Walk On

Santa Run

Photos and the background story of the 2nd Annual Carp-Summerland Firefighters Santa Run, page 12

Capital Returns

Westmont grad Jay Diallo pays it forward with loans from his company, First Community Capital, page 34

Winning Windows – The winners of the CVA’s holiday window decorating competition, P.6 Makena Music – The background and sound of Crane-grad and singer-songwriter, Makena Tate, P.30

Cooling Market – After a heated year of real estate sales in Montecito, the movement is starting to cool, P.32 Bottling Sparks – The style, background, and many labels of winemaker James Sparks, P.37

Local anecdotes and history from these celebs at CommUnify’s Off the Record dinner event, page 24

aniel

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friends and family to enjoy! The Ennisbrook gated community offers a number

heated pools, three championship tennis courts, pickle ball, gym, private wine lockers, basketball court, BBQ facilities, 50 acres of protected open space and a clubhouse. Conveniently located near world-class beaches, resorts, and fine dining and shopping at Montecito’s coveted Upper & Lower Villages. Montecito Union School District.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Walk On – Walk Montecito is making a safer, more connected town and Casa Dorinda residents are already enjoying it

Village Beat – The CVR holiday window display winners and 101 Project approved for Montecito

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Montecito Miscellany – A local face in White Lotus, some highland holiday revelry, plus other festive events and quips

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Letters to the Editor – A gifting Bear, SB in Egypt, and one customer finds a sweet spirit at Renaud’s Tide Guide

Editor’s Note – With the five-year anniversary of the 1/9 Debris Flow nearly upon us, we hope to share the community’s stories

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© 2022 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. MAR015 CRC 5079212 12/22 CS 512275_2861664 12/22

Galin Kranz Group at Morgan Stanley

Debra Galin

Senior Vice President Wealth Advisor 805-564-7987

debra.a.galin@morganstanley.com Sabrina Kranz

Senior Portfolio Manager Vice President Financial Advisor 805-564-7985

Sabrina.Kranz@morganstanley.com 1014 Santa Barbara Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 advisor.morganstanley.com/ galin-kranz-group

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On Entertainment – Bernhardt is back for the NYE bash and this Aretha Franklin-inspired show will earn everyone’s respect

Brilliant Thoughts – Some words of caution, or at least about it – live a little

The Giving List – CommUnify’s Off the Record event brings a candid conversation with these locally-raised celebs

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The Optimist Daily – Holidays are stressful, but these tips can help alleviate the winter blues

Montecito Reads – After an unexpected meeting with the FBI, Hollis waits to see what happens

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Your Westmont – An alum gives loans to transform his community and Westmont is decked out for the holidays

Nosh Town – These volunteers and nonprofit are delivering Food from the Heart to those who need it

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Santa Barbara by the Glass – James Sparks adds some spark to each wine he works on and there’s quite a few of them

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Far Flung Travel – Get to know the orca families passing through the coastal neighborhood

Calendar of Events – The holiday events still happening around town and those to wrap up 2022

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Our Town – The Carp-Summerland firefighters take Santa for a run and a wedding announcement close to home (office) P.14

Society Invites – A Christmas tea with the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and its Women’s Auxiliary

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Dear Montecito – Makena Tate is making music and you can listen to it online and at Wylde Works this Friday

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Real Estate – The market is cooling down with high prices and low inventory, but there’s still a few For Sales out there

“I’ve always said music should make you laugh, make you cry or make you think.” — Kenny Rogers

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Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads

Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles

Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here so readers know where to look when they need what those businesses offer

L-R : Sabrina and Debra

We can answer the question that kept you up last night.

Walk On New Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network Already Benefitting Casa Dorinda Residents

by Stella Haffner

‘Twas the trail blazing campaign, called Walk Montecito!

Seeking funds from donors, to make the project complet-o, With leadership from Geoff and our good friend Abe, We are grateful to the team at Bucket Brigade!

In April of 2022, the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade launched a campaign to address one of the ongoing health and safety issues in our community. The cam-

paign became known as Walk Montecito – an initiative that, in the words of the founders, seeks to alleviate the “persistent pedestrian predicament in Montecito.”

Led by Abe Powell, Michael Smith, and Geoffrey Slaff , the community-funded campaign aims to reduce traffic, increase pedestrian safety, and increase community connectedness through the construction of a new trail network. Since its launch, the project has already raised more than 1.5 million dollars and begun work on the new walking paths. But the plan didn’t start in April 2022. In fact, the origins of Walk Montecito go all the way back to the 2019 debris flow.

Slaff reflected on his experience following the mudslides, calling it the biggest change to walking culture in Montecito since he moved here with his wife, Dale, 21 years ago.

“We were stuck. Our neighborhood was stuck because we couldn’t get in and out. It was a numbing experience, but it really helped to get out and walk, to get into the community and connect.”

This experience stayed with Slaff as the rebuilding efforts began. Seeing the Bucket Brigade breathe life back into the town, Slaff jokes that he began to have a rather selfish idea.

“My wife and I would walk a lot before the debris flow. We’d walk on Olive Mill, but it’s not a real safe path. There’s been people killed on that – not exactly a relaxing way to walk,” says Slaff. “Wouldn’t it be great if there was an easy trail for me to get from my house down to Coast Village Road?”

Of course, Slaff’s so-called selfish idea was speaking to the wants of many Montecito residents. Wouldn’t it be

Geoffrey Slaff (center) joined the Walk Montecito project committee with the hopes of seeing a safer, more walkable Montecito (photo by Priscilla)

Casa Dorinda residents Bobbe and Ed Mullen on their morning walk

Village Beat Coast Village Holiday Cheer

by Kelly Mahan Herrick

After a two-year hiatus, a contest for holiday window decorating on Coast Village Road (CVR) resumed this December, marking the last hurrah for the outgoing Coast Village Association (CVA), which is evolving into the Coast Village Improvement Association thanks to the approval of the Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District (CBID) earlier this year.

Last Friday, a group of stakeholders and former CVA board members traversed the road, checking out the cheerful decorations and determining the top three businesses who deserved to win cash prizes. Here are the top three winners as well as runners-up.

Third Place: K. Frank. Kevin and Katie Frank’s CVR boutique specializes in men’s and women’s designer clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories. Their decorations this year include lighted garland inside and out, as well as two Christmas trees on either side of the door, and

wreaths above the arched entrance. The Franks’ shop windows are showing off mannequins with warm clothing and accessories for the winter weather.

Second Place: The Tennis Shop in Coast Village Plaza decked out their front win-

The top prize winner of the holiday window decorating contest on Coast Village Road is Peregrine Galleries

The second place winner is The Tennis Shop in Coast Village Plaza

Runner-up is Whiskey x Leather

Montecito Inn was one of two property owners on the road that were noted for an honorable mention for festive lighting and decorations

The third place winner is K. Frank

Montecito Miscellany Local

Lotus Star

by Richard Mineards

Yes, that was Montecito interior designer Penny Bianchi in the HBO Emmy-winning satirical comedy hit series The White Lotus that just wrapped its second successful season at the 111-room historic Four Seasons’ San Domenico Hotel in Taormina, Sicily, perched over the glittering Ionian Sea and below the fiery Mt. Etna volcano.

Penny, a near neighbor of former TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, is a good friend of director Mike White, 52, and shot the scene in the spring.

“Mike has been my daughter Ella’s best friend since they were infants and he is like a son to me,” she tells me. “I have decorated his houses and my granddaughter, Poppy, is his goddaughter.

“Poppy worked on the show’s first season which was shot at the Four Seasons’ Resort Maui at Wailea last year before moving to Sicily this season in a former 14th century convent, where Audrey Hepburn and Oscar Wilde were guests, and she was a location scout. Ella rented a villa and I was introduced in a party scene. It was literally just two seconds, but everybody seems to have seen it, including you.

“All the local waiters seem to have recognized me. The scenes took 12 hours to shoot, but unfortunately Ella ended up on the cutting room floor. My husband Adam can’t get over it!”

The decidedly risqué show has now been renewed for a third season and will be heading to a luxury resort in Asia.

I can’t wait...

Ending on a High-land Note

Tartan ruled supreme at the Lobero when Santa Barbara Revels founder and artistic director Susan Keller staged her 13th Yuletide production, a Scottish celebration of the Winter Solstice.

Set in an imposing baronial hall in the 18th century, the entertaining show opened with a Scottish overture played by the Ben Nevis Brass Ensemble and the Highland Pipes and Drum with an impressive Bill Egan as the Laird organizing the traditional Hogmanay, a greeting for the New Year, which had been outlawed at the time being considered a Papist celebration.

Montecito interior designer Penny Bianchi (center) is a hit in The White Lotus (photo by Priscilla)

Bill Egan, Meredith McMinn, Matthew Weitzel, and Tyler X Koontz; Seated: James McCarthy and Susan Keller (photo by Priscilla)

Highland Dancer Beret Dernbach performing (photo by Priscilla)

LETTERS & VIEWS

Letters to the Editor

A Bear’s Gift of Food

Carlos, The Bear, was snug and cozy, reclining in his lazy bear chair perusing the internet, when a memory bubbled up under his holiday cap. He remembered as a very young cub, his mother would take him to Romero creek near their den, in Rancho San Carlos, in hopes of catching some steelhead trout, that were returning to spawn as full-grown salmon.

She told Carlos of a time when there were so many bears, Grizzly and Black Bears, that they would be nearly shoulder to shoulder, on the banks of Montecito’s creeks, scooping up the plentiful salmon with their paws and feasting to get fat for Winter. But now there are no Grizzly Bears, only Black Bears like us, she said. And the fish are not swimming up the creeks like they used to, but still they might get lucky, she added.

A pop-up came upon Carlos’ laptop screen snapping him back to the present, it said “Wild Salmon Delivered to Your Door.” How did the computer know I was thinking that? he thought as he grabbed his wallet and took out his credit card. The sight offered three varieties of wild salmon, not farmed, ocean caught at river mouths. Close enough for me, he thought, as he selected wild sockeye salmon in lemon pepper soak and entered his den address.

As he clicked pay, an idea came to him. Why not send salmon to all his furry friends this holiday season? If the fish would not swim the creeks, they could be shipped from Alaska! A healthy gift that won’t collect dust.

And so, this came to be the year of a bear’s gift of food.

Sincerely, Michael Edwards

SBMA Heads to Egypt

It seemed timely to travel to Egypt and walk through Tutankhamun’s tomb on this 100th year anniversary of the discovery of this spectacular tomb. And it reminded us of the exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum back in 1978. Many of the artifacts taken from the tomb were on display at the museum at that time and the exhibit was considered one of the best in Los Angeles. And King Tut and his treasures became famous at that time. Songs were written such as “Old King Tut,” cigarettes, games, and even lemons were named for this young King. Most of the treasures will now be shown at the highly anticipated open -

ing of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo.

It’s a great story. Howard Carter was appointed Chief Inspector of antiquities for the Egyptian Antiquities Service. His area was principally the Valley of the Kings, a well-known burial area near Luxor. In 1914, he convinced Lord Carnarvon to finance his search. After five unsuccessful years of search, Carter had to convince his backer to stay with him for one more year. On November 4, 1922, a member of Carter’s workmen discovered a series of steps which led to Tutankhamun’s tomb. And Carter and Lord Carnarvon couldn’t believe their find after breaking a hole in one of the tomb’s walls. The tomb included four chambers and contained over 5,400 objects. “Everywhere the glint of gold” as Carter described his first viewing.

Over the many years, most of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings had been burglarized so that was one reason this was a unique find. As we learned from our many

visits to Pyramids and tombs, Kings and important persons would spend enormous amount of wealth and effort building their final resting place. They would also furnish them with treasures and important objects which would accompany them into the afterlife.

And now it was our time, led by our very knowledgeable leader, Fatma , to descend into the tomb. All the objects are now out of the tomb. But a mummy of Tutankhamun was there together with extensive hieroglyphics on the walls of the tomb. We would move on to other tombs of Ramesses III and VI and more important kings than

MONTECITO TIDE GUIDE

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Thurs, Dec 22 1:24 AM 2.1 7:52 AM 6.9 03:13 PM -1.6 09:46 PM 3.7

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Mon, Dec 26 12:20 AM 3.9 4:47 AM 2.4 11:02 AM 6.3 06:26 PM -1.1

Tues, Dec 27 1:17 AM 4.0 5:56 AM 2.6 12:00 PM 5.6 07:18 PM -0.6

Weds, Dec 28 2:15 AM 4.2 7:21 AM 2.5 01:07 PM 4.7 08:11 PM 0.0

Thurs, Dec 29 3:12 AM 4.5 9:00 AM 2.3 02:29 PM 4.0 09:05 PM 0.6

Fri, Dec 30 4:05 AM 4.8 10:35 AM 1.8 04:07 PM 3.4 09:59 PM 1.1

“Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” — Debasish Mridha

Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net

President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net

VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net

Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net

Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe

Office Manager | Jessikah Moran

Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña

Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Nadel, Bryce Eller

Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick Copy Editor | Lily Buckley Harbin Proofreading | Helen Buckley Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz

Contributors | Scott Craig, Ashleigh Brilliant, Kim Crail, Tom Farr, Chuck Graham, Stella Haffner, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Sharon Byrne, Robert Bernstein, Christina Favuzzi, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye

Gossip | Richard Mineards History | Hattie Beresford

Humor | Ernie Witham

Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook

Food & Wine | Claudia Schou, Gabe Saglie

Published by: Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up every Wednesday by an exacting agglomeration of excitable (and often exemplary) expert edifiers at 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108.

How to reach us: (805) 565-1860; FAX: (805) 969-6654; Montecito Journal, 1206 Coast Village Circle, Suite G, Montecito, CA 93108; EMAIL: tim@montecitojournal.net

Inside King Tut’s tomb

by MJ Staff

The past few years have seen some world-changing events, but nearly five years ago, our area went through a community-changing one. The impact that the Thomas Fire and subsequent 1/9 Debris Flow had on the area can still be felt today. Yes, in the hardship it brought, but also the strength, tenacity, and heart that came forward during those challenging times. As we approach the five-year anniversary of the 1/9 Debris Flow, we are asking for community members

share

stories with us and the readers so that our individual and shared experiences can help each other commemorate this momentous moment. These stories will be published in our January 5th issue along with more details on the 5th anniversary event. Please send any stories, thoughts, or input to letters@montecitojournal.net.

Storytelling

Our Town 2nd Annual Carp-Summerland Firefighters Santa Run

by Joanne A Calitri

Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters, the Local 3368 International Association of Firefighters, held their 2nd Annual Santa Run on Friday, December 16, with routes through Carpinteria and Summerland respectively.

Founded two years ago by Firefighter (FF) Pat Cockrum, Vice President of Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters, the event is a community favorite with the entire crew and fire engines from 1926 to present day decorated with lights and holiday cheer, led by Summerland Fire Dept. Engine 61 with Santa in his sleigh on top.

The Santa Run has both a toy donation and money collection fire boot. Locals who were helping with the collections walked behind the Santa firetruck, and included the families and

friends of the firefighters, First District County Supervisor Das Williams and his two daughters, and the Summerland Citizens Association Board President Phyllis Noble, who contacted all the businesses along Lillie Avenue to participate in the drive.

Before the run, both Cockrum and Association President Dean Carey took time for a quick interview. Here’s what they had to say:

Q: How did the Santa Run come about? Pat Cockrum (PC): The event is run by the Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters Association’s community service outreach program. I brought the idea from the Fire Department in my hometown in Northern California. When I arrived at the department here five years ago, I noticed we didn’t have a large Christmas

Influenced by the pictorialist movement of the early twentieth century, Edward S. Curtis set out to create a photo and ethnographic record of Indigenous peoples living in Western regions from the Mexican border to Alaskan shores. 100 years later, Native people still contend with “Indian” stereotypes that are consequences of Edward Curtis’s vision.

This exhibit endeavors to present his breathtaking photogravures within the context of American colonialism.

