Carpinteria Magazine - Summer 2023

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Almost 40 years ago, an 18-yearold AJ Rey was invited to Hollister Ranch and found herself completely alone sitting in the sand watching the dolphins. “It was surreal and very cool. I knew then and there in my heart that the ocean and everything in it were going to be a major part of my life.”

It has. Since then, AJ’s love of the ocean has inspired her to go completely plastic free and encourage others to do likewise. “If you are at the grocery store and they ask you, ‘Paper or plastic?’ you say paper.”

Unfortunately, not everyone shares these same convictions. Every day around 8 million pieces of plastic wind up in our oceans. “It is completely unacceptable, but it is a reality,” says AJ. “It is shocking to think that, at this rate, by 2050 there will be more plastics than sh in our oceans by weight. It is frightening.”

AJ has teamed up with the pioneers of poly lumber-constructed furniture to promote a beautiful line of Adirondack

chairs designed to pay tribute to our magni cent oceans. Each chair is made from over 1,000 recycled and recovered plastic bottles and jugs that would otherwise be ocean and land ll bound. “We are very excited to be able to o er such cool furniture and augment our oceans’ overall health,” says AJ.

The Wave Collection by Polywood comes in numerous colors and nishes,is weather resistant, constructed to withstand the harshest of weather conditions, virtually maintenance free, and comes with a 20-year residential warranty.

For each chair sold, OurOceans will make one Oceana Symbolic Sea Creature Adoption in the customer’s name of choice. “It is a fantastic way to support the repurposing of plastics into gorgeous furniture that will be part of your home for generations, protect the integrity of our oceans, and help our defenseless, amazing marine life,” says AJ. “We messed it up; now we clean it up.”

OurOceans

Over 1,000 recovered plastic bottles and jugs are equal to: one beautiful chair, but not greater than our OCEANS

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CARPINTERIA STATE BEACH

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Food Trucks • Vendors

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PROUDLY BENEFITTING:

Live Entertainment: Cornerstone & The Moon Dawgs

The Local Carpinteria Valley Team Hard working, Knowledgeable, Ethical and over 45 years experience

Debbie Murphy, Broker

Kim Fly, Broker Associate

Leah Wagner, Realtor

Rebecca Griffin, Realtor

Carolyn Friedman, Realtor

Heidi and Jim Michener, Vacation Hosts

Sales • Vacation Rentals • Notary Public Property Management

805.684.4101

5441 Carpinteria Ave. Carpinteria, CA 93013

www.murphykingrealestate.com

40 WETLAND CHRONICLES

The Carpinteria Salt Marsh holds a special place in the heart of wildlife photographer Chuck Graham. In 1975, Chuck moved to the edge of the marsh with his family and soon fell head over heels for his big backyard, its 250 bird species, and its endless opportunities for fresh photos.

47 GIRLS ALLOWED

Turns out, Cyndi Lauper had it wrong. Girls don’t just want to have fun; they want to work hard and succeed at any job that appeals to them. Carpinteria Magazine celebrates four women who bravely tackle roles that were long reserved for boys only.

56 DAVID LETINSKY, SURF MENTOR TO MANY

Dave Letinsky never seeks the spotlight. From a few steps away, he enjoys the warmth of the bright lights that shine on the many successful surfers he’s coached and mentored over the years. His humility only makes his story more interesting.

60 IMPECCABLE TASTE

CARP features 47

From sunup to well past sundown, Carpinteria’s restaurant scene has been rewritten by husband and wife team Juan Rodriguez and Sarah Dandona. The owners of Brass Bird Coffee and Teddy’s by the Sea have fine-tuned the delivery of delicious flavors in a casual chic atmosphere.

68 JEFF MOORHOUSE, FLYING WITH ANGELS

When you combine doing what you love with doing good, volunteering becomes your favorite pastime. This is how it goes for Jeff Moorhouse, who comes to the rescue with his Beach Bonanza A36 when disasters strike and people are in need.

73 NATURE & NURTURE

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in these two Carpinterian families. For mother-daughter artists Nini Swift Seaman and Jessica June “JJ” Avrutin, and for father-son artists Ron and Ben Anderson, there’s an intergenerational bond forged in color and creativity.

82 CRISIS AVERTED

Housing in Carpinteria these days is in low supply and high demand. You don’t need an economics lesson to know that the result is high prices. But we found three families who beat the odds and live well thanks to persistence, creativity, and some darn good luck.

~ Photo by Glenn Dubock

Cheese & Bread

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Farm to Table • Chef’s Seasonal Specials

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Extensive Wine List • Patio Dining

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Are we ready for summer or what?!

In December of 2022, I didn’t think I’d ever be tired of seeing rain in the forecast. By April of 2023, however, I was scouring every 10-day forecast in search of sun and highs above 65. And there wasn’t much of that to be found.

Now that we’re sending our summer edition of Carpinteria Magazine to print and I’m fresh off a sunshiny late-April weekend full of wildflowers and warmth, I’m reminded of what summer feels like.

This edition of the magazine feels like summer in Carpinteria. It’s bright and beautiful, and you can flip through it for lovely images of fascinating people, places, and businesses. I hope, though, that you’ll read the words, too, because this edition is also honest about our world’s imperfections and addresses some of the real issues our community faces. We have a housing crisis. Take a peek at how three Carpinteria families have found their way into comfortable-yet-creative housing. We have a gender equity crisis. Read about four women who refuse to conform to genderspecific professions.

There’s a lot to sink your teeth into in this issue of Carpinteria Magazine , and it takes a lot of talented people to create this content. Thank you to our team of hardworking writers and photographers.

Also, it could not be done without our advertisers. When you pick up a free publication, pay special attention to the businesses that advertise. It’s their support that pays for content creation, design, printing, and distribution. And the editor! That’s me. Thank you to our advertisers and our readers. Being part of this publication makes me feel a little summery even when the forecast calls for rain.

Cheers,

Lea Boyd, Editor

CARPINTERIA MAGAZINE SUMMER 2023

EDITOR

Lea Boyd

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

Kristyn Whittenton

WRITERS

ane enefield

Ryan P. Cruz

Glenn Dubock

Peter Dugré

Bryn Fox

Chuck Graham

Debra Herrick

Amy Marie Orozco

Kara Petersen

Evelyn Spence

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ingrid Bostrom

Matt Dayka

Glenn Dubock

Chuck Graham

Robin Karlsson

Emily Merrill

Amy ynn spina Stanfield armie

PRODUCTION SUPPORT

Carpinteria Valley

Museum of History

Jim Campos

Charlotte Hornets

Rockwell Printing

ADVERTISING

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BEACH BUMMERS BE GONE

Most people bank a big batch of positive memories over the course of a day at the beach in Carpinteria. For the rare few, however, a beach day can be a bummer. Carpinteria Magazine has some advice to help you avoid turning a good day bad.

STINGRAY STINGS

These boneless bottom feeders are often just minding their own business vacuuming up worms and mollusks in the sand when a human foot plants itself on their back. The stingray’s natural defense is to whip its tail up to strike a threat with a serrated barb. The barb is sheathed in venom, which enters the victim’s skin when struck. It can really hurt— really, really hurt—even though it rarely causes issues beyond prolonged pain.

WHAT CAN I DO TO AVOID GETTING STUNG?

Simple, do the “stingray shuffle.” Keep your feet flat on the sand and shuffle them along. If you bump into a ray while doing the stingray shuffle, it will most likely swim away quickly.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET STUNG?

If you’re at a beach with lifeguards, go check in with the experts. Most stings are on the foot or lower leg, and lifeguards will likely provide you with very hot water to soak the wound. This technique is commonly used to reduce the pain brought about by the sting. It may also be necessary to gently irrigate the wound with salt water to remove any fragments of the barb lodged in the skin.

SUNBURN

This beach bummer is even sneakier than a stingray. You’re having the best time ever, and then you get home and discover that you missed an important patch of skin with your sunscreen or you failed to take the sun seriously and never screened up at all. Sunburns can be extremely painful, and repeated sunburns increase skin cancer risk over time.

WHAT CAN I DO TO AVOID SUNBURN?

Fortunately, this beach disaster is pretty easy to avoid. Wearing a hat, relaxing under an umbrella and generally staying covered up is the best defense. Long-sleeved rashguards and wetsuits help to keep the sun off of people who are in and out of the water while playing at the beach. And, of course, there’s sunscreen, which should be applied before you get to the beach and every couple of hours thereafter—particularly if you’re in and out of the ocean.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET A SUNBURN?

