Philanthropy and partnership fuel Sansum’s future, from cancer care to Camp Wheez, keeping quality healthcare close to home, page 22
On Entertainment – Pete Muller’s One Last Dance; Enough! sees teens take the stage to speak out on gun violence; glorious green docs on screen, and more
Beings and Doings – A history professor with second thoughts takes an apartment in HaightAshbury in 1967…and finds himself. The late Ashley Brilliant lived up to his name.
Montecito Miscellany – The MClub join the Folded Hills Winery for some fun and Clydesdales, plus TBCF’s Golden Gala glows
Local News – MUS settles its lawsuit and Fannie Flagg book signing at Tecolote
Our Town – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ annual intertribal powwow and charity golf tournament
Society Edit – An inside look at the SB
in Motion – Merlette and Move With Purpose unite fashion, dance, and photography for an evening of creativity, empowerment, and community impact
18 Spirituality Matters – …as Anima, Theater of the Feminine Underground returns to Center Stage Theatre with a new set of performances
20 Tropical Wonders – Take a tour of the zoo’s newest exhibit with Whitney Roemer, coordinator of All Animal Experiences
22 Stronger Together – Sansum and Sutter’s new partnership is coming together for a healthier future for the community
24 News Bytes – Mont Med Spa’s 3rd Anniversary, Ojai Studio Artists Tours, and other tidbits Crime in the ‘Cito
26 The Giving List – Villa Majella, founded in 1982, is the area’s only maternity home providing round-the-clock support, meals, and more
30 Your Westmont – Downtown talk examines energy and climate, the college shines in recent national rankings, and women’s golf swings a second-place finish
32 Organic Oren – Your entree to easy, healthy, delicious meal prep is just a quick phone call, click, or visit to The Post away
34 Elizabeth’s Appraisals – A Santa Maria sculptor and instructor inspired his students and new designs
35 Brilliant Thoughts – The passing of a Brilliant mind will not deprive us of Ashleigh’s essay on Freedom, one of his last.
36 Montecito Health Coach – How do you pronounce La Croix? The answer may shake your beliefs
40 Stories Matter – Dive into the ghosts of books present and past with this selection of October reads
41 Ernie’s World – Ernie braves the rushing Snake River and is paddling towards the lodge and Bailey’s
45 Petite Wine Traveler – Take a tour of rolling hills, hungry goats and flowing wines of the Roero region in Italy
Curator’s Choice – Stillman Berry’s first shell
52 Calendar of Events – 1st Thursday happenings, Gustavo Dudamel at the Granada, a Man @ Work on stage, and more
54
Classifieds – Our own “Craigslist” of classified ads, in which sellers offer everything from summer rentals to estate sales
55
Mini Meta Crossword Puzzles
Local Business Directory – Smart business owners place business cards here
by Steven Libowitz
Heading east on a plane, Pete Muller calls within moments in response to my text to talk about his new album and special concert at SOhO. It’s a trip that combines his two passionate pursuits (apart from his family); spending some time at PDT Partners – the Wall Street hedge fund Muller founded and whose model helped revolutionize the field of quantitative trading) – and working on his music; a grand creative outlet he’s enjoyed his entire life.
The latter has been particularly fertile ground lately. The forthcoming album, One Last Dance, due November 14, is Muller’s fourth studio release in the last five years. One Last Dance features the singer-songwriter-pianist and the latest incarnation of his aptly named band The Kindred Souls. The album was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in England, Muller serving as sole producer for the first time in a process that saw the core tracks laid down in less than a week.
Guests on Dance include Grammy-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell and guitarist-vocalist Larry Campbell, as well as genre-bending duo SistaStrings, while Real World’s Katie May, who won a Grammy earlier this year engineered the album.
Muller said the new record is another step in his growth as a songwriter, one that reaches deeper inside to explore human emotions while crafting a song with universal appeal.
“It’s definitely touching places I haven’t before,” he said. “But it’s also that I’ve become really comfortable in being even more of myself. Writing the songs is how I process things I’m struggling with. Almost all of my songs come from a very deeply personal place, but I don’t always show where that is so they connect with everyone.”
Far from shoegazers, though, the songs generally all share a desire to find the hope, beauty, authenticity, and gratitude that can come from an attitude of openness and willingness to shift perspectives. One even directly addresses the concept of vulnerability and courageous action: “No Fear No More.”
Meanwhile, the first single, “New York in the Rain,” is already receiving radio airplay as well as organic plays on Spotify, which is “really cool,” Muller said.
Muller wrote “New York” as something of a breakup song with the previous version of his band who, he said, split up after many years together.
“I was processing the emotions of it, which were bittersweet, even though it was the right thing for all of us,” he said. “I pictured myself walking the streets of New York City on a summer rainy day and not caring if I got wet just to be diving into the emotions. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
One of the forthcoming singles is called “Fire Child” and it’s about his “fiercely independent” daughter.
“I think it’s a really amazing song,” he said. “She even likes it, and she’s a teenager.” Locals will likely get a chance to hear several songs from One Last Dance, albeit in a
Entertainment Page 464
by Jeff Wing
“If I can survive death, I can probably survive anything.” – Ashleigh Brilliant [9 December, 1933 –24 September, 2025], Pot-Shot® # 805
Afootloose former teacher with the unlikely name Ashleigh Brilliant grabs his portable microphone, bullhorn, and milk crate and bounds down the stairs. The date is May 21, 1967 – yeah, “The Summer of Love.” Brilliant has recently moved into an apartment on Shrader Street in San Francisco’s HaightAshbury district, practically across the street from Golden Gate Park and the sloping meadow that has become the counterculture’s SF rallying point. “Hippie Hill” is a faux-Socratic gathering spot where extemporaneous speakers, musicians, gurus, and riffing philosophers ply their truth-telling before a meadow-sprawled crowd of tiedyed seekers.
The whole world seems in a state of corner-turning flux and Haight-Ashbury is the counterculture’s west coast Mecca, drawing to its tumbledown neighborhoods a wave of anti-establishment pilgrims in their tens of thousands, and from all over the country and world. Brilliant is one of them, though in his diaries he does not see himself in the new revolutionary context.
“This district is an amazing contrast to what I have of late been accustomed to. It is full of young weirdly-garbed people currently known as ‘hippies,’” he writes.
The decade’s newly enflamed youth are loudly agitating for an overthrow of the established order, and counsel solemnly against trusting anyone over the age of 30. Ashleigh Brilliant, seen here awkwardly hustling across Stanyan St. with his milk crate and dangling bullhorn, has just turned 33. His brushfire hair and Abbie
Hoffman beard belie his recent career as an educator, though his tweed jacket handily straddles the sartorial line between the academy and the soapbox. Ashley Brilliant crosses under the Alvord Lake Bridge, laboriously climbs the hill, and mounts his overturned milk crate. So begins the amused public disturbance that will characterize Brilliant’s next 58 years.
Ashleigh Brilliant – armchair Laureate, MJ columnist, soft-spoken iconoclast, late-blooming hippie and short-form rhapsodist – has left the room he inhabited for 91 years, and with such aplomb. He took his leave of us on the morning of September 24, Rosh Hashanah, in the company of people who loved him. I’d recently sat with an enthusiastic Ashleigh for two interviews and was writing his profile when, on my return from a short family trip, a colleague stunned me with the news that he had passed the day before. My last memory of Ashleigh is looking back at him from the door of his house. He is sunk into his timeworn recliner and waving me off as I leave.
Brilliant may be best known for three things: [1] his epigrammatic Pot-Shots® empire built on thousands of wittily expressed, deliriously all-purpose aphorisms available
Beings & Doings Page 484
by Richard Mineards & Maria McCall
The late afternoon sunbathed the rolling vineyards and oak-studded pastures in golden light as
members of the Santa Barbara Club and Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub arrived at the gates of Folded Hills Winery, owned by Kim and Andrew Busch. The winery & farmstead whispered of heritage and elegance.
The event began at the Farmstead, where guests were welcomed with a rare pour of the sold-out Sparkling Clairette Blanche. While sipping, attendees enjoyed feeding carrots to the winery’s beloved animals—including gentle llamas, curious piglets, happy goats, and two majestic Budweiser Clydesdales, Gus & Dolph.
The highlight of the evening was a seasonal three-course pairing dinner prepared by renowned Chef Jake Francis of
Les Fêtes. An amuse-bouche of fresh figs and goat cheese in a tart shell opened the meal, followed by thoughtfully curated dishes paired with the estate’s 2021 Polo Syrah and other limited library wines. Each course was designed to complement the wines, creating a memorable culinary experience under the stars. Bon vivants included Paula Bruice, Gwen Baker, Karin Jacobson, Sue
Miscellany Page 514
26,280,000 minutes
by MJ Staff
The Montecito Union School (MUS) Board of Trustees has announced the approval of a $7.5 million settlement to resolve litigation stemming from alleged sexual abuse by a former staff member between 1972 and 1978. The settlement, which includes no admission of liability, was reached after careful consideration of the financial risks posed by continued litigation.
In a public statement, the Board acknowledged the enduring pain caused by sexual abuse and expressed compassion for anyone who has suffered such trauma.
“Together, as a community, we share the responsibility to protect and care for our children,” the statement read. “We hold deep respect for any individual impacted and hope for their healing and peace.”
The decision to settle was driven by the need to safeguard MUS’s instructional program and prioritize current students. Across California, sexual abuse cases have resulted in significantly larger jury verdicts, posing risks that could have severely diminished MUS’s ability to serve students in the future. Because the District has no insurance coverage for claims dating back to the 1970s, the financial vulnerability was acute. By settling now, MUS is able to stabilize operations and keep its focus on student learning and well-being.
Superintendent Anthony Ranii emphasized that student safety remains MUS’s top priority. Today, the district employs comprehensive policies to protect children, conducts rigorous background checks, and requires all staff to undergo regular, mandatory training in abuse prevention and reporting. Importantly, none of the employees involved with MUS in the 1970s remain with the District.
To address the financial impact of the settlement, MUS will implement a hiring freeze, reduce staffing through natural attrition, and redirect funds from capital repair projects toward operational costs. Officials stressed that, despite these challenges, no layoffs are planned.
The Board reaffirmed MUS’s mission to “launch inspired thinkers who positively impact the world.” By resolving the lawsuit now, leaders believe the District can move forward and remain focused on excellent teaching, strong student support, and maintaining a safe, welcoming school environment.
“The strength of our community lies in how we move through challenges together,” the Board noted. “In doing so, we reflect the values we aspire to each day at MUS — kindness, respect, and integrity”
by MJ Staff
Iwill say it on our common behalf: We Love Fannie Flagg! But which one? Fannie Flagg has been all over the map, and it is one of those largish maps one can never hope to refold. Are we endeared to the Literary Grande Dame of Fried Green Tomatoes (and a score of other beloved fictions), to Flagg’s character Stoney in the auteur classic Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson, or to the restless creative from Birmingham, Alabama who finds herself in swirling 1960s NYC, writing material for legendary Manhattan nightclub Upstairs at the Downstairs? Who exactly is Fannie Flagg? You can ask her yourself. Our inimitable Tecolote Bookshop will be hosting Fannie Flagg on Saturday, October 4 at 3 pm. The author will be holding forth on her new book of short stories, Something to Look Forward To, a work whose title is –to this reader – mildly reminiscent of the
great Alice Munro’s story collections. Fannie Flagg is, after all, a fellow-traveler with the literati. One is reminded that both Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Eudora Welty (Eudora Welty!) praised Fried Green Tomatoes in her publication.
We are fortunate that our own hometown littérateur is not a mute, enigmatic figure, skulking around the fondu font in Dolce & Gabbana shades. Our Fannie Flagg is more likely to be found enthusiastically waving her new book at passersby on East Valley Road.
See you at Tecolote! Call (805) 969-4977 for more information
What: Fannie Flagg signs Something to Look Forward To and spreads general joy Where: Tecolote Bookshop, 1470 E Valley Road
When: Saturday, October 4 at 3 pm
Why: The short story form is pure power, and Fannie Flagg writes from the heart
Executive Editor/CEO | Gwyn Lurie gwyn@montecitojournal.net
President/COO | Timothy Lennon Buckley tim@montecitojournal.net
Managing Editor | Zach Rosen zach@montecitojournal.net
MoJo Contributing Editor | Christopher Matteo Connor
Art/Production Director | Trent Watanabe
Graphic Design/Layout | Stevie Acuña
Administrative Assistant | Kassidy Craner VP, Sales & Marketing | Leanne Wood leanne@montecitojournal.net
Account Managers | Sue Brooks, Tanis Nelson, Elizabeth Scott, Jessica Sutherland, Joe DeMello
Contributing Editor | Kelly Mahan Herrick
Proofreading | Helen Buckley
Arts and Entertainment | Steven Libowitz
Contributors | Scott Craig Ashleigh Brilliant, Chuck Graham, Mark Ashton Hunt, Dalina Michaels, Robert Bernstein, Christina Atchison, Leslie Zemeckis, Sigrid Toye, Elizabeth Stewart, Beatrice Tolan, Leana Orsua, Jeffrey Harding, Tiana Molony, Houghton Hyatt, Jeff Wing
Gossip | Richard Mineards
History | Hattie Beresford
Humor | Ernie Witham
Our Town/Society | Joanne A Calitri
Health/Wellness | Ann Brode, Deann Zampelli
Travel | Jerry Dunn, Leslie Westbrook
Food & Wine | Melissa Petitto, Gabe Saglie, Jamie Knee
Published by:
Montecito Journal Media Group, LLC
Montecito Journal is compiled, compounded, calibrated, cogitated over, and coughed up
by Joanne A Calitri
News from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians marks two milestone anniversaries. This year is their 60th Annual Intertribal Powwow and the 20th Annual Charity Golf Classic that benefits local nonprofits.
The annual intertribal powwow is open to the public and takes place Saturday, October 4, 10 am – 10pm, and Sunday, October 5, from 10 am to 6 pm. The event is located at the corner of Meadowvale Road and Highway 246 in Santa Ynez. Admission is $5 and parking is free. In his press release statement, Kenneth Kahn, tribal chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians shared, “This year’s annual Chumash Intertribal Powwow is extra special as we mark 60 years since our tribe’s first powwow in Santa Ynez. We look forward to welcom-
ing tribes from throughout North America to celebrate our heritage and culture.”
The powwow is the annual effort of a committee of Chumash tribal volunteers who plan, organize, and operate the twoday event, with the goal of providing educational and cultural experiences, focusing on Native American music, arts and customs while promoting Native American self-reliance and pride. It features hundreds of members of tribal nations from throughout the U.S. and Canada who compete for the over $155,000 cash prizes in dancing and drumming competitions, from young children to 70 years and older. Dance styles include traditional, straight, fancy, grass, jingle dress, buckskin, cloth, and chicken. There are also informational booths and vendors selling traditional native food, regalia and arts and crafts.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians held their annual Chumash
Charity Golf Classic for three days on September 23 to 25 to raise funds for three mental health organizations in Santa Barbara County. The lucky recipients are Angels Foster Care, Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM) and Mental Wellness Center.
