The Mission at Santa Barbara

We found the Mission the same way we found the Botanical Gardens. It was listed as a local attraction in the hotel's little information binder.

The Mission was built in 1786, and had a beautiful fountain and old lavanderia, or laundry washing basin out front, all fed by an extensive aqueduct system.

The stones were impressive, I wondered how they quarried and moved such massive stones over 200 years ago.

The Hills of Santa Barbara

I was surprised at the California coast, as it immediately transitions into low mountains, which frame a narrow strip where all the people live from the beach to the foothills.

Above Santa Barbara, the terrain quickly becomes too steep and rugged to build on easily. There are trails and orchards, but little development.

These are the Santa Ynez mountains and much of it is National Forest or Forest Reserve, but it's not clear where the borders start since the terrain is so rugged and there are little roads into it.

We went to a Botanical Garden up in the hills on the first day and then back the next day to hike to the top of the near peaks to look over the city.

It was hot and dry, with a layer of finely churned up dust on the trail. Andrea read that this was a Chaparral Forest, and we heard talk about recent fires in the area that had burned up much of the trees.

We saw plenty of evidence of fires, but there was also regrowth. I wouldn't know how to recognize one tree from another, but there were not many large trees in the area. It had a feeling of a dry desert like climate.

A Room with a View

We stayed at the Best Western right on the beach, on the west end of the strip, kind of behind the harbor. There was a city pool, called Los Banos Del Mar Pool across the street near the entrance to the harbor. Across the side street was a city park, Plaza Del Mar. It was a very pretty sight to look out to.

Life on the Wharf

Santa Barbara has a harbor featuring Stearns Wharf. This almost half mile long structure was originally built in 1872 and has had some fires and rebuilding since, but remains in service since then.

There were little excursion craft going in and out of the harbor just off the wharf, as well as pelican's diving for dinner and gulls posing for pictures by the tourists.

It was very touristy, yet still charming and fun.

Protesters and Beggars

One thing I did notice was a prevalence of homeless people in sunny Santa Barbara. They were non-obtrusive and mostly hidden out of sight under the pier, but they were often out there to be seen, too. At the entrance to the wharf, they had creative little pleas for donations set up, and Andrea wondered if anyone had done a case study on what method generated the most donations.

Behind this was a war protest. It was set up over a big portion of beach, where the demonstration was laid out as a graveyard for those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It looked a little like a mini Arlington, except for the beach background. The organizer told us that there were about 4000 crosses for the Iraqi dead and around 1000 tombstones for the Afghani dead. That's just US soldiers killed, not counting wounded, and not trying to tally non-American casualties.

The next day I went running along the beach and there was no trace of the demonstration. All the crosses and other displays had been taken down.

At the end of the pier, we saw a fake Elvis lip-syncing to Elvis tunes for donations. On the way back by later, I noticed that a cluster of the homeless where trying to get the Elvis back up on the sidewalk to continue his performance. He was obviously hammered, and just as obviously one of the homeless. He was their front man in the little operation. It was sad to see that even amongst the homeless, there is a hierarchy of exploitation.

That next day, during the run, I noticed many of the homeless camped out on the beach. A few had shopping carts, and they had a tent they were sharing. I could smell them from 30 feet away. I wondered if they ever bathed in the ocean or washed their clothes in the public baths. They also stayed in the amphitheater in the park across from our hotel, which provided a nice open air view, with coverage from any rain that may come.

All in all, they were the lucky, as far as homeless go. They were not being rounded up and moved away, and they got to live on the beach in the warm sunny California climate. But still, I did not envy them.

Now That's California

There was a skate park on the beach at Santa Barbara, which is what I would have expected from California.

We watched the people for about 5 minutes, and I saw no really spectacular feats, but it was entertaining. I wondered if the city realized that they were getting free entertainment by allowing all these skillful youths to perform for us. They certainly weren't getting paid.

One guy did do something that was somewhat impressive. He road a wheelie all the way around the rim of the sunken pit with one hand while holding a cell phone up to his ear with the other. This is proof that the younger generation can multi-task quite skillfully. Of course, he wasn't actually talking to someone on the phone, it was just up to his ear as a prop. I defy him to repeat the trick with his girlfriend breaking up with him on the other end of the line.

Crazy Buses

In the parking lot next to the beach, a lot of eccentric people gathered.

I saw two buses, one an old VW van, straight from the Hippie days, but this time with a different message. The Bible Answer Bus only had a few answers on the outside, and the mysterious curtains inside the van behind the driver's seat kept opening and closing while I was looking at the van. I felt like I was being watched. I wondered if the inhabitants normally come out with turbans on and give you your fortune, but I guess that's another religion.