Montecito

Sponsored by Jerry and Elaine Gibson, Knight Real Estate Group of Village Properties, First Republic Bank, Kathleen Kalp and Jim Balsitis, Kelly and Tory Milazzo

Native People through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis

2559 Puesta del Sol Santa Barbara, CA 93105 sbnature.org/storytelling

Now

“Replastering a Paguate House,” 1925, Edward S. Curtis

Over 30 people and kids joined their favorite firefighters getting ready for the Santa Run (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Captain Jay Erwin as Santa in his perch on firetruck 61 ready for the Santa Run (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Captain Dave Baker and family in a 1926 original firetruck (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Society Invites Santa Barbara Rescue Mission Annual Christmas Tea

The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM) Women’s Auxiliary (WA) held its annual Christmas Tea for its Bethel House women in recovery on Wednesday, December 14 at the home of Susan Hughes. The Women’s Auxiliary, led by President Pamela Dillman Haskell, supports the SBRM through prayer, fundraising for its programs, and community outreach. One such program is the Bethel House Women’s Residential Treatment Program. Haskell shared with me at the event that for the first time in the history of the WA she will be serving a three-year term as president, which is usually a two-year term, and is in the process of cultivating a person who will become a WA co-president. She has been a volunteer for five years, along with her husband who serves on the board.

“I love what we do because we serve the community in so many important aspects, more than people may know, of course, serving our homeless population, our rehabilitation programs, and our Bethel House, whom this tea is for, which is a great holiday event for us to get to know each other. As president, I would like the community to know everything we do in addition to serving the homeless and our traditional Thanksgiving meal, so that they can be part of our fundraising and know that all the dollars we raise go directly to the Rescue Mission,” says Haskell.

Attendees were board members and officers of the Women’s Auxiliary including Joyce McCullough, Chair of the SBRM Board of Directors; Diane Davis, an over 17year volunteer and Chair of the Christmas Tea; Kirsten Walters, New Membership Chair; its more than 60 women members; and the residents of Bethel House.

McCullough adds, “For over twenty years, the Women’s Auxiliary of the SB Rescue Mission has generously supported this work in many ways. In addition to the more public events like the annual Bayou fundraiser, behind the scenes, this group of dedicated

women provides for the men and women who come to the Rescue Mission for addiction recovery or even just a hot meal, shower, and bed. Caring for the physical needs of our guests by giving away jackets, shoes, and other items of clothing, celebrating major holidays together, and gathering household items to give as people find housing, all add up to the significant contribution the Women’s Auxiliary makes to the ministry of the Rescue Mission. We are proud of and grateful for their labor of love.”

The tea was filled with tasty hors d’oeuvres, teas, and punch brought by the WA members. Following the tea social, WA members met one-on-one with the Bethel House women and then everyone gathered into the living room for Christmas scripture readings and songs, accompanied on piano by Sarah Coleman. There were lots of hugs and holiday well-wishes as well.

411: sbrm.org

The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission’s Bethel House Women’s Residential Treatment Program is a 12-month, faith-centered, 12-step social model program. Residents are provided with a living and learning environment that addresses the issues of addiction in a holistic way. The program’s core tenet is that recovery occurs in relationships with God, others, and self. It provides a safe environment that promotes healthy relationships and a staff of professionals who understand the needs and challenges of women seeking recovery.

Joanne A. Calitri is a professional international photographer and journalist. Contact her at: artraks@yahoo.com

photos and story by Joanne A Calitri

Santa Barbara Rescue Mission Women’s Auxiliary members Susan Hughes, Joyce McCullough, and Pamela Dillman Haskell

Longtime volunteers Diane Davis and Kirsten Walters

THE FINEST MONTECITO & SANTA BARBARA HOMES

Even bagpipes were considered weapons of war!

Iconic poet Robert Burns was also featured prominently, including “Auld Lang Syne,” which he rewrote in 1788, adding two new verses.

James McCarthy , Meredith McMinn , Tyler X Koontz , and Matthew Weitzel played their part along with the Culloden Country Dancers, the Solstice Singers, the Strings of Skye, the Yuletide Youth, the Glencoe Guisers, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff Pipe and Drum Corps.

Stage director Matt Tavianini and music director Susan Lansing-Weller also did great jobs.

Susan, whose shows I have watched since their inception, always says: “Join us and be joyous.” We did and we were...

A Cracking Good Show

Everybody was clearly going nuts about State Street Ballet’s colorful production of The Nutcracker at the Granada with hardly a seat to be had to watch Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.

Accompanied by the Opera San Luis

Obispo Grand Orchestra under substitute conductor Lee Mills, as well as State Street Ballet Academy students and professional track trainees, the cavernous stage was positively groaning with more than 150 performers showing their talents with an opulent selection of scenic backdrops.

As usual, veteran dancer Sergei Domrachev as Drosselmeyer and particularly Mother Ginger was an absolute hoot with various performers playing the role of Clara, the Snow Queen, and the Sugar Plum Fairy depending on the show.

It’s a production not to be missed…

Voyces in the Chapel

St. Anthony’s Chapel resonated to the sounds of the Quire of Voyces under founder-conductor Nathan Kreitzer with an idyllic concert, Mysteries of Christmas.

The talented group of singers, founded in 1993, sang an Advent Calendar of a cappella music with each song, from the sacred cathedral sounds of

The Santa Barbara Sheriff Pipe & Drum Corp (photo by Priscilla)

A snow-filled spectacular performance of The Nutcracker by State Street Ballet (photo by Heidi Bergseteren)

Le Bal Cristal

A glimmering night of unmatched elegance where the ordinal is escaped, and the extraordinary is embraced awaits at our New Year’s Eve Le Bal Crystal. Inspired by a glamourous French fête along the American Riviera, we invite you to celebrate with lively libations, spectacular performers, champagne toasts and so much more.

For booth seating, tickets and more information, please visit our website or email our team at Miramar.NYE@rosewoodhotels.com or call us at 805.900.8388

Merry Christmas

On Entertainment

Killer B’s: Broadway, Beatles, and Bond with Bob Bernhardt

by Steven Libowitz

Back in 2020, the Santa Barbara Symphony canceled its annual New Year’s Eve pop concert due to the pandemic in its pre-vaccine stage. But everyone got to return to the Granada last December 31 to hear the orchestra play movie themes, pop songs, celebratory symphonic favorites and, of course, join in on the singalong of “Auld Lang Syne” to close out the concert.

Everyone except Bob Bernhardt , the conductor who has led the orchestra on New Year’s Eve for nearly a decade. That’s because Bernhardt –who gets booked for a bunch of holiday pops concerts all around the country every November and December in such places as Tampa and Edmonton and Detroit – came down with a case of COVID. It was asymptomatic, but after getting positive results with rapid antigen tests three days in a row, he decided to skip the Santa Barbara show for the first time since 2012-13 (save for 2015-16 when Santa Barbara Symphony artistic and music director Nir Kabaretti stuck around town to conduct the orchestra in ushering in the new year himself).

So nobody is more excited than Bernhardt to be returning to the Granada’s podium to lead the symphony. The conductor, who has worked with everyone from Brian Stokes Mitchell and Kelli O’Hara to the Beach Boys and Wynonna to Jason Alexander and Ben Folds, has bona fide pops chops having performed extensively with the famed Boston Pops in addition to serving con-

currently as Principal Pops Conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony and Music Director Emeritus and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. But a single concert in our little burg is one of his highlights of the year.

“I’m so excited to be able to be back making music with the orchestra and celebrating with everybody in Santa Barbara again,” he said over the phone from Edmonton last weekend. “The musicians are wonderful, the audience really enjoys it, and it’s a wonderful tradition for my wife and I to get together with very dear friends for the holiday.”

Speaking of tradition, the song from Fiddler on the Roof will likely be one of the highlights in the December 31 program, as it closes out the first set of a selection of songs from popular Broadway shows, spanning Chicago, The Sound of Music, Carousel, My Fair Lady, and Music Man before a suite from Fiddler.

“They asked me to do music that is more familiar this year, and I know how much audiences will love it,” Bernhardt said. “I always try to do music that I believe in, so all of the arrangements that I’ve chosen for the Broadway program are ones that I love, just top flight. The songs from The Sound of Music are arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, who at one time could walk down Broadway and see the marquees for 11 different shows that he had orchestrated playing simultaneously. He’s the genuine article.”

The vocal soloist is renowned soprano Mela Sarajane Dailey , whose career highlights include starring in both roles of Mimi and Musetta in La bohème

Bob Bernhardt

Mela Sarajane Dailey

motets by High Renaissance composer Thomas Tallis to traditional carols, opening a small door to the beauty and delight of Yuletide.

A heavenly performance...

The Summer Solstice Six

Six new board members were announced when the Summer Solstice hosted its winter solstice fundraiser at the Anchor Rose restaurant on the harbor.

The new additions are Geoffrey

“We’re excited to have so much talent and expertise on our team!” gushed Stacie Bouffard, board president.

The fun dinner fête also featured musical performances from folk-rock duo Love Lightning, Jim Grippo from the Middle Eastern ensemble Kanoon, a special performance by BellaDonna, and a cameo Winter Solstice “angel” appearance by Bethany.

A Present Under Turner’s Tree

Christmas came early for Montecito’s Turner Foundation when president Dean Wilson was presented with a check for $175,000 by polo playing Farmers & Merchants Bank president Dan Walker at the financial institution’s annual Yuletide fête at its East Carrillo Street branch.

The 100-guest bash, which featured Dickensian-costumed carol singers and comestibles from Rincon Catering, attracted quite the crowd including Luke Swetland , Santa Barbara Polo Club manager David Sigman, Warren Butler, Adam McKaig, Frank Tabar, and Nolan Nicholson

A Ray of Holiday Cheer

Scientist, inventor, and real estate investor Ray Winn, 88, and his partner of 34 years Peter Kavoian, 66, pulled out all the stops when they hosted their first Christmas bash for 100 guests in five years at their magnificent Birnam Wood home.

Peter used his gleaming red Bentley convertible as Santa’s sleigh with six reindeer at the entrance to their manse with its Gobelins tapestries, Murano

Montecito

“Country music is three chords and the truth.” — Harlan Howard

Barber, Lesley Bronson, Justin Gunn, Ron Burd , David Machacek , and Amisha Zuber

Jacob Tell, Stacie Bouffard, Oscar Gutierrez, and Penny Little in back (photo by Priscilla)

Claudia Bratton, Mark Sargent, Penny Little, and Michael Laferriere (photo by Priscilla)

Nolan Nicholson, Dean and Susan Wilson, Dan Walker, and David Sigman (photo by Priscilla)

Some Christmas celebration guests surrounding the “Charles Dickens Carolers” (photo by Priscilla)

Larry Moriarty, Frank Tabar, Alexandra Chambers, and Gene McKnight (photo by Priscilla)

Peter Kavoian welcoming guests (photo by Alma Rose Middleton)

Santa has upgraded his sleigh (photo by Alma Rose Middleton)

Ray Winn and Peter Kavoian showed everyone a spectacular time (photo by Alma Rose Middleton)

Brilliant Thoughts Caution

by Ashleigh Brilliant

Most traffic signals have lights in red and green, signifying “Stop,” and “Go.” And there’s also usually another one, variously called yellow, amber, or even orange, which supposedly means “Caution” – although some drivers apparently interpret it as saying “Hurry! There’s still time!” Of course, you can’t stop and go at the same time. But you can always be cautious between the changes.

There are many wise sayings about caution – but some of them contradict each other – for instance, “Look before you leap,” as against, “He who hesitates is lost.”

I myself have sat on both sides of this fence, with expressions like “If you don’t do it, you’ll never know what would have happened if you had done it,” and “If you’re careful enough, nothing bad, or good, will ever happen to you.”

I was five years old, and still living in England on the verge of World War II, when I became aware of a government program called “Air Raid Precautions,” familiarly referred to as “The A.R.P.” At that time, the great fear was of poison gas, dropped from airplanes. (As it happened, this was one horror which never materialized, possibly because Hitler himself had experienced gas attacks when he was in the German army, in the previous World War.)

In this case, the principal precaution was gas masks, which were widely distributed, even to children. And you were supposed to have yours with you, or easily accessible, at all times. Some people obeyed this injunction throughout the seven years of war. This was, of course, only one of numerous cautionary measures, such as air raid shelters, taken to protect the population – many of which were also adopted in the U.S., after what happened at Pearl Harbor had spread the fear of attacks from the air (by which time, my family had moved to America, where there was less danger, but more panic).

But the world has always been full of dangers (in addition to those we create for each other, such as the automobile). Nowadays all kinds of new dangers have been recognized, which have fostered their own types and messages of caution. Even on some of my prescription medicines which, by request, can come in easily opened containers (e.g. for people with arthritis), there is a warning on the cap saying “CAUTION – NOT CHILD-RESISTANT.” It used to be that they had to be more directly protected from us, e.g. with road-signs saying “CAUTION – CHILDREN CROSSING.” Now we must protect them from their own inquisitiveness.

In 1908 there appeared a wonderful book by Hilaire Belloc called Cautionary

Verses for Children, which very cleverly and humorously warns against many potentially dangerous practices, as in:

“The chief defect of Henry King Was chewing little bits of string. At last, he swallowed some, which tied Itself in little knots inside.

Physicians of the utmost fame, Were called at once, but, when they came, They answered, as they took their fees, ‘There is no cure for this disease. Henry will very soon be dead.’

His parents stood about his bed, Lamenting his untimely death, When Henry, with his latest breath, Cried ‘Oh my friends, be warned by me That breakfast, dinner, lunch, and tea Are all the human frame requires.’ –With that, the wretched child expires.”

But, even in our safety-conscious era, we are used to seeing signs and messages warning of slippery floors, falling rocks, computer scams, and hidden dangers of all kinds. Even vehicles of various kinds are required to make beeping sounds warning that they are backing up. In the early years of the mass automobile, before there were all these protective laws, many dangers could only be laughed at. One story was of a driver pleading innocent to causing an accident only because his vision was obscured by all the safety slogans stuck on his windshield. Then there was the unfamiliar danger of gasoline, especially before there were dashboard indicators. One cautionary verse said:

“My bonnie leaned over the gas-tank, The height of its contents to see. He lighted a match to assist him –Oh, bring back my bonnie to me!”

But there have always been warn-worthy dangers in just being a pedestrian. One of the latest is that, compared with old familiar motor-sounds, the new electric vehicles are very quiet, giving little notice of their approach.

Let me conclude with what you may consider the ultimate cautionary message:

“It’s possible that my whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.”

dow into a winter wonderland. With presents, Santa, and snowmen figurines, ornaments, a Christmas tree, and red and white tennis balls, the window festively greets customers coming to the center to shop and eat. The shop, owned by Tony and Libby Hammond, is a full-service boutique carrying tennis and pickleball equipment, shoes, accessories, and apparel.

And the First Place winner… Peregrine Galleries! Owner Marlene Vitanza has decked out her beautiful front window with a snow scene featuring ornaments of influential women figures, as well as holiday trees, large ornaments, and a backdrop of vintage jewelry. One of the road’s oldest shops, Peregrine Galleries, which opened in 1984, continues to offer ethnographic jewelry and art, including collectible vintage designer jewelry by Bakelite, Chanel, Georg Jensen, and early Native American jewelry and artifacts. The shop is sandwiched between Legacy and Lily, both of which also have beautifully decorated exteriors.

Runner-up: The windows at Whiskey x Leather are decked in holiday cheer and deserve a mention. The windows are filled with mannequins with festive clothing and accessories, framed in lighted garland with statement ornaments and beads. The exterior of the building is also framed in white lights. Founders Ariel Hujar and Zee Chew took a chance opening the shop in Montecito in 2015, carrying an eclectic, relaxed inventory of clothing, shoes, and home goods. Their most popular collections range in trendy pieces to thoughtfully curated, and sustainable, collections. The gals opened a second shop in Del Mar in San Diego County and are on the way to further expanding in the heart of Southern California.

Two other honorable mentions on the road are the property owners at Olive Mill Plaza and Montecito Inn. Both buildings are decorated with festive lighting, trees, wreaths, and bows.

Next year, the newly-formed CBID will allocate funds to help beautify the road for the holidays and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates.

Montecito Segment of 101 Project Approved

Ashleigh Brilliant born England 1933, came to California in 1955, to Santa Barbara in 1973, to the Montecito Journal in 2016. Best-known for his illustrated epigrams, called “Pot-Shots,” now a series of 10,000. email: ashleigh@west. net. web: www.ash leighbrilliant.com.

the fact that the MPC was not the governing body for the project. “They deserve some appreciation and recognition because by the time the project got to us, I think that staff and the applicant had smoothed out a lot of issues. I want to thank them for their hard work,” she said.

The project includes widening 1.4 miles of both directions of the freeway, from just before the Romero Creek bridge to Olive Mill Road. The project will add a third, part-time High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane that will be in effect on weekdays from 6 am to 9 am, and 3 pm to 6 pm, and includes replacing the existing roadway pavement with 40-year concrete pavement; installation of median barriers, guardrails, fencing, retaining walls, and new landscaping; reconstruction of the freeway bridges over Cabrillo Boulevard plus a new southbound on-ramp; and replacement of the bridges over Romero Creek, San Ysidro Creek, and Oak Creek.