Kahn shared, “The Chumash Charity Golf Classic allows us to support organizations that are making a real difference in people’s lives. Angels Foster Care provides safe, nurturing homes for infants and toddlers in need; CALM works tirelessly to prevent child abuse and support healing; and the Mental Wellness Center offers vital resources for those in need. We’re proud to help strengthen their efforts through this year’s event.”
All of the recipients’ representatives stated they are honored to have been selected as beneficiaries of the Chumash Charity Golf Classic, and to carry on the
has donated more than $30 million to hundreds of groups (courtesy photo)
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important work they provide those in need of care and mental health programs – from children through adults.
Since its inaugural event in 2005, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ annual golf tournament has raised over $2 million for local charities and nonprofits. Past beneficiaries have included Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County, Lompoc Family YMCA, Unity Shoppe, Alzheimer’s Association Central Coast Chapter, Good Samaritan Shelter, local schools, local museums and more.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $30 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the tribe’s long-standing tradition of giving.
411: www.chumash.gov/foundation or call 805-688-7997
“One
– Steve Martin
“A
“Few
“Once
by Joanne A Calitri
This week’s Society Edit is full-on-art! Are you watching Paris Fashion Week’s SS26 and pining for the Impressionism that came out of SS25? Are you recalling Women’s Wear Daily and Artnet presenting Impressionist artists Monet, Manet, Vincent van Gogh, and Pissaro in the couture designer fashion books, and that art literally printed on the fabrics?
You are in luck! The Santa Barbara Museum of Art in collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) are opening their dual exhibitions on the Impressionist period starting October 5. The show, titled The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse, is organized by the DMA and curated by Nicole R. Myers, PhD – chief curatorial and research officer and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon senior curator of European Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. The SBMA show, titled Encore: 19th-Century French Art, is curated by James Glisson, SBMA chief curator with Andrew Witte, SBMA curatorial assistant for Photography and New Media, and Charles Wylie, Former SBMA curator of Photography and New Media.
Be adorned readers! Prior to the public opening, I attend the intimate champagne soirée to tour the full exhibit on Saturday, October 4, from 5:30-7:30 pm titled, “Paris by Night”! This fundraising event for the exhibit features music and photo ops. Can you just feel the vibe right now?! Almost sold out is DMA Curator Myers’ presentation at the SBMA Mary Craig Auditorium, Sunday, October 5, 12-1:30 pm. Coming up are art learning labs, wine-art-music events, an adult art studio class at Lotusland, and more.
I met with Amada Cruz – SBMA Eichholz Foundation director – and SBMA’s curator of Contemporary Art, James Glisson, on Thursday, September 25 at Cruz’s office for the finer details. Lindsay Garrison, SBMA director of communications and marketing joined.
Glisson limited his spoiler alerts saying, “I can’t give it all away! The museum’s
outside front entrance stairs will have the signature color theme of blue for the DMA exhibit and magenta for the SBMA exhibit with bold graphics to show the revolutionary aspect of the art; there is a build-out [faux walls] for the entrance to the Encore Exhibit, where you first go into the film screening room and proceed to the show, which includes a section called “Weird Science” about the discoveries of how vision works and paint colors used by impressionist artists. There is also an area with a lounge, a place for kids, and a French Market pop-up art store.”
Society Edit Page 424
by Zach Rosen
Dance has always felt like the truest artistic expression of the soul… an untamed yet measured outburst of our innate and most intimate instrument – our body. Similarly, fashion feels like the truest artistic expression of the body… a chance to show the world the hues, textures, and lines – framed by the canvas of the human form – that define the timbre of one’s soul.
So it is no surprise that these colorful forces collide on October 15 th at Santa Barbara’s Art & Soul Gallery where Fashion in Motion , will be held. This collaboration between the New York fashion house Merlette and Move with Purpose – a nonprofit that empowers young people through dance – will merge fashion, photography, and movement into a night of art through bodies, gestures, and communities.
The event centers on the work of photographer Lily Hahn Shining , whose images capture Move With Purpose dancers wearing Merlette’s fluid silhouettes. These portraits will line the gallery walls, but they’re not static; they’re echoes of the real-time performances unfolding during the evening. Guests will see the same movement and fabric come alive before their eyes, blurring the line between photograph and performance.
In addition to dance and photography, the program includes a live auction with artist Pedro De La Cruz, light bites, cocktails, and the chance to browse Merlette’s collection. A portion of sales from Merlette’s Montecito boutique in October will also benefit Move With Purpose, ensuring the event has a lasting impact. All proceeds from tickets and donations will go directly toward funding youth dance classes in Santa Barbara, expanding access to programs that build confidence and resilience through the arts
Move With Purpose Founder Alana Tillim describes dance as a vehicle for empowerment: “This [event] highlights the transformative power of dance in
building confidence, resilience, and leadership.” For the young people the organization serves, access to movement isn’t just about technique – it’s a means of identity and belonging.
Merlette’s Founder, Marina Cortbawi,
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$12,500,000
Tucked away in Birnam Wood Golf Club’s lushly landscaped grounds, this idyllic Montecito estate lies in a coveted locale with a backdrop of Santa Ynez mountain’s scenic vistas. A onetime residence of the legendary John Saladino, the 4,919 square foot home brims with character, merging soaring ceilings, spherical windows, and hand-painted trompe l’oeil murals. Ensconced in English boxwood and backdropped by the mountains, the hedge-lined swimming pool and sunny stone patio complete this sanctuary.
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Paige Marshall DRE 02025980
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Susan Pate DRE 01130349
A short documentary about the fascinating lives of the Yellowstone wolves, screening at the NatureTrack Film Festival.
Wonders Of The Wolf is an official selection screening Friday, October 10 at 6:45pm at the Metropolitan Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta.
Tickets and Passes can be purchased here Q and A to follow with director, Angie Ruiz
Instagram: @wondersofthewolf Facebook: @wondersofthewolf
by Steven Libowitz
The women’s ritual theater collective known as Anima, Theater of the Feminine Underground, returns to Center Stage Theatre on October 9-10 with a brand-new set of performance pieces drawn from the participants’ real-life stories, dreams, yearnings, and most meaningful moments. The artists dive deep into not only their creative process, but also their psyches and souls. What emerges is an expression of the inner world of the feminine spirit.
Created by Lisa Citore, a longtime Santa Barbara Tantra and Goddess practitioner multi-hyphenate who lists divine feminine initiator, intimacy whisperer, creative sparker, ceremonialist, guide, playwright and author among her attributes, Anima was born of the belief that creativity can be a path to healing through shaping personal experience into powerful performance pieces. Every aspect of creating and shepherding the pieces from concept to stage becomes a vehicle for self-growth as well as community connection.
“Not only are we sharing our art with each other, but we are showing up for each other’s emotional bodies,” explained Teagan Rose, Anima co-presenter and director. “It’s really important to us that we welcome the whole person into the space, artist and soul. That’s where the depth of the art comes from. They’re also showing up with all of their human (issues), and we’re getting to experience mirrors for ourselves and all of the complex human experiences that come up in the process. We also get to grow because there’s less hiding.”
The October Anima shows feature an almost exclusively veteran lineup, including pieces by Citore with Elaine Gale, Aurora Rose, Cybil Gilbertson, Melissa Lowenstein , Samantha Bonavia, KiaOra Fox, Chelsea Didier, and Rachel Petkus, with original works exploring themes of sensual awakenings,
shame, healing from betrayal, group consciousness, freeing the pelvis, and liberating the voice, among others. The works span creative theatrical genres from poetry and spoken word, to song, dance, and even clowning.
“There’s an added layer of vulnerability and bravery that really has to take place for the artist to bring these pieces on stage,” Rose said. “The process we’re all choosing to embark on is about transformation.”
An ensemble of more than 20 will also be a part of Anima this time around, vastly more than in previous years.
“That speaks to the magnetism of the show and how many people want to be involved,” Rose said. “These ritual pieces are growing in their ability to be able to hold more presence, hold more people, and share stories that have a broader range.”
Also expanding for Anima since its founding in the mid-2010s is offering its Ritual Theatre lab as a standalone workshop, while also turning the Anima performances into their own
Spirituality Page 424
Bestselling Author of Eat, Pray, Love
Sat, Oct 11 / 7:30 PM
Ticket purchase includes a pre-signed copy of Gilbert’s new memoir, All the Way to the River (pick up at event)
Columnist, CNN Host and Author
Yorker Staff Writer and PEN Award Winner
Thu, Oct 16 / 7:30 PM Arlington Theatre
“Fareed Zakaria has been consistently brilliant in his analysis of world affairs but also something far more rare; he has turned out to be right.”
– Walter Isaacson
Tue, Oct 14 / 7:30 PM UCSB Campbell Hall
“Okeowo... sheds light on the divided face of our nation and lovingly charts the push and pull of the places we call home.”
– Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, author of My Monticello
a New American Democracy Thu, Nov 6 / 7:30 PM
UCSB Campbell Hall
“Sherrilyn Ifill is a dazzling intellectual with an uncommon ability to analyze and frame the urgent civil rights issues facing our nation.”
– Bryan Stevenson
by Sigrid Toye
Imagine a miniature Jurassic Parklike adventure, an amazing world of discovery, with awesome surprises and new connections – almost as if you’d stepped into another era! Tropical Wonders, the newest exhibit at the Santa Barbara Zoo, definitely transported this California girl into the rainforests of the world! The exhibit is turning heads, opening eyes and raising awareness of the significance and diversity of life forms that seem unfamiliar but are dynamically interconnected with us. Hidden behind the entry lies an experience you won’t believe until you see it!
Within this newly designed space, Tropical Wonders features 15 animal habitats, a sensory tunnel, and a huge tropical aviary. After more than six years of planning and construction (partly due to the COVID pandemic), this exhibit opened to the public in July of this year. The interior of the building
has floor-to-ceiling windows, murals mirroring tropical plants and rocks and a sensory tunnel containing rubber frogs and reptiles plus a pair of huge flamingo legs – with no flamingo! – for kids (and me) to touch and feel. The jungle frog, a Jamaican boa, an armadillo, a porcupine, the multicolored Prevost’s Squirrel and so many more rarely seen animals are all there. Along with a variety of tropical birds, the aviary contains a showstopping Headliner, the blue Palawan peacock pheasant, with its feathered crown parading like royalty around its kingdom!
Some of the animals, such as the Grand Cayman blue iguana, the Fiji island iguana, the Panamanian golden frog and the southern three-banded armadillo, are considered endangered or threatened. These endangered species give the zoo a platform to highlight their plight and motivate others to prevent further loss. The theme of Tropical Wonders is interconnectedness of all living things – regardless of species or
environment – and how that interconnectedness affects all life on the planet.
The Santa Barbara Zoo’s Coordinator of All Animal Experiences, Whitney Roemer, whose personal passion has always been animals who make their homes in the forests of the world, was my tour guide. “Being a Michigan girl who grew up in the woods around wetlands and lakes, I was fully an outdoor feral child!” she revealed. “My dad
was a sportsman with a landscaping company in the middle of nowhere, so I found my own world in the acres of my backyard.” Roemer remembers that she was encouraged to be shamelessly nerdy, collecting bugs for the bughouses gifted by her doting grandparents and being fascinated by monarch butterflies. Roemer’s hero and inspiration
Wonders Page 394
by Tiana Molony
More than 100 years ago, two medical clinics in Santa Barbara were taking shape, both grounded in the ethos that group practice with a variety of specialties was the best way to provide high quality healthcare accessible to all. Some 80 years later after decades of growth, the two groups joined forces and adopted the name Sansum Clinic, a nod to Dr. William Sansum, the first U.S. physician to both develop and administer insulin for diabetes.
To this day, that same commitment endures, especially following Sansum Clinic’s integration with Sutter Health in 2023, which allowed the nonprofit organization to expand its healthcare services. Today, Sansum Clinic (now a part of Sutter Health) boasts more than 260 clinicians, and these care for some 160,000 patients a year across 23 Central California locations.
As Dr. Kurt Ransohoff, market president of Sutter Health’s Greater Central Coast, says about the partnership, “It’s given us the ability to do things that we were unable to do before. Sansum Clinic has a long history of offering the same level of medical care in Santa Barbara that you would find at a large academic center, without having to drive hours to a big city. With Sutter, we are building on this legacy, investing in more doctors, new spaces and advanced technologies to expand our services and serve more patients than ever before.”
Dr. Ransohoff joined Sansum Clinic in 1992 to practice internal medicine and then held the title of CEO for more than 20 years. For him, and many others, having access to quality healthcare is priceless. “My healthcare needs, like
many others in the communities we serve, will increase as I get older,” says Ransohoff, who is content knowing that he can get the best medical care right here in Santa Barbara.
Dr. Marjorie Newman, chief medical officer of Sansum Medical Group Santa Barbara, agrees: “It’s truly a labor of love and a privilege to help ensure that the members of our families and our communities have a primary care clinician who feels like their healthcare partner and can serve them across the whole spectrum of care from pediatrics to geriatrics.”
One of the most transformative outcomes of this partnership was Sutter’s ability to provide care faster. Before joining Sutter Health, patients in Santa Barbara County frequently struggled to obtain timely primary care appointments, often
Stronger Page 374
The Santa Barbara Polo Residences: a rare offering of 40 private residences in a 11.5-acre enclave near Montecito.
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The original Hedgerow farmhouse, this stunning ±9,000 SF Cape Cod-style estate rests on 1.89 acres in Montecito.
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ISTED AT $2,975,000
by MJ Staff
Montecito Fire Chief Neels honored Montecito Firefighter/ Paramedic Carlos Luna , September 12. MFD shares Luna’s story, “Carlos grew up in Michoacán, Mexico. His family moved to Oxnard, CA, when he was 8 years old. Luna played high school and college football, and on the University of Houston Division I team. In 2014, he put his education on pause after his father was in a tragic accident. This motivated him to pursue a career in the medical field and use his Spanish to eliminate language barriers when people need care most. He earned a biology degree from Cal State Channel Islands in 2015 and worked as a medical assistant. Luna’s brother-in-law, a Santa Barbara City firefighter, encouraged him to consider becoming a first responder. He completed his EMT certification in 2019 and graduated from the Oxnard College Fire Academy in 2020. He became a paramedic in 2023 and joined Montecito Fire in April 2024. Carlos lives in Oxnard with his wife, Ruth, and their two beloved dogs.”
