SLO LIFE Magazine Dec/Jan 2018

Q&A

With 35 years under his belt at the San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District, LARRY ALLEN discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of our local air quality.

Now Hear This

After committing to music full time and making a name for himself locally, RICKY MONTIJO prepares for his upcoming tour.

Health

The low sodium diet may not be all it’s cracked up to be. After reading “The Salt Fix,” our staff confirms some positive results from adding a little extra of the white stuff to their daily meals.

Storytellers’ Corner

New York Times bestselling author FRANZ WISNER answers the question he is most often asked: How do I write a memoir? Answer: Just do it.

Outdoors

Finding the perfect barrel is the stuff of surfers’ dreams and SHAWN TRACHT is happy to engage in the hunt.

Dwelling

Looking to escape the valley heat, RUSTY and PAM SCHOTT poured creative energy into remodeling their family’s Pismo Beach bungalow.

Real Estate

We share the year-to-date statistics of home sales for both the City and the County of San Luis Obispo.

On the Rise

The same energy STEPHEN ZAGRODNY channels into running track and cross country can be seen when he directs theatre at San Luis Obispo High School.

Family

A leisurely afternoon spent at the Central Coast Aquarium proves to be the perfect outing for PADEN HUGHES and her little girl.

Taste

Never one to turn down a steaming cup of herbal-infused goodness, JAIME LEWIS explores the Central Coast’s tea houses.

Kitchen

Salty and sweet and what a treat, CHEF JESSIE RIVAS shares one of his holiday favorites—brined pork topped with dried apricot mostarda.

Brew

’Tis the season to try a new flavor and BRANT MYERS obliges by introducing us to the dark beers that make up the winter selection.

Happenings

Looking for something to do? We’ve got you covered. Check out the calendar to discover the best events around the Central Coast in December and January.

Ab Lounge

I have a friend who likes to say, “Life is mostly lived inside your own head.” And I think, for the most part, he’s right.

This is always the time of the year that I go deeper inside of my own head than I usually do. That little voice is talking to me a lot more these days, highlighting my shortcomings and pretty much narrating my life. That was such a dumb thing to say; why’d you say that?... Seriously, man, you’ve got to exercise more… Is pro wrestling really fake?... You’re just an old dad now, dude, and kids don’t think Nirvana is cool anymore. Like a lot of people, I’m looking back at the year that was and thinking about how I can become a better version of myself in the year ahead. It’s always an interesting period of reflection, evaluation, renewal, and hopefulness.

Lately, I have been contemplating the concept of New Year’s Resolutions. We’ve all had experience with them. And, what is the common theme? They generally don’t work. For instance, the time I bought a piece of exercise equipment called the Ab Lounge for “just a few EZ Payments” so that I could develop rock-hard, six-pack abs like the guy in the infomercial. By the second week of January, my wife caught me reclined back on that thing drinking a beer while watching a football game in the garage.

This year, however, I know what I am doing because I have figured out my own head after reading a fascinating book called “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.” The book, written by New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg, starts with a brief story that summarizes the essential premise for making pretty much whatever change you would like to make in life, regardless of what is going on in your own head. Of all things, Duhigg begins by talking about his time as a journalist in Iraq. There he encountered a major in the U.S. Army based in the small city of Kufa who was struggling to quell the violent protests that broke out with alarming frequency.

The major became obsessed with this issue, and studied videotape of the events just as a defensive coordinator from the NFL would study the film of the opposing team’s games prior to Sunday’s contest. After looping the tape over and over again, he observed that riots were always preceded by a crowd of rowdy Iraqis gathering in the plaza, swelling in size over a few hours, and later the food vendors would show up to feed the hungry protestors. Then, invariably, someone would throw a bottle and bedlam would ensue.

Do you know how the major solved the problem? He sat down with Kufa’s mayor, shared his hypothesis, and then made a request: “Could you please keep the food vendors out of the plaza?” A few days later, an unruly crowd showed up again, looked around for the kebabs as they normally did at that hour—it was dinnertime, after all—and found none. By eight o’clock the angry mob, now hungry and dispirited, headed for home. The habit was broken. Duhigg goes on to explain that all habits begin with a cue. In this case, eating together in the plaza until someone chucked a bottle, which was then followed by a routine, the rioting. Finally, the author argues, there must also be a reward for any habit to stick. With the Kufa riots, the major noted that they had become a strange sort of street festival, a type of violent farmers’ market. People ate, drank, threw rocks, and blew stuff up. For many, it was great entertainment and hundreds of townspeople showed up to take in the show. The cue initiated the routine, which then resulted in the reward.

With the mechanics of habits identified, Duhigg then shares several different examples of this feedback loop in action. Take Pepsodent toothpaste, for instance. As it turns out, Americans, early in the twentieth century, were not too keen on brushing their teeth. The toothpaste of the day was bland, and many suspected that it wasn’t actually doing anything anyway. An especially shrewd ad man named Claude C. Hopkins changed all of that with his message suggesting that people run their tongue over their teeth to feel the sticky film (the cue), brush with Pepsodent, the only one with minty flavor (the routine), and then feel the tingle (the reward). It was a brilliant advertising campaign that rocketed Pepsodent to massive commercial success, while also spawning dozens of copycats who all, to this day, add ingredients not to improve our dental hygiene, but to create a better tingle—the reward—that you and I seek.

So now that we understand habits and how to access the circuitry inside our own heads to create useful ones, as well as drop the bad ones, we are in good shape heading into 2018. For me, the first thing I am going to do in the New Year, taking the lead from the army major, is to start by eliminating any cues that initiate bad habits—anyone interested in a gently used Ab Lounge?

I would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to everyone who has had a hand in producing this issue of SLO LIFE Magazine and, most of all, to our advertisers and subscribers—we couldn’t do it without you. And, to you and your family, my best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2018.

Live the SLO Life!

Tom Franciskovich

tom@slolifemagazine.com

SLOLIFE magazine

4251 S. HIGUERA STREET, SUITE 800, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA SLOLIFEMAGAZINE.COM info@slolifemagazine.com (805) 543-8600 • (805) 456-1677 fax

PUBLISHER

Tom Franciskovich

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sheryl Disher

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Paden Hughes

Dawn Janke

Jaime Lewis

Brant Myers

Jessie Rivas

Shawn Tracht

Franz Wisner

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Brad Hackleman

Jason Martin

Mark Nakamura

Vanessa Plakias

Jon Reis

Alexandra Wallace

Chris Willis

CONTRIBUTIONS

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR info@slolifemagazine.com 4251 S. Higuera Street, Suite 800 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Letters chosen for publication may be edited for clarity and space limitations.

Nickname Payday

Favorite movie quote “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn….” (Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind)

Currently on my playlist ILYSB by LANY and my daughter’s favorite: The Fighter by Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood Reading The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Dethmer, Chapman, and Klemp

If you could invite one person from history to dinner Jesus—I have a lot of questions I’d like to ask A celebrity you think is lame Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey Someday I will travel to all seven continents I secretly want to live a ranch life with horses

My New Year’s Resolution is to spread more love Spirit animal La Loba

Currently on my playlist Led Zeppelin Reading The Secret History of Twin Peaks Dream car 1974 Alfa Romeo Duetto

If you could invite one person from history to dinner Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Someday I will live on the Amalfi Coast

If you could live in a fictional TV home The Addams Family Manor Favorite ice cream flavor Talenti Fudge Brownie

JAIME LEWIS writer

Currently on my playlist Whitest Boy Alive, Bon Iver, Local Natives, Beastie Boys

Favorite concert Rage Against The Machine, Coachella, 2007 Reading the biography of Joni Mitchell, Reckless Daughter

If you could ask your pet just one question I’d ask our chickens how they feel when we take their eggs every morning

Comfort food meatloaf sandwich with cornichons, all the way I secretly want to compete on So You Think You Can Dance Top three favorite movies of all time A Room With A View, Amadeus, Inception When I was little I wanted to grow to be a heart surgeon, LOL Someday I will write a book

BRANT MYERS writer

My New Year’s Resolution is to drink more beer, exercise less Currently on my playlist the wild funk-fusion of Galactic, too much Huey Lewis, and the mesmerizing pop sounds of Dua Lipa Reading Japanese Lore by Yei Theodora Ozaki in preparation for an upcoming trip to Japan Favorite ice cream Thrifty’s Chocolate Malted Krunch—tastes like 1989

I secretly want to quit everything and free dive for black pearls in the South Pacific Dream car 1937 Talbot-Lago: hot combustion sexiness, combining the timeless beauty of a Jaguar E-Type with the long hood line of a classic Bugatti

If you could live in a fictional TV home Wayne Manor I’m often accused of ignoring my phone because I can’t come to terms with getting calls anytime, anywhere

PADEN HUGHES writer

At Cuesta College, you can complete your educational and career goals right here on the beautiful Central Coast. With small classes taught by renowned faculty, you can advance your career, explore a new hobby, or take courses toward a degree. Choose from over 70 associate degrees or 60 certificate programs. Join us and find out how we transfer the most students to Cal Poly, and why we’re consistently ranked as one of the top community colleges in California. Just come as you are and discover your full potential.

VANESSA PLAKIAS photographer

Currently on my playlist Trip This Wire by Jasper Creek, I Follow Rivers by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Sunshine Lady by Dion, Looking for Knives by DYAN Spirit animal a llama this year

Dream car Sprinter Van

Favorite concert Pearl Jam, Indio, California, 1994

Reading The Idea of You

Hidden talent I play violin and sing in a band

My most random, recurring thought where does the Universe end?

Comfort food frozen yogurt with almonds on top and bottom

I secretly want to spend a night in Versailles

JESSIE RIVAS chef

Currently on my playlist Avett Brothers I’m often accused of not taking direction very well Spirit animal falcon

Favorite movie quote “So, you think I’m funny?”

Greatest musician of all time Neil Young Dream car Ford Raptor, black with leather interior Favorite concert Beastie Boys in ’97, Polo Field, Golden Gate Park Someday I will marry my wife again

If you could invite one person from history to dinner Julia Child

Comfort food tacos, any kind Favorite ice cream chocolate

When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a good father and son

SHAWN TRACHT writer

Currently on my playlist Three Year Old by Eric Church, On the Road Again by Canned Heat, Almost Cut My Hair by The Allman Brothers Band Reading Siddhartha to my high school students

Dream car an RV to travel the country Someday I will ride my bike down the West Coast

If you could live in a fictional TV home Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment—I love the light-hearted, nonsensical funny If I had to choose one type of food to eat for a month straight Mexican food Favorite hike Sykes in Big Sur

FRANZ WISNER writer

My New Year’s Resolution fewer things, more travel

Currently on my playlist The War on Drugs, LCD Soundsystem, Hawaiian slack key guitar

I’m often accused of my brother says I toast too much during meals

Favorite movie quote “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

Dream car Hackney carriage

Favorite concert Austin City Limits Festival, every year

Someday I will own a pied-à-terre in Paris

I’m currently reading The Dharma Bums

If you could invite one person from history to dinner Teddy Roosevelt

I secretly want to manage an NFL team

When I was little I wanted to grow up to be Bond, James Bond

If you could live in any fictional TV home Fantasy Island. “The plane, the plane!”

Top three favorite movies of all time Three S’s—The Sting, Silence of the Lambs, Spinal Tap

BEHIND the scenes

WITH MAUREEN VAZQUEZ

BY VANESSA PLAKIAS

When I walked in there was one little girl named Ella. And I said, “Oh, good, she has a daughter; this is going to be a fun shoot!” And then a little boy comes running in and I said, “Oh, there’s two!” Then a four-year-old boy walks in, and says, “Hi.” So, I’m like, “Wow, there’s three!” Then, this little twoyear-old girl wanders in and says, “Hi, what’s your name?” I thought, “Oh my gosh, there’s four!”