The project includes a concrete mix site within the construction zone, which rep Kirsten Ayars told the Commission will serve to reduce truck miles, save taxpayer money, reduce water use, and reduce off-site neighborhood impacts. The concrete mix site will be shielded for noise abatement, and there are measures in place to reduce alarm beeping, reduce back-up beepers on trucks, and to monitor noise with on-site inspectors.

“We want to be good neighbors,” Ayars said. The area will also be landscaped after the mixer is removed.

Conditions of the project approved by the Commission include Caltrans revisiting adding sound walls – which were removed from the proposal back in February – based on future flood analysis maps. There is also required to be a noise-complaint process, which Ayars said would be accessible and personalized.

The Montecito segment of the project is expected to start as early as next year and will be completed in fall 2026. The first phase of the project is funded while the second phase of funding has yet to be obtained.

For more information, visit www. sbroads.com.

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission unanimously approved the 101 project through Montecito at a hearing last week. “This is the most significant public works project we are going to see in our lifetime,” said Commissioner Laura Bridley . “I’m really proud of what it’s going to be when it’s built,” she said, adding a thank you to planners, County staff, and the Montecito Planning Commission for their input on the project, despite

“I’ve always thought people would find a lot more pleasure in their routines if they burst into song at significant moments.” — John Barrowman

Kelly Mahan Herrick, also a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, has been editor at large for the Journal since 2007, reporting on news in Montecito and beyond.

Tutankhamun, but those tombs had been extensively burglarized.

Our trip would move south, aboard the Nile Adventurer to the ancient city of Abydos, which once was an important hub of many ancient temples, including the famous temple of Seti I. Exploring the double temple at Kom Ombo would complete our day.

Our final stop was Aswan. This area had great strategic importance starting with ancient times and culminating with the construction of the Aswan Dam. The Nile River is an integral part of Egypt with 92% of the population living in close proximity. And the Aswan Dam has had a very important part of controlling that river.

We had a nice congenial group during our tour. About 75% were from Santa Barbara and it was fun socializing and getting to know new friends. The sunsets while cruising on the Nile made the trip exceptional. And we will be back to see the spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum expected to open in Cairo in early 2023. The museum is huge, comprising one million square feet, and will contain 5,300 objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Frank McGinity

The Sweet Spirit of Christmas in the Bite of a French Dessert

It all started with an explosion of flavors in my mouth from a sweet little patisserie in Montecito. The first sensation came with the crispy vanilla taste followed by bits of hazelnuts and a hint of Nutella mousse (for a soft touch).

Last for the blast, comes the pleasure of the caramel to coat your tongue with smoothness. It is an immersion between sweetness and excess of generosity put together that puts together “The Bomb”! This dessert does not allow you to forget about feeling happy, or even guilty about indulging in the senses during the holidays.

Sitting inside at a table in this wonderful patisserie, and after being shocked by the sensation of this dessert, I came back to my senses and felt an inexplicable surge of loveliness and pleasantness from my childhood. How something so delicate, and so fine could remind me of such a forgotten emotion. With my heart filled with delight I had to know what drives the pastry chef, Renaud, to create such delicious desserts that pleases so many. Throughout the patisserie, I manage to understand that this tall gentleman in the back is the person to talk to. And just like that… with the touch of friendliness… a conversation began with Renaud Gonthier (co-founder and co-owner of the patisserie), around the art of culinary desserts during an afternoon of the Christmas holiday season.

Apart from the fact that he’s been a French pastry chef for many years and has become successful nowadays, things did not start out so well right away. Only strong willing efforts and a little bit of luck helped Renaud start his career with only a few employees to numerous, and in multiple locations as well. But let’s not forget that behind any business there are people. Individuals who make a difference and will do everything they can to give the customer the best experience they can encounter. “Only

with a strong cohesion and well-being can you ensure success like this. This is important to me,” said Renaud. And in the light of the holiday spirit, when we are occupied in our head about families, friends, presents, vacations, prepping dinner, etc., we should not forget the ones who cannot receive much. When I heard that Renaud’s Patisserie donates pastries to the unlucky, my heart was moved by his generosity. “It is a duty and a moral and ethical decision to help the community,” and in addition to that, “Santa Barbara County is like a small town that needs some assistance and can be helped, so donating food to Unity Shoppe and the Mission Shelter is the right thing to do. And especially during and after the holidays when our inventories are exceeding a lot and have much to offer.”

So, Christmas is a particular time of the year as a spiritual, religious, and gift-giving holiday, but also, and most importantly, as a holiday for the people. Family and friends meeting together to give and receive love in so many different ways is truly the magic of the Christmas spirit. The community of this town is as strong and confident as a child that believes in Santa Claus – and that is making the difference here in Santa Barbara County. Without the love and determination of the people, a town cannot function correctly and here we can see that the foundations are durable in the sense that the people still make a difference. In this town for example, Renaud’s Patisserie won the “Best Bakery and runner-up for the Best French Restaurant” voted by the people. The voters here still have a voice to decide and be heard. For Renaud, this means: “Not only being proud of the company and what it encompasses but also having the opportunity to be heard by the community and their ideas. They are motivating us and improving and challenging us every year to better ourselves.” And one of those challenges can be to stay local with culinary supplies, so they are utilizing the local products in the community and the state of California. “Our locality and our state of California in general are great places for not only beauty, but for fresh produce, and we are lucky in that way. I don’t see the purpose of using butter from France simply because we are baking French pastries. For example, to try and justify this as a need for our French pastries and dessert is not only unnecessary, but it’s not ethical, as I’d rather help and support the

local farmers as a sustainable alternative.” This being said, Christmas is around the corner and with that the pleasure of sharing and eating delicious desserts. From the German Stollen, the American Gingerbread cookies, and the French Yule Log, there is a lot to choose from and they will not let anyone go unsatisfied. “It is hard to choose one favorite in particular for the Christmas holidays, but the Stollen dessert is one of my preferences,” said Renaud. In this endeavor in making wonderful desserts for the holidays, Renaud still has a principle to offer us: choices with quality. “We are creating flavors that are simple but elegant, fresh, and per season. There are no more than three flavors in our culinary desserts.” He added, “Even if Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year, especially with the pumpkin pie, I do appreciate Christmas for the opportunity that it gives to create new recipes for everyone to appreciate… like the colorful and freshness of the Bisous Yule Log.” He continued, “I always get inspired by the things I love to do like traveling, life experiences, and by my surroundings; it helps me create. The first time I traveled to St. Thomas in the Caribbean and tasted real passion fruit, since that moment, I enjoy using it in my creation of the Exotic dessert.” Memories are what make us feel, and this gives us the right attitude towards life. From this experience, Renaud created a delicacy that could remind him of the echo of time.

And with that being said, this is what Christmas is all about: the memories shared with our loved ones and the spark of joy and love that makes everyone cheerful during this special holiday. The warmth of the Christmas spirit is just around the corner in a bite of a sweet treat and new souvenirs.

While finishing my last bite of the French dessert, Renaud mentioned, smiling, “My all-time favorite dessert here is also… The Bomb!”

After our brief discussion, I now not only have a better understanding between the people working behind the scenes that are helping our community, but I also understand that behind a reserved gentleman can hide a great person whose compassion passes through his culinary art of patisserie for everyone to enjoy, to delight in some sweetness in this world during the spirit of the Christmas holidays, and at all times.

Amélie Dieux, a happy customer of Renaud’s

The mummy of Tutankhamun

Fundraiser

by Steven Libowitz

Anthony Edwards, who collected three SAG Awards and a Golden Globe for his role as Dr. Mark Greene on the hit TV series ER from 1994-2002 and has starred in movies and on Broadway, graduated from San Marcos High School in 1980. Cady Huffman, who received a Tony nomination for her performance in The Will Rogers Follies in 1991 and collected the coveted award for best actress in a musical in playing Ulla in the original cast of the Broadway musical The Producers in 2001, graduated from San Marcos High in 1982. Dante Di Loreto, a TV and film producer who won Emmys for his work on Temple Grandin and The Normal Heart, and is even better known for executive producing Glee and American Horror Story, graduated from Santa Barbara High in 1980.

Now, all three will be returning to their hometown in early February for “Off the Record.” This intimate conversation between the Santa Barbara natives offers a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood, Broadway, and the joys and challenges of fame and creating a life in the arts – specifi-

cally in film, TV, and theater. Di Loreto will moderate the discussion as Edwards and Huffman speak frankly about their experiences as professionals in the arts, as well as the importance of our community and how it played a very important part in their start.

The event, which takes place Saturday, February 4, at the Belmond El Encanto Hotel, is a benefit for CommUnify, the prevalent nonprofit that serves almost 10,000 of Santa Barbara County’s most vulnerable children, families, teens, and seniors each year. CommUnify, formerly the Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County, was incorporated as a private nonprofit organization in 1967 and currently operates 23 Head Start and Early Head Start campuses and provides 14 other programs that address the complex causes of poverty, including Seniors Safe at Home, Family Wellness, Economic Empowerment and Financial Literacy, New Heights for Transition-Aged Youth, Weatherization Services, and Utility Bill and Rental Payment assistance. CommUnify also operates the 2-1-1 Santa Barbara County Helpline, providing information and referrals 24/7 free of charge to our community.

Off the Record is the brainchild of Julie Weiner , CommUnify’s Chief

Development Officer, who had a bit of an inside track in putting together the benefit event, as the Santa Barbara native was a contemporary of both Edwards and Huffman at San Marcos High.

“I knew them when they were young, and I know that both Tony and Cady attribute what this community did for them early on as being a big piece of how they got to where they have,” Weiner said. “All those programs that were there for young people really gave them the underpinnings that helped them on their way. I thought this would be a really great way to bring something back to the community about how important community is.”

Indeed, Huffman shared about her continued gratitude for the support she received as a youth and her eagerness to help raise awareness and funds for CommUnify’s mission.

young people cope, learn discipline, and find joy. As challenging as it can be to be an artist, the rewards can be extraordinary. To reach even one heart and inspire it to hope for a better tomorrow is humbling and feeds my own soul to do better.”

Unlike a typical Hollywood conversation, or even a typical Santa Barbara gala fundraiser, Off the Record will be an intimate event with two tiers of access. Fewer than 75 tickets to the conversation will be sold at $250, and only 24 for the dinner that follows for an additional $250, so that attendees will have a chance to further the conversation with one of the artists.

DIRECTOR

SANTA BARBARA HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Awonderful opportunity for someone passionate about human rights, who enjoys engaging the local community, fundraising and outreach.

The job entails excellent communication and time management skills, an eye for detail, and data-driven strategic planning.

For more information and to submit an application, please visit: https://boards.greenhouse.io/humanrightswatch/jobs/6416736002

“As a child who counted on scholarships and odd jobs to pay for my arts education, and sometimes food stamps for food, I want everyone to have at least close to an equal chance at their dreams and basic needs,” Huffman said. “CommUnify does something about it.” Huffman also enthusiastically signed on to the concept of a frank conversation about the artists’ lives and Santa Barbara roots, one that might include some anecdotes about early experiences and interactions between them.

“I’m always happy to share my experiences, especially in my hometown,” she said. “The world sees Santa Barbara as affluent and idyllic. It can be, but nowhere on Earth is perfect and no one is immune from life’s challenges. The arts can help

“People will probably get to ask questions of their own during the conversation, but the dinner is even more private because there will be only three tables of 10 people,” Wiener explained. “Cady, Tony, and Dante and their guests will each captain a table, which means only eight paid tickets at each table. That way everybody will get to engage.”

Given the timing, Off the Record might serve as a last-minute Christmas present or an early booking pre-Valentine’s Day date for the art lovers in our community. Especially those who care deeply about CommUnify’s goal of unifying the community around addressing the complex issues that cause and keep people in poverty. Visit www.communifysb. org/events for more information.

CommUnify

5638 Hollister Ave., Goleta (805) 964-8857 www.communifysb.org Patricia Keelean, CEO Julie Weiner, CDO

’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage downtown I need to relocate – and this wordsmith would rather not wander – looking for a solo space (studio, cottage, guest quarters, etc.) locally, and in the low $2Ks. Clean, responsible, non-smoker, and no pets.”

Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com.

“Music

“I

Anthony Edwards and Cady Huffman, both Santa Barbara-raised, return to town for CommUnify’s Off the Record event

nice if there was an easier, safer way to connect with the rest of the community?

The team at the Bucket Brigade felt the same way, and Slaff joined the Walk Montecito project as a committee co-chair with Michael Smith. From there, the Walk Montecito committee put their heads together to tackle the logistics, mapping out new trails where they would be maximally effective. This plan turned into Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network.

The project owes its thoughtful design and conscientious implementation to its community-led origins. Since the campaign’s launch, two miles of trail have already been built. These are completed, walkable paths that cost less than half that of the San Ysidro Road Path per mile, with long-term maintenance costs already accounted for.

Although the project is ongoing, with plans to complete construction on the entire Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network in 2024, the impact of the new pedestrian friendly walking paths is

already being felt, particularly by residents of Casa Dorinda. With trails leading directly from the community campus to local beaches and churches, they have quickly become a favorite of Casa residents who enjoy the exercise and the scenery.

Casa residents Bobbe and Ed Mullen have lived in Montecito for 22 years. They know the town like the back of their hands, but until recently, they didn’t have anywhere safe to walk.

“We used to walk on the street near the corner of Hot Springs Road and East Valley Road, but it was very dangerous,” says Mrs. Mullen. “In the evening, we would walk with flashlights, but it just didn’t feel safe.”

With the new paths, Bobbe and Ed now walk the trails every day, enjoying the short 10-minute stroll to Coast Village Road and the new convenient access to Butterfly Beach.

Of course, it wasn’t a surprise to the Walk Montecito project leaders.

“I was pretty confident it would be sort of like the Field of Dreams,” Slaff says. “I felt that if we built the trails, people would come and use them, especially since there was so much pent-up demand for them.”

This couldn’t be more true. Although Casa residents are among the first to enjoy the new trails with their ADAfriendly design and convenient network through town, all of Montecito will benefit, particularly families who like to walk to school. Slaff has confirmed plans for the upcoming leg of the project, saying that Walk Montecito wants to prioritize access to Cold Spring Elementary School and Crane Country Day School as well as MUS. This new part of the trail network aims to tackle one of the other persistent problems in our community: the school drop-off and pick-up traffic.

Since fundraising for Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network is ongoing, there are still opportunities for donors to help make our town’s pedestrian experience safer and more enjoyable.

“By supporting Walk Montecito, donors

Walk On Page 284

Five Expert-recommended Ways to Cope with Holiday Stress

Catherine Mogil, PsyD, a psychologist and assistant clinical professor at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, confirms that the holidays can bring grief, trauma, and stress. Here are five mental health tips for the holidays that Dr. Mogil and other professionals suggest.

1. Leave perfectionism behind

No matter your holiday hosting experience, mishaps are inevitable. Be kind to yourself instead of being quick to judge your shortcomings, and recognize that whatever you’re doing is enough.

Self-compassion boosts stress resilience and optimism regarding perceived setbacks.

2. Stick with some of your routines

It’s okay to indulge, but it’s good to try and maintain at least some routines and healthy behaviors. David Spiegel, MD, assistant chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University, says that rest and nutrition make our stress response systems more flexible. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep, limit alcohol, and balance sugary goodies with colorful fruits and veggies.

3. Pay attention to the positives

Since minor (and at times major) anxieties tend to pile up during the holidays, it’s important to be intentional about acknowledging the positives. Dr. Mogil suggests thinking about three things – big or small, new or old – that you’re grateful for every morning. You’ll appreciate it: Gratitude increases happiness and stress resilience, according to research.

4. Find ways to be of service

You can be of service in big or small ways. All of it makes a difference! Volunteer around the holidays, hold the door for a stranger, let someone go in front of you in traffic, or buy a neighbor coffee. Dr. Mogil argues that helping others and doing good in the world can stimulate dopamine.

5. Take breaks from all the action

Check in with yourself over the holiday season and assess your stress levels. Step back for a while if you’re feeling overwhelmed or like others are violating your limits.