There are several ways to soothe a sunburn. Aloe vera gel helps to soothe and heal damaged skin, and Carpinteria has lots of aloe growing around town. If you have some available to you, just cut off a leaf, peel back the thin skin and smear the sticky, clear gel on red patches of skin. Cold showers also offer relief. It’s also important to stay out of the sun while your burn heals and to resist the urge to scratch sunburns to avoid further damage to skin.

AMY LYNN ESPINA STANFIELD JARMIE

GO FORTH AND DO GOOD

Sitting at a table in Carpinteria’s newest cafe, Brass Bird, Carpinteria Community Library Technician/Program Specialist and 2023 Women of Inspiration honoree Jena Jenkins animatedly describes a blog post by one of her students about the meaning of collaboration: “You see, my project is their project,” the student wrote about Community Pioneer Lab and his companions there.

Pioneer Lab, a four-to-five-week workshop held through the Carpinteria Community Library, is Jena’s brainchild. The workshop helps community members cultivate their own projects, narrowing down how they—even in the smallest of ways—can influence and support their community. Sessions are typically held at night, once a week, between 6 and 7:30 p.m., so that people of all ages and all backgrounds may attend. Pioneer Lab has attracted everyone from young moms in their mid-20s to retired seniors.

Jena teaches the workshop on three foundations: care, create, and collaborate. “You don’t have to go huge,” she emphasizes. “Figure out what your values are, what you can do, and take actionable steps … break it down to, ‘What can I do?’”

Her ultimate goal? To help her students learn to create their own projects and change their communities without her after Pioneer Lab is over. “I guess it’s like a parent—when you give somebody their wings and let them fly without you, that’s pretty great,” she says.

One student in Jena’s group completed a “coffee cards”

project. Seeking to connect more with fellow hikers, he wanted to create “coffee cards” to hand out to people on the trail. Another participant in the class with design skills made the cards that the hiker passed out on the trail. By collaborating with a fellow student and inviting locals to come and have coffee together, the student expanded his community and carved out a space for people to share his love of hiking.

Jena also describes a project from another student, a physical therapist in Santa Barbara. She wanted to provide a Spanish language yoga class for a demographic that holds physically demanding jobs but has little access to yoga and its benefits. And she did; the class was held at the Carpinteria Community Library.

“It’s super empowering,” Jena says of Pioneer Lab, adding that she wants people to learn they are powerful resources in their own communities and can become “the change” in their own worlds by flipping their perspectives. “I want to help people figure out what’s important to them.”

She enjoys watching participants come together. They are there to launch their own projects, yes, but they are also there to make friends, Jena says.

Interested in Pioneer Lab? Check out upcoming opportunities at carpinterialibrary.org or by calling (805) 684-4314.

-EVELYN SPENCE

For Jena Jenkins, caring is the first step toward building community.

STRAWBERRY DELIGHT

Red sweet strawberries at the farmers market are as much a signal of summer in Carpinteria as crowded beaches and shirtlessness up and down Linden Avenue. Eat a summer strawberry and be prepared to want more than one. At Carpinteria Magazine , we surprised ourselves by learning that there’s a lot more to strawberries than just good taste. Perhaps you’ll find a fact or two that surprises you, too.

Santa Barbara County produced $849.7 MILLION worth of strawberries in 2021.

THE AVERAGE STRAWBERRY has 200 seeds.

Strawberries became widely cultivated in Europe after the combination of STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM was served to King Henry VIII.

NINETY-FOUR PERCENT of American households purchase strawberries.

On average, Americans eat more than 8 POUNDS of strawberries annually.

In 2021, Santa Barbara County farms produced an average of 57,820 pounds of fresh STRAWBERRIES PER ACRE.

CALIFORNIA HAS MORE THAN FOUR TIMES the strawberry acreage of Florida, which ranks second for strawberry growing among states.

ANCIENT ROMANS used the berries to treat everything from depression to fever and sore throats.

10 MILLION BASKETS of strawberries are shipped daily during harvest time in California.

By mass, strawberries contain more VITAMIN C than oranges.

PIECING IT TOGETHER

When Patricia Alpert retired in 2015 from her longtime position as executive director of Carpinteria Education Foundation, she pivoted her focus. “For so long, my passion was raising money for public schools,” the glass artist said, running a hand along one of her first glass creations—a mosaic of a highland cow Alpert had photographed on a trip to Scotland. “I needed to go in a different direction.”

And in a different direction she went. Alpert spotted an upcoming glass mosaic workshop with mosaic artist Donna Van Hooser while on Pinterest. The workshop was geared for people with experience, but Alpert signed up anyway. Van Hooser was serious. “’You need to commit to the glass,’” Alpert recalls her saying.

After that weekend, Alpert was hooked. She took photos of her friends’ animals from Facebook, turned them into colorful glass creations, and gifted them, oftentimes featuring pets that had passed. She entered the Rincon Exhibit at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center with a mosaic of a girl with a surfboard standing beneath palm trees. To her surprise and delight, the piece sold for $400 before the reception. Before long, she found herself in “Small Town Big Art,” a coffeetable book featuring 100 Carpinteria artists.

Now, Alpert fills her time with commissions, her Breda glass cutter in hand. She cuts glass passed down from her mother, who was a stained glass artist, and uses grout from Carpinteria Valley Lumber to fill in the lines. When she finds herself stuck, she picks up the “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron to keep the creativity flowing.

Interested in seeing more of Alpert’s work? Visit alperts.me.

-EVELYN SPENCE

LEFT, Patricia Alpert with one of her colorful creations on the mantel.

California Avocado Festival Carpinteria, CA

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Block Party Friday Oct. 6

Saturday Oct. 7 &

Sunday Oct. 8, 2023

GRAHAM

Iused to run barefoot down the single-lane road in Sandyland Cove in the dark towards the mouth of the Carpinteria Marsh. I’d jump off the seawall during incoming tides to surf Sand Point. When the surf was good, I’d only count a tube ride if I didn’t get my hair wet. It was one of the many joys of growing up on the Carpinteria Marsh.

Forty-five years living on and photographing the Carpinteria Salt Marsh have been filled with halcyon days of surfing, running on the beach, walking from the beach house to my lifeguard tower, and photographing all the natural wonders within one of California’s last coastal wetlands. I’ll always remember the migratory belted kingfisher; it’s rattling calls were my personal alarm clock awakening me during the early hours of fall and winter. I grew up on the marsh with my dad, Chuck Sr., mom Marilyn, and sister Valerie. I lived there from 1975 to 1999. For the first 13 years, there were roughly eight year-round residents among the 29 properties. We really didn’t have any neighbors.

When the surf wasn’t any good, the marsh served as an outlet for entertainment. Eventually, I started birding in the marsh. In 1985, I bought my first pair of binoculars. By 1991, I’d purchased my first camera, a Canon EOS 630. My slide film of choice was Fujichrome Velvia 50. I still have that camera and about 40 rolls of film in the fridge.

Over the years, I tracked in a lot of mud, frequently catching the ire of my dad who was fastidious about keeping that beach house as clean as a beach house could be. I always appreciated his hard work as a husband, father, role model, and businessman.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY CHUCK

OCEAN FURY

El Niño 1982-83. It was the first time I felt vulnerable living at the beach. The ocean seemed angry and unleashed a series of storms that didn’t seem real. They hammered away at the seawall and eventually breached it. The house shook with each crashing wave. Being among the few year-round residents, we were there to fend off nature’s fury. Other homeowners weren’t so lucky. Our next-door neighbors to the west had a tree go right through their patio window.

I remember my dad, myself, and several friends sandbagging and placing plywood in front of

Carpinteria Salt Marsh over the years

The Carpinteria Salt Marsh easily could have ended up like 90 percent of California’s original wetlands: paved over completely. But it’s a story of hope rather than regret. And in the last 40 years, extraordinary efforts to restore and preserve the unique habitat have resulted in a place where salt and fresh waters converge and native species flourish.

Before settlers began altering the slough, El Estero, was about twice the size it is today, spanning nearly to Foothill Road to the north, Nidever Road to the west and Carpinteria Creek to the east.

Portions of the marsh are drained by settlers for development. Georgia Stockton’s book “La Carpinteria” states, “… LB Caldwell tiled lowlands on lower Santa Monica Creek Road and others followed the practice, beginning one of the major changes in the valley, and reducing the slough from its extent across the valley floor to its present tidelands.”

UNITED STATES COAST SURVEY

GEORGE MCLEAN POSTCARD, C. 1900

Allen's hummingbird

California sunflowers

the windows facing the ocean. When the sea wall was breached, water ran down between the houses like little tributaries feeding an already swollen marsh at high tide.

