SLO LIFE Magazine Oct/Nov 2023

Full Service Sephora on the Court Street Terrace

Besides its commitment to the best brands in the beauty industry, Sephora Court Street is still the only full service Sephora on the entire Central Coast, with a full range of beauty services available, and expert team members at the ready to answer all your beauty questions. www.sephora.com

Aliens

The other night, as we were drifting off to sleep, we heard strange, halting, and hesitant footsteps through the dried leaves outside our bedroom window.

Somebody—or something—was out there.

Crunch . . . Crunch . . . Crunch.

My wife, Sheryl, bolted upright: “Hey, did you hear that?!”

She and I have a long-standing debate. Well, we have many long-standing debates. I guess that’s what happens after twenty-two years of marriage. But one of most enduring of them dates back to our college days, and it revolves around aliens, you know, little green men from outer space—the likeliness of their existence and their intentions, if they do, in fact, exist.

In the mid-‘90s, we were just a couple of kids traipsing around the gigantic fog-shrouded redwoods atop the UC Santa Cruz campus. Each week, the television show “The X-Files,” aired another episode. I always tuned in with my fellow Sci-Fi nerds, fans of the program who called themselves “X-philes.” The protagonist, Fox Mulder, a mercurial FBI agent, would attempt to build a case to convince his skeptical and level-headed partner, Dana Scully, of his latest wild theory concerning extraterrestrial visitors. An iconic poster was tacked above his desk, a 1950’s-era rendering of a flying saucer hovering above the words in all-caps: “I WANT TO BELIEVE.”

Me, too.

Last week, we X-philes dusted off our tinfoil hats when a little-known journalist and self-proclaimed “ufologist” presented two “non-human” mummified corpses to the Mexican Congress claiming they were the remains of 1,000-year-old aliens. Then, if that weren’t enough to “get the band back together,” a few days later, some scientists at MIT announced they found evidence of life in the clouds above Venus. Add in some newly released UFO videos—they call them UAP’s now—and we’re back in the good ol’ days for those of us who want to believe.

Listening to the footsteps on the other side of our widow, I say: “Yeah, it’s definitely an alien.”

But here’s where we differ: She thinks, if aliens really do exist, they’re coming to destroy us. I think that we’re doing a good enough job of that on our own, and that, instead, they’re coming to save us from ourselves.

“Aren’t you at least going to look?” she asks.

“Nah, doesn’t matter,” I mutter, closing my eyes again. “He’s probably gonna abduct us . . . ”

“That’s not funny,” she says, handing me a flashlight. “Can you at least please look?”

“It doesn’t matter. If they don’t get us tonight,” I tease, “it’ll just be some other night.” Rolling out of bed, I lift the curtains. And there, awash in a beam of light, it looks just as I imagined: a pair of otherworldly, gawky, spindly legs frozen in place. I follow the indecipherable markings along its impossibly long and slender neck to find two abnormally large, dark, and terrified eyes staring back at me—a gangly, speckled fawn.

“Yep, you were right,” I say. “It’s a baby deer—here to destroy us.”

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.

Live the SLO Life!

Tom Franciskovich tom@slolifemagazine.com

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Jaime Lewis

Brant Myers

Joe Payne

Brian Schwartz

Tim Townley

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kiwi Ashby

Lukas Austin

Jaeden Barlett

Chase Bent

Barry Goyette

David Lalush

Todd Meaney

Mark Nakamura

Christa Renee

Mariah Vandenberg

STYLIST

Jillian Wilkey

CONTRIBUTIONS

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4251 S. HIGUERA STREET, SUITE 800, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA

CSA,

THE COVER WITH BEN BRYAN

behind the scenes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARRY GOYETTE

Ben’s specialty is in adventure sports documentaries— he’s an Emmy Award-winning producer—so I was surprised to find someone who seemed so settled, and family-oriented. We brought his kids and wife along and, all of the sudden, I had three extra crew members helping me out alongside stylist Jillian Wilkey. It really made the shoot fun.

Ben spent a lot of time with me and was completely committed to helping me get the shots we needed for the story. We shot at his family’s new home in Edna Valley, which is currently under construction, and in the Laguna Lake open space. As Ben is currently working from home, I wanted to catch a little of what the life of a busy producer looks like (mostly, he’s on the phone). The Laguna open space has some of the most beautiful vistas in San Luis Obispo. I hike there regularly and thought it would make a great backdrop for his portrait that I don’t see photographed very often. The whole afternoon was such a great experience. SLO LIFE

SLO LIFE TRAVELS

VENICE, ITALY

ASMAT, INDONESIA

FLORENCE, ITALY

RAMBAGH PALACE, JAIPUR, INDIA

CATHY LUCKETT

TOM GARRIS and GAIL CONGDON

KOH SAMUI, THAILAND

ALIYA MERCURIO

THOMAS PAYNE

NOELLE HARTSHORN

IMPERIAL COUNTY

JOEL FERRETTI

MIKE and PHYLLIS HISCHIER, ANNETTE AUSSERESSES, LINDA WILSON, with ERIK KIELER and KENNEX

CHATEAU IMPNEY, WORCESTERSHIRE, UK

FRIDAY HARBOR, WASHINGTON

BRAN

BANGKOK, THAILAND

MAMMOTH

BATH, MAINE

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

CASTLE, TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA

HUDSON NEAL

KEITH and CHERYL SMITH, CAROLYNNE and KEN PALMER, with KAY and CLARK LEWIS

FRANK and ERIN AVILA

THE RAMANATHAN FAMILY

THE KALENIAN and DONOGHUE FAMILIES

ARASHIYAMA BAMBOO GROVE, JAPAN

THE FEESER FAMILY

CLAUDIA TURNER

FRAMBERGER-KYKER FAMILY

TAKE US WITH YOU

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

KENSINGTON, LONDON

JORDAN RIVER

YVONNE and PETER JURGENS

THE ALLWEIN FAMILY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

MARCIA BESS

BIG SKY MONTANA

MARY LOU and RON JOHNSON

DANA FIORE and KAREN WILKINS

GIZA, EGYPT

STEVE and JAN MARX

CORNING, NEW YORK

TIM and SUSAN LUKEN

ERIC HOLMEN and SARAH SINDERMAN

VERONA, ITALY

Amy Daane Owner/REALTOR®

Chris Engelskirger Owner/Broker

Jed Damschroder Owner/REALTOR®

Kellye Grayson REALTOR®

Krissy Bellisario REALTOR®

Doug Cutler REALTOR®

Mukta Naran REALTOR®

Sacha Steel REALTOR®

Kristi Donati REALTOR®

Yatin Naran REALTOR®

Alex Wilkerson REALTOR®

Scott Debernardi REALTOR®

Alexis Cutler REALTOR®

Matt Davis REALTOR®

TREKKING THE GLOBE

HUNTINGTON MASSACHUSETTS

ANNE HOSKINS and BOB ZDENEK

LAKE CHELAN, WASHINGTON

FENWAY PARK

LUKE and GWEN JACOBSON with ELLA, AVA, JAKE, and KATE BERRY

BRUGES, BELGIUM

NATALIA and MIKE WELLMAN

LISA and MARK HANCE, with FAITH, ERIN, DANNY, and JAYDON HUDSON

LONDON, ENGLAND

THE FUCILLO FAMILY and PURNELL COUSINS

MAMMOTH LAKES

BILL, AUTUMN and JAMES STATLER

ADVENTURE AWAITS

UTAH

DOUG and ROBIN PERRIN

GRIMSEY

ISLAND, ICELAND

CHARLIE O’CONNOR PRINCE OF WALES, ALASKA

MONICA BENNET and NEIL TARDIFF

MT. RUSHMORE

MICHAEL and NANCY JACKSON

JESSICA and ASIT RAIRKAR

VERSAILLES, FRANCE

PUCISCA, CROATIA

SLO WATER POLO 18U CLUB TEAM

1. CHARLOTTE ALEXANDER is an award-winning writer and editor with more than twenty years experience in nonprofit organizations, higher education, and media.

2. Portrait photographer JAEDEN BARLETT loves the beach, golfing, and going on adventures with friends. Follow her on instagram @jaedenb.photography.

3. CHASE BENT is a landscape, wildlife, and action sports photographer based in San Luis Obispo. Follow him @chasebphoto.

4. Central Coast local KAYLA BURKE loves surfing, hiking, climbing, and exploring SLO County’s hidden gems and must-do adventures. Follow her @surfergirlkaylaa.

5. DAN FREDMAN is a SLO native immersed in the wine realm. He prefers LPs to streaming, Mac to PC, Fender over Gibson, and has nothing against screwcaps.

6. BARRY GOYETTE is a Central Coast native and has worked as a commercial photographer and video producer for more than thirty years. Follow him @therealbarrygoyette and barrygoyette.com.

7. PADEN HUGHES is an author, professional coach and co-founder of Gymnazo and enjoys exploring the Central Coast.

8. In addition to being an interior designer, ZARA KHAN is also a shoe aficionado and horror movie enthusiast.

9. DAVID LALUSH is an architectural photographer here in San Luis Obispo.

10. JESS LERNER is a photographer based in SLO who loves the outdoors. You can check out her coastal photography at thebeachphoto.com.

11. JAIME LEWIS writes about food, drink, and the good life from her home in San Luis Obispo. Find her on Instagram and Twitter @jaimeclewis.

12. TODD MEANEY is a landscape, product, and lifestyle photographer. You can follow him @toddmeaney.photography.

13. BRANT MYERS is a the founder at slobiiig.com, a hospitality consulting firm, and Toddler Timber, where he makes wooden children’s toys.

