Upwardly Mobile - Summer 2008

mobile Upwardly

The Magazine of Mobile, Manufactured and Modular Home Living

Wine Country Living in Paso Frank Lloyd Wright: Pre-Fab, Modular and Mobile At Home in Paradise Award-Winning Container Home Design

A�� B���� Mobile Homes by Famous Architects Steve Schaecher Preface by R. V. Parke A628

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by R. V. Parke, world-famous trailer park authority, sets the stage.

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The Magazine Of Mobile, Manufactured And Modular Home Living

Publisher & Editor Toni Gump

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ASSISTANT EDITOR MIRIAM HOSPODAR Sales Associate Amy Dresser Design & Production City Creative Group Contributors C. William Dahlin Leslie Dinaberg Betsy L. Edwards Andrea Estrada Miriam Hospodar Steve Kostechko Onna Roll Stephen T. Vessels Leslie Westbrook Photography Viktor Budnik Scott Gibson Brent Winebrenner

Vice President, Mortgage

445 Pine Avenue Goleta, CA 93117

art & illustration Patricia Chidlaw John cushing Marc Lumer Christina Rivera

Dave Weinhold

office manager Georgeanne stewart

Senior Loan Consultant

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Nancie Irvine Sales Manager

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Upwardly Mobile: The Magazine Of Mobile, Manufactured And Modular Home Living is published quarterly by Upwardly Mobile Home Magazine, and single copies are provided free of charge. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs, artwork, and designs printed in Upwardly Mobile are the sole property of Upwardly Mobile Home Magazine and may not be duplicated or reprinted without express written permission. Upwardly Mobile is not liable for typographical or production errors or the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or writers. Readers should verify advertised information with the advertisers. Upwardly Mobile reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Upwardly Mobile® is a registered trademark of Upwardly Mobile Home Magazine, Copyright © 2008. All inquiries may be sent to: Upwardly Mobile, 1187 Coast Village Road, Ste. 1-394, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, or info@umhmag. com or visit our website at: www.umhmag.com.

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CONTENTS

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ON THE COVER

Life is a Bowl of Cherries An Active Paso Robles Family Live in Stylish, Triple-Wide Comfort on their Central California Farm...........................................................................................................................................................................16

R O U N DA B O U T

At Home in Paradise Look no further than Malibu’s Paradise Cove for a version of heaven on earth............................................24 6

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D E PAR T M E N T S UP FRONT Letter from the Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 OVER THE FENCE I’ve got issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ENTERTAINING Colin Cowie knows how to Wow! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 SPEED BUMPS San Clemente is a hot spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MODULATIONS Award-Winning Container Home Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 TIME TRAVELS Frank Lloyd Wright: Pre-Fab, Modular and Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 UPSCALING Don’t trash that trailer! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 UPGRADES Protect your home from the heat of summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 HIGH SOCIETY Famous architects take on the mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 TRAILER TALES Keeping an eye on the park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 THE BACKYARD Water-wise gardening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 THE LAW The Landlord’s Obligation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 DRESSING UP Great solutions to the problem of sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 LAST LOOK Art from Patricia Chidlaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

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UPFRONT

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Oil Painting by John Cushing titled “A Little Bit o’ Heaven.” John lives and works in Carpinteria, CA. He is currently working on paintings of ocean liners and can be reach at johncushing.com

elcome to the premier issue of Upwardly Mobile, the first magazine devoted to mobile, manufactured, and modular home living. People living the mobile way are on the forefront of many of the latest trends: consciously creating more with less, by living in compact spaces, with green, environmentally sustainable housing and furnishings, while experiencing the joys of community-building in mobile home parks.

We at Upwardly Mobile are very excited about bringing news, new ideas, and ways to enhance the choice you have made to have a mobile or manufactured home, be it your permanent residence, a vacation home, or something you use for occasional trips.

In this issue you’ll meet the Cherrys, a family who lives in a triple-wide near their winery and restaurant in the wine-growing region of Paso Robles. You’ll take a private tour of a palatial renovated home in Paradise Cove, the luxury park in Malibu with its own beach.

Noisy neighbors can be a headache in the close quarters of a mobile home park, and “I‘ve Got Issues” shows you how to diplomatically solve the pesky problem. You’ll find an ahead-of-itstime design for a mobile home by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and a light-hearted look at how other famous architects might have designed mobile homes.

We’ve greatly enjoyed anticipating what you would like to read about. We are also thrilled to present beautiful photographs and graphics to echo the forward-looking aesthetics of the new mobile, modular, and manufactured homes.

You have demanded that the bar be raised for mobile homes to be attractive, modern, comfortable, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective—yet luxurious. Now you have a magazine to match.

Toni Gump Toni Gump Publisher 8

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F O U N DA T I O N S

I’ve Got Issues

By Leslie Dinaberg

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something you like, tell them you noticed the yard work or the new paint job. Later, it will be easier to talk with them, if they do something you don’t like.

Follow the Golden Rule. Treat your neighbors the way you would like to be treated. Be considerate about noise from vehicles, tools, stereos, group activities, and pets. Don’t forget to consider the view from your neighbor’s yard. Those extra dead vines they can see may not bother you, but your neighbor may not like looking at them.

If there is a problem, track it. Note the date, what occurs, and anything else you think might be helpful. It’s possible the problem (such as late night noise) may not occur as often as you think it does. In any event, clear documentation will help you talk to your neighbor and help make your case to the park manager if it comes to that.

Your neighbors can’t resolve a problem if they don’t know about it.

Neighbors are not always aware that their actions are negatively affecting others.

If your neighbor does something that irritates you, don’t assume it was done on purpose; instead operate under the assumption the neighbor doesn’t know their three a.m. party kept you awake.

Don’t let your irritation fester. Focus on the issue at hand. By communicating early, in a calm and pleasant manner, you take a big step toward resolving the problem. Don’t wait until a minor irritation becomes a major issue making it difficult to discuss. Separating the person from the problem will allow you take care

of the problem while maintaining your relationship with your neighbor.

Stay calm and listen thoughtfully.