Montecito Med Spa’s 3rd Anniversary
Join in celebrating the Montecito Med Spa on October 9 for their annual anniversary party, 2-7 pm. There will be live demos of treatments, give away bags, raffles, champagne, and party cake. Take a tour of the facilities and more. https://montecitomedspa.com
25th Silver Anniversary of the Summit for Danny
Sign up or sponsor a friend for a hike at Elings Park Grove, Santa Barbara to support the Summit for Danny which funds the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse’s programs. The event is October 18, 9 am – 1 pm. https://summitfordanny.org
National Science Earth Week
On Friday, October 3, 7:30-9 pm at the SB Museum of Natural History Fleischmann Auditorium will feature UC Berkeley Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, Alex Filippenko , PhD. He’ll describe highlights of his research on exploding stars, black holes, galaxies, and the accelerating expansion of the universe. Filippenko started his astro career as a student member of the Santa Barbara Astronomy Club in the 1970s. Reservations not required, general seating. Join more events at
the SB Museum of Natural History to celebrate National Science Week, October 11-17. www.sbnature.org
LCO’S Astronomy on Tap
It’s time for brews and black holes with the Las Cumbres Astronomy team at the M. Special tap house outback on the patio, Thursday, October 9; doors open at 7 pm. Speakers are Joey Chatelain on Space Mining! Carrie Holt and Carolina Capetillo will present space news updates. Wearing your Spock outfits will get you a free astro poster, and you can donate to the cause via unique astronomy posters, t-shirts, and more. The event is free and dog friendly.
https://lco.global/aot/october-9-2025
The Ojai Studio Artists Tour
The annual Fall Ojai Studio Artists Tour will be held from SaturdayMonday, October 11-13. To launch the tours, a reception exhibit, Metamorphosis , at the Ojai Valley Museum is set for Friday, October 10, 5-7pm, showing one work of art from each OSA artist. Tickets cover the reception, tour, a tour book and map, and portion of sales goes to the OSA art students at Nordhoff High School. The OSA tour includes 70 artists participating with painting, sculptures, digital media, drawings, fiber arts, glass, jewelry and all manner of art.
www.ojaistudioartists.org/all-tours/2024fall-open-studios-tour
Cottage Health Earns
Silver-Level Reaccreditation
Cottage Health announced September 26 its emergency departments in SB, Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley have been reaccredited as Geriatric Emergency Departments by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). The three-year Silver Level 2 designation builds on initial accreditation in 2021. Fewer than 130 emergency departments nationwide hold a Level 2 or higher accreditation. The ACEP’s Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation program establishes standards for addressing the needs of adults 65 and older during emergency medical situations. Criteria include geriatric-friendly equipment, social support resources, cognitive health assessment for brain health, mobility assessments, medication management and a focus on patient-centered priorities.
Assault/Stealing Gas / PC 22810 Summerland Fuel Depot
Monday, September 15, at 07:28 hours
Reporting Party (RP) was attempting to make a delivery to the gas station, but suspect’s vehicle was parked blocking the unloading area. The delivery driver asked the suspect to move his vehicle so they could unload their goods. Unprovoked, the suspect approached the victim from behind and pepper sprayed him. The suspect stole gas from a nearby vehicle being fueled before fleeing in a 2000’s model gold-colored Infiniti sedan with tinted windows. The suspect is a BMA with a shaved head. Be On the Lookout submitted to patrol and local agencies.
Burglary / 1700 block Glen Oaks
Tuesday, September 16, at 11:11 hours
Victim reported her home was burglarized on the evening of 9/13/25. Three unknown suspects broke the glass of the back door and entered the unoccupied residence. Rooms/ closets were ransacked. Only confirmed stolen items were car and house keys. Suspects appeared to have gained access to the residence from the creek bed.
Burglary / 1400 block N. Jameson
Tuesday, September 16, at 13:12 hours
RP reported numerous items stolen from her residence by a babysitter during the time she was employed. Since the report, two items were returned. One item still outstanding, which the babysitter claims she did not take.
Assaulter Arrested / Summerland Fuel Depot
Tuesday, September 16, at 16:07 hours
Suspect from 9/15 pepper spray assault was arrested by Goleta Deputies at a gas station on Fairview Avenue.
Car theft / Humphrey Road
Wednesday, September 17, at 04:23 hours
Deputies responded to a call of three males attempting to remove parts from victim’s Prius. Upon arrival, the victim showed deputies surveillance footage of the attempted catalytic converted theft. The three males were driving a black Honda accord. They used a floor jack to lift the vehicle from the driver’s side, and a second individual went under the hood with a red cordless saw. They managed to cut one side of the catalytic converter before the owner yelled at them, they quickly gathered their tools and drove off (unknown plate).
Stolen E-bike / 2500 block Varley St
Wednesday, September 17, at 13:53 hours
E-bike was discarded in the brush on the E end of Varley Street. Discovered to be a bike that was reported stolen on 9/3, which was last tracked to the Summerland area. Bike was stripped of the seat and battery, and majority of it was spray-painted black. Locked at the Carp Station bike rack, and owner contacted to come retrieve it at later time.
Vehicle Pursuit/Felony / HWY 101 Santa Claus Lane onramp
Thursday, September 18, at 18:46 hours
Deputies assisted CHP who were involved in a pursuit of a vehicle which ultimately collided and the driver foot bailed south into the marsh. A perimeter was ultimately set in place while K92 responded to the scene. The suspect was in violation of VC 2800.2, PC 148(a)(1) and had an outstanding misdemeanor and felony warrants for his arrest. Once on scene, the suspect attempted to flee through the marsh once again but was taken into custody after a successful K9 apprehension.
Family Disturbance / 1400 block S Jameson Lane
Thursday, September 18, at 21:28 hours
In the course of a single shift, Deputies responded to two calls regarding a family disturbance. A female was HBD (Had Been Drinking) and 415 (Family Disturbance) with her parents inside of their residence. During both investigations, the female was disruptive and did not listen to commands from deputies. At one point, she attempted to stand and assault her father in front of deputies. She was arrested and booked for being in violation of PC 148(a)(1).
by Steven Libowitz
Villa Majella is Santa Barbara County’s only maternity home, a four-bedroom facility in Goleta that provides safe shelter, round-theclock support, transportation, meals and access to vital services for up to 20 pregnant women and their babies annually, many of whom are homeless, in crisis, or otherwise without support. As many of the women face complex challenges that include substance use, trauma or mental health issues, Villa Majella offers them safety, stability and the chance to thrive as they bring their babies to term and beyond.
Since its doors opened in 1982, Villa Majella of Santa Barbara, a nonprofit and non-denominational organization funded largely by local foundations and individual donations, has supported hundreds of women 18 and over through its maternity home program.
The program provides a safe and nurturing living environment for up to six women at a time, who live in community in a residential home through the duration of their pregnancy and up to 3-6 months after delivery.
“The majority of our moms are economically disadvantaged in the sense that they don’t have the capacity to pay what it costs to live here in Santa Barbara,” said Loretta Johnson, executive director. “Many of our moms are either experiencing domestic violence or a really complex living situation where there are other social factors. Bringing a child into that space is not something they feel comfortable doing.”
Villa Majella provides material assistance such as food, toiletries, maternity clothing and baby items for those without resources, and also refers eligible women to government and non-government assistance programs such as the Food Bank or The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The organization partners with New Beginnings Counseling Center to provide weekly one-on-one in-house counseling services to its program participants.
Villa Majella also works with each pregnant woman to ensure they are enrolled in proper health insurance coverage, and coordinate with social service agencies to facilitate the enrollment process so that our mothers have access to medical care. The organization also ensures that all of its resident mothers are prepared for the labor and delivery process and equipped with the basic needs that will support them during
their hospital stay. When women have no supportive family or friends, Villa Majella staff transports and accompanies them to the hospital. The women are also afforded prenatal education, including instruction in breast feeding and hands-on experience in newborn care as well as weekly in-house parenting classes. Visiting nurses also provide follow-up consultation when a mother returns to Villa Majella after her baby’s delivery.
“It’s not just about putting a pregnant woman in crisis in a bed and saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got a place to sleep tonight,’” Johnson said. “You’ve got to really support these moms in a lot of ways. Our main goal is providing shelter and support, but what we really want to do is connect them with all the different resources that already exist in Santa Barbara so that when they leave here, they know where they can go after to get continued support. We aim to set each woman up for long term success.”
To help finance the maternity home and its program, Villa Majella holds an annual fundraiser that is nothing like the usual hoity-toity gala. While its Autumn BBQ is held in Montecito, it’s a much more casual affair where supporters have gathered in October for nearly 25 years to celebrate Villa Majella’s mission. Between 150 and 200 community members enjoy delicious Santa Maria Style BBQ, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 1684, and the Catholic Daughters of America Court 293.
Guests at this year’s event, slated for Saturday, October 11, at Our Lady of
Giving List Page 384
OUR GRACIOUS HOST KEVIN COSTNER
OUR DEVOTED AUDIENCE
OUR VOLUNTEERS
OUR SUPPORT TEAM
OUR ARTISTS WHO DONATED TIME & TALENT
TRISHA YEARWOOD
GOOD CHARLOTTE
THE FRAY
ALAN PARSONS
STEPPENWOLF'S JOHN KAY
MOTOWN LEGEND THELMA HOUSTON
THE CAR'S ELLIOT EASTON
DONAVON FRANKENREITER
PLASTIC HARPOONS
DJ BAD ASH
MUSIC SUPERVISOR ALAN PARSONS O.B.E.
MUSIC DIRECTOR ED ROTH
SPECIAL EVENT PRODUCER MICK TREADWELL
MAJOR EVENT SPONSORS
PIVOTAL
FOLEY FAMILY OF WINES
NOSOTROS TEQUILA
EL ENCANTO HOTEL
RISKIN PARTNERS
TRUE LOVE ALWAYS
IN-KIND SPONSORS
ANDREW MURRAY VINEYARDS
BABCOCK WINERY & VINEYARDS
BECKMAN VINEYARDS
CRACYL MAGAZINE
DAVIES GRP
DAYTRIP DROMME
FAR NIENTE
FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING
FLAIR PROJECT
GOLDEN EAGLE VODKA
GOVINO
GRASSINI FAMILY VINEYARDS
KEENAN
LA LIEFF WINES
LUCKY'S
MARGERUM WINE COMPANY
MONTECITO JOURNAL NICKEL & NICKEL NOOZHAWK
OMNI CATERING & EVENTS
PRESQU'IL WINES
PEGASUS TRANSIT INC.
SANTA BARBARA AIRBUS
SANTA BARBARA BUBBLE GUY
SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT
SEASONS CATERING THE BOTANIST GIN
VEGA VINEYARDS & FARM
WAIAKEA WATER
SAVE THE DATE: THE NEXT ONE805LIVE! WILL BE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 AT KEVIN COSTNER’S ESTATE.
CONSIDER MAKING AN END-OF-YEAR DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AT ONE805.ORG/DONATE.
Stunning Coastal Views, Private Beach Access
Open Sunday 2PM - 4PM
4099 Creciente Drive Santa Barbara I $10, 950,000
Scott McCosker 805.687.2436
Modem Spanish-Style Revival - Heart of SB
Open Sunday 1PM - 3PM
905 Laguna Street I Santa Barbara I $3,995,000
Scott Westlotorn 805.403.4313
Maurie McGuire 805.403.8816
Santa Ynez Valley Estate
Open Saturday 10AM - lPM
1325 North Refugio I Santa Ynez I $3,625,000
Patty Murphy 805.688.4200
Chris Atkinson 805.225.4915
October 4th & October 5th
Sotheby's International Realty
Coastal Charm and Ocean Views
Open Sunday 1PM - 3PM
2297 Golden Gate Avenue I Summerland I $2,098,500
Frank Abatemarco 805.450.7477
Newly Remodeled Mesa Condo
Open Saturday & Sunday 1PM - 3PM
986 Miramonte Drive #6 I Santa Barbara $934,900
Ryan Strehlow 805.705.8877
Ojai Gem
Open Sunday 12PM - 3PM
329 South Carrillo Road I Ojai I $895,000
Julie Fox 805.969.4755
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott
Ben Carlson, assistant professor of physics at Westmont, explores the scientific foundations of today’s most pressing energy and climate issues in a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 5:30 pm at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. The talk, “Energy and Climate Through the Lens of Basic Science,” is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations required. Free parking is available on the streets surrounding CAW or in nearby city parking lots. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.
Carlson, who earned a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, says the lecture expands on a course, “Physics for Future Presidents,” that focuses on the impact of basic science on the modern world.
“I’ll highlight how the concept of energy density is a lens through which to examine energy – from batteries, to fossil fuels to nuclear power – and explore the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to sustainable energy systems,” he says.
Westmont College continues to be recognized as the top Christian liberal arts college in the West, according to top national rankings. U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges lists Westmont as one of the top 10 Christian liberal arts colleges in California. Overall, Westmont continues to be one of the top two nationally ranked members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Earlier this year, Carlson and thousands of researchers worldwide were honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, a particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as several related experiments.
In 2022, he received a $200,000 National Science Foundation grant to further his search for evidence of the presence of mysterious dark matter.
He joined the Westmont faculty in 2021 after teaching at the University of Pittsburgh as a Samuel Langley postdoctoral fellow.
The Westmont Foundation sponsors Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things That Matter as well as the annual Westmont President’s Breakfast in late February.
The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluate more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities, using up to 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success. Westmont made big improvements in several ranking metrics, including faculty salary (up 36%), student-to-faculty ratio (up 29%), financial resources (up 14%) and Pell grant graduation rate (up 13%). In more exclusive categories, Westmont was ranked in Top Performers on Social Mobility for National Liberal Arts Colleges, which measures how well schools enrolled and graduated students who received federal Pell Grants. Westmont is recognized in
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2025 WEV Trailblazer Award Honoree:
Gwyn Lurie, CEO of the Montecito Journal and co-founder of The GivingList Women
In honor of National Give to Women and Girls Day, Women’s Economic Ventures proudly recognizes Gwyn Lurie for her leadership in amplifying women’s philanthropy and strengthening the culture of giving back.
The League of Extraordinary Women
A community of generous changemakers fueling women’s success.
The names you see below represent 150+ members of WEV’s League of Extraordinary Women — annual donors who power WEV’s mission and help women build brighter futures for themselves and their families. WEV celebrates their extraordinary generosity, including Trailblazer honoree Gwyn Lurie. The League is open to anyone who believes in the power of women — and we invite you to join us.