14. MARK NAKAMURA is a wedding, event, family, architectural, commercial, and landscape photographer. Find him @nakamuraphoto and @marknakamuraphoto.

15. JOE PAYNE is a journalist, as well as a lifelong musician and music teacher, who writes about the arts on the Central Coast.

16. Owner of Lonely Palms Ranch, CHRISTA RENEE is a photographer and director, a mother, and a selfdescribed wannabe rancher. Follow her @christarenee.

17. BRIAN SCHWARTZ is the Director of the Central Coast Writers’ Conference and a publishing consultant. You can contact him at brian@selfpublish.org.

18. MARIAH VANDENBERG has a background in neuroscience and is an active photographer, artist, musician, and outdoor enthusiast.

19. JILLIAN WILKEY works as a makeup artist and serves as a department head for various projects in advertising, music, and film. @jillianwilkey and jillianwilkey.com.

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LOCAL

august 9

To protect sensitive shorebird habitat and tribal resources, the California Coastal Commission votes in closed session to appeal a recent ruling by a SLO Superior Court judge to allow off-road riding at the Oceano Dunes. In July, Judge Tana Coates effectively overturned a Coastal Commission vote in 2021 that would prohibit off-highway vehicle use in much of Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area by 2024. The appeal puts the July ruling on hold as the case moves to the California Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles, and off-road riding will continue at the Oceano Dunes. Friends of Oceano Dunes has argued that the Coastal Commission abused its discretion and did not conduct a proper environmental analysis of the impact of its decision.

also

august 9

Someone purchases a California State Lottery ticket worth $5 million at the Cambria General Store, according to a claim filed with the lottery. The name of the potential winner hasn’t been announced yet—the system must ensure the claim is valid—although the names of lottery winners are public record in California. Validation of the 100X Scratchers ticket, which retails for $20 and has a top prize of $5 million, can take from six weeks to months. The California State Lottery reports about 120 wins of $1 million or more annually.

august

22

The Camp Roberts Safety Roadside Rest Area, located off southbound Highway 101 in northern SLO County near San Miguel, officially reopens after two years of renovations begun in May 2021. Caltrans says the facility now features a completely new wastewater treatment system, new shade shelters for picnic tables, and major electrical system upgrades, but an electric vehicle charging station will remain offline until a new cell signal power module is delivered and installed. San Luis Obispo company Newton Construction and Management was the contractor for the $4.2 million project.

august 23

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman rules that PG&E can continue to operate Diablo Canyon Power Plant past 2025 in spite of a contract the company signed in 2016 with environmental and labor groups to shut it down. The ruling came as a result of a lawsuit filed by Friends of the Earth in April after PG&E applied to renew the power plant’s operating license, ignoring the 2016 contract. Judge Schulman says that jurisdiction over the matter does not lie with the court, but rather the California Public Utilities Commission, which has an ongoing proceeding regarding the possible extension of Diablo Canyon’s operating licenses.

august 15

SLO City Council members approve a financing plan to pay for the Cultural Arts District Parking Structure, the city’s fourth in the downtown area. The five story, 397-spot project will be built at the corner of Palm, Nipomo, and Monterey streets near the History Museum, SLO Museum of Art, and the SLO Children’s Museum, as well as the future site for the SLO REP theatre. The city will issue $50 million in bonds to finance the $41.1 million project, while also paying off 2012 bonds to save on interest. The financing plan allows the city to get the new structure built as quickly as possible while making prudent use of taxpayer dollars.

august 30

The SLO County Planning Commission postpones its first hearing to review the controversial Dana Reserve housing development in Nipomo until October 23 and 24. Stakeholders express a desire for more time to review the project’s Environmental Impact Report, and the commission schedules another study session for the end of September. In October, commissioners will receive a staff presentation and hear public comment, then decide whether to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors. As proposed, the development would bring more than 1,300 homes to 288 acres of land west of Highway 101 and south of Willow Road, but would also remove or replant thousands of longstanding oak trees.

REVIEW

alsoseptember 12

The SLO County Board of Supervisors votes 3-2 to ask county staff to bring a proposal to them for an independent redistricting commission so that in the future, voters, rather than elected officials, choose supervisorial district boundaries. Supervisors also ask for a study session for constituents to provide feedback on the design of the commission before the proposal is placed on the November 2024 ballot for voter consideration. The move comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the SLO County League of Women Voters and a citizen’s group, San Luis Obispo County Citizens for Good Government. Supervisors

september 5

The SLO City Council selects its preferred design—the only one that did not feature a roundabout—for the new Prado Road interchange, and recommends that Caltrans approve it and the project’s environmental document. The action allows Caltrans to finalize the project report and lets the city move forward with the design of the long-awaited overpass. The new interchange, with a price tag of $97 million and an expected construction start in 2027, spans Highway 101 at Prado Road, connecting eastern and western parts of the city. It includes a signaled intersection just before the bridge overpass where Prado Road meets the highway, and connects Prado with Dalidio Road—and the new San Luis Ranch neighborhood.

Debbie Arnold and John Peschong cast the dissenting votes, arguing that the current process complies with current law.

september 12

Morro Bay City Council members vote to put a citizen initiative on the upcoming November ballot that is designed to block an energy storage facility on the Morro Bay waterfront. Adding the measure to the ballot will cost the city between $4,000 and $5,000. If passed, the initiative would require a vote by city residents to change land designations in order for properties to be developed. Vistra, a Texas-based energy company, has plans to replace the Morro Bay power plant with a battery plant. Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation collected signatures for the ballot initiative, which the group says is to “preserve Morro Bay as a world-renowned tourist designation” and would also likely curtail any plans to build an industrial wharf in Morro Bay.

september 13

The City of San Luis Obispo announces the completion and opening of more than a mile of new trail on Bog Thistle Trail, an extension of the existing half-mile hiking-only path in the Irish Hills Natural Reserve. The new, intermediate-level throughway extends from the Prefumo Canyon Trailhead into the upper Irish Hills and connects with the Mariposa and Mine trails. A skilled group of volunteers contributed more than 900 hours in addition to the work of the city’s Parks & Recreation Ranger Service and Office of Sustainability & Natural Resources, which began in December 2021. Hikers can now expect sweeping views of the Morros, Laguna Lake, and Los Osos Valley on the pathway through picturesque oak canopy and chaparral.

Aira

Travelers with visual impairments can use this new free service to make trips through SLO County Regional Airport easier. It’s a mobile app and visual interpreting service that provides live, on-demand access to visual information, helping visitors move through crowds, avoid obstacles, find gates, use selfservice kiosks, and navigate TSA checkpoints.

13,151

The number of kids, teens, and adults who attended summer events at the fourteen SLO County Public Libraries this year. More than 5,000 participated in the annual Summer Reading Program, following a “Quail Trail” reading guide to select books and collect unique stickers from each branch.

Cuesta College Sciences Division

Assistant Cathie Babb, upon recently earning the Elaine Holley Coats Service Excellence Award, one of the institution’s highest honors for non-teaching staff members. The award comes with a cash gift recognizing her distinguished job performance.

+2.8%

Cal Poly enrolled more than 22,000 students in Fall 2023, up almost three percent from the 21,503 who enrolled in Fall 2022. More than 8,800 of those students are living on campus, a new record high for the university that means campus housing is at full capacity for the 2023-24 academic year.

$3.125 million

Paso Robles Albertsons Wine & Liquor Manager Linda Cooks on receiving the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the SLO County Wine Industry. She was honored for her thirty-plus years of leadership in California’s third-largest wine region during this year’s California Mid-State Fair.

4 Over Par

Competing against golfers from around the country, 2023 SLO High grad Cooper Groshart won the third annual First Tee National Championship this summer with four over par, shooting a final round of 71 on the Stanford Golf Course and birdying three of the final four holes on the final day. He began his college golf career at Cal State East Bay this fall.

Best of Show

A single malt whiskey from San Luis Obispo craft distillery KROBAR won top honors at the eighth annual California Craft Spirits Competition presented by Visit Atascadero at the California Mid-State Fair. Made from 100% malted barley (kiln-dried and not peated) from Scotland, the winner is aged more than two years in once-used bourbon and rye barrels for a dark smoky flavor.

23%

The price paid in July for Varian Arabians Ranch, the 150-acre horse ranch in Arroyo Grande formerly owned by well-known Arabian horse breeder Sheila Varian. Australian Simon Arkell—an Olympic athlete, Cal Poly grad, and five-time NCAA All-American—and his wife purchased the historic property and said they hope to continue its legacy.

The percentage of SLO County’s 2023-24 general fund expenditures heading to the SLO County Sheriff’s Office—the largest amount allotted to any general fund department. That’s more than $63.6 million—a six percent increase over last year’s budget—and it will help pay staff overtime needed to cover twenty-eight department employees who are out on leave.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve this community with compassion, hard work, and the love of this industry.”

“I have seven children and all seven of them came here and five of them graduated. So Cuesta is in my blood . . .”

AUTUMN IN THE VINEYARD

One of the most enchanting aspects of fall in San Luis Obispo County is the metamorphosis of the leaves as the season changes from summer to autumn in the vineyards. When the days grow shorter and the temperature cools, the grapevines transition from verdant green to a kaleidoscope of warm hues—vibrant reds, deep oranges, golden yellows, and earthy browns, signaling that winter is just around the corner. Growing season is over, and dormancy is near. It is a unique time to stroll through the rows of grapevines, sipping a glass of wine, immersing yourself in this sensory experience.

This photograph was taken in Edna Valley, off Orcutt Road. It was early last December, still autumn here on the Central Coast, and the colors of grapevines were at peak color. I photographed this scene with my Sony camera and the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 II lens, using different focal lengths from 24mm to 70mm, using f11 to get the most depth of field, the most in focus.

