spot
Oftentimes, lunch is a hurried meal. Maybe a wolfed down sandwich followed by crunching leftover ice from your soda. That’s why the Garden Market’s patio is so popular. A gurgling fountain slows down the clock, and surrounding succulents soothe rattled nerves.
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Technically, this might be an atrium. But, that didn’t stop Carpinterian Ed Bolger, who wanted a hot tub of sorts on his approximately 10-feet by 12-feet patio. So he built one. The Japanese style-inspired soaking tub sits on a bed of river rock in the very small space, offering a get-away-from-it-all refuge in downtown Carpinteria. SUMMER2014 83
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Giannfranco’s patio is quite possibly the most romantic spot in town. Even for platonic relationships. Cupid sits vigil on the fairy-lit wonderland. A fountain gurgles sweet nothings. Lovers, families, and friends follow the red brick road to celebrate engagements, birthdays, graduations, and life’s other milestones. ◆
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LEADER OF
Pack THE
S T ORY A N D PHO TO S BY CH UCK GRAHAM
Backcountry guide Graham Goodfield leads a string of pack mules down steep switchbacks in the Los Padres National Forest, heading east toward the South Fork of the Sisquoc River. With several clients on horseback and the sun already sinking behind the chaparral-cloaked mountains, it is time to make camp. The soothing sounds of the runnel cascading over smooth sandstone boulders heighten around the next bend in the river where a shaded campsite awaits. With tents pitched and livestock fed and watered down, the group prepares to enjoy the culinary skills Goodfield acquired over many Dutch ovens tucked away in these woods. The next morning the smell of bacon, eggs over easy, and a scrumptious backcountry baked apple strudel wafts in the dewy air. Cooking aromas combine with the pungent scent of chaparral deep in the heart of the San Rafael Wilderness, where participants enjoy the best of both worlds during one of Goodfield’s Los Padres Outfitters mule pack trips. They eat like champs while experiencing the best of this vast backcountry forest. While growing up in Carpinteria, it was as if Goodfield was destined to become a backcountry guide and outfitter. As a young teenager Goodfield begged the late Tony Alvis for work when he owned Los Padres Outfitters. Alvis finally gave in and brought Goodfield on to assist with his backcountry trips.
OPPOSITE PAGE, Graham Goodfield leads a train of his pack mules through the San Rafael Wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest. THIS PAGE, TOP, Goodfield, in front of the pack, and his wife, Hannah, en route to the South Fork of the Sisquoc River. THIS PAGE, LEFT, Goodfield and his horse, Cuyama, take a rest in Carpinteria between backcountry trips. SUMMER2014 87
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THIS PAGE, TOP, Mess Sergeant. Goodfield’s cooking prowess is well known in the wilderness. Menus are varied and the food is delicious. THIS PAGE, ABOVE, Goodfield leads a string of mules across a band of sandstone rock in the San Rafael Wilderness. OPPOSITE PAGE, returning from a desert bighorn sheep survey in the Sespe Wilderness, Goodfield and his team ford a stream on the trail back home.
“At 14 I had a horse and begged him for jobs,” recalls Goodfield, 36, who graduated from Carpinteria High School in 1996. “He finally gave me some stuff to do, like welding and taught me how to shoe a horse.” Goodfield didn’t stop there though. As vital as it was for him to gain experience in the national forest, after high school he continued his education at Southeast Missouri State University, playing tight-end for the Redhawks while earning a degree in outdoor recreation in 2004. Goodfield also spent several seasons fine tuning his outdoor skills as a sort of Jack-of-all-trades, guiding hunts and fishing trips and cooking on the North Fork of Idaho’s Salmon River. However, Carpinteria was home and the Los Padres National Forest beckoned. During the winter of 2005, Tony Alvis tragically died in the La Conchita mudslide. Soon after, Goodfield purchased Los Padres Outfitters from Alvis’ parents. He took everything Alvis taught him all those years in the woods, combined it with what he had learned on his own and now offers a fresh approach for those seeking solitude and a unique wilderness experience just on the other side of the Santa Ynez Mountains not far from the Carpinteria Valley.
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“I think my background with Alvis definitely plays a big role in the way we conduct our backcountry trips and gives them a lot of character, but I’m also finding that what I learned in college has had a huge impact as well,” says Goodfield, who’s owned Los Padres Outfitters for nine years. “It’s brought a level of professionalism that I otherwise wouldn’t know how to implement in our day to day operation. Alvis taught me how to get along in the backcountry on horseback and how to pack mules, but a combination of that, college, guide school, and just doing a whole lot of different pack trips with all sorts of people for my own outfit and several other companies has taught me how to customize each experience around the group.” When Goodfield bought the outfit from Alvis’ parents, the purchase also included the much coveted permit to lead mule pack trips into the backcountry. Goodfield has the distinction of being the only licensed outfitter to lead multiday trips into the Los Padres National Forest. “I’d like to encourage more people from Carpinteria to get into the backcountry,” continues Goodfield. “The rewarding part is to show people the backcountry, but I feel Carpinteria goes deeper than that because of its close proximity to the backcountry.” Goodfield’s vast knowledge and experience has brought him other interesting opportunities in the backcountry. He consistently packs gear in and out of the forest involving vari90 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP LEFT, squirrels and other wildlife, big and small, are part of the scenery on a backcountry trip. OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT SIDE, Goodfield is the only outfitter permitted to lead multi-day trips in the backcountry. THIS PAGE, TOP, pack mules form a single file line along a chaparral-cloaked hillside. THIS PAGE, ABOVE LEFT, tranquility flows on the Manzana Creek. THIS PAGE, ABOVE RIGHT, the numbers of desert bighorn sheep are up in the Sespe Wilderness. In addition to leading pack trips, Goodfield assists in surveys of bighorn for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. SUMMER2014 91
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ous projects for the Los Padres National Forest Service. On several occasions spanning the last several years he’s assisted with desert bighorn sheep surveys for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in remote regions of the Sespe Wilderness. Most recently he was hired to work as security on a reality television show for National Geographic in another lonely corner of the backcountry. “Before I always thought I just needed to be a good cowboy to be a successful outfitter, but there’s more to it than that,” explains Goodfield. “The lessons I learned in college were how to be a problem solver and overcome difficult business obstacles. When one strategy stops working, staying ahead and finding the next one that will be productive has been key to staying afloat. This all leads to achieving my goal, which is simply staying on horseback and staying in the backcountry while providing for my family and growing Los Padres Outfitters.” ◆ For more information on Los Padres Outfitters call (805) 331-5252 or visit lospadresoutfitters.com.