I watched a documentary recently by Jim Carrey about his art. He says that to feel happy he needs color. I need color and I felt like walking into Maureen’s store was like color therapy for all ages.

The sticker shop brought back a lot of memories for me from when I was little. The first thing I asked Maureen was, “Do you know what Oilie stickers are?” She said, “Of course I do! Let me guess, you had a dolphin, right? We’re bringing ’em back!” We really connected on the idea of stepping away from tech, taking a break, and getting back to real, tangible things. Especially for kids, the importance of using their hands and crafting things, making things, instead of just staring at a screen.

I created a lot of chaos when I said, “Hey, why don’t you put some stickers on mommy’s face?” They went crazy with it, and Nathan pulled out his phone to show me a picture of when his kids decorated his beard with stickers. So cute! SLO LIFE

DUBLIN, IRELAND

NEW YORK

QUINTANA ROO, MÉXICO

CHRISTINE CORTESE and HEATHER TISSUE at Burrito Amor, Tulum, Quintana Roo, México.

American Airlines friends of 46 years met in New York to see the 9/11 museum and go to the play ‘’Come From Away’’ about 9/11. We toasted to memories, life, and SLO Life Magazine! — KATHY PETKUNAS, CAROL MEES, AND LEE HAMER

OAHU, HAWAII

CAL and ROSEMARY WILVERT

LOIS and CHUCK GREENALL

SOUTH AFRICA

THE SCIOCCHETTI FAMILY with the Zulus outside of Kruger National Park.

DESNA, UKRAINE FORT BRAGG

NEW YORK

I spent most of the summer working with and training members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It was a rare opportunity to experience the military side of a country I know and love, Ukraine.

— SSG Greg Silva

BILBAO, SPAIN

KURT and SUSAN PACHECO in front of the Guggenheim Museum.

THE LOOSE CANNONS in Fort Bragg during this year’s leg of the Cannon Coaster, an annual ride done over a three-day period where cyclists ride a 200-ish mile stretch of the California coast.

ERNIE and JULIE JONES sharing the SLO Life in Central Park, New York City after cruising the East Coast.

LONDON, ENGLAND

LAURIE VANKLEECK

WISCASSET, MAINE

THUN,

KINDERDIJK, NETHERLANDS

MOLLIE and NORMAN SMITH in front of Red’s Eats, a famous eatery voted #1 for their lobster roll—it was delicious.

ROSICRUCIAN EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

DEADWOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA

VANESSA and DON WIGTON visting our daughter, JACQULENE MAEGERT , and granddaughter, MIA MAEGERT . Our daughter married a Swiss seven years ago and lives in Thun, a town on Lake Thun in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland region at the foot of the Alps. Our photo is taken in front of turreted Thun Castle, from the 1100’s. This castle stands on a hill above the old town and has sweeping views of the Alps.

SWITZERLAND

MICHAEL and NANCY JACKSON happily carried our friend Dana O’Brien (on the cover of SLO Life) along with us on our river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. This photo was taken of us, with the windmills at Kinderdijk, Netherlands.

DIANE HALSTED, and JANIE and STU GOLDENBERG participating in a five-day Road Scholar Program by “Biking in the Black Hills of South Dakota” on the Mickelson Trail. This 109-mile Rail Trail is listed as one of the premier American rail-trails in The Official Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Guidebook, Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

MARK and LAURA RUFFING

AMY MCKAY

LINDA LONG and MARY JO DESIO having a fabulous time in New Orleans.

WYOMING

Jack House docent and president, MARILYN DARNELL, making tracks with SLO Life Magazine at Fort Laramie, WY researching the historic route of J. “Hub” and W. W. Hollister, father and uncle of Nellie Hollister Jack of the historic Jack House.

FLORENCE, ITALY

KAUAI, HAWAII

JANICE CROOKS and BOB JORGENSEN visited the Basilica di Santa Croce refectory in Florence, Italy, where Saint Louis of Toulouse (SLO’s namesake) is honored by Donatello’s famous statue.

BELIZE

ISLAND

TILLEY

atop Na Muang Waterfalls on the island of Ko Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. We love the way SLO Life Magazine showcases the new and upcoming trends, thoughts, and people of SLO. We read every issue cover to cover.

Please send your photos and comments to info@slolifemagazine.com Follow SLO LIFE on Facebook: Visit facebook.com/slolifemagazine Visit us online at slolifemagazine.com Letters may be edited for content and clarity. To be considered for publication your letter should include your name, city, state, phone number or email address (for authentication purposes).

VICTORIA GROSTICK at the beautiful Wailea River Valley in Kauai, Hawaii, where river meets sea.

KOH SAMUI

JUDY GRANTHAM in Belize on a snorkeling boat off Caye Caulker.

RON

and JEANNE POTTER

“conjured up”

The two words from SLOPD Sargent Chad Pfarr’s New Times interview that triggered outrage within the community. In the article, Pfarr, who was commenting for an article about Cal Poly sexual abuse victims, told the weekly newspaper: “… students often ‘feel like they got sexually assaulted because they blacked out’ [after consuming alcohol] when really, ‘it was just something that was conjured up.’” The matter remains under an internal review at SLOPD.

$1,200,000

The amount of money Elizabeth Edith Shaw, 68, of Cambria, embezzled from her employer, Winsor Construction, since 2005. Shaw was sentenced to ten years in county jail after entering a no-contest plea for grand theft and tax evasion.

San Luis Obispo Council Member Carlyn Christianson commenting on the new Stalwork, Inc. building downtown at the corner of Santa Rosa and Marsh. The structure, owned by local developer Ben Kulick, was painted a dark, charcoal gray instead of the two-tone tan color he had received approval for in his plans. Amid public outcry, Christianson joined her colleagues in voting unanimously to require Kulick to repaint the structure.

The number of stores that were found to be in violation of the city’s 2015 ordinance banning the sale of Styrofoam products, when those products were found on its shelves. All four of the stores were part of national chains and include: Target, Costco, CVS, and Rite Aid.

Lance Lambert, writing for Realtor.com, outlining the reasons San Luis Obispo was recognized as the third best city in America in which to survive a zombie apocalypse. Reasoning that the relative lack of population density would delay the spread of a zombie virus, the study estimated that one would fare only slightly better with the brain-eating undead in either Lubbock, Texas or Deltona, Florida.

Scott James commenting on his rationale for posting a listing on Craigslist explaining that he and his wife, Gayle, were giving away their 400-square-foot Cayucos cottage to whoever could move it. A woman, who claimed the home, contracted with Brandt House and Building Movers, to set it up in a new location for her son, a Cal Poly student.

The Twitter hashtag left behind by a stealthy artist who painted a unique trailside rock to look as if it were a slice of watermelon. The seed-speckled granite sliver found on the way up to Bishop Peak prompted a spirited debate locally as to whether it was art or vandalism. City officials went with the latter and immediately responded by sending four park rangers who spent an estimated four to five hours scrubbing the rock clean. The intrepid painter remains at large, and should be considered armed (with nylon brushes) and extremely creative.

108°

The temperature in San Luis Obispo during a late October heat wave that broke more all-time high records for three consecutive days, including one day when the city shared the dubious distinction, along with the Miramar Naval Air Station outside of San Diego, for being the hottest spot in the country. Four consecutive days in the week following also broke all-time heat records.

One of the many tongue-in-cheek comments made by San Luis Obispo residents after learning that National Geographic’s survey ranking America’s “Happiest Cities” dropped the Central Coast town from Number 1 to Number 5 in the 2017 version of its report.

4“So if you’re fond of your brains, you don’t want to be in a big city.”

“It looks like a big, giant rock sitting there.”

“Come to think of it, I really don’t feel quite as happy as I did last year.”

“You know how unaffordable it is to live in San Luis.”

Around the County OCTOBER

’17

10/3

The plan to clean up Pirate’s Cove, which received unanimous support from SLO County’s Board of Supervisors just two weeks prior, was thwarted by the Coastal Commission over concerns that banning vehicles after dark would limit coastal access. Long identified as a problem spot by law enforcement officials, locals have been pressuring supervisors to improve and maintain the prized seaside real estate. Following the decision, it was determined that John Peschong and Adam Hill would meet with the Coastal Commission in an effort to work out a compromise and begin taking basic steps toward improvement, such as developing the parking lot, constructing bathrooms, and adding trash cans.

10/19

A group calling itself Preserve the SLO Life banded together with the homeowners’ associations at the Los Verdes Park complex near the corner of South Higuera and Los Osos Valley Road to sue the developer of Avila Ranch, as well as the City of San Luis Obispo, over the anticipated negative impacts to the area, including increased noise, traffic, light, and air pollution that are expected to come with the 720home project proposed by builder Andy Mangano. The development was approved by the city council a month earlier and would occupy 150 acres on Buckley Road on the south end of town, an area that is currently farmland. Although championed as a prime example of adding workforce housing by city officials, only 25 of the 720 units will actually achieve that designation.

10/23

Administrators at the County of San Luis Obispo revealed an $8 to $10 million accounting error stating that instead of a $3 to $5 million surplus, it was actually facing a $4.8 million deficit to next year’s budget forecast. Characterizing it as a “straight-up human error,” county budget director Emily Jackson attributed the miscalculation to her office’s failure to account for a significant portion of recently approved salary increases that had not been accounted for in the new budget. Despite the error, Jackson claimed that the county was “wellpositioned to address the gap” and that the deficit represented less than 1% of the general fund, which was estimated to reach $525 million in the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

10/24

In a rare win for a San Luis Obispo neighborhood on the north side of town, the SLO City Council, by a 5-0 vote, agreed to leave “the poles” in place and continue to keep Luneta Drive closed to through traffic. The site of the closure, which long-time residents describe as a de facto pocket park, is next to the controversial new development known as 71 Palomar, where El Segundo-based attorney Loren Riehl had received the city’s blessing to build a 33-unit apartment building. A group of neighbors identifying themselves as Friends of 71 Palomar filed suit against the project on environmental grounds, but lost the decision. Riehl is also the developer of 22 Chorro, another controversial project a few blocks away.

10/25

Once again—for the eighth time in a matter of six years—a group of off-road enthusiasts identifying themselves as Friends of the Oceano Dunes sued over dust control efforts in the riding area. Citing concern that the Coastal Commission’s “radical” five-year plan would harm endangered species and failed to accept adequate public input, the group’s 72-page complaint also named the Department of Parks and Recreation, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District, California Air Resources Board, San Luis Obispo County, and the City of Grover Beach as defendants in the suit. A few weeks later, outgoing head of the San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District, Larry Allen, citing a public nuisance to people living on the Nipomo Mesa, requested that a portion of the dunes be closed to off-road riding. [turn to page 40 for more on this issue]

11/1

NOVEMBER ’17 11/7

Assistant District Attorney Lee Cunningham said that Gianna Brencola, 17, of Los Osos would be tried as an adult in the hit and run death of 22-year-old Cal Poly student Kennedy Love on Foothill Boulevard in San Luis Obispo in August. Brencola, who allegedly admitted to drinking and driving during her arrest, was with a friend when she collided with Love. The bicyclist, a popular third-year landscape architecture student, was left fatally injured in the road following the accident as Brencola and her friend fled the scene to inspect the damage to her car and later attempted to hide it in a nearby neighborhood. Brencola is facing a variety of felony charges including: vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence while causing death, and hit-and-run.

The SLO County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the appointment of Wade Horton as the new chief administrative officer, replacing Dan Buckshi, who left unexpectedly in June. Previous to his promotion, Horton had been the county’s Public Works director where his department oversaw the completion of Los Osos’ Wastewater Treatment Plant. Prior to his tenure in SLO County, Horton worked in the private sector as a project manager. He is a 13-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and a Cal Poly graduate. In his new role, he will oversee a staff of 2,800 employees and a total annual budget of approximately $590 million.