Anonymous
Brenda Allison
Max Anderson
Kim Andrade
Katya Armistead
Barbara Aue
Bernadette Bagley
Marsha Bailey
Maria Ballesteros-Sola
Rachelle Barnier
Vanessa Bechtel
Liz Beckner
Jon Bishop
Emma Bridges
Elena Brokaw
Ellen Brokaw
Natalie Browne
Hannah Buschbom
Jan Campbell
Meryl Chase
Betsy Chess
Andria Martinez Cohen
Emily Cohen
Stephanie Conell
Colette Cosentino
Sallie Coughlin
Kathryn Courain
Renee Courington
Nancy Crouse
Erika Derry
Naomi Dewey
Simon Dixon
Devyn Duex
Dianne Duva
Jack Edelstein
Lynda Fairly
Alessandra Fantoni
Karen Farr
Glen Farr
Nick Frankle
Eva Gans
Christine Garvey
Robbie Gluckson
Laurie Gross-Schaefer
Renee Grubb
Elysia Guillen
Scott Hansen
Lisa Hawkins
Julie Henley
Sandra Hirsch
Blanca Hoffmeier
Lydia Hopps
Mary Ince
Carolyn Jabs
Elizabeth Jebef
Siouxsie Jennett
Zdena Jiroutova
Jonathan Johnen
Devon Johnson
Donna Julian
Junemarie Justus
Tom Justus
Megan Karsh
Mike Kauffman
Helen Keane
Elise & Bill Kearney
Meenal & Kris Kelkar
Keri Kettle
Ruth Kovacs
Lauren Lafferty
Jeffrey Lambert
Courtney Lane
Erin Larner
Emily Latour
Natalie Lehman
Melissa Livingston
Linda Lorenzen
Gwyn Lurie
Catherine Macaulay
Caroline Macdougall
Kate MacNaughton
Jaclyn Madrid
Vanessa & Alexander Marin
Alixe Mattingly
Ali Farr McCarty
Sara Miller McCune
Carol McHenry
Kate McLean
Barbara Meister
Mike Merewether
Gloria Miele
Dawn Mitcham
Gabrielle Moes
Bibi Moezzi
Kelly Mooney
Kacey Moore
Lynda Nahra
Deborah Naish
Nanette Nevins
Carola Nicholson
Kathy Odell
Nancy O’Reilly
Ale Ortega-Botello
Nicki Parr
June Parr
Natalie Pavia
Banks Pecht
Tara Penke
Tom Phillips
Curt Pickert
Matt Potter-Racine
Brando Pozzi
Juliana Ramirez
Scott Reed
Shawna Reeder
April Remnant
Sharon Rich
Angela Rosales
Susan Rose
Linda Rossi
Erin Samaniego
Melissa Sayer
Ali Schiller
Heike Schirmer
Seana-Marie Sesma
Cindy Sherman
Kate Silsbury
Karen Smith Bogart
Vivian Solodkin
Tana Sommer-Belin
Reese Spach
Jeanne Spencer
DeAnna Steiger
Ann Steinmetz
Carol Suruki-Carmany
Lynne Tahmisian
Deborah Talmage
Pam Tanase
Ruth Tidwell
Cynthia Torres
Sarah Turner
Barbara Tzur
Mary Jean Vignone
Susan Washing
Lynda Weinman
Rosanne Welcher
Kathy Wertheim
Heidi Whitcomb
Monica White
Andrew Winchester
Michelle Yee
Eric Zackrison
Randi Zeller
In Memorian, Sarah Giroux
by Tiana Molony
Oren Giladi, owner of organic meal service Organic Oren, never set out to be a chef. Yet the path revealed itself almost effortlessly, as though he’d been destined for it from the beginning.
His original plan was to become an artist. In college, he studied art as an undergraduate in New York. While he cooked for fun and came from a “food-obsessed family” with a couple of chefs, cooking was always a “secondary thing” for him.
The real catalyst came in grad school, when his father and brother’s health issues pushed him to take a closer look at nutrition. Around the same time his father and brother were ill, a family friend reached out to him. They were looking for a healthy chef to prepare meals for a family member who was sick and required a diet that was “super healthy.” They asked if he’d cook for them.
This client was very particular about ingredients, wanting everything to be from her garden and organic. She was also extremely strict about the details, even down to the specific salt and oil used in the cooking. Despite having only cooked recreationally and not professionally, Giladi seized the opportunity.
“Then that one family kind of turned into two,” he said. “And then three and then four and before I knew it, I was doing art but also bouncing around between these different families doing meal prep for them.”
Organic Oren is opened at The Post (courtesy photo)
attempt to split the delivery fee. Giladi said that women would often organize four or five friends to have their orders delivered to one house to share the cost. He realized that it made sense to open a pick-up in Montecito, and when a spot was available at The Post, it was perfect. The Post is now the fourth official pickup location, the original spot at Bergin’s house, one in Brentwood, and one in Newport. All locations, including The Post, currently operate as pre-ordered pickups, not grab-and-go, but Giladi says they are working on expanding those options.
SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 7:30 AM - 10:00 PM
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY AM - PM 7:0010:00 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AM7:0012:00AM
Word of mouth quickly brought in new clients, and Giladi gained a reputation for his healthy meal prep and catering. He started working as a private chef in Los Angeles, focusing on wholesome, ingredient-driven dishes. Then, in January 2020 – just as the pandemic began – he and his business partners, Amanda Bergin and Mike Kassar, launched Organic Oren.
With the lockdown, Bergin’s Pilates studio (Pilates by Amanda) became an incidental hub. They started cooking the meals in Bergin’s home, which was located above the Pilates studio, and had them ready for pickup after classes. The business grew rapidly as demand increased, especially for safe, high-quality food during lockdowns.
Shortly after, Giladi realized they had a large following in Santa Barbara, specifically Montecito. For three or four years, a small but growing group of customers in the area would frequently
For their new Montecito location, they aimed to design an experience that would be an integral part of people’s day, envisioning it as an outing where customers could shop or work out and then pick up their organic food. As he said, “Our whole goal is to tailor the vibe to each community.”
Organic Oren’s menu rotates weekly, rarely repeating meals. They have not recycled the same menu in over five years, so you can expect variety in both mains and sides each week. However, popular items like the Quinoa Crusted Chicken Tenders are always available.
Giladi was kind enough to order a few meals for me, which included those perfectly crunchy tenders and a delightful Country Club Tuna Salad, which had just the right amount of spice from the peperoncini and is a contender for the best tuna salad I’ve ever had.
To come up with new ideas, Giladi goes on what he calls “salad walks,” which are precisely as they sound. He grabs a salad and eats it while walking, waiting for inspiration to strike. “I just
Organic Oren Page 384
echoes the sentiment from the fashion side: “We believe fashion can be a catalyst for meaningful change.” For her, clothing isn’t only about appearance— it’s about how design can uplift communities and create opportunities
Cozily ensconced inside Art & Soul, these missions resonate even more. The gallery itself is a family collaboration, with mother Kim McIntyre and teenage daughter Bella curating side by side. It’s a daily example of mentorship, creativity, and growth across generations – the same values that Move With Purpose fosters through dance.
The gallery was founded on the idea that art should be approachable, connective, and part of everyday life. Their space doesn’t stop at exhibitions. It hosts workshops, sound baths, yoga classes, and even a podcast studio. The result is a gallery that feels alive… a place where creativity has room to move.
Merlette is a New York-based atelier founded in 2016 with a focus on refined shapes, delicate textures, and carefully considered details. The brand creates garments that allow women to feel both elegant and at ease. Each piece is designed with thoughtfulness and thoroughness, from the choice of natural, high-quality fabrics like airy silks, versatile wools, and signature luxurious cottons to the bespoke finishes of embroidery and smocking.
Merlette has built a reputation for offering timeless pieces that balance beauty with versatility, inviting women to build wardrobes that are both essential and enduring. This is clothing that feels as good as it looks: easy to wear, graceful in motion, and grounded in a philosophy of responsible design. Now with a boutique at The Post in
Montecito, Merlette brings its global vision of effortless luxury directly into the heart of the Montecito community. Between these collaborators, Fashion in Motion promises an unforgettable evening that captures art through bodies that dance and garments that move, remembered forever in the Art & Soul of the audience.
Fashion in Motion: Move With Purpose x Merlette will take place on October 15 from 6-8 pm at Art & Soul Gallery (1323 State Street). Visit movewithpurposesb.org for more information, tickets, and donations.
october 19-23
by Elizabeth Stewart
who is NOT from Santa Barbara, has inherited a pottery floor vase – a quirky and unique work from the mid 1970s by our genius Santa Maria potter, William “Bill” Shinn (Santa Ana, CA 1932-2011). Was Shinn’s inspiration for the design a native American marriage vessel, typically with two spouts? Wait, this has THREE! I believe the artist was saying something for OUR times as well as his: love can be manifold.
The artist himself was an intrepid researcher, traversing the American desert – as well as Europe, Japan, and Russia – in search of inspiration. Shinn was an internationally recognized potter and teacher, having won awards at International Ceramic Competitions in Italy, New Zealand, and Korea; he was educated with a Masters in Ceramic Design at UCLA during a seminal period in ceramic arts, and the Sorbonne and Académie Julian in Paris. To great acclaim as a young artist, he exhibited at the Syracuse Nationals in1966. The Everson Museum in Syracuse collected his work for their permanent collection. After the artist died in 2011, many of his former students (Allan Hancock 1962-1988) missed his personal instruction in his own studio in Santa Maria. There, he experimented, and became a master of ceramic extrusion techniques, using a distinctive machine/tool to aid the creation of three-dimensional work. Die cuts can be created to extrude
large hollow forms. In the December 2002 edition of Ceramics Monthly, Shinn said “the extruder is an ideal tool for sculpture, both abstract and representational...dies created specifically for this purpose can produce work that can be easily bent, twisted, and joined together.” Today such dies can be created using 3-D printers. Shinn combined both extrusion and slab form creations within his unique oeuvre. (If you can imagine forcing clay through a tube, you get the idea; think of forcing clay through a tube with a cookie cutter imbedded inside.) If any reader has attempted to hand roll a coil pot, you would have loved to use an extruder. It creates even and unbroken strings of coils. But the tool can do much more, and Shinn pushed the boundaries, as you can see from MC’s three-spouted work.
This style puts Shinn in the annals of the American Studio Art Pottery Movement right at the most formative time of that development. A word here about the popularity of the era TODAY – the earthy and massive forms of the midcentury and the distinctive glazes (sometimes earth tones, sometimes 1960s vibrant colors) are HOT property purchased for midcentury homes. We find not just vessels but ceramic sculpture, and Shinn was a master of large ceramic sculpture pieces like this one owned by MC (who wants to sell, by the way).
I love the way the spouts are small and the “shoulder” – which is the round part of the top of the vase, is SO bulbous. Vasefinder Auctions has a listing of a smaller, less “designy” vase for $60, and Ross’s Auction in Belfast sold a complex designed vessel for $350. 1stDibs
sold a Shinn abstract sculpture vase for $800. The artist was represented for years by Judith Hale Gallery Solvang/ Santa Ynez. Currently – from a gallery in Pasadena – I found a large ovoid vessel, raised on a round plinth in a deep brown glaze. At the center of the oval is a patterned round circle incised in deep relief. This vessel is offered for $825. One of the great characteristics of this genre is the anthropomorphic shaping, as well as borrowed design motifs from the Japanese and the Native American. How did the artist, who began with painting, find “clay?” He was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and found “sculpture” in the forms beneath his plane. An article in the June 9, 2009, issues of the Santa Maria Sun by Shelly Cone quotes Bill Shinn: “There are a lot of things that suppress being creative. The main motivation for me is creating something I’ve never seen before.” The author, Cone, had asked Shinn about his many awards and many sales and shows, as a possible influence on what he creates in the studio. But we have an answer in Shinn’s obituary in the Santa Maria Times, in a quote from a former student who became an instructor at Allan Hancock, Marti Fast. Regarding the push-pull of creativity versus market influence on an artist’s work, Fast said of Shinn: “His mind worked differently because he wasn’t worried about a specific outcome.” MC’s vase is worth $800 in this fast-growing American Art Pottery of the Mid-20th century marketplace.
Elizabeth Stewart, PhD is a veteran appraiser of fine art, furniture, glass, and other collectibles, and a cert. member of the AAA and an accr. member of the ASA. Please send any objects to be appraised to Elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com
by Ashleigh Brilliant
America has always meant Freedom (or Liberty, which means (more or less) the same thing to people all over the World. We even have a gigantic Statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World” facing outward from our busiest harbor.
Yet the Founders of our Nation, gathering together to draw up a Constitution, had to face the embarrassing fact that a system of Slavery prevailed in many of the new States. Even worse, that system was racially based.
The word “freedom” does not occur in the Constitution or in any of its amendments. However the noun “Right” does occur throughout the first ten amendments, which collectively are known as the “Bill of Rights.”
Most of the Amendments which have been made to the Constitution enlarge freedom in various ways. However, there was one amendment which actually did the opposite. It deprived many people of a freedom which they had always assumed they possessed. This was the notorious Eighteenth Amendment (1920), which ushered in the Era of Prohibition.
There are some remarkable facts about that entire historical episode. In the US, it was generally considered, until then, that the hardest piece of legislation to get passed into law would be a Constitutional Amendment. Furthermore, once actually approved by the required number of legislatures, any such amendment would be among the hardest to get rescinded. Yet, in the case of Prohibition, the time which elapsed between its approval by Congress and becoming Law, and its being repealed by large majorities all over the country, was only 13 years.
But it was another decade before President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (“FDR”) gave a famous speech before Congress in which he enunciated Four Freedoms which should prevail as a goal throughout the World. It was a “State of the Union” address, which is required by the Constitution to be given “from time to time.” This particular time was Monday, January 6, 1941. World War II had already been raging for over a year, but the U.S. would not become directly involved until nearly the end of that year. We had, however, been indirectly involved for many months, with a system called “Lend-Lease,” which enabled American aid to be supplied to a Britain badly in need of such help.
The Four Freedoms were, specifically, what we might call two positives and two negatives. The positives were Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion. The other two were Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear. Coming from the American President, they naturally received very wide publicity. This was aided by a series of four special paintings by the famous painter, Norman Rockwell, whose art was already very well known, from its frequent appearance on the cover of what was probably that day’s most widely circulated weekly magazine, the Saturday Evening Post. Those paintings, in turn, found their way onto such national media as Postage Stamps. In particular, Rockwell’s illustration for “Freedom from Fear” lingers in my mind. It showed presumably American parents standing at the bedside of two sleeping children. The father is holding a newspaper on which the headline can be seen to refer to some war horror, no doubt far away.
Ironically, since those far-off days, new perils have emerged which people of that generation knew nothing about. One thinks of new diseases like AIDS and Covid, or mass shootings, which seem to have become so common that they hardly make headlines. But gun owners cherish their right, guaranteed under the Second Amendment to the Constitution, “to keep and bear arms.” There aren’t many other “civilized” countries
whose basic laws give so much protection to dangerous weaponry. However, it must be said that at least one of those countries – the notoriously peaceful nation of Switzerland – practically requires every householder to maintain, and keep accessible, some kind of high-powered firearm. I suppose this can be understood simply from that country’s geographical position, surrounded by perpetually warring nations.
One of the most famous quotations on this subject says that “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Unfortunately, that word “vigilance” has inspired various groups to take the law into their own hands, to call themselves Vigilantes” – a word commonly used after the Civil War to describe groups whose purpose was to terrorize ex-slaves
And today other groups like to assert that “Freedom Is Not Free.” But we might prefer to conclude with the story told in Born Free, of the lion cub adopted and raised by white settlers in Kenya, and then successfully released into the wild.
