Avila Beach Life • May 2020

LOCAL NEWS ... BEACH VIEWS • MAY 2020

AVILABEACHLIFENEWS.COM

Stronger physically distant. Socially bonded.

SEE PAGE 3

AVILA AND THE OTHER PANDEMIC SEE PAGE 4

A HAPPY—HEALTHY— MEMORIAL DAY

SEE PAGE 7

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 19 93446, CA

CENTRAL COAST AQUARIUM SHUTDOWN

******ECRWSSEDDM****** POSTAL CUSTOMER AVILA BEACH, CA 93424

ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Photo By Nicholas Mattson

Together.

2 | Avila Beach Life - May 2020

in this

Together T

he month of May reminds us of our love of the warmth and sunshine, flowers are in bloom, and it is cool enough to spend the entire day with the windows and doors open. As we continue living life through this economic health crisis, we have the opportunity to re-evaluate how we spend our time and what is truly important to fill our souls and what we can eliminate as we start to come out of this pandemic.

Avila has always held a special place in our heart, growing up on the Central Coast meant spending endless summers here running and playing in the sand. Flash forward to May 5, 2012, we were married barefoot on the sand and enjoyed the afternoon celebrating with our friends and family at the Avila Beach Lighthouse Suites.

Hayley & Nic Mattson Co-Publishers

We go into May and get to celebrate all the mommas for Mother’s Day on May 10, and even though we may not be able to all get together for a beach picnic, we can show our local businesses some love and support. Hula Hut is offering free shipping on Grandma Lizzy’s “World Famous Hula Hut Fudge” if you order 3 lbs. or more! This is the time to get creative, support local business, and on the flip side, find new ways to market your services as well. We end the month with Memorial Day on May 25. As we remember and honor the heroes that have fallen, please be safe.

Times are different today, that is an understatement. Times are challenging, that is true, but even though things are uncertain and stressful, to say the least, we have seen love

and human kindness that gives us faith that we will come through this together no matter what it looks like on the other side.

We hope that you enjoy this month’s issue of Avila Beach Life.

We worked on it together with a skeleton crew, and each one of them, along with our furloughed team members, are all important in their own right. No matter what the outcome is after we all walk through this, we know we will be better for it.

We know it will look different than before, and we will know that we were able to share in the beauty that makes our communities so special.

We will get through this together.

All our love, Nic & Hayley

“Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living” — Rachel Marie Martin FOUNDATION NEWS AND VIEWS

Bear With Me

Rick Cohen

Avila Beach Foundation

G

reetings, fellow Avilones. As life remains in limbo for many of us – at least it is as I write this column before the April 15th deadline - the uncertainty of what the future holds is still on most minds. A local dose of harsh reality struck in early April. While driving to the office on 4/8, the first alarming thing I noticed was the closure of the road leading to Pirate’s Cove; then, I encountered signs on the usual avenues into town that read “Local Traffic Only.” It made me wonder, did that mean Avila Beach residents only were welcome?

Were Avila Valley or other SLO County residents on the “stay out” list? Then I learned that even the pay for play parking lot was closed during the day – Wow! I shortly thereafter came to realize that these closures were efforts to encourage social distancing further, even though strolling along the beach seemed to be one of the few outdoor recreations still lawful. Turns out that there are still too many people gathering in groups and not maintaining the advisable safe distancing, in spite of the many warnings we absorb in the news every day.

Ironically, last month a portion of my column was a reminder that Avila’s busy

season was rapidly approaching and that we’d better gear up for the usual onslaught of humanity. I’m sure that many Avilones dread the yearly disruption to a life here that was, in eras past, more tranquil. Avila was never a private beach, but it was manageable.

Well, this past month, we’ve had one of those “be careful what you wish for” experiences.

Businesses are closed, people are hunkered down in “shelter in place” mode, and Avila looks very much like a ghost town – at least it did when I walked through the Promenade that very day in early April. The vibrancy is gone, the doors are shut, and spirits are low.

Missing over the Easter holiday were the happy faces of families out for a day at the beach. No snow cones, hot dogs, ice cream, music, or other ocean-related aromas, sounds and sights that tickle our senses. It’s the flip side of what the community has become in recent years.