THIS PAGE, TOP, one of the best ways to get up and personal with the backcountry is from the saddle with Los Padres Outfitters. THIS PAGE, RIGHT, Graham and Hannah Goodfield at the base of the Sisquoc Falls. 92 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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WHEN THE SURF’S FLAT, HEAD FOR THE HILLS.. PACK TRIPS
PHOTO: CHUCK GRAHAM
2-4 nights in the Los Padres National Forest. Enjoy delicious campfire dinners and experience the wonders of nature by horseback. A comfortable version of “roughing it.”
day trips beach trips
(805) 331-5252 lospadresoutfitters.com SUMMER2014 93
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BeatinG a Path to the
Frankl i n Trail B y Lea B oyd Ph otos By GLenn d u Bock
Until late 2013, decades had passed since Carpinterians had broken a sweat hiking a local trail. A wide swath of private property had made the foothills and mountains— topography of great pride to locals—accessible only to the eyes. But Carpinterians enjoy a challenge, particularly one that connects people with open space. In this spirit, a small group formed a few years ago to topple lingering land use hurdles and raise the funds needed to swing open the gates to Carpinteria’s backyard by restoring access to the historic Franklin Trail. Ultimately, Franklin Trail will climb over the Santa Ynez Mountains to connect with East Camino Cielo and drop down to Jameson Lake. The first phase, which opened Nov. 1, 2013, is a 2.25-mile one-way hike to a 650-foot elevation. Open to horses, cyclists, and hikers, the trail begins at Sterling Avenue and winds through private avocado orchards before heading up into chaparral-covered hillsides. As the path climbs out of the valley, views of Carpinteria once hidden are suddenly revealed—downtown buildings, the expansive salt marsh, sparkling Pacific, and several Channel Islands, depending on the weather. Public access to these spectacular vistas had come to a halt in the 1970s, when ranchers feared an aggressive root rot would be spread to their avocado trees by trail users. Friends of the Franklin Trail formed in 2010 after key property owners in the vicinity of the historic trail OPPOSITE PAGE, the newly opened Franklin Trail provides recreational activity with a view. THIS PAGE, TOP, the trail provides a variety of landscapes and hardscapes. THIS PAGE, BOTTOM, cactus punctuates the predominately chaparral vegetation. SUMMER2014 95
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TOP, the trail’s view corridor includes the Channel Islands. ABOVE, family friendly and free. Franklin Trail is perfect for anyone wanting a quick trip to the wilderness.
expressed a willingness to have a new public pathway constructed through their land. The short physical length of the first phase belies the great effort required to resurrect the Franklin Trail. Permitting took longer and cost more than anticipated. Construction itself became a much more expensive animal when retaining walls, fencing through private property, and a 65-foot bridge were needed to turn lines on paper into a wide and welcoming 2.25-mile line in Carpinteria soil. Santa Barbara County First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal compared the trail to “The Little Engine that Could,” noting that countless obstacles were surmounted to connect the public to its mountains. The Land Trust of Santa Barbara County partnered with Friends of Franklin to raise the nearly $800,000 required to complete phase one. Community donations played a significant role in making the project possible. The new trail is serving its funders well. On opening weekend, the freshly cut walkway pulsed with eager hikers who exchanged frequent greetings with friends and neighbors crossing their paths. Congestion has thinned, now that the trail is past its infancy, but Carpinterians of all ages, ethnic groups, and interests are still putting their new resource to good use. And while the first phase tried the patience of everyone involved, the second phase should open more quickly than anyone anticipated. Friends of the Franklin Trail expects the public to be hiking the next three-mile segment, which winds through the Rancho Monte Alegre property to the connection point with the historic Franklin Trail route in the Los Padres National Forest, sometime in the next year. ◆ For more information or to donate, visit franklintrail.org.
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Toast of the Town Your Source For Good Health
STEPHANIE BROADWAY
Organic Groceries • Gluten Free Products • Vitamins Natural Skin Care • Farmers Market Vegetables & Fruits Smoothies & Sandwiches • Acai Bowls
FRESH - FLAVORFUL - LOCAL AWARD WINNING
Now Serving Acai Bowls! Mention this ad and get $1 off
944 Linden Ave. • Downtown Carpinteria 805-684-2115 Weekdays 9-6 • Sat. 10-6
Visit the Microbrewery & Tasting Room – Now Serving
Monday - Thursday 2-9 Friday - Sunday 11-9
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Barrel Aged Beers • Blonde Ale Island Pale Ale • Paradise Pale Ale Jubilee Ale • Avocado Honey Ale Variance IPA • King Tide Starry Night Stout
Since the Summer of ’58…Carpinteria’s Favorite Burger!
