THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF THE PAJARO VALLEY
A supplement to The Pajaronian
MAY 1, 2020
HOME PRACTICE Local artist works on mosaic for Ramsay Park
COVER STORY P4 | THE MIXING BOWL P5 | PHOTO GALLERY P8
2 MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE
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The housing inventory is at an all time low. This is having a great impact on property values. The supply and demand theory is in full swing, thus driving home values up. If you are considering selling or just want an idea of what your property value is in this current market, reach out to us.
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Cover Story
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Mixing Bowl
Ed Gagné
Kathy Oliver
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MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
ince the start of shelter-in-place, I have spoken with many artists who were in the middle of projects when things shut down. They have had to reimagine these projects, from entire exhibits to individual pieces, finding JOHANNA MILLER new ways to adapt and stay creative. Kathleen Crocetti is an artist whose work I’ve admired for a long time—her public mosaics have caught my eye as I’ve walked around the streets of Watsonville. She is the focus of today’s cover story. It was interesting hearing things from her perspective. Crocetti not only works from her home studio, but is also the mind behind the new Muzzio Mosaic Arts Center and a teacher at Mission Hill Middle School in Santa Cruz. Balancing work and creativity during this crisis can be tough, she said, and often lonely. But she has soldiered on, with her current project being the fabrication of a new mosaic for Ramsay Park, based on a design by Jaime Sanchez. The mural will eventually be installed at the park once shelter-in-place is lifted. Crocetti knows the importance of art in times of stress. I think her best advice was for people to find something to do at home—no matter if you are a professional or have zero experience. For me, it’s been delving into creative writing again, which is something I haven’t done much in recent years. Art has an incredible ability to heal. Let’s take care and stay creative.
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THE GO ON
Kathleen Crocetti continues work on community art project
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L Photos by Tarmo Hannula
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
By JOHANNA MILLER
HANDS ON Kathleen Crocetti carefully peels
away plastic backing on the mosaic.
ocal artist Kathleen Crocetti is no stranger to working from home. Having her own art studio at home, she is used to working there, creating pieces and developing community art projects. But Crocetti admits that shelter-inplace has taken a bit of a toll. “Honestly, it’s been really lonely,” she said. “I’m a very social artist. I miss [my studio partner] Susanne and all the high school students who have been coming to the Muzzio to make mosaics.” Last year Crocetti opened the Muzzio Mosaic Arts Center, an after-school arts
program for youth in Watsonville. In addition, Crocetti is a teacher—which she says has been a challenge during the current school closures. She has been teaching her Mission Hill Middle School students through Long Distance Learning. “Long story short, my teaching hours are no longer part-time,” she said. “It has been a huge challenge… to keep a schedule, to turn off the computer and not answer any more student questions for the day so I can get out to the studio.” Recently her studio has been home to an in-progress mosaic that will adorn the skylight at the entrance of ➝6
THE MIXING BOWL
Tarmo Hannula
BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY These royal coconut cookies are easy to make.
T
SARAH RINGLER
his is my favorite cookie recipe by far. In my opinion, they are all that a cookie should be. They are sweet and rich, but also contain oatmeal and surprisingly not as much butter as most cookies do. It is the almond flavoring and coconut, I think, that earns them the name, Royal Coconut Cookies. They are also easy to make. There is no refrigeration or rolling out required, and you can use just one bowl. It would also be a good recipe to make with
kids. I featured this recipe back in 2012, but it seems like a good time to bring it back. I must have made three batches myself in the last six weeks, I confess. The recipe comes from the 1963 Wisconsin Gas Light Company cookbook called “Festive Foods” that my grandmother used to send to my mom from Milwaukee. I inherited about six of these books and I can tell from the drips and splatters that my mom used them a lot. Every year, since 1933, the company would compile,
ROYAL COCONUT COOKIES 1 1/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon almond flavoring 1 cup oats 1 cup shredded coconut Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk or sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and ➝6 salt until well blended.
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
Royal cookies
according to Mrs. Ella Liner Lambert, “interesting recipes for holiday use.” I particularly love the adjective “interesting.” I have also heard this descriptor applied to my recipes and embrace the tag with its ambiguousness wholeheartedly. I use electrical assistance in most of my baking and cooking these days. I used to pride myself on my ability to beat, knead and stir by hand but the asymmetry it caused in my body became evident when I started taking Zumba classes. One side was like a leaded weight while the other flew around uncontrollably. I’m getting better thanks to the electric beater and the stand mixer. If you have kids around the house, this is an excellent time to teach them to cook. Have them read and follow the recipe with you. Younger kids can learn to measure, whisk dry ingredients and shape the cookies. Creaming the butter, sugar and egg takes a machine or muscle so would be better for older children. Also, this is a great time to impart to your kids any skills or talents that you may have, be it gardening, music, woodworking, storytelling, handiwork, etc. The emphasis in the last ten years or so on testing and tests, have narrowed the range of what is education. There is not a more positive experience than working with your children and teaching them your personal areas of expertise.