This situation could easily extend into and through the summer months. When will the doors open again? What will Avila Beach become moving forward? I guess only time will tell.

Bear with me. Not a lot happening in Avila, so there isn’t much I can report about local topics, as is my usual practice. So, I am

commandeering my space to share some random thoughts that have been occupying my head of late. I won’t be offended if you stop reading at this point since you might not care what I have to say. Neverthe-less, here we go. I can’t help but wonder if our country (ergo the world) will undergo dramatic and fundamental changes when we emerge from the present crisis. Look what happened after the 9/11 attacks. Airline and other forms of travel transformed overnight, and have only gotten worse. Body and baggage searches while we are herded like cattle going to slaughter really sucks.

Other drastic security measures popped up all over the place, and have methodically spread into so many aspects of our lives.

Historic moments going back to the Great Depression have served as launching pads for societal change – some good and some not so good. How will 2020 be defined, and what adjustments will be made? Will our federal administrative and health agencies become better prepared for the next crisis?

Will our attention to populations at risk (the unemployed, homeless individuals, the frail elderly, and those disabled) who are now a focus become the new normal or just a passing thing? Will families have a greater

and permanent appreciation of teachers and childcare workers who ordinarily spend so much time stewarding their kids? How about those in the hospitality industries, healthcare workers, first responders, those who clean or maintain our homes, delivery persons, retail workers, etc. who must risk exposure while continuing to do their essential jobs? All are now being applauded, but will they again be forgotten once the crisis passes? Does $15 per hour minimum pay – or better yet a “living wage” - and health insurance for those who toil at demanding jobs for stingy compensation in order to serve us seem so overly generous after all? Will the number of people who work at home multiply in greater numbers than before?

Will online education ultimately replace classrooms? Will movie theaters ever again be filled with people sitting inches away from one another, eager to see the next blockbuster film while munching on popcorn? Will takeout and meal deliveries rule the day, thus keeping us further tethered to our homes? How many generations will spawn until in-person human contact is but a memory? This is the sort of stuff that keeps me up at night. Okay. I’m done. I’ve gotten that off my chest……LOL. Thanks for indulging me.

Last but not least, I want to remind folks that there are a number of non-profit agencies in SLO County providing a vital aid for those having difficulty meeting their basic needs. These agencies are being barraged with calls for help, and all are experiencing insufficient funding. If you are in the position to donate money or time, I recommend calling the United Way of SLO County at (805)541-1234, or dial “211” to learn about numerous opportunities to chip in locally.

That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach one day soon, I hope! I may even hug you if we can get closer than 6 ft apart.

Avila Beach Life - May 2020 | 3 CENTRAL COAST AQUARIUM

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT AT THE CENTRAL COAST AQUARIUM

By CHRISTINE JOHNSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I

t’s with a heavy heart that I am writing with news that due to the unprecedented loss of all revenue from both school field trips and the busy spring break tourism season---and without assurance that we will be open for business by the summer--the Central Coast Aquarium (CCA) will go into a Temporary System Shutdown on April 16 as the result of ongoing closures due to the coronavirus. We hope to reserve our resources now for an eventual reopening. It’s not possible to predict when that reopening will occur.

What is a Temporary System Shutdown?

All animal care life support systems and animal exhibits will be shut down entirely and secured for a future reopening.

With care and attention, we released many of our animals back to the wild as permitted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Cabrillo High School Aquarium adopted the remaining animals that could not be released to the wild in Lompoc. We are grateful for the partnerships with DFW and Cabrillo High School, who worked with us to ensure that the release or adoption of all of CCA’s animals was properly and ethically managed.

However, it’s important to note that, as an entity, the Central Coast Aquarium (501c3) is not dissolving! This is planned to be a temporary shutdown with the intention to reopen

when the crisis of the coronavirus passes.

CCA had our most successful year ever in 2019, and we were already ahead of 2019 numbers in January, February, and half of March of 2020. Yet, even with a fantastic year in 2019, our margins for operating as a nonprofit aquarium and marine science education center are very tight.