11/8

A fter PG&E agreed to an $85 million settlement with a coalition of local cities, San Luis Coastal Unified School District, and the County of San Luis Obispo related to the closure of its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, anticipated in 2025, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) administrative Judge Peter Allen recommended that the commission not approve the settlement, reasoning that ratepayers should not be expected to foot the bill. The decision is not legally binding and will go before the full CPUC later this year, where its ultimate fate will be determined. The $85 million settlement had been viewed by local policy makers as a critical first step for winding down the operations of the county’s largest private employer, whose economic impact is estimated at around $1 billion per year.

11/2

As scheduled, at 5:30 a.m., the first departing flight left the newly built terminal at the San Luis Obispo Regional Airport. The state-of-theart facility, nearly 56,000 square feet, almost 45,000 square feet larger than the existing structure, required a $39.5 million budget and a little more than two years to build. Airport Director Kevin Bumen described the new terminal as the “perfect welcome mat for visitors to come explore our region.” Although the airport expects about a half-million passengers to walk through its gates this year, there is plenty of room for growth, as the new terminal is designed to accommodate up to 1.2 million annually. [photo by Mark Nakamura]

11/16

Arroyo Grande’s “mascot”—a little gray fox—was euthanized after a resident complained that it had been killing her chickens and rabbits. Townspeople reacted with outrage after learning that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services had trapped and killed the animal, which had become a well-loved fixture inhabiting the city center, also known as “the village.” According to Peter Tira, information officer for California Fish and Wildlife, “Whenever you interact with wildlife, it ends badly… it comes from a nice place, but it never ends well.”

REFLECTING HAPPINESS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS WILLIS

Two days before graduation, Chris Willis received some bad news. The company who had offered him his dream job was downsizing and the offer was rescinded. He took the news hard, but his buddies were determined to cheer him up, so they invited him to the university pub for frosty pints of India Pale Ale. One IPA turned to another as the young Willis, soon to be let out into the “real world,” ruminated about his future. Despondent, demoralized, and depressed, he wandered off to the men’s room when his friends spotted a flyer pinned to the community bulletin board. In big, bold lettering it advertised: “Work at the North Pole!”

Another round was ordered as the plan was hatched. One of the friends stealthily excused himself, snagged the flyer, and dialed the number posted at the bottom of the sheet. In his message, he identified himself as Chris Willis and stressed that it was very important that he be called a half-hour prior to the open interview, scheduled for 8 o’clock the next morning, in just a few hours. “Please don’t forget, it’s very important that you call me. And, if I don’t answer immediately, please keep trying,” he said, trying to conceal his laughter. Everyone then reconvened at the dark oak table when Willis agreed to “just one more” before making his way back to his apartment.

A few hours later the phone rang. Then it rang again. It rang once more. Finally, he picked up. “Job interview? Huh? What? Okay, I’ll be right there.” Willis stumbled out of bed still wearing the clothes he had on the night before, righted himself to mount his bicycle, then pedaled downtown. Before him sat a panel of six scientists, who grilled him about geology. While repeating the mantra inside his head—“Please don’t throw up, please don’t throw up”—Willis struggled to understand what this job was all about because, for the life of him, he could not remember ever applying for it. He continued to answer one question after another, each one more difficult than the last. Finally, the interview concluded, he rode back home, and collapsed in his bed for a long slumber. Again, he was

awakened by the phone. This time, on the other end of the line, a chirpy receptionist with a singsong voice exclaimed, “Congratulations—you beat out 75 other candidates. You got the job in the North Pole!”

And, so began Willis’ unlikely path toward photography. Where he was stationed, in Alert, Nunavut, the northernmost inhabited place on earth, the young scientist had lots of time on his hands, lots. Mostly, he manned a seismic station that still recorded its data on light-sensitive photographic paper. It wasn’t long before boredom overtook him and he began experimenting with other things one can do in a dark room, such as develop film-based photography. One thing led to another and soon Willis was entertaining himself by snapping photos of lonely wildlife wandering the empty tundra. During those days something clicked and the hobby morphed into an obsession. Each day he strove to improve upon the composition he developed the day before, and after a while, despite the lack of subject matter, his photos were steadily improving.

Fast forward to today, the native of France, who spent twenty years in Canada, is now a resident of San Mateo who roams the California coastline. There are two spots he visits often: Stinson Beach, just north of San Francisco, and Morro Bay. Both, he explains, offer beaches with a distinctively unique reflective quality that he has not found anywhere else. Willis, who overcame his self-described “difficulty in talking with people” by conducting free photography workshops at libraries around the state, now is known to approach would-be subjects of his photos by asking their permission to shoot away and handing them a business card for a complimentary copy, noting the happiness it usually spreads. In the photo you see here, Willis struck up a conversation with a local surfer heading out to the waves late one afternoon with the cloud cover filtering the sunlight perfectly to create the reflection off the wet sand. “Would it be okay if I took a few shots?” he inquired. The surfer replied with a broad smile, “Sure, I’d love to have one!”

CLEARING THE AIR

It was 60 below zero one winter in northern Montana when a young environmental scientist named LARRY ALLEN, who, cutting his teeth as an air monitoring technician on a remote Indian reservation, began yearning for a return to his native California. In 1982 he joined the San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District, where he has been its Executive Director for the past 15 years. On the eve of his retirement, he stopped by the office so that we could quiz him on the state of our local air quality. Here is some of what he had to say…

Okay, Larry, tell us about the problem spots in SLO County. South County, the Oceano Dunes, is absolutely the biggest air pollution problem at the moment. You’ve got two problems there, number one, high emissions from off-road vehicles and the dust they create; and, number two, high winds blowing onto the Nipomo Mesa. Because of the disturbance to the surface of the dunes, through a process called saltation, the sand fractionates to a small enough size that it becomes airborne and respirable; you can actually breathe in the particulates because they are so small. At that point, they become regulated, because anything below 10 microns is subject to air quality standards. These particulates can cause upper respiratory disease and cardiopulmonary problems and cancer, and ultimately, premature death. We have been working very hard to try to reduce the emissions out there. It’s been a pretty difficult problem.

Why is it so difficult? Our agency had never been sued until the time we adopted our air regulation rule to reduce emissions out there. Now, up to this point, there have been eight separate lawsuits filed—Friends of the Oceano Dunes, an off-road riders group, has filed every single one of them. Any solution that is proposed to improve air quality, no matter how slight, they oppose. They’ve made the whole process very difficult. But, I am hopeful that there is going to be some significant progress made here soon because there are some real pressure points coming together now that we’ve initiated an enforcement action against State Parks for their failure to do any meaningful mitigation. We are in the process of taking a nuisance action to our hearing board and asking them to issue an abatement order to reduce the nuisance out there. It’s people’s health we’re talking about here, and that is what really concerns me and keeps me up at night. People on the Nipomo Mesa are definitely feeling the effects of that exposure and paying a heavy price for it.

Is it really that bad? There are days in South County where we have the worst air pollution in the nation. And, the bottom line, even according to State Parks’ own studies, is that the riding areas are eight times more emissive than the non-riding areas. It’s pretty much an indisputable fact that the disturbance in the riding area is the source of the pollution. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand this. The California Air Resources Board, which is our oversight agency, and a sister agency to State Parks, has been working with us now for the last four years to try to get some more forward progress than we’ve been able

to achieve on our own. One of the most significant differences they’ve been able to make is to develop an atmospheric dispersion model that has taken all of the emissions data that has been collected out there. So, now through computer modeling, you can see what happens to the air quality on the Nipomo Mesa when you reduce emissions at the dunes. The problem is just so obvious. But, it’s been an agonizingly slow process; it feels like it moves at glacial speed.

Can you solve the problem and still allow riding at the dunes? Absolutely. I do believe there are solutions. If we can get beyond all the acrimony and contention, we would have made progress by now. Re-establishing vegetation in a thoughtful way, using the modeling as a guide, within the riding area would work substantially well. And, you could still allow riding to occur. In fact, the riding might even be more interesting because folks could ride their vehicles in between the vegetated areas. Yes, of course, you would lose some riding area as a result, but you could substantially improve the air quality for people on the Nipomo Mesa at the same time. I believe there are solutions out there that can avoid shutting it down, but I also believe that protecting public health is far more important than protecting recreation. And, if they can’t get to a point pretty soon of trying to resolve this problem, there are going to be people pushing to shut it down. In my opinion, it’s unconscionable that we’ve let it go on this long with these detrimental effects that we know for a fact are caused by the off-road vehicles.

Any final observations as you leave your post? Overall, I do think we’ll continue to improve our air quality in San Luis Obispo County, but my biggest concern is climate change. When I look at my sons and their kids and what their future looks like for them, it is the issue of our age. The partisanship that has permeated politics in the last ten years or so has made it very difficult to make forward progress on things. We are not moving nearly far enough or fast enough on climate change. In a lot of ways, we’re going backwards in the United States right now. Even locally, you have politicians who don’t even believe that climate change exists. I feel that politics has been allowed to interfere with facts and science. Science has been given a bad name now for some reason. In my retirement, that is one area that I am going to stay involved in because, in my opinion, this issue is so great that if you have knowledge or expertise, then you have responsibility.

STICKY BUSINESS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY VANESSA PLAKIAS

If there has been one common thread throughout the life of MAUREEN VAZQUEZ, it’s creativity. Today, the high-energy mother of four is doggedly focused on sharing her love of “little works of art” and hopes to fill every mailbox in the country with a monthly selection of her curated sticker subscription through her business, Pipsticks, which she owns and operates with her husband. A few years ago, she talked her family into betting everything on a little town called San Luis Obispo. Here is her story...

Let’s take it from the beginning, Maureen. Okay, sure. I’m the youngest of four kids. Four is the magic number in our family. My parents both came from four; there are four of us kids, I have four

and my brother and sister each have four. We moved around when I was young; my dad was in the printing industry and got transferred around a lot. I was born in Belgium; then we moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota; then Illinois. When I was eleven we moved to Seattle. I mostly consider myself a northwest girl. As a kid, I loved stickers. I loved crafting. I loved making things. My parents had to kick me out of the house to go play outside, because I was usually embroidering Care Bears

on something, or writing books, or illustrating something, or attending to my sticker collection, trading my stickers, or making greeting cards. I used to make things and then go door-to-door in my neighborhood to sell them. So, that’s basically what I did in the 80’s; that, and listen to Debbie Gibson music.

Ah, yes… Debbie Gibson, “Only in My Dreams.” Yes, that’s right. [laughter] So, next, I went to school at Cal Poly; I was an Art Design major there, with a concentration in Graphic Design. After college I moved to San Francisco and started working as a

cocktail waitress in an amazing restaurant, which was super fun. I made just about as much money as I’ve ever made in my life and got to meet really interesting people, but, of course, at the time all I wanted was a real job. It was about nine months later when that finally happened. I did marketing and design for a small architecture firm. I was there for a couple of years and then ended up moving to London. My husband, who was not my husband at the time, was transferred for his job out there, too, so we both ended up out there around ten years ago, say 2006.

Interesting. How long were you there? We ended up staying for almost five years, living on an expat package, which is definitely the way to go, given the chance. We lived right in the center of London and traveled around Europe every weekend; it was an amazing time of our lives. When I was in London, I became a brand manager in a huge international law firm, which, at the time, seemed like a real sellout— not at all what I wanted to do, which was to be a junior designer at an ad agency. Then, I took my first sabbatical when we had our first son in 2010. His name is Atticus. We moved to New York, where we were for four years. While we were in New York we had two other children in quick succession. My husband, Nathan, was transferred there for work. He was in banking.