You don’t have to agree with them or justify your behavior, but if you can listen and not react defensively, their anger will likely subside and there is a good chance of working things out. Try to understand how your neighbor feels about an issue and why. For example, people can become very defensive when they think their pets—or their children—are being maligned. Understanding their position will increase the likelihood of a solution that works for you both. If you need to, take a break to calm down and think about what you and your neighbor have discussed. Arrange a time to finish the conversation later. Don’t try to problem solve when you are having a heated discussion.

Always keep in mind: talking things over directly is the best way to handle problems. If you must go to the park manager with a complaint, take it in writing, as they can’t help you if it isn’t documented. Turning to outsiders to resolve your neighbor issues should be a last resort.

Leslie Dinaberg is a Santa Barbara-based writer. Her weekly columns are featured in the Santa Barbara Daily Sound, ParentClick.com and its 20 affiliates sites, and Noozhawk.com. She is a frequent contributor to Santa Barbara Magazine and Coastal Woman Magazine, as well as a variety of other publications.

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Illustration by Marc Lumer

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t’s summertime and the living is easy. The wine is perfectly chilled, the steaks are on the grill, and you’re admiring the sunset with your loved one. All of a sudden your neighbor screeches to a stop, rock music blaring, and starts unloading kegs, chips, and fireworks from his car—for the fourth time that week.

Neighbors: love them or hate them, you have no choice but to deal with them, especially in the close quarters of a mobile home park. Here are some strategies to help minimize conflicts with your neighbors and make your summertime go just a little bit easier.

The key to a stress-free summer is anticipating problems before they happen.

Introduce yourself. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know their neighbors these days. Don’t wait until you have a problem to meet the people next door. Bring over a bottle of wine or some fresh strawberries from the Farmers Market and just say hello. If a problem has already occurred, try to get to know them at least a little before making a complaint.

Be a good communicator. Keep your neighbors informed before you do something that might affect them, such as hosting a big party or getting a new dog. Informing your neighbors ahead of time allows them to make plans or tell you how your project will affect them.

Getting their input in advance allows you to act in a way that will help avoid problems. Also, if your neighbor does

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E NTE RTAI N I N G

COLIN’S CHIC BUFFET

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hether entertaining in your home or in the clubhouse, a potluck or created by you on the premises, a buffet allows more time with your guests. The well known entertaining personality Colin Cowie suggests that one of the most important aspects to entertaining is to make a plan: jot down a schedule, make lists of everything you need to buy and do, and keep to a simple and well tried menu. He encourages washing, chopping, peeling, slicing and dicing and setting the buffet table with sticky notes the day before or at least several hours ahead. The labels help anyone helping know what goes where and when. Parties are about creating memories not about how much money or time or ability you display, he says.

All this will allow you to relax and enjoy your own party.

Colin Cowie is renowned for his style. He is a favorite with the stars. He is also known for his well-designed and affordable tableware. In his new book Colin Cowie Chic, he gives this advice:

SETTING A BUFFET TABLE (Reprinted from Colin Cowie Chic)

Buffets work for both small and large gatherings, particularly the latter. They’re casual, easy, and give you the opportunity to showcase your creativity and sense of theatre.

A buffet should look abundant! If the table is large, group everything together 12

rather than spreading out the food. At the other end of the table, place florals or set up a bar or coffee and desert. Instant celebration!

A well-balanced buffet should offer a vegetable, a protein, a salad, a grain based dish, and a bread. For summertime, set out a platter of poached salmon, a cucumber sauce, a plate of poached asparagus, a crispy salad, potatoes or rice, and a crunchy baguette-and call it a day!

For a more lavish buffet, offer multiples of each category.

If you are serving both meats and fishes, keep them on separate buffets so their sauces don’t mix. I have never been a lover os “surf and turf ”; however, if space is limited and you have to have both on the same table, set the fish with the salad and rice at one side of the buffet, a centerpiece in the middle, and the meat, salad and potatoes on the other side. Place your plates, napkins, and silverware at each end.

Put clean plates at the beginning of your buffet, followed by cold items. Next come the hot entrees. Last should be the silverware and napkins (so your guests won’t be juggling napkins, fork, knives and spoons while they fill their plates).

If you have enough room, set a bar at the other end of the table, with bottles of wine and glasses waiting for guests to help themselves.

At outdoor buffets, keep the food covered until you’re ready to dine, and set out enough citronella candles to keep bugs at bay.

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Photos courtesy Colin Cowie

By TONI GUMP

Colin’s designs are available at Home Shopping Network.

Opposite: Sticky notes help party organization.

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SPEEDBUMPS

Discovering

SAN CLEMENTE

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an Clemente is a charming, refurbished tile-roof hideaway between San Diego and Los Angeles with (as the NY Times says) “cliffside trails along sandy beaches.� Those who have moved here call it a real community. Ole Hansen discovered it when passing through by train and eventually bought it, building the Spanish-style homes and swim club in the 1920s. Avenida del Mar, the main street, is the center of activity, with shops, restaurants and art galleries.

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Capistrano Shores Inc 1880 N. El Camino Real (714) 492-6616 Palm Beach Park 101 Palm Drive (714) 492-3344 Shorecliffs Mobile HomeS 3000 Calle Nuevo (714) 492-8736

Where to lodge San Clemente BeachcomBer Motel is 1 min. from the pier with views from every room.

Many other chain hotels can be found here. Also, San Clemente Campground and RV Park.

What to do

Photos courtesy San Clemente Visitors Bureau

Surfing, fishing, ice skating, visiting the Nixon western White House or Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens or San Clemente Historical Society Museum.

204 Avenida Del Mar, Suite D San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 366.3232

E A S I D

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Gordon James Grill & Bar Serving fine steaks and seafood in the historical heart of town 110 N. El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 498-9100 Iva Lee’s Southern and Creole classic cuisine from New Orleans 555 N. El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 361-2855 La Siesta The area’s best kept secret for fresh, authentic Mexican food 920 N. El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 498-309

Healthy Products U Better Design

Montecito: 1275 Coast Village Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93108 (805) 565-4103

WHERE TO DINE

Pizza Port Brewing Co. Unique dining and drinking 301 N. El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 940-0005

Santa Barbara: 218 Helena Ave., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (866) 966-1319

Beach Garden Café at the Pier Start your day watching the waves from the outdoor patio.