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days,” wrote John Burroughs. Enjoy the colors of the Central Coast with a glass of your favorite wine this autumn.

BY MARK NAKAMURA SLO LIFE

SANDY MITCHELL

One recent foggy morning, Morro Bay resident SANDY MITCHELL stopped by our office to talk about the Central Coast Dragon Boat Association—home of the SurviveOars—where she is currently serving as the organization’s president. Here is some of what she had to say . . .

Let’s talk about you for a minute, Sandy, where are you from? I’m from Sacramento originally, but my husband and I moved to the Central Coast in 1989 because we wanted to raise our family here in this great location. So, before that, I kind of bounced around growing up in different places, California, Kansas, Texas. We were actually living in Southern California, the L.A. area, and had some friends who lived in Cambria. We came up to visit them a few times and fell in love. We’re so happy to be here. Now we’re in Morro Bay, which is halfway between our son, who’s in Burbank, and our daughter, who’s in Benicia.

And what about your career? We were both attorneys. I worked for the county as a deputy district attorney, but then we retired and our life really started. It was about ten years ago, actually 2012, when our kids were getting ready to go away to college. We were becoming empty nesters when my husband and I went for a walk and saw this beautiful, decorated boat gliding up and down the bay, and the people who were paddling it were laughing and having so much fun. So, I starting asking around about it, trying to figure out what it was all about. I found someone who knew someone who was involved with the group, and I managed to get myself invited. I got on the boat then and never looked back.

So, what exactly is dragon boating? originated in China about 2,500 years ago. It’s similar to canoeing. It’s part of their summer solstice celebration to appease the rain gods. A dragon is associated with the spirit of the rain and the water. So, they would do it to ensure a good rice crop grew up along the Yangtze River. In the ‘70s, Hong Kong was trying to develop tourism, so they came up with this idea to start an international dragon boat festival. They invited basically every country in the world to send a team. And that’s what started the modern dragon boat racing. It’s

a very fast-growing sport with tournaments held just about everywhere internationally. Our group will attend to one in Los Angeles

How is a dragon boat different from any other boat? Essentially, it’s a fortyfoot-long canoe and holds twenty paddlers in ten rows sitting sideby-side, plus a steersperson and a drummer or caller. The boats are decorated, or dressed, with a dragon head and a dragon tail, and the body of the boat usually has some ornate scales painted on it. It looks like a dragon going through the water, and if you’re watching it come toward you, the paddles look like wings if they’re in time. It’s a beautiful thing to see a dragon appear to fly across the water. What moves the boat forward is everyone doing the same thing at the same time. Everyone on the team is equal. We all work together. So, it makes it a great team sport and something everyone of all ages and abilities can do. We just have so much fun on and off the boat.

And, in dragon boating, there’s also a connection Yes, that’s right. It’s a very important part of it. Just about everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. So, when all of us go to these festivals and we’re competing and we’re having fun and it’s so exciting, but we also have an opportunity to remember that cancer impacts all of us. There’s usually a cancer survivor ceremony where we honor those who have experienced cancer or have been lost to it. So, there’s definitely a connection between dragon boating and the cancer community, the two have sort of grown up together over the years. But that being said, everyone is welcome to join our group. This isn’t just for cancer survivors—of our 130 members, 58 of them are cancer survivors— but we definitely, in our organization, honor that connection and do what we can to support it.

Plywood Love

BY JOE PAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKAS AUSTIN

Amid the whirlwind of the 2021 school year at Cal Poly, a group of classmates did what so many Agricultural Science majors yearn to do—they started a band. Gathered in a plywood-walled garage to practice and with only about six cover songs in their repertoire, they took the plunge and signed up to gig at SLO’s famous Farmers’ Market. They needed more songs, of course, but they also needed a name, and so Plywood Love was born.

Since then, the five-piece band has performed at more beloved SLO venues than just the Farmers’ Market, and are playing more than the standard “dad rock” covers, but their own originals that bring an energetic blend of alt punk and surf rock to the SLO music scene. The band includes singer and principal lyricist Skyllar Evans, guitarists Matthew Tibbetts and Charlie Croxdale, bassist Dane Kelly, and drummer Owen Peters.

While they haven’t graduated their respective programs yet, the bandmates are all now old enough to play the bars and breweries in SLO. Plywood Love has played spots like Liquid Gravity, the Frog and Peach Pub, and the SLO Guild Hall among numerous house shows and venues off the beaten path where they’ve impressed crowds with their energy and style. “We put all of our emotions through our instruments,” Croxdale said. “Every one of us is going all in, every note.”

The group has also pushed themselves creatively in the last year, starting with Evans’ book of lyrics and expanding them into a set of original songs. The songwriting effort was a collaboration, with a resulting EP titled “Wish I Saw This Sooner” set to release in October. One track off the EP was released as a single in September, “Ambivalent,” which showcases the raw energy and skillful musicianship Plywood Love has been able to cultivate. “‘Wish I Saw This Sooner’ very beautifully captures this whole time that we’ve been together, with these songs that we’ve written since the beginning,” Evans said. “It kind of represents how we’ve morphed as a band.”

The single and new EP are available on most streaming platforms. Evans shared that the recordings were put together in the hopes of capturing what the group is able to achieve together when performing live. “I personally think I can speak for all of us when I say that playing shows is so much fun, and just being able to kind of touch your community and share those songs you’ve written with other people and bring them joy, we’re pretty grateful. And as a group, we’re all really close friends as well, so we kind of have this energy and this vibe that we like to share with people, this closeness and happiness, and sharing that feeling is very special for us.” SLO LIFE

HEALTH CARE FOR ALL

Healthcare Safety Net Community Health Centers Celebrates 45 years of Service

BY STEVE MAHR PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSE GUZMAN

Every year our nation’s network of community health centers provide critical, accessible, and affordable medical, dental and behavioral health services to a large number of Americans. These “safety-net” health clinics embody the belief that health care should be a right, not a privilege.

Community health centers are a cornerstone of the nation’s primary healthcare foundation, distinguished by their dedicatio n to the quality of their care, their affordability and accessibility to all community residents. As of 2021, more than 1,373 health centers are operating in the United States, including health centers that specialize in providing health care to migrant farmworkers, the un-housed, and public housing residents. These Federally Qualified Health Centers operate in over 14,000 locations and provide health care to more than 30 million medically underserved patients each year—of which 8.6 million are children.

In 1965 the nation’s first community health centers were launched as a small demonstration program within President Johnson’s Office of Economic Opportunity. With roots in both the civil rights movement and the War on Poverty, the earliest health centers sought to use the healthcare system to improve the health and lives of their residents. A short time later in 1974 a group of local community advocates from Nipomo, CA saw the need for access to health care in their rural community. Banding together they formed the Nipomo Community Health Center, but the group soon knew they would need more help.

As word spread that accessible, quality, compassionate care was now available in the sleepy rural town of Nipomo, they quickly outgrew the capacity of their little clinic. In 1978, “Employee Number 8”, an earnest young man from Mojave, CA, was hired as Chief Administrator and quickly shepherded the clinic into its first purpose-built building in 1982. With an eventual name-change to Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC), CEO Ronald Castle still feels as passionate about public health in 2023 as he did in 1978, now leading a team of 800+ employees that operate 28 licensed clinics in two counties, and across 120 miles of California’s Central Coast.

The non-profit network has strategically established sites in underserved neighborhoods all across San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties. For patients, the clinics are a “one-stop” resource that eliminates barriers to accessing care by providing full-scope health services, including preventive care, primary care and specialty care. Medical personnel include OB/ GYN physicians, behavioral health clinicians, pediatricians, internists, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, registered dietitians, diabetes educators and more.

Over a span of forty-five years CHC’s services have expanded, their facilities have improved and the number of patients have increased, but their core mission of providing high-quality, compassionate care has remained constant. Their care model rejects the “corporate medicine” philosophy, choosing instead to care for each patient as a beloved family member.

>> Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, CHC developed their own educational materials to teach patients and local residents how to protect themselves from infection. Information was distributed in English, Spanish and using pictograms for non-readers.

<< The birth of safety-net health care can be traced back to the bleak days of the dust bowl. The struggling farmers Dorthea Lange photographed 87 years ago sparked change in health care delivery across America. This famous photo of a struggling migrant mother and her children was taken just two miles from where CHC’s first health center was built in Nipomo, CA.

>> CHC packaged and distributed over 18,000 Viral Care Kits to residents of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, free of charge.

“CHC Cares” is not just their logo—it’s the overriding principle of how they practice health care. CHC’s commitment to serving the most vulnerable populations is a testament to the organization’s values and mission.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: In the span of three years the world experienced a fundamental disruption in the delivery of health care. The COVID-19 global pandemic is likely the most disruptive paradigm-shift to the healthcare system in our lifetime. The way that CHC and local county public health responded to this crisis was a real-word example of the essential nature of safety-net healthcare. Since March of 2020, CHC has administered more than 76,000 COVID-19 tests, 57,000 COVID-19 vaccines, and handed out more than 6,000 at-home COVID-19 test kits. CHC’s infectious disease team developed their own Viral Care Kits, distributing free kits to over 18,000 individuals—CHC patients and non-patients alike. Viral kits included a digital thermometer, a digital pulse-oximeter, electrolyte packets, face masks, hand sanitizer and COVID-19 related health instructions in English and Spanish, along with pictograms for non-reading patients.

In recognition of CHC’s critical role during the pandemic, CHC’s Medical Director Steve Clarke, MD accepted the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) “Supporting the Safety Net Award” at the ACAP CEO Summit in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2022. “CHC was created to serve vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Clarke.