What was that like? We were living in Manhattan, and I was very much an urban mom, pushing a double stroller with one in the front pack. It was bananas; but it was amazing, and we loved it there. And when I was there with Ella, our second, who was about a year-and-a-half old, I started taking on freelance design projects because I just missed having some creative outlet. So, I started doing projects, mostly for “mompreneurs” that had left their jobs in banking and finance, because so many people in New York are in banking and finance. I spent a lot of time doing logos and other graphic design projects for them. But, deep down, I always wanted to start my own business. I remember at that time feeling like a good idea just hadn’t come to me yet, so I was just making myself open and available to the universe. Around that time, one of my friends invited me to be part of a sticker club chain mail. It’s like a Ponzi scheme for mail, except it never works. [laughter]

I vaguely remember chain mail. Remind me how it works. So, you spend all this time writing these letters and stamping them, and sending them to all your friends. The idea with chain mail is that you then receive a whole bunch of mail back, practically forever. But, it just never works. The idea behind it is great, but it never works. So, I was invited to be a part of this, which was chain mail, except with stickers, which meant that instead of getting letters every day for the rest of your life, you’d be getting stickers for the rest of your life, which, again, I was no fool—I had lots of childhood disappointment around chain mail in my youth. However, the idea of stickers, which being a child of the 80’s, was very near and dear to my heart. And being a mom and always needing stickers for my kids, I thought, “Alright, I’ll just try it. Maybe this time it’ll work; maybe if I do it as an adult, it will work.”

So, what happened? Sure enough I could barely find six friends that would do it with me, because everyone said, “Yeah, that would be great, but I don’t have an extra second in my day as a mom to do this.” Anyway, I scrunched it together and, of course, like all chain mail, nothing happened. Then, about three months later, I had forgotten all about it and was in the middle of a busy, hectic moment being a crazy mom juggling kids and groceries and the mail with thirteen other people in our elevator on the way to our apartment. In my bundle of mail, I see an envelope addressed to my kids, so I handed it to them and they opened it up. And, inside was the tinniest, tiniest little square of stickers you’ve ever seen, for both of them. In that moment I remembered the chain mail. My kids went bananas; they lost it. It was like the best thing that had ever happened to them. >>

Sounds like a pretty awesome day. Yes, so, I thought, “Well, that was fun. I’ll go online and get a sticker subscription,” because, again, my kids love stickers and I love stickers, too. So, I went online and nothing like that existed. I couldn’t believe it because it just seemed so obvious. It was probably six months later that I was in Mexico with some friends and family. I was sitting around the pool with one of my close friends from New York and it was the first moment I’d had to myself in forever. We were just kind of chatting about the future and what I wanted to do, and how I was kind of bored with the design work that I was doing and I wanted to do something bigger. And she said, “Well, what are your ideas?” And I have lots of ideas; I’m never short on ideas. So, I pitched this idea of a subscription sticker club to my friend, who was also a mom, and she said, “Well, that sounds amazing. I would definitely buy them for my kids.” Then, we sort of sketched out some back of the envelope costs and figures and I said, “This would be a pretty straightforward thing to start small and just see how it went.” After that conversation, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.

What did you do about it? So, that night I went back and mentioned it to Nathan, who I affectionately refer to as the “idea crusher” because he’s used to hearing my many ideas, but he’s a realist and a great balance. Anyway, I told him about the conversation and he said, “You know, it’s actually a pretty good idea.” Which, coming from him, is a really huge deal. And then I remember going to bed that night and just being so excited that I couldn’t fall asleep. I got up and pretty much stayed up all night sketching and researching. From that minute forward, for the next six months, I researched the idea every free minute I had right up until I went to bed, oftentimes early in the morning. I set it up—a

sticker subscription business—to grow slowly so that I could handle it on my own. I was a stay-at-home mom, so that was something that was important to me.

Okay, so what were the next steps? Of course, as life goes, Nathan was transferred back to London right about that time and so the family took a little detour. We officially launched the business—Pipsticks—while we were there. This was September 2014. Around the same time we had a little surprise, a brilliant surprise, and six months later our fourth child, Indiana, was born. So, I worked like crazy to market the business and get the word out via mom blogs and that kind of thing. Reception was great, people loved it, and it kind of sold itself in terms of being a really new, fun product. As soon as it landed in someone’s mailbox and their kids found it, they just went bananas. And since I had designed it as a mom, one of the key factors for me was that everything about it was child-friendly. So, kids could pick it out of the mailbox, open it up, do all of the stickers, and all the little activities that come with them themselves because I wanted it to not only be like the best thing ever for kids, but a little bit of a break for the parents.

Ah, yes… Then I realized that there was this whole world of adult sticker lovers, and I wanted to design a pack for them, too. Because I thought they’re going to love these stickers, which I can’t put in the kids’ pack. So, about six months after we launched, we added the Pro Pack. So, we had a kid’s sticker club and a pro sticker club, which is for sticker-loving adults. There is like a whole cult movement of people, primarily women, who use paper agendas and decorate them with stickers. So, if you are going to meet somebody for coffee, for example, you put a coffee sticker in your

calendar. I kind of think of it as, for people that don’t know about it, I call it Scrapbooking 2.0. It’s kind of the same thing; it’s a hobby; it’s a creative outlet. But, I think there’s less pressure than scrapbooking. Remember when we used to have Filofax and day planners and those sorts of things? Those things are coming back. And, I really do think that part of what is fueling the whole paper planner craze is a rebellion against technology at some level.

Everything old is new again! So, tell us, what came next? Okay, so right around that time, the company that Nathan was working for decided to shut down its London operation, and we were looking at moving back to New York with four kids, going into winter. His job was all-consuming and very intense and he would be gone most of the time, seeing the kids briefly at night, right before they went to bed. They really didn’t get to see him during the week. And he is an awesome, unbelievable, like superinvolved dad. So, at that point, we were looking at moving back to New York again. I think, for me, the idea of moving back, as much as I love New York and the city, the idea of moving back with four kids into winter just wasn’t sustainable, really. It felt almost impossible, just logistically speaking. And so, we started to look at various options. At some point we said, “Hey, what about Pipsticks?” It was growing steadily and at the point where I was either going to have to put the brakes on it, or hire somebody to manage the operations. Because, back then, I was working every night and a few mornings a week, but I couldn’t handle all that it required of me.

You needed help. Yes, so we started talking about the idea of hiring somebody, and somewhere along the line the conversation became, “Why don’t we work together?” Which is crazy, it was a bananas idea. We are both really risk-averse. We have four very small kids and he had a very stable job; it was more than just a little bit crazy. But, the more we talked about it, the more it made sense. For me, it was the idea of simplifying things. We started to see it as a path for allowing Nathan to get more involved with the family, which was always appealing to him. And, also from a practical standpoint, it allowed us to take advantage of all the things that he was great at, that I was not, and vice versa. So, long story short, after kind of a grueling, heart-wrenching, difficult few months of decision making, we decided instead of going back to New York to switch gears and move to San Luis Obispo where we would both be all-in at Pipsticks. It was a moment, one of those moments where it was almost like, “Come on, this is silly.” We were north of Cayucos checking out the elephant seals, and we were sitting there in the sun taking in the views with our feet dangling out of the back of the car. We were debating about whether or not to make the move when we turned to each other and said, “Let’s just do this.”

That’s a pretty big leap of faith. How did you get going here? We started the first year and a half working out of our house. We have a little cottage in the back of the house; that’s where we did Pipsticks initially. We hired

our first employee in February 2016; our second was hired in September 2016. Recently, we just hired our 17th employee. We ended up where we are now on Monterey Street because we outgrew our cottage. So, we moved in for fulfillment space and office space and then really saw the opportunity for starting a flagship brick-and-mortar sticker shop. I always remember, when I grew up, every store seemed to have a wall of stickers on rolls, even if it was just a small section. And our whole generation collected these things.

And, just what is it about stickers? I think there’s something inexplicably fun about something sticky. First of all, I think the nature of stickers is kind of interesting and fun. I think people underestimate stickers; they are actually like little works of art. Each one of them is a really high-quality, beautiful thing. At this point, having designed many stickers myself, I know that each one is very intentional. I think it’s an opportunity for people to enjoy something really small and simple. What we do is really simple, and it gets back to just having that really fun feeling, opening something that’s colorful and small and knowing that you can either save it for yourself or you can stick it on anything and kind of brighten it up. We have people that are using stickers on their mail and are really into pen-palling, people that are into journaling, people that are putting them on their planners, people that are into collecting them, people that grew up in the 80’s and really still love them. We have people that put them on the bills they send out, or they give them to their employees when they are doing a good job. We hear about college professors that are putting them on their students’ papers, and they honestly believe that they’re motivating their college students to do better. That’s incredible.

Let’s talk a little bit about the space itself. So, having the store and being able to test things there is a great opportunity. Also, the part of the shop that I am most excited about is that half of it is dedicated to a craft space, so right now there is one whole enormous wall dedicated to craft supplies, and it’s an open studio. We have a huge, long community craft table so people can drop in, and we have an open studio the whole day. Whenever we are open, people can come in and pay $15 and spend

up to two hours using our stuff, so my vision is to have that busy and humming all the time. In the morning, it’s moms with their non-school kids; in the afternoons, sticker lovers and college students who are into crafty study breaks; and, the evenings, adult craft classes; weekends, birthday parties. It’s just such an inspiring place and I think our community needs something like that.

What does the future hold for Pipsticks? I would love to see a little jewel box sticker shop in every city in the country. But, I think at this point, we’re trying to figure out which direction to go. There’s no shortage of opportunity in terms of directions to take, whether it’s focusing on our wholesale business, creating our own products, or really growing the subscription side of things, or managing the retail component. I think the thing that’s exciting about retail, or actually having a brick-and-mortar, it’s a great opportunity for us to see how people engage with our products and it’s been brilliant; we get a lot of feedback from people. I love seeing someone walk in the door and kind of freak out over something they have found in the shop; it’s so much fun and so gratifying to connect in person over stickers.

Okay, we can’t let you go without asking the advice you would offer an aspiring entrepreneur. I think I would say, “Don’t do it immediately; get as much experience as you can before you start.” I’ve always worked. I’ve had a job since I was fourteen or fifteen. I’ve worked in customer service; I’ve worked in retail; I’ve worked in corporate; I’ve worked in small agencies; I’ve worked in big agencies; and I’ve learned so much. I just think you need to know so much when you’re starting your business. You have to be very resourceful and you have to know where you have to go to find things. And, I think that the thing that has been most valuable is that experience. It’s not even specific experience; it’s just soaking things in and not being judgmental. I think, as I said, the jobs that I think were, by far, the best experience for me when I was in them, in the moment, I wanted nothing but to get out of them. And, now in retrospect, I can say they were the ones that prepared me best for what I am doing now. SLO LIFE

RICKY MONTIJO

Local singer songwriter Ricky Montijo fondly recalls the first time he encountered a guitar. “My first memory of music is sneaking to where I wasn’t supposed to be and marveling at my grandfather’s guitar with its old wood and musty smell.” He continues, “In the small mountain town where I grew up, there was nothing to do but play music or get into trouble. I tried to stick to music.”

BY DAWN JANKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD HACKLEMAN

In high school, Ricky Montijo discovered the sounds of Parliament-Funkadelic and Buena Vista Social Club, and his musical style developed. “My sound is a natural blend of what I’ve heard in the past, how I play guitar, and the beat that I have in my head,” he says. “Latino music is a huge influence on me, Los Lonely Boys and Santana; I also like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix.”