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389 Linden Ave. 2 Blocks from the Beach To Go 684-6311 SUMMER2014 97
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the
S K C i K Story b y Peter Dugré PhotoS b y Joel C on n roy
The California Avocado Festival becomes reggae fest on Saturday nights. That’s when The Kicks upstages Carpinteria’s cash crop and induces skanking on Linden Avenue. Keyboard player Jimmy Gahan calls Carpinteria home. He says the band plays just for kicks, which makes sense. The top of a Kicks’ number sets the rhythm like most reggae tunes. Then, after a few horn blasts, Gahan’s keys and layering of bass and standard guitar, Reese Galido happens. Her sultry and soulful vocal chords separate The Kicks’ sound from other popular reggae groups. It’s not Bob Marley’s reggae. The band was incubated in 2003 in the dorms at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where Gahan and most of the original members went to school. Gahan and fellow dorm resident and saxophone player Mike Galtress toyed around with playing reggae. Carpinterian Matt Urias was the original drummer. It wasn’t until Galido entered the mix that they knew they had something special. “She came over and belted out a song. It was jaw dropping,” Gahan says. Galido says The Kicks’ sound harkens back to Roots Reggae, back in the days of Studio One when reggae grew out of American R&B. “This to me gives The Kicks a sound that is really timeless—paying homage to the foundations of reggae, soul and jazz at the same time,” she says. She grew up trying to imitate vocal legends Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald singing old jazz standards. The band soon garnered a following in San Luis Obispo playing the Farmers Market and The Frog & Peach bar. Popular song “Across the Street” reeled in the regulars at Kicks shows, and they became known for it. The Kicks’ timing was ripe. Bands like Rebelution and SOJA spearheaded a reggae renaissance. Demand for The
OPPOSITE PAGE, The Kicks prepares to take the stage at Brews at the Beach beer festival in Santa Barbara. From left, keyboardist Jimmy Gahan, drums Tim Cordero, saxophonist Mike Galtress, singer Reese Galido, bassist Mike Jimenez, and guitarist Mike Clair. TOP, Tim Cordero lays down the reggae rhythms at Brews at the Beach. ABOVE, the band played the inaugural Surf ’n’ Suds in Carpinteria and are one of the biggest draws at California Avocado Festival. SUMMER2014 99
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Kicks grew, but “it was never about making money,” Gahan says. The band pooled proceeds from shows and saved to make an album and fund a trip to Hawaii. They rented an RV and gave San Francisco a run for its money. By 2011, the band had enough quality material to go into its album, “Break Free.” A CD release party at Plaza Playhouse Theater filled Carpinteria’s then-new performing arts venue. “There’s something about Carpinteria and reggae,” Gahan says. “I don’t know what it is.” The Kicks also took the stage at West Beach Music Festival in Santa Barbara in 2008, and has shared stages with reggae names like Stephen Marley, Don Carlos, SOJA, Groundation, The English Beat, Katchafire, Tony Rebel, Dezarie, Queen Ifrica, and Rootz Underground. More mature and selective in their post-college days, the band will go a month without performing and then land several gigs when bigger-named reggae acts come through the area. “We want to make sure the rooms are filled,” Gahan says. They also are regulars at beer and harvest festivals. As of press time, the band is set to release another album. While retaining the Reggae Roots foundation, the band’s music has gotten more complex and lyrics, all written by Galido, are more global than personal. “Over the years since our last album, I’ve really seen first hand how far music can reach into the hearts and minds of people who are willing to listen. I want to make sure that we as musicians are doing our part to be the seed of positive change in this world we all share,” she says. ◆ ABOVE, the reggae sextet formed in San Luis Obispo when many of the bandmates were students at Cal Poly. LEFT, singer-songwriter Reese Galido’s voice is The Kicks signature sound. Galido said she has developed some thick skin hanging around her male bandmates and trading gags. 100 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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55+ BREWERIES • LIVE MUSIC • SURFBOARD SHAPERS
Benefiting the California Avocado Festival Youth Scholarship Fund
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$45 General Admission • $60 VIP EARLY ENTRY IT WILL SELL OUT! Get Your Tickets @ www.deepfest.com
ems
Saturday, August 9th, 2014 • Linden Field in Carpinteria
photos: daniel torres
R
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Family Recipe
Siam Elephant story By L e a Boyd • Ph ot os By Fra n CoL L i n
“Sawasdee!” The door into Siam Elephant is still swinging closed and already you have been welcomed with a traditional Thai greeting. No food has crossed your lips yet, but this dining experience is shaping up nicely— smiling faces on the staff members, East Asian décor, and a smell that seems to say, “don’t bother trying to make this at home.” The restaurant’s ambience, which is exotic yet Carpinteria-comfortable, has been carefully cultivated by owners Paul and Lea Kateloy since they purchased Siam Elephant in 2009. Natives of Thailand, the Kateloys have sought to recreate their old country in their new
country. “I want Americans to feel Thai when they come here,” says Lea. Recipes are authentic, ingredients are fresh, and the cooks were imported from Thailand for their mastery of the unique OPPOSITE PAGE, the Kateloy family. Lea, left, and her husband, Paul, and daughter, Usa, welcome guests with their smiles and exotic Thai dishes. Son, T.K., is not pictured. THIS PAGE, TOP, the secret to Thai cooking, as with most cuisines is fresh ingredients. Thai cuisine staples include basil, mint, ginger, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and peppers. SUMMER2014 103
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cuisine. The flavors that are frustratingly difficult to replicate in a home kitchen come from traditional Thai spices—lemongrass, galangal root, kaffir leaf, cinnamon, anise, saffron, chili, coriander and cardamom—blended with fresh vegetables and high quality meats and cooked to perfection. Steaming dishes emerge from a kitchen managed by Paul, and the quality of these plates has earned Siam Elephant quite a following. Customers have discovered that the little Carpinteria Thai restaurant is worth a drive, even if that means leaving an assortment of Thai eateries in the rearview mirror. Lea and Paul’s hard-earned success required a leap of faith. They were living in Bangkok when they heard that a friend was looking to sell her restaurant in California in order to move home to Thailand. Paul worked as an assistant restaurant manager on a luxury train, and Lea had recently been laid off after a 15-year career as a flight attendant. Their young son suffered from asthma exacerbated by the Bangkok air pollution, and their careers on planes and trains made family time a rare luxury. Ready for a change, Paul and Lea headed halfway around the globe to check out a little California town called Carpinteria with a restaurant called Siam Elephant. Lea recalls the pivotal moment when the couple turned onto Linden Avenue for the first time. “We looked at each other and said, ‘That’s it.’” They had not even laid eyes on the eatery when they made up their minds to swap countries and become first-time restaurant owners. “It was the right decision—100 percent,” Lea reflects. Under the Kateloys’ ownership, Siam’s menu evolved, and continues to evolve. Among the most popular meals is the easy-to-love pad Thai, a tangy noodle dish that is probably the best-known Thai dish outside of Thailand. Siam regulars have discovered that the restaurant’s pumpkin curry, a dish unique to the Kateloys’ home in central Thailand, is a house specialty. Fresh rolls are customer favorites, Lea says, as is the tom kha soup and the cashew chicken. Though the Kateloys have carefully avoided Americanizing their food, they are happy to customize orders to meet dietary restrictions or preferences. And dishes can be made hot, medium or mild in order to keep spiciness at just the right level. The drink menu gives diners a close-to-home option in local Island Brewing Company beer or a more exotic Thai beer. Red and white wines are available also. The Thai iced tea never disappoints, and “young coconut juice” should be ordered for the taste and the experience. (Hint: think Gilligan’s Island.) THIS PAGE, TOP, making the popular dish red curry. THIS PAGE, BOTTOM, some crucial ingredients for pineapple fried rice (khao pad sapparot) are shrimp, pineapple, raisins, chicken, and curry powder. 104 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT, a flower made from a honeydew melon and ornately carving an apple; the serving dish for pineapple fried rice; the twoday-in-advance special order chu chee lobster, made with a thick curry, takes center stage; a single cut makes a serving dish out of a pineapple.