618-1/2 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 498-8145

Sonny’s Pizza & Pasta Authentic Italian food served with Southern California flair 429 N. El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949)498-2540

Los Angeles: 10000 Culver Blvd.,Culver City, CA 90232 (310) 838-8442

Beachfire Bar & Grill Celebrate the SoCal lifestyle with great atmosphere and excellent food.

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FOR MORE INFO www.sanclemente.com www.san-clemente.org www.scchamber.com

Mon.–Sat. 10–5 www.livingreen.com info@livingreen.com 15

A BOWL

of Cherries

An Active Paso Robles Family Live in Stylish, Triple-Wide Comfort on their Central California Farm

By LESLIE WESTBROOK Photos by BRENT WINEBRENNER

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Below left: The upgraded bath includes a clawfooted tub Top right: The stone surrond for the fireplace adds to the character of the room.

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Top: The Cherry’s delightful kitchen and diningroom with cozy couch make for relaxed entertaining.

Opposite: The bold and expansive porch adds even more room for entertaining outdoors.

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Home sweet home for winemaker/ restaurateur Cris Cherry, his wife JoAnn, and their two children, Camille and Henri, is a triple wide manufactured house. The stylish three bedroom, two bath house is neatly tucked into Peachy Canyon, located between the famous Hearst Castle on California’s central coast and the evolving region of Paso Robles. It is an area noted for its natural hot springs, agricultural heritage, and present day booming wine and tourism industry, as well as some of the friendliest folks in the state.

They are not alone.

The Cherrys share their house and land—rolling hills dotted with walnut orchards and a winemaking facility— with three dogs: Rocco, Fanny and Izze, eight cats and kittens, chickens

named Isabella, E2, Puffhead and Mary Poppins and a duck known as Doodle.

Not to be forgotten are goats Roxy and Sunny (their milk is used to make cheese during the spring months), as well as house pets Sparky (Henri’s bearded dragon) and Linea (Camille’s bald python). There’s an organic garden to tend and protect from deer.

To top it off, in a winemaking facility just a short stroll from the house, grapes are crushed in the fall and the juice collected, stored and aged in American, French, and Hungarian oak barrels. The winery features a tasting room, and the wine is also sold in the couple’s fine restaurant, Villa Creek (www.villacreek.com), located on the square in downtown Paso Robles.

But back to the house.

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“When we bought the property and looked at the cost of building a conventional home versus the cost of manufactured housing, we realized that not only could we have a home for about one third the cost (fifty dollars per square foot vs. one hundred fifty dollars per square foot), but with the leftover savings we could incorporate upgrades,” the couple reported.

With their budget, they had a choice of a 1,300 square foot traditional or “stick” house, or a 2,000 square foot manufactured house. They chose the latter with more square footage and had money left over for improvements.

Upgrade they did, with more style than budget. Many of the cabinets, both in the kitchen and bathrooms, U p w a r d l y

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came from Ikea, as did the linen curtains and pull-out shelves for storage used in the children’s rooms.

The state-of-the-art, working kitchen features an island with stools on one side, a six-burner range with a travertine marble tile backsplash and a stainless steel refrigerator. The dining area, incorporated into the kitchen, has a large wooden farm table flanked by a couch against one wall, which adds comfort, as well as the ability to seat more guests than chairs might allow.

The “real” dining room functions as an office for their winery, which shares the same name as their restaurant, Villa Creek, in downtown Paso Robles.

The couple also upgraded the

structure by incorporating oak floors (glued down with the help of the bartenders from their restaurant), and by adding a wraparound wooden deck along the front and one side of the structure for lounging, barbecues, and entertaining, as well as providing a favorite spot for the cats and dogs to lounge.

Cris and JoAnn purchased their home from Champion Homes in Paso Robles and even encouraged a number of friends to follow suit; half a dozen of their friends, couples and families now have modular houses on nearby ranches.

French doors were part of the factory model, as were the shutters, which JoAnn painted a cheerful salmon color.

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“I like to change things frequently,” she admitted. Her great color sense comes from a background in advertising, graphic, interior, and set design, “I’m already thinking about what color to choose next.”

Corners of the manufactured building, “A dead giveaway,” notes JoAnn, were hidden and softened with greenery, Virginia Creeper in this case. JoAnn also enjoys “playing in the garden,” where she has planted olive trees so she can cure her own olives, a patch of grass for the kids to play on, roses for the house, plenty of purple wisteria that blooms twice a year and a veggie garden full of healthy things to eat. Artichokes and fruit, including figs, apples, and pears all find their way to the bounty of the well-used kitchen.

The couple plans to build a conventional house on the property one day. But for the time being, their triple wide serves them well and may eventually be converted to a bed and breakfast or rental. They continue their upwardly mobile lifestyle in a classic Airstream trailer parked on the land for impromptu family camping trips to nearby Big Sur.

The wine business is a big part of family life, especially at harvest time. The first vintage of the Cherry’s Rhone-based blends—primarily syrah, genanche, mouvedre and a little temparillo varietals—under the Villa Creek label, such as High Road, Mas de Maha and Pink, a lovely light rose, came in 2001.

“Being a winemaker just kind of evolved naturally,” admits Cris, who obviously has soaked up the atmosphere of the region.

His great grandparents were Swiss-Italian dairy farmers who had a ranch called Villa Creek in the nearby coastal town of Cayucos.

The next time you take a sip of California central coast wine made by the Cherry family, just remember the makers are living happily—if not forever, at least for the time being— in a really cool triple wide.

Above: The Cherrys enjoying a quiet evening with their favorite wine from their own vineyard.

Left: The airy and inviting bedroom.

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Paso Robles

Located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the city of Paso Robles has a national award-winning Main Street area. The Cherry’s restaurant is one of several on the Main Street Square.

Originally named El Paso De Robles (the Pass of the Oaks), PR is in Wine Country, since the Franciscan missionaries introduced wine grapes back in 1797. In March and May, there are special Wine Festivals, but 100 wine tasting rooms are open year round, some right downtown and others off the beaten path. Both guided and self-guided wine tours are available. There is also olive oil tasting and a lavender farm in PR.

Wine Country RV Resort is an RV Park right in PR, off Highway 46 East. There are also many bed-and- breakfasts inns, and some ranches and farms offer guest quarters. Just outside of town is the Rancho Paso MH Park, an own-your-own land park for seniors, with lots of green space beautifully landscaped with mature trees, and next door to a family park.

