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our generations of t he Margolis family have now walked, played, learned, explored, and celebrated here at t he Garden. Paul and Phyllis have been Members for over 40 years, and t hey say t hat t he Garden is par t of who t hey are and what t hey love about Santa Barbara. Bot h teachers, t hey have always enjoyed learning t hrough a nat ural sense of curiosit y and inquir y. They appreciate t hat t he Garden is a place to learn about t he nat ural histor y of Santa Barbara and to obser ve how t he world works. To t he Margolis family, t he rest of t he world falls away in t he Garden and t hey can experience t he sights, smells, and sounds of nat ure by stopping ever yt hing else to just enjoy where t hey are. Phyllis describes walking up t he meadow and down into t he redwoods as “t ranscendental.” She encourages us to be mindf ul of t he experiences t hat can be lost or diminished when we let t hings like phones dist ract us, and instead allow our senses to open up in nat ural spaces. In t he Garden, she gets a sense of being somewhere special t hat recalls memories of childhood, and of watching children and grandchildren grow up here. Since t hey first moved to t he Mission Creek area in 1972, Paul has removed all t he non-native plants f rom t heir yard. They’ve brought plants home f rom our nurser y over t he years to
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Ironwood WI N TER 2020
Phyllis and Paul Margolis
create a mini botanic garden of t heir own, put ting to work t he lessons learned f rom t he native plants and habitats displayed t hroughout t he Garden grounds. Phyllis says t heir yard now looks a lot like t he Garden. For t heir 25t h wedding anniversar y, Phyllis purchased a bench in t he Garden as a surprise gif t to Paul. She remembers bringing him wit h t heir son and daughter for a walk into t he canyon on t hat day, and as t hey approached t he bench, he noticed t hat it was new. Phyllis asked him to check
t he inscription on t he bench’s plaque and says he “lost it” when he read his own name. They pulled out a bot tle of champagne right t here, taking photos and celebrating in t his place t hat had just been made even more special to t hem. For anot her anniversar y, Paul updated t he plaque to include Phyllis’ name. Af ter t he Jesusita fire came t hrough t he Garden in 2009, t hey worried t hat t he bench might have been lost in t he damage. Phyllis admits t hat she snuck into t he Garden while it was closed to check t hat it was still t here. It was, and still is today, inscribed wit h t heir names and t he phrase f rom t heir wedding invitations, “To love is to be whole.” Phyllis says t hat since t he bench sur vived t he fire, t hey had to stay married. This year t hey are celebrating 50 years of marriage, enjoying peacef ul walks in t he Garden to get away f rom it all, and appreciating t he t ranquilit y of t heir favorite place.