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In their efforts to bring Thailand to Carpinteria, Paul and Lea didn’t stop with the food and beverages. They transformed the restaurant patio by constructing a pair of sala Thai, ornately carved wooden gazebo-like structures common in the yards of Thai family homes. The salas can be reserved in advance to ensure an authentic Thai setting on par with the authentic meal. The Kateloys’ kindness is also part of the Siam experience. Paul and Lea are fixtures at the restaurants; they know their regulars’ names and orders, and they are warm and accommodating to everyone who walks through the door. Business has grown since Paul and Lea became the faces behind Siam. These days it’s difficult to get a table without a reservation on a Friday or Saturday night. Lea speaks of the restaurant’s popularity with her characteristic humility. “Every time I hear, ‘Oh, your food is so good,’ it makes my day. Really, it makes my day,” she says. As you leave the restaurant and hear Lea say, “khob khun ka,” you realize that, with your belly full and taste buds still singing, it is really you who should be saying “Thank you.” ◆ THIS PAGE, TOP, al fresco dining with an oriental twist. A sala Thai is an intricately carved wooden structure common in Thailand. THIS PAGE, BOTTOM, mieng kam, an appetizer dish. Ingredients are mixed together, wrapped in lettuce, and dipped in sauce.
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Breakfast Burritos Homemade Tamales Quesadillas Enchiladas & More
Full Specialty Breads & Pastries
Bakery Cakes for all Occasions
Linden Ave. @ 9th St. • Downtown Carpinteria • (805) 684-4981
The Palms L caL Eats! Tradition since 1905
Hungry Locals & Travelers Enjoy Family-Style Good Times
“Famous Charbroil Grill” Original Salad Bar • Filet • 16 oz. T-Bone • Ribeye Steaks Teriyaki Chicken • Beef Kabobs • Norwegian Salmon Halibut • Alaskan King Crab • Rack of Lamb
The word is out. As if the beach wasn’t enough, Carpinteria is now a dining destination. Hungry visitors come from far and wide for an out-of-this-world meal made with ingredients from around the corner. The wide ranging menus and price points have made it official – there is no reason to leave the city limits to satisfy a craving ... and the restaurants continue to evolve.
CAlIfoRNIAN
A HeAltHy life
Fast Food For smart PeoPle
Bringing smoothies to a whole new level … but first some aloe and tea 1054 Casitas Pass Rd 805-318-1528 Corktree CellArs Cozy Wine Bar
Cocktails • Happy Hour • Live Bands • Dancing Linden Avenue at 7th St., Downtown Carpinteria • 805.684.3811
tapas, lunch & dinner menus plus dessert! 910 linden Ave • 805-684-1400 corktreecellars.com Continued on next page
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CALIfoRNIAN jAcK’S FAmouS BiStro & BAgelS
ITALIAN & AsIAN
mExICAN
giAnnFrAnco’S trAttoriA
cABo’S BAjA grill & cAntinA
The reaL TasTe oF iTaLy
ToP noTch nosh
healthy, filling, delish & Peet’s. 5050 Carpinteria Ave. 805-566-1558 • bagelnet.com
Pasta pillows and other dreamlike dishes. 666 Linden Ave. 805-684-0720
Fish tacos, chicken + margaritas. 5096 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-5507
lucKy llAmA
giovAnni’S PizzA
DelgADo’S reStAurAnt
orGanic under The Torrey Pine
The FiesTa’s on The PaTio
Pizza & FamiLy Fun aTmosPhere
a TradiTion since 1965
coffee and caffeine drinks. Bowls, baked goods, and more! 5100 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-8811
Pasta, sammies & games. 5003 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-8288 giovanniscarp.com
south o’border favorites + best tequila. 4401 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-4822
ShoAlS iSlAnD grill
reyeS mArKet
seasonal ingredients . Lunch and dinner. sunday Brunch. 6602 old Pacific Coast Hwy. 805-652-1381• cliffhouseinn.com
nutBelly PizzeriA & Deli craft Beers, Pizza, Great appetizers. Big menu in a pretty place. Tango dance nights. 915 Linden Ave. 805-566-5954
Lovingly cooked + prepped. 4795 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-2212
Sly’S reStAurAnt
SiAm elePhAnt thAi
reynAlDo’S BAKery
hiGh romance nexT To The sea
seaFood, sTeaks, cockTaiLs
numero uno mexican eaTery
cakes, cookies & savory dishes
Touch oF The Far easT
simply great food. True classic. 686 Linden Ave. 805-684-6666 slysonline.com
exotic spices & delicate creations. 509 Linden Ave. 805-684-2391
Famous tamales, burritos, enchiladas, too. 895 Linden Ave. 805-684-4931
zooKerS reSAurAnt
uncle chen reStAurAnt
SeÑor FrogS mexican with american Fare, Too. Favorites and standards plus cocktails. 892 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-9352
FLavors oF The mediTerranean
zesty, fresh, eclectic, wine list. 5404 Casitas Pass Road 805-684-8893 zookersrestaurant.com
have your ForTune ToLd here
classic chinese – great price! Lunch buffet. 1025 Casitas Pass Road 805-566-3334
Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Catering
EvEry itEm FrEsh and madE-to-ordEr
shrimp CoCktail We’re proud to use only the leanest meats, tender chicken, fresh seafood, and traditional herbs and spices to create the essence of real Mexican flavor in all our family recipes.