Further away is Quail Run, a gated senior MH park with many new homes. And just down the road from the Rancho Paso MH Park is the Hampton Inn, which takes dogs, is outfitted for the disabled, and serves a large breakfast.

“Hot” activities to try during your visit include Hot Air Ballooning and the Hot Springs at the Paso Robles Inn. Or you can visit one of the historical Missions nearby or go on a bald eagle photo shoot. Hearst Castle and the beach town of Cayucos are just over the rolling hills to the west.

Amtrak offers 3-day tours to PR and Hearst Castle from LA. For more info, see www.visitpaso.com.

Windrose Farms Tomato and Mint Pesto Risotto Courtesy Tom Fundaro at Villa Creek

Top photo: istockphoto.com; courtesy visitpaso.com

Mint pesto 2 Cups loose packed mint leaves 1/2 Cup loose packed parsley leaves 3 Cloves garlic 4 Tablespoons pine nuts 1/4 Cup grated parmesean cheese 1/2 Cup virgin olive oil Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste

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Using a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients except olive oil. With blender running add olive oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is A bright green and blended well.

Risotto 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 Cups nanno vialone rice 1/2 Yellow onion (diced) 1 Clove garlic (sliced)

1 Cup white wine 2 Quarts chicken or veg stock (warm) 1/4 Cup grated parmesean cheese 3 Cups assorted tomatoes (i.e. Green Zebras, Aunt Rubies, Cherokee Purple, Valencia, etc.)

1/2 Cup mint pesto (recipe above) In a sauce pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil on low until onions are transluscent. Then add rice and increase heat to medium high, cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add white wine and stir until wine is almost evaporated.

Reduce heat to medium and slowly add the warmed stock 4-6 ounces at a time Until rice is creamy and aldente.

Fold in tomatoes, pesto and parmesean cheese.

Serve on individual plates, or family style and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

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AT HOME IN

PARADISE

By Miriam Hospodar Photos by BRENT WINEBRENNER

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B

ob Dylan once sang, “Don’t go mistaking paradise for that home across the road.”

However, denizens of the mobile home park in Malibu’s Paradise Cove, near what was once Dylan’s estate, need look no further than their own front doors for a version of heaven on earth.

Down the path, they have their own beach.

Residents John and Sandy Bell renovate old mobile homes and upgrade new, unfinished models into luxurious living spaces. John is a contractor while Sandy does the decorating.

John started renovating mobile homes ten years ago. “I moved into the park and fixed mine up, and then began remodeling them for other people. I’ve remodeled twenty homes in Paradise Cove and the Point Dume Club. We sometimes live in the homes we renovate for up to five years before we sell them and start work on another one.” When the Bells buy a new mobile home, it contains only a finished kitchen and bathroom. “Even then, we take out the cabinets and put our own in, made by Oasis Imports.”

“Either the clients go to architects for a design, or I work with them to design the homes. They sometimes bring pictures from magazines of what they want. I send those clients to a park resident, who graduated from architecture school, to draw up the plans. Then they have to be engineered. We take everything to the Park management to sign off on, and from there it goes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for approval. We start building after they approve it.”

“The new mobile homes are built just like conventional houses; I’m just dealing with smaller spaces. I put in extra piers because it becomes heavier when we put in drywall.”

John Bell showed us through an exquisite 1963 mobile home he and Sandy recently totally renovated. Bell added a 500 square foot cabana to a double wide. “As long as you keep within seventy-five percent of the land, you can add on. There’s one mobile home that’s 3,200 square feet —made from a double wide that was originally 1,200 feet!”

The deck has glass walls to preserve a total view of the ocean and add to the feeling of spaciousness. The hardwood floors, showing

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This page: So much space that even a pool table fits easily.

Opposite top: This first home is another triple-wide John brought in and remodeled. Bottom left: The cabinetry and model add to the nautical look. Bottom right: John Bell looks out onto the sea above the private beach down the path

traces of hand-finishing, express casual elegance. Built-in cabinetry throughout, and a built-in Murphy bed in the smaller bedroom, preserve space and give the entire home an airy and roomy feel. Hardware from Baldwin and sinks and shower fixtures from Newport Brass continue the oceanside nautical theme. A pool table, a cozy dining area, and an outdoor built-in grill await the guests of what is sure to be a delighted new owner.

Paradise Cove folks use their mobile homes as vacation residences or for year-round living. Often several generations of a family will live in the park. Located on a bluff overlooking the ocean, the park is divided into three levels: the lower level is comprised of beach cottagestyle mobile homes; there is a family section; and the upper section includes palatial digs with craftsmanstyle, colonial, Spanish-style and glass-and-chrome contemporary 28

sensibilities. Some residents have added whimsical sculptures and bird houses to the public areas near their homes. There is a clubhouse, but most people entertain each other at home. A friendly, neighborhood atmosphere permeates the park. One couple put out a taco stand for the kids on Halloween. And there’s always the nearby private beach for surfing: paradise down the road, indeed.

Note: Every city, county and mobile home park has varying building requirements. Check with the appropriate offices before planning a remodel.

Miriam Hospodar is the author of two cookbooks, Heaven’s Banquet (Dutton, 1999 and Plume, 2001) and The Age of Enlightenment Cookbook (Arco, 1991). She has written extensively for magazines such as Gastronomia, Yoga Journal, and Food & Home. Hospodar is currently writing a book about the music of the 1960s and how it reflected the values and culture of the era.

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By Stephen T. Vessels Photos by Scott Gibson

ART

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Kim Yasuda and the UCSB Container Project U p w a r d l y

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The site on campus of UCSB. Opposite: Kim Yasuda works on a new design.

The word “alternative” gets tossed around a lot. Alternative energy, alternative medicine, alternative lifestyle – overwork a word and it can lose meaning. Applied to the shipping container project of Kim Yasuda and her students at UCSB, “alternative” acquires meaning, characterizing an increase of possibilities that can alter the norm.

“Open Container”, as the project is called, is in part a response to the loss of twenty undergraduate art studios on UCSB’s west campus where an old building was deemed no longer usable.