Our garage under the house filled with water, and the neighborhood became most vulnerable at high tide when floodwaters flowed down from the coastal range into the wetland. Combined with high tides, the floodwaters had nowhere else to go but up and over the single lane road, swamping driveways and garages.

STAYING HOME

As my writing and photography career progressed, I took heed of useful advice from mentors like the late wildlife photographer Tom Vezo. In the 1990s, Vezo was one of the best nature photographers in the business. I first met him in the Galápagos Islands in 1997, then Nome, Alaska in 1998. In 2000, I helped Vezo gain access to the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge to photograph California condors for his first book, “Birds of Prey in the American West,” 2002.

When I told him where I lived, he said, “I know you want to travel and photograph, but try and stay home.”

He was right. He knew the resource I had here at the Carpinteria Marsh. And as much as I traveled, I always came back to the marsh to photograph. It has proven to be a reliable source of inspiration for landscapes, birdlife, and storytelling.

RECLAIMING THE MARSHLAND BIOME

In 1998, the City of Carpinteria partnered with Santa Barbara Land Trust and the University of California Reserve System to restore former wetland habitat along Ash Avenue. The 15-acre Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park is one of this coastal city’s many natural wonders, a gem of a reestablished refuge for resident and migratory birds.

The beachfront remains relatively undeveloped as of 1935. The construction of the Santa Barbara Breakwater in 1929 changes the flow of sand down the coast and contributes to the extensive damage beachfront homes sustained in storms in the late 1930s.

Plans are presented for a 334acre marina development in the “Sandyland Slough” area. Ultimately rejected, the plans call for a 900boat dock, a private marina for 100 boats, an island with a yacht club, 531 residential lots each with its own dock along a series of keys, and more.

Eleven Sandyland Cove homeowners sell their 120-acre portion of the marsh to the University of California to add to its Natural Reserve System. The deal took seven years to complete and involved several public agencies.

COURTESY OF MATT ROBERTS

CARPINTERIA HERALD

Peregrine falcons are among the several raptor species found in the marsh.

The City of Carpinteria’s Local Coastal Plan is certified. It contains language for the protection and restoration of wetland resources, marking the first step toward the creation of the City’s Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park.

The 4.7-acre Chadwick property on the west side of Ash Avenue is acquired for $1.375 million dollars with funds from the Coastal Conservancy and Prop 70. This was the first acquisition toward creation of the City’s Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park.

The City of Carpinteria and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County acquire the final property necessary for the marsh park. The 3.4-acre parcel was owned by the Cadwell family, who had been recently denied its proposal for a beachfront condominium development on the site. Monies used in the purchase include a $500,000 fund that the California Coastal Commission required as a mitigation measure from the Sandyland Cove Homeowners Association’s seawall construction years prior.

“ENVIRONMENT,

HISTORY AND BOTANICAL RESOURCES OF A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ESTUARY” BY WAYNE R. FERREN JR.

White crowned sparrow

Arroyo lupine

Gadwalls Hummingbird sage

American white pelicans

From the window of my Sand Point studio above the garage and overlooking the marsh, I had a bird’s eye view of the restoration. Since my family’s arrival in Sandyland Cove in 1975, that stretch of wetland had been nothing more than tangled crabgrass 6 feet tall. It also was becoming a dump for anyone who couldn’t locate a trash can along Ash Avenue.

The benefits of the restoration have been astounding, as evidenced by the diversity of birds that wade, swim, roost, and hover in, around, and above those muddy, serpentine-like channels. Close to 250 bird species have been documented enjoying this sliver of marshland habitat.

PICKLEWEED RAMBLE

Some of the best birding on the marsh can be accomplished by simply posting up on an embankment and scanning the pickleweed for possibilities. For a

couple of weeks in February 2023, I didn’t have to do much scanning. The pearly white feathers of six migratory American white pelicans stood out against the colorful palette of pickleweed on the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. With the naked eye, they were easily seen at least a half-mile west of the footbridge.

During one late afternoon, I heard a peregrine falcon call out, “kak, kak, kak.” It flushed all other birdlife from a prominent channel, except for the pelicans. At first, I didn’t locate the steely raptor. When I scanned 360 degrees, I found it perched not 50 yards from me, camouflaged against one of the huge tree trunks that came to rest in the marsh after the flooding from January 9, 2018, and during the winter of 2022-23.

I was suddenly conflicted on what to photograph. However, I noticed myself inching closer to the peregrine. These are good choices to have across the living marsh. 

The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County completes a $1.9 million wetland restoration project in its 34 acres of the marsh, located between the UC Reserve and the City’s Marsh Park. The project includes excavation of tidal channels that had been silted in by runoff and obstructed by berms and roads built in the marsh over the years. Non-native vegetation is removed and several acres are graded to restore wetland habitat. Also, the pedestrian bridge over Franklin Creek is constructed to connect the City’s Nature Park to the Land Trust’s public trail. 

The City of Carpinteria dedicates the Salt Marsh Nature Park, a 15-acre public park that includes restored wetland habitat, an amphitheater, trails, and interpretive signs.

PETER DUGRÉ

Common yellow throat

Girls grow up surrounded by the message “No Girls Allowed.” It’s not printed out and stapled to the door, but it might as well be. The invisible writing is scrawled across hundreds of potential careers, in the faces of the men that hold the jobs and serve as the role models for the next generation: the police officers, the mechanics, the welders, the professional sports VPs. Times are changing, though, and Carpinteria girls now recognize themselves in the places they didn’t exist before. We’re pleased to introduce four women who refused to follow the invisible rules and erased the “no” from “no girls allowed.”

PHOTOS BY INGRID BOSTROM

Deputy Heather, reporting for duty

WORDS BY BRYN FOX

Deputy Heather van Hemert works in a field dominated by men. But she doesn’t see it that way. “To be completely honest, I’ve never looked at careers as a man’s or a woman’s place. I’ve looked at the jobs and asked myself if I believed I could be good at this and excel,” she says. After watching her dad as a reserve police officer, Heather realized that what she really wanted to do was to help people. So she followed in her father’s footsteps.

The road to the uniform was not always easy. Though being a woman didn’t get in her way, her dyslexia and struggles with her weight did. It took tremendous determination and support from her family to eventually be able to pass the written test to become a peace officer. In addition, her agility was lacking. But she worked on her strength and refused to quit.

Heather has now spent eight years as a police officer. During that time, she worked for three

years as a highly trained member of the SWAT team and became the first ever female canine handler at the Santa Paula Police Department. She made detective there, before accepting a position as deputy with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. Being a woman has not held her back one bit. “This job is not about being the strongest, but it helps out immensely to be fit and level-headed.” Instead of size or gender, Heather says that what it really takes to excel in this field, is to be a people person.

Though she has only been assigned to Carpinteria for nine months, Heather has felt welcomed into the community. Every community she has worked in, she acknowledges, has made her feel welcome, a fact she attributes to her empathy. Her goal? To be kind and always help whomever she can. An ambassador to the field, Heather says, “If I can prove to a single person that we are not all bad, that we have hearts also, then I think I’ve accomplished something pretty special.”

What’s next for Deputy Heather? She hopes to become the first female canine handler for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and to become a member of the SWAT team. “As for higher aspiration, of course I would love to show that I would be a great leader. Not just for my department, but my community.”

Heather van Hemert, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Deputy.

Ally ’ s metal meditations

WORDS BY KARA PETERSEN

Ally James’ welded artwork forges grit and grace. Growing up, the Carpinterian earned her grit driving John Deere tractors and getting her hands dirty on her father’s flower farm. Now she spends her days at the welding shop—when she’s not surfing.

“It’s not easy being a woman in the trades, but there’s something about challenging the dominant paradigm that fuels my fire,” she says. With long auburn hair contained in face-framing braids and nails painted a rust red, she gracefully knocks down assumptions aboutwomen’s work.

Ally’s first foray into three-dimensional art was in Lorie Stout’s ceramics class at Carpinteria High School. She first picked up the welding torch at Santa Barbara City College before transferring to U.C. Los Angeles to earn her bachelor of fine arts.

Her art has evolved into a combination of retail projects, architectural commissions, and personal creativity. Multiple homes designed by famed Santa Barbara architect Jeff Shelton include Ally’s work, as well as new Santa Barbara restaurant Augie’s.

A sculptor at heart, Ally stays true to her creativity by incorporating something delicate into the rough work of shaping metal. She wields fire with elegant finesseto create art that is whimsical, beautiful, and functional.“When I put on the welding hood it doesn’t matter if I’m a woman. It becomes meditative,” she says.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she began welding playful garden art, including vibrant birds and flowers, to sell at makers markets. Her projects, whether large or small, are imbued with unexpected weightlessness and flow. When she makes time for personal projects, they often

explore her relationship with her mental health. “To stay safe in this work requires a mindful focus and presence that has helped me with anxiety and depression,” she says.