Dr. Mogil suggests scheduling time for an activity that will allow you to decompress and order your thoughts. Excuse yourself to do something restorative or refreshing, like going for a jog or walk, taking (or pretending to take) a nap, reading a book, or listening to a favorite podcast. If that isn’t possible, spend a few extra minutes in the shower or do some deep breathing exercises while getting ready.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HWY 1 RV, 332 Oak Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454. HWY 1 RV LLC, 1110 Myles Lane, Nipomo, 93444. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 16, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0003043. Published December 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 11, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Real True Publishing, 1341 Skyline Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. Randall Rademaker, 1341 Skyline Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 15, 2022. This statement

expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office.

Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0003036.

Published December 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 11, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ETS Translators, 4716 Amarosa, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. Irene D. Rebollo Franco, 4716 Amarosa, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on December 9, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 2022-0002961. Published December 14, 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 2023

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT: The following person(s) is/are doing business as: One Thread Collective, 6261 Marlborough Drive, Goleta, CA 93117.

Jacqueline E. Gilbert, 6261 Marlborough Drive, Goleta, CA 93117. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on November 7, 2022. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the County Clerk. I hereby certify that this is a correct copy of the original statement on file in my office. Joseph E. Holland, County Clerk (SEAL). FBN No. 20220002727. Published November 30, December 7, 14, 21, 2022

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Case No. 22PR00606

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the creditors and contingent creditors of BERNADINE J. WITTAK, that all persons having claims against the decedent are required to file them with the Superior Court, at 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Attn: Probate Department and deliver pursuant to Section 1215 of the California

Probate Code a copy to Christian Wittak, as trustee of the trust dated November 17, 2007, wherein decedent was the settlor, at 5539 San Patricio Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93111, within the later of four months after December 21, 2022, or, if notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, 60 days after the date this notice is mailed or personally delivered to you, or you must petition to file a late claim as provided in Section 19103 of the Probate Code.

A claim form may be obtained from the court clerk. For your protection, you are encouraged to file your claim by certified mail, with return receipt requested. Steven F. Bliss, Esq., Attorney for Christian James Wittak, Successor Trustee of the Wittak Family Trust, dated February 26, 1997.

Dated: December 8, 2022

Electronically Filed at the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara by Darrel E. Parker, Executive Officer, 12/12/2022 by April Garcia, Deputy. Published December 21, 28, 2022 and January 4, 11, 2023

Walk Montecito committee members Abe Powell, Michael Smith, David Jackson, and Lisa Aviani earlier this year on the corner of Hot Springs and Olive Mill roads

Montecito Reads The Waiting Game

by MJ Staff

Take a sneak peek of Montecito by Michael Cox in this ongoing serialization of his yet-to-be-published book. This fictional story is inspired by “tales of true crime THAT HAPPENED HERE.” Hollis has passed off his dossier to the FBI and now he has to wait. Chapters 43 is available online at montecitojournal.net and the QR code below.

multiple final, final, FINAL hugs, Cricket and I were finally alone.

“So,” she said, climbing under the covers, “what’s new with you?”

Again, I laughed. There was so much to tell, and I was so very exhausted. I rubbed my eyes. ‘I invite you to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your sav—’”

“Ok, funny man,” she interrupted, slapping me on the chest. “Did that guy read you your Miranda Rights or did you take the Fifth?”

“I sang like a canary,” I said, laughing. “It was crazy, right? The world works in mysterious ways, I guess. I was planning to drive down to Los Angeles on Monday and talk to the FBI there, but they beat me to the punch.”

“So, it was the FBI?” she said. “Holy cow, Hollis. How much did they already know?”

“Good question,” I said. “Agent Andrews said that he was just doing field work; just gathering background information, he said. And honestly, he seemed kind of surprised by what I told him. Then again, what do I know? It’s not like a game of you show me yours and I’ll show you mine. He probably wasn’t supposed to let me in on how much he already knew.”

“Hunh,” Cricket said, one eye cocked suspiciously. “Quite the strategy.”

“Yeah,” I repeated. “But it couldn’t have been a coincidence. They must have been on Cyrus’s trail. Agent Andrews is probably just one of those guys with an excellent poker face.”

We kept on like this for more than an hour, revisiting parts of the story in more detail and debating Cyrus’s state of mind. “Do you still think Genevieve is innocent?” I asked.

Cricket nodded, yes. “Poor girl. Priscilla too. They deserve our sympathy, Hollis, not our suspicion.”

When we could barely talk anymore, Cricket broached another interesting question: “Why do you think Cyrus picked Montecito of all places?”

Montecito

by Michael Cox

Chapter 44

“What was that all about?” Cricket asked when I came back inside. “Did you just convert to Jehovah’s Witness?”

I laughed; it was good to be home.

Trip had just woken from his nap, and he and his massive wheelchair were now at the dining table playing a game of Qwirkle with Isabel while Cricket made dinner. I promised to explain it all later, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and went to the sink to begin cleaning as she cooked. When we first married, she found this habit of mine annoying – I was perpetually washing something that was still in use. But over time, she had come to appreciate it. Like a surgeon whose instruments were available on call –scalpel, suture – I made sure everything she required to cook a wonderful meal was clean and at the ready.

In the immediate aftermath of Agent Daniel Andrews and crew’s unannounced visit, I was euphoric. It was over; I had done it. With the mission complete and a rock-solid case delivered to the hands of the FBI, I realized how heavy this load had become. Colors were brighter, tunes were prettier, jokes were funnier. The dinner Cricket was cooking – chicken enchiladas, Trip’s favorite – made my stomach grumble excitedly instead of turtling. True, I had been eating from a hospital cafeteria for nearly a month, so anything would have been an improvement, but it was notable how positively my body suddenly responded to the thought of food. It seemed I had finally turned the metaphorical corner.

Seeing my family back together under one roof – the kids smiling, Cricket laughing, all of us preparing to eat a meal that I did not expect to send me into gastrointestinal shock – gave me a sense that the universe was telling me that I had finally done something right. I got no joy from ratting out Cyrus Wimby, but it did seem just. And by discovering the buried treasure where Cyrus kept his grift, I had every hope that this story would have a happy ending for all of ExOh’s investors not named Wimby.

Do not get me wrong, I did not think of myself as a hero. But I did believe that the final telling of this story would show that I had acted bravely, and, in that bravery, had helped a lot of people avoid massive losses. Maybe this was the greatness I had wanted to believe I was destined for.

After dinner, we resumed a version of our typical nighttime routine. I gave Trip his sponge bath, since I was now the expert, and Isabel was reinstalled as Trip’s bedtime reader. She was disappointed to learn that we had progressed all the way from Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief to Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian.

“How am I supposed to know what happened in between?” she argued.

“In summary, Percy and Annabeth slayed a lot of bad guys,” I said, and then sent her off to read.

Trip passed out quickly and after Isabel came back into our room for

I shook my head. “I can’t imagine a better place to launch a scam than Montecito,” I said.

“Why?”

“Think about all the attributes that we piled onto Cyrus Wimby without question,” I said. “I mean, he told a story about Saudi Arabia and royal families and oil and we all just nodded our heads and accepted it. Obviously, he was successful. Obviously, he was smart. Obviously, he was rich. Is he a Saudi royal? Obviously. And then, when he goes on to talk about his latest business venture, it just seems so obvious that this rich, smart, successful man of royal lineage would be starting a new global trading business that no one really understood.”

Cricket shook her head. “But maybe he was all those things?”

“He was most definitely some of them,” I said, “but not all of them. Regardless, the point is that we granted him those attributes based solely on his word. We were not skeptical; we were not on guard. That is the way things are here in Montecito. It’s like, if your zip code is 93108 then you must have done something right. How else would you be here?”

Cricket eyed me skeptically.

I tried a different approach. “You’re the room mother for Isabel and Trip’s classes, right?”

“Duh.”

“And you know all of the other parents, right?”

“Two for two.”

“What do you really know about how all those people came to reside in a place where the median home price is more than two-and-a-halfmillion dollars?”

“That’s not…,” she objected, “I’m not going digging around in people’s personal business. That is rude.”

“I totally agree,” I said. “It’s none of our business. But in the absence of actual knowledge, we default to filling in the gaps with assumptions. They must be smart, we think. They must be accomplished. They must be rich. How else would they be here?”

She nodded, not convinced, but no longer defiant. “What does everyone

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are contributing to making the community a more connected, resilient, safe, and environmentally friendly place to be,” says Slaff.

With 1.5 million already raised, the project is looking for an additional million dollars in donor support that will be funneled into path construction as well as the long-term maintenance endowment that will ensure our new trails are well looked after. With these funds, the Walk Montecito project team will be rolling full steam ahead on the newest piece of our Montecito community beautification.

Walker Profile: Jere Lifshitz

Jere Lifshitz and her husband walk around town a few days a week. To them, the paths represent a huge milestone in community safety.

“We used to live on Alston Road and that can be a challenging street to walk with all of its blind turns and no place to walk.”

Mrs. Lifshitz described the freedom to walk around town as especially important during COVID when people couldn’t exercise indoors. She and her husband would walk a loop up to Butterfly Beach and by the cemetery. The addition of the new paths has made their walks together even more enjoyable.

“The paths get us off the road so we are not in the path of cars, they are easy on the feet, and they look good. Triple goodness.”

Walker Profile: Patricia Moylan

Patricia Moylan has lived at Casa Dorinda for over two decades, and she has walked from Hot Springs Road to East Valley almost every day during that time. As an avid walker, Mrs. Moylan describes discovering the new Montecito Neighborhood Trail Network as a source of great joy.

“About two years ago after returning from summer in the Midwest I found the new sand walks completed by the Bucket Brigade and counted it a blessing from Heaven,” says Moylan. “Now that I am 90, I appreciate it more than ever and feel safer and so very grateful for the safety and convenience.”

Mrs. Moylan believes that everybody can play a part in keeping our home beautiful. She embodies the Bucket Brigade mentality and the holiday spirit of working together for the community: “In order to keep this path beautiful, I pick up any little bit of trash along my way and dispose of it upon arrival home,” says Moylan. “I am proud to live in lovely Montecito and want to keep it this way.”

and performing as the soprano soloist in the Verdi’s Requiem , Mozart’s Requiem , Brahms’ Requiem , and Poulenc’s Gloria as well as winning a 2014 Grammy Award with choral ensemble Conspirare. Dailey returns to the Santa Barbara Symphony for the first time in years to capture the hearts of the audiences singing several of the Broadway selections.

The concert’s concertmaster, Elizabeth Hedman , normally the Associate Concertmaster for the Santa Barbara Symphony, will tackle the violin part from Fiddler made famous by Isaac Stern.

“It’s a marvelous, just amazing virtuoso display for violin,” Bernhardt said. “Elizabeth will evoke all the emotions.”

The selections of music from Bond films that break up the Broadway beat should turn the concert back into light and frothy fare as orchestra plays the Jeff Tyzik arrangement of “The Best of Bond” including the main theme and the title songs from Nobody Does it Better, For Your Eyes Only, and Thunderball along with the great Bacharach classic “The Look of Love.”

“It’s really playful and fun. Just pure entertainment,” Bernhardt said.

Dailey then darts back onstage to deliver “Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods and “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera , the latter one of the singer’s favorites, Bernhardt said.

The symphony’s powers-that-be also requested a medley of Beatles songs, so the conductor snapped up the Tyzik arrangement of seven songs.

“It’s not really a sing-along, but everyone knows all the words and tunes, so that will probably happen,” he said. “Which is fine, because it gets everyone warmed up for ‘Auld Lang Syne.’”

Then it’s out into the night at the

relatively early hour of 10 pm. Happy New Year!

The Santa Barbara Symphony performs its annual New Year’s Eve concert on Saturday, December 31, at 8:30 pm at the Granada Theatre. Tickets include a champagne toast and festive party hats. Tickets are $55-$250. Call (805) 899-2222 or visit www.granadasb.org.

‘R.E.S.P.E.C.T.’ for the Queen of Soul

There has been no dearth of film and Broadway shows about Aretha Franklin since the soul singer-songwriter star died in August 2018. First there was a documentary by Oscarwinning director Sydney Pollack for a documentary about the recording of Franklin’s landmark 1972 Amazing Grace gospel album whose release the singer blocked for decades until after her death. Cynthia Erivo starred as the Queen of Soul in National Geographic’s Franklin-focused season of the TV series Genius followed by a 2021 film adaptation of the Broadway show Respect that starred Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson – by request of Franklin herself – as the singer in her younger days.

Now comes R.E.S.P.E.C.T., an adaptation of an Australian show that’s pitched as an electrifying tribute celebrating the music of the legendary singer. It’s an unusual approach that not only weaves dialogue between the onslaught of famous songs, but also stars more than one actor as the singer, here called “hosts” of the production.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is directed by Broadway veteran Christina Sajous, who can claim a number of acting

Dear Montecito

The ‘Makena Tate Project’

by Stella Haffner

Early career singer-songwriter Makena Tate attributes her confidence on stage to her Santa Barbara upbringing. The Crane School alumna says: “Being at Crane really gave me this great foundation for what I love now. It felt like there was no judgment, that everyone there wanted you to succeed. But having supportive teachers like Shana Arthurs and Konrad Kono – that’s what really helped me.” Now a sophomore at Berklee College of Music, Makena has graduated from the Friday Spotlights of her middle school days and is in the process of releasing a big fivesong project. Confronting themes of isolation, illusion, and heartbreak, the first releases from the new Makena Tate Project are now available for streaming online and in person at her December 23 show at Wylde Works on State Street from 8-10 pm.

Q. How did you first get started in music?

A. My mom enrolled me in my first production of musical theater when I was, like, six years old. Then of course I got to go to Crane, which was very arts focused. Going to a school that has so much attention on the arts really helped me feel comfortable on stage and writing music, as well as just being a great outlet. I would say I started getting more focused on personal music when I picked up the guitar though, which was about ten years ago.

What made you want to take up guitar? Were there artists you liked who were big guitar players?

I think I had started seeing people around me start to play guitar, and I was like: “Oh that’s so cool to be able to accompany yourself and sing!” So, I had a lot of interest in becoming independent as an artist at a young age and just wanted to be able to put on a show all by myself and not need other people to help me. Picking up the guitar just felt like the easiest way to do it.

You’re now pursuing a major in songwriting and performance at Berklee. How would you describe your experience there?

Berklee is an interesting place to be because it’s a place where you are surrounded by so much music. I kind of found that the work I create here is very different to the work I create at home. I think it’s because I am being influenced by so many different sounds every single day, I’m absolutely immersed in the world of music here, from so many different parts of the world too. It’s really cool, but it also can be very intimidating and scary. I feel like in my first year at Berklee I was thrown off track by that and writing a lot of music I didn’t like because I was feeling too influenced by too many things – kind of overstimulated. This year I’m in an apartment as opposed to

the dorms, so I’m off campus and have my own space, which has all really helped me hone in and find focus in myself and my artistry.

What are your goals for the near future?

I definitely want to play some larger venues next year. I would love to open for some artists at the Santa Barbara Bowl or the Granada or Arlington. I want to start in my hometown and work out from there, but I would love to go on tour sometime next year. In my head I’m hoping for Winter 2023; it’s my manifestation right now. I’m also releasing about a song a month until my EP comes out, which will be in March, and I just had a song come out on December 16 that I’m really excited about! I’ll have another one come out in January, then another in February.

Tell me about your newest release.

The December 16 release is another single. It’s called “Next to You.” I would say the one-liner for the song is: “I miss you, do you still think of me?” A lot of my songs from my upcoming EP are based on my own experiences with having a long-distance relationship and having that not work out. I feel like the target audience I see for myself is college girls just because I really enjoy putting into words my own experiences and the experiences of my friends. I think that is really special, and I love being able to do that. “Next to You” is one of the five songs that will be a part of the bigger upcoming EP. Like I said, they’re all kind of stories about my life, my relationships, and different experiences I’ve had from the past year.

You have now been through the process of having an idea, sitting down to write it, producing it, and releasing it several times. What have you learned through this process?

I have gained a greater respect for the business side of things. I’d say this release I really worked hard on the pre-release side of things. There was a lot of me emailing PR people, different playlist submission websites, blogs, radio stations, anything, just trying to get my song to as many different people as possible, which is really hard when you don’t have the connections. It’s been a big learning process. I’ve definitely learned both what to do and what not to do for my future releases.

I know your work is available on Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, and Tidal. Do you get to monetize the songs you’ve released?