The goal was to design a model for its replacement. Yasuda invited her intermediate sculpture students to convert two 8’ x 20’ shipping containers into a habitable workspace. In part to address the inevitable realities of postgraduate life, she sought to present them with alternatives to conventional exhibition practices, demonstrating, thereby, an emergent strategy among 32

contemporary artists to treat creating venues and fostering community as aspects of making art. In Fall of 2006, Jorgen Staal, whose company sells the containers, donated two for the project.

He also loaned a third for use as an experimental mobile studio. Among other manifestations, the latter has seen use, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, as a satellite exhibition space and micro-cinema.

Over the last two years, Yasuda and her students modified and furnished the donated containers, creating a 300 square foot functional sculpture cum dwelling/ art studio that reflects an incorporation of ecological and social dimensions into the artistic process.

Yasuda is a professor of spatial studies in the UCSB art department and co-director of the U.C. Institute for Research in the Arts, through which she launched the container project.

Her exhibition credits include the New

Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and she is a recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Throughout her career she has been interested in the civic dimension of artistic action. Among her public commissions is a bus shelter facility and station design for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Los Angeles.

The shipping container, developed

by Malcolm McLean in 1956, revolutionized the shipping industry, and was a prime factor in the proliferation of global trade. For all its benefits, it has produced a host of problematic sideeffects, not least the gargantuan surplus of empty containers that accumulate in port cities around the world because it is more economical to buy a new container than send a used one back empty.

Between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, approximately 4,400,000 containers entered the Port of Los Angeles and only 1,600,000 were shipped out. Such buildUpw a rdly

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ups spurred a movement to develop architectural applications for the surplus, particularly for low-income housing, as the containers can be purchased and transported cheaply. J Staal sells used containers for between $1,500 to $1,900 each. Containers have been used as emergency shelters in disaster areas, transformed into mobile medical labs, and architects such as Peter de Maria and Adam Kalkin have incorporated them into designs for both luxury and affordable homes.

It is not groundbreaking to seek a new building application for shipping containers. What is unusual about Yasuda and her students’ project is that they approached the matter as sculptors.

They cut triangular wedges from opposite ends of the two containers, joined the containers in an asymmetric v-shape, and re-attached the triangular segments transposed to break the corridor effect.

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and learned by doing, working with local professionals who donated time as consultants. They also had to learn to work together, which, as developing artists seeking to distinguish themselves individually, proved a challenge in its own right. Those who stayed with it, Yasuda feels, emerged as a “different breed” of students, who view themselves as part of a social network.

The sculpture currently resides in the art department’s sculpture yard – the next task is to install it on the aforementioned west campus property. Some portions of the exterior are painted, enhanced with a fanciful applique of stylized plants and animals, and others are clear-coated to leave the scars of transport visible. Upon entering, the collaboration of many hands and minds is immediately evident.

An irregular array of rectangular cut-outs forms a cluster of windows. A plexiglass channel in the floor exposes electrical conduits.

I lingered awhile, imagining what it would be like to live there. Most of the furnishings – counters, benches, a murphy bed – are built in, reminiscent of post World War II utilitarian visions for future pre-fab habitats. The effect is both nostalgic, in recalling a bygone confidence in industrial idealism, and ironic, in the undisguised incorporation of waste; the entertainment center is constructed of discarded cafeteria serving trays. But it is an attractive and inviting space, possessed of an artful spirit.

The optimism of the project prevails, for more than anything it reflects the human ability to adapt, and to translate worrisome circumstances into heartening alternatives.

Stephen T. Vessels is a professional freelance writer and editor who has lived in Santa Barbara for 20 years. He is a regular contributor of art and music reviews to the Santa Barbara Independent.

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T I M E T RA V E L S

Frank Lloyd Wright:

Pre-Fab, Modular, and Mobile

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n the history of modern architecture perhaps no design concepts span the physical and socioeconomic landscape as broadly as those of Frank Lloyd Wright. Considered one of the greatest architect of the 20th century, Wright is responsible for monumental structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and a host of palatial residences. But even as he completed these high-end commissions, ever present in his mind was the idea of creating modestly priced yet aesthetically pleasing designs for middle class homes. These included prefabricated and modular structures, and even mobile homes.

Prefabicated homes are made from components manufactured in a factory and assembled at the building site.

Modular structures are shipped on a chassis and put in place at the building site. Mobile homes, as the name implies, have permanently attached wheels that allow them to move easily from one site to another.

“He never actually designed any mobile homes, but he did design a mobile home park in Paradise Valley in the Phoenix area in the early 1950s,” said Arnold Roy, an architect 34

who studied with Wright at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wright’s winter home and school of architecture from 1937 until his death in 1959. “It wasn’t ever built, though.”

According to Roy, Wright envisioned mobile home communities with individual units arranged, not in a linear fashion as we often see today, but in staggered patterns with plenty of breathing room between the units. In his mind, the landscape of the site would inform the lines and angles of the mobile home so home and land existed as extensions of one another. In addition, Wright-designed mobile home parks would feature clubhouses that served as gathering places for residents. Although his ideas for parks never came to fruition, a gated community called Pinnacle Park West north of Scottsdale does boast a Frank Lloyd Wright clubhouse that is, as Roy described it, “the centerpiece of the park.”

“It has a translucent overhead. The structure is in the shape of a big hexagon and the roof is sort of like a geodesic dome—well, Frank Lloyd Wright’s interpretation of it. He wanted to show that it was possible to have something other than the trite designs that were being trotted out.”

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Renderings courtesy the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

By Andrea Estrada

In addition to separating mobile homes and designing each in such a way that it is integrated with the natural environment, Wright advocated removing the wheels from mobile homes once they reached their intended destinations.

Lowered to the ground, he reasoned, they’d have the appearance of a more permanent residence.

Following Wright’s design sensibilities, Taliesin architects devised a series of plans for manufactured homes that were to be created in the early 1970s in partnership with a company called National Homes. The partnership never got off the ground, but the architect’s innovative and artful renderings feature fold-out window and wall units, gently sloping walls, stacked units and platform terraces.

“The manufactured designs had a lot of flexibility because you didn’t know where they were going to end up,” said Roy. “They could be on a flat piece of land or on a slope.”

Wright’s ideas for mobile, prefab, and modular homes matched those for the larger residences he designed. The main living areas were relatively large because people spent most of their time there, and bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens were small but made efficient U p w a r d l y

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and aesthetic use of space.