Reflecting on difficult experiences as a woman in the welding business, from assumptions about her role on construction sites to doubts about her physical abilities, she emphasizes her gratitude for the many mentors who believe in her and have supported her, such as her grandfather, former Carpinteria Unified School Board Trustee Dr. Alex Pulido, retired CHS teacher Lorie Stout, SBCC teacher Armando Ramos, and shop boss Isaac Anguiano to name a few.

Ally finds her latest inspiration in raw materials delivered by this winter’s storm. She collects the washed-up roots of trees to incorporate into welded tables and other structures.

“I can’t put a bow on it right now,” Ally says of her art, “but I’m starting to understand the meaning this work has in my life.”

To learn more, visit www.alexandrajames.art.com

Ally James, metal worker and artist

Alma takes her shot

WORDS BY AMY MARIE OROZCO

In simple terms, Alma Angeles’ career is a small-town-girl-makes-good one. For one, the Carpinteria High School class of 2000 graduate has worked and lived in London, New York, and Los Angeles during her business travels to the four corners of the world. Another, Earvin “Magic” Johnson was her boss. Nowadays it’s Michael Jordan, NBA Charlotte Hornets owner.

Alma’s title is Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the North Carolina team. Meaning she is head of corporate revenue, oversees a team of 12, and is the highest-ranking Latina on the revenue side of the NBA business.

Born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital to immigrant parents and raised in Carpinteria, Alma says sports were her extracurricular activity. “I can’t say I was a straight A student. I got the grades so I could play sports,” Alma explains. She played basketball at the Boys & Girls Club and as a freshman at Carpinteria High School, then switched to soccer and

track and field, the 200- and 400-yard dashes, until she hurt her knee senior year.

She thought she’d be sidelined but her coach, Van Latham, thought not. “He said, ‘You’re not walking away. We’ll find a place for you. I really want you to be involved. Give it a try,’” the NBA executive recalls. “It” referring to shot put and discus. “He spoke to the heart of athletics.” That kind of nurturing — along with the Boys & Girls Club and other opportunities like Astro Camp — Alma credits to growing up in a small town.

After graduating from Cal State University, Northridge with a bachelor of science in exercise physiology, she interned at a sports marketing firm. Jobs with PRIMETIME Sports Agency, WNBA LA Sparks, Major League Soccer, and COPA90 global football media brand followed, and then a headhunter recruited her for the Hornets.

The work schedule in professional sports is 24/7 including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays, allowing for a visit home at least twice a year. Though not a fan of the long hours or being away from her close friends and family (whom she thanks for her strong work ethic), Alma enjoys living in Charlotte. “It has the vibe of Carp. Familiar faces and a hometown feeling. It’s a big town though.”

She remembers thinking of Carpinteria as small and limiting while growing up; today she counts her blessings and says, “That little town gave me backbone. That ‘Warrior spirit never dies’ is so instilled in me.”

Alma Angeles, VP of Corporate Partnerships for the Charlotte Hornets

MICHAEL JONES

Anna Grace, changing tires and times

WORDS BY JANE BENEFIELD

When visiting Carpinteria Tire and Wheel on Palm Avenue for new tires or car repairs, you will be greeted by a cheerful, welcoming young woman. Don’t mistake her for the office manager.

Anna Grace Butler is a certified auto mechanic with extensive knowledge of cars, from tires to transmissions. Ask her what a zerk is, and she’ll explain it in a way you’ll understand. Her presence in the repair shop is a breath of fresh air and strong evidence that a woman’s place is wherever she wants it to be.

Anna Grace is 20 years old and has a degree from Santa Barbara City College—an associate of science degree in automotive technology. She grew up with two younger sisters and two older brothers, and her outsized enthusiasm of cars and trucks bonded her with her dad from early on. “We worked on Volkswagen buses and a Ford Thunderbird, which if you have any interest in cars, you know that those specifically can be problematic,” she says.

Anna Grace intends to amass as much mechanical knowledge as possible with the goal of someday “giving it back” by becoming an instructor herself. When she graduated from the automotive program, the instructional staff included just one woman. Anna Grace is determined to change that number.

She credits being in the right place at the right time for her current employment. “I stopped at Risdon’s 76 for gas and was chatting with the attendant about the truck I was driving at the time (a 1996 Dodge Ram). My now boss

overheard me talking about it and offered me a job,” she says. At the time she was a month away from her 18th birthday, thus a month shy of the minimum age requirement in the industry. Her future boss, Don Risdon, was willing to wait.

Anna Grace buys her tools through various suppliers but often waits for October when Tools for the Cause matches her purchases with donations toward breast cancer research. Her tools stand out from the others at Carpinteria Tire and Wheel in their Madonna Inn pink.

Every day presents challenges and rewards, but Anna Grace counts the rebuild of her own Dodge truck’s 46LE transmission as the most satisfying job yet. In her usual cheery way, she confesses it was also one of the hardest. The 27-year-old truck is now back up and running—280,000 miles and counting. 

Anna Grace, auto mechanic

David Letinsky surf mentor to many

Words like “legend” and “waterman” get tossed around in the surfing media like broken surfboards in giant waves. There is no shortage of heroes and stars among the surfing masses. What seems to be in short supply, however, are mentors and coaches like Carpinteria’s David Letinsky.

Born in the winter of 1951, David was raised in the San Fernando Valley, rode his first waves in Santa Monica, and got his first job at Val Surf while he was still in high school. There he gained valuable surf industry experience and built a large contact list that enabled him to network and launch a 50-year career in the trade.

David made a few stops in Malibu, Agoura, and Santa Barbara before he settled into Carpinteria’s corner of coastal paradise in 1990. “I wanted to raise family in this area, so we moved to Carpinteria to be closer to work and to Rincon,” he says.

His move to Carpinteria came a few years after he started a position with Sex Wax in 1987. Fred “Zog” Herzog, owner of Zog Industries, parent company to Sex Wax, has high praise for David’s team building abilities. “David has handled all our surf team selection and maintenance for us. As the company has grown, he has been able to hook us up with some world class talent.”

As David became better known in the wave riding community, his mentoring skills were noted and put to good use as an elite athlete surfing coach. He counts Brad Gerlach, Isao ‘Toma’ Tomatsuri, Curtis Johnson, and Rainos Hayes as his coaching influences.

“Surf coaching and mentoring more or less began with

STORY AND PHOTOS BY GLENN DUBOCK

David coaches Dominic Arce at the National Scholastic Surfing Association contest in early April.

O’Neill wetsuit and Sex Wax team management,” says David. Along their path to professional surfing, David worked closely with Conner and Parker Coffin, Griffin and Crosby Colapinto, Eithan Osborne, Jett Schilling and Jabe Swierkocki, among others.

Even when he is on the road surfing the pro circuit or producing media content, Conner Coffin always makes time to connect with “Uncle Dave,” as he calls him. “He saw something in me that I didn’t even know I had,” Conner says. “He has become a family member to me because he has been there through thick and thin and is one of the kindest, most thoughtful, and loving people I know.”

David has also been known to give a gentle push to some of Carpinteria’s home-grown talent en route to their saltwater goals. These include his sons Jack and Dustin, as well as Bryan Schmidt, Kokoro Tomatsuri, Blake Howard, Ryan Perry, Rachel Harris, Matt Densmore, Matt Johnson, and Ian O’Neill.

When asked about David’s unique method of inspiring young surfers to be their best, words like “father-figure” and “positive motivation” are repeated from his mentees.

“I am 46 now and I was first introduced to him when I was 11,” says Ian O’Neill. He credits David with instilling professionalism in him at an early age. When young Ian sought out a Sex Wax sponsorship, David instructed him to write a letter of introduction, visited Ian’s school, took

From left, Mike Walter, Dane Reynolds, Eithan Osborne, David Letinsky and Jack Letinsky at the Rincon Classic.

The Sex Wax crew, from left, Conner and Parker Coffin, Fred “Zog” Herzog, David Letinsky, Erick Herzog and Dustin Letinsky.

him surfing, analyzed his skills, and coached him on what it would take to represent the brand. “He has continued to be a great influence and very generous with his time, knowledge, and extensive contacts for all who seek his expertise,” says Ian.

Rachel Harris was just 13 years old when David recognized her talents. “He used to positively encourage me to go for opportunities that I thought were outside of my skill set—like big waves at Jelly Bowl and Rincon. He emphasized that surfing is fun and expressed gratitude to be at the beach.”