Also, while it doesn’t always help to hear this when we are losing things in our own lives, in our hearts, we know some are in critical need right now in our community.

It’s correct for philanthropy to be given to those nonprofits first: food banks, domestic violence, and child abuse services, medical supplies for first responders/health care workers, to name a few. There may be economic development funds that can help CCA reopen, and we’ve applied for many of those funds -- but it’s simply too early to know exactly what support we will receive.

We are extremely grateful to have an amazing, dedicated group of staff and volunteers that help us meet our mission to cultivate a community dedicated to ocean stewardship through education, engagement, and action.

We eagerly await the moment this all passes, and we can reach out to you again with the good news of our plans to reopen.

In the meantime, please communicate with us via email at info@centralcoastaquarium. com or by mail to Central Coast Aquarium, PO Box 460, Avila Beach, CA 93424. Watch for updates on our website at centralcoastaquarium. com. Take care and be well!

Founder of the CCA, Carol Kiessing, stands by its iconic mural. Contributed photo

A Fresh New Look at Managing Investments If you have been blindsided by the recent stock market declines and don’t know what to do, maybe it’s time to rethink how you invest.

Investing in retirement requires a different set of rules. We can’t take back what’s happened, so let’s create a better plan moving forward.

Trust, Integrity, Stability On the Central Coast serving retirees for more than 30 years and we are your Avila Valley Neighbors.

Rules Based Investing for all stock market conditions

Now available – no-cost 30 minute phone appointments

Thomas B. Paine Paine Financial Services 6627-A Bay Laurel Pl (Avila Village) Avila Beach, CA 93424 805-473-6679

Rules Based Investing for all stock market conditions

www.avilavalleyadvisors.com

Advisory Service and Securities offered through Centaurus Financial, Inc. member FINRA and SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and registered investment advisor.

4 | Avila Beach Life - May 2020 A BIT OF HISTORY

Avila, and the Other Pandemic Thanksgiving greeting. It was the back of the postcard that caught his eye. The card was postmarked November 23, 1910, Port San Luis, addressed to Miss A. Newhall, 96 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz, Cal. It read:

tongue became swollen, it was difficult for her to speak plainly, and it was very difficult for her to swallow. The Silvas called Dr. McGovern again, told him of her worsening condition, and once again, they were told her condition

Dear Alma,

Kathy Mastako For Avila Beach Life

I

’d been thinking about our current pandemic (who hasn’t been these days?) when I received an email from a colleague containing a curious image. The colleague, son of Lucy Moorefield Brohard, who lived at the Avila (aka Point San Luis) Lighthouse in the 1930s, had just bought a postcard on eBay. He had spent a lot of time in Santa Cruz during his youth, so he enjoys collecting vintage postcards from that area.

But this postcard was different, no scenery of old Santa Cruz, just a cheery, generic

PUBLISHERS

Hayley & Nicholas Mattson avila@13starsmedia.com

LAYOUT DESIGN EDITOR Mike Michaud mike@13starsmedia.com

Administrator

Cami Martin office@13starsmedia.com

CONTRIBUTORS Betty Hartig Mary Foppiano Rick Cohen Kathy Mastako Christine Johnson

Advertising Sales

Carmen Kessler carmen@ 13starsmedia.com Dana McGraw dana@13starsmedia.com avila beach life is published monthly. all rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. avila beach life made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. avila beach life is a product of 13 stars media.

Contact Us 805.466.2585 Visit our website! avilabeachlifenews.com

We are having vacation now. I hope you will have a happy Thanksgiving.

When does your school close. How is your mama and papa. ~ Gertrude Curt Brohard thought the names Gertrude and Alma “rang a bell.” Indeed.

The postcard was written by nine-yearold Gertrude Silva to her eleven-year-old friend. Gertrude and Alma had been playmates when both families were stationed at the Point Sur Lighthouse. Gertrude’s family moved to the Point San Luis Lighthouse in 1906; Alma’s family moved to Santa Cruz after her father, Ora Newhall, retired from the Lighthouse Service in 1908. No doubt, the two girls kept in touch.