Yes! Every stream on Spotify for example is about a third of a penny. So streams, and downloads or saves, truly mean so much to me. Since I’m really just starting out, every person that downloads or saves the song truly makes me so happy. And it makes me so excited when I get messages that say something like: “This song really resonated with me, thank you.” That’s really why I want to release music and make music. To have those moments for people who maybe feel alone or like they’re the only person going through some type of emotion. My goal with music is really to be someone’s hand to hold – that’s what I want to do.

How can people support you?

If they like my music, download it, stream it, share it around with other people who might like it, anything of those things help me a ton. You can also follow my social medias to stay up to date on new music and shows, which is also really helpful.

From the shores of Scotland, Stella Haffner keeps her connection to her home in Montecito by bringing grads of local schools to the pages of the Montecito Journal

Follow Makena on Instagram @makenatate or check out her website (www.makenatate. com) for more info!

Makena Tate will be playing on December 23rd at Wylde Works from 8-10 pm

Gratitude Grows Here.

We never stop reaching higher for our patients and for our community.

“Bella is here today because Cottage was there for her.” — Bella’s Mom

When Bella was a baby, she needed emergency care. Having Cottage Children’s Medical Center close by saved her life. And today, she still receives ongoing care and support from Cottage. Our generous community allows us to provide the critical treatments that help save young lives like Bella’s.

Learn how you can support our work at cottagehealth.org/reachinghigher

Real Estate

Falling Into 2023

by Mark Ashton Hunt

The Montecito real estate market is still defined by high prices and low inventory. By the time this article hits the newsstands or your screen, it may indeed be Winter already, technically by the calendar anyway. However, it’s been cold like winter for a while now. Glad to have rain and weather. Local residents (and our “on again, off again” green lawn) are so grateful for the rain we have had in the past six weeks.

For those who read my article regularly, you may have noticed that for the first time in 10 years, I took a bit of time off. With both a family trip to India and other related day in and day out happenings in our lives, I took a moment.

However, I have kept up on the Montecito real estate market from my computer and so far, for all of November and the first half of December, sales in Montecito totaled 13 (homes and condos) as listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This number is down from last year at this time, and is well below 2020 November/December numbers as well. That said, the market cannot be judged as being slow or a down market, just more, well, normal. Montecito’s 13 sales in six weeks (in the MLS) is not an extremely low number on average for a November/December start when looking back over the past 15 years (selling 10 or so homes a month in November or December is not far from the average). Also of note, top prices being paid continues to be a trend in the area. Even those homes selling below asking price are still moving at prices that are higher than they would have, just a couple of years back.

From a beach-area one-bedroom Condo at Bonnymede closing for $1,830,000 to a longon-the-market estate at Hot Springs and East Valley Road finally selling for $11,500,000, prices remain high for those looking to buy. In November and early December, we also saw multiple sales in the $5’s, an $8M, a mid $6’s, and a few $3 and $4M homes selling. A few of these sales were “off market” sales, which continues to be a growing share of the overall number of sales in Montecito month over month (not to mention the larger VIP sales that never see the light of day unless the press gets hold of the deal).

As for what is available on the market now? Not a lot. There are only 29 homes and condos for sale in the MLS as of this writing (mid-December), and that’s as low as I’ve ever seen it. If you are a buyer and you want to see something in the 93108 that’s in the $3 to $5 million range, there are only five properties to show you. There are six homes and condos for sale under $3M, mostly smaller homes on small lots and a couple of condos, but hey, there are homes available under $3M and a couple of them are in the Montecito Union School District, so…

You will also find a couple of homes for sale over $10M, but they jump up to $22M, $33M, and $68M for the most expensive listing in Montecito in the MLS, a 10.5-acre historic estate in the center of the Golden Quadrangle. Here are a few properties available in various price ranges, as we head toward the new year.

438 Seaview Road – $2,850,000

Located on a less traveled street just two short blocks to Montecito Union School, near Montecito’s Upper Village amenities including Upper and Lower Manning parks and the YMCA, this charming three-bedroom, two-bathroom home offers an open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, formal dining room, and sunny kitchen with dining area and pantry.

There is a spacious main level primary suite with closets and storage, an attached two-car garage, and private backyard. Enjoy this centrally located, peaceful, and quiet home near the beach for the same price or less than a condo in the area. There are only three listings on the

MARK ASHTON HUNT

If you would like me to make an appointment for you to view any home for sale in Montecito, or for a current market analysis of your home, please contact me directly.

Call/Text Mark @ 805-698-2174 Mark@Villagesite.com www.MontecitoBestBuys.com

market in the Montecito Union School District under $3,000,000 right now and this is one of them.

1255 Mesa Road – $5,250,000

This San Ysidro Ranch-style home is tucked down a private drive off the street, in Montecito’s highly desired Lower Village. Sited on nearly half an acre, enjoy a peaceful park-like setting while remaining close to restaurants, shops, and the beach. The single-level home features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, vaulted wood-beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, numerous French doors, newly updated kitchen, and formal dining and media rooms.

The primary bedroom features a private reading nook, walk-in closet, and picturesque garden views. California landscaping frames a bocce court, pergola, fruit trees, lawn, a detached bonus studio with bath and a detached two-car garage. This home is located within the Montecito Union School District and is situated in the coastal zone, offering an enviable opportunity to experience your own tranquil hideaway on a low traffic street, in a prime location.

1564 Ramona Lane – $9,500,000

Just a couple of blocks to Miramar Beach in one direction and Montecito Union School in the other, rests this Harriet Moody storybook cottage on nearly one acre in Montecito’s highly sought-after Hedgerow neighborhood. The enchanting main cottage and pool house have been renovated by DD Ford. Inside and out, nearly every surface has been touched by substantial upgrades including a new roof, light fixtures, paint, fully redesigned kitchen, bathroom vanities and showers, custom shelving, storage, and more. Outside, the pool has been upgraded with all-new app-controlled equipment and a new pool cover, and the pool and hot tub areas have been tiled and resurfaced.

The redesigned chef’s kitchen offers eye-catching clean lines and a stunning skylight designed by Marc Appleton. Dual primary suites on the main floor are tucked away on opposite wings of the home for privacy. The upper level hosts two one-bed/ one-bath suites featuring vaulted open-beam ceilings and sunny dormers. Adjacent to the pool area is a one-bed/one-bath guesthouse offering more than 500 square feet of living space. A brick motor court paves the entrance to the property and a two-car garage with an additional full-size laundry area is attached to the main cottage.

1556 Miramar Beach – $9,995,000

On a private, gated lane on Montecito’s Miramar Beach, this recently renovated oceanfront property defines modern, California oceanfront living. White sand beaches and the Pacific Ocean with views to the islands and beyond are your backyard with an enviable, world-class location just a few doors down from the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort and just a few blocks to the shops and restaurants in Montecito’s Lower Village on Coast Village Road.

A truly luxurious beach home, the residence is equipped with high-end, high-tech finishes, a retractable skylight on the entry level and bi-fold doors on each floor leading to large private balconies. A carefree experience awaits with whole home security, app-controlled amenities and numerous modern lock-n-leave features allowing easy access for short- or long-term living at the beach. Additionally, homes on Miramar Beach are within the Montecito Union School District.

Mark and his wife, Sheela Hunt, are real estate agents. His family goes back nearly 100 years in Santa Barbara. Mark’s grandparents – Bill and Elsie Hunt –were Santa Barbara real estate brokers for 25 years.

“The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable.” — H. Auden

Your Westmont

Paying It Forward Giving Loans That Transform Lives

by Scott Craig

Fourteen years ago, Jay (Ofori) Diallo (’08) planned to serve with the United Nations or World Vision, but he has pursued a different path with the same passion to help the less fortunate. Since earning a degree in political science from Westmont, he has spent his entire career in banking, transforming the lives of economically disadvantaged people in his community.

Jay serves as CEO and founder of First Community Capital (FCC), the first and only Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with headquarters in Riverside County and offices in Riverside, Temecula, and Gardena. FCC seeks to foster economic justice and opportunity by providing access to capital and technical assistance to economically disadvantaged micro and rural businesses. “Our emphasis is on businesses owned by people of color, including women, veterans, refugees, immigrants, and people impacted by the justice system,” he says. “It’s so amazing just to watch individuals, families, and groups of people start their business, grow, and eventually start hiring people. They become part of our economic development community, creating a larger social impact within our community.”

When someone released from the justice system wanted to improve the lives of his wife and two children, he applied for a job only to be rejected. Jay offered to help. “I found out he’s an incredible electrician,” he says. “So I helped him go through the process of becoming a licensed electrician and bought him a truck and equipment.” It took eight months to mentor him and secure the loan before his business expanded and he began hiring other formerly incarcerated people to work for him.

Jay asked the court to expunge this man’s criminal record as he’d become a

good Samaritan in the community. “The judge called me to verify I had sent the letter,” Jay says. “He told me, ‘You have no idea what you’ve done with this kid. We have so many people like him in our justice system that have nowhere to go but back to prison.’” The judge wiped the electrician’s record clean.

Jay followed a tumultuous path to the United States and Westmont. He fled Ghana, arriving in Costa Rica as a political refugee. Eventually Tom Ghormley became his guardian. Ghormley knew about Westmont from his four nieces: Kathleen Sieck (’98), Molly Phelan (’03), Elizabeth Dawson (’05), and Harriet Apalategui (’06).

Montecito residents David and Anna Grotenhuis provided a scholarship so Jay could attend Westmont, and he keeps in touch with the couple, considering them family. “I asked Anna and David how I could pay them back for everything they had done for me,” he says. “And they said if I could help one person that would be enough.”

Jay thrived at Westmont, serving as student body president and as a resident assistant and receiving the David K. Winter Servant Leadership Award.

After graduating, Jay created and incorporated Global Children’s Fund (GCF) as a nonprofit. “I wanted to go back to Ghana to provide access to education for children and orphans in sub-Saharan African countries,” he says. GCF has built orphanages and provided more than five water wells in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Nigeria, the organization provides school supplies and backpacks. Donors sponsor children in Ghana, Costa Rica, and the Democratic Republic of Congo for $35 a month or $440 for a year.

Now president of the Rotary Club of Temecula Valley New Generations, Jay earned recognition as an SBA Microlender Lender of the Year in 2019 and received a 2018-2019 Service to Humanity award from the Rotary Club of Tucson Sunrise.

Jay and Raina (Link) (’08) live in Temecula with their 13-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son. When their son was born, they decided to change the family name from Ofori (Jay’s mother’s last name) to Diallo (his father’s last name).

Christmas Lighting of Kerrwood

It was a festive evening of entertainment and holiday treats at the annual Let There Be Light on November 30 on Kerrwood Lawn.

Karen Sloan, who recently retired from Westmont after 16 years, was chosen to throw the large switch to turn on

the Christmas lights at Kerrwood Hall.

The Westmont Activities Council hosted a Canine Costume Competition. The Orwig family and their two golden retrievers, Daisy and Hanalei, won a Christmas-themed gift basket.

Families and children also lined up for photos with Santa Claus inside the decked out Kerrwood Hall.

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College

Jay Diallo, CEO and founder of First Community Capital

Karen Sloan lights up Kerrwood (photo by Josh Guinto)

Students enjoy treats in front of Kerrwood (photo by Josh Guinto)

Nosh Town

Food from the Heart: Delivering Warm Meals and Human Connection

by Claudia Schou

It’s a process that stretches from the kitchen to the bagging stations to the doorstep of a client in need of food and comfort. And each time it happens, it brings Food from the Heart one step closer to completing its mission of serving every needy resident in the Santa Barbara region.

Food from the Heart utilizes donations from local farmers and grocery stores to prepare meals for Santa Barbara residents who are no longer able to cook on their own. Each week, the group delivers bags of fully prepared meals to some 160 people at no cost. The nonprofit serves those who are managing a major illness, recovering from surgery, living alone, or don’t have the financial support to hire a caregiver.

“About 120 volunteers donate their time and compassion to every step of the process,” said Executive Director Steven Sharpe, who joined the group in 2019, a year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and oversees meal preparation.

“Having access to food during the pandemic was critical to people who were homebound,” he recalled. “In many cases they didn’t have family or didn’t have access to them.

“We needed volunteers who could help us get food out to people who needed it. Access to food wasn’t easy especially being in a situation of not feeling safe to go to a grocery store, especially with physical limitations. It was, and still is, crucial to make sure those with limited access to food are being nourished.”

Since 2011, chef Aaron Casale has prepared a weekly rotating menu for clients. Meals are packed in a customized bag that contains a main entrée, a baked casserole, a large salad with dressing, a deli salad, a small dessert, a bag of fresh fruit, and a bag of freshly baked local bread. It’s enough food to feed one person for up to a week, Sharpe said.

Food from the Heart partners with local farmers and even property owners. The nonprofit has an in-house harvesting team that goes out to residents’ homes and harvests their unpicked fruits and vegetables and then incorporates them into their menus. Breads and baked goods are donated by Ethnic Breads and Vons.

The winter menu features items such as a pork pozole and potato and sausage soup, bacon and asparagus frittata, parsley chicken stroganoff, penne pasta and meatballs, black bean and corn salad, brown rice and kale salad, peanut butter and oatmeal cake, and whole orange cake.

Volunteers staff the kitchen and deliver the food, including Santa Barbara resident Gayle Golden, who dedicates a few hours each week to driving. “I think people who volunteer get as much out of it as the people they’re serving,” she said, adding that she uses volunteering as a bridge to keep her connected to the community.

There’s no shortage of opportunities to volunteer in Santa Barbara, whether it’s fundraising for a certain charity, working in food banks, or participating in local park clean ups. For many, service is a way to look beyond themselves and discover the ways they can make a difference in their community, and sometimes inspire others to do the same.

Golden said she’s always been civic-minded. But when she lost her husband three years ago, she decided to look for an opportunity to volunteer for a local nonprofit. “It took me a few years to get my head up above water again,” she said. “The opportunity to volunteer at Food from the Heart came along at just the right time for me.”

Golden said each week’s delivery gives her an opportunity to check in with their clients and spend a few minutes to see how they’re doing and see if they need help finding resources. On a recent Wednesday, I traveled along with Golden on her delivery route. From the doorway, she introduced me to her clients and then asked how their week was going.

One client mentioned he recently went to the hospital. “I don’t think he has any family close by,” Golden later told me. “If he needs to get to the hospital he gets there. He tells me if his medication is working. Sometimes he says he has to call the doctor because his medication isn’t working.”

Sometimes clients just need a sounding board to speak about their illnesses or their physical challenges of the week, Golden said. “Some days you visit someone that is having a rough week and then the next delivery you see someone who is thriving,” she added. “When clients come

to the door and they’re feeling good it makes me feel good. Sometimes I’m the only contact they’ve had that week with the outside world. It makes me feel good when I connect with them.”

Golden ends her route near Oak Park, where she takes a walk after her last delivery. “Working as a volunteer gives me gratitude for what I have,” she observed. “I am grateful for my life and the beauty around me. I am grateful for the opportunity to help others, but I am also grateful for my blessings.”

Claudia Schou is a high-heel enthusiast, boot camp novice, and fancy recipe collector.

Loves Flannery O’Connor and Breakfast with The Beatles.

Formerly at California Apparel News, Orange County Register, and L.A. Times Community News.

Food from the Heart delivers meals to around 160 people at no cost

Food is cooked with goods donated from local farmers and grocery stores

Santa Barbara by the Glass

The Many Flavors of James Sparks: Local Winemaker Behind Multiple Premium Labels

by Gabe Saglie

It was a very personal turn-of-life event that led James Sparks to the world of wine creation – and consumption. One of a dozen children raised in a small, rural Idaho town, he left the Mormon religion a little over 15 years ago. The road to a new way of life led to Santa Barbara County, and a career that now has him at the helm of four premium wine brands, including his own pet project, Kings Carey, and the celebrated boutique label, Liquid Farm.

“I love wine, from the farming to the making,” the Solvang resident tells me as we chatted this past weekend. “There’s always something new, there’s always a challenge, and nothing is ever the same.”

With four labels in his purview, and each with its own focus, diversity in his daily duties is inevitable. But the common thread is Sparks’ personal approach

– a hands-off philosophy based less on manipulation and intervention and, as completely as possible, more on shepherding and simply observing.

“Less is more,” he insists. “Stay alert, but stay out of it.”

In particular, Sparks focuses on where his grapes come from – he sources fruit from various vineyards across the county – and on timing. He adds, “I pay attention to each section in a vineyard so that I pick at the most optimal time and create a flavor and profile representative of that vineyard.”