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.
by Deann Zampelli
Like millions of other acolytes, I was among the literary lovers who began reading the Harry Potter series prior to them being brought to cinematic life. In my mind, Hermione was pronounced, “Her-Mee-Oh-Ne.” Not being English (at least by birth), I had never heard the name before and only had my (lack of) wits to go on. So you can imagine my dismay when Emma Watson introduced herself as “Her-My-Oh-Nee.” Wait, what? Having only read the name without hearing it spoken created its own reality in my head. That was her name. “Her-Mee-Oh-Ne.”
It wasn’t until the third movie installment that I finally accepted that it was, indeed, my misinterpretation, and not J.K. Rowling’s.
While that is a trivial example, the same principle applies when a deeper
“truth” is unveiled and found to be false. After my father died, my siblings and I were faced with the daunting task of clearing out his office. When the time came to crack his safe (meaning, we opened it with the combo he had left for us), if there had been a soundtrack playing it would have been Mission Impossible-esque. I don’t know what we expected to find, but the only thing waiting for us was a stack of documents. Not raw, uncut diamonds or false passports. As we riffled through each page, our eyes landed on an adoption certificate. We had always known that when my dad was a baby, he and my grandmother moved from Boston to Santa Monica and that when he was very young, she remarried, and her husband adopted my dad – in turn becoming the only father my dad ever knew. But this adoption certificate showed my dad’s age as 14 when the adoption occurred. 14? Not a baby at all. While it didn’t really
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matter, it was just odd. Why did all three of us grow up thinking he was adopted as a baby? I know that back then there was a certain amount of shame and stigma around divorce and even the idea of being adopted, but this was just…unsettling. Something each of us had believed for 40-50 years was suddenly not true. Just like that.
When a long-held belief is shattered, it can throw you off your axis for a bit, depending on how large a reveal it is. I needed to know more about what this was called. Being a big fan of research, I got to work.
It isn’t an actual delusion, it turns out, nor is it a fallacy – because these aren’t based on “unsound logic” or the so-called Mandela effect in which many people have a false memory in common (for instance, when everyone remembers the Wicked Queen from Cinderella saying, “Mirror, Mirror on the wall…” when she really said, “Magic Mirror on the wall…”).
In psychology, the sudden disorientation one feels when faced with a jarring and counterintuitive discovery is known as “cognitive dissonance”. This phenomenon occurs either when you simultaneously hold two conflicting beliefs, or when new information is gleaned that challenges the old
According to Psychology Today, “When one learns new information that challenges a deeply held belief, for example, or acts in a way that seems to undercut a favorable self-image, that person may feel motivated to somehow resolve the negative feeling that results – to restore cognitive consonance. Though a person may not always resolve cognitive dissonance, the response to it may range from ignoring the source of it to changing one’s beliefs or behavior to eliminate the conflict.” I.e., by accepting that Harry and Ron’s bestie is saying her own name correctly, and you, my friend, have been saying it wrong.
While cognitive dissonance rings true, I also think that disillusionment deserves a nod. Like finding out there is no Easter Bunny (oops, sorry). This was a long-held belief, something you banked on. You put your basket out, at some point the Easter
Bunny came, and the rest of the day you laid the groundwork for your sugar crash. When you discover that it was not in fact a very tall, and somewhat imbalanced furry friend leaving you a giant chocolate egg, but it was your parents? That feels a lot like betrayal. Even if it was for a good cause. And it is also sad because it was a fun thing to believe in.
But as adults finding out that something you unthinkingly held as true is in fact the opposite – that can be an even greater dislocation from which to bounce back. We aren’t as malleable as children, we are more rigid and have a strong sense of who we are, what we consider right and wrong. When something challenges that, it can create a deeper sense of mistrust-even of our own instincts.
The level of these misconceptions can vary greatly; a mispronounced name may cause embarrassment, but the discovery that a close friend or partner isn’t who you thought they were will have deeper emotional repercussions.
So, what do we do in the face of these new realities? I remember learning in graduate school that when we are faced with a rip-the-Band Aid-off kind of reveal, the most important thing to do is to acknowledge your feelings about this new truth. You can ask yourself what about it bothers you the most and even make a list. And allow yourself to grieve the loss of your truth. It was yours for a long time. If you trusted someone and that trust was broken, grieve the loss of trust.
Until then, keep the faith. What you believe is still true. Until it isn’t, of course.
Health and humor in the MJ National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach trained at Duke Integrative Medicine, Deann Zampelli owns Montecito Coaching & Nutrition. She also has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and has been a resident of Montecito since 2006.
waiting weeks or months to see a physician. This stemmed in part from a national, state and local shortage of physicians.
“I’ve been here for 25 years,” says Newman, “and one of the biggest refrains that I would hear is that yes, Sansum is great, the care is great, but it’s hard to get an appointment.”
Luckily at Sansum, that’s no longer the case. Since their acquisition by Sutter Health, the Clinic has expanded weekday hours for primary care appointments and added weekend hours. “We are excited to get the word out and let our community know that we do have access,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Hadsall, an internal medicine physician and president of Sansum Medical Group Santa Barbara.
“That’s our mission. Patients first, people always; that’s why we’re all here.” Hadsall spearheaded the effort to increase patient access to care through expanded hours; an idea that is moving the access needle. Dr. Hadsall added Saturdays to his own schedule to lead the effort.
In addition to adding hours, the hiring of more than 50 new clinicians, including many new internists, family practitioners, and advanced practice clinicians, was the catalyst for the expanded primary care access and the 50% reduction in wait times for new appointments. Sutter also attracted doctors in specialties the Clinic has never had, like reconstructive surgery, urogynecology and Mohs surgery for skin cancer.
Dr. Ransohoff notes Sutter’s resources and reputation are greatly appealing to doctors looking for a work home, and that having a strong employer like Sutter in the community translates into an enhanced, long-term ability to recruit and attract top talent. “There are a lot of folks in this community who retire here and come here expecting world-class care,” says Dr. Ransohoff. “Our goal is to deliver it, and I believe we’re delivering on that promise, by virtue of who we’ve been able to attract to the community.”
The partnership has not only enabled the clinic to leverage the resources of physicians and advanced practice clinicians but also introduce advanced technology that was previously unavailable.
In February, Sansum Clinic’s Foothill Surgery Center became one of the country’s first outpatient centers to acquire a da Vinci 5® Robotic Surgical System – a
human-directed precision surgical interface – raising the bar for minimally invasive surgical care in the community. The $3 million investment achieved with help from Sutter Health and community supporters gives patients greater access to surgical options outside the hospital setting. This can often result in less pain, shorter recovery times, improved outcomes and a faster return to daily activities.
While Sutter’s resources have played a role in enhancing care locally, as a nonprofit, the organization’s Greater Central Coast continues to rely on local support.
Philanthropy has historically enabled the clinic to undertake significant community initiatives like the acquisition of advanced technologies, COVID-19 vaccination and testing, flu clinics, patient assistance and education programs, Camp Wheez for children with asthma, construction of new facilities like RidleyTree Cancer Center and Foothill Surgery Center, and housing assistance for new doctors managing medical school debt.
“We are fortunate to live in a community where patients value having high-quality healthcare. Philanthropic support has allowed us to improve on and expand on what we offer in tremendous ways. Our relationship with Sutter allows us to dream even bigger,” says Dr. Ransohoff.
Dr. Ransohoff and Dr. Newman share excitement about the future of healthcare in Santa Barbara, focusing on keeping care local, expanding services, and leveraging Sutter’s resources for the benefit of the Santa Barbara community.
“There is tremendous value from being connected to Sutter,” explains Dr. Newman. “Patients benefit when you can tap into resources, share best practices and expertise. It’s really quite phenomenal.”
As Dr. Ransohoff puts it, “Sutter Health understands the value of local healthcare.
And it’s rewarding to think together we’re building something that makes people feel comfortable and confident knowing that, whatever happens, they will be able to get great care where they live.”
If you would like to establish care with a Sutter Health primary care clinician, visit www.sutterhealth.org/welcomesansum
let things come to me,” he said. Factors like the weather dictate how heavy or light the meals will be that week. Behind the scenes, that kind of weekto-week flexibility relies on a careful supply chain. Organic Oren sources its food through a forager, Carrie Clasby, who has her own farm in Malibu and visits other farms to pick up fresh, organic produce. This approach allows the bespoke meal service to maintain its strict standards for organic and carefully sourced ingredients.
In early 2024, Giladi made a conscious decision to keep everything fairly-priced and has not raised prices since. He shared that they are committed to keeping their prices steady and affordable, focusing on generosity rather than following the trend of price increases in what can sometimes feel like “a rat race to get that extra buck.”
From the beginning, it’s always been about delivering healthy food. And that sentiment hasn’t shifted. As Giladi puts it, “We’re not getting skimpy. We just say we want people to eat; we have a hungry community.”
Organic Oren’s menus are available on Tuesdays at 4 pm, and pickups are every Monday from 11 am to 4 pm at The Post.
Mt. Carmel Church on East Valley Road, also listen to live local musical talent, hear presentations by four alumni moms who are attending with their children, and bid on silent auction items donated by over 70 local businesses. Tickets are just $45, with children under 12 admitted free. And while advance reservations are helpful in planning, people can also pay at the door.
“We didn’t want the ticket price to be outrageous because we want to welcome in younger families just getting acquainted with our mission to learn about who we are and what we do,” Johnson explained. “We’re wanting to build a community that can invest in whatever way that it can. Our theme this year is that it takes a village and we’re trying to emphasize how many different organizations and individuals join us in celebrating and supporting these moms and their babies. We want every mom to know that you’re loved and you’re supported and that there’s a home for you. There’s a space for you in our community.”
But the dollars raised absolutely matter.
“We don’t want any pregnant women to feel alone. By supporting a mom in this vulnerable moment, we can help change the trajectory of her future,” Johnson said. “For some this involves helping them rebuild broken relation -
ships, for others it means helping them avoid entering long-term homelessness. We welcome them into the dignity of a home environment, show them they’re supported, and then help them rebuild. It is a high-cost operation, but the value is that the mom really does change the trajectory of her and her family’s life through our being able to focus on one mom at a time. Your support makes it all possible.”
Call (805) 683-2838 or visit www.villamajella.org
was Steve Irwin, Australian zookeeper, conservationist and TV personality that she emulated by presenting wildlife ‘Show and Tell’ presentations for her family captured on her mother’s VHS camera. Her dream was to be just like Irwin – surrounded by animal discoveries, conserving wildlife and preserving biodiversity.
Roemer attended Oakland University near Detroit as an integrative studies student with an opportunity to learn about tropical ecology in the rain forests of Costa Rica and Ecuador. “Something about the rain forest is so humbling, so awesome… you realize that you’re just a guest there – there’s so much life everywhere, so many sounds and colors. And you’re so very small!” She added sadly, “To know that the rain forests are disappearing as a result of man, I still wonder... how could that be possible ?” Roemer changed her major to Wildlife Biology and World Media: writing, art, and photography to emphasize the importance of preserving biodiversity and ecology became her path going forward.
On her way to pursuing her dreams, early jobs as zookeeper, teacher, and caregiver for her grandmother were the stepping stones on her way to the Santa Barbara Zoo. “Until I arrived here, I really wasn’t aware of what zoo’s actually do for conservation,” she
exclaimed. “When I applied for a job, I told them my goal was to be a female Steve Irwin… and when they actually hired me, I cried happy tears the entire day.” Now, after 16 years she is still at the zoo loving every experience on her way to becoming coordinator: All Animal Experiences. As Roemer’s title suggests, her job obliges the collaboration she loves as she works to incorporate the zoo’s entire exhibit spectrum. And... Roemer still does ‘Show and Tell,’ only now for kids to see and touch with one of her tropical friends on her arm.
“The Santa Barbara Zoo is a very holistic place, a small zoo with lots of opportunities to collaborate with one another,” my guide shared on our way down the hill. “The zoo accepted me with open arms and gave me the flexibility to do what I love. There are so great many role models here, many of them female, and I continue to learn from them. To be honest, the zoo has become my backyard in the present day… all my friends are here. I love my job!”
Sigrid Toye is an Educational and Behavior Therapist with a PhD in Clinical Psychology, a freelance writer, and a storyteller. She loves all things creative, including her two (adult) artist children.
“Don’t whistle at night… it attracts bad things.” You’ve been warned. Just in time for Halloween is Nick Medina’s creepy The Whistler; a chilling tale wrapped in Indigenous myths, a ghost story with a twist. When a young ghost-hunting man on the cusp of success screeches to a halt, he must learn to deal with dashed dreams, physical limitations, and the haunting of the Whistler. This one is not only scary but packed with heartfelt emotion. Dive in.
First, this has one of the most beautiful and intriguing covers, a woman dressed in 18th century clothing trapped inside a gilded bird cage. A. Rushby’s Slashed Beauties is the perfect feminist horror tale about a trio of Anatomical Venuses (wax figures used for medical studies back in that day, and looking chillingly lifelike. Set in both 18th century London in a brothel where men are disappearing, and modern-day England where a hunt for the Venuses is on, this one will transport you to a gritty and dangerous London as the
by Leslie Zemeckis
women fight amongst themselves – and for themselves – to be free.
I recently interviewed with legendary author Jeffrey Archer who has a new book out. End Game: The Final William Warwick Novel is sure to be a bestseller. The Summer Olympics are coming to London in 2012, and Commander William Warwick is in charge of security. However, there are forces planning to disrupt the games. Russia and China are plotting against the Olympics which leads to a climax that will keep you turning pages. There is a reason Archer has sold over 300 million copies of his books worldwide; he knows how to tell a compelling story.
For those missing the series Succession you will love dipping into the world of Fiend by Alma Katsu. The Berisha family runs a wildly successful and wildly corrupt import-export company aided in their fiendish antics by a 1000-year-old demon. With a cast of characters you will love to hate this one is delightfully dark.
Walter Mosley ’s latest Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right is like sipping a crisp martini, extra dry. Private Investigator Joe King Olvier is back and this time the case is personal. When his beloved grandma comes to him and asks for what might be her last favor, King is thrown on the trail to find his missing father; released from prison, unbeknownst to King. Mosley is the master of pace and dialogue, his prose razor sharp and the atmosphere pure modern noir. I recently interviewed Mister Mosley and he is not slowing down anytime soon. He is, in fact, coming out with a romance this spring.
Reminiscent of Joan Didion, Susan Orlean’s new memoir Joyride delves into the origins of her love of both words and of discovering people. Orlean is an extraordinary writer, and this book is a masterclass in storytelling, imbued with her ebullient style of finding the profound in the ordinary. As Orlean states
“The story of my
is the
of my stories.” And what a story it is.