Seeing Gertrude’s name made me recall another deadly virus, one which swept across the country, including Avila, in Postcard courtesy of Curt Brohard. the early part of the last century. People Used with permission born after 1955 might think the COVID19 pandemic is unprecedented in human was not serious but that they should take her history. People aged 70 and older know to the hospital in the morning. better.

Gertrude died at 1:15 am Sunday morning, September 3, 1916.

POLIO The public health surgeon who investigated In September 1916, Gertrude died in the Gertrude’s case determined her cause of death family’s quarters at the Point San Luis light- to be not typhoid, a bacterial infection, but house after an illness lasting just three days. poliomyelitis – more commonly referred to She was fifteen years old. The doctor who simply as polio – a virus. signed her death certificate recorded typhoid It seems that in July 1916, a woman, Mrs. as the cause, but a health official sent to inves- Marie Armaja, had traveled to Avila from New tigate came to a different conclusion.

York, and, during the trip, one of her children The Silvas had done all they could think died. Mrs. Armaja was the wife of a sailor on to do when their daughter became ill. On the S. S. Coalinga, a Union Oil Company the Wednesday before her death, Gertrude’s tanker. She left New York on July 25, 1916, mother took her into San Luis Obispo to to meet up with her husband once the tanker consult with Dr. Charles J. McGovern in arrived in Port San Luis. She told the investihis office. Her complaint was a slight head- gator she had lived in a New York neighborache, vague pains in her limbs, and a general hood where there had been polio, and thought tired, weak feeling. McGovern diagnosed her her children might have been exposed. Soon ailment as a mild case of the flu, gave her some after her arrival, cases of polio started popping tablets, and told her she would feel better in up. Afflicted children in Avila included the a few days.

“Ward children,” the “Manderscheid boy,” the The next day she did feel better and walked “Stewart baby” (older children in the Stewart four miles, perhaps to Avila, where she had family were friends with Gertrude, and had been taking music lessons. On Friday, she played with her a few days before the onset of complained of a severe headache, pain in the her illness), and the “Boxall baby.” back of her neck, and general weakness, more pronounced in her legs.

By that afternoon, she was unable to move her legs. The following day, Saturday, her condition was worse, and Dr. McGovern was called to the lighthouse to see her. He saw her at 1 pm that afternoon. Although the Silvas called the doctor’s attention to the apparent paralysis of her legs, the doctor told them she did not seem very sick to him.

He thought she had a touch of typhoid fever and advised them to take her to the hospital in San Luis Obispo in the morning.

Saturday evening, her arms became weak, her

The health surgeon also noted that for a long time previous to her illness, Gertrude had been going to San Luis Obispo to take a weekly music lesson. However, for the two weeks immediately preceding her illness, she had taken her music lessons in Avila, “a little village of some two hundred and fifty inhabitants,” across the bay from the lighthouse.

In a December 22, 1916 article, the San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram reported that Dr. H. F. Senfer, a special investigator with the State Board of Health, had been a recent visitor looking into the epidemic “which swept the town of Avila recently:” “In a communication from the board, dated yesterday, he asserted that there were six cases in the coast town, which were first diagnosed as typhoid fever and pneumonia. The origin of the Avila cases was traced by Dr. Senfer to a woman and two children who left New York on July 25 to join her husband and father in Avila.

One of the children was taken ill and died while en route to San Pedro. There was every symptom of infantile paralysis in the case of the child who died, but the woman and the other child apparently in the best of health proceeded to Avila. It is the belief of Dr. Senfner that the woman and the child were carriers of the infantile paralysis germs. The victim in Avila was a 15-year old girl whose father was an assistant keeper at the port. Her death led to an investigation by the government, and when traces of infantile paralysis were found, the state immediately started further investigation. Dr. H. M. Cox, county health officer, stated this afternoon that the epidemic at Avila passed with but the one death and that there has not been a case in the county since September.”

Our current pandemic has caused the temporary closure of the Point San Luis Lighthouse historic site to public tours.

But you can still visit the Lighthouse by going to pointsanluislighthouse.org. Now more than ever, the Lighthouse needs your support. Go to the website to donate online, or send a check to Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers, PO Box 308, Avila Beach, CA 93424.