Serendipity was on Sparks’ side when he reached that very personal fork in the road. His brother-in-law, Brandon Sparks-Gillis, had just helped launch a wine brand in Santa Barbara – Dragonette – and the opportunity to join the buzzy, respected brand as assistant winemaker became Sparks’ ultimate leg up. Within the year, he was at the helm of a brandnew project – Liquid Farm – and, with owner Jeff Nelson, Sparks has driven the brand to success ever since.

Today, Liquid Farm, with a destination tasting room in Los Olivos, is a favorite among lovers of Burgundy, and especially lovers of chardonnay. The 2019 Golden Slope Chardonnay ($58), with its bevy of 90-something scores, is a blend of fruit from no less than eight Sta. Rita Hills vineyards – an inspired experiment aimed at capturing a region in a bottle; minerality and driving acidity reign supreme. The 2021 La Hermana Chardonnay ($48) is an homage to the Santa Maria Valley and features fruit from Bien Nacido Valley, whose sandy loam soils create a plusher, richer chard. Current releases also include the 2021 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ($48) and the 2021 Rosé of Mourvèdre ($28).

Kings Carey is Sparks’ personal creative outlet – his own label, which hit the marketplace in 2017. The name is a tip of the hat to personal roots: his wife Anna’s hometown of Kings Point, on Long Island, and his own home turf, the small ag town of Carey, Idaho. The labels are eye-catching, with playful illustrations in both color and black and white by Philadelphia-based artist Hawk Krall With this label, “I’m making wines that I want to drink,” says Sparks, “hoping others will enjoy them, too!”

Sparks prefers wines that are lighter, fresher, and lower in alcohol, and his penchant is definitely reflected in his passion project. The 2019 Kings Carey Grenache ($38) is zippy and bright, with a fruit nose and savory finish. It’s a cool-climate version of what’s become my own favorite Rhône grape, sourced from the organically-farmed Spear Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills and aged 29 months in 400- and 500-liter puncheons – oak vessels twice the size of a standard wine barrel. “They reduce surface area,” says the winemaker, “and help the wine evolve over time.”

The 2021 Kings Carey Sémillon ($25) comes from the SIP-certified Star Lane Vineyard in the warm Happy Canyon AVA and is equally zingy and lively, with sparkly minerality; it’s a wonderful white wine alternative. The label’s 2021 Grenache Rosé ($25) is out in-market now, too.

Sparks is also the winemaker for a pair of personal ventures in the Santa Ynez Valley. G. Khan is owner Roy Kim’s exploration of pinot noir from Radian Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. Grapes are hand-picked and hand-sorted, and the wines undergo whole cluster fermentation to create a wine that is lush and expressive. The 2016 G. Khan Pinot Noir ($85) is available at select shops throughout California.

Dogged Vine was born when L.A. trans-

plants Ike and Lara Zekaria bought a 20-acre vineyard in 2017, which they replanted to Châteauneuf-du-Pape-inspired grapes like mourvèdre, cinsault, and grenache. Sourcing from this organically-farmed estate in the Los Olivos District AVA, as well as a couple of other neighbor vineyards, these are “more house-style wines,” says Sparks. “These are wines that can be consumed now but also aged – not so big and bold, more nuanced, less in-yourface fruit, a bit more restrained.” The 2021 Dogged Vine Rosé ($28) is splashy, with citrus notes and refreshing minerality. The 2021 Dogged Vine Sauvignon Blanc ($38) comes from Tierra Alta Vineyard and is crisp, with tropical fruit notes and a clean finish.

Find out more about James Sparks on his website, kingscarey.com

Gabe Saglie has been covering the Santa Barbara wine scene for more than 15 years through columns, TV, and radio. He’s a senior editor with Travelzoo and is a leading expert on travel deals, tips, and trends.

Great Kitchens Don’t Just Happen . . . They Happen by Design.

James Sparks is the mastermind behind four premium wine labels in Santa Barbara County, including his own Kings Carey (photo by Jeremy Ball, Bottle Branding)

The 2019 Kings Carey Grenache features an eye-popping illustration by Philadelphia-based artist Hawk Krall on the label. The wine is fresh and savory.

The 2021 Kings Carey Sémillon is a unique white wine alternative to more popular grapes, like chardonnay. Bright and crisp, the grapes come from Star Lane Vineyard in Santa Barbara County’s Happy Canyon AVA.

think of us then?”

I smiled. “We’re on scholarship.”

She slapped me in the chest with the back of her hand and laughed. Our conversation dwindled to phrases and grunts. Finally, Cricket picked up her book, professing that she needed to read just a few pages to fall asleep. I turned off my light and rolled over, grateful for the feel of my own pillow. The last thing I heard was Cricket say, “I’m very proud of you, Hollis.”

Chapter 45

After Friday evening’s euphoria came the weekend’s reality check: at some point in the next five days, I would again be unemployed. Was I even employable? With a Swiss cheese resumé that included a stop as the CEO of a company soon to be known as a massive fraud, it was a fair question. The more I considered my future, the more I wondered if maybe I was not suited for the corporate game. I seemed hard-wired to zig when I was supposed to zag and to speak up when I was supposed to shut up. Maybe my future was not in the bowels of a new employer but in no employer. I had demonstrable computer skills, I was self-motivated, I did not need a boss riding roughshod to keep me on task, and I kind-of-sort-of hated working in teams. Wasn’t I the perfect candidate to hang out my own shingle as an independent contractor?

As the old saying goes, the downside to being self-employed is that your boss is an asshole. While true, it seemed to me that I might be the only person on the planet who could enjoy working for me. And while being an independent contractor meant giving up the comfort of a corporate safety net, who was I kidding? I was about to be unemployed for the fourth time in almost nine years, and I had drained my retirement savings account to a pittance. I was a razor blade to safety nets.

Thinking about being my own boss helped offset the anxiety I felt waiting for the FBI to bust Cyrus. Agent Daniel Andrews had said it would happen within a week but that I would not have advanced knowledge. The waiting reminded me of the feeling back in high school when I stalked the mailman for nearly three weeks, anxiously anticipating my SAT results.

I decided to leave my out of office email notification intact even though Trip and I were home from the hospital and my gar-office was fully accessible. What was the point in getting caught up on all my emails for a job that was about to go poof in a few days, I figured.

The problem was I was the only ExOh team member who knew that the company’s death was imminent. BatSignal was still alive with communication from Noah, Kai, Umed, Reuben, and Cyrus. There were new press releases to write, chock-full of fresh, creative lies about ExOh’s clients and revenues. There were hints that yet another fresh round of investment capital was on its way. And there was tremendous concern for yours truly, as expressed in Umed’s recent query: Where the fuck is Hollis?

Cyrus phoned me on my mobile as well. I did not return the calls in the hopes that I would never have to. Surely the FBI would act soon, right?

But by Wednesday morning, the FBI had done nothing, and Cricket was itching to get our lives back on track. She asked me to walk Isabel to school while she swam with the Masters program at Los Banõs for the first time in a month. Even Isabel – my reluctant walker – was excited by the prospect of her and I strolling to Montecito Union Elementary as we used to. While it risked a face-to-face encounter with Cyrus, I said yes, making both females in my family very happy.

Uncharacteristically, Isabel held my hand the whole walk to school and did not disavow knowledge of me two hundred yards from the school’s entrance (though she did let go of my hand). She allowed me to escort her all the way to her classroom door without protest. As I said goodbye – wanting a hug but settling for a wave – it struck me that this could be the last time she would ever allow me to make such an intrusion on her real life. The thought was a stark reminder of our family’s increasing rate of change. Our deck of cards had been tossed in the air; the next hand was utterly unpredictable.

It was a poignant moment, and I turned from the door of Isabel’s classroom grateful that I had risked leaving home. Naturally, on the way back down the school’s breezeway, I paid for that gratefulness when I ran smack dab into Cyrus, lurking at the head of the valet line like a bully in search of lunch money.

“My friend,” he said. “You are one hard man to track down.”

I nodded.

“Come,” he said, placing an arm around my shoulder, “we have much to discuss.”

“I’ve got to get home to Trip,” I protested, my stomach seizing up for

the first time in days.

Cyrus’s smile faded. “We have some pressing business, Hollis. When can you make yourself available?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know, Cyrus. I’ve got to coordinate with Cricket. It’s com—”

“I’ll come to you then,” he interrupted.

I was not prepared for this. Cyrus had never been to my home; I was not even sure he knew where I lived. But in that moment, on the fly, I was hard pressed to come up with a reason why he could not come to our house. “I don’t really have a great place for us to meet,” I lied.

“We’ll make do,” he said. “Ten o’clock.” He patted me on the shoulder and walked away.

All the way home, my gastrointestinal pain raged like Omaha Beach. It struck me as comical that I once thought these health issues were driven by diet or drink; it was nothing but good old-fashioned anxiety, albeit on steroids.

Cricket pulled into the driveway at the same time I walked through the front gate, her hair wet and a giant smile on her face, courtesy of the big blue pill. I told her of our pending visitor and confessed my fear: “I am a horrible liar, Cricket,” I said. “He’s going to see right through me.”

“Come on, Hollis,” she consoled. “You can do this. It is probably the last time you will ever see him out of stripes. Have some fun with it.”

I opened the gar-office’s sectional door, booted my computer, did one final scan of the room for any materials related to my secret sleuthing operation, and dusted off my guest folding chair. How fitting that Cyrus would sit in the same seat Agent Daniel Andrews of the FBI had sat in. Cricket was right. I needed to embrace the irony; it might be the only way I could get through it without blowing my cover.

At twenty-five after ten, I heard the crunch of Cyrus’s leather-soled shoes on our pea gravel driveway. Considering my stoner-level paranoia, it was a good sign that he was tardy as usual.

“Quite the setup you have here,” he said, trying to hide the disgust on his face. He pointed to the folding chair hesitantly; I nodded and smiled. He pulled the silk handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket and thoroughly wiped the chair. Of course, I was insulted, but I enjoyed his discomfort. When he could clean no more, he shook out his handkerchief, stuffed it in his pocket and gingerly took his seat.

As usual, he held in his hands a stack of papers, many of which would no doubt require my signature. One of the most painful conclusions of all my research into Cyrus Wimby’s lies was that this – my signature – was the essence of my role at ExOh Holdings. I was the United States citizen stooge. Cyrus could not have cared less about my actual capabilities. He simply needed an upstanding citizen with a clean background check. Someone who could open a bank account, pose as the Chairman of the Board, and raise absolutely zero eyebrows. I was the fool who volunteered for the job, but it could have been anyone.

“So,” Cyrus began, “before I forget, how is Trip doing?”

I grimaced. Before I forget? Did he say that? Cyrus was not dumb, and he certainly was not naïve. There could be no doubt that the man in the woods had intended to grab Priscilla, and that Trip was unfortunate collateral damage from a botched job. Cyrus was directly and irrefutably responsible for the near death of my son, and he knew it. How could he sit there and pretend that what happened to Trip was a simple accident that he had the luxury to casually inquire about as if he were curious about the weather? I have never punched a man in my life, and I probably would have lost a fistfight with Cyrus, but in that moment I did not care. I wanted to see him feel real pain; a small sample of what Trip had experienced.

“Doing better,” I finally said when my sanity returned.

“Very good, my friend. A blessing indeed.”

I gritted my teeth and nodded.

“Well then,” he thumbed off a subset of his papers. “I have decided that Entre Nous does not really fit with the overarching ExOh business plan. I discussed the matter with John Colton, and he agrees…”

I bobbleheaded along, reminding myself that none of this mattered.

“… To facilitate an orderly transfer of Entre Nous, I have negotiated a deal to sell the label and its assets to a foreign buyer for one dollar.”

My eyes bugged. “Wow. One dollar? You must have negotiated hard.” Cyrus smirked. “Yes, well. Entre Nous continues to lose money. I felt it best to cut our losses.”

“Who is the new owner?” I asked, vaguely curious.

“You don’t know them,” he said.

“What does that matter?”

He smiled. “Fine,” he said. “A group of wealthy individuals acting through a special purpose vehicle incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The entity is called La Revanche.” He handed me the papers.

“Music is the only thing I’ve ever known that doesn’t have any rules at all.” — Josh Homme

“Your signature is required.”

I flipped to the final page where, once again, John Colton’s signature was electronic. I wondered if John had ever been consulted on any of the issues to which his virtual John Hancock was attached. Nevertheless, I signed. Who cares, right?

“Fantastic. Thank you, Hollis,” he said as I passed the signed copy back to him. “Huff Monroe reached out to me yesterday to inquire about the move to the NASDAQ exchange. Do you have any update for me on that front?”

Talk about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. I shook my head. “No.”

“Very well, I will relay to him that you are continuing to work on it for the benefit of all of ExOh’s shareholders.”

I leaned back, rubbing my eyebrows. Huff Monroe had more money than I could count; he probably was not someone who deserved a mountain of my sympathy. But how would I feel when I bumped into the Montecito citizens who had been duped during Cyrus’s dinner parties? It would happen eventually at the Montecito Country Mart, Honor Bar, or farmers market. No matter how much I aided the authorities in the recovery effort, I would always be recognized as that nitwit who helped Cyrus Wimby deflower Montecito.

“We have a few important new customer announcements,” Cyrus continued. “You should have received the details from Noah on BatSignal. Can you whip up a press release for me?”

“Ok,” I said.

“Today?” Cyrus clarified.

There was no way I would write another press release for ExOh. “You got it,” I lied.

“Fantastic.” He smiled, setting his ream of papers below him on the dirty outdoor rug I was using as gar-office décor. “You know, Hollis. You have done a terrific job for ExOh Holdings in your brief tenure. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.”

“Thank you,” I said cautiously.

“I literally could not have done all of this without you…”

What does it say about me as a human being that his gratitude inspired some perverse feeling of pride in me? After all, this which I had helped him do was nothing but a fraud. But for reasons I cannot explain, I am fairly certain that I blushed when he thanked me.

“… And as a token of my gratefulness,” he continued, “I would like to do something special for you.”

The only special thing I wanted was for him to depart and never return. “That’s not necessary, Cyrus.”

“I insist,” he said. He pulled his phone from the interior pocket of his suit jacket and swiped a few times. “As we sit, this glorious morning. ExOh’s stock is at $64.28,” he raised his eyes from the screen. “Congratulations.”

I nodded, lost for an appropriate verbal response.

“The deal we struck when you joined on as Chief Executive Officer of ExOh was for you to be compensated with one-hundred-thousand shares priced at $10 per share – one million dollars – fully vested in a year’s time.”

Again, I nodded, remembering the deal; how it once made me so excited and now felt a giant cream pie flattened against my face.

“As you and I are both well aware,” Cyrus continued, “it has not yet been a year since that contract was written, thus you are not yet technically a shareholder and have not personally benefitted from the meteoric rise in our stock price.”

“That’s… that’s correct,” I said. A second pie in the face; I had agreed to a dumb deal and then agreed to have it held out in front of me like a rabbit at the greyhound track.

“Let’s fix that,” Cyrus said.

My forehead wrinkled. “Ok.”

Cyrus reached back down into his pile of papers and pulled a single page off the top. “This is a resolution signed by John Colton and me, expediting the vesting date of your ExOh shares to…,” he handed me the document, “today.” I looked at the one-page letter; as always, John Colton’s signature was electronic.

“Uh, wow… uh, thank you,” I said, though my inflection almost certainly made it sound like a question instead of a declaration. There was no other possible answer, at least as far as I could conceive in that split second. If someone offers to put millions of dollars within reach, you say, thank you, even if you know you will never touch it.

“Oh, you’re quite welcome,” Cyrus said, smiling proudly. “At a price of $64.28, your net worth just increased by six-million, four-hundredtwenty-eight-thousand dollars in the matter of a few seconds. How does that feel?”

It would have felt fantastic had it been real. Instead, it made me feel nauseous. From the day I justified cashing in my retirement savings, this was what I dreamed of. Now it was just a hoax; paper money, soon to be

torched. “It feels… terrific, Cyrus. Again, thank you.”

“Oh, there’s more,” he said. “I’ve gone to the extra trouble of readying those shares for trade.” He lifted his cell phone. “I have the broker at Humphrey Brothers on speed dial. With your shares now vested, you can sell them. Why don’t you take a little money off the table and give yourself a real payday? Sell – say – ten percent. Just enough to taste the fruit of your labor.”

My nausea reverted back to paranoia. Was Cyrus testing me? Had he been tipped off about my conversation with the FBI? Or was he blind to my sabotage and only trying – in his twisted, sociopathic way – to do something he considered nice?