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ART
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Contributed
Ramsay Park’s Community Center. The piece, designed by local artist Jaime Sanchez, will feature a flock of birds in the shape of a heart. Sanchez’s work was selected in February by the Watsonville Parks and Recreation Commission, along with three other pieces by local middle and high school students, for installation at the park. The week before shelter-inplace went into effect, Crocetti and her husband Bill Evans took down the metal lattice that was over the front door of the Community Center, so they could have the exact size of the frame for the mural. Then they began to modify the frame, removing the lattice crosses, designing and fabricating the frame to eventually hold glass. “Thankfully, glass is an essential product for the building of houses,” Crocetti said, “so I was able to order what we needed.” After enlarging Sanchez’s design, Crocetti printed it on overhead plastic and projected it to paper. The design was then placed under the tempered glass, and
colored glass was cut into pieces and glued onto it. “When the mosaic is complete… [we will] glue it into the frames,” she said. “We still need to get the frames powder coated, though our local powder coating company is closed, so that may be a problem.” Crocetti is now working on the mural at the Muzzio Mosaic Arts Center. She said that it will be installed at Ramsay Park sometime after shelter-in-place has been lifted. The fabrication of Sanchez’s mural might be a job for Crocetti, but the artist was quick to highlight the importance of art during shelter-in-place. She encourages everyone to start a project of their own. “Pick up a pencil and draw what you see outside your window,” she said. “…sing a song, or just let go and dance, no one needs to watch or see, just do it for yourself. “The arts have the ability to convey meaning and emotion… Somewhere, right now someone is creating a piece of art that will become the iconic image of this period of time and that work will be a touchstone for all of us.”
BY DESIGN Watsonville artist Jaime Sanchez created the art for the mosaic,
which will eventually be installed at Ramsay Park.
TOPS MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
In Their Field
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Visítenos en Rebecas’s Bakery, muéstrenos que nos sigue en Instagram y reciba una concha gratis! Visit us at Rebeca’s Bakery, show us you follow us on Instagram and receive a free concha!
15 1st Street #1, Watsonville • (831) 786-9664
Are You TOPS in Your Field? Contact Tina 831-761-7359
MIXING BOWL
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In a larger bowl, cream the room temperature butter. Add the two sugars and beat some more until smooth. The grains of sugar should dissolve. Add the egg and beat until completely combined and creamy. Pour in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Add the oatmeal and coconut and mix until completely blended. Scoop up about a teaspoon of dough and form into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. Allow about 1 ½ inches between cookies. They double in size. Bake for 10 minutes. After five minutes, turn the cookie sheet around so that the cookies are evenly baked. They are done when some of the cookies are only slightly brown along the edges. Add a few minutes if necessary or remove cookies from the oven a let bake a little longer on the pan removing ones that are more done to a cooling rack. Makes about 4 dozen.
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
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PHOTO GALLERY
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Tarmo Hannula
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
Have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to tnunez@pajaronian.com or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name of the photographer.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH A dragon sculpture looms over a Stay Healthy sign
in front of a home on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz.
Ed Show
SLOW CRAWL A tussock moth larva enjoys
a breakfast of blackberry vegetation growing next to the levee on San Juan Road.
Tarmo Hannula
Ed Show
CLOSE CAPTURE A western blue belly lizard
poses for a portrait. Under ideal conditions, they can live for 5 years.
SEASONAL HARVEST Field workers follow a mobile harvester through
a lettuce field along Carlton Road in Watsonville.
MAKING THE ROUNDS This American crow tears into a fast
food bag at the Santa Cruz Harbor in search of a mid-day snack.