In 1911, Wright collaborated with the Richards Company in Wisconsin to develop a series of prefabricated housing designs marketed under the name American System-Built Houses.

Eliminating the need for skilled carpentry, the single-family homes took advantage of pre-milled, machine manufactured materials. Unfortunately, Wright’s shortlived venture with the Richards Company was interrupted by World War I. It consisted only of four duplex apartment units and two bungalows.

Two decades later, Wright’s attention still leaned toward homes that would be affordable for the average American. He created a new construction system based on repeated sections that would fit together to form a whole.

These houses were called Usonian, an abbreviation for Unites States of North America; the architecture grew out of Wright’s earlier Prairie style homes.

“The original Usonian houses were designed with board-and-batten wall systems that would be very expensive now because of the millwork,” said Roy. “The walls were designed such that they were built in a factory and then put together on-site, like erector sets.”

Usonian houses featured low

roofs and open living areas, and made abundant use of brick, wood, and other natural material. They were single story structures set on concrete slabs, and boasted carports in place of garages.

In the 1950s, Wright conceived of the Usonian Automatic, which made the house a do-it-yourself project.

“The automatic part was the client,” continued Roy. “The house was all concrete block and the client was to make the forms and blocks to build the house. The problem was that most people didn’t have the talent to do that, so they hired contractors. And then the whole thing became too expensive.”

[Santa BarbaraTowbes Foundation has recently purchased Wright’s Usonian house from the Sara and Melvyn Maxwell Smith trust.]

Andrea Estrada is a freelance writer living and working in Santa Barbara.

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U P S C AL I N G

Don’t

That Trailer

If you are living in a mobile home from the 1970s you may be dreaming of replacing it with a new one. There are many wonderful choices to choose from.

However, what if you do not have the resources to do so at this time? One solution is to resurface your existing home and porch/ This is less of a strain on your pocketbook because you can do it a little at a time. There may be building service people in your neighborhood to help you if you are hesitant about doing it by yourself. Here are some illustrations with a few ideas, plus one for you to draw on with your ideas.

Renderings by Christina Rivera

In the 1960s many people added shingles to the exteriors. However, natural wood siding works just as well. Here, it gives the home a western look by adding natural wood posts with corbels, wood railings, and tin sheeting on the porch roof.

This home is lengthened by adding a window to the shed, making it look like part of the house. The addition of shutters also makes it look wider. Bright colors and a palm tree give it a sense of fun and a Jamaican feel.

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Here are some real surprises: the roof has been edged with Spanish roofing tiles. The grape stake slats and rock veneer siding continue to define the home’s character, while the door with a grill and a tiled patio finish the look. It is popular to re-face modern-style homes with stucco; here it is used to enhance the Mexican flavor of the look.

Here is a design for you to finish. You can use tracing paper to try several designs, or just color on this one. Have fun! There are many practical ways to re-face your home and totally change its look. Look at the Frank Lloyd Wright house and our other articles for inspiration — and these only touch the surface! Be sure to check with your park management and with building codes before you start any building project. —Toni Gump

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U P G RAD E S

Reflecting on Summer Heat

By Steve Kostechko

R

eflective roof coatings are an easy and inexpensive way of saving energy by hindering the sun’s rays from heating up a mobile home’s roof and keeping the inside temperature more moderate. The first step in applying a reflective coating is to read the instructions! Most manufacturers list an 800 number on the can for questions and assistance. Different brands require different applications, although most brands have similar preparation steps:

1

Apply the manufacturer’s recommended primer. I suggest not thinning the primer, as it affects the paint’s performance. A roller generally works well for application.

Allow to dry and check for any missed spots. Touch these up before applying the finish coat.

Cool, not foggy, summer days are the ideal time to complete the project; as when the temperature rises metal roof temperature rises exponentially. The primer and paint will not adhere as well to hot metal and they are more difficult to apply. Besides, nobody likes being “a cat on a hot tin roof.”

Steve Kostechko learned all phases of construction working for a remodeler and attended the Art Institute of Southern California.

Apply the finish coat. Allow to cure and apply a second coat. And make sure to save leftover paint and primer for future projects.

City Creative/istockphoto.com

Wash the exterior, preferably pressure wash. You can rent a pressure washer, but there are many affordable ones on the market. 100 psi models cost around $150 and are very handy. A yearly or twice yearly cleaning prolongs paint life.

2 3 4

Bleach away any mold or moss with a mixture of two parts water to one part household bleach. Be sure to sand off any rust. Wash off bleach and sanding dust. Allow to dry thoroughly.

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Mr. Build Ace Awning, Inc. has been serving satisfied customers since 1969.

We are family owned and operated. We specialize in all mobile home exterior work that includes patio rooms, windows, siding, skirting, carports and more.

Visit our warehouse

11182 Azahar St. Ventura or call for a free estimate:

805-647-0856

Paradise Cove, Malibu This newly renovated 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,350 sq. ft. home lists for $520,000.

Just steps from the sand and surf in the private beach enclave of Paradise Cove.

Affordable prices starting at $300,000 for smaller second homes, to upwards of $2,000,000 for the ultimate ocean view bluff locations.

Check them out at MalibuMobileHomes.com

Sales Agent

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Pritchett-Rapf Realtors 310.980.4434 39

HIGH SOCIETY

Mobile Homes by Famous Architects Book by Steve Schaecher, Pomegranate Communications, 2002

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n the whimsical book, Mobile Homes by Famous Architects, written as a send-up of a scholarly tome and masterfully illustrated with architectural renderings, Steve Schaecher presents fanciful mobile homes as they might have been rendered by ancient builders and the luminaries of contemporary architecture. There is an ancient Egyptian “mobilisk,” as well as Greek, Roman, Gothic, and Italian Renaissance-style mobile homes. Schaecher goes on to imagine mobile homes in the styles of Greene and Greene, Frank Lloyd Wright, I.M. Pei, and Frank Gehry, each accompanied by an erudite essay about its history, design features, a brief biography of the architect and discussion of his philosophy of architecture.

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For Le Corbusier’s “contribution,” Schaecher conjurs up Le Motor Dame du Haut, based on the master’s famous church in Ronchamp, France. He explains Le Corbusier cited the automobile industry as the model for his new architecture, and that he tried to capture all of his theories in the one project.