Montijo relocated from Frasier Park to Paso Robles about ten years ago and began working at Wal-Mart while pursuing his music on the side. “I would sing in the aisles as I worked, and everyone who encountered me would tell me to quit my day job,” says Montijo. “It took me nine years to quit, but I did, and now I do music full time.”

At first, Montijo performed at coffee shops and sandwich shops, “wherever I could get in,” he says, “and I’ve slowly evolved to play the best wineries in the county: Pomar Junction, Eberle, Broken Earth, to name a few.” For Montijo, it’s been affirming to get invited to perform at the same venues as musicians he admires. “I’ve paid a lot of attention to what other musicians are doing, guys like Dan Curcio and Damon Castillo, who I consider to be at the top in this area. And now, I am playing gigs at the same places they are.”

The flourishing music scene in San Luis Obispo County motivates Montijo to “bring his A-game” every time he performs. “The better the musicians are in the scene, the better it is for everybody. Fans will know a venue has good music, and then they’ll come back to see more.” Montijo is impressed that so many people in the area support live music and extends “a huge thank you to the fans and music supporters.” He adds, “I wouldn’t have the opportunities I’ve had in this community without them. I feel blessed to be a part of this scene—this is my home.”

Montijo’s live performances range from solo acoustic to a full six-piece band consisting of a revolving group of talented local musicians who support him live and in the studio. He says, “I have a pretty good idea about what I want a particular song to sound like, and it’s nice to work with guys who make that happen.” Known as The Mojitos, the guys are among the best musicians on the Central Coast, according to Montijo. “It’s been really cool to be able to play with top-tier performers who can run circles around me,” he says.

Montijo is most proud of his latest full-length album, “The Sauce Pot Sessions.” Recorded at The Sauce Pot Studios in San Luis Obispo, the album came out at a time when Montijo was dealing with a lot of personal issues, including the passing of his father, to whom the album is dedicated. “It seemed like the stars aligned for the recording to go smoothly—with the rawness and energy that we all had going in, it worked perfectly for what we were trying to do. Everything was happening at the same time, and the album was the good thing that came out of it all,” says Montijo.

“The Sauce Pot Sessions,” released in May 2017, captures the energy of Montijo’s live performances. “I didn’t want to overproduce the album and put a bunch of layers on it. I just wanted it to sound like how we sound when we go out and do our thing. So we went into the studio for four hours and laid our tracks in one or two takes,” he says. To Montijo, the album represents a culmination of a lot of things that he has been trying to do for a while: “It always felt like I was two steps away—not really a legit musician—so it is nice to have my first real recording.”

The album helped expand Montijo’s musical presence beyond the county. “It’s gotten me into a ton of festivals, such as the San Francisco International Beer Festival and the Palm Springs Vintage Vibe Festival,” he says. Montijo also was

nominated for a New Times Music Award this year. “Since I arrived here I’ve had my eye on that award show, and it’s really cool to finally be a part of it. So many artists I admire and enjoy watching are among the nominees, and I’m honored to be a part of that group,” says Montijo.

Montijo and his partner, Jennifer Brown, are excited about where the music will take them in the coming years. Tours are planned for the Hawaiian Islands, the Midwest, and Texas. “We spend our days researching and making calls and getting us to where we want to be. Both of us are committed to the music full time.” Montijo also plans to head back to the studio next year: “I have a ton more songs I’m ready to share.”

DAWN JANKE, Director, University Writing & Rhetoric Center Cal Poly, keeps her pulse on the Central Coast music scene.

PISMO BEACH BUNGALOW

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON MARTIN

very year, as the little red line in thermometers around the San Joaquin Valley reaches impossible heights, a modern-day wagon train forms on Highway 46 as a procession of vehicles—many of them dust-covered farm trucks—head west toward “the coast,” just as they have done for generations.

Of the many kids hanging their heads out of the window to breathe in the cool ocean air while descending the Cuesta Grade, Rusty Schott was thrilled when his parents decided

it was time to buy a second home, just 150 steps from the ocean, in Pismo Beach. The year was 1975 and the home has been a touchstone for the family since that time, a refuge from the heat and a place to kick off the boots, visit, reconnect with one another, and speculate about the upcoming harvest.

Looking to continue the tradition, Schott, a fourth-generation farmer, purchased the home from his sisters after their mother passed away in 2001. Together with his wife,

Pam, the couple set out to renovate the property, a little beach bungalow requiring significant maintenance due mostly to the relentless and unforgiving wet, salty sea breeze, which took its toll over the many years. It was determined that the best course of action was to fully gut the first floor and boost the square footage by adding a second story. Easier said than done.

Step one, according to Pam, who began with the end in mind, was to bring on interior designer Jason Martin of Dallas Amante Interiors. The relationship gelled quickly as the client outlined the vision: make it a comfortable family getaway for the four kids and six grandchildren. With that goal in mind, Martin, who Pam calls her “rock,” began working with the contractor to come up with a plan. The first phase, demo-ing and rebuilding the existing structure, took a year, as expected. It was year two when things hit a snag, as the couple was forced to wait a full year for

their plans to be approved for the second-story addition. With the permit finally in hand, another two years were required to complete the project and fully integrate the finish work with and interior design.

While the couple was back in Pixley—population 3,310— tending to their pistachios, almonds, alfalfa, and wheat, local contractor Tim Selna was busy dialing in the home’s many exquisite details, including the kids’ bedroom with its one-of-a-kind bunk beds, the conversation-starting fireplace mantel, the kitchen hood, even the banquet table. Meanwhile, Martin fussed over every last interior detail, right up to the placement of the pillows. The net result is that the Schott family tradition continues and, as Pam looks back on the long four-year project, she pauses for a moment before thinking aloud, “We hope to have this house in our family for the next few generations.”

SLO LIFE

ESTATE BY THE NUMBERS

REAL

laguna lake

Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

2016 58 $666,602 $653,342 98.01% 43

tank farm

Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

2016 37 $798,243 $777,266 97.37% 38

cal poly area

Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

2016 29 $754,921 $744,667 98.64% 26

2017 56 $700,977 $691,977 98.72% 28

+/-3.45% 5.16% 5.91% 0.71% -34.88%

2017 21 $810,942 $802,233 98.93% 23

+/-43.24% 1.59% 3.21% 1.56% -39.47%

2017 28 $793,596 $784,964 98.91% 29

+/-3.45% 5.12% 5.41% 0.27% 11.54%

country club

Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

2016 20 $1,298,350 $1,244,900 95.88% 64

down town

Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

2016 81 $661,879 $657,152 99.29% 34

foothill blvd

johnson

ave *Comparing

Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

2016 41 $792,815 $776,732 97.97% 39

2017 13 $1,259,446 $1,213,719 96.37% 53

+/-35.00% -3.00% -2.50% 0.49% -17.19%

2017 76 $766,811 $762,101 99.39% 44

+/-6.17% 15.85% 15.97% 0.10% 29.41%

2017 46 $770,223 $756,495 98.22% 27

+/12.20% -2.85% -2.61% 0.25% -30.77%

2016 53 $797,925 $780,910 97.87% 53

2017 47 $786,200 $782,287 99.50% 31

+/-11.32% -1.47% 0.18% 1.63% -41.51% 01/01/16 - 11/21/16 to 01/01/17 - 11/21/17

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS®

REAL ESTATE

MEDIAN

Arroyo Grande

Atascadero

Avila Beach Cambria/San Simeon Cayucos Creston Grover Beach Los Osos Morro Bay Nipomo Oceano Pismo Beach

(Inside City Limits)

(North 46 - East 101)

(North 46 - West 101)

(South 46 - East 101)

Obispo

Margarita

2016 $684,198 $489,126 $1,047,559 $672,998 $1,017,350 $858,714 $489,952 $578,431 $676,120 $606,052 $433,143 $970,923 $452,097 $513,026 $581,293 $562,442 $747,743 $322,833 $707,264 $602,585

2017 $766,984 $542,499 $1,045,313 $711,160 $1,148,410 $799,000 $517,932 $613,437 $688,123 $632,741 $448,413 $1,056,903 $483,475 $489,906 $514,851 $698,495 $793,408 $412,988 $714,030 $651,211

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Stephen ZagRodny

With places to go and players to direct, this eighteen-year-old San Luis Obispo High School senior is running around, lighting up the stage.

What sort of extra-curricular activities do you participate in? I’m the co-president of the drama club at SLO High and I run cross country and track. I am the treasurer for the Gay-Straight Alliance and I’m currently involved as a defense witness on the Mock Trial team. I also am part of the Improv team and the newly established Environmental Club.

What recognition have you received? Well, I was recently crowned Homecoming King, but on the more academic side I was selected as an Elk’s Student of the Month in September.

What is going on with you now? I’m wrapping up the play Annie as Rooster Hannigan and I’m getting ready to start rehearsals for the musical I’m directing: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I’m also currently preparing to compete in Mock Trial, which takes place in February.

What is your favorite memory of all time? Last year, I directed A Very Potter Musical and at every performance we had a packed house; people were even sitting on the stage at some shows. It was amazing to see my vision for a production come to fruition and so encouraging to have such a positive response toward my work.

What other interests do you have? I’m very involved in theatre at SLO High, so I love going to see shows, but on a broader level I find myself very interested in stories and the way they’re told— whether that be through film, stage, paints, or really anything at all.

What experiences have had a strong influence on you? I think living in Los Angeles for a good portion of my earlier years has instilled an appreciation in me for large cities, a diverse array of cultures, and a balance between natural and urban settings.

If you could go back in history and meet anyone, who would it be ? It’s a toss up between Andy Warhol because of the way he depicted society in art, F. Scott Fitzgerald because of his deep understanding and literary portrayal of human characteristics, and Louis XIV because of his use of public relations and publicity at a time far before social media and celebrities.

What do you dislike? I get really annoyed with people who walk like there’s all the time in the world, especially when it’s in a crowded hallway.

What is something that not many people know about you? One time I got mixed up about a costume competition at the Sound Of Music sing-a-long at the Hollywood Bowl and ended up on stage in front of 16,000 people.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I see myself living in a large city after graduating and settling into a job that nurtures my interests and applies my abilities effectively. I also hope to have the opportunity to travel to different regions of the globe and experience a wide variety of cultures.

What schools are you considering for college? I’m particularly interested in UC San Diego, UCLA, University of Washington, New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Texas at Austin, to name a few off the extensive list.

SLO LIFE

Know a student On the Rise? Introduce us at slolifemagazine.com/share

UNDER THE SEA IN AVILA

We are lucky to have such a delightful, aweinspiring family hotspot no more than a hop, skip, and a jump away. But, unless you are looking closely, you may just miss it. Grab my hand and come along with me as we spend an afternoon visiting the Central Coast Aquarium.

BY PADEN HUGHES

Igrew up in the Bay Area, where the closest aquarium was in Monterey and considered to be the Disneyland of marine wildlife. Locally, you may be surprised to find out we have a smaller, but no less charming marine sanctuary. I stumbled upon this gem while on a walk from the Bob Jones Trail into Avila Beach. The turquoise building is hard to miss and its bright logo caught my eye.

On a cold, gray afternoon I decided that nine months old was the perfect age for my daughter to establish a love and appreciation for who and what lives in the ocean. I packed up our things and off we went, singing “Under the Sea” to set the mood.

The Central Coast Aquarium hosts various events, including birthday parties, and we were lucky enough to encounter a cute six-year-old celebrating her special day. Joined by her enthusiastic friends and decked out in pirate-themed costumes, the revelers were as distractingly interesting as the sea life itself.

We spent the afternoon strolling back and forth between the two large rooms and dozens of tanks. We gazed at the East Coast horseshoe crab, the bright orange Pacific octopus, the deep red starfish, and the translucent jellyfish, who circled their tank as if in a trance. I was as absorbed by the experience as my daughter.