‘The Hong Kong Widow’
AThe story
Labeled a historical horror novel, Loesch explores secrets and ghosts and “collective hallucination.” With a gift for talking to ghosts, Mei is a refugee from Shanghai trying to survive under the Chinese Communist rule. Set in a creepy mansion where a massacre does – or does not – occur, this is a thrill ride, yet deep and poignant. I am a big fan of Loesch’s prior novel, The Last Russian Doll.
Leslie Zemeckis is an awardwinning documentarian, bestselling author, and actor. The creator of “Stories Matter,” co-sponsored by SBIFF, and the co-founder of the Santa Barbara Literary Festival.
by Ernie Witham
It was raining hard for our first-ever Grand Teton paddle boat ride down the Snake River. “Put on your safety vests,” Guide Steve told us. “If you fall in, remember: nose and toes up. If you try to stand, your feet could get stuck between rocks and you’ll drown. Had a photographer recently, following the flight of an eagle, turned too far and went in. Lived, though.”
Turns out, Steve had many tales. “There were two boats out on a day like this, when a sudden high wind came up, blew them both over and they had to scramble to a small island until they could be rescued. Much later.”
There were just four of us. Most people had canceled. The other couple, Nita and Richard, were from NY. He seemed optimistic. She didn’t. Steve also told us this was his last year paddling the boat. “Just turned 78. Speaking of paddling, anyone here ever paddled a boat? Pat said: “I have.” “Great,” Steve said, “because if anything happens to me someone has to take over.” “In that case,” Pat said. “Put down Ernie.”
“That ever happened?” I asked. “Once, the guide passed out, heart attack, I think. A passenger had to take over and save everyone.” I looked at Pat, but she would not look at me.
It was raining really hard now. We wobbled our way into the boat and sat on the edge of the pontoon. I finally got a look at the oars. They were huge and heavy looking. Plus, Steve stood up to row, telling us how he had to get to the
other bank right away, where the current was more favorable. One minute later, we bottomed out. “All right, everyone bounce,” said Steve. We bounced as best we could. “Move closer to the middle of the boat.” We stood shakily. “Now bounce again.” We broke free, got into the current, hit a wave that splashed into the boat. My butt, the only really dry part of me was now wet as the Snake River. People back at the Teton Lake Lodge were probably sitting around the big fireplace, drinking hot cocoa with a splash of Bailey’s.
I looked over the edge. It was shallow, but filled with ankle grabbing rocks that seemed to be looking at me. You? You’re the one that’s going to take over in an emergency?
“Keep watching. Sometimes moose come down for a drink. Seen a lot of them over the years.” Did they need to come down for a drink today, couldn’t they just open their mouths and suck down rainwater?
Steve made a lot of jokes about his wife, who was in Idaho. “Don’t see her during the paddling season, probably the reason we have been married for so long.” Either that or she never wanted to be the fallback rower.
Steve pointed to the middle of the river. “Boy Scout rock,” he said and waited. Richard gave him the opening. “Why is it called Boy Scout rock?” “Well since you asked…” Steve steered the raft toward the rock. Are you kidding me! We hit the rock hard and bounced off into a different direction. “Boy Scout does a good turn every day,” Steve quipped. Yeah. If he lives!
“See all these downed trees? Beavers. When the water gets high in the spring. The trees break free and go downstream. They’ll upend a raft in a minute.”
Steve pointed out a colorless, wet, bald eagle. I pointed my dripping camera in the general direction. It was bouncing around like a one-winged butterfly. I fired off a dozen shots.
Steve told us more wildlife encounters he’d had to fill in the gaps of the wildlife we were obviously not going to see today. “Had a large herd of bison cross
the river once completely surrounding the boat. Seen bear, too. Many times.” Steve looked upriver. There was another pontoon behind us. “Wish they were in front,” Steve said nervously. “Could use some guidance going down this final stretch of fast water.” We went left, then right, up, then down. We flew by downed trees. Splash, splash. Nose and toes, I mantra’d. Nose and toes. But we made it! Two hours. In the rain. No bison. No moose. No deaths. Bring on the Bailey’s.
LUNCH: Mon-Sat 11:30AM-2PM | DINNER: 7 nights from 5PM
avenue, although the nexus remains strong. The organization has also branched beyond its longtime performance space of Center Stage Theatre, just this year offering Biophilia: The Nature Within at the Art & Soul gallery, and making a special appearance at Pacifica Institute’s Goddess-Makers in the Age of Autocrats event.
But the Theater of the Feminine Underground ritual theater events –which now take place over two nights via a recent expansion – remain the core of Anima, not least for the audience that attends these shows that are at least two months in the making. It’s a rare experience that goes beyond simply watching a performance.
“You’re getting access to the souls of the artists, something that’s beautifully complex,” Rose said. “It’s how everybody that’s a part of this shows up.”
So while it’s fine to come to Anima just for the theatrical experience, arriving with vulnerability, or at least an openness, can pay dividends.
“We show up and invite people into an experience,” Rose said. “It’s an opportunity to view what you’re seeing as a reflection on yourself. If you’re having a reaction to something, maybe that’s a pathway to feel into yourself more. Or if you’re deeply moved in an unexpected way, how is that also an opportunity to be able to look at and maybe understand a part of yourself that you maybe didn’t have access to before?
“That’s a core thread of what makes Anima ritual theater.”
Visit www.animaritualtheater.com or https:// centerstagetheater.org
This exquisite dual exhibit has 47 paintings and two sculptures from the DMA, and 54 SBMA works (25 paintings, nine photographs, 15 prints and drawings, two books) and a six-minute film containing 102 works of art by 49 artists from the SBMA’s collection.
Joanne A Calitri [JAC]. How does this exhibit relate to the mission of the SBMA?
Amada Cruz [AC]. I’m very committed to having a balanced exhibition program. We’ve done a lot in the contemporary art realm because I felt that was a growth area and now is a big part of what we are doing. It is important to me that we are balancing our exhibitions, and we are honoring the legacy of all the people that have given us incredible works of art, and the French 19th century works we have is extraordinary. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase that within the context of another exhibition of world-class French Impressionism from the DMA.
JAC. How does 19th art influence the 21st century – today and in the future?
James Glisson [JG]. What I would say is it is less about content or execution, it’s more of the idea that when artists feel they have something to say, they can figure out how to say that and share it with an audience without having institutional approval. The thing the Impressionists did is, they were not being recognized by the current salons, so they made their own salon. That anti-institutional spirit continues. Often that happens today via social media and Instagram. Many artists get their start by working with their friends in DYI project spaces.
JAC. What are the top innovative techniques the Impressionist artists gave us?
JG (James Glisson). That’s hard. A few thoughts: First, although art is about what we see in the visual world, it does not have to mimic the world exactly. Second is that even when artists don’t seem to be engaging in technology, they are anyway, the case in point for that is the pigments the impressionist artists used, new colors, chromium pigments, etc.
AC. I hope we can get across how revolutionary these art works and artists are. We are so accustomed to seeing these as beautiful paintings, but these works were horrifying to the academic painters and audiences of the day.
JAC. Were the paintings in this show cleaned or repainted?
JG. The DMA had many of the paintings cleaned. What that means is that the old varnish that yellows over time was removed and a new synthetic varnish that is more stable has been added, so the colors are much more accurate.
JAC. So, the colors will be as intense as they were when originally painted?!
JG. How I would answer that is that we are so accustomed to seeing colors on computers and phones that are much more intense than what is the actual color of it in the world. For the people living in the age of the Impressionists, the paint colors by these artists were intense. For us, it will feel very contemporary because it is like what we see every day on our screens. There are electric colors in most paintings, no real neutrals, parts of a painting may look brown, but look closer, it has reds and yellows. The core of the show is Impressionist paintings and then the aftermath of that, what gets carried forward. We start with Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, things get more abstract, the colors get more unconnected to reality, and by the end of the exhibit, we arrive at André Derain’s Fishing Boats at L’Estaque (1906) and works by Matisse in 1925.
JAC. How did the dual exhibition come about?
JG. The genesis of the dual show was Charlie Wylie [before he moved to Texas] who brought the idea to us. It resonated with us because it was a serious show, a wonderful lesson in art history. The work is really beautiful, and we felt it would connect with a broad audience.
AC. The museum world is small. Many of us on staff and the former SBMA Director [Larry J. Feinberg] had connections with the DMA. It was a nice confluence of these relationships. I like to bring in shows that have some relationship to the collections we already have. One of our strengths is 19th century French art. I’m not sure we’re able to do this again because these are very precious objects and a big undertaking for the museum. The two shows are counterpoints; one is a very classical exhibition, very beautiful with art in gold frames on white walls, hoping people will slow down and spend time with it. And our exhibit is more lively, with paintings, a film and more surprises.
JAC. Let’s talk about the Encore exhibit…
JG. Many of the works for Encore exhibit are not going to be up again for a long time. The premise of the SBMA show is location. As we started to sort things, we realized that we could talk about location, where things were made or what was being pictured in them. We open the show with a large map of Paris and artworks that are geolocated – such as the Eiffel Tower and the Galerie Georges Petit [leading art gallery for French Impressionism and later Matisse]. We found a lot of art of the same place by different artists at different times. We start out with a Monet and Montmartre in the 1880s, as it is the birthplace of modern art and was the place for artists to live. Next, we go to the Louvre – the spiritual home for artists; and we then shift to Matisse’s studio with views of Île de la Cité and the Pont Saint-Michel. We follow the Seine River upstream and downstream to rural outer reaches of Paris – to Brittany, and the beaches of Normandy during the summer. We conclude with a London pairing where Monet visited many times.
While we conversed, the museum staff were busy with the five-gallery installation – the DMA art is in the Gail Wasserman and Family, McCormick, Von Romberg, and Emmons Galleries; and the SBMA art is in the Davidson Gallery.
Noted from SBMA are Henri Matisse’s Pont Saint-Michel, 1901, oil on canvas and William C. Odiorne’s Jardin des Tuileries, Bromide print ca.1920s, gift of Margaret W. Weston; Claude Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, 1900 and Charing Cross Bridge, 1899 both bequest of Katharine Dexter McCormick; works from the Lord and Lady Ridley-Tree collection and other major SBMA donors.
Noted from DMA are Monet’s Valle Buona, Near Bordighera, 1884, gift of the Meadows Foundation; Pissarro’s Apple Harvest (La récolte des pommes à Éragny), 1888, Munger Fund 1955; Van Gogh’s Sheaves of Wheat, July 1890, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection 1985; Signac’s Mont Saint-Michel, Setting Sun, 1897 and Andre Derain, Fishing Boats at L’Estaque, 1906 both The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund Inc bequest of Mrs. Eugene McDermott, 2019.
Immerse yourself in the paintings where even the shadows have color. Be inspired by Monet’s words painted on a museum wall; “What I am painting is the light around an object.” Feel supported by artists who were willing to be different and show us life is art.
411: www.sbma.net, On view through January 25, 2026.
And that’s a wrap till next week! Do email me if you have society news or an experience we can do together! Xx JAC
(Continued from 30)
Undergraduate Economics Programs, which follows news that Westmont’s engineering program earned full ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation. Just two other Christian colleges in California have received this accreditation.
Money magazine named Westmont as one of America’s Best Colleges 2025, which showcases the country’s top values, based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, alumni salaries and more.
Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Top Colleges includes Westmont as among 500 “that shine.” Forbes said its ranking showcases colleges that “produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt.” Forbes ranks Westmont at No. 8 for Small Colleges in California – the top Christian college in that category –and No. 21 for Average Grant Aid in California ($32,414).
Washington Monthly’s rankings, which reward access, affordability, student outcomes and social service, lists Westmont in the top 10 for best liberal arts colleges in California.
Westmont is listed for Best Colleges in California in Niche College Rankings’ Best Colleges in America.
CollegeRaptor’s 2025 Hidden Gem Colleges ranks Westmont No. 1 for Overall Ranking and Graduation Percentage for the Pacific West Conference. Westmont ranks No. 1 out of 2,210 colleges with the nation’s lowest three-year student loan default rate.
Westmont women’s golf competed in its second tournament of the young season, losing to the hosts, Westminster University, by one stroke to finish in second place out of the 11-team field Sept. 22 at Glenmoor Golf Course in South Jordan, Utah. As a result of the Warrior’s performance, the team was named the PacWest Women’s Golf Team of the Week.
“I am incredibly proud of this team,” Westmont’s head coach Leo Maes said. “We had a very quick turnaround before this tournament, and the way we performed truly exemplified the Warrior spirit.”
Kayla Layman, a sophomore from Surprise, Arizona, was the Warriors’ top finisher, finishing fourth after posting a twoday, 5-over par score of 149 (73, 76).
by Jamie Knee
You might not know Roero yet –but if you love Nebbiolo from Barolo or Barbaresco, with deep tannins and perfume, you should. I just returned from Piemonte’s Roero wine region, where the same grape produces red wine that feels noble and graceful, and where Arneis, its white counterpart, shines brightly.
Roero is nestled just north of Alba, across the Tanaro River, part of the greater Langhe-Roero-Monferrato wine landscape (a UNESCO World Heritage region). While Barolo and Barbaresco are often steep, dramatic, sometimes austere, with clay-marl soils and wines built for long aging, Roero’s terroir is different. Its soils are younger, looser, and sandier, with limestone and calcareous clay; they drain well and warm in sunlight, helping grapes ripen fully while maintaining freshness and elegance. The climate tends toward semi-arid, with warm days, cooler nights, and less rainfall compared to many other Piedmont zones, all of which lend the wines both finesse and approachability.
The wines themselves were revelations. Nebbiolo, the red wine grape known for Barolo and Barbaresco, here yields wines that still have perfume of rose and cherry, structure and aging potential, but with softer tannins, fresher fruit, and more immediate pleasure than many Barolos. Arneis, a white wine grape indigenous to Roero, brought brightness: citrus peel, pear, with stone fruit in older vintages, but always with minerality and crispness.
What sets Roero apart in Piemonte is its rich tapestry of soil, climate, agriculture, and people. The soils here are marl-sandstone with strong presences of sandstone, marine-origin sedimentary rock, limestone, clay, and sand, making them loose,
well-drained, mineral-rich, and perfect for grapes that express place with floral, mineral, and elegant character. The climate is semi-arid: warm days, cool nights, modest rainfall, often concentrated in late autumn and winter; these conditions preserve acidity, clarity, and fresh aromatics in both red and white wines.
What makes Roero even more compelling is its blend of legacy and innovation. Take Malabaila di Canale, a winery whose history in Roero stretches back to 1362, combining ancient vineyards and centuries-old tradition with modern cellar techniques and sustainability. Then there are younger generation wineries pushing boundaries: Tibaldi, run by sisters Monica and Daniela Tibaldi, who bring organic vineyard practices, handson care, and a fresh energy to winemaking. Or Stefano Occhetti, a winemaker who returned home in 2019, working on regeneratively farmed vines, experimenting with natural yeasts, carbonic maceration, and revitalizing old vineyards for Nebbiolo and Arneis that speak distinctly of Monteu Roero’s sandy soils.