DENTAL RESIDENCIES: Since 2008, CHC’s Dental Department has partnered with USC’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, and Western University of Health Sciences. Fourth year students gain a community-based externship in a public health setting.

OPTOMETRIC RESIDENCIES: CHC’s four optometry clinics serve as externship sites for several colleges of optometry, including Southern College of Optometry and Pacific University College of Optometry. Students gain valuable experience in the diagnosis and treatment of various ocular diseases along with routine refractions and contact lens exams. This program has been highly rated by both the students and the schools, all while providing much needed vision services to patients.

A.T. Still Partnership: In 2015 CHC began a new and exciting program to incorporate medical education into the scope of services that CHC could offer the community. Partnering with renowned medical school A.T. Still University School of Health Sciences (ATSU), CHC provides second year Physician Assistant students with experience in clinical disciplines such as Family Practice, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics.

These partnerships have a multitude of benefits for everyone involved. The students provide much needed services while being exposed to the unique needs of underserved patients in our communities.

CHC’s busiest health center is CHC Del Valle, located at 430 S. Blosser Road in Santa Maria. Pictured front row (L-R) is Pediatrician Dr.S udha Russell, Bertha Castaneda, Carmen Vaca, Nancy Solano, Mayra Gonzalez, Cristina Lopez Martinez, Health Center Manager Janeth Brewer, Kimberly Umana-Alvarado, Vivian Garcia, Rosa Zepeda, Karina Parra-Razo, Back row (L-R); Eneyda Salgado, Monica Miramontes, Dr. Genevieve Manzo, Michael Acuna, Rachel Haynes, Cindy Nino, Mayra Negrete, Carlos Hernandez, Alondra Rodriguez and Margarita Zarate.

pro file

If you have ever watched a video featuring someone whizzing past a sheer granite wall at 200 miles per hour somewhere over Europe wearing nothing but a nylon squirrel suit, there is a good chance that San Luis Obispo resident BEN BRYAN was there setting the scene for Red Bull Media. Recently, we turned the camera on him, connecting the dots along his unlikely career path from a couch-surfing rookie loan officer to a globe-trotting, Emmy Award-winning documentarian. Here is his story . . .

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARRY GOYETTE

Okay, Ben, let’s take it from the top. Where are you from?

Born and raised in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is about two hours south of the Canadian border and about forty-five minutes across the state line from Spokane, Washington. I tell people that it’s a bit like if you put SLO in Tahoe. It’s a town about the size of SLO, but in a mountain lake environment. My mom and my dad were kind of hippies, traveled the country, did a lot of backpacking. They lived outside the Chicago area, traveled to see music, and came out West, did a bunch of camping and found Coeur d’Alene. And my dad wanted to build houses, so he started a small construction business.

How did that go?

He was in his mid-twenties. My mom was twenty. She was eight months pregnant with me when she moved out. They also had a two-year-old, my older brother. They wanted to raise their kids in a beautiful place, and they just fell in love with the area. And then, about six months after moving there, my dad was driving back home from work on a little two-lane highway, and he died in a car accident. So, my mom put the house up for sale and was going to leave. She was going to move back to where she grew up in Illinois—she was twenty-two with two kids—and then she just had this epiphany, she said, “We want to be here [in Coeur d’Alene]. I don’t know how I’m going to figure it out, but I want to stay. I want to raise the kids here.”

Wow, what happened?

So, we stayed. It was just the three of us. Mom was a preschool teacher, so we grew up where she worked at the school. Those people kind of became extended family to us. When I was about four, she remarried; actually, to one of my father’s best friends. I ended up with two more brothers. We were raised with books, with a lot of love, and we spent a lot of time outdoors in this beautiful place. Mom went back to school. She taught elementary forever. We spent a lot of time outside going out to ride bikes, or swimming in the lake. That’s what we did for fun. Riding our bikes around the neighborhood, playing with slingshots, catching grasshoppers, getting into a little bit of trouble. We made a BMX bike track, and we’d take turns jumping over each other. We never wanted for anything even though we didn’t have a lot of cash.

So, how did you end up here?

I just always kind of envisioned myself moving to California. I wanted to be in the endless summer lifestyle. A lot of the kids that were moving to Coeur d’Alene back then were coming in from California because their money would go a lot further there. So, there was constant migration of California people. That was one point of interest. The other was when my mom got remarried, my stepfather and I, who ended up adopting me, we went on this train trip kind of, I guess, for bonding. We took a train to Illinois, saw family; took a train to Texas, saw family; and then we went through California. And I distinctly remember being on the Pacific Surfliner, on the coastline, going through orange fields and seeing the ocean and just being in love with it. When I came back [to Idaho], I wrote a fictional book called “Super Fuzz goes to California.” I didn’t know a lot about California, but [the protagonist] crashed into a palm tree and a coconut fell on his car, he got out and said, “I’m here.” My mom recently found the book and sent it to me.

And what about SLO?

After I graduated from college—I went to the University of Idaho—I applied to all these outdoor sports companies. I studied marketing and media in school and wanted to work for a company like REI or Burton Snowboards or North Face. I was unable to find anything in that field, but Wells Fargo was hiring, so that was my first job out of school. I told myself, “This is just a temporary thing to make some cash while I try to get my dream job.” Around that time, one of my best friends moved to SLO. He said, “You should move here, you’d love it.” So, twenty years ago, I put in for a transfer with the bank, loaded everything I had into my car, drove to San Luis Obispo, and slept on my buddy’s pleather couch.

What exactly did you do there?

I was in their lending department, but the whole time I kept applying, kept trying to break in with something—anything—in outdoor sports. And sort of by coincidence, or the universe conspiring or whatever, I happened to be doing a loan for this woman who lived out of state, and her brother was a co-signer. We needed him to come into the branch to sign some paperwork, so I called and he said, “I’m really busy, can you just come by my work instead?” So, I walked in with a bunch of loan documents under my arm, and there was this rockclimbing wall and also a surfboard behind the front desk. I asked the guy what they did there and he said, “We work with independent filmmakers to distribute action and adventure sports videos all around the world.” I just said, “I want to work here. This is what I want to do.” And he said, “Well, we can’t pay you what you make at the bank.” At that point, I didn’t have a lot of bills and if I was going to make a leap, I knew I needed to make it right then. I said, “I’m not destined to be a

banker, even if it’s a lucrative profession.” So, I started working there. It was a company founded by a Cal Poly student in his dorm room called Video Action Sports.

How was that?

It was an incredible experience. We were traveling around the world working with these brands that I loved and admired, companies who just a couple of years earlier wouldn’t even call me back for a job interview in their customer service departments. It was a really exciting time in my life, and I was learning the business and going around the world, seeing lots of places, and meeting lots of filmmakers. But, after a while, the company hit some tough times and started shrinking. It was going through this transitional phase from distributing physical VHS tapes and then DVDs under the counter at skate shops to digital media. At that point, my wife was teaching Spanish at A.G. High, and we had a new baby. We were planning to

have another child and we wanted her to be able to stay home with the kids. Then, one of our clients, Red Bull, decided to launch a media arm of their company, a film studio, and they asked me to come start it. It was an amazing opportunity to build a business from the ground up. I was thirty-one years old when we moved down to L.A.

How long were you there?

We were there for ten years. It was never meant to be a permanent move, and even though we lived in Malibu Canyon, which is pretty remote, we still felt a little confined. So, a few years ago, during the pandemic, we were able to move back here to SLO, to the Edna Valley. It was a bit surreal because when we left, we had this little baby and another one on the way, and when we came back, we had these two older kids—ten and thirteen years old now—to share the town with them. So, being able to walk downtown and experience this place together has been very special. We’re busy now with their >>

school and sports and going to the beach and mountain biking. I still go to L.A. a few days a month, and I’m on location for shoots about one week out of each month, but the rest the time I’m here working remote. So, my job is really in developing the projects, and building a team around them, and hiring the directors. And I’m also on the business side, promoting new releases.

What about for fun?

I’ve been brewing mead, which is fermented honey. My brother is a commercial beekeeper. He’s got close to 5,000 hives, so I have a good supply. I’m making one now that tastes a lot like champagne. And, depending on what the bees are pollinating, you end up with a very different result. It’s similar in that way to winemaking. I’m just having fun with it, but my heart is in documentary filmmaking, telling great stories, capturing things in a really unique way. And branching out, being forced to flex creatively, I think, is important,

too. Right now, we’re working on something in the hip-hop space with an artist in South Central L.A. tracking his rise in the industry, but it also ties into his family story about their coming West from the South and the promise of manufacturing jobs. I’ve also been shooting some stuff in Formula 1. That’s been interesting. And I’ve been shooting stuff for a development project for a first-generation college student, who got a full-ride scholarship in video gaming, eSports. It’s actually super interesting. I didn’t know much about eSports, but I’ve learned a lot in the process.

Which of your films would you recommend?

I would say check out “The Alpinist,” it’s on Netflix. That film won a Sports Emmy and a Critics Choice Award. It’s about a young Canadian solo climber. We sort of chased him around the world. It’s really, his story, at its soul, it’s really about doing things for the right reasons and without compromise and not for instant gratification, >>

fame and fortune, that I think are really highly valued in society today. I mean, this guy, who was so elusive, he could care less about the film, which made it especially intriguing. Another one is a film called “Any One of Us.” That one is on HBO. It’s about a mountain biker from the Reno area, who sustained a spinal cord injury at a competition in Utah. It’s really about what happens when your life is taken off the trajectory that you’ve set for yourself, and you’ve committed your whole life to; how do you change course and find fulfillment in some other way? I think that’s something that we can all relate to as we watch him in his process of recovery. But through that, I think we can all relate to experiences where something happens in our life, loss of a loved one, change in a career, terminal illness, whatever it may be that completely rocks your current state. And you have to rethink who you are, what your community might be, and how you move forward in life in a meaningful, fulfilling way.