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
in the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Tarmo Hannula
Tarmo Hannula
STAYING AFLOAT Boat traffic
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WINTER HOMEOWNER’S
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SERVICE GUIDE 1
HAULING
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FURNITURE
Baker Bros. 31 E 5th Street Watsonville
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
(831) 722-1776
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HOUSE CLEANING
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AIR CONDITIONING
HARDY
QUALITY AIR INC. Heating & Air Conditioning 2576 Freedom Blvd. Watsonville
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CARPET CLEANING
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Professional Carpet & Upholstery Steam Cleaning
(831) 724-4409
COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL
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ROOFING
ARIANA ROOFING Lic#73748 Make Us One of Your Three Estimates Commercial & Residential Free Estimates Watsonville call 761-1328 Santa Cruz call 462-3036 We won’t make you wait. www.arianaroofing.com
WINDOWS
Delta Glass 1811 Freedom Blvd.
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EQUIPMENT RENTAL
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(831) 722-0334
C-39 Roofing • C-33 Painting
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PLUMBING
A.L. LEASE Wholesale Plumbing Supplies 1220 W. Beach St. Watsonville
(831) 724-1044
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YARD MAINTENANCE
Greenridge Yard Maintenance Pressure washing, Fence deck repairing, Fertilizing Drip systems, Sod, and Clean Up Trimming, Pruning, Hauling, Sprinkler repair, Weed Whacking, Tractor Work
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26 ROOSEVELT ST
GROUND LEASE
535 OHLONE PARKWAY
TRAVERS LANE PARCELS
2 bedroom special, great bones, roomy backyard and great location, close to most Fireplace, conveniences. some hardwood floors, nice and sunny, formal dining room plus eat in kitchen, laundry inside. 1 car garage and long driveway. #4014 $500,000
Downtown Watsonville lot available for GROUND LEASE. Many zoning options, list available. Across the street from the Historic City Plaza, seasonal Farmers market, Cabrillo College, bank, retail stores, restaurants, courthouse and parking garage half a block away. $9,500 p/month
4 Plus useable acres, inside the city limits of Watsonville. Build a subdivision, city utilities available. Close to highway 1 for easy quick access North or South. $4,000,000
2 separate country parcels with a water share each. Maybe Build your dream home. Perhaps modular or Tiny Home. Nice private location, quiet rolling hills. Santa Cruz county, Off Green Valley Rd. Easy commute to work then back home to enjoy the country.
250 BELLA VISTA HECKER PASS AREA
COMING SOON
COMING SOON
Location, Location, possible 3 bedroom home with 2 baths, formal living, dining and family rooms. Located on one of the State streets in Watsonville. Extra large lot with room for gardens and or puppy run. detached two car garage. #4013 $699,500
Two nice homes on 5.6 usable acres. Santa Cruz county. Main home has over 2000 sq ft with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, open floor plan in kitchen and dining areas, wood burning stove in large living room. 2 car garage, Deck and Yard areas. Plenty of parking. Second home has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, newer paint and carpet in both homes. Work shop, flat fenced areas, private setting. $1,250,000
REDUCED
Abundant natural light throughout. Gated entry, location is central to Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey & San Benito Counties. 1248 sq feet Shop/Garage with grease pit and one tall door for a motorhome. INCREDIBLE PROPERTY! BRIGHT & OPEN FLOOR PLAN, BRINGS OUTDOORS IN! VIEWS FROM EVERY ROOM! OCEAN, COAST, VALLEY & MOUNTAINS! SPECTACULAR SUNSETS AND CITY LIGHTS! L#4005 $1,575.000
428 EAST BEACH ST.
Craftmens style special 3 bedroom, 2 bath one level home. Remodeled kitchen and baths and immaculate in and out. Gas Stove and newer forced air heat. Formal Dining room, dual glass windows, French doors, deck front and back plus concrete patio with hot tub. Private back yard with shade tree and raised garden area plus lawn. This home has an approximate 700 SQ foot tandem garage and long driveway. White picket fenced front yard and porch is adorable. Close to most conveniences. L# 4010 $599,500
D
L O S
MAY 1-7, 2020 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
Panoramic Monterey Bay View!!! Estate sized property situated on approx 6 Acres, overlooking the coastline of Santa Cruz, Salinas & the Monterey Bay. Perched on a hilltop this private estate has 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and approx 6095 square feet, formal living and dining rooms, two family rooms, country size kitchen, 2 pellet stoves and one wood burning fireplace. You will love the large size of every room in this home. There is an Eagles nest/ Bar room perfect for getting away by yourself. So many amenities, two ovens, two dishwashers, trash compactor, two refrigerators, stainless steel railing around patio to relax and enjoy the view and privacy with family and friends.
Parcel 15 has 3.02 acres for $200,000. Parcel 16 has 3.49 acres for $210,000. SOLD - Parcel 18 has 2.95 acres for $210,000.
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