During my time in Roero, I experienced the richness of place in unforgettable ways, because here, wine is only part of the story. I met Buddy, the truffle-sniffing dog, at Azienda Agricola Aloi Luca, and savored a dinner built around black truffles, generously shaved over fresh pasta, with each bite earthy and wild. At Azienda Agricola Juppi, I wandered through orchards heavy with Madernassa pears, apricot trees, and hazelnut groves filling the air with delicious fruity aromas. At Azienda Agricola Fratelli Pertusio “I Pastori del Roero,” I walked with goats, milked them, and tasted robiola cheeses fresh, creamy, alive, and always with a glass of Nebbiolo red or Arneis white. At Mieli Roche, I learned about local beekeeping, tasted raw honey from many flowers, and saw how honey is harvested, infused into dressings, desserts, or spooned plain for joy. It was a delicious festival for
the senses, food, wine, and agriculture entwined in every moment. Agriculture in Roero is beautifully diversified: hazelnuts (especially the Piedmont PGI “Tonda Gentile Trilobata” variety), the same beloved nut behind gianduia chocolates and the origins of Nutella, orchards of pears and apricots, fresh goat cheese, truffles, and honey aren’t merely accents; they are woven into the identity of the land. And the people are deeply connected to place: winemakers, farmers, shepherds,
beekeepers, all contributing to what you taste in the glass, the aromas you smell in the air, and the soil beneath your feet. If you haven’t visited or tried the wines from the Roero region, you truly don’t know what you’re missing. It’s a place where power meets elegance: red Nebbiolo with its noble structure and perfume, white Arneis shining bright with floral lift. Each sip reminds you that terroir isn’t just about grapes, it’s the wind through orchards, the crunch of hazelnuts, the scent of earth after rain. Roero isn’t somewhere you just drink wine, it’s somewhere you feel it.
Jamie Knee is a Global Wine Communicator, Wine Media Personality, and International Wine Judge & Educator, named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Women in Wine.” Follow her @petitewinetraveler.
This specimen of a marlinspike shell (Terebra maculata) has sentimental and historic significance, which makes it a favorite of Associate Curator Vanessa Delnavaz, MA. The shell comes with a label handwritten by S. Stillman Berry: “This poor battered shell is kept for reasons of sentiment. It has been in our family at least 110 years... My father, Ralph Berry (b. 1850) played with it when he was a baby, and I (b. 1887) when I was a baby.” The shell nurtured “a life-long attachment to such objects” that led Berry to collect many thousands of shells. In 1985, Berry’s collection was donated to Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and helped to put the Department of Invertebrate Zoology here on the map as a specialized mollusk collection.
you want to
very different format from the full band-recording on Monday, October 6, when Muller will perform solo at SOhO, sharing the stage with Americana singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg, who is marking 25 years in the music business and his new album To you, old friend, by touring with more than a dozen of his favorite artists. Muller is his chosen friend for the Santa Barbara stop as they swap stories and songs with an improv-leaning format of choosing song categories out of a hat. The set list consists of Kellogg pulling out a song category – these range from hits to deep cuts, rockers to ballads, love songs and sad songs, personal favorites … or possibly a daunting tune that is scary to play.
“I’m going to respond in the moment,” Muller said. “I really enjoy being in that vulnerable place, up there solo, really naked and raw on the piano. I’m relaxed and in the zone, just connecting with people.”
Enough! is a nationwide reading of six new 10-minute plays by teen writers that confront gun violence, with the aim of allowing youth voices to be heard, sparking conversation and inspiring action against one of the most pressing issues of our time. The plays, which were selected by a committee of nationally renowned playwrights, will be presented in an evening of readings staged simultaneously by theaters, schools and community groups across the country on Monday, October 6. Titles include Holding Space; Oh Look, Another School Shooting!; Nobody Cares About Death; The Perfect Victim; We Didn’t Have to Meet Here; and Under Wraps Locally, Ensemble Theatre and UCSB have teamed up to participate with a reading at UCSB’s Hatlen Theatre while a different cast also performs simultaneously at The Alcazar Theatre in Carpinteria, with both 6-8:30 pm events including a postshow panel discussion/Q&A session with local community leaders. All proceeds ($5 suggested donation at the Alcazar; $10 GA, free for students at Hatlen) will be donated to local initiatives dedicated to ending gun violence. Visit https://etcsb. org/enough-plays-to-end-gun-violence or www.thealcazar.org for descriptions of the plays and other details.
Elsewhere, UCSB Naked Shakes winds up its early fall production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest back on campus at UCSB’s Commencement Green near the lagoon October 3-5 after visiting Elings Park in September. The Bard’s magical realism tale of revenge and redemption will have, yes, three free performances. The middle of the three takes place on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 4) – and is part of a special 20th anniversary celebration and Naked Shakes alumni reunion event after the show at the Studio Theater.
Visit www.campuscalendar.ucsb.edu/event/naked-shakes-20th-anniversary-10032025.
Also, New York-based Fellowship for Performing Arts brings its production of The Screwtape Letters back to the Granada on Saturday afternoon, October 4, once again presenting the spiritual warfare drama based on noted Christian novelist CS Lewis’ book of the same name.
It’s the first weekend in October, which means it’s time for the 39th Annual California Avocado Festival in downtown Carpinteria. The three-day extravaganza is a bit like last weekend’s Goleta Lemon Festival, but much bigger, louder, longer (October 3-5) – and much, much greener, at least in color, and the celebration of the locally-important fruit included a giant vat of guacamole! More than 60 bands perform across three different stages all weekend long, with well-known groups including Doublewide Kings, Cornerstone, Jackson Gillies band, The Rincons, Sgt. Pepper, Area 51, The Upbeat, JT & the Zydeco Zippers, Spencer the Gardener, and even Ventura’s still-kicking country-rock band Caught Red Handed. It’s a never-ending spectrum spanning countless genres serving as a soundtrack for the 50 arts & crafts and commercial booths, 15 food vendors and over a dozen nonprofits on site. All proceeds of the festival go to the Carpinteria Education Foundation and the Future Farmers of America. Details at www.avofest.org.
Heading north, the Chumash Intertribal Powwow is celebrating 60 years as a gathering of Native American tribes from throughout North America, who come together in Santa Ynez to celebrate Indigenous heritage and culture in the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ largest cultural event of the year. The two-day gathering, October 4 & 5, features dancing, singing, drumming, arts, crafts and more, including a grand entry to begin each day, intertribal and exhibition dancing, contests for various age groups from young children to 70 years and older. Dance styles include traditional, straight, fancy, grass, jingle dress, buckskin, cloth and chicken. While the event is open to the general public at a nominal $5 cost, it’s very much geared toward the participants and the Native American community, even more so for a fourth year
since the Powwow moved from Live Oak Camp to sacred tribal grounds at the corner of Meadowvale Road and Highway 246 in Santa Ynez. Info at (805) 688-7997 or www.chumash.gov/powwow.
Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network premiered its educational/documentary/ promo film Wild Rescue at a fundraising benefit at the Lobero in August. On Sunday, October 5, the professionally produced movie gets a viewing as intended – on a giant screen with a spectacular sound system at the Granada. The setting is perfect for the film, which documents the inspiring journey of creatures given a second chance at a wild life thanks to the dedicated teams who rescue, rehabilitate and release injured and orphaned wild animals at SBWCN. Visit https://ticketing.granadasb. org/21234/21235.
Also on Sunday, the premiere of Saving the Foothills, which chronicles the community-led effort to preserve 100 acres of the West Mesa of the San Marcos Foothills from development in 2021, is the centerpiece of an afternoon that blends environmental storytelling, live music, cultural reflection, and community dialogue at the Marjorie Luke Theatre. Santa Barbara-based director Cody Westheimer, who also wrote the score, performs Shakuhachi music on a traditional Japanese flute backed by other musician friends, preceded by a community tabling event in the lobby, and followed by a discussion/Q&A moderated by Geoff Green with Westheimer plus representatives from the Chumash, Channel Islands Restoration, and other organizations. Visit https://luketheatre.org/events.
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum hosts a screening of Sequoias of the Sea, a moving documentary that explores the vanishing kelp forests of Northern California and the powerful community efforts to restore them, on October 8 in its theater at the harbor. Stunning visuals and compelling stories from scientists, indigenous leaders, and local fishermen combine to offer a portrait of climate resilience and community action. This film festival favorite will be followed by a panel discussion. Details at https://sbmm.org/santa-barbara-events.
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE COWBOY WAY BBQ, 80 Zaca St, 62, Buellton, CA 93427. DANIEL J PLACENCIA, 80 Zaca St 62, Buellton, CA 93427. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 19, 2025. 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. 2025-0002200. Published October 2, 9, 16, 23, 2025
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STRONG & FUELED, 3790 San Remo Drive, 41, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. CHRISTOPHER M JORDAN, 3790 San Remo Drive 41, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 28, 2025. This statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the Office of the Coun-
ty 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. 2025-0002045. Published September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 2025
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as:
FOURFEND SECURITY GROUP, INC., 863 Sand Point Road, Carpinteria, CA 93013. FOURFEND SECURITY GROUP, INC., 1072 Casitas Pass Road PMB 321, Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 13, 2025. 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. 2025-0001926. Published September 25, October 2, 9, 16, 2025
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUMIO, 1187 Coast Village Rd, 1-172, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. STU-
LLC,
500 Maple Ave STE 4, Carpinteria, CA 93013. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 11, 2025. 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. 2025-0002131. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2025
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SALON MAXINE, 130 S. Hope Avenue, Suite 126, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. KELLY HEWLETT, 424 E. Sola Street Unit B, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 & REBECCA DILKS, 802 Jimeno Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 20, 2025. 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.
2025-0001990. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOUGIE BARKERY SB, 919 Roble Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. KARLA A PARKER, 919 Roble Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on September 2, 2025. 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. 2025-0002070. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
NAME STATEMENT:
The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUMINA NOSTRI, 6580 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Barbara, CALIFO 93105. Sarah ER Ahlers, PO BOX 1083, Goleta, CA 93116. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Barbara County on August 29, 2025. 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. 2025-0002064. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV05018. To all interested parties: Petitioner Thomas Nicholas Petosa filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Thomas Petra. The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
Filed September 5, 2025 by Terri Chavez. Hearing date: October
27, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 5, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 2025
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME: CASE No. 25CV03247. To all interested parties: Petitioner Mira Yang filed a petition with Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara, for a decree changing name to Mira Lee The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Filed August 22, 2025 by Narzralli Baksh. Hearing date: October 22, 2025 at 10 am in Dept. 3, 1100 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Published September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 2025
for decades as printed postcards, and as a syndicated feature in some 30 American newspapers; [2] his successful 1997 campaign to etch into the granite of civic law his contempt for gas-powered leaf blowers (Santa Barbara Municipal Code 9.16.021); and [3] Brilliant’s bicycling omnipresence in every corner of his adoptive hometown of Santa Barbara, through whose sun-drenched neighborhoods he could be seen stoically pedaling in his shorts, dark knee socks, black shoes, cardigan, and the occasional pith helmet; Haile Selassie on a Schwinn. You couldn’t miss him.
As for leaving behind a written corpus that explains his life perspective, Brilliant’s expressive whole is surely the sum of 10,000 parts. His published canon of grinning maxims called Pot-Shots® continue to be taken up by the wider world every day.
Born in 1933 London, England to Victor and Amelia Brilliant (as has been noted in countless articles, Brilliant is not a nom de plume but Ashleigh’s family name), Ashleigh’s fairly typical childhood took a turn in 1939 when the steamroller that would become WWII forced him , his mother Amelia, and his younger sister Myrna to leave the UK for his mother’s hometown of Toronto. The three would immigrate to the U.S. in 1941and make a home in Washington, D.C., where they would be joined by Victor after a separation of several years.
The Family Brilliant returned to England in ‘47. Ashleigh would travel to the U.S. with a pal in the summer of ‘51 and hitchhike across the country, the American boomtown energy a striking contrast to the monochrome postwar austerity of the UK even these six years after the war’s conclusion.
Having earned a degree in History from the University of London’s University College (UCL), Brilliant returned to the States in 1956 as an emigrant to his new home. He settled first in L.A., taking a masters at Claremont Graduate School in ‘57, then earning a PhD in History and Geography from UC Berkeley. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1969.
Brilliant’s forays into higher education were not fruitful. Prior to his Berkeley PhD he engaged in a “mercifully brief career teaching English at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles.” Following Berkeley he taught
at Central Oregon College (’64-‘65) and was ultimately fired from that post for playing a recording of Allen Ginsburg’s controversial beat poem “Howl” for a group of students. He’d been warned.
His final formal teaching gigs were at the behest of Chapman’s University of the Seven Seas (today called Semester at Sea). At Chapman University’s bidding Brilliant taught History and Geography aboard the refitted cruise ship, liberally referred to by the school as a “floating university.” Dr. Brilliant and his respective student cohorts (and a bemused ship’s crew, we can imagine) sailed twice around the world, each session lasting 3½ months. It was on that second session he met his future wife Dorothy (1932 – 2018), a fellow teacher.
By 1967 he and Dorothy had made their way to San Francisco’s HaightAshbury district, arguable object of Scott McKenzie’s popular and instructive tune that year; “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).” In the hothouse atmosphere of that place and time, Ashleigh the restless Creative would stumble artfully into the remainder of his life. Holding court on Hippie Hill (“I was a big pacifist, so I liked to spread ideas about peace,” Brilliant told me of his bullhorn-amped speaking engagements there), Ashleigh Brilliant was morphing, and began to self-identify as “a public thinker.” When, with his Dorothy’s dedicated assistance, he launched Pot-Shots in Haight-Ashbury that year (he originally referred to his epigrams as “Unpoemed Titles”) – Ashleigh Brilliant had found his footing, and a way to express his granular life credo. He and Dorothy moved to Santa Barbara in ‘73 to be close to her parents. They’d married twice: once in Tijuana and once in SF. “The San Francisco wedding was in a big Jewish temple. My parents were more Jewish than I was, so Dorothy actually converted so we could marry. I should tell you, as a matter of interest,” he continued with a rueful grin, “we also got several divorces.” When Dorothy passed in 2018, they’d been married 51 years.
Ashleigh’s warmly cantankerous, wholly loving, and deeply curious journey through life would not be mistaken for anyone else’s. Predeceased by his mother and father and his younger sister, Myrna – the livewire that was Ashleigh Brilliant is gone.
Back to the present tense, and the closing moments of Ashley’s spoken remembrance and our final conversation.