Furthermore, the conveyance proves that “Le Corbusier’s wheels were always turning towards a new architecture.” The front and back pages of the book feature old-fashioned blueprints of Le Motor Dame du Haut.

Home and Garden Magazine enthused, “[This] farce on architects is an entertaining read.” We concur wholeheartedly.

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T RA I L E R T AL E S

Episode One

Illustration by Marc Lumer

D

oris sits on her porch in a wicker rocking chair most days smoking Sherman cigarettes and drinking weak coffee. She knows what’s going on in the Mobile Home park. She knows who’s been to WalMart lately and she certainly knows who is having an affair with whom. A retired beauty salon owner, she is a skilled gossip artist, wringing secrets out of neighbors like she used to wring the shampoo from her client’s hair. She’s been around the block but has the air of a beauty queen and a heart of gold. You would never guess that she is the grandmother of eight. She’ll invite “the Ladies” of the park over for coffee or a glass of wine on occasion to keep them in the loop.

After all, it’s hard to keep everything to oneself in a place like this.

“Space 50 is for sale again.”, starts Doris. It’s in that part of the park the Management calls ‘the problem area.’”

“Yeah. Their problem!”, Pearl scoffs as she accepts another cup of coffee.

She stirs in some non-dairy creamer as she explains to Marge, the newest of the Ladies, that she’s lactose intolerant.

The Ladies are on Doris’s porch dissecting the mobile home park’s latest Newsletter.

“Can you believe they expect us all to go out and buy those biodegradable cleaning products?” laughs Marge. “And who’s gonna pay for all that? Don’t they know we’re on Social Security? What are we, Royalty?” And the three of them glance up and down the street from the prefab castle, nodding to one another in agreement.

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“Ya know, we sit here and solve the problems of the world!”, says Pearl to Marge with a wink.

The Ladies are quiet as the assistant manager whizzes by on his golf cart. A few seconds later he is followed by the manager in her new SUV.

“There goes Zippy!”, jokes Marge.

“And his latest.”, whispers Doris.

“Haven’t you two heard about them?

This I’ve got to tell you, but let me go get you some more coffee first.”

Onna Roll is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts. Her poetry has been published in Sentenial.

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.”

—Albert Einstein

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T H E B A C K YARD

WATER-WISE GARDENING

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Bougainvillea

Mexican Sage

Get the most out of your garden space—with no water worries

Photos Brent Winebrenner, City Creative

W

hile contemplating the beauty of the plants in my garden, I’ve come to realize that the environment is calling to me to be more wise about my use of water.

At the same time, a garden that requires less watering means less maintenance: a boon to busy people like myself who still want to be surrounded by greenery and flowers.

There are some simple steps you can take to help your garden utilize water more effectively, and a number of plants that thrive with a minimum of irrigation.

Use a drip system to water your plants. Make sure you have someone to check the system when you are out of town to avoid waste. Cover exposed soil with mulch or rocks to cut down on evaporation.

Replace your lawn and water-loving plants with varieties that love not to be watered. Victor of Inside Outside Style suggests that you buy plants that are locally grown, so that they are already acclimated to your area. Most drought-resistant plants thrive in full sun, although some of them do just as well in partial shade.

Lantana, rosemary and lavender are wonderful choices for our coastal area, with its climate that resembles the Mediterranean.

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They attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and rosemary and lavender also serve as aromatic cooking herbs, and can be dried and added to bathwater for luxurious aromatherapy soaks.

Yarrow also attracts butterflies, and the abundant varieties of sage call out to hummingbirds. Artemisia, dusty miller, santolina and sea lavender also require very little water.

There need be no shortage of color in a water wise garden: wisteria often blooms more bountifully when “droughtstressed,” and brilliant bougainvillea needs very little water once it is established. California irises and ceanothus are other colorful choices. Turn to cacti and succulents for dramatic impact, such as agave, yucca and sedum. Ice plant, both the common variety and the blue, shaded senecio mandraliscae are terrific replacements for grass for water-conserving ground covers.

Once you have made the switch to a garden that reflects water wisdom in its plants and irrigation methods, you can relax in it amidst the hummingbirds and butterflies, knowing that you and your garden and enriching your environment with brains as well as beauty. —Miriam Hospodar 43

T H E LAW The Landlord’s Obligation to Protect Residents

By C. William Dahlin, Esq.

A

landlord has an obligation to his residents to take reasonable actions to protect them from reasonably foreseeable conduct of third parties.

But what does that mean? And what should a landlord do in order to avoid such criminal activity?

The California Court of Appeal recently looked into this issue in Castaneda v. Olsher. The Court of Appeal explained that landlords have an obligation to maintain land in their possession and control in a “reasonably safe condition.” The scope of this obligation is determined by a balancing test. Courts will look at the likeliness of harm (foreseeability) as weighed against the burdensomeness and effectiveness of proposed protection (which in this case are additional security measures). The greater the burden on a landlord, the higher the foreseeability must be. For instance, the burden of providing more lighting is less than providing 24-hour security guards.

When determining whether certain criminal acts are foreseeable, courts will look to whether there were: • Prior similar incidents of violent crime; or • “Other indications of a reasonably foreseeable risk of violent criminal assaults in that location.”

The Court of Appeal determined that “other indications” included similar violent crime occurring at nearby and substantially similar business establishments or properties.

The California Supreme Court granted review of Castaneda earlier this year, likely because of the huge ramifications such a ruling has on property owners. While Castaneda puts such a large obligation on property owners to protect their residents, the Mobilehome Residency Law, Civil Code § 798, et seq., (“MRL”) makes it difficult for mobilehome park owners to do so. The MRL limits the reasons a park tenant may be evicted. For instance, a tenant may not be evicted just because that tenant belongs to a gang. And even if the tenant is a gang member and violates some park rule, the MRL makes it difficult for the tenant to be evicted.

Even though the California Supreme Court has granted review of Castaneda, the lesson to be learned from Castaneda is that a landlord has an obligation to take steps to increase security if prior criminal acts have taken place on the landlord’s property (such as assaults or robbery). If the landlord knows of criminal activity, such as drug sales, assaults or even graffiti, that landlord may have an increased obligation to

protect the residents against criminal activity. In order to take appropriate steps to fulfill a landlord’s obligation, the landlord should consider: • Improving lighting; • Creation of a Neighborhood Watch Program; • Notifying residents of the existence of a gang problem; • Imposing and enforcing strict rules regarding resident conduct; • Increasing the presence of security guards.