Ryan Perry has gone around the globe as a pro-level videographer, but he remembers clearly the days of being just another grom in town. “Dave was always carting us kids around in his truck, taking us skateboarding or surfing, and always making us feel safe and most importantly forever stoked. He still does that today; his wisdom is never-ending, just like his stoke.”

When asked about his philosophy for the straight track to becoming a well-rounded surfer, David offers this: “It is important to develop a keen understanding and strong relationship with our mother ocean. To be a good surfer requires a balance between getting as much surf time with sound personal and academic development. An important tip would be to surf with the wave and let it dictate your ride, relative to your experience and skill level. Above all, keep it fun!”

Still got it. David rides the nose.

David's sons, from left, Jack and Dustin have long benefited from Dad's coaching in life and in the water.

David, center, with Carpinteria surfers he's mentored over the last 30 years. From back left, Bryan Schmidt, Matt Densmore, and Matt Johnson, and from front left, Sean Lesh, Ian O'Neill, Blake Howard and Ryan Perry.

Brass Bird Coffee owners Sarah Dandona and Juan Rodriguez in their new cafe on Carpinteria Avenue.

IMPECCABLE TASTE

Brass Bird and Teddy’s rise and shine in Carpinteria

WORDS BY PETER DUGRÉ • PHOTOS BY EMILY MERRILL

Before November 2022, there was no Brass Bird Coffee at 4835 Carpinteria Avenue. Then the open sign went up on the Euro-style, chic-casual cafe and patisserie, and it became an overnight sensation, as if owners Juan Rodriguez and Sarah Dandona had special knowledge of what it takes to woo and win over a uniquely Carpinterian clientele.

The recipe for being an instant hit, they say, begins and ends with quality, both of the product and customer experience. Brass Bird stands out as an inviting place that pulls off a well-put-together vibe without a hint of pretension. It appeared. It belongs.

“We had fallen in love with Carpinteria as a little beach town. There’s so much pride in the community, and we are grateful to be part of it,” says Sarah on a sunny

morning from the buzzing Brass Bird patio. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Sarah is the back-of-thehouse brains of the husband-and-wife duo.

“She is a magician of making menus,” says Juan, his easy bright smile framed by a dark beard, who is the front-of-house pro, having cut his chops in restaurants since he was a 12-year-old first-generation MexicanAmerican who never hesitated to roll up his sleeves.

Brass Bird isn’t their first rodeo. Before the Carpinteria Avenue cafe, Sarah and Juan had opened Teddy’s by the Sea, founded in 2018, a few blocks away. Combined, the two eateries represent two parts of the couple’s serial mom-and-pop restaurateur brand. Sarah also co-owned Omni Catering, which she sold and replaced with Brass Bird. Near the couple’s home in Santa Barbara, they

From left, Sarah Dandona with Realeen Portillo and Perla Lazaro.

purchased their neighborhood bar, The Uptown Lounge on upper State Street, in 2022.

Sarah and Juan, who have two young children, once dreamed of running “a little breakfast spot” as their retirement plan, where they could downshift to cruising speed at a place they are passionate about. Brass Bird fit the vision but manifested itself prematurely. Cruise control doesn’t appear to be part of the Sarah’s or Juan’s DNA.

Seated at a Brass Bird patio four-top last spring, Juan wonders aloud to Sarah whether they should re-orient the table to improve traffic flow. “We are here all the time, so it’s not like we have to run it through corporate if we want to make a change. We are always trying to be better,” Juan says. The menu, which covers breakfast, brunch, and lunch from sweet to savory, often rotates, bending with the seasons, the chef’s whims, and what customers up-vote with their wallets.

Brass Bird was the dream cafe, but it’s now the last thing, not the next. They are currently under construction at a new Santa Barbara spot at the old McKenzie Market at State Street and Las Positas Road in Santa Barbara, where the concept will merge a breakfast/lunch cafe plus sit-down dinner.

Aris Romero preps a cappuccino.

THEODORA’S MEMORY IS THE COMMON THREAD

In only the last decade, there was Cabo’s Cantina, Cielo Bar & Grill, and The Nugget at 5096 Carpinteria Ave., where Teddy’s By the Sea has now taken root. And not long before that it was Chuy’s. Nothing was sticking at the revolving-door location, before Teddy’s, which Sarah and Juan say introduced a casual seafood cuisine to Carpinteria’s offerings and aspires to an atmosphere that makes even locals feel like they are on vacation.

“We had to build an experience that gives people a reason to want to come back,” Juan says.

Teddy’s namesake is Sarah’s grandmother Theodora, Teddy for short, who loved to host and never failed to create a warm and welcoming environment for family gatherings through her charm and culinary skills.

Brass Bird gets its name from the ornamental brass pheasants that Teddy left to Sarah and Juan when she passed. Teddy’s brass birds now live on the couple’s mantle and are accurately represented on the yellow-gold Brass Bird logo. Searching for a name for their cafe, they found inspiration from the patinated brass birds, simple yet symbolic of Teddy and the small touches that never go overlooked by good hosts.

CURATORS OF QUALITY

In preparation for opening Teddy’s, Sarah and Juan traveled up and down the coast, month-after-month, in search of the perfect fish taco. They once drove to San Diego to get tacos, no other reason. Before opening Brass Bird, Juan attended barista school in Seattle. “I don’t mess around,” he says. This spring, they traveled to Paris, Belgium, and Amsterdam to immerse themselves into European culture built on culinary excellence.

“If we build something we love and have passion for,

Teddy's by the Sea co-owner Juan Rodriguez chats with customers on the patio.

that translates to our guests,” Sarah says. “So we want to make something that’s exactly the spot we’d visit.”

They live and breathe food and the restaurant business. Compromising on quality is not an option, says the couple, who use sustainably sourced coffee at Brass Bird and wild caught fish approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.

“All of our ingredients are high quality, because that’s what we like, and we wouldn’t want to serve others anything that isn’t the best,” Juan says.

Measuring up to high standards in sourcing ingredients — both for the planet and the flavor — doesn’t preclude playfulness at the couple’s restaurants. For instance, guests at Brass Bird can select from a rotating pop tart menu, not the packaged variety but a nod to the nostalgic breakfast treat leveled up to flaky-crust perfection by the in-house pastry chef. Brass Bird creates all of its pastries in house, apart from the croissants, which are sourced from Renaud’s Bakery in Santa Barbara.

Fish and chips and fish tacos are best sellers at Teddy’s, along with weekly selections of locally caught white fish. The chef shops from Tino’s Organic Farm for Teddy’s and Brass Bird along with the food-service kitchen that operates out of Brass Bird and serves the Linked-In cafeteria five days per week. Purchasing locally is always a priority along with eliminating food waste, a byproduct of running an efficient kitchen and donating leftovers to the Girls Inc. of Carpinteria 24-hour food pantry. Scraps go back to Tino’s to feed the pigs.

To pull it all off, Sarah and Juan rely on their people, and put full faith in their managers and chefs to meet the expectation of always delivering a quality customer experience. Near-term plans include getting a beer and wine license and expanding Brass Bird’s hours. There always seems to be a next, next thing. Though driven and enjoying the ride, they see the restaurant business with eyes wide open, understanding that it’s not for the risk averse.

“The one thing we never want to see is a bunch of cookie cutter places,” Sarah says. “What makes Carpinteria so cool and unique is all of the independent businesses.” 

From left, Teddy’s by the Sea co-owner Sarah Dandona with Tatum Pacheco and Churro Saldana

JEFF MOORHOUSE: FlyingAngelswith

WORDS BY RYAN P. CRUZ

PHOTOS BY ROBIN KARLSSON

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to fly,” says Jeff Moorhouse, who volunteers as Angel Flight West’s Southern California Wing Leader.

Through Angel Flight West, Moorhouse helps people in urgent situations get to the places they need to go when the roads just won’t cut it. For years, he has dedicated his time in the pilot seat to this mission, helping dozens of people fly to medical appointments and cancer treatments, helping deliver emergency supplies, or even delivering blood to rural communities during the recent mudslides when supply chains were cut off.

He can recall the day he decided to act on his childhood dream of flying. Over 25 years ago, he was on a business trip with an old associate who happened to be an accomplished former Naval Aviator. While the rest of their group flew commercially, Moorhouse and his pilot buddy took the scenic route via a little Cessna 182, enjoying a bird’s eye view of the coast and arriving hours before everybody else.

“I was hooked,” he says.

A few months later, Moorhouse began taking flying lessons in Santa Barbara, first earning his private license then his instrument rating. Much of his flight time was business related, but soon enough, he began to get involved with charity flights through Santa Barbara Aeromedicos, helping deliver doctors, nurses, and EMTs to clinics south of the border.