Handmade Tortillas • Menudo on Saturday & Sunday Sandwiches & Burgers, too!
DINE IN - TO GO
FrEsh shrimp or Fish CEviChE
Daily 7:30 am–8:00 pm
To Go: 684-2212 4795 Carpinteria Ave. at Holly www.reyesmarket.com
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AMERICAN ALBERTSONS DELI GINORMOUS TO-GO OPTIONS
Options for a picnic or a feast. Get it all here. 1018 Casitas Pass Road 805-684-4815 BBQ COMPANY CARNIVOROUS CRAVINGS SATISFIED
Grill marks, smokin hot, sides, too. 3807 Santa Claus Lane 805-684-2209 ESAU S Breakfast, lunch, baked goodies omelets, sandwiches, grrrreat coffee 507 Linden Ave. 805-684-1070 DANNYS DELI BBQ Tri-Tip Daily Hot & cold sammies. Fresh & ample. Patio. 4890 Linden Ave. 805-684-2711 FOSTERS FREEZE CALIFORNIA S FIRST BURGER CHAIN
Flame broiled burgers, chili fries, soft-serve cones.
DANNY’s
CELEBRATE OUR 49TH YEAR WITH US!
HanD CarWaSH & DEli
$2.00 OFF a Sandwich* with purchase of a Deluxe Car Wash *mention this ad
Unbelievable! Full On Wash & Wax, starts at $50 Super Clean Exterior Wash starts at $12
HORNITOS GRANDE MARGARITA Classic Mexican Food • Fresh Chips & Salsa Weekday Lunch Specials Sunday Breakfast at 7:30 am
“World Famous Tri-Tip Sandwich” Daily 9am-6pm 805.684.2711
4890 CarpintEria avEnUE DOWntOWn
FULL SERVICE CATERING MENUDO • CARNITAS • FULL BAR
805-684-4822 4401 CARPINTERIA AVE. MON. 11:30-8:30 • TUES.-SAT. 11-9 SUN. 7:30-9
5205 Carpinteria Ave. 805-684-3602 IHOP RESTAURANT
PANCAKES WITH A PASSPORT
Omelets and morning fare, lunch & dinner specials. 1114 Casitas Pass Rd. 805-566-4926 PACIFIC HEALTH FOODS LOTS MORE THAN A SMOOTHIE BAR
Organic, good and good for you. 944 Linden Ave. 805-684-2115 PEEBEE & JAY S REALLY GOOD SANDWICHES
Hot and cold sandwiches, soups & salads too. 1007 Casitas Pass Road 805-220-6912 THE PALMS RESTAURANT THE GRILL-YOUR-OWN PALACE
Surf & turf, full bar, salad bar. 701 Linden Ave. 805-684-3811 THE SPOT BEACH BURGER SHACK
Burgers, fries, taquitos the way you remember. 389 Linden Ave. 805-684-6311
Celebrated wok master, Lee Tsai Wang, brings forth the exotic flavors of Szechuan and Mandarin cuisine in his signature recipes. Innovative vegetarian specialties and favorite traditional dishes highlight fresh finds from the local Farmers’ and Fishermans’ Markets. No MSG.
TAKE OUT & DELIVERY 566-3334
Weekday Lunch Buffet • Dinner Buffet Friday & Saturday Open Monday - Saturday at 11:00 a.m. • Sundays at 4:00 p.m. 1025 Casitas Pass Road in Shepard Place Shops SUMMER2014 109
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BEACH MOTOR & TIRES • • • • •
Discover Carpinteria’s Rich & Colorful Past at the
Carpinteria Valley MuseuM of History
OIL CHANGE TIRE REPAIR TUNE UPS BRAKES ALIGNMENTS
805-745-1992 4897 CARPINTERIA AVE
Exhibits Hours: Tues.-Sat. 1-4 p.m.
805.684.3112 956 Maple Avenue, Carpinteria • carpinteriahistoricalmuseum.org
CARPINTERIA’S NEWEST THRIFT STORE!
DAY PASSES AVAILABLE
Personal Trainers • Free Weights Strength Training • Cardio Work Out Fitness Classes Yoga • Pilates
805-745-8700
5423 CARPINTERIA AVE (AT CASITAS PASS RD) carpinteria-athletics.com
Laughing Buddha Thrift
Reincarnated Treasures
4191 Carpinteria Ave. laughingbuddhathrift.com
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C OA S T Big or Small We Ship it All! High speed internet access, email, scan & print Private mail box rentals
In the Albertsons Shopping Plaza 1072 Casitas Pass Rd., Carpinteria, CA 93013
805-566-9921
HARDWARE
F O R A L L YO U R AU TO M OT I V E NEEDS 901-C Linden Ave.
805-684-6688 RV PARTS & SUPPLIES FIREWOOD BBQS & ACCESSORIES BEACH GEAR CAMPING SUPPLIES
805-684-2100 • CASITAS PLAZA CARPINTERIA • 1024 CASITAS PASS RD
Monday-Saturday 8AM–8PM • Sunday 8AM–6PM
Proud to Serve Carpinteria Since 1947
RISDON’S
SERVICE
PROPANE • TIRE CENTER • LUBE • CAR WASH
HAPPY HOUR
Weekdays 3-6 pm
Ping Pong • Beer Pong 9 Beers on Tap & Serving Wine!
684.7450 • 4954 CARPINTERIA AVE.
Ice Cream ~ Since 1989 ~
Come Satisfy Your Taste Buds!
By McConnells
Shaved Ice Sundaes Floats Shakes Malts Banana Splits
751 Linden Ave.• 684 -3118
Open 11:30-10:00pm Closed Tues
Friends of the Carpinteria Library Used Bookstore
Authorized Dealer
4401 V. VIA REAL at Santa Monica Road (805) 684-7676
Hand Car Wash: M-Sat 7:30-5 & Sun 7:30-4 Repair & Maintenance: M-Sat 8-5
CITY MARKET CENTER BEACH, CAMPING & MOBILE SUPPLIES PRODUCE * ICE * FISH & BAIT BUTCHER COUNTER * TACOS TO GO
BEST SELECTION OF BEERS IN TOWN!