The aquarium, while small, does a great job offering ongoing, unique experiences. We learned that most of the sea life showcased is unintentionally caught by local fishermen in their traps. The aquarium staff has a great relationship with the fishermen and has established a handshake deal allowing the aquarium to care for the unintended guests for a couple months at a time, until the anglers head back out to sea and return the precious creatures to their original homes. This leads to everchanging tenants in the tanks, which make things interesting, and keeps the crowds coming back for more.

While the touch tank was amazing and allowed us to feel the adult swell sharks and starfish, the highlight for me was, without a doubt, observing the Pacific octopus shoot across the tank and coil its tentacles around a child’s football toy. It was so fun to watch kids react to the idea that an octopus liked football—you could almost see their imaginations take flight.

Of course, no trip to an aquarium is complete without being mesmerized by the jellyfish. As we approached the tank, my daughter started to flap her arms, kick her feet, and squeal excitedly. The jellies were the uncontested showstoppers. We watched the staff feed the umbrella-shaped invertebrates and were intrigued as we learned where the food gathers into their four stomachs and how the circular current helps them capture the nutrients. It was fascinating.

A trip to the Central Coast Aquarium can stretch from an hour to a full day with the park, beach, and promenade just steps away from the front door. I was excited to find out about a program called Mommies and Guppies—focusing on kids five years and younger and offered from 10 a.m. to noon on the first non-holiday Monday of each month. This event features story time and hands-on interaction with the tide pool animals. And the recently launched Shoreline Explorers program highlights a different animal each month and comes with a beachcomber’s guide to take tide pooling—talk about real world connection. It’s clear that the goal of the aquarium is to invest in future generations, so caring for our ocean animals and environment will be a top priority.

Elder Placements realizes the IMPORTANCE of listening to the client, in order to find the appropriate:

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Let their experienced Certified Senior Advisors take you on a tour to find the Retirement Home or Community that fits your loved ones Medical, Financial and Social needs, at NO Cost to you.

PADEN HUGHES is co-owner of Gymnazo and enjoys exploring the Central Coast.

Nicole Pazdan, CSA,

BAXTER MOERMAN

The new tradition is

non-traditional…

Perhaps it’s embarrassing to admit, but it took us a while to embrace the trust given by strangers. We are entrusted to make jewelry that commemorates big personal milestones: marriage, the birth of a child, or redesigning jewelry once worn by a deceased loved one. The responsibility is immediately apparent, and we’ve never taken it lightly. The reason is simple: we can relate. We see ourselves in each person who walks into our shop. In a world crammed full of ‘stuff,’ we all want jewelry made with quality, craftsmanship, something rare and special. Most find something perfect within our showcases, yet often they want to take a step further. We often customize our designs to reflect the individual customer.

The new tradition is non-traditional. We increasingly make engagement rings and wedding bands that both fulfill and challenge the status quo. They are still made from precious metals and gemstones, but we’re making them using recycled gold, textured gold, hand-engraved patterns, rose cut diamonds, raw diamond crystals, post-consumer diamonds, and ethically-sourced sapphires of all colors. Recycled gold has a much lighter footprint upon the Earth, and the unusual diamonds and sapphires are both responsibly sourced and really friggin’ cool!

The days of mediocre men’s jewelry are waning. Men want jewelry that sets them apart from the crowd. They are increasingly requesting rings that stand out when compared to their buddy’s. We are seeing more men ask for wedding bands with hand engraving, accent diamonds, and sapphires. We are anticipating the revival of ‘right hand’ men’s rings, signets, and perhaps some tasteful pinky rings in the coming years.

Each encounter begins simply enough—our shop door chime chimes, a friendly greeting from our dogs Penny and Indi, and a series of questions acting as pick-and-shovel to discover how best to help each person. Sometimes it’s a young guy who heard of us through a friend, or a couple who recently decided to take their relationship to the next level. But, each time we find ourselves explaining what we do, and why we do it. Making all the jewelry that fills our showcases is not the most efficient business model, but we take pride in knowing we make each piece with distinct quality and contemporary design that invites compliments.

The People of Garden Street

SHAUN MATTHEWS

PARTNER & HOTELIER, HOTEL SERRA

On my playlist: Gary Moore, Parisian Walkways

Currently reading: The Red Lantern

Comfort food: Polenta with Braised Lamb Ragout

Dream car: 1965 Alvis TE21 Drophead Coupe

Cats or dogs: Dogs, of course!

If you could ask your pet just one question, it would be: Are you happy?

ONE-OF-A-KIND

Found only in the alluvial mines of Tanzania’s Mahenge region. This gem carries the durability and price of garnet, but the color of Padparascha and Morganite. Meet Lotus Garnet.

$1,698 // Garden Street Goldsmiths 1114 & 1118 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 543-8186 // GardenStreetGoldsmiths.com

CHEESY SMILES

Gift your favorite person the perfect selection of cheeses, tasting notes, and recipes. For three months, even the Scroogiest person will be Santa-like opening their monthly delivery of select cheeses and dried goods. It’s the perfect stress-free gift and shipping is available statewide.

$40 per month // Fromagerie Sophie 1129 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 503-0805 // fromageriesophie.com

PASTA AL SAN LUIS OBISPO

Featuring Tortellini in Brodo, which is Tortellini stuffed with beef with homemade chicken broth. Come be delighted by fresh homemade pasta, classic Italian favorites and a variety of both local and European wines. The perfect setting for large family gatherings or intimate date nights, La Locanda is sure to offer a delicious, hand-crafted experience.

$11 // La Locanda 1137 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 548-1750 // lalocandaslo.com

COZY UP TO CASHMERE

Time to snuggle up in a delicious cashmere ruana and let the season begin. Featuring an M. Liz mixed metal boho chic necklace—truly one of our favorite designers. Cashmere ruana $86 M. Liz Necklace $40 Finders Keepers 1124 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 545-9879 finderskeepersconsignment1.com

START THE FLAME

This one-of-a-kind pendant is sure to light a yuletide fire this holiday season. From the Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, a nine carat pear shaped natural Citrine is alive with bright colors and wrapped in a swirl of yellow gold with a mesh chain.

$4,500 // Marshalls Jewelers

751 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 543-3431 // marshalls1889.com

ACTIVE & ELEGANT

Baxter Moerman’s Hex Studs are simple everyday earrings with a fresh modern silhouette. The brushed rose gold and brilliant white Canadian diamonds create a rich, elegant look. These are a great alternative to traditional diamond studs and a favorite choice for active women. Available in 18K white, yellow, or rose gold.

$905 // Baxter Moerman 1128 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 801-9117 // baxtermoerman.com

GAME TIME

Enter the Hotel Serra Instagram Scavenger Hunt and set out in search of fun activities in beautiful locations, all painstakingly crafted and designed for you to get a taste of what makes SLO and the surrounding area so great. Visit the hotel’s website for all of the details, rules, and most of all, the prizes.

Hotel Serra Coming Soon

1125 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo hotelserra.com

SHINE BRIGHT

This season, we’re giving you a new way to smell like Aveda with Beautifying and Shampure Pure-Fume Mists. This aromatic mist nourishes the skin, while the calming aromas provide a moment of peace. This mist makes your skin glisten, as well as add shine to tattoos. Look for the mists as well as other gifts to nurture your hair and body..

$30 // Salon62 1112 Garden Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 543-2060 // salon62.com

PERK UP THE HOLIDAYS

The 2017 Holiday Blend from Scout Coffee & HoneyCo is made up of coffees from the world renowned Zelaya Family in Antigua, Guatemala, and from a collection of phenomenal small farms in Cauca, Colombia. This heavy roast will taste delicious black or with cream and is packed with the crowd-pleasing flavors of dark chocolate, soft spice, and dried fruit.

$13.50 // Scout Coffee Co.

1130 Garden Street and 880 E. Foothill Boulevard, San Luis Obispo (805) 439-2253 // HoneyCoCoffee.com

TAKE A SEAT

Inspired by modern Danish design, this chair is sure to be a statement piece for any room, a delight to look at from any angle. The solid walnut base securely cradles the contoured, comfy seat structure. With subtle curves and refined style, this accent can easily be paired with several different styles to function in any room.

$2,500 // San Luis Traditions // 748 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo (805) 541-8500 // sanluistraditions.com

SOPHIE

Christmas in Paris makes you believe anything is possible. The lights, the snow, the decorations and the food create an ethereal experience that stirs a spark in the soul. That’s what happened to us when we celebrated Paul’s 50th birthday roaming from fromagerie to patisserie to boulangeries in the City of Light; eating, smiling, and loving along the way. It was a vacation that changed our lives and challenged us to keep that feeling alive when we were back home in San Luis Obispo.

Being a small business owner anywhere is difficult and opening a cheese shop in our community was a challenge. After much discussion we went for it, uniting the place we love with the culture we cherish. Four years later we are beyond moved at the way this community, and specifically Garden Street, has supported our dream.

We know that learning the language of cheese isn’t easy. As Americans, most of us haven’t been exposed to a lot of cheese and don’t know what to do when it smells “bad,” feels funny, and tastes even weirder. These are the moments we treasure. It’s inspiring to us to see that moment—and it’s always there—where your eyes light up, your mouth curls into a smile, and you tell us, “Oh yes! This is the one.” It’s why we’ve created experiences like the Passport Program and Cheese of the Month club so we can take an international journey through cheese together without the jet lag!

Every day we search for more stories that are shared with us through cheese. As we select cheese wheels and specialty products from around the world, we look high and low for those that are made according to old-world traditions and are often handmade in ways that date back centuries. We look for delicious products, and when we find one with an interesting history, artisanal making and culture, they delight us all the more. While the products are certainly delicious, what we are really looking for and buying are the stories, history, artistry, and culture behind these hard-to-find products. We are looking for

TRIVIA

Ollie Hughes (formerly Olympia Cossa) was married to the local pharmacist. She opened Ollie’s Beauty Salon at 1112 Garden St. in 1935. It has been a salon ever since. Today, it is the home of Salon 62.

connections to the past and portals into the future as we share what we love with those we love. If people have liked something for centuries, then we have a hunch you might like it, too.

Sitting around a table with great San Luis Obispo County wine and cheeses from around the world allows us a rare moment to slow down and connect with old-world traditions and make new friends, soaking up experiences that matter most. It might be cheesy to say, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Dogs of Garden Street

Rascal // wire haired Jack Russell // 18 months

Rascal, engaged as a proud Ambassador for the future Hotel Serra is shown here teaching her brothers, Monty and Kona, how they must stand for the arrival of all four-legged guests.

Rethinking Salt

We are big fans of podcasts at SLO LIFE Magazine, and you can pretty much count on one playing in the background at the office most of the time. When we heard an interview recently with an enthusiastic and earnest young pharmacist-turned-researcher named James DiNicolantonio, our minds were blown, and we ran out to buy his book, “The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong—and How Eating More Might Save Your Life.”

Now, let us begin this conversation by reminding everyone that we are not doctors. We are just passing

along interesting information that happens to run directly against current conventional thinking on the subject. The important thing is that these revelations be evaluated on an individual basis, and there are, according to the book, some rare diseases that can make overconsumption of salt a dangerous thing. But, for the vast majority of us, it may be time to give salt a fair shake.

DiNicolantonio stumbled upon his salt obsession as a retail pharmacist, who once consulted a patient who came by the pharmacy to fill a prescription. She complained of fatigue, dizziness, and lethargy. When he took a closer look at her medication, an antidepressant called sertraline, he learned that it was a diuretic (which depletes salt) and encouraged her to have her blood sodium levels checked. Sure enough, they were low, so he advised her to talk to her doctor about lowering her dosage and moving her off of her low-salt diet. A few days after the change and increasing her salt intake, she was back to normal. The author became so excited by this news that he quit pharmacy so that he could focus all of his efforts on nothing but salt, which he did for the next ten years while publishing over 200 medical papers—and counting—on the subject. Imagine that, nothing but salt for a decade! If there is such a thing as a salt expert, this is the guy. >>

The book comes with 46 pages of footnotes, and it is not light reading. But, lucky for you, we summarized a few of the key concepts in the pages that follow.