The potential gamesmanship sent my if-then decision loops into overdrive. If Cyrus was simply trying to be nice, then my refusing to sell shares might tip him off that I was onto him. On the other hand, if Cyrus was suspicious and was using the offer to sell shares as a test, then refusing would confirm his suspicions, while accepting would refute them.

There was another option too. Perhaps Cyrus was neither suspicious nor trying to be nice but was, instead, trying to drag me into his cesspool of illegal deeds. He had to know that I was the very definition of a corporate insider; I could not sell shares on a whim unless I wanted to bunk up with him in prison.

Call it a test or a trap or combination of both, there was no way I could accept Cyrus’s offer to sell any of my shares. If I blew my cover, so be it. I would rather that than jail.

“It would feel great, Cyrus,” I said, calculating an eye-of-the needle answer. “And thank you for going to the trouble of getting it all arranged. But I am not ready to sell any of my ExOh shares. I think the stock will double from here, and I’m a long-term investor.”

He smiled to himself, rolling his earlobe between his thumb and forefinger. “That’s good to hear,” he mumbled.

I waited for the next item on his agenda, but he sat quietly, his face scrunched in contemplation. After thirty seconds, he gathered the rest of his documents and stood.

“Is that everything?” I asked, standing as well.

“It would appear so,” he said. He rolled the documents into a baton and patted them against his leg.

“Ok, well,” I said, anxious for him to leave. “I’ll get back to work then.”

“Yes,” he said, but he did not move to exit.

“I’ll get you that press release,” I blurted, instantly chastising myself. One of my in the fog strengths had always been remaining at ease with the awkward silence that discomforted others. But just then, I had leapt to fill the void, reminding Cyrus of work I had no intention of doing.

“Take your time,” he said, his eyes drooping pensively.

“Ok, then,” I said, placing a hand on the small of his back to usher him out. Touching was another out-of-character move for me; what was next, a man hug? I needed to get Cyrus out of my gar-office fast or else I was going to do something I would really regret. “I should go check on Trip,” I offered, trying to speed him up.

“Of course,” he said, finally beginning the short walk from my gar-office to his Porsche.

I walked with him till I was parallel with our front door then stopped. Unfortunately, he stopped too. We both stood there silently, my discomfort growing by the second. Finally, Cyrus turned to face me again and stuck out his hand.

Reflexively, I did the same. When we shook, my hand looked like an anchovy in the tentacles of an octopus.

He pumped my hand twice, eyeing me as if he could see through my pupils. I nodded uncomfortably then wrestled my anchovy from his grip. With that, he turned on his heel and was gone.

Tune in next week for more Montecito

Michael Cox is a 2005 graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Wall Street refugee. Including Montecito, Michael has written three novels, each in various stages of the path to publication. He can be reached at mcox@alumni.gsb.stanford.edu.

Far Flung Travel Family Bonds

by Chuck Graham

There was no denying the six-foottall dorsal fin cutting through the open ocean above the Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area within the teeming waters of Monterey Bay, along the Central California Coast. Black and steeple-shaped, the dorsal fin belonging to a mature, male orca glistened in the morning sun. This apex predator is known as Ben. A quarter mile off the bow of the whale-watching boat,

his plume of mist shot out of his spout as did the rest of the other orcas in the pod, an array of seabirds circling above.

There were four orcas in all, and Ben’s mother was on hand as well. Her name is Emma. The other two orcas were her offspring, and as of this writing it is not known if they are males or females and thus far, they are unnamed. They are part of an orca pod known as CA140. Orca culture is that of a matriarchal society. The moms rule the roost, and their sons stay with their mothers their whole lives. They are mamma boys.

Wanderers

There are no resident orca pods in Central and Southern California. Resident pods rely on a specific food source like salmon. Instead, transient pods maraud the offshore waters feasting on whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. They travel constantly in search of marine mammals, and sightings of orcas in the Santa Barbara Channel do not happen often. Whereas in Monterey Bay they are seen frequently.

Monterey Bay is sometimes referred to as a “Pelagic Serengeti.” That is due to the super deep, underwater canyon inside the bay reaching 1,000 to 6,000 feet down. Cold upwelling currents stirred by consistent northwest winds swirl upward towards the surface carrying tons of zooplankton and phytoplankton, satiating a throng of pelagic species. Therefore, food is aplenty for predators like orcas that reign at the top of the food web.

Emma and her pod were not hunting when we came across them. They were merely surfacing and moving at a gradual pace, slicing southward through the calm waters like a porpoise.

The last time I saw Emma and her pod was two years prior in the Santa Barbara Channel. I was returning from Santa Cruz Island after several days of guiding kayak trips through toothy sea caves. So, whenever traveling to and from the islands there’s always a slim chance of experiencing something amazing.

Emma was with her younger brother Liner. He was born in 1990 and is 32 years old. Emma was born in 1981. She is 41 years old. The pod was traveling through choppy seas to the west, perhaps out to Point Bennett on San Miguel Island, where the largest seal and sea lion congregation in the world takes place.

Female orcas in the wild can reach 75 to 100 years old. Males generally live 50 to 70 years. Generally, males don’t do as well after a mother passes.

CKWP

Ca’ Dario Restaurants

Serving a four course Prix Fixe featuring Traditional Italian Christmas Eve Specials in Montecito, Santa Barbara, and Goleta.

The California Killer Whale Project (CKWP) is a nonprofit devoted to all things orca, including their complex life histories and conservation up and down the California Coast. The nonprofit has taken the responsibility of archiving documentation dating back to the 1950s and continuing the collection of data with their commitment to those transient orcas.

To identify pods and individuals within those groups, biologists look for blemish-

es in their white eye and saddle patches, and on their impressive dorsal fins. For example, Emma from the CA140s possesses an E-shaped notch on the backside of her dorsal fin. Another male orca from the CA51s is known as Bumper, a proper name for an orca with a noticeable bump or warble in his dorsal fin.

The CKWP gathers their data from scientists, naturalists, photographers, fishermen, and the like. They observe each pod’s travels and behaviors and document their lives in the offshore waters off the coast.

I remember back in 2012 photographing the CA51s in the East Santa Barbara Channel off Santa Cruz Island. It was before 11 am. By the end of the day the CA51s had gathered on the southeast side of Point Bennett where an abundant food source awaits any predator. There are six different species of pinnipeds that utilize that active, year-round rookery smack dab in the middle of the California Current.

Stealthy Cetaceans

There were several whale-watching vessels enjoying Emma and members of the CA140s that early November day in Monterey Bay. The pod seemed to be in no big hurry to hunt. Instead, they basked in the sun while constantly changing directions.

They would surface, and then stay down for several moments before revealing themselves with their majestic spout, plumes wafting skyward on the immediate horizon. The boats would then maneuver carefully toward the pod keeping a safe distance not to disturb them.

Arguably, the most intelligent mammal on the planet, when orcas don’t want to be seen or socialize, they can ghost a flotilla of whale watching boats like no other cetacean. From bow to stern, every passenger on each boat kept an eye, but the CA140s had vanished from view in the dark depths of Monterey Bay.

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer based in Carpinteria, where he also leads kayak tours and backpacking trips in Channel Islands

National Park

Ben taking a breath

Emma and her family out for a coastal cruise

credits (SpongeBob SquarePants, SpiderMan: Turn off the Dark, American Idiot, Baby It’s You) before she added stage direction to her tool belt. The show follows musical maven Franklin’s story through a soundtrack of the hits that made her into an international superstar including “Natural Woman,” “Think,” “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me,” “Chain of Fools,” “Respect,” and many more while also serving as an elevated concert experience that speaks to the complicated human condition.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. arrives at The Granada Theatre for two shows on January 3 and 4, presented by American Theatre Guild as part of the Broadway in Santa Barbara series. Sajous, who was breaking in an entirely new cast and watching its first rehearsal heading into a resumption of its national tour in 2023, talked about the show.

Q. Can you share how the show weaves together Aretha’s life and music?

A. We are integrating the story of Aretha while also celebrating her music through her repertoire. The music doesn’t actually inform the storytelling but instead supports it. The unique thing about this piece is that it’s not a musical theater piece. It’s definitely not a cabaret. It’s really in celebration of our queen of soul. The songs are interwoven with dialogue to give the audience a history lesson about the unique parts of her life: her upbringing, how she started out in the church, how she became a pop star, how her life came full circle in activism as well as her personal life, her relationships with men and her parents, all to humanize the legend.

I’m curious about the choice to not have a single actress portray Aretha. What we have is four hosts of the evening who tell the story. There is

one person who plays mostly the lead. But we discovered that the audience loved them so much that it was hard not to give the backups more material. So there are moments when they are highlighted, singing solos and such. That way we could really celebrate Aretha in all realms. It’s not just coming from one person, it’s coming from all of them.

What do you think people will walk away with? Will they learn something or be thrilled and moved, or just enjoy the music?

What I’ve witnessed thus far is the audience literally dancing as the curtain comes down, still dancing out the door. But I hope for those who don’t know Aretha that they come in with an open mind and open heart and learn her story and her music properly and find familiarity. I also hope those who do know her music allow themselves to be in the nostalgic place to really enjoy these voices who are celebrating her music so beautifully.

Broadway in Santa Barbara presents R.E.S.P.E.C.T. at The Granada at 7:30 pm on January 3 and 4. Tickets cost $59-$114. Call (805) 899-2222 or visit www.granadasb.org.

event. In El Dorado County where I grew up, the Santa Run was a huge event and the community anticipated it every year. Neighborhoods piled into their front yards and had barbecues while they waited for Santa to come through. Having a home on the parade route made you very popular. The goal of the Santa Run is to bring our community together and help the less fortunate have a few gifts under their tree for the holiday.

What is the mission of the FF Local 3368?

Dean Carey (DC): Our mission is to protect and care for our community, which provides us the means to care for our families. Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters believe that our mission continues beyond just our job duties. We believe that caring for community means giving young people, who are the future of our community, a positive interaction with their firefighters. We also sponsor kids for junior lifeguards in the summer, teach CPR to high schoolers, purchase protective equipment for kids at the new skatepark, and have open houses, along with our Christmas outreach. I believe some other fire departments in California also have a Santa event, but we are the only local event like this that I know of.

Where do the toys and funds go this year?

PC: The Santa Run this year will be working with Carpinteria Children’s Project, Carpinteria giving tree, the Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc., and Transition House of Santa Barbara. All donations go directly back into the community. I believe this is the best part, your $5 comes into the program at $5 and leaves at $5. All supported by our membership and volunteers. On the routes, we collect toys and fill the boot with donations.

DC: We have again partnered with the local schools for our Christmas outreach. Our firefighters have donated $1,500 for The Giving Tree through Main School in

Carpinteria. Our firefighters donate their time to the program to wrap gifts and will be giving the gifts to kids at the fire station with a tour this year. We also collect food and gifts at the fire stations for the Unity Shoppe of Santa Barbara. In addition to that giving, we are taking all the ‘Fill the Boot’ cash donations and unwrapped gifts from our ‘Santa Run’ to the Transition House in Santa Barbara.

411: If you missed the boot and want to donate, contact the team at www.

carpinteriasummerlandfirefighters.org

Wedding Announcement

The Montecito Journal is pleased to announce the wedding of Jessikah Moran and Jacob Fechner. The couple was married in a private ceremony on Friday, December 16, by an officiant at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, where they read their wedding vows that they wrote for each other.

The bride wore a long, white laceover tulle sleeveless gown and tulle veil in her hair, and carried a baby’s breath bouquet. The groom chose a traditional tuxedo, maroon with black satin trim and buttons with a baby’s breath boutonniere, and a black and white polka dot bowtie. The couple will honeymoon in Japan over the holidays, and make their home in Ventura.

Ms. Moran is the Office Manager for the Montecito Journal, and Mr. Fechner is a Product Engineer at Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense in Moorpark since 2019 and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from California

University Northridge.

State

Jessikah Moran and Jacob Fechner at their wedding ceremony (photo by Otto Gonzalez)

Summerland Citizens Association Board President Phyllis Noble with First District County Supervisor Das Williams and his daughters (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage

The Aretha Franklin-focused show R.E.S.P.E.C.T. comes to the Granada on January 3 and 4 (photo by Julia Drummond)

glass chandeliers, and a new Bösendorfer grand piano, which even makes Versailles look a tad shabby.

Wallowing in the unadulterated magnificence of the night while noshing on the canapés from Jean-Philippe Sitbon were Peter’s mother Anna, 92, Jamie and Marcia Constance, Joyce Dudley, Mary Dorra, John Saladino, Henry and Rita Hortenstine, Sharol Siemens, Anne Fuchs, Madison Richardson, Richard and Annette Caleel, Frank and Barbara Randall, Alex Nourse, Hiroko Benko, Erin Graffy and James Paul Garcia, David Selberg, and Ricardo Calderon Quite the shindig...

Big Real Estate Deal

Real estate power couple Ellen DeGeneres and actress wife Portia de Rossi have just broken the record for the most expensive deal ever closed in Santa Barbara County.

The tony twosome have dropped about $70 million on two neighboring properties of Carpinteria land totaling 10 acres, a 3.4-acre plot with a Tuscan farmhouse-style home at $41.7 million and an adjacent 6.6-acre lot complete

with a lake for $28.2 million.

The previous record was for a $63 million sale of a 237-acre Montecito ranch two years ago.

The couple’s new property sits on an oceanside bluff with its own trail down to the beach and 9,066 square feet of interior living space, including a sprawling five-bed, eight-bath main house and a guest house with an additional bedroom and bathroom.

A Christmas Choral

Santa Barbara Choral Society, under veteran conductor Jo Anne Wasserman, was in fine form with its eighth annual Hallelujah Project at the Lobero, which also included Sing! program choral students from the Music Academy and pajama-clad president Scott Reed in a rocking chair reciting ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Accompanied by an orchestra, the enthusiastic singers sang a great selection of Yuletide favorites, including “Hark!

The Herald Angels Sing,” “The First Nowell,” and “White Christmas,” as well as Handel’s rousing “Hallelujah Chorus” from The Messiah conducted by Ray

A jolly Santa Claus

Nearby Home Sold

After listing for $36.5 million in July, a beachfront Carpinteria property has sold for $29.948 million with the buyer paying all-cash.

Insurance mogul Ron Lockton purchased the gated Padaro Lane property from the estate of the late California builder Paul Griffin Jr., who died last year.

Lockton also bought all the furniture in a separate transaction for “north of six figures.”

The home is around 8,850 square feet on half an acre with 66 feet of ocean frontage. The six-bedroom house also comes with a 1,000-bottle wine cellar.

Local Mom Doesn’t Like Phones at Dinner

Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow has banned her children from having mobile phones at mealtimes because she wants them to engage in “great discourse.”

The Oscar-winner insists daughter Apple and son Moses always sit down at dinner as a family, something she learned from her parents, director Bruce Paltrow and mother actress Blythe Danner.

Speaking on a U.K. podcast, Paltrow said: “We felt special being included at the dinner table even though it was a nightly event.

“If they had friends over then we sat with them at the table and had long conversations. It’s something I’ve carried on with my kids as well.

“We always have dinner together as a family with no phones allowed at the table.”

A great idea...

Doordan and Ford on Board

John Doordan and Kate Ford have joined the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.

Doordan, a longtime senior manager with worldwide corporate experience, is determined to help preserve Santa Barbara’s historic heritage and is president of the nonprofit Santa Barbara Club’s Preservation Foundation, and sits on the board of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, where he currently chairs its historic resources committee.

Ford is best known locally for her roles as an elected member of the Santa Barbara Unified School District board from 2018 to 2022, and as the principal-executive director of the Peabody Charter School.

She has also won two Educator of the Year awards and is a longtime member of the museum’s education committee.

Sightings

Singer Lady Gaga checking out the Rosewood Miramar... Behati Prinsloo, Namibian supermodel wife of Maroon Five rocker Adam Levine, shopping at Pierre Lafond... Ellen DeGeneres and actress wife Portia de Rossi at the Honor Bar.

Pip! Pip! Be safe, wear a mask and get vaccinated. And a Merry Christmas to all.

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than a decade

Montecito

“Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself.” — Henry Ward Beecher

DiBartolomeo on the Sunday I attended who won the chance to wield the baton in an auction.

just added to the festive fun...