684-5737
DAILY 7AM-10PM • 5292 CARPINTERIA AVE
“Always good for an armload. Kids books, too!” 5103 Carpinteria Avenue (Next to the Carpinteria Library) Donations welcomed.
805-566-0033 SUMMER2014 111
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REAL ESTATE REV I EW
Seascape Realty Buying or selling a home with us is like a walk on the beach!
BEAUTIFUL BEACh FronT hoME…situated on .51 acres, half of which the home sits on. The 2nd lot is used for privacy, but is a buildable lot if a second home was needed. The 3500 sq. ft home has 3 bedroom, 3.5 baths and a wonderful office that overlooks the beach. There is an elevator, lovely large kitchen and much more! offered at $13,250,000. Please call Jackie williams at (805) 680-5066
PrIvATE FAMILY CoMPoUnD on ThE BEACh... This gated beachfront compound consists of a main home and 3 bungalows, all joined by an old world, Spanish style courtyard. The main house has a great room with open rafter ceilings, fireplace and an oceanfront patio. This property is truly unique with an exceptional location, direct beach access, and breathtaking views. offered at $15,600,000. Please call Betsy ortiz at (805) 886-1313.
BEAUTIFUL ATrIUM TownhoME…3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, upgraded throughout. All new stainless steel appliances included. Konetco laminate flooring. Remodeled bathrooms. New interior doors, heater, plantation shutters, paint. Cozy fireplace. Formal dining. Two car attached garage with builtin storage and work bench. Complex has pool, spa, children’s play area and BBQ facilities. offered at $625,000. Please call nancy Branigan at (805) 886-7593
STEPS ACroSS SAnDYLAnD roAD To ThE “worLD’S SAFEST BEACh”! One bedroom, one bath condominium with a private patio. Association amenities include pool, spa, gated off-street parking and on-site management. Short stroll to charming downtown shops and restaurants. Amtrak Station is just 2 blocks away. Perfect property for a retreat and vacation rental income. offered at $549,000. Please call Shirley Kimberlin at (805) 886-0228
BEAUTIFUL LArgE MoBILE... with cathedral ceilings,and fantastic location in rear of the park at the end of a cul de sac. Irregular shaped BIG lot. The living room has large windows with slider that opens to large deck with views. Has some ocean views from inside too. offered at $219,900. Please call Patsy Cutler at (805) 866-0969
Explore Our BEACHSIDE VACATION RENTALS SeascapeVacation.com
4915-C Carpinteria Ave. Carpinteria • 805.684.4161 112 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE.com
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REAL ESTATE REV I EW
D
D
SOL
SOL
Mission Canyon Selling price upon request, 886-3838
D
Concha Loma Selling price upon request, 886-3838
D
SOL
SOL
CAROLYN WOOD-FRIEDMAN Realtor Associate BRE# 01206734
Seacoast Village Selling price upon request, 886-3838
10 Acres Selling price upon request, 886-3838
1482 East Valley Road Montecito, CA 93108
Cell: (805) 886-3838 carolynwood@cox.net www.Sothebys.com www.santabarbara-realtor.com
Successfully Serving Carpinteria Real Estate for 25 years “Put My 3rd Generation Local Knowledge, Award Winning Experience, Unique Negotiating Skills and Wide Circle of Industry Contacts To Work For You…”
385 Paso Robles Drive, Montecito $1,692,000 Montecito Dutch Colonial Nestled Among Old Oaks Just a Block from Award Winning Cold Springs School. Combination of Old World Charm with Montecito Comfort. Superbly Appointed Interiors with Oak Bannister and Hardwood Floors. 4 Oversized Bedrooms, 3 Bedrooms, Formal Living and Dining Room with Bay Window and Two Fireplaces. Welcoming Farm House Style Kitchen is the Heart of the Home.
425 Ennisbrook Drive, Montecito
3415 Campanil Drive, Santa Barbara
$4,495,000 At the Very Heart of Montecito Sits the Prestigious Gated Community, Ennisbrook. Surrounded By a Rich History, is this Custom Designed and Stunning Ocean View Mediterranean Style Home. Built on a Generous 1/2 Acre with a Careful Eye Towards Combining the Breathtaking Open Space of Ennisbrook with the Openness of a European Villa.
$2,495,000 Sitting Atop Historic Campanil Hills, this Custom Designed Spanish Hacienda Style Single Level Residence Offers a Graceful Style of Living that Eludes Many of Today’s Homes. Over an Acre of Park Like Grounds to Stroll, this Extremely Private 5Bed/4Bath Residence Looks Out to the Dazzling Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands. Directly Adjacent to Hope Ranch.
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REAL ESTATE REV I EW
REAL ESTATE SALES PROPERTY MANAGEMENT VACATION RENTALS
Gary Goldberg, Owner/Broker 805.455.8910 cell 805.969.1258 office
1086 Coast Village Road Santa Barbara, California 93108
www.coastalrealty.com Email: gary@coastalrealty.com
Whether you’re buying, selling or vacationing in the Carpinteria or Santa Barbara area, Gary Goldberg provides in-depth assistance for all real estate needs.