No. 3

YOU NEED MORE SALT

WHEN YOU SWEAT

While most of us are familiar with the idea of drinking lots of water when we work out, the idea of ingesting more salt may seem a little counterintuitive. Describing the physiological pathways that the body uses, DiNicolantonio cites the importance of salt (sodium chloride, or NaCl) to thermoregulation, in other words maintaining a consistent temperature. He also cites a study performed on soccer players during 90 to 98 degree days (with 50% humidity) to find that they lost, on average, 1,896 milligrams of salt during a one-hour match, which is more than many dietitians and doctors recommend eating for an entire day.

No. 1 No. 4

WE ARE SALTY DUDES

The surface of the ocean covers 71% of earth, but because of its volume it makes up 99% of the planet’s total living space. Sodium chloride constitutes 90% of the ocean’s mineral content—the same mineral content found in our blood. Through the early chapters in the book, the author lays out a compelling case for how humans evolved with salt, and he argues, quite convincingly, that our ancestors ate a high-salt diet.

No. 2

OUR KIDNEYS ARE SALT-SIFTING MACHINES

Through a process called osmoregulation, our kidneys are constantly recycling salt to maintain an optimum ratio with water. When we consume too much salt, it is excreted. When we consume too little, the kidneys become very stingy and hang on to it. On an average day, our kidneys filter somewhere between 3.2 and 3.6 pounds of salt, roughly 150 times the amount we ingest daily.

COULD THERE BE A SALT-AUTISM LINK?

The book points to some intriguing ideas where salt may be of particular, and unexpected, benefit. For example, DiNicolantonio discusses a theory suggesting that people diagnosed with autism may be dealing with issues related to overhydration and a water-salt imbalance, and recommends that children with the disorder, who often have salt cravings, be given more salt in their diets, and cites studies where improvement has been found.

No. 5

LOW CARBS AND CAFFEINE

With the popularity of the Paleo Diet and the omnipresence of caffeinated drinks, DiNicolantonio urges an increased level of salt consumption. Both of them cause salt depletion through different and relatively complex processes. The important thing to note here is that if you are drinking coffee all day, or are eating like a caveman, it may be worth checking your sodium levels to ensure you are replenishing the white stuff at a faster rate than you are depleting it.

No. 6

SALT VS. SUGAR

While there is a process for maintaining a salt balance in the body, no such pathway exists for sugar. And, according to DiNicolantonio, many people are consuming the wrong white crystal in excess because they have fallen out of balance. Through a dynamic that takes him a full chapter to explain (Crystal Rehab: Using Salt Cravings to Kick Sugar Addiction) he makes the argument that salt deficiencies are actually contributing to our sugar addiction.

No. 7

HYPERTENSION MYTHS DEBUNKED

For those that have been told by their doctor that they have high blood pressure and, therefore, must reduce their salt intake, this is where DiNicolantonio spends most of his time. He cites study after study where no correlation is found to exist between the two and, once again, makes the claim that we have villainized the wrong white crystal. Instead, after walking the reader through the latest research, he places the blame for America’s hypertension on sugar.

If you are looking to add more salt to your diet, quality does matter. And, for DiNicolantonio, he recommends Redmond Real Salt, which is mined from an ancient seabed in Redmond, Utah. It provides over sixty trace minerals in a daily serving, as well as 178 micrograms of naturally occurring iodine, which is generally added to conventional table salts.

JUST WRITE IT

BY FRANZ WISNER

Writing a memoir is time-consuming, hard as hell, and often exasperating to the point of wanting to chuck it all into a wood chipper. Sometimes it feels cathartic. Sometimes it feels like you’re picking the same scab every day.

Penning your life story demands enormous amounts of energy and emotion. It’s worth every ounce. In fact, it could be one of the most meaningful things you’ll ever do.

I teach memoir writing classes and workshops around the country. People attend for a variety of reasons. Some writers come with the makings of a bestseller, a compelling story that would appeal to a mass audience. They need a little help with structure and technique. Other writers want to pass down their life story to family members. Some attendees have experienced a traumatic event—the death of a loved one or a tough bout with cancer, for example. They use writing as a way to help them process the past and refocus for the future. Some students just come to listen and gain inspiration. They are all welcome and encouraged to share their story.

The memoir genre used to be the exclusive domain of the rich and famous. Then, writers like Frank McCourt and Maya Angelou showed us a great life story can also come from more common surroundings. They opened the door for a new generation of memoirists. Anthony Bourdain let us in on restaurant life. Mary Karr wrote about alcoholism. John Grogan shared a moving story about the family dog, Marley. The new breed of memoir gave us a new level of intimacy and familiarity. We could relate. And maybe we could pen one ourselves?

I never aspired to be a writer. I avoided creative writing courses in college. Too artsy fartsy! But years later, after being dumped at the altar by my fiancée and taking a two-year, 53-country honeymoon with my brother, I knew I had a story inside me.

I spent a year writing my first memoir, “Honeymoon with My Brother.” I cranked out some regrettable rough drafts and broke every rule in the how-to memoir handbook. My goal was simple: make the writing a little less awful every day. I read other memoirs and circled passages that moved me. I tried out writing styles and copied techniques. I worked with an editor who helped me focus on the best parts of the story.

I also tried to listen to the writing. Stories will let you know which characters and scenes deserve more attention and which ones need a haircut. I strived to be open to those messages.

Early in the process, I struggled to share the emotional underpinning of my life story. I felt exposed, like a skinny dipper in the ocean. Then I realized the honesty and vulnerability made my writing much better. The story

demanded it. I decided skinny dipping can be an exhilarating way to swim. After a few false starts and a lot of help from others, I turned in a 300-page memoir of which I was proud.

Once “Honeymoon with My Brother” hit the bookstores, something fascinating happened. The story took on a life of its own. All books do this. When you release your story into the world, others claim it, reshape it, grab bits and parts, and make your story part of their own.

I heard from readers who read the book and decided to splurge on a long-desired trip to Italy or Australia. Others told me they called a long-lost family member and made plans to get together. Many people told me the story helped them heal.

“My mother passed away last October,” wrote a woman. “I haven’t even come close to getting over it. Yesterday, the day I found and read your book, would have been her 69th birthday. In your book, especially at the beginning, you often talk of ‘messages.’ I know my mother wanted more for me than a job that I keep only because of the paycheck. So I am slowly listening to that inner voice, the one who today keeps repeating a line from your book, start ‘....walking towards walking away.’”

I thought the book may make a few people laugh. I had no idea some readers would use it to help change careers, recover from a setback, or re-examine their lives. One woman told me the book convinced her to divorce her husband. I made sure to lock my door that night and prayed she didn’t mention the title to her ex.

A life story will resonate in ways the writer can never imagine. And that’s a beautiful, powerful thing. Your story is a gift to others to use as they wish.

The years spent researching, writing, and promoting my memoirs are, by far, the most rewarding years of my career. Nothing else comes close. And if I can write a memoir, anyone can write a memoir.

If you have ever thought about penning your life story, do it. I’ve never met a writer who regretted it, never heard someone say, “Y’know, thinking and writing about my life was a complete waste of time.”

The only regrets I have heard are from people who know they should tell their story, but continue to keep it bottled up inside. SLO LIFE

FRANZ WISNER is the founder of The Bestsellers Group, which provides brands and individuals with storytelling assistance from bestselling authors.

GONE SURFING with Cadus Surfboards

Wave after wave breaks along our ocean shores; some meager, some weak, and others, monstrous awe-inspiring cavernous barrels: the cadus (Latin for barrel; a tube ride).

Within all of these life cycles of the ocean, a surfer paddles out. In spirit, a surfer is always there, always in the ocean—at work, school, the car, lying in bed, and in all of the moments of life between surf sessions.

BY SHAWN TRACHT PHOTOGRAPHY BY JON REIS

For locally-bred San Luis Obispo surfing legend Dave “Mouse” Friesen, it is no different. At a very young age, Friesen was swept up by the transcendent nature of the ocean, and today, he is the living embodiment of a soul that is connected to this deeper sense of worldly energies of the ocean.

With a huge swell in the water, Friesen and I packed up his full-size pickup with five different Cadus Surfboards (Friesen’s surfboard and apparel brand). We have options with our equipment—because contrary to common thought, we do not take the waves head on—surfers, instead, choose the perfect surfboard to meld with the waves and become one with Mother Nature, finding harmony. Romantic, yes. The journey is as much spiritual as it is physical. A lifestyle, much more than a sport.

With sand shed on the floorboards and salt lightly crusted along the edges of the seats of his truck, Friesen and I set off down the coast in search of the biggest and longest peeling waves we can find.

After checking a few spots, we finally find perfection: Barrels! We are as giddy as our six-year-old daughters in the candy aisle, squealing and laughing with ebullient excitement as we scramble out of the truck and hurriedly slip into our wetsuits. We are crazed teenagers howling at the moon and laughing like hyenas with a spiritual fervor. We’re the juxtaposition of emotions that pack a punch of every positive, unbridled emotion you could think of: we are about to ride the pure, perfectly groomed energy of this world in the form of an ocean wave.

A short prayer to ourselves and a look up to the sky, and then we paddle out…

Friesen and I sit on the outside waiting for some big set waves. We talk, laugh, and express our gratitude about the perfect weather and waves. We laugh some more, talk about our kids, work, new surfboards, our anxieties, and fears. We talk, and listen, and laugh, and wait... patiently, out at sea.

And then, all of a sudden, the biggest waves of the day start marching in from the horizon like corduroy lines on the sea. Eight-foot sets parading toward us from way outside. HERE... WE... GO!

Friesen paddles hard, concentrating intently as the wave moves toward him. Screams of fear and fearlessness resounding in the hollers from his best mates, screaming him in, calling his number, yelling to him, “Go!” He paddles harder, scraping, and digging. “Paddle!” he tells himself. “Dig!”

Friesen crests over the lip, and begins to accelerate down the face of this swelling,

monstrous wall of water. He pushes down hard, engages his inside rail line, flows to his feet, stands up, and then the wave begins to peel over his head. He crouches just a little as the thundering peeling lip of the wave breaks over the top of him: and then a constant crashing whiteness of sound echos in his ears: he’s fully barreled, blissful.

With the wave embracing him, he stands, in the tube—the cadus—and all time stops. He’s entered into perfect harmony with this world. All of the planets align in this moment of pure everything and pure nothing. All of the noise finally goes silent. Heaven on earth: serenity, paradise, joy, peace, awakening.

Surfing is that physical ride to mental freedom: all your cares, all your worries, all of life’s anxieties, all thoughts go away when you’re on a wave.

After four hours of this repeated journey, waiting calmly for waves and paddling for freedom to catch barrels, Friesen and I head back to the truck. The drive home shares that same calm: two friends sitting back, staring with a sort of

gaze that traverses back and forth through time: waves of yesteryear, waves from today, and waves we’ll ride tomorrow. The journey, lived in the present, though able to move through time and space.

As we keep breathing, the waves keep rolling in our minds. One, after another, after another.

SHAWN TRACHT is an educator who lives every day with a passion for helping others, and plays as many sports as possible in the moments in between.

PUT THE KETTLE ON

BY JAIME LEWIS

C.S. Lewis once reportedly said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” Indeed, the world appears to agree with him, at least on that first count: tea is the most widely consumed beverage on the globe after water. For centuries, it has calmed nerves, soothed hearts, sparked ideas, and given rise to revolutions.