How do you see your path unfolding going forward?

I would like to get a little bit involved in some of the local filmmaking stuff, and would love to work with the students coming

up around here that are studying in film to share those experiences. That’s something that I’m excited about. It’s kind of funny because the Pacific Surfliner passes right behind my house. Whenever I see it, or hear it, I just think of this full circle sort of thing. I wonder if there’s some kid on the train heading to SLO, the next generation. You know, it all hit me hard on Father’s Day this year, I just realized how truly grateful I am for everything—my family, my health, my career—I mean, I get to spend my time doing the things that not only make me really happy, but that also adds value to the lives of other people. So, that’s kind of a philosophy that I hope to bring into all the films we do. And, I think, if you watch the films, you’ll see that. While the subject matter can vary quite a bit, the ultimate takeaway tends to land in a similar spot. There’s a lot of negativity in media these days, so much polarization, and many of the documentaries are super sensational or really dark. Not to say that they don’t have important messages, but they often leave you feeling like, “Ugh.” For me, I just think there’s room for some positivity, not fluff, but something that might inspire some thought and conversation and inspire people to do better, to be better. SLO LIFE

346 words with Carl Berney

I came to making art in my late twenties. I picked up some clay at a party, made an abstract form and found it fun. I began to make small fired ceramic abstracts. After a few years experimenting with other sculptural mediums, I tried carving stone. I found my medium, and never looked back.

I am primarily self-taught as an artist. I took art classes in sculpture at a community college early on. I later spent a sabbatical in Pietrasanta, Italy, the mecca for stone carvers and a home of Michelangelo. That gave me contemporary stone carving skills.

I attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey graduating with a B.S. in Electronic Engineering. I spent my early career as an electronics engineer designing computer hardware, then two decades as a software designer and systems engineer. I spent my later working years as a technology executive. I founded three Silicon Valley start-ups, one of which kept me employed until I retired.

My early years as a sculptor were a nights and weekends hobby that provided emotional relief from tedious meetings and workday activities. When a clay maquette wasn’t coming out the way I wanted, I could forcefully throw it against the wall.

When I retired in 2000, I made sculpture my full time avocation. I knew what I wanted to do, and could follow my muse without the concerns of selling my art in order to live. I have created over eighty-five stone sculptures with two currently in process.

I have been fortunate to have as my companion during the most productive part of my art life and for the past forty-five years, my wife Charlotte. She is an accomplished painter and photographer. Our journey in art has been a mainstay of our relationship. My journey passing through the world has been during an era of significant technological breakthroughs combined with a challenging geopolitical tapestry. The world has not always been this way, and may not be in the future, but for me it has been a great ride.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIAH VANDENBERG

From Teacher to Storyteller

BY BRIAN SCHWARTZ

As a teacher, Cindy Neuschwander was always on the hunt for creative resources. A San Diego native, she started her career in the classroom at the elementary school level in the late ‘80s. She wanted to use storybooks to help teach math but discovered very few were available. So she set out to write her own. While living in England, Neuschwander found inspiration at Winchester Castle, where a medieval round table is displayed. This led to an idea about circumference and King Arthur’s Round Table. Her first book was entitled “Sir Circumference and the First Round Table.” The success of that story has spawned a well-received 13-book math adventure series published by Charlesbridge. Titles include “Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi,” “Sir Cumference and the Fraction Faire,” and “Sir Cumference Gets Decima’s Point.” Neuschwander enjoys injecting wordplay into her work to make the math memorable and fun.

Before she was published, Neuschwander attended a class on writing children’s picture books offered by UC Berkeley Extension. Years later, wanting to share the knowledge and skills she gained, she began teaching her

own writing class through Cal Poly’s Extended Education. She felt there were aspiring authors who could benefit from it. In the early days of “Sir Circumference,” Neuschwander admits to begging authors at math conferences to read her first manuscript. She acknowledges that it may have seemed awkward in retrospect, but her determination to improve her craft was relentless.

Neuschwander submitted fifty query letters to publishers for “Sir Cumference and the First Round Table,” all without illustrations or an agent. She received twenty-five responses, with about half expressing interest in her work. Despite initial rejections, two publishers, Random House and Charlesbridge, eventually offered to publish her book. She accepted a contract from Charlesbridge. She continues to write the highly successful “Sir Cumference” series while teaching second grade at Christ Classical School in San Luis Obispo.

During the pandemic, Neuschwander used her time in isolation to write her first middle-grade novel, “2B Determined.” It’s a tail-wagging story about shelter dog, “2B,” who is determined to find a permanent home. The unlikely canine hero trains as a sniff detection dog and then uses his newfound skills to solve the theft of a valuable painting. With his shelter buddy Maurice, the Dognamic Duo picks up the scent of the thief and takes the reader on a wild chase from the Eastern Seaboard to London, England. The illustrations and cover design were done by Emily Tetri, an award-winning graphic novelist with several television and film animations to her credit. She is also the author’s niece. “2B Determined” is available on Amazon. Neuschwander has already completed a follow-up novel, “2B Continued,” featuring 2B and his fellow sniff detectives in another hilarious adventure.

Although Cal Poly has discontinued the Bestsellers and Storytellers program, Neuschwander will share her knowledge on two panels at this year’s Central Coast Writers Conference on October 14 at Cuesta College.

You can learn more about Cindy Neuschwaner on her website chocolatepuddlepress.com. SLO LIFE

MORE PLAY GOLF

3

Local Treasure

BY KAYLA BURKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHASE BENT

Laughter, smiles, and love fill the air at Avila Valley Barn all year round, but the energy is even more amplified during the autumn months when the days begin getting shorter and the changing colors of leaves dot the trees. The barn lights up with families, couples, and children ready to experience fall festivities. I dragged my boyfriend, Chase, out to the barn last fall on one of our first dates, and this year we were back to experience it all over again. The barn is a tradition for many people because of the joy it brings.

During our most recent visit, I ran into Baleigh Bender, a mom who was there with her daughter, and she had an extraordinary story to share. “I’ve

TIP!

Fall offerings like the pumpkin patch will all be open from September through November with the hay maze ready for exploring during the month of October.

Check out the Avila Valley Barn website for more information at avilavalleybarn.com

been coming here since I was two years old,” she shared. “And now I’m thirty years old and taking my daughter here.” Bender is a local to the area and went to San Luis Obispo High School. She has since moved out of town, yet still returns to visit Avila Valley Barn, explaining, “Obviously, I love the animals, and I love that they grow everything here at the farm. It feels very family-oriented and wholesome. Everything they grow here themselves and make and bake it.”

All of the talk about homemade baking left me hungry to try out some of the

fresh fare. Making our way into the bakery, we ordered a giant scrumptious chocolate chip cookie that had the perfect consistency. Just outside of the building, we found a sunny spot at a cute picnic table—with the warmth melting the chocolate chips the cookie tasted ovenfresh. But, cookies aren’t the only thing you’ll discover at the country bakery— they carry a variety of baked goods, including freshly baked pies and all sorts of bread and cobblers.

Besides all the delicious baked goods, there are many seasonal offerings at the >>

barn. Pumpkins are set to arrive during the second week of September, and meanwhile, the hay maze, hayrides, and corn roaster are open daily, while pony rides are available Friday through Sunday, and the caramel apple stand and tapped hard cider are open Saturday and Sunday.

Offered May through October at just $5 a ticket, the hayride is a must-do activity. Tickets can be purchased at any register. The tractor zigs and zags its way through the property—which is pesticidefree and maintained through compost, ground cover, and animal grazing—and stops allowing you to hop off for U-pick. Depending on the season, they have beautiful zinnia flowers, sweet gala apples, cherry and heirloom tomatoes, and this fall they’re planning on seeing a bumper crop of pumpkins and sunflowers. Not only is it a fun activity, but it also makes for a great photo op—and they are speculating the flower pickings will continue through October because the flower buds are so plentiful this year.

Stepping off the hayride, I was amazed by the vibrancy of rows upon rows of flowers. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll see more than just flowers and fruits. You just might spot a unique insect called the sphinx

moth. It appears to be a cross between a hummingbird and a moth, and if it flies by, you may think, “What was that thing?” Nicknamed the hummingbird moth, during the day it feeds from flowers and hovers above, just like hummingbirds. I spotted one for a brief moment and can attest, they are speedy.

Scouring the rows of flowers, my boyfriend and I picked one of almost every color. We then assembled them into a bouquet and wrapped the base with a wet paper towel for travel until we could get them into a vase. Freshly relocated to my dining room table, the zinnias are a reminder of our fun-filled adventure with their bright faces and wide range of colors. I am still amazed that their color is natural; it’s truly incredible.

The return hayride picked us up on its way back from doing a loop with a new set of riders and took us back to the main barn. But, I knew our day would only be complete once we fed the animals. Gathering up some lettuce for the goats, we found one standing on top of a shed; it was adorable. Growing up on the Central Coast, I have fond memories of going on a field trip with my class and feeding the animals back in first grade. With its rustic charm and ongoing offerings of seasonal favorites, the Avila Valley Barn is a one-stop destination for family fun and memories that will last a lifetime. SLO LIFE

mattea Kalpakoff STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIWI ASHBY

As winner of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student of the Year, two-time U-19 Beach Sprint National Lifeguard Champion, Distance Run National Lifeguard Champion, Calculus Golden Tiger award winner, honor roll student, and Mayor’s Award recipient, this San Luis Obispo High School senior is looking forward to a bright future.