Kathy Mastako is a volunteer docent, researcher, and writer with the Point San Luis Light Station. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers.

Avila Beach Life - May 2020 | 5 LOCAL NEWS

Testing the Waters

By BETTY HARTIG FOR AVILA BEACH LIFE

T

Samples being collected and tested. Photos by Betty Hartig

here is always something interesting to observe while strolling along the meandering San Luis Creek that flows adjacent to the popular Bob Jones Pathway.

Did you know that once a week, water samples are collected from various spots along the creek? If your timing is right, you might witness a water dipper. Not a skinny dipper, but a person obtaining water from the creek.

In Avila, every Thursday morning, water samples are gathered from multiple creek sites. Are you curious why water is being collected? The purpose is to monitor the health of the water, specifically checking for Enterococcus bacteria.

The testing process is fascinating. The scooped-up creek water samples are placed in a labeled sterile container with the date and location recorded.

The vials are then taken to Avila’s Central Coast Aquarium, where the water undergoes a testing process in their marine laboratory. Various intricate assessment steps take place, from water samples going into a sealer that creates multiple bubble pockets to being placed in an incubator for twenty-four hours, then analyzed for bacteria levels.

The San Luis Obispo Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is the local influence behind this national program known as the Blue Water Task Force. Their volunteer staff collect the water from San Luis Creek and other

Central Coast waterway areas.

Water samples are retrieved from fourteen sites between the Pismo Creek and the Cayucos Pier.

Kudos to the Avila Beach Community Foundation Grants, which provides funds for the Avila Beach water testing equipment. Keeping water clean and healthy benefits sea life, freshwater inhabitants, and of course, humans.

Thanks, Blue Water Task Force, for providing valuable water quality information to our beach community. So next time you are walking, running, or biking the Bob Jones Trail and you see someone placing creek water into a small container, you will know they are working on protecting our water resources.

A VIEW FROM THE BEACH

H Mary Foppiano Avila Beach Civic Association

Dedicated to You

i All – I know that we are all getting a bit stir crazy with the Shelterin-Place requirements. However, we are so very fortunate that we live and/ or work in beautiful Avila Beach. So many of our residents have been abiding by the COVID-19 pandemic requirements while enjoying the Bob Jones Trail, hiking in the hills, walking on the beach, and golfing at the Avila Beach Golf Resort. I have heard that when this is all over…and it will be over…we will all be in better shape than we have in the past. Like so many of you, I am

walking to Avila each day and getting at least 20,000 steps in...and hope I will not gain the COVID-19 pounds because of my efforts!

I know that we are all grateful to our heroes who are taking care of the sick, working in grocery stores and pharmacies. Restaurants with takeout meals, delivering our mail and packages, our law enforcement and firefighters and government entities who are keeping us safe, and too many others to mention here.

This month, my Community Spotlight column is dedicated to pictures I have taken, highlighting people in our community exer-

Community members enjoying the outdoors while social distancing. Photos By Mary Foppiano

cising and having fun outside while social distancing with their families. We have time now to do some things that we have put off like working in our gardens, cleaning out the garage or our closets, making new dishes like homemade mochi ice cream from scratch, or reaching out to help others in need. The new norm has become catching up with friends and family with apps like Houseparty or conferencing with Zoom. No matter what the future brings, we need to be kind to each other and take care of ourselves…and stay healthy!

6 | Avila Beach Life - May 2020 PET OF THE MONTH

HELLO SWEET MAGGIE

By MARY FOPPIANO For Avila Beach Life

L Maggie and Cindy saying hello.

Photo by Mary Foppiano

arry Jett really wanted a dog, but Cindy said that she didn’t think she was a dog person. Of course, her attitude changed when she met Maggie, the puppy that followed Larry around when he went to check out some dogs in the Valley. Maggie is a 9-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever who has been roaming their mountain property near Yosemite, where Cindy and Larry are living part-

time until a final move to Indian Hill in the next few months. Maggie loves people and dogs, even cats, which show how calm and loving she is. In the mountains, people walk by and say, “that is where Maggie lives.” It will be great when we can do the same!