To determine how much of a burden a landlord must take on, one must look at what type of criminal activity has occurred in the past on the property and around the property. In order to do this, landlords must focus on whether or why the residents might be at risk and pay attention to what the residents do and who they keep company with that could cause injury. The greater the potential criminal activity in terms of dangerousness and number of occurrences, the greater the burden the landlord could be held would be reasonable to undertake.

Bill Dahlin is a partner with Hart, King & Coldren who specializes in property rights and the California MRL. He can be reached at bdahlin@hkclaw.com or (714) 432.8700.

IN THE NEWS “I do not ask for anything other than your support to an advocacy group such as CoMO-CAL, GSMOL or CMRAA….If you do not organize, join an advocacy group, get involved with others that share your same concerns and they have the knowledge and the where with all to assist you, then you will lose….

We can do so much for each other if we UNITE, COMMUNICATE and EDUCATE.” —From COALITION OF MOBILE HOME OWNERS by Bob Hite

We, too, strongly recommend that all home owners and park owners become active members 44

in these organizations that keep you up-to-date about pending legislations affecting mobile homes.

Here are the website URLS. Mobile home park owners advocacy group: wma.org Mobile home owners advocacy groups: comocal.org cmraa.org gsmol.org

“’Think simple’” as my old master used to say—meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles.”

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SOLUTIONS

Quiet on the Set ARTICLE AND SKETCHES By BETSY EDWARDS

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coustics often create issues when living in close quarters. Living spaces with shared walls, such as condos, apartments, and rooms next to each other in a home need noise buffering. This also applies to separate dwellings in spatially close neighborhoods such as cottage, modular, or mobile home communities. Resolving these issues adds value and creates peace in one’s space.

Many noise-reducing solutions also alleviate cold weather drafts and serve as radiant sun insulation during summer months. Here are a few tricks that have worked wonders for me. Many come from chic restaurants, European castles, and Hollywood stage sets.

Window coverings always add a warm, finished feeling to a room. Best for sound attenuation are those that are lined and even inner-lined. For the drapes themselves, heavy fabrics such as velvet, wool, and even duck or twill cottons are excellent. Even though they are heavier in weight, the colors can be very light and airy in feeling.

Hang the draperies from the highest point of the wall just below the ceiling line. This gives the room the illusion of height and volume and helps the acoustics by softening interior sound and blocking out exterior noise.

I like very full drapery and always have the drapes double the width of the window. If you are buying readymade panels you can always double up 46

and have four panels instead of two per window. They fit together perfectly and greatly enhance a window’s appearance.

If you have small windows, a great architectural trick is to extend the rod out, up to six inches, past the frame on each side of the window. This gives more weight to the wall and allows for more drapery fabric stacked back off the window.

Another option is to use window shades. They are lovely hung along with drapery at the drapery rod installation point. These will help elongate shorter windows. They are readily available in a variety of great fabrics, natural bamboo, reeds, or woven materials. Canvas shades used alone work wonders, especially in bathrooms and other small spaces. They add finesse, create privacy, and give a room a crisp, clean polish. Shades are easily adjusted and add a layer of softness in hard-surfaced rooms.

If you are experiencing echoes in your bath space you might try a heavierweight fabric shower curtain and liner.

Outer curtains of quilted matelasse or terry cloth should do the trick. Also, hang plush towels on the towel bars, use bath rugs, and even hang a robe on the back of the door or a wall hook to help absorb sound and create a heightened sense of privacy, renewal, and respite.

Upholstered headboards are a good way to soften a bedroom. An upholstered fabric or tapestry screen in the room,

or hung on the wall above a chest or headboard, creates a marvelous romantic effect while enhancing the room’s sound quality.

To create drama while buffering sound, hang drapes across the entire wall behind a bed. You can also completely drape a wall containing windows, aligning the panel openings with the window centers. You can pull back the fabric in a variety of ways.

Tapestries and wall hangings are interesting and aesthetically pleasing sound buffers that work well in living, dining, and family rooms. They soften and enrich the sounds from television, conversation, and music alike. My favorites at the moment are African Kuba cloth and Uzbekistan Suzanis. Other terrific options are antique rugs and beautiful quilts.

Another trick I love is “plantscaping” the exterior of a home with seasonal blooming trees and shrubs. They filter out sounds coming from outside your home, soften window views, and create privacy. Indoor plants create similar effects; they make rooms friendlier, not to mention healthier. Large plants placed near windows soften exterior views and create another layer of interest and privacy.

Betsy Edwards has designed interiors for homes, hotels, and clubs in Atlanta, California and many places all over the world.

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Dear Readers, This is your magazine and we warmly welcome your participation. Send us your favorite anecdotes, pictures and stories about mobile homes and the mobile home lifestyle: photographs, jokes, stories, poetry, artwork, quotations, reminiscences, and tips for gardening, decorating and remodeling. We also welcome community-building ideas for mobile home parks: anything from tips for throwing the best holiday party to suggestions for fostering good relations with the park manager. If we select your submission for publication we will send you $100.

Send your submissions by email to:

toni@umhmag.com or mail to:

Upwardly Mobile Magazine 1187 Coast Village Road Suite1-394 Santa Barbara, Ca, 93108 (Sorry, we cannot return any submitted material.)

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Photo by Viktor Budnik

Also, look for exciting contests in future issues. We’ll be calling for the most beautifully remodeled mobile homes, the loveliest gardens, the best retirement homes, the most creatively constructed homes for people with disabilities, and other categories that highlight the many ways that you, the readers, are making your mobile homes creative, comfortable and classy.

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Many mobile home parks along the coast are located near beaches, with many just across the street. These are perfect sites for enjoying a picnic while watching the sunset over the endless sweep of the Pacific Ocean.

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LA S T L O O K

“Blue Skies, Dusk�

Artist Patricia Chidlaw was born in San Francisco. She studied at U.C. Santa Barbara and currently lives in Santa Barbara. She is represented

by Terrence Rogers Fine Art, 1231 Fifth Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310) 394-4999 www.trogart.com 50

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