A flurry of hurricanes made flying to Baja California near impossible, and Moorhouse started to look for other ways to keep flying and donating his time as a

Jeff Moorhouse with his Bonanza A36.

pilot. He connected with Angel Flight West, a charitable organization that helps connect people to their medical appointments with over 2,000 pilots in 13 states. All the pilots donate their time, equipment, and supplies for the trips.

“When we fly, it’s all on us as a pilot; gas, time, and everything,” he says.

At first, Moorhouse says he tried to couple it with business flying. If he was heading on a business trip to the Bay Area or to Santa Monica, he would offer a lift to any patients headed the same direction. But soon, he says, it turned into “trips without business,” and he began to get to know the passengers and connect with their stories.

“As a pilot, transporting people going through treatment, we listen,” he says. “We don’t ask questions, but many of them let you know what’s going on.”

Eventually, they asked him to become the Southern California Wing Leader, and he took on an even more active role as a liaison to other pilots in Southern California and participating in goals and objective planning for the organization.

During extreme weather events and natural disasters, such as during the 2017 Thomas Fire or the 2018 Montecito Debris Flow, Moorhouse jumped into action, fueling up his Beach Bonanza A36 to help wherever needed: facilitating fire damage filming, delivering patients to Ridley Tree Cancer Center for much needed treatments, and transporting blood between San Luis Obispo and Ventura when the highways were shut down.

“That was my first inkling that when stuff happens along the 101 freeway and it cuts us off, it makes it really difficult to move people and supplies north and south,” he says.

Working and flying during these historic events gives him a unique perspective, he says, being able to see the damage of a massive fire from thousands of feet above. “To see the massiveness of some of these fires is just amazing,” he says.

It also gives him a chance to connect with people in the community and to have an effect on their lives. “It meant a lot to be able to help the people that you know you’re gonna run into at the grocery store or around town,” Moorhouse says.

While he spent much of his life in Carpinteria, where he and his wife, Christie, met in high school, Moorhouse now lives on a ranch off Highway 126. The pandemic slowed the rate of medical flights, due to the danger of transporting immunocompromised patients, but he says he still flies at least a few times a month, along with his time traveling as a spokesperson for Angel Flights West.

He’s always ready to fly, and said he keeps his Beach Bonanza A36 fueled and ready for takeoff at all times. “If something comes up, I can be in the air within 30 minutes,” he says. 

Nature & Nurture

Mother-daughter and father-son pairs talk art and family

WORDS BY DEBRA HERRICK • PHOTOS BY MATT DAYKA

Nini & JJ

Abstract artist Nini Swift Seaman and her daughter, watercolor painter Jessica June “JJ” Avrutin, share an airy downtown studio space with room for the creative muses of both artists to convene.

But the tightly woven pair share more than just a studio. They both went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University — Nini by way of the art school and JJ through the combined program at Tufts. They both know the softer side of the palette, dipping their brushes in colors that complement each other seamlessly and make glints of pigment dance.

And they are both lifelong artists, seeking to capture as much of the world’s whimsy and wonder as they can, fully aware that some aspects of beauty must be rendered, not replicated.

“I told JJ never to paint sunsets how they really are because it will come out cheesy,” Nini recalls, “You can’t duplicate something that magnificent.”

For JJ, her mother’s childhood advice —in her words, “that sunsets are hard to paint, because they’re almost prettier in person” — led her to look at things differently. Soon, she was finding her own aesthetic in moody skies

“TANGERINE ON BLUE” BY NINI SEAMAN

Artists Nini Seaman and JJ Avrutin

and muted tones, ultimately defining a fanciful free form style in watercolors that became her signature at Martha Stewart Living in New York, where she was a textile designer for many years before transitioning fully to fine art and freelance design and moving back to Carpinteria in 2020.

“JJ started intuitively painting at a very young age, and drawing,” says Nini, who received her MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. “I didn’t in any way try and make that happen. It was just instinctive. I don’t meddle.”

Nini always liked to paint too. She recalls that she had terrible eyesight and didn’t get glasses until elementary school. She’s comfortable with the sight of abstractions, motion and light, perhaps influencing her later predilection for abstract painting. Her subject matter

“SPRING FINDS THE MARSH” BY NINI SEAMAN

“GREEN FLASH” BY NINI SEAMAN

“MOON DANCE” BY NINI SEAMAN

has largely been abstract landscapes, created through layers of paint, and informed by her time spent living in Wyoming and California. Under the endless Western sky, the changing horizon drives her work.

“I love color coming through color; it gives everything more dimension and more elements of surprise,” Nini says. “In a painting you want your eye to move around, finding the corners, finding the center. I’m never quite sure when my paintings are done because I do layer over layer. Some are never finished.”

There’s a conversation happening between Nini and JJ’s work, between similar sensibilities but distinct topics and techniques. JJ’s work is usually figurative, loosely crafted vignettes of animals, botanicals, cityscapes, and other elements of delight.

Nini’s work informs hers, JJ says, noting the depth that Nini achieves through layers. She’s also inspired by her natural landscape, describing “an innate feeling” of wanting to capture “the beauty of the world onto paper but with my own view.”

Yet as close as the two are, they never paint at the same time together. “We both love our solitude,” Nini says. “We just like to go to the studio and peace out. Otherwise, we’d just start talking and it would be a hopeless situation.”

JJ’s daughters may soon follow in mom and grandma’s footsteps, or brushstrokes. Four-year old Ella is already saying, “I’m an artist like my mom.”

“JELLY BOWL AFTER STORM” BY JJ AVRUTIN

“THE SPOT” BY JJ AVRUTIN

BY JJ AVRUTIN

“VIEW FROM FRANKLIN TRAIL” BY JJ AVRUTIN

“LITTLE DOM’S”

Ron & Ben

Nothing less than the life of an artist. That was the whole-hearted ambition of Ron Anderson, and the gods smiled.

He’s enjoyed a robust career as an artist, developing an original technique for threedimensional painting and raising two artist sons, Ben and Sean, with wife Susie, also an artist. “We’re a family of artists,” says Ron. “When we get together, there’s always art gab.”

For Ben, who paints in a loose photo realistic style, the example his father set was formative. Growing up in his dad’s studio, he went from toddling between easels to a teenager, working for dad doing his underpaintings — all part of his own “epic journey” as an artist, he says. Encouraged by his parents to seek the life he wanted, Ben attended the San Francisco Academy of Art University, as did his brother, and studied in Florence, Italy, before returning to Carpinteria to raise his own children with his wife, and muse, Leigh-Anne. But no matter how far he traveled, his father was always part of the journey.

“I’ve collected most of his emails of inspiration,” Ben says, “He’s an endless source for wise words. He used to come to me with these crazy ideas and ask me what I thought of them. His intention and

Artists Ron and Ben Anderson

“JULZAN” BY RON ANDERSON

“ERDANZ” BY RON ANDERSON

“RAJKIT” BY RON ANDERSON

“CALFANTI” BY RON ANDERSON

“UNTITLED 3” BY BEN ANDERSON

“SUPERFLO” BY BEN ANDERSON

“CANNONBALLER” BY BEN ANDERSON

his motivation, it’s not even something he says, but how he lives his life.”

But while art has remained constant, the medium, style, and materials that they use have changed over the years. Both acknowledge this is more than true — they like to change and to experiment — and they admit, they sometimes grow bored of something they spend too much time on.

For Ben, it was a transition from sculpture, which he studied at art school, to painting, which became his career. He started with portraits which “kicked off right away,” and he has continued to develop. His work took a clear direction when he studied in Italy. He learned about the Italian Renaissance and began to craft his own style of photo realism, but a littler looser. Later he brought that vibrant lens back to Carpinteria, where he paints more than portraits. His recent work includes paintings of water and seascapes with abstract interventions. The natural abstraction of water appeals to him, and the ocean is a “daily inspiration.” “I’m out on the water all the time,” he says, “swimming, surfing, or just watching my boys.”

Ron’s current work on the other hand is definitively abstract. But it hasn’t always been. “I’ve dabbled in

abstract work through other periods,” he says, “I tend to evolve with my work. I get deeply into whatever I’m doing and then it runs its course and I start something else that interests me.”

His prior work includes whimsical sculptures, oil paintings, and his unique three-dimensional paintings. Today, he’s painting mixed media “visual meditations” — fever pitch compositions with sizzling brushstrokes that zigzag across the canvas.

“We are a unique family,” says Ron, noting the talents of his wife and sons. They still get together for weekly studio visits to talk about art or anything else.