Please send me your pictures and a short paragraph about your pet to avilabeachcc@gmail. com. Thanks, and see your furry friend next month!

COUNTY NEWS

The Dynamic Duo of SLO County Dr. Penny Borenstein and Wade Horton lead community in unprecedented time

Left, Dr. Penny Borenstein speaks at the SLO Joint Information Center on April 15. Right, SLO County Administrative Officer Wade Horton. Photo by Connor Allen / Contributed

By CONNOR ALLEN of Avila Beach Life

C

alifornia Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on March 19 for Californians to stay home except for those deemed ‘essential’ in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. For the last 33 consecutive days, the people of California have looked to their leaders for instruction and direction.

In these unprecedented times, many people lead the community, from nurses and doctors risking their lives to fight the virus, employees of an essential business who show up every day to make sure the community has food and resources, as well as all the small businesses that have entirely changed their operating systems to serve the county and their neighbors. But no two people have had a greater impact or a greater weight to carry than County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein and County Administrative Officer and Director of Emergency Services Wade Horton.

Together, Horton and Borenstein played a significant role in making decisions for SLO County — like sheltering at home and the closing of local businesses that have impacted every person in this community — and it’s not something that they have taken lightly.

“I can say it was the most difficult decision I have ever made in my life,” Horton told The Atascadero News and The Paso Robles Press in an interview on Saturday. “And probably will be the most difficult decision I make in my life. I knew what the impact would be, or I thought I knew what the impact would be and making that decision, I am just trying to do

the right thing for what we need. Every day I am making a lot of decisions, and every day I make those decisions based off of the information I have and how I can do right by the community. It is a very humbling spot to be in.”

Horton has served not only this county but also his country with 15 years of service in the reserves, including time overseas and was unanimously voted by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to be the newest San Luis Obispo County Administrative Officer in November 2017. His counterpart Borenstein has a strong resume as well.

“I have a nearly 30-year career of doing this work,” Dr. Borenstein said, who has spent time working in public health all over the county, including working in Washington D.C. during the Anthrax outbreak of 2001 and working in Maryland during the times of Ebola and SARS. “I am very much accustomed to the onset of a new disease or new situation that understandably causes great public concern, and I have been in the situation many times before having to help manage that concern with facts and our best understanding of the disease situation,” Borenstein stated.

“Having said that, those situations and this one are very humbling. No manner of training or experience can prepare a public health position for a worst-case scenario because it is global in its scope, deep in its impact. As you have seen with this situation and many others, we learn more about the details of the specific germs, organisms; it’s manner of spread, it’s propensity to hit certain groups, the asymptomatic nature of it, so it is very humbling to be in a decision making position when you can’t have all the

facts at hand.”

Borenstein declared San Luis Obispo County in a state of emergency on March 13 and, together with Horton, has continued to extend the order every 14 days as needed for the safety of our community at the expense of time with their loved ones.

“I am incredibly grateful for the support I have from my family, my wife, and four kids,” Horton said. “I don’t see them a lot. I can’t even remember. It’s been 44 or 45 days straight now working and making the best decisions that we can, and my wife has just been incredibly supportive.”

However, with so much uncertainty surrounding our future and our mortality becoming clearer seemingly with each passing minute, our most visible and most scrutinized leaders have still been able to find the specks of good amid a sea of so much darkness and fear.

“I think there is a lot of good that has come out of this,” Horton said. “I’m watching people that are rising to the occasion and performing in situations that they thought they probably couldn’t do. People that are put in positions, particularly some of our public servants, might have found themselves in public works and are now are handling a sheltering program or managing a logistics supply chain. There’s the outpouring of business that are changing their manufacturing to make PPE [personal protective equipment]. The distilleries that have changed their processes to make hand sanitizer, I am just so proud to be apart of the community.”

So far, through these nearly 50 days of quarantine, our community has shown time and time again that we are all in this together

by helping one another out. Still, both Dr. Borenstein and Horton have begun to feel the community anxiety and urges everyone to continue working together.