What extra-curricular activities are you involved in? I’m the vice president of SLO High’s student body and president of the Ski and Snowboard Club, which I also founded. This will be my fourth year on Varsity Track. My most exciting adventure currently is to represent our country at the International Surf Rescue Challenge in Texas. In this lifeguarding competition, I’m honored to say I’m one of eight U-19 girls selected from across our country to compete against Japan and South Africa. I’m a “beachie,” meaning I compete in a challenging variety of sprint events on the soft sand.

What do you like to do for fun? I’ve been labeled a thrill junky—I love chasing challenges and pushing past my limits. Whether it’s mountain biking or skiing double black diamonds at Mammoth Mountain, pole vaulting, rock climbing, or windsurfing in Italy, I see any mountain unconquered as a challenge and holler, “Let’s go!” I seek those moments of driving with the windows down and music blaring, singing out with friends, as well as the calm, beautiful moments as the sun sets over the sea and waves lap at your ankles.

What’s something you would like to change in the world? So many believe individual, small actions don’t have an impact. Picking up a piece of trash won’t save our oceans, but what if we all paused our busy lives and picked up a piece or two on our way? What if we all set a goal to make one other person smile each day, or vote on matters we value? These choices have a chain effect. I wish our culture taught the power of individuals rallying together rather than each individual facing our world’s problems alone.

Do you have a career path in mind? I’ve always known I want to have an impact, and as of now, I see myself enacting change through an environmental policy path, whether that’s aiding companies in becoming carbon negative or aiming higher up and changing the policies themselves. Our planet does so much for us. It feels right to help it in any way I can.

What schools are you considering for college? I’d love to attend a UC like Berkeley, Los Angeles, or San Diego where opportunities are abundant for all things from environmental internships to intramural sports to study abroad programs. SLO LIFE

JOEY

Known for their charisma and intelligence, this Miniature Australian Shepard is a fan of belly rubs and enjoys taking his companion, Heather Parks, hiking and on long beach walks. SLO LIFE

HAVE A PET TO PROFILE? Email us at info@slolifemagazine.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAEDEN BARLETT

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Coming

BY ZARA KHAN

LALUSH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID

Home

OOnce you have a taste of life on the Central Coast, you’re left dreaming of a way to make it back. Anna and Brian Wallace met while they were attending Cal Poly and living in the Yosemite dorms. Anna was studying Architecture, while Brian was studying Computer Engineering and eventually, their jobs took them to larger cities. The couple lived in Los Angeles and the Bay Area and escaped to the Central Coast whenever they had the chance with a plan that someday they would retire and return. When Covid led them to work remotely, they started to peek at listings and entertain the idea of making the move sooner.

It was during one of their trips, driving through neighborhoods in town that a house caught Anna’s eye. With her background in architecture, she saw potential. She was drawn to the large windows and the location. After returning home a few months later while scrolling through listings, she spotted the same house, and to her surprised delight it was on the market. She was determined to make the dream a reality. It wasn’t long until they owned the home and were ready to take on their first remodel. >>

The Wallaces had a general idea of what they liked about the house and what they needed to change for their lifestyle, but they had no idea where to start. They began interviewing general contractors and interior designers and once they met Kyle Kleinsmith with CAVA Homes and Brittany Jury with Brittany Wood Design, they knew they had their team. It was important to them to find a builder who was equally as invested in their project as they were and had strong communication skills, since they were doing most of the remodel remotely. The Wallaces instantly connected with Jury and trusted her design eye, her vision, and her ability to translate the ideas to Kleinsmith, so he could bring them to life.

The Wallaces knew they wanted to keep a few of the architectural elements that had drawn them to the home. The windows, ceilings, and fireplace are all still original and for the most part, the floorplan also remained the same. In the kitchen, they updated the finishes and shifted some of the appliances around to make the kitchen easier to use. By relocating the refrigerator to the opposite side of the kitchen, they were able to open the wall completely to the living space. In their dining >>

area, they had a bar that they knew they would never use, but a larger pantry was high on the list of wants. They decided to close the area off to the dining room and move the opening into their new kitchen nook creating a walk-in pantry.

While the kitchen redesign was fairly simple, the bathrooms were not. They had no idea where to begin with the master bathroom and closet but knew that it needed a major redesign. The Wallaces decided to lean on Jury asking her to re-imagine the space giving her creative freedom. The designer had quite the puzzle on her hands, but managed to completely reconfigure the entire layout of their master suite and also pulled together a relaxing material palette that was cohesive with the rest of their home. According to the Walleces, Jury thought of every detail. The couple not only appreciates the aesthetic of the updates but enjoys the functionality, as well. The heated floor, set on a timer, is a game changer. The ambient light that glows from the bottom of their floating vanity is one of their favorite details. In the kids’ bathroom, they had planned to make minor changes, but during the remodel, they found that the floors had significant water damage and they were forced to >>

tear it out and start anew. Luckily, Kleinsmith’s team completed the task in a timely, efficient manner.

Remodels can be stressful, and it is guaranteed that something unexpected will reveal itself, but if you have the right people, it takes at least some of the stress away. The Wallaces learned a few things during the process and have wisdom to share. Anna highly recommends working with a team that you trust professionally, but also on a personal level, she explained that you end up working with them so closely and in such an intimate way—you want to have a strong relationship. Brian reminds us that it’s best to just do it once and do it right. Don’t push off tomorrow what you could do today. Kleinsmith believes in collaboration. He suggests that before your project is ready for a team to take on, make sure you meet with the architect or interior designer, so they can build a plan for the team to execute with all the trades working hand-in-hand. Jury recommends investing time into the design phase. She feels a home needs a thoughtful plan that makes life easy to live within while being beautiful, too. SLO LIFE

Welcome to Avila Ranch, a vibrant neighborhood of new homes on the sunny side of SLO, where quality craftsmanship meets the warmth of the Central Coast sunshine, and neighbors enjoy one of the happiest places in America.

This neighborhood is more than just a place to live; it’s where friendships are forged, memories are made, and traditions are cherished. Come feel the sun on your face and the warm embrace of a close-knit community that connects us all.

AVERAGE PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT

$493 DOWN FROM $500 LAST YEAR

ACTIVE LISTINGS

1,374 DOWN FROM 1,527 LAST YEAR

AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET

PROPERTIES SOLD

1,223 DOWN FROM 1,595 LAST YEAR

MEDIAN % OF ASKING PRICE

UP FROM 23 LAST YEAR

MEDIAN SELLING PRICE

99.2% UP FROM 97.9% LAST YEAR

$745,000 DOWN FROM $761,000 ONE YEAR AGO

REAL ESTATE BY THE NUMBERS 2022 41 $1,132,380 $1,172,971 103.58% 17

laguna lake 2023 25 $1,186,856 $1,176,340 99.11% 30

tank farm +/-39.02% 4.81% 0.29% -4.47% 76.47%

cal poly area down town Total Homes Sold Average Asking Price Average Selling Price Sales Price as a % of Asking Price Average # of Days on the Market

country 2022 20 $1,290,200 $1,314,531 101.89% 17

2023 20 $1,033,955 $1,048,941 101.45% 23

+/0.00% -19.86% -20.20% -0.44% 35.29%

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

2022 30 $1,084,830 $1,162,842 107.19% 17

2023 24 $1,242,746 $1,248,589 100.47% 33

+/-20.00% 14.56% 7.37% -6.72% 94.12%

johnson avenue *Comparing 01/01/22 - 09/20/22 to 01/01/23 - 09/20/23

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BY THE NUMBERS

Get out & Play

While there’s an entire generation on social media bemoaning the plight of “adulting,” could it be that we’ve left too much of ourselves behind? We’ve made life too serious and forgotten how to do things like play?

When you see kids chasing each other up jungle gyms and down twisty slides, playing a giant game of chase, do you have an urge to join in on the fun—to swing, slide, and play as if you were a child again? You aren’t alone.

As it turns out, this desire to play can be more than just a passing whim; it’s an opportunity to embark on a journey of healing our own inner child.

The concept of the inner child—the part of us that retains the innocence and vulnerability of our early years—often lies dormant beneath the responsibilities and challenges of adulthood. Our adult selves can become detached from the carefree and playful spirit we once had. However, as we watch our children joyfully embrace play, we are reminded of the magic and freedom of our own childhoods.

As adults, we won’t necessarily head to the park seeking out a playground, but there are plenty of opportunities to play. It could be as simple as swimming in the ocean, mountain biking, dancing the night away, pulling out a board game, or simply lying on the grass and watching the clouds go by.

BY PADEN HUGHES >>

Playing allows us to reconnect with that forgotten part of ourselves. The activity becomes a canvas for rediscovering the joy, wonder, and curiosity that may have been suppressed by the demands of our daily lives. As we get caught up in the moment of fun, we open ourselves up to a world of emotional release and healing.

Through play, we can process unresolved emotions and experiences from our past. My therapist calls it an inner child. The part of us seeking to be seen and heard emerges from the shadows, waiting for us to acknowledge its presence. By participating in play, we create a safe and nurturing space to heal old wounds and nurture our inner child.

When we play, we nurture the child within us. We may find ourselves laughing uncontrollably or experiencing a sense of liberation we haven’t felt in years. These feelings are signs of healing and release as we embrace the present moment with the authenticity of our inner child.

reside within, buried beneath layers of responsibility and adulthood. By engaging in play, we grant ourselves permission to be free of judgment and inhibitions, just as we would want for our children.