Erica DiBartolomeo, Jo Anne Wasserman, and guest conductor Ray DiBartolomeo (photo by Priscilla)

Scott Reed reading to his delighted daughter Ruby and audience (photo by Priscilla)

Karen Williams, Lorette Harnsberger, and Adrienne De Guevara (photo by Priscilla)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Calendar of Events

by Steven Libowitz

ONGOING

No Business Like Snow Business – The Snow N Glow Holiday Festival winds up a second consecutive wintertime wonderland at the Ventura Fairgrounds with even bigger and better attractions. Family and friends of all ages can enjoy the strollthrough immersive light trail filled with more than one million glowing holiday lights, snow tubing on a giant four-lane hill made with real snow, roasting your own holiday treat at the build-your-own-s’mores bar, building a snowman with freshly delivered snow, and visits with Santa and friends.

WHEN: 4-9 pm daily through December 26

WHERE: Seaside Park at the Ventura Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura COST: $15.95 and up

INFO: (805) 585-7811 or www.snownglow.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22

Holiday Crafternoon – Explore Ecology’s Art From Scrap – a creative reuse store that keeps thousands of pounds of clean, reusable material from ending up in the Santa Barbara County landfill each year – hosts its final event of the year, inviting everyone to get inspired by all of the materials in its workshop to see where your imagination takes you. All kinds of treasures, used and new, are donated by businesses and individuals, which Art From Scrap uses to provide low-cost supplies for art, theater, costumes, and other creative projects – including yours – in fashioning a special unique gift for someone on your list, even if that’s you. Note that the workshop takes place upstairs and will be utilizing hot glue guns, so children must be accompanied by an adult.

WHEN: 3:30-5 pm

WHERE: Art From Scrap, 302 E. Cota St. COST: $8

INFO: (805) 884-0459 or exploreecology.org/event/crafternoons-2/2022-12-22/

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23

Winter Takes Center Stage – Just two days after Winter Solstice, five-time Grammy nominee David Arkenstone takes the stage inside the theater above Paseo Nuevo for an enchanting evening filled with joyful holiday spirits, virtuoso musicianship, and some of his chart-topping favorites reimagined and performed in exciting new arrangements.

ONGOING

Light Up the Zoo – Reports have been understandably, ahem, glowing about the Santa Barbara Zoo’s newest venture, one that has nothing to do with animals, or at least live ones at any rate. ZooLights is sure to illuminate your holidays in an immersive experience featuring thousands of handcrafted silk-covered lanterns twinkling with more than 50,000 LED bulbs. One can’t help but be swept away by the larger-than-life-size custom designed animal and wildlife installations that illustrate the different creatures and environments of the zoo. The exhibit brilliantly illuminates the zoo with a seemingly endless array of glowing, pulsing, and scintillating creations that include a 100-yard canopy of lights and even moving parts for the elephant and birds. Illuminated lanterns showcase animal and nature scenes that represent wild places from around the world – discover the African plains, a whimsical butterfly display, interactive areas, and a taste of the Australian Outback spread out all around the Zoo’s beautiful oceanside locale.

WHEN: 4:30-8:30 pm, December 22, 23 and 27-30, plus Wednesdays-Sundays through January 15

WHERE: Santa Barbara Zoo, 500 Niños Drive COST: $20- $32

INFO: (805) 962-5339 or www.sbzoo.org/zoolights

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23

Step It Up for an ‘Irish Christmas’

– Kerry Irish Productions is back on tour in 2022 with its acclaimed holiday production, An Irish Christmas , and tonight’s return visit to the Lobero represents the final date in its 18-venue tour. The show features an award-winning cast of dancers drawn from veterans of some of the most popular Irish acts of all time, along with musicians and singers collaborating to celebrate the holidays as only the Irish can. Audiences will enjoy cherished carols including “Silent Night,” “Carol of the Bells” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” plus a spectacular high-energy display of Irish dancing at its very best. Among the talented cast members are principal dancer Connor Reider , who has been with An Irish Christmas since 2015 after a stint with Busch Gardens’ Celtic Fyre fresh out of college, and has also performed with The Chieftains and Celtic Wings . Other dancers are veterans of the famed Riverdance step dancing sensation, while bohdrán master Mark Alfred was a Riverdance musical director. As a celebration of family and community, An Irish Christmas also showcases several Irish holiday traditions including chasing the wren, butter-making, and dancing on the half-door.

WHEN: 7:30 pm WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St. COST: $25-$75 INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.com

Arkenstone has more than 60 albums to his credit along with numerous film and game score compositions plus themes for NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Premier League soccer, and others. But he’s also very well-known for his music for the cold weather season synonymous with the holidays, a performer who takes concertgoers on a winter odyssey. Along with songs from his popular holiday albums Christmas Spirit, Celtic Christmas, and Christmas Lounge, Arkenstone and his nine-piece orchestra will also play favorites Yuletide tunes to warm the heart and spark the holiday spirit. Among the favorites that fans might hear are “Snows of Avalon,” “The Green Dragon,” “Carol of the Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” and “The Jumper.” Arkenstone, who is among the most established, diverse, prolific, and contemporary instrumental musicians – in a genre that has been called New Age – intends to evoke both fond Christmas memories from years past as well as inspire new feelings of joy fit for a contemporary holiday season. The tour, which comes to a close with tonight’s concert, also features the debut of some of Arkenstone’s recent neoclassical compositions featuring strings, flutes, and percussion.

WHEN: 7:30 pm

WHERE: Center Stage Theater, 751 Paseo Nuevo, at the intersection of Chapala and De la Guerra streets COST: $28 general, $43 VIP (includes premium reserved seating, post-show meet-and-greet, lanyard, custom CD, and a signed photo)

INFO: (805) 963-0408 or www.centerstagetheater.org

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30

Triple Threat for the 30th – SOhO boasts a three-act local cocktail for the night before New Year’s Eve, a relatively mellower mix of music just right to rev up for more partying on New Year’s Eve. Sam Blasucci, the singer-songwriter from the cosmic folk band Mapache, fronts his own group. Also sharing the stage is Tallahassee-born blues, southern rock and soul, and Americana singer, guitarist, and songwriter Katie Skene, who is now based in Ventura, and thus infuses the twang of Southern rock with the cosmic sounds of California and blends electric swamp blues with jam-band psychedelia. Also performing is Santa Barbara’s own Glenn Annie, an ensemble with an affinity for original music that evokes an earlier era. From melodic sing-songs to groove-driven dancing tunes, the music has an eclectic sound reminiscent of early ‘70s pop-rock. WHEN: 8:30 pm

WHERE: SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, 1221 State Street, upstairs in Victoria Court COST: $10 in advance, $15 day of show at the door INFO: (805) 962-7776 or www.sohosb.com

“The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be.” — Pete Seeger

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30

Winter is a Drag! – Shine bright and sparkle at Crush Bar + Tap’s New Year’s Eve Eve Drag Queen Show plus Disco Ball Dance Party in the courtyard just off State Street. Dress to impress for the event hosted by Angel D’mon with beats by ubiquitous Santa Barbara DJ Darla Bea and featuring several special guests.

WHEN: 7:30-11:30 pm

WHERE: Crush Bar & Tap, 1129 State Street

COST: $15 online or NightOut.com, $20 at door

INFO: nightout.com/events/new-years-eve-eve-disco-ball-drag-show/ticket

Miracle at the Funk Zone in Pearl Social also hosts a special New Year’s Eve Drag Pre-Party tonight, with everyone invited to come sleigh with fabulous drag queen Vivian Storm who promises to host a New Year’s Eve pre-party like no other. Viv-acious dance numbers, kooky cocktails, and over-the-top toasts are all part of the fun at Miracle at the Funk Zone during the holiday season, the second annual ultimate Christmas party pop-up experience that began back in November.

WHEN: 5-10 pm

WHERE: Pearl Social, 131 Anacapa Street

COST: $25

INFO: (805) 284-0380 or www.pearlsocialsb.com/event/drag-nye-showfeaturing-vivian-storm

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31

Symphony Pop with All the Stops – Don your bedazzled best and join the Santa Barbara Symphony for its annual New Year’s Eve pop concert before heading out to pop the cork. Perennial guest conductor and fan favorite Bob Bernhardt, a pop orchestra superstar, leads the orchestra and acclaimed guest soprano Mela Sarajane Dailey in a sparkling selection of Broadway, Beatles, and Bond music to close out 2022 and ring in 2023 aglow with glitz, glamor, and glittery symphonic joy. The program includes selections from some of Broadway’s most memorable musicals, including The Sound of Music, Chicago, and Phantom of the Opera; a trio of Fab Four smash hits from the Beatles’ catalog (“Yesterday,” “Hey Jude,” and “She Loves You”) and film favorites from the James Bond 007 oeuvre, including “Live and Let Die,” “The Look of Love,” and “Nobody Does it Better,” to name just a few. The evening includes a complimentary champagne toast and party favors, hats, and noisemakers, while a sing-along of “Auld Lang Syne” rounds out this extraordinary evening – and the year. (See On Entertainment for an interview with Bernhardt.)

WHEN: 8:30-10 pm

WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street COST: $55-$250

INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31

Noon Year’s Eve at MOXI – MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, once again welcomes pint-sized party animals and their parents to a momentous morning on the final day of the year, thrilling the young’uns about 12 hours before the calendar changes over to 2023. Revelers of all ages can enjoy a museum-wide celebration where visitors can take in all of MOXI’s interactive exhibits and themed activities. The fun event for the kids and their caregivers culminates in a lively countdown to 2023 on all three floors complete with confetti, noisemakers, and a rooftop dance party with DJ Gavin Roy. Kindermusik and UCSB Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) will also be joining in the festivities and providing special activities.

WHEN: 9 am – 12:30 pm

WHERE: MOXI Museum of Exploration + Innovation, 125 State St.

COST: $20 adults, $16 children ages 3-17, free for children ages 0-2 ($5 discount for museum members)

INFO: (805) 770-5000 or www.moxi.org

Give the Gift of Play

MOXI membership is the gift that keeps giving, with great discounts, exclusive offers, and premium access to Santa Barbara’s home for powerful play.

Give a gift membership or renew by Dec 30 and receive an additional month FREE. moxi.org/gift

Full Service SAFE Senior Relocation and Estate Liquidation Services Including: Packing and Unpacking, Estate Sales, Online Auctions and our own Consignment Shop! We are Licensed, Bonded, Liability Insured, Workers Comped, Certified by The National Assoc Of Senior Move Managers (NASMM) and The American Society of Estate Liquidators (ASEL). Glenn Novack, Owner. 805-770-7715 info@movingmissdaisy.com MovingMissDaisy.com Consignments@MovingMissDaisy.hibid. com

THE CLEARING HOUSE, LLC

We are a locally owned and operated business installing underground pet containment fences and providing boundary training. We are looking for a Full Time Installer/Service Technician to service existing fences and install new pet containment systems. No experience is needed, full training provided, clean driving record required. Email your resume to hannah@montecitodog.com if interested.

PHYSICAL TRAINING & THERAPY

Stillwell Fitness of Santa Barbara In Home Personal Training Sessions for 65+

Help with: Strength, Flexibility, Balance, Motivation, and Consistency

John Stillwell, CPT, Specialist in Senior Fitness 805-705-2014 StillwellFitness.com

Want to improve the way you move?

House calls for personalized exercise sessions for those with PARKINSON’s DISEASE and SENIORS. Certified in PD specific exercises (PWR! MovesParkinson’s Wellness Recovery) evidenced-based moves which target the key areas affected by PD.

HEALING SERVICES

Live pain-free with time-tested techniques. Long-established Montecito healer with 40 years of experience. Complementary phone consultation w/ remote or in-person healing. Please call (805) 701-0363, More information available: drgloriakaye.com

WRITING SERVICES

THE MOST SPLENDID GIFT Honor your spouse or your parents with the ultimate expression of love and admiration. I will work with your special person to research, write and publish a stirring biography or autobiography. The published book will be professional, impressive, thorough and entertaining. Give this as a holiday present this year and we’ll have the book finished by next December. David Wilk (805) 455-5980. Great references. www.BiographyDavidWilk.com

AVAILABLE FOR RENT

Montecito, Santa Barbara, Ca Furnished home for rent $30,000.00 per mo. with a 5yr. lease, 4bd+4ba, nanny quarters, & guest hse + pool Bob 310-472-0870

RENTAL WANTED

Recognized as the area’s Premier Estate Liquidators - Experts in the Santa Barbara Market! We are Skilled Professionals with Years of Experience in Downsizing and Estate Sales. Personalized service. Insured. Call for a complimentary consultation.

Elaine (805)708-6113

Christa (805)450-8382 Email: theclearinghouseSB@cox.net Website: www.theclearinghouseSB.com

TRESOR

We Buy, Sell and Broker Important Estate Jewelry. Located in the upper village of Montecito. Graduate Gemologists with 30 years of experience. We do free evaluations and private consultation.

1470 East Valley Rd Suite V. 805 969-0888

POSITION WANTED

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Organize receipts for taxes, pay bills, write checks, reservations, scheduling. Confidential. Semi-retired professional. Excellent references.

Sandra (805) 636-3089

Trusted, Experienced Caregiver, CA State registered and background checked. Vaccinated. Loving and caring provides transportation, medications, etc. Lina 650-281-6492

POSITION AVAILABLE

HELP required to assist executive. Handle business correspondence, Insurance claims, etc. Computers literacy and typing ability necessary. Charles – 805-698-6299

Josette Fast, Physical Therapist 805-722-8035

I’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage I need to relocate and am seeking a studio or 1BR apt., ADU, cottage, etc. in SB or Montecito (but open to Carpinteria to Goleta). Occupancy by January 1 preferred. I’m clean and responsible, non-smoker and no pets. Excellent references available. Let’s talk! Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com

LOOKING FOR A MIRACLE

Professional married couple who are getting ready to retire from 37 years in health services, are looking for a possible miracle. Would you or do you know anyone who would sell us a house considerably below market value? We just can’t afford market prices and our greatest wish is to stay in the community we love and have served instead of being forced to make the choice to leave the area. Please call Mark at 820 587 4314.

Volunteers

Do you have a special talent or skill? Do you need community service hours? The flock at SB Bird Sanctuary could always use some extra love and socialization. Call us and let’s talk about how you can help. (805) 969-1944 VOLUNTEERS

805-570-0415

“Music… can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.” — Leonard Bernstein

there(nodiagonals!)withoutrevisitinganysquares.

Dos Pueblos Abalone (4pcs)

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32

25

29

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Lucky’s Salad 25 romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, peppers, avocado, roquefort

Charred Rare Tuna Nicoise Salad 42

Caesar Salad 15 w/ grilled chicken breast 27 Seafood Louie 44 two shrimp, 2 oz crab, avocado, egg, romaine, tomato, cucumber

reggiano parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette

Arugula, Radicchio & Belgian Endive Salad 17

roquefort or thousand island dressing

Wedge of Iceberg

• Salads and Other Specialties

26

32 mushroom sauce, french fries

Sliced Filet Mignon Open Faced Sandwich, 6 �oz

bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado

Grilled Chicken Breast Club on a Soft Bun

choice of cheese (burger patty is vegan)

Vegetarian Burger, 5 �oz

choice of cheese

Lucky Burger, 8 �oz

choice of hash browns, fries, mixed greens, Caesar, fruit salad

Sandwiches

20

Mixed Vegetable Frittata w/ Gruyere

22 tortillas, melted cheese, avocado and warm salsa

Huevos Rancheros, two eggs any style

Corned Beef Hash, and two poached eggs

Petit Filet 7 oz Steak, and two eggs any style 55

Home Made Spanish Chorizo Omelet w/ avocado 22

Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Omelet 22

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict 27

California Eggs Benedict w/ spinach, tomato, avocado 24

Classic Eggs Benedict w/ julienne ham and hollandaise

choice of hash browns, fries, sliced tomatoes, fruit salad

Eggs and Other Breakfast Dishes

toasted bialy or bagel, cream cheese, olives, tomato & cucumber

Cambridge House Rope Hung Smoked Salmon, ���������������� 29

Waffle w/ fresh berries, whipped cream, maple syrup 16

Brioche French Toast w/ fresh berries and maple syrup 19

Lucky Chili w/ cornbread, cheddar and onions 20 • A La Carte •

French Onion Soup, Gratinée 16 Matzo Ball Soup 16

Burrata Mozzarella (Puglia), basil and ripe tomato 20

Grilled Artichoke with choice of sauce

12 Giant Shrimp Cocktail

Bowl of Chopped Fresh Fruit w/ lime and mint

Fresh Squeezed OJ or Grapefruit Juice 6/8

Morning Starters and Other First Courses