But what is tea, exactly? Technically speaking, all true tea is derived from the plant camellia sinensis, native to Asia. The differences between the five common teas—white, green, oolong, black,

and Pu’er—derive from the way the camellia sinensis leaves are cultivated and processed; depending on their level of oxidation or fermentation, they can present widely varying flavors, aromas, and levels of caffeine. All other botanicals steeped in water are considered tisanes, or herbal teas.

In hunting down the perfect cup, I discovered three spots on the Central Coast that take the age-old ritual of tea very seriously, albeit by different means and traditions. >>

Secrets For Making The Perfect Cup Of Tea

Pure water: In China, it has been said that water is “the mother of tea.” Make sure your water is the good stuff before putting on the kettle.

Good storage: At The Tea Trolley, Wendy Richardson stores her teas in opaque containers away from heat. “They look pretty in glass jars, but light can really damage a good tea.”

The right temp: Armando Teran and Tina Chun keep hot water at a not-so-hot 165° F at Root. “Boiling water is too much for most teas,” Teran says. At home, he recommends bringing water to a boil and then throwing an ice cube or two in with the steeping tea to keep the temperature down.

A quick steep: Like East owner Jill Stollmeyer suggests, tea tastes best after just a brief steep. “Otherwise, it becomes bitter,” she says. Try a oneminute steep for delicate white and green teas, three for oolong, and three or four for black and Pu’er.

JAIME LEWIS is a world traveler, and food writer, who lives in San Luis Obispo.

East Wellbeing & Tea

Owner Jill Stollmeyer took up tea after going off coffee, and it soon became more than just a hobby. She launched East Wellbeing & Tea in San Luis Obispo two years ago as a bright, peaceful nook tucked off Monterey Street where pots of camellia sinensis, herbal, or wellness tea (blends made for particular functions) are served alongside a seasonal menu of soups, wraps, bowls, salads, and whole-food treats. East also boasts multiple rooms for body treatments, including soaking tubs for “steeps” (herbal baths), massage, acupuncture, and facials.

Stollmeyer brings me a tray of Yin Tea along with a little hourglass. “We time the steep,” she says, flipping it over to shift the sands. “It’s important to get that right. If you don’t time it, you overbrew, and I think that’s why most Americans don’t bother with tea.” While she won’t reveal the sources of her tea (other than two blends from The Secret Garden in SLO) she admits to having “scoured the earth” for her blends.

“Everything that’s on our menu is there for a reason,” she says, “whether it’s for calming, regulating, or boosting the brain.”

The Tea Trolley

A native of Brentford in West London, Wendy Richardson started The Tea Trolley in downtown Atascadero in homage to her mother, Winifred.

“She always wanted a tea room, but being a single mum, she couldn’t do it,” says Richardson. “When we renovated this building I thought, ‘Why don’t I do a tea room? Because that’s what I know.’” Seventeen years later, Richardson has watched hundreds of guests wander into her charming Spanish-style bungalow—decorated with floral teacups, images of Elizabeth II, and Union Jacks—to be transported by the refinements of taking tea.

As for the tea itself, offerings range from classic black teas like Darjeeling and Lapsang Souchong to herbal teas like a ginger-peach blend. Many come from England, as do the Devonshire cream and the recipe for traditional scones, shaped like a cylinder (not like a modern triangle scone, Richardson points out), and loaded with currants.

“We bake almost everything here,” she says, placing a three-tiered array of biscuits, macaroons, chocolates, and lemon bars on our white lace tablecloth. My daughter and son, who’ve come to aid in “research,” (one of their favorite things), shocked me by waiting patiently for their goodies, saying “please pass the cream” and primly stirring their tea. Richardson chuckles. Context is everything , I think.

Just past the corner of Halcyon and Fair Oaks in Arroyo Grande sits a tea shop so tiny I miss it the first time. When I eventually walk in, husband and wife Armando Teran and Tina Chun greet me behind a bar spread with tiny cups, strainers, teapots, and canisters of tea leaves. On the butter-yellow walls hangs a rug depicting the Native American god of fertility; Radiohead plays on the stereo. “We thought we’d walk you through a tasting of the five traditional Chinese teas,” Teran says, his excitement infectious.

Teran and Chun launched Root 18 months ago as a hangout where people can play and listen to live music and sip and learn about tea (as an alternative to sipping something else in a bar). “When we first started, we thought people knew tea,” says Chun, “but they don’t! They think it comes from a box at the grocery store.”

If that’s what people really think of tea, Root is the perfect antidote. Teran and Chun source their leaves from China via San Francisco, and have the enthusiasm and know-how of wine connoisseurs to teach their guests. Of the five teas I taste, the milk oolong is my favorite, especially as it’s perfectly prepared and poured by Teran: delicate, earthy, and a little fruity.

“Our goal is to convert all coffee drinkers!” Teran says, laughing. I tell him I’ll never give up my morning espresso, but, with the peaceful steam of oolong drifting up before me, I secretly consider the idea.

BRINED PORK LOIN

with Dried Apricot Mostarda

This savory white meat is about as good as it gets, and adding the tangy-sweet flavor of apricot mostarda makes it a flavorful dish just right for your holiday table.

BY CHEF JESSIE RIVAS

BRINED PORK LOIN

In a saucepan add salt, pepper, brown sugar, chopped onion, garlic, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and 2 crushed bay leaves. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil or until salt and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add 5 cups of cold water, allow time to cool.

In a large enough pan or bowl add pork loin and cover with brine mixture. Rotate pork a few times while brining or just add enough water to cover the pork and let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375°. Take pork out of the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with the olive oil, chopped thyme, and rosemary leaves. Place pork in roasting pan and put in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn to brown other side. Check internal temperature. When pork reaches 140°, turn oven up to 450° to finish browning; about 10 minutes. Allow pork to rest 10-15 minutes on cutting board covered with foil before slicing.

MOSTARDA

JESSIE RIVAS is the owner and chef of The Pairing Knife food truck which serves the Central Coast.

WINTER IS BEER

BY BRANT MYERS

If you’ve been keeping up with me over the years, you know I like to drink seasonally. After all, beer is an agricultural product and fresh beer is the best beer. Even the glassware gets in on the fun with longer, warmer days seeing tall pours of bright pilsners and darker, cooler winter months getting oily stouts poured into squat tulip glasses. Coincidence? Maybe, but it is fun to think about.

This winter we will be getting into my favorite season: fireplace beers— the type of big boozy monsters that you cuddle up to and hang around with for a while. These winter warmers pour dark, have a higher alcohol content, and get better the more you handle them. You can enjoy one bottle throughout the evening while getting nice and toasty on the inside. If you have the foresight, pick up a couple bottles and tuck them away for next season; just like a good red wine, they’ll hold up for years to come if stored properly.

Speaking of cool, dark places, here are a few local treats hitting SLO watering holes as we wrap up 2017. Tap It Brewing’s head brewer, Ryan Aikens, is having fun with a new twist on their classic American Imperial Stout “Caltucky.” In years past, this homage to Kentucky’s Finest was bourbon barrel-aged and utilized wheat, corn, and rye for a familiar take on the liquor. For 2017, the Tap It crew is creating “Sweet Mash,” with the same malt bill minus the bourbon barrels. To keep things interesting, the base American Imperial Stout will see three variants. The addition of whole vanilla beans will provide a sweet and smooth complement to the natural toffee and caramel flavors of the beer, a classic combo. Flambéed coconut and toasted cocoa nibs will be added to another batch, giving off sweet, roasty flavors while again complementing the spicy rye flavors and tobacco aromas of the hearty stout base. The third, and decidedly most interesting variant, will see maraschino cherries and orange peels to craft a cocktail-in-a-bottle. Fans of Old Fashioneds will likely be slurping this down as soon as the keg gets tapped. Just make sure to not put an ice cube in your glass before drinking. “Full Blown Stout” is also making its annual

appearance. The smoked oatmeal stout is great with meals, or as a meal replacement. It also comes in six-packs, in case your football game goes into overtime.

Bang the Drum, also in San Luis Obispo, will be releasing their perennial favorite, “Maple Brown,” this season. A classic brown ale with the addition of maple to pair well with crisp nights, reminding us of the sugar maple leaves that lost the battle to cold while lining the streets of our city. This season will also see a variant of their popular “Surprise Me” blonde ale with lactose (milk sugar). As fall becomes winter, “Surprise Me” will be doctored up with the classic flavors of pumpkin via a purée of actual pumpkins and spiced moderately with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and just a touch of coffee to round out this Wonka-esque brew. Grab a sweater and enjoy a glass under the stars on their inviting patio.

Last but not least, SLO’s Libertine Brewing released their dark saison dry-hopped with Equinox hops called “Autumn Leaves” in early November, but like all their bottleconditioned beers, this will hold up for a long time and can be enjoyed for months to come. Saisons are also my favorite beers to bring to dinner parties as they pair with almost every food imaginable. Also, keep an eye out for their library release of Libertine’s most highly-rated beer, “Stocking Stuffer,” which is a great Christmas gift, by the way (I got three for myself last year).

So, cheers to the best part of the coldest season. May you fill your home with the warmth of family and friends and most importantly—good beer!

BRANT MYERS is owner of Hop On Beer Tours, a concierge service for craft beer enthusiasts along the Central Coast.

CHRISTMAS AT THE CASTLE

View the estate as Mr. Hearst’s guests enjoyed it during the 1920’s and 1930’s during the Christmas season. From the large outdoor wreaths to towering trees in the large social rooms, you will enjoy this winter wonderland during the month of December.

December 1 - 31 // hearstcastle.org

DECEMBER

SNOW IN MORRO BAY

Come out to Tidelands Park to enjoy two snow play areas—one on a slope for the older children and a small flat one for under four, as well as an Elf On The Shelf creativity contest. December 10 // morrobaywinterfest.com

NEW YEAR’S EVE POPS

You won’t want to miss the best ticket in town on New Year’s Eve as the Symphony plays the music of the night. Mix and mingle with friends and start your New Year with memorable Broadway music including a medley from Carousel and Phantom of the Opera featuring Paul Woodring and the Forbes Organ.

December 31 // pacslo.org

THE NUTCRACKER

It’s Christmas Eve and Clara is about to have the night of her dreams. Marvel at the magic and wonder of this spectacular, professional production brought to you by the Civic Ballet and accompanied by the Opera San Luis Obispo orchestra and the SLOHS Choir.

December 8 - 10 // pacslo.org

POLAR BEAR DIP

Kick off the New Year by jumping into the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean off Cayucos as part of the 37th Annual Carlin Soulé Memorial Polar Bear Dip. Most participants wear swimming suits or come in costume, but be warned, wetsuits are frowned upon. The festivities begin at 9:30 a.m., with the Polar Bear Dip at noon.

January 1 // cayucoschamber.com

JANUARY

RESTAURANT MONTH

Visitors and locals alike can experience the region’s locally-inspired cuisine throughout January as participating restaurants offer various special menus and promotions, most featuring a three-course prix fixe menu. Reservations recommended. Prices and offers vary by restaurant. Dine out during this delicious month celebrating some of the finest cuisine on the Central Coast.

January 2 - 31 // visitsanluisobispocounty.com

LA CUESTA RANCH TRAIL RUN

The race will take place at the gorgeous La Cuesta Ranch, just outside of San Luis Obispo on Loomis Road backing up to Poly Canyon and West Cuesta Ridge. The start/finish area will be staged at the historic ranch barn. This event features dirt trails and ranch roads with fantastic views of the West Cuesta Ridge.

January 6 // ultrasignup.com

Young Sara Crewe would rather stay with her dear father in India than leave for Miss Minchin’s

Dr. Arnie Horwitz