As a parent, I believe the real reason behind why we play with our kids goes beyond physical activity; it’s an emotional and spiritual journey. We learn to see ourselves through the eyes of a child—full of wonder, resilience, and boundless imagination. We learn to forgive ourselves for past hurts and embrace the transformative power of play.

The one thing I always marvel about children is their incredible focus on the present moment. They are our teachers in presence. And watching them play is a great reminder of what it looks like to feel truly focused on what is and not what isn’t. It’s about reclaiming the joy and lightness that SLO LIFE

So, the next time you feel like you’re in a funk, resist the urge to remain on the sidelines. Embrace the opportunity to play, laugh, and relax. Let the journey become a magical space where you heal, reconnect, and rediscover the vibrant spirit of your inner child. Embrace a path to healing and reclaiming the joy and authenticity that reside within us all.

On The Rise

House of Bread opens a new chapter

BY JAIME LEWIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA LERNER

In 1996, when Sheila McCann sought a business loan to open House of Bread, the first banker she spoke with propped his cowboy boots on the desk, leaned back in his chair, and asked, “What makes you think you can make money baking cookies, honey?”

Sure, it was sexist, condescending, and obnoxious behavior—and, sadly, all too common—but McCann knew how to deal with it.

“Having been a trial attorney, I learned not to express my emotions,” she says, sitting at one of the tables in the new House of Bread Bakery Cafe, her t-shirt and apron dusted lightly with flour. “I couldn’t believe he said that to me, but I was, like, curling my toes in my shoes to keep from expressing it.”

Twenty-seven years and hundreds of thousands of cookies, scones, cinnamon rolls, and loaves of bread later, House of Bread has defied that banker’s expectations, to say the least. The gleaming new House of Bread Bakery Cafe opened earlier this year, and the original House of Bread Bakery keeps the ovens burning on Marsh Street.

At the time, when she asked for the loan, McCann couldn’t have known what a success her bakery would become. She had spent years working as a public defender in San Luis Obispo—a position that grew increasingly negative the longer she stayed in it—and she wanted to leave the bench to put something new and positive into the community. So she made a list of three business ideas to pursue. One of them was a bakery.

“I had a love of the product because I grew up on fresh bread,” she says, pointing at a photo of her grandma up on the wall. “I was the eighth of eight children in my family. My mom was busy, but my grandma had time. So, I had very special times with my grandma, and her baking bread was a big part of it.” In fact, buy any loaf of Grandma’s White Bread at House of Bread, and you’ll taste McCann’s homage to the woman who inspired some of her earliest, coziest memories.

>>

Sheila McCann

For all the sweetness of their relationship, though, McCann’s grandma never taught her how to bake. But whatever McCann lacked in baking know-how, she made up for in business acumen and tenacity. She apprenticed with a baker in Boston and hired a consultant to help purchase the right equipment. She asked a Tribune reporter to write a story about the bakery opening in return for all the leads she’d sent him as an attorney. She checked out bread-baking books from the library, a fistful at a time.

And then, on opening day, she tanked.

“I screwed everything up,” she says. “I underbaked. I overbaked. I misbaked. There was a line out the door, and I didn’t have any bread to sell. Once everyone left, I shut the door and just cried.”

So many small business stories end with a scene like this, or limp along, never to regain any momentum. But in McCann’s case, that first day was just the beginning of long, gradual growth. She nailed down the recipes and how to staff the bakery. She opened new income streams by franchising in locations as varied as Tennessee, Nevada, and Alaska. She launched online and in-person bread-baking courses, grew commercial accounts, and catered events at Cal Poly and elsewhere.

And, through it all, she kept up the retail side of the bakery, sharing samples of whatever’s just out of the oven—from Prairie Bread to Apple Cinnamon Bread— slathered with a blanket of soft salted butter.

Today, the House of Bread Bakery Cafe opens a new chapter for the business, with a robust menu for breakfast and lunch, plus draft beer, wine, and kombucha. Dishes include a selection of classic bakery cafe options, like sandwiches, soups, and salads. Like Farmhouse Corner Cafe that occupied the space previously, the vibe is comfortable and cheerful, with seating in the high-ceilinged dining room or outdoors on the patio.

Of course, bakery items are still the backbone of the House of Bread experience; they cover nearly every surface of the countertop by the register, from morning buns behind the glass to stacks of packaged sugar cookies, as large as salad plates.

“I’m really trying to bring in more breakfast items,” McCann says, scanning the menu. “And brunch boards,” she adds. “Oh, and pie.”

The wheels of innovation are clearly still turning for McCann. If only that banker were around to see her now. But just like that, a timer goes off somewhere in the kitchen, and she’s gone. SLO LIFE

Winter Warmer Barleywine

BY BRANT MYERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD MEANEY

Barleywine is life. At least, it used to be. I’m not one to wax poetic about olden times, but back in my day, we used to be able to go to any fine purveyor of malted barley and find at least one example of this fabled beer. For a beer style that’s been around for nearly 150 years, it seems like this autumnal release should be a bit more prevalent. However, it has become more and more difficult to find. Originally, this British beer was a welcome treat for those of us who live through the annual pumpkin beer unpleasantness and would like something a little more robust for the transition from poolside summer days with IPAs to thick blankets and plush sofas we sink into as the leaves fall. I have been an avid consumer and collector of these beers, but as my collection dwindles, I’ve been having a harder time restocking my winter supplies. While pining for one will get me nowhere, I decided to share a little more about this seemingly finite beer and see if I can call on some brewing friends to help me get to the bottom of the newfound scarcity.

Barleywine is not a wine, but is, in fact, a beer. I know this because there are no grapes in it. The “wine” aspect stems from the high alcohol content of this winter warmer and the “barley” comes from the old Latin word for “no grapes.” It is a fundamentally British style, but I would say some of the most highly regarded examples come from two California breweries not more than a few hours from here. The wonderfully named Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is released annually in a six-pack of bottles resplendent with deep blue artwork and, my favorite part, a giant footprint on the bottle cap with the year printed within. The second is from a brewery that has been in the news for months after the parent company, Sapporo, who recently bought this brewery decided to close it despite being open since 1896. This would be Old Foghorn from Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. Up until recently, one was also able to find this in the same quantity and format as Bigfoot, albeit with a slightly more subdued artwork complimentary to their famous Anchor Steam beer labels.

may be hard to find, but not impossible.

If you were ever lucky enough to try one of these beers, you would get a great sense of where this style fits along the spectrum of fermented grains we call beer. With a slightly cloying sweetness that settles into flavors of toffee and overripe stone fruit, it sits somewhere between the unctuousness of stouts and the maltiness of old ales. A strong brew, normally clocking in around the 10% ABV range, lends itself towards the “wine” moniker, but also gives it a unique quality that we typically avoid when talking beer—age. With your typical lagers, pilseners, and especially IPAs, you want a beer as fresh as you can because every minute that passes once it leaves the sterile controlled environment of stainlesssteel fermentation tanks is a minute closer to its demise as a perishable consumable. However, barring any heat or light damage, or the dreaded infection of microscopic microbes, barleywines are the type of beer you can set aside for a year or twenty. I was fortunate enough to try a twenty-year vertical of the aforementioned Bigfoot with a side-by-side tasting of each year’s offerings. It was amazing how the flavors develop over time from a young, hot, thin sparkling ale to a smooth, mellow brandy-like drink that feels like it was born in a snifter, and everything in between. This was when I started seeing the power of age and how the correct amount of natural preservatives found in hops combined with a high alcohol content can make a beer much more than a beer.

Barleywines

Check shelves at California Fresh Market or SLO Beer & Wine Co. and local liquor stores like Sandy’s or Foothill Liquor.

So why is this venerable beer style, with such a bold flavor profile, slowly disappearing off our shelves? Well, I have a few theories, but instead of blaming all of you for buying the latest Hazy IPAs in the Fall like a pair of white sneakers after Labor Day, I decided to call on a few industry professionals to see what they had to say.

I first spoke to Central Coast Brewing’s owner, George Peterson to get his take on the recent downturn in availability. Peterson talked about the good ole times and mentioned a few classics that made my mouth water. His take was that consumers consumed barleywines because they were “big, boozy, and hot, not because ‘This is my favorite beer.’ Plus you’d take them to a party, crack a big bottle, and share with everyone.” We went directly from there to changes in bottle size and posited that maybe with the recent and sudden decline in social drinking, the large-format bottles weren’t well suited to personal consumption. Peterson had to dig deep into his memories to pull up the last time they made the style, and as it turned out, a gift in 2005 of two fifty-pound bags of hemp seeds from Mike Hoffman of the now-defunct Mendocino Brewing was the only impetus for making one. True to being a businessman he also pointed out that your brewery must either be so small that you can “waste” a run on the style, or so large that you’ll be able to sneak a brew through a gap in the production schedule.

To get a second opinion I spoke to Lee Samways, co-founder and brewer at Humdinger Brewing in SLO and Arroyo Grande. He thought it was a good question and had to have a think on it. I used the time to pat myself on the back. Samways felt that the overall national trend, which he is

also seeing on a smaller scale in his taproom, for lighter and crispier beers means a sharp departure from the big, malty beers of the past. Even IPAs are straying further from the ubiquitous Crystal-60 malt that was prevalent in everything to lighter varieties that just barely have the hint of barley. He agrees with Peterson and me that even packaging has helped move the general public away from the style.