ON THE SAND AT MUSSEL SHOALS
SWEEPING OCEAN & CITY VIEWS
GORGEOUS VALLEY VIEWS
ONE ACRE WITH MOUNTAIN VIEWS
6702 Breakers Way, Ventura $3,795,000
7337 Shepard Mesa, Carpinteria $1,385,000
1453 Twinridge, Santa Barbara $1,695,000
584 Barker Pass Rd, Montecito $3,500,000
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s um m e R Re a d
The Last Desperado an exceRpt By Re B e cca Rock w e l l
In “The Last Desperado,” Carpinterian Rebecca Rockwell chronicles easygoing cowboy-turnedoutlaw Bill Doolin’s journey from cattle ranches to the outlaw trail as his fame grows to legendary proportions. With meticulous research and compelling writing, Rockwell brings to life a cunning, intelligent, and fascinating man, at heart a simple cowboy, who managed to make an indelible mark on the face of history and become the stuff of legend. Married life agreed with me just fine; going to bed next to Edith every night and waking up with her each morning made me wonder how’d I’d gone so long sleeping by myself. It was nice to be taken care of for a change, to live in a real home with a woman I loved, instead of a claim shanty, a camp or an attic bedroom at the Dunns’ shared by men I held up trains and banks with. But even though being a husband suited me well, it didn’t alter my activities or my mindset any. The Bunch was in fine form come the middle of ’93; we’d honed our craft and our fame got bigger. The gang got bigger, too—besides me, Will, Creek, Charley and Dick West, Tulsa Jack was back with us and he’d brought along three more. There was Bill Raidler, known as “Little Bill” for his short stature, a cowboy who’d worked with us at the Bar X Bar; Dan Clifton, alias “Dynamite Dan,” a cattle-rustler who’d come by his handle after he’d managed to blow three fingers off his right hand in an explosives accident; and another of the old Bar X Bar hands—Red Buck Weightman. I was fine with the first two; Little Bill was up for anything and an interesting fellow to be around, considering he’d had a hell of a lot more schooling than the rest of us, and Dan was affable to a fault and followed my orders without question, but Red Buck gave me pause. I’d never liked him, not from the first, and it was with extreme reluctance that I let him into our little rag-tag band.
“He crosses me too far, he’s out,” I’d said bluntly to Jack, when he first brought up Red Buck’s name. “I mean it, Jack. Am I clear?” My voice had come out hard and cold, and Jack had looked at me in surprise. “Easy, Bill. He’s cutthroat, all right, and damned near to crazy, but he don’t flinch when it comes time to get a job done, and he’s another gun and another pair of hands.” “We’ll see, I suppose,” I’d said darkly. I’d left Edith sewing one afternoon and come to the Dunns’ to see the boys, most of whom were still staying there on and off, when Creek told me he had something for me to mull over. “I came up with an idea for a wedding present for you, Bill,” he told me with a grin. He’d been drinking with Will and Charley for a while before I even showed up, and he was a little lit
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up by the time I got there. I poured myself some of the whiskey he had left—it’d been awhile, because of Edith— and knocked it back before I answered. “What’s that?” I raised my eyebrows at him and poured myself some more. “A train job. The Santa Fe, to be exact, near Cimarron in Kansas. The bank job was fun and all, but I’m sort of partial to trains.” He grinned at me. Will came over to the table where we were sitting and motioned to me to hand over the bottle. I did, and he took an impressive tug before handing it back. “What do you think, Bill? You game?” His eyes were dancing at the very idea. It had been a while since we’d gone out and they were all getting antsy. “Why not?” I said carelessly, taking another drink. Will and Creek gave each other satisfied looks, and we set to making plans. ° ° ° “I asked you twice already, and nicely, and now you’re trying my damn patience. Open the safe, or I’ll open my gun into your gut,” I snapped, thumbing back the
hammer on my revolver as I kept it leveled on the express messenger, the end of the barrel just inches from his vest. I was standing in the express car of the Santa Fe train—the one Creek had wanted to hold up as my “wedding present.” It hadn’t been a smooth job thus far and I was in a pretty damned bad mood by then. Instead of complying like most of his fellows did when faced with our guns, the express messenger on this train was either clean off his nut or just plain stupid, because he was refusing my orders. “He means what he says, friend,” Will said, in a warning tone, leveling his Winchester along with Creek. “You fixing to die tonight?” He looked scared; I could see it in his eyes, and he was sweating, but he drew in a breath, puffed his chest out, and stood firm. “I’m not opening it. You boys’ll just have to shoot me.” “All right. Have it your way.” I put the gun to his temple then, so mad I could hardly see straight. He flinched and raised his hands up, squeezing his eyes shut. “Don’t shoot! I’ll open it! I’ll open it, I swear!” “Then quit blubbering and do it!” I roared, striking my boot on the floor for emphasis. I was sweating now, too,
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because the whole damned thing was taking too long. I heard the others outside firing warning shots, the passengers were panicking good by now. He turned and dialed the combination, then opened it. There was a good amount of silver inside, and Will scooped it into the bag, quick. Just as he tossed it over his shoulder, the messenger moved for a shotgun leaned into the far corner of the car. Creek laughed aloud. “Good Lord, man, are you short on brains? You got all these guns in your face, and you think we’re gonna let you get to that scattergun?” The messenger ignored him and kept moving for the gun, so I shot him before he could reach it. He dropped like a stone, blood soaking the floor under him and spreading in a glistening ruby pool toward the toes of my boots. I’d hit him in the heart; he was dead before he even struck the floor. “Get the hell out of here, all of you!” I growled, thumbing the hammer back again. Will and Creek and Charley hurried to do as I said, startled by my mood. We sprang down from the train, leaving panic in our wake. I heard the conductor scream for help in the car behind us; he’d heard the shot, and probably found the messenger too. I whistled sharp, then got up on my horse along with the others who’d been in the car with me. Dan, Red Buck, Tulsa Jack and Dick were all coming behind us, and Little Bill brought up the rear. “What the hell happened in there?” Jack yelled at us, slapping his horse on the rump with his reins, trying to keep up with us. “Bill shot the express messenger,” Creek told him, “and he needed shootin’ bad!” I dug my spurs into Rebel’s sides, opening him up to his full stride, and pretty soon I was way out in front of them. I was still furious—with Little Bill and Dick, who’d bungled our entry onto the train when we’d first stopped it, even though I’d given them clear orders; with the messenger, who could’ve lived if he’d just done what I told him to do; and with myself, for letting that fury get the better of me. No one said anything else for a good long while; instead, we just ran. ° ° ° We were being tracked; I was sure of it. That night when we made camp I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching us, and I made the decision not to return to home grounds until that feeling had left me. I didn’t sleep at all that night, just sat tensely near our horses, my gun in my lap, my finger inside the trigger-guard. I hadn’t let the others build a fire for fear it would be spotted. We went several days in that fashion, and I hardly slept