Ben’s kids are now exploring their dad’s studio, learning to draw and sculpt with clay. The studio is kept stocked with different materials for experimentation, and there’s even a spray-paint booth. “It’s like when I was a kid,” Ben says, “It’s more about giving them the opportunities than anything else.” Only time can tell what the next generation will decide to do in art or otherwise. “The neat thing about kids is they are just free,” Ron adds. “They just do what they want to do. Out of that comes some pretty interesting stuff.” 

“CANNONBALLER 22” BY BEN ANDERSON “LA CALMA” BY BEN ANDERSON

Teresa and Brian Alvarez with sons Nico and Enzo in front of their Carpinteria home.

Crisis averted

Creative solutions put housing within reach

WORDS BY AMY MARIE OROZCO • PHOTOS BY INGRID BOSTROM

Carpinteria’s scariest story isn’t a Halloween tale. It’s a year-round fright fest keeping residents terrified that they may be the next victim. The perpetrator? An out-of-control housing market. How do those considered moderate income or middle class manage in Carpinteria? With skyrocketing rents and home prices, it’s a scary situation requiring creative and stylish solutions.

TERESA & BRIAN ALVAREZ

Here’s how Teresa and Brian Alvarez were able to join the ranks of homeownership: They won the lottery. A City of Carpinteria Housing Lottery, which entitled them to a $471,000 mortgage on a newly constructed threebedroom, just under 2,000-square-foot, two-story home

with a two-car garage and a roomy backyard. They had heard about the program through work and the city, but a piece in the Coastal View News gave them the info they needed to apply. At that point, they were paying $1,725 a month for a two-bedroom apartment on Sandyland, where they’d lived for five years. The parents of one child with another on the way weren’t sure if they were ready to buy but decided to throw their names in the hat.

To be eligible for the first-round lottery draw, they needed to meet two of the three mandated preference points: live in Carpinteria—check; be part of the critical workforce (both are educators)—check; and work in Carpinteria—check! There were 45 applicants with two preference points and 73 applicants who met one of the three preference points as backup.

They separately watched the lottery, via Zoom, held at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on December 10, 2020. Teresa was at home with son Nico and newborn Enzo; Brian was at work at Santa Barbara High School.

After watching then-mayor Wade Nomura pull a name from a bingo-like spinner and hearing their name called, Brian recalls running and yelling in jubilation around the Santa Barbara High’s athletic facilities. And running and yelling some more.

About four months later, they closed escrow and picked up their new keys on April 1, 2021.

“I seriously manifested it,” says Teresa. “Every night I sat with my son saying ‘we are homeowners,’ ‘we have a three-bedroom home.’” Vision boards were created to help the energy build.

Manifestation aside, the Alvarezes consider themselves “so lucky.” They love having family so close and being able to host Christmas the last two years. “I never thought we’d own a home here,” Brian says.

BARBARA & JOHN SCOTT

A serious illness with an extended stay in the hospital is the main reason Barbara and John Scott moved from their two-story Palm Loft work/live space. The stairs to the second-floor living area had become impossible for Barbara.

After house-hunting from San Diego to Bellingham, Washington, the couple, Newport Beach transplants, decided they wanted to stay in Carpinteria, finding it welcoming to seniors and wanting to keep the sense of community they already felt. “This is the most unique

The Alvarez family at play.

beach town (we’ve seen) in all of our 85 years,” says John, a potter of 62 years. “There’s a wonder to living in Carpinteria.”

Well, as everyone knows, love doesn’t pay the bills. Or the mortgage.

Still, if there’s a will, there’s a way.

After considering all aspects of housing options, the Scotts decided on the mobile home route. Not just any mobile home would do. Having a view was important after losing the one at Palm Lofts, as were a sense of containment and lots of natural light. Rancho Granada filled the bill, and in 2018 they moved to the edge of the park overlooking an avocado field.

Constructed in 1972, the home is well built and simple. “We didn’t have to juggle with space. It was easy to clean up,” says John. Believing a mobile home doesn’t have to be a cave, they took down all the heavy drapery, used bright white paint throughout, and got rid of the kelly green carpet, for starters.

Trading 600 square feet at $2,500-a-month rent for a $265,000 mortgage and 1,500-square feet made economic sense to them. Even with the $500-ish monthly space rent

John Scott's pottery

TOP, Bright and airy, the Scott house defies assumptions about mobile homes. LEFT, Barbara and John Scott in their Rancho Granada mobile home.

that includes water and trash, along with the $96 annual registration fee to the DMV because the home is on wheels, the numbers added up. As did the no property tax.

“If we’re really careful, we’d be able to live off our Social Security,” says Barbara.

They miss the camaraderie of artists the Palm Lofts provides along with the diversity of personalities and ages, but Rancho Granada makes up for it in other ways. “The sound of children is a joy, and the people who live here are happy to be here,” says John.

Pottery, books, and art fill the Scotts' mobile home.

BONNIE & BRYON COLLETT

In the case of Bonnie and Bryon Collett, it was more about creating a senior citizen compound with longtime friends Gale and Steve Abram, who have a cottage in their Carpinteria backyard, than a scramble to find housing in Carpinteria.

The Colletts first visited the Abrams in Carpinteria about 25 years ago when Bonnie lightheartedly said, “Now I know when I retire where I’ll live.” Years later, her offhand comment turned into reality — necessitated by the carnage of a collapsed economy and the sale of a business that did not go as anticipated.

“We couldn’t afford to stay in Seattle and be retired,” Byron explains.

A suitable agreement between the two couples for the senior citizen compound was established. The new tenants were included in the renovation of their new home and given an appliance allowance. Bonnie remembers the dishwasher installer commenting, “I never put a Miele in a rental before.”

In September 2015, they moved into their one-bedroom, one-bathroom, kitchen and living area, 540-square-foot home with only a bed, table, six folding chairs, TV, and record cabinet. Thanks to knocking out a wall, closing off one of the two nearly side-by-side “front doors,” and literally using every speck of space to its fullest, the home feels much bigger.

Bonnie and Bryon Collett peacefully coexist in a 540-square-foot cottage in the backyard of their dear friends.

Small spaces require compromises and ingenuity, say an ottoman serving as the linen closet, a tailored desk and closet, or an arrangement where friends and neighbors host overnight guests and receive dog-sitting in return.

Small spaces also highlight priorities. For the Colletts, that’s music and food. Custom-made record cabinets punctuate the home, and a music system that plays vinyl and CDs is the focal point of the living room. Bigger than the living area, the kitchen-dining area has large wire shelving from a restaurant supply store that covers a wall and one front door, a drop-leaf table that can disappear in the kitchen island, and don’t forget the Miele. Additionally, there are pantry cabinets on the outside decks.

Says Bonnie, “We’ve invested ourselves in this place.” An investment whose interest is compounded. 

TOP, No square inch goes unused in the Colletts' bedroom or any other part of their home.

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This property offers private, luxurious accommodations in a peaceful and quiet creek side setting. The beautiful airconditioned home is newly remodeled with the greatest care and attention to detail. Elegant furnishings complement a graceful open floor plan. Large windows and doors look out onto the peaceful backyard with oak trees, ferns and quiet seating areas.

Downstairs, the primary bedroom has a king size bed and private entrance. The upstairs loft bedroom offers beautiful views of the garden and a privacy curtain for couples traveling together. Enjoy leisurely walks to many nearby restaurants or create a lovely dinner in the well-designed gourmet kitchen. Spend a day in the wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley or sailing the calm and beautiful channel. Visit www.vrbo.com/3318591

VACATION RENTAL IN LA CABANA!

This beautiful one bedroom condo has been completely renovated - just completed in April 2023. Everything is new, with a spacious open floor plan, new furnishings and appliances, and tile floors. It has a king size bed, queen sofa bed, a modern faux fireplace, and a 65” smart TV. In the kitchen, a range, microwave, dishwasher, etc. The bathroom boasts a walk-in shower with a lovely stone floor and separate vanity. The La Cabana complex offers a pool and is just across the street from Carpinteria’s “World’s Safest Beach.” Walk to the Salt Marsh Nature Park, Tomol playground, and downtown shops and restaurants. Visit www.seascapevacation.com or www.vrbo.com/3342250.

SANDPIPER VACATION RENTAL ON ASH AVE.

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SANDPIPER VACATION RENTAL ON ELM AVE.

Just one block to the sand at Carpinteria Beach, This beautifully furnished one bedroom, one bath townhouse sleeps 4, with a queen bed upstairs and a queen sofa downstairs. The bathroom is upstairs, next to the bedroom. The dining area seats four and the kitchen is well equipped for your vacation. The living room has a comfortable sofa and a large flat screen TV and WiFi. A great beach retreat! Visit www.seascapevacation.com or www.vrbo.com/1186805.