“What I really want to say is that I hope that we can continue to [work together],” Dr. Borenstein said. “The anxiety and the totally understandable economic concerns, they are real, they are massive. I genuinely hope they will not lead us down a path of division and divisiveness. As we continue to come out of this, we need to have some continued measures of restrictions and mitigations that I would ask of our collective community not to start turning on each other at this time.”

The work of Borenstein and Horton, coupled with the fantastic response by the citizens, San Luis Obispo County, continues to show some of the lowest and most promising COVID-19 numbers across the country by several metrics and the public unrest has begun to grow louder. Still, those complaints have not fallen on deaf ears.

“I know that people are hurting right now and are scared. They have done an outstanding job working as a community to bend the curve and we have bent it, and now that fear has transitioned into worrying about their loved ones getting sick too, ‘Hey, I need to get back to work,’ and we certainly understand that and we are doing everything we can right now in order to get people back to work, get kids back to school and get the faith community back in their places of worship, that is our focus. How do we do that safely, and how do we do that without creating another spike or another wave of this disease.”

Avila Beach Life - May 2020 | 7 COMMUNITY

HAVE A HAPPY —SAFE & HEALTHY— MEMORIAL DAY

By NICHOLAS MATTSON of Avila Beach Life

A

s we enter May, we embrace spring full-force.

Flowers bloom on trees and hillsides, grapevines have budded, and the winter is melted away by more and more sunshine.

It is a bright and scentful welcome as the door opens to summer. At the end of May, Memorial Day weekend brings us together for a somber reflection to remember those who gave their lives in service, and a joyful reunion with friends and family as summer rises on the horizon.

This year is different. 2020 will always be different for us. Our muscle memory yearns for habit, ready to rise to the occasion as we have so many years before.

Memorial Day 2020 is different. It must be different. Our national reflection and admiration for servicemen and servicewomen remains high as the point atop Marines’ barracks cover, and as solumn as a salute — but we have added another war to our list. Our coronavirus war called for a new soldier, and took lives on American soil.

Our soldiers on the front lines were nurses and doctors, deliverypersons and grocers.

It has been a war to protect our most vulnerable and a war that called for full participation from sea to shin-

ing sea.

As of this writing, things have already changed. As of this printing, things have changed again. As you read this, things c hange stil l.

Things always change, and always will.

It may be appropriate that Memorial Day is our first national holiday after the coronavirus washed across our country. Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, with roots in the American Civil War — as we face COVID-19, we do so in a country that stands as divided as much as any time since the Civil War. COVID-19 has brought us together at first, and it will be up to us to stay together.

It is told that in late April in 1866, an assembly of four Mississippi women traveled to decorate graves of soldiers who died in the Battle of Shiloh. They found Confederate graves in good condition and cared for alongside graves of Union soldiers untended.

Moved by the scene, they honored the Union soldiers’ graves with flower decorations as well, in somber grief for lives lost.

It is in the aftermath of our coronavirus war that we have the opportunity to honor each other in a similar spirit. No matter what our differences before this war, it is upon us to decide how we remember our casualties — and how we choose to honor their lives. It was not

North versus South. It was not “us” versus “them.” It was a war between us and our better selves. We will come out of this as better people — all of us will.

This Memorial Day is different. We witness the canceling of Memorial Day events — a weekend which is the current in a long series of dominoes to fall. But it is different. It is the first national holiday to fall, and the only holiday in which we honor those who lost their lives in service to the country.

Our national death toll from COVID-19 is still climbing, and by some estimates, the disease will be around a long time, but we have reason to celebrate the end of the war.

We faced the enemy squarely, and we mitigated our losses. We lost many battles, but we have won this war.

We are not free from disease, but we are learning to live with it. We are recovering.

This Memorial Day is different. We will forever be changed as a nation and as a world, but we will remember those who gave their lives so we could live free. We will remember those who gave their lives so we could live.

We are coming back together. We cannot tell the future, and as of this writing, Memorial Day is more than a month away. But we predict that this Memorial Day will be a day that more people gather together — though probably with some careful distance — than have been together since the second week of March.

In honor of those who will continue to isolate for their health and ours, please put out an American flag in honor of them, our unity, and our pledge to be one nation.