at all. The third morning, as everyone else was shaking themselves awake, I saw a band of horsemen on the horizon, picking their way down a steep slope and coming toward our little hollow. Creek saw them, too. “Posse!” he shouted, and grabbed for his reins. The others looked, saw what we saw, and made for their own horses, quick. “Go, now!” I snapped, and sprang up into Rebel’s saddle. He reared, but I sawed at his mouth with the bit and got him back down on all fours. He took off like a shot, Creek following on Dash, then Will on his big chestnut stud. The others came sprinting after us, heading for the safety of the tree-line about two miles out. I was laid out almost flat over Rebel’s neck, and I glanced under my arm, once. The posse had seen us, and they were giving chase. I didn’t look behind me again. We had a pretty good head-start on them, and reached the tree-line well before they did. We zigzagged among the trees, praying our horses would keep their footing. We came out into a big clearing and kept going. Rebel and Dash were the fastest horses in our bunch, and so Creek and I stayed out in front. Everyone else seemed to be keeping up, but I knew we’d have to breathe the horses soon, or we’d risk getting them so worn out they wouldn’t be able to run fast enough for as long as we needed them to. “Think we’ve lost them for now, Bill,” Creek called to me, and I stood up a little in my stirrups, easing Rebel down into a canter. Creek did the same with Dash, and I threw my hand up to signal the others. They all pulled up, glancing around nervously. We let the horses breathe, keeping them to a walk as we crossed a narrow, calm part of the Arkansas River. The water wasn’t too deep there and our boots in the stirrups stayed dry. I looked behind us, and saw nothing, but that hunted feeling was still dogging me and I knew we weren’t safe yet. “We need to get the hell out of this area, and fast,” I said grimly to Will, whose horse had come up behind mine. “They ain’t gonna give up.” “Which way you want to head, Bill?” he asked me. “Toward Meade County and back into the O.T.,” I said, “but not near Lawson.” My voice was firm. I’d left Edith with her folks while I was gone, and there was no way in hell I was going to risk being trailed there. Will nodded. Suddenly Creek shouted to me. “Horses coming, Bill!” I looked behind us again, and I heard the sound of many hooves on dirt, and men shouting to one another. “Go!” I cried, spurring Rebel forward. He sprang up the bank with a little squeal and took off, so fast I thought he had a fire at his heels. The others followed suit, and the chase was on again. ◆
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CONTRIBUTORS 1
BIRTHPLACE?
FAVORITE BREAKFAST?
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CONTACT
lea boyd
Goleta Valley Hospital, CA
My mom’s French toast
“The Inner Circle” by T.C. Boyle
Mojito with real mint
Coastal View News Managing Editor
Boxers
lea@ coastalview.com
aaron bratkovics
Allentown, PA
Over easy eggs, and bacon
“The Portrait” by Tim Meyer
Rum with some Diet Coke
Photographer
Briefs
aaronbratkovics. com
Novato, CA
Bacon
“The Goldfinch” by Donna Tart
Any craft beer I haven’t tried I can get my hands on
Freelance Web/graphic designer and photographer
Boxer briefs
lilplanets.com
A city so nice they named it twice
Is at any table in the sunshine, with a view of the ocean, family & friends eating with me
“Endangered Pleasures” by Barbara Holland
Shrimp
Looking around
For a brief time, I was a boxer
francollin.com francollinphoto@ msn.com
Merced, CA
Yogurt with blueberries, bananas, and granola
“The Big Burn” by Timothy Egan
White wine
Scribbler
Pajama bottoms
francespettey davis.com
San Francisco, CA
Multi-grain toast with coconut-peanut butter and coffee
“The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg
Tequila … straight up
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I wish women’s choices were that simple
Kimba565@ hotmail.com
“The Voyage of The Cormorant” by Christian Beamish
Margarita
Pasadena, CA
Steak and eggs at Sly’s
Cottage Health System Media Services Coordinator
Commando!
Dubock.com
writer
2
photographer
3
joel conroy
photographer
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fran collin
photographer
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fran davis writer
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kim drain
photographer
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glenn dubock
photographer
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peter dugré
(Carpinterian!)
Sanford, Maine
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chuck graham
photographer
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david levine
11
Organic oats, organic soy milk, Whey protein
david powdrell
Associate Editor, Coastal View News
Ask my wife
peterdugre.com, peter@ coastalview.com
“Clint, A Retrospective”
Eye of the Hawk Beer
Lead guide at the Channel Islands National Park, beach lifeguard, Editor DEEP, freelance writer and photographer
Neither
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Fabric cutter and custom framer
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Blueberry muffins “Road to Seeing” and chocolate by Dan Winters milk
Los Angeles, CA
Lox, cream cheese, tomato and raw red onion on a lightly toasted garlic bagel
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Pinot noir
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Reno, Nevada
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rebecca rockwell
Van Nuys, CA
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kristyn whittenton
Ojai, CA
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Who has time for that?
Midori Sour blended
writer
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Bourbon and ice
Daytona Beach, Florida
photographer
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“Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
walnuts and honey.
editor/writer
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St. Johns Hospital, powder, flax seed oil, topped with Santa Monica, blueberries, black CA berries, banana,
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amy orozco
(rocks with salt at The Palms)
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(I don’t drink alcohol)
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Final Frame
Bom B s AwAy
An alpacan practical joker strays from the herd for the chance to photobomb a pastoral portrait. The gentle Andean animals, whose hair is used for woven and knitted textiles, make their home in the Carpinterian foothills. Photo By Ro BI N K A Rls s o N
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A family owned nurser y in Carpinteria since 1978 Phalaenopsis Cymbidiums Tillandsias Succulents Foliage Plants Decorative moss Curly willow Arrangements Pots, Baskets, Tins
inspiration grown locally OPEN TO THE PUBLIC M o n d a y- Fr i d a y 8 - 5 • S a t u r d a y 1 0 - 5 W i n t e r H o u r s : M o n d a y- Fr i d a y 8 - 4 : 3 0 • S a t u r d a y 1 0 - 3 3 5 0 4 V i a Re a l • C a r p i n t e r i a • C A 9 3 0 1 3 Fr o m t h e 1 0 1 Fr e e w a y N. o r S. - E x i t a t S a n t a C l a u s La n e
w e s t e r l a y o r c h i d s. c o m • 8 0 5 . 6 8 4 . 5 4 1 1
beautiful orchids all year long
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