If you’re looking for anything from a snack to a nice dinner out with friends or family, try some of Carpinteria’s favorite local eateries.

Call ahead for hours, reserved seating or curbside pickup

RecommendedEats

CHOCOLATS DU CALIBRESSAN

“Tempting your taste buds” with confectionery delights expressing a true joie de vivre!

Must Try: French Bisous: Dark and milk chocolate ganache flavored with tangerine liquor 4193 Carpinteria Ave. Ste 4, Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-6900 • chococalibressan.com

DANNY’S DELI

Danny’s Deli has been serving Carpinteria for 32 years with tri-tip, turkey and roast beef all cooked on site.

Must Try: Famous Tri-Tip Sandwich 4890 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-2711

THE FOOD LIAISON

Catering. Counter. Classes. Utilizing local, organic ingredients. Daily rotating entrees, soups and desserts, seasonal menus and gourmet salad bar.

Must Try: Avocado Meets Toast 1033 Casitas Pass Rd., Carpinteria, CA 93013

GIOVANNI’S PIZZA CARPINTERIA

Specialty pizzas (meat and veggie), pastas, calzones, sandwiches and games in a casual, sit-down space, delivery or to go

Must Try: Giovanni’s Original Lasagna 5003 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-8288 • giovanniscarp.com

JACK’S BISTRO

Healthy California cuisine. Enjoy freshly baked bagels with whipped cream cheeses. Breakfast, lunch and beyond!

Must Try: Blackstone Benedict: w/avo, bacon, tomato 5050 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-566-1558 • bagelnet.com

PACIFIC HEALTH FOODS

Pacific Health Foods serves the best smoothies in Carpinteria. Also fresh juices, organic baked goods, sandwiches, acai bowls, coffee & tea.

Must Try: Scarlet Begonia Juice

944 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA, 93013 805-684-2115

PADARO BEACH GRILL

Great food, spectacular views, friendly service, pet-friendly, and a family-style atmosphere make Padaro Beach Grill the perfect place to dine.

Must Try: Any burger, especially The Padaro 3765 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-566-9800

REYES MARKET

Folks come from near and far to eat these burritos, tacos, tortas and other tasty options. Close your eyes and you’re in Mexico.

Must Try: Chile Relleno Soup, Chilaquiles, Gordita 4890 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-2711

REYNALDO’S BAKERY

Mexican & European Bakery. From handmade, traditional Mexican fare to the finest quality wedding cakes & desserts.

Must Try: Chile Verde Pork, Eggs & Cheese. 895 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-4981 • reynaldosbakery.com

SIAM ELEPHANT THAI RESTAURANT

With its reputation of authenticity and excellence, Siam Elephant stays true to the culinary culture and influences of Thailand.

Must Try: Pad Thai 509 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-2391 • siamelephantusa.com

THARIO’S KITCHEN

“European Style” family restaurant. Homemade from scratch bread, pizza, pasta, salads and desserts. Catering and To Go.

Must Try: One-pound Lasagna Brick 3807 Santa Claus Lane, Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-2209

THE SPOT

Just steps from the beach, The Spot is a classic hamburger stand serving up delicious American and Mexican food at affordable prices!

Must Try: Famous Chili Cheese Fries 389 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-6311

UNCLE CHEN RESTAURANT

Longtime, family-run standby, Uncle Chen offers Chinese meat dishes, noodles and seafood in an informal setting.

Must Try: Casitas Green 1025 Casitas Pass Rd., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-566-3334

ZOOKERS RESTAURANT

Local organic produce, fresh fish, and sustainably raised meats. The “FARM TO TABLE” approach ensures the freshest food in town.

Must Try: Bacon wrapped Filet Mignon 5404 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria, CA 93013 805-684-8893 • zookersrestaurant.com

CONTRIBUTORS

JANE BENEFIELD

…has spent her life in nontraditional jobs for women and she wonders why they are called that. She wanted to be a librarian in the 1970s but found out promotional opportunities and higher pay were afforded men not women. The only job a woman cannot do, she says without irony, is donate sperm. Email: janebenefield@cox.net

RYAN P. CRUZ

…was born and raised in Santa Barbara, and covers a wide range of local topics for Santa Barbara Independent and Coastal View News, including food, sports, local news, city government, music, arts and culture. Email: ryan.p.cruz@gmail.com

MATT DAYKA

…spent the better part of his 16 years as a commercial photographer in near perpetual motion around the globe. While the pandemic put an abrupt end to that, he has enjoyed spending more time rooted with friends and family up and down the Central Coast.

Instagram: @mattdayka

BRYN FOX

…has been growing her roots in Carpinteria since 2007. When not working her day job, she can be found running and hiking local trails, baking up a gluten-free storm, running from surf break to soccer field with her three kids, and volunteering for AYSO. Email: bryn.e.fox@gmail.com

INGRID BOSTROM

…is perpetually squinting through her lens at faces and happenings throughout Santa Barbara County. She tends to emphasize light, levity, and open space as a beacon for a brighter and more hopeful world. She travels with minimal equipment and big aspirations. Instagram: @ingridbostromphotography

GLENN DUBOCK

…found that after a rewarding 40-year career in marketing and photojournalism, his plan to retire was derailed by the ever-present beauty of the area. Glenn started Dubockgallery.com, which became the space where lovers of all things Carpinteria come to see what’s new in Glenn’s lens. Email: dubock@cox.net

PETER DUGRÉ

…has been using his colorful vocabulary to entertain and educate since he was just yea high. These days he relies on his wordsmithing to run Carpinteria-based Two Trumpets Communications while raising kids and being raised by his new pup Toula. Email: peter@two-trumpets.com

CHUCK GRAHAM

…is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria. He’s a beach lifeguard there and leads kayak tours at the Channel Islands National Park. His work has been published widely. He recently published two books, “Carrizo Plain, Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands” and “Hike the Channel Islands,” with John McKinney. Instagram: @chuckgrahamphoto

Summer and its long, golden sunshiny days have the power to turn even the most grown up of grown-ups into a kid again. The magic of the season pulls us out of the stress quicksand and into the moment. No matter what the season, our talented writers and photographers at Carpinteria Magazine are creative kids at heart. In this edition, we pay homage to those inner children with throwback photos from their actual childhood days. You can’t pinch their cheeks, but go ahead and gush over these cuties!

DEBRA HERRICK

…is a writer-editor based in Santa Barbara County. She has been writing for Carpinteria Magazine since 2018. She is also the co-founder of Lum Art Magazine and associate editor of UC Santa Barbara Magazine

Email: editor@lumartzine.com

EMILY MERRILL

…is a commercial photographer based in Santa Barbara who photographs a wide array of advertising, corporate, and fine art work. When she’s not shooting, she’s a road tripper, cocktail enthusiast, perfume fanatic, hiker, voracious reader, and animal lover.

Instagram: @emilymerrillphoto

KARA PETERSEN

…is a writer, depth psychotherapist, and crisis counselor. Her work is curious about the facets and intersections of the human experience, and imbued with influences of her Carpinteria childhood.

Email: karapetersen.2010@gmail.com

ROBIN KARLSSON

…is a creative soul, animal activist, collector of sea glass, lover of fonts, volunteer, cyclist, and a good friend. Her favorite sound is when she hears Zoe, 2, and Sven, 4, calling for Grandma. She likes Space X launches, winter sunsets, Starry Night Stout, and cats more than dogs. Instagram: @Bobnrbn

AMY MARIE OROZCO

…still has her Girl Scout sash with 32 badges (somewhere in the garage) and still loves camping. The organization’s motto “Be Prepared” has served Amy well in her chosen deadline-oriented field of work putting thoughts into words. Website: amymarieorozco.com

EVELYN SPENCE

…is a Santa Barbara County-based reporter and managing editor of Coastal View News in Carpinteria. She is passionate about covering city government, breaking news, and everything that makes Carpinteria, Carpinteria. Email: evelynrosesc@gmail.com

AMY LYNN ESPINA STANFIELDJARMIE

…is best known

for her moody landscapes and capturing the true essence of her subjects. She has taken her superpowers as a creative storyteller and immortalized them through the lens. Graduating with a BA in fine arts from New Mexico State University, she was inspired by the go-with-the flow qualities of Southern California, which she now calls home. Email: artALESart@gmail.com

FINAL FRAME

BALANCING ACT

The ephemeral art of sand castle building must be as old as humans playing on beaches. This fortress in miniature boasts its own seawall and appears ready for anything. That’s the tragic beauty, though. After several sets of hands built these impressive spires over hours, the next high tide will reduce it to raw material for the next creative builder who comes along. 

PHOTO BY CHUCK GRAHAM