Early 1967, and Ashleigh Brilliant has recently disembarked, for the very last time, the SS Ryndam – the floating university on which he’d circumnavigated the world twice as shipboard professor for Chapman College’s “University of the Seven Seas” program. Walking down the Ryndam’s gangplank on February 4, he is more than ready to wash his hands of both pedagogy and words like “pedagogy.” Brilliant begins his next phase in earnest, and absent the distracting nuisance of a plan.
“I had been a college teacher, but I wanted to be a writer,” he says broadly. “Back in the 1960s, anything could happen, you know.”
“I know,” I answer.
“It was really one of the best parts of my life.” He falls silent and gestures at a framed photo on a shelf, which I retrieve for him. He looks at the group in the picture for a long moment. “These are San Francisco friends,” he says disconsolately. “I haven’t looked carefully at that photo for a long time.”
Once Brilliant becomes a regular speaker on Hippie Hill, a certain momentum kicks in. A wildly collectible LP called Ashleigh Brilliant in the Haight Ashbury is still in circulation, and good luck finding it. In fairly short order, and in Haight-Ashbury of all places – arguably the perfect petri dish in which to germinate an Ashleigh Brilliant in 1967 – the man becomes a known fixture in the area; a tweedy stand-up philosopher and gadfly.
On July 20, Brilliant’s sardonic Haight-Ashbury Songbook is published, he appears on several local radio programs as guest, and his photo is featured on the Society Page of the S.F. Examiner. Locally beloved SF columnist Herb Caen (who famously coined the Sputnik-adjacent term ‘Beatnik’ to dismiss Kerouac and his gang) declares himself an Ashleigh fan. Feeling expansive then, Brilliant has an additive brainstorm. He’d been painting for some time, and in an unusual turn would add the title of the work to the canvas, too.
“When people bought my paintings, they seemed strangely interested in the titles that I had put at the bottom. That finally led into my doing postcards,” he says. [Diary entry, August 19, 1967: I should be putting my time into new creative projects, particularly into publishing my unpoemed titles, which it now appears may soon come out in postcard form].
“When I found out I was doing epigrams, I didn’t even know what the term meant,” he confesses now. With Dorothy’s tireless assistance he rolled the new
Ashleigh out. “I didn’t realize that was going to be such a big thing. I put them in a few stores along Haight Street and people liked them and bought them – and I thought, ‘I don’t have to go back to teaching!’ I finally stopped a few years ago. I think 10,000 is enough.”
Many of Brilliant’s Pot-Shots® have entered the fridge magnet/boxer briefs realm, most famously, perhaps: I May Not Be Totally Perfect, But Parts of Me Are Excellent If there is one story that perfectly sums up the indefinable Ashleigh Brilliant, it may be this one. When he and Dorothy attempt to more fully sample the Beings & Doings Page 504
counterculture and hesitantly attend a Haight Ashbury Love-In one evening. The charcuterie is bland and they find the surfeit of bare flesh off-putting. At the zenith of the grabby goings on, a stark-naked Ashleigh is standing in the middle of the living room, lamenting the backup sandwiches in the car outside and his inability to retrieve them. Haight-Ashbury, man.
The afternoon wanes and Mr. Brilliant is tiring. “I did a lot of bicycle riding,” he says. “Sadly, my last bicycle is on the porch there.” Much of Ashleigh’s story is behind him. The fact seems to provide a partly-cloudy subtext to our conversation. His speaking manner – like the man himself – is dolorous but seasoned with bursts of laughter.
“Oh!” he says with sudden delight. “You remember seeing me on my bicycle?” Beings & Doings (Cont. from 49)
I mention all the years I would see him tooling around town on his bike. He smiles broadly and stirs in his recliner.
Jeff Wing is a journalist, raconteur, autodidact, and polysyllable enthusiast. He has been writing about Montecito and environs since before some people were born. He can be reached at jeff@ montecitojournal.net
Ashleigh was the clock our staff set each week to… Around 1 pm on Thursdays, his column would always come in. Every week, it was the first piece we edited and placed for the next issue. A lighthearted but thoughtful way to start the week’s cycle. When he passed, there was a cache of finished articles for us to run. The first one being called “Freedom.” He will be missed and we hope his newfound freedom and lasting legacy will continue to inspire countless other Brilliant Thoughts in whimsical minds… ZR
and Brent Anderson, John and Tracie Doordan, and Carla Amussen
TBCF’s
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation’s Golden Gala lit up the Tuscan Hills Estate with shimmering style and heartfelt generosity. Guests gathered in gold to celebrate the nonprofit’s mission of supporting families facing pediatric cancer.
Presenting Sponsor Earl Minnis delivered a heartfelt message on the power of giving. Dr. Jordan Witt was honored with the Humanitarian Award, and Andrew Firestone, with help from his young son Shane, energized the crowd during a spirited live auction and paddle raise.
The evening’s highlight: Executive Director Brittany Avila Wazny announced a new Pediatric Cancer Support Center near Cottage Hospital—a long-awaited haven for families navigating childhood cancer.
Serving Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties, the foundation continues to provide critical financial, emotional, and educational support when families need it most.
Notable attendees included Andrew
Miller, Janet Garufis, Monte and Maria Wilson, Lacy Taylor, Andrew Arrastia, and Peter and Kathryn Martin
Richard Mineards continuing to recover… Priscilla tending to a recovering Richard… Sir Paul McCartney in Santa Barbara (we are still confirming these details)… Lana Del Rey singing at an Institution.
Pip! Pip!
by Steven Libowitz
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2
Joy to the world – Five-time Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Samara Joy returns to the Granada Theatre in the first off-campus event from UCSA A&L of the 2025-26 season. The Bronx native brings soulful depth, timeless elegance, and a magnetic vocal timbre rooted in gospel and shaped by legends like Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter, which is why she’s been called the voice redefining jazz for a new generation. Expect material from her latest release, Portrait, a collection of standards and an original track, as well as a bevy of other songs from the sensational singer and her octet.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street
COST: $55-$110
INFO: (805) 899-2222/www.granadasb.org or (805) 893-3535/www. ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3
Gustava Gets Gone – The Los Angeles Philharmonic has performed in Santa Barbara for CAMA at least annually since the presenting organization was formed more than a century ago. While it’s certain the orchestra will continue to return year after year, tonight represents the final chance to hear the charismatic Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the ensemble in his 17th and final season as Music & Artistic Director. We won’t be getting cheated at the final LA Phil concert under
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2
1st Thursday – Openings in October offer opportunities for exploration of art’s wide-ranging genres, including Raw and Revealed, a duo exhibition at Art & Soul (1323 State). The exhibition pairs Montecito porcelain sculptor Joan Rosenberg-Dent’s spectacular new works of interlocking abstract forms (drawn from her observations and expressions on a recent trip to Antarctica) with painter Sarita Reynolds, whose earth-toned canvases are built through a process of layering and scraping, evoking the strata of geological time. Together the show examines the dialogue between fragility and strength, light and shadow, and precision and spontaneity. Sullivan Goss (11 E. Anapamu) celebrates the opening of its fourth solo show for Nathan Huff, featuring a site-specific installation along with sculpture and painting in his iconic style. More sculpture moves in at domecíl (1223 State), where Eric Saint Georges’ bronze pieces (and drawings) explore the abstracted human figure in examining the essence of movement, emotion, and presence… Photography pops up in The Dyslexia Project at Faulkner Gallery (40 E. Anapamu), which hosts an exhibit of works by individuals who have the condition as part of Dyslexia Awareness Month… Maps are the medium at Casa de la Guerra (15 E. De La Guerra) where Santa Barbara 1925 – 2025: A Portrait in Maps employs both historic diagrams and documents to tell the story of our city’s development since the earthquake… Painting is well-represented, too, including at Santa Barbara Fine Art (1321 State) where John Comer’s Paintings from Across the Channel draws on a lifetime of being on and in the water, with an eye toward the Channel Islands from the vantage of both land and sea. Whose Paradise? at Seimandi & Leprieur Art Gallery (33 W. Anapamu St.), where five artists present variations on the tropical imagination, between light, mystery and wonder. The opening also boasts wine tasting and a live concert by Patrick J. Maiani… Other entertainment highlights include a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Santa Barbara Historical Museum (136 E. De La Guerra), where Michael Montenegro of Chicano Culture SB has co-created a special evening boasting Mariachi Reyes and Danza Folklorico Quetzecoatl dancing to Freddy Castro & Friends to accompany a pop-up history exhibit.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3
Masq(p)arade Moves Downtown – A progressive-style performance parade showcasing a series of dynamic piano-based acts turns several of the painted pianos in the annual installation of Pianos on State into venues for an evening of whimsical music and masks. Each artist creates a 15-minute work that incorporates playful masks and the fancifully-painted pianos, the audience roving from keyboard to keyboard and taking in the performances – slated 30 minutes apart in the heart of Santa Barbara’s historic cultural arts district. Participants are encouraged to get in on the fun by wearing their own vibrant masks while progressing both up and down State Street to each performance in this imaginative and ambulatory three-hour sequence. Now in its fifth year, Masq(p)arade! moves to lower State Street for the first time, with Nadine Pearson in front of the The Red Piano, five local poets reciting haiku for slow savoring with piano intermezzos served up as palate cleansers at World Market, Out of the Box Theatre Company offering songs and snippets at Tondi Gelato, master of the keyboard Konrad Kono at Bank of America, and Piano in the Sky – an innovative performing group that pushes the bounds of music and movement by (normally) lifting a fully functioning grand piano into the air – closing out the festivities in front of the Lobero Theatre.
WHEN: 5:30-8 pm
COST: free
INFO: www.masqparade.org
the dynamo’s explosive baton, as the performance includes both of Stravinsky’s revolutionary masterpieces in the Firebird Suite and The Rite of Spring, following the West Coast premiere of John Adams’ thrilling new work Frenzy, which was co-commissioned by the LA Phil, and performs here for the CAMA season-opener in between October 2 and 4 concerts back home at Disney Hall.
WHEN: 7 pm
WHERE: Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street
COST: $45-$195 (sold out)
INFO: (805) 899-2222 or www.granadasb.org/www.camasb.org
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4
Storytelling Sages Share Stage – Ira Glass, creator and host of the beloved public radio show and podcast This American Life, joins acclaimed writer and Santa Barbara resident Pico Iyer for a wide-ranging conversation about storytelling, journalism, and the search for meaning in modern life. Glass – who created This American Life 30 years ago and shepherded it through nine Peabody awards and the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded for audio journalism – will reflect on his decades shaping American audio journalism, the evolution of narrative podcasting and the power of listening closely, as coaxed and thematically caressed by Iyer, no slouch himself at communicating in real time.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: UCSB Campbell Hall
COST: $50-$65
INFO: (805) 893-3535 or https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 & TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7
Cain’t Go Wrong with the MTB – Southern-fried rock arrives in all its glory as the Spartanburg, South Carolina-born Marshall Tucker Band again hits the road more than half a century after forming. Although co-founding lead guitarist and then-principal songwriter Toy Caldwell isn’t around anymore, the band still features lead vocalist Doug Gray, and a bevy of hummable classic rock songs, including “Heard It in a Love Song,” “Can’t You See” “Fire on the Mountain” and many more multi-platinum hits.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5
‘Impressionist Revolution’ Invades SBMA – A new exhibition organized by the Dallas Museum of Art explores the rebellious origins of the independent artist collective known as the Impressionists along with the revolutionary course they charted for modern art. The show features a rich array of paintings, including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Mondrian, Morisot, and Munch to tell the story of the artists who challenged the status quo, changing art forever.
Also opening: Encore: 19th Century French Art, an exhibition of 40 artworks encompassing photography, painting and sculpture from the museum’s permanent collection. The array of 19th-century paintings and photographs effectively provide a virtual tour of Parisian sites, including Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, as well as the French Riviera, the cliffs of Normandy, lush French countryside and beyond.
WHEN: Today-January 25
WHERE: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St.
COST: free with regular admission
INFO: (805) 963-4364 or https://tickets.sbma.net
COST: $92 & $97
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8
Man at Work – Colin Hay, who found early success as the frontman for ‘80s
Aussie sensation Men at Work, has kept his musical legacy thriving for several more decades as a singer-songwriter and frequent sideman for Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. Hay’s latest, Man @ Work Volume 2, includes band classics, solo album highlights and new material; pretty much all in his wry-and-quizzical-meets-pure-pop-melodies style, and with several special guests. His solo tour arrives in town tonight.
WHEN: 7:30 pm
WHERE: Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St.
COST: $60 & $70 ($122 VIP tickets includes premier seating and a pre-show reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvres)
INFO: (805) 963-0761 or www.lobero.org
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 & TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7
Child’s Play at Chaucer’s – The midtown marvel that is Chaucer’s Books joins in events celebrating the 150th anniversary of Santa Barbara High School by hosting veteran local writer and Distinguished Dons alumna Lee Wardlaw on October 5 for a poetry reading and signing of her most recent children’s book offering, My Book of Firsts: Poems Celebrating a Baby’s Milestones. The delightful collection of poems – decades in the writing from the author of the sensation Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku – covers the milestones experienced by babies in their first year, from a first toy to first tooth, steps, word, haircut, and birthday party. Illustrated with the warm and inviting drawings of Bruno Brogna, the book also features a section in the back with spaces for parents to record their baby’s milestones as they reach them… Two days later, Chaucer’s welcomes renowned New York Times bestselling children’s author Chris Van Dusen – author and illustrator of many highly acclaimed picture books, including the hugely popular Mercy Watson series – for a storytime event featuring his latest release If I Built a Town – the latest sequel of sorts to his 20-year-old classic If I Built a Car, described as an even more joyful and inventive companion read-aloud book created to inspire budding young inventors.
WHEN: 3 pm Sunday, 4:30 pm Tuesday
WHERE: Chaucer’s, 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center
COST: free
INFO: (805) 682-6787 or www.chaucersbooks.com
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Carpet Cleaning Since 1978 (805) 963-5304 Rafael Mendez Cell: 689-8397 or 963-3117
Openings now available for Children and Adults.
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MIRAMAR BEACH CONDO FOR LONG-TERM LEASE
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LULU BELLE CA BY CHEF LISA ROBINSON
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BOOKKEEPER/PERSONAL ASSISTANT
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It’s simple. Charge is $3 per line, each line with 31 characters. Minimum is $10 per issue. Photo/logo/visual is an additional $20 per issue. Email Classified Ad to frontdesk@montecitojournal.net or call (805) 565-1860. All ads must be finalized by Friday at 2pm the week prior to printing. We accept Visa/MasterCard/Amex (3% surcharge)
ByPeteMuller&FrankLongo
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arugula, radicchio, belgian endive and sauteéd
radicchio, shrimp, prosciutto, cannellini beans,
romaine, shrimp, bacon, green beans, peppers, avocado, roquefort
Mixed Vegetable Frittata
tortillas, melted cheese,
Huevos Rancheros,
Corned Beef Hash & two
Petit Filet 7 oz Steak,
avocado
toasted bialy or bagel, cream
Cambridge House Rope