So, there it is, the death by a thousand cuts. Consumer trends, changing palettes, aluminum cans, and fleeting memories can be to blame. But it doesn’t have to be, so for all of our sake let’s keep an eye out for these rare beasts and tuck them in a dark corner to break out for special occasions or holiday toasts. Or, be like me and just drink one because they’re amazing. Either way, raise your dusty bottle to the sky and pour like the sediment is just extra flavor. Cheers! SLO

LIFE

Arthur L. Fries, RHU

Disability Insurance Claim Advice

Dunes Nipomo

The Place

BY DAN FREDMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTA RENEE

San Luis Obispo native Coby Parker-Garcia had big dreams as he entered Cal Poly as an Ag Business major.

“I thought I’d go to work for one of the big produce companies, living out of a suitcase and jetting around the tropics while negotiating intercontinental fruit transactions,” he says. “But after my first couple of classes, rather than hammering out deals in a beach cabaña or in a plush aerie overlooking a lush, hillside fruit plantation, I realized I’d probably spend my career holed up in a cubicle in some humid mid-city office somewhere and wishing I were doing something else.”

Still wanting to remain in agriculture, Parker-Garcia joined the nascent Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture program and landed an internship with Claiborne & Churchill Winery in Edna Valley. His affinity for grapes and wine bloomed and he shifted his studies to Ag Marketing with a minor in Wine and Viticulture. By the time Clay Thompson of Claiborne & Churchill contacted him in 2004 with an offer to return to the winery, Parker-Garcia was only too ready to accept.

By 2013, Parker-Garcia was beginning to feel that he was outgrowing his work at Claiborne & Churchill. “It just felt like it was time to build my own brand,” he says. “I founded El Lugar with 300 cases of wine and have built the company up to about 1,200 cases per year from there. El Lugar means “the place,” and that speaks to the vineyards where we source grapes. Many of the vineyards we work with were Spanish Land Grants, and as you learn about the culture of San Luis Obispo, so much of it was Hispanic-driven. My father’s family is from Mexico, and I’ve got dual citizenship, and I like that some of that heritage comes through in my wine.”

“I’m not a hipster winemaker, but I’m not a fully conventional winemaker either,” he adds. “I’m a lazy winemaker. I want to create wines of balance, so I focus on working with excellent grape growers, picking the grapes at the right time, and not forcing any manipulation onto the grapes. I’m a firm believer in not adding things in the winemaking process; your growers are putting all this energy into bringing you pure grapes, so why get in the way? I don’t add yeast, acid, or use fining products because if you’re working with great quality grapes to start with, you shouldn’t need the other stuff. I want to showcase the vineyard by letting all its elements blend together and work harmoniously.”

Parker-Garcia sources grapes from specific blocks in distinctive Central Coast vineyards. Their proximity to the ocean, row orientation, and clonal selection are among his priorities, as is his relationship with the growers who farm the grapes. The winemaker explains, “I source fruit from two different sections of the Talley Rincon Vineyard in Arroyo Grande, and another release is from

The young winemaker hit the ground running. “It was a steep learning curve,” he says. “I’d worked under winemaker Nathan Carlson [now with Center of Effort Winery] at Claiborne & Churchill and had learned enough of the technical winemaking process to make things work. The devil is in the details, but the basic winemaking process has been in place since the Romans, and it’s just a matter of refining the style to suit the conditions.” >>

the Bien Nacido Vineyard, two of the most iconic properties on the Central Coast. I adjust my winemaking to make sure their differences shine through. And these bottlings are different from the wines I make from Spanish Springs Vineyard in Pismo Beach, Bassi Ranch in Avila, and from Greengate Farm in Edna Valley. They’re all Pinot Noir, but there’s unique character to each place and that’s what I’m trying to capture in a wine glass. The fruit from one vineyard is more red-toned, another more blue-toned, or maybe one is earthier while another is spicier. As the winemaker, working with grapes of this quality and individuality gives me a blank canvas so I’m able to pick what I want to paint with to create the El Lugar portfolio.”

Although El Lugar is known for single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Parker-Garcia has expanded his horizons over the past few years, producing a beautifully balanced Syrah, a pale Rosé of Pinot Noir, and a delicious Pinot Noir Blanc. He’ll be adding Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to the lineup with the 2023 vintage.

It’s now easier than ever to explore the wines. El Lugar is among the first tenants in the new Duncan Alley complex, just off Orcutt Road. Sharing the building with other wineries, breweries, and cider producers makes for an ideal one-stop opportunity to explore a broad range of liquid engagement and entertainment. Check the winery’s website for the tasting room’s opening hours and to learn which wines are available that week. He often has library releases on hand, and it’s a fine opportunity to buy wines right from the source that have appropriate age on them. SLO LIFE

*Tasting Notes

2021 El Lugar Spanish Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir // $60

The Spanish Springs Vineyard is in the windy corridor that is Price Canyon Road, just outside of Pismo Beach on the back way into Edna Valley. Always the last vineyard picked each year, this wine has a lush, candied mid-palate balanced by a mouthwatering salinity. Parker-Garcia calls it the true, definitely of SLO Coast Pinot Noir. It’s a real beauty.

2021 El Lugar Rincon Vineyard Pinot Noir // $60

Don Talley planted the Rincon Vineyard in Arroyo Grande in 1982 and Parker-Garcia gets grapes from two different blocks. The wine has power without tannic grippiness and favors savory structure over fruity lushness. Great concentration, the wine could use a coupla-three-plus years in the cellar, but served alongside duck, salmon, or lamb, what the heck, you could enjoy it tomorrow!

El Lugar Wines

3197 Duncan Road. Unit C . San Luis Obispo ellugarwines.com

Duncan Alley

If you’re curious to explore some new beverage horizons in San Luis Obispo, now is a good time to check out the newly opened Duncan Alley on the southside of town. In addition to El Lugar, the building is home to Croma Vera Winery, Rhônedonnée Wines, Shindig Cider, and Ancient Owl Brewery, with coffee and food purveyors on the horizon. The place is run by the people behind the Creamery, and the inspired combination of tasting rooms and production facilities puts you right in the center of the SLO County beverage realm without having to leave the city limits.

Culture & Events

CAMBRIA SCARECROW FESTIVAL

Hundreds of imaginative and whimsical scarecrows descend on the seaside villages of Cambria and San Simeon for the fifteenth annual event. Named as one of the nation’s top ten autumn festivals by USA Today , it features scarecrows singing, pedaling, dancing, swashbuckling, and flying through the air.

Through October 31 / cambriascarecrows.com

MORE THAN WHAT WE SEE

SLO Museum of Art hosts a special collection capturing only a fraction of the truly prolific work that John Barrett produced in his lifetime. Walking through his archives—now housed in Shandon—is like walking back in time. Urgent and unpretentious, his work references pop culture and socio-political events.

Through November 27 // sloma.org

CENTRAL COAST RAILROAD FESTIVAL

The thirteenth annual celebration of trains and their enthusiasts throughout SLO and northern Santa Barbara counties is hosted by the SLO Railroad Museum. Visit equipment displays, model train layouts, depots, and a SLO street railcar from the 1800s. Even hike a portion of the Pacific Coast Railway right-of-way.

October 6-8 // ccrrf.com

DREAMERS’ CIRCUS

Winner of five Danish Music Awards, this Nordic world music trio mines their background in traditional and roots music to present a genrebending amalgam of folk sensibility, jazz improvisation, and classical complexity. Cal Poly Arts presents their innovative sound at the SLO Performing Arts Center.

October 10 // calpolyarts.org

WITCHES & WARLOCKS PADDLE

Break out your broomsticks and boards and get out on the water for Morro Bay’s annual bewitching event designed to benefit the Food Bank Coalition of SLO County. Don your favorite witch or warlock costume and meet at 4 p.m. at Coleman Park on the Embarcadero for a ghoulish afternoon on the water.

October 29 // morrobay.org

WINE COUNTRY RUN

The twenty-sixth annual harvest-time half marathon and 10K race held at CaliPaso Winery in picturesque Paso Robles benefits local charities and youth sports organizations in North County. Runners from around the region and across the country are welcome, and Halloween costumes are encouraged.

October 29 // winecountryruns.com

DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE

An incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man—with a lot of loose ends. So begins a wildly imaginative new comedy, written by Sarah Ruhl and presented by Cal Poly’s Theatre Department, about a woman forced to confront her own assumptions.

November 2-11 // theatredance.calpoly.edu

HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, especially when you visit The Great American Melodrama in Oceano for its annual end-ofthe-year triple-bill of A Christmas Carol, a zany fractured fairytale opera, and of course a rollicking Holiday Vaudeville Review, sure to surprise with new takes on seasonal favorites.

November 17-December 31

americanmelodrama.org

VOCAL RECITAL IN PINK

OperaSLO returns to the iconic Madonna Inn with an exciting journey through the greatest hits of musical theatre and opera. Resident and guest artists are accompanied by the organization’s eighteen-piece touring orchestra, and light refreshments are served.

November 26 // operaslo.org

FLOR DE TOLOACHE

Cal Poly Arts brings this Latin Grammy-winning all-female ensemble back to SLO after an incredible 2019 show. At the crossroads of fusion and mariachi girl magic, their boundary-breaking fusion sound and edgy, versatile flair transcend culture and gender.

November 28 // calpolyarts.org

When you’re in the market for — or are considering selling — an exceptional home on the Central Coast, you should expect service and support from your real estate partner that is as singular and distinct as your property or goals in the marketplace. You deserve a representative and trusted advisor who knows your market, understands your specific needs, and has the expertise to help you achieve your goals. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE HAVEN PROPERTIES is the market leader on the Central Coast. Locally owned and operated with an affiliation to one of the most iconic, trusted brands in America, we are ideally positioned to deliver on your expectations for the highest levels of real estate service and innovation.