From our family to yours we wish you and yours a very happy Memorial Day weekend. Wash your hands, share a spirit of patriotism, and remember those who gave their lives and freedom for ours.

ENTERTAINMENT

Good Reads for Shelter-at-Home

By HAYLEY MATTSON of Avila Beach Life

passions, independence, loving your husband and family is timeless. Appreciation for the quiet and the chaotic moments and cherish s we continue to walk through this everything in between. pandemic and try to find rhyme or rhythm to our days, I find comfort in "The Moment of Lift" escaping in a good book. I have always loved

by Melinda Gates reading; a book in my hand and a quiet place, Melinda takes us on a whether it be on the beach or in a comfy chair, very personal, humble, and seemed to be the perfect setting. However, as powerful journey into her life busy as we all are, I have found over the last and her philanthropic work few years that magical setting is hard to come through the Gates Founby, so for me, I turn to Audible these days. dation. She introduces us I appreciate different points of view, values, to some of the incredible people around the topics, stories, and authors. The following are world that have inspired her and her mission some of the ones in my library that I have truly to empower women. Melinda's take on femienjoyed, learned from, and recommend in no nism and equality (human equality) is refreshparticular order. ing and optimistic.

A

why they chose to run for office. Whether on their journey together as a family and the you agree or disagree with the author it is a importance of living and appreciating a life call to action to get involved if you want to well experienced and loved. see change and be the change you are seeking.

"Talking to Strangers" "Stephen King, On Writing"

by Malcolm Gladwell

by Stephen King In this book, Malcolm A unique look into the walks us through his unique mind of Steven King, perspective on how people through his own words. He communicate and interact shares an intimate look into with one another, key focus his life, struggles with addicon strangers. He gives his tion, marriage, family, and opinion and insight into some of the cases his love for writing that started as a young boy. and stories that have made headlines across This personalized teaching is an inspiration the world. A bit controversial but challenges for those who love to write, feel the urge to the way of thinking whether you agree or write, or have a story to tell. King makes you disagree with his theories. feel like he wrote this just for you.

"Gift of the Sea" "The Ones We've Been "The Year of Magical Thinkby Anne Morrow Lindbergh Waiting For" ing" This 1955 classic has been

by Charlotte Alter

by Joan Didion my go-to summer read for Charlotte gives us a A beautiful, honest look many years. Anne shares youthful perspective on the at life after loss. The author her reflection on a life wellnew generation of politishares her thoughts, memoloved, and the lessons she cians and the life events ries, and feelings as she has learned. Her perspecthat impacted and shaped walks through the death of tive about being a woman and the impor- who they are today. It is an insightful look her husband of forty years and caring for an tance of taking care of yourself, following your into some of our current young leaders and ill adult child. As Joan grieves, she reflects

8 | Avila Beach Life - May 2020

NEW HOMES AVILA BEACH NEW HOMES FINAL PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION! AVILA BEACH HIGHEST LOTS IN AVILA BEACH KINGFISHER CANYON MOST EXCLUSIVE LOCATIONS Call us at 805.709.1126

MARVELOUS VIEWS

Call us at 805.709.1126

FINAL PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION! HIGHEST lots in avila beach. MOST EXCLUSIVE LOCATIONS. marvelous views.

Pricing for finished homes starts at $1,885,000.00 Lot sales begin at $1,100,000.00

Pricing for finished homes starts at $1,8850,000.00 Lot sales begin at $1,100,00.00

Vista Avila- 4BD 5,120 sq ft $3,890,000 2890 Rock Dove- 3BD2660 & 2.5 BA,De2,468 sq &ft5 BA, $1,898,000

5490 Shooting Star Lane- 3BD & 3 BA, 2,228 sq ft $1,690,000

6645 Fern Canyon - 6BD & 8 BA, 2535 Lupine Canyon Road- 3BD & 3 BA, 2,172sq ft $1,175,000 4,734 sq ft-131.9 Acres $6,299,000 2535 Lupine Canyon Road- 3BD & 3 BA, 2,172 sq ft $1,175,000