The next van was the incredibly over-decorated "One Love" van, complete with more action figures than you'll ever see in one setting. Much of it was spaceship themed from science fiction movies, but there were also a few Lord of the Rings action figures visible amongst the starships.

The man was accosted by a couple of Irish tourists and seemed thrilled with the attention. It's better than gluing on more action figures. I wonder what happens when it rains? How does he wash his van? What did he use for adhesive? If someone kicks up a rock in front of him on the highway, does the Millennium Falcon's laser turrets get smashed in? Who insures him?

Practical questions like these probably never enter the mind of a much misunderstood artist such as the owner of the One Love Van.

Ominous Silhouettes on the Horizon

When we arrived in LA, it was cool and cloudy. The sky was misty and overcast, and visibility was less than a mile, most of the time. The next afternoon, about the time we arrived in Santa Barbara, the weather finally started clearing up and you could see out to sea somewhat. Andrea asked me at one point if those big shapes out there were ships, and I thought they were too big and too stationary to be ships. It only took me a short time to realize (guess, really) that they were oil rigs. I never got a really clear look at one until the next day, but the coast off of Santa Barbara is thick with them.

I vaguely remembered that there had been some kind of spill or accident in California, and that California had banned offshore drilling years ago. This is something I learned a couple of years ago when offshore drilling was a big political issue and people were pushing to do more of it in the Gulf. I remembered people being critical of environmentalists for blocking this important source of energy, and at some point, I heard about the California ban, but no details about how it came about.

When I got back, I looked it up, and it turned out that the spill was from a Union Oil Company rig that had a methane blowout after being given permission to cut corners and operate below federal and state standards in the way the well was cased with pipe.

200,000 gallons of oil were released, and the following spring, Earth Day was started, in part due to a response to the spill. At the time, Union Oil Company President Fred L. Hartley said, "I don't like to call it a 'disaster', because there has been no loss of human life. I am amazed at the publicity for the loss of a few birds."

The rigs are still there.

Santa Barbara Art Fair

When we arrived at Santa Barbara, we were drawn to the beach, and on that day, the beach was lined with booths of artists, showing their wares.

While we managed not to buy anything, it was a most excellent backdrop for an art fair.

Palms of Santa Barbara

When we got to Santa Barbara, we saw that the beachfront was lined with palms, all in a long row. The trunks were almost 6 stories high, and the foliage was just a little tuft on the top. I'm always surprised that the little bit of green can support these enormous trees.

Landscaping

The streets of Redondo Beach were lined with well-manicured gardens. This is in an area where you have street-sidewalk-building. Here in the Midwest, we would simply give up and have nothing living in this zone. However, they really try to put out something, and in most cases do an excellent job.

This Bird of Paradise flower was one of the prettiest I've ever seen, and it was just in some sidewalk flower bed, trying not to draw too much attention to itself. So I picked it and used it as a lapel garnish for the rest of the day. Not really.

Andrea kept remarking that if we had a 12 month growing season, we could have some cool plants, too.

California Cuisine

The first meal we had in California, after a quick burger the day before and a wedding reception the night before was breakfast at a Japanese-Mexican restaurant.

An omelet, which in the Midwest seems pretty straightforward, was Californized into a avocado covered, vegetable impregnated creation, bordered by a salad, cut cucumbers, pickles, and sliced tomatoes.

I'm not complaining, it was all excellent, including the iced tea, which they did not ask me if I wanted sweetened - to their credit.

Redondo Beach

I've never been to LA before. We stayed in a hotel about 6 blocks from the beach, and it just looks like normal city blocks until you cross the Esplanada and look down on the strip of beach that marks the city's border with the sea. It's down a 30 foot drop from the street to the beach, so it kind of sits like a sporting field with the city being up in the bleachers.

The sand was immaculately groomed, and the volleyball courts were laid out with a military precision. But the life guard shacks were painted with 70's psychedelic patterns, reminiscent of a bad episode of Scooby Doo.

Still, it looked like a nice place to while away the afternoon on a hot summer day.

Depress Barn

Would you not be depressed if the only chance you had to look pretty came from a barn?

Skitters

We went to Santa Barbara recently, after going to LA to a the wedding of a friend of my wife's.

There was a botanical garden in the hills over Santa Barbara, which is where we realized how many lizards were in the area. At first, we were alarmed because you could hear them skittering in the undergrowth right next to the trail, but you couldn't see them.

Then we finally started seeing them and realizing what they were. There really were a lot of them.

Andrea decided that she wanted one for a pet and we would call it Skitters.

Which is a really excellent pet name, I think you'll agree.

This one posed for me on the burned remains of a sign post on a trail system we went on the next day. You can see the screw in the wood where the sign used to be attached. After the fire, they replaced all the signs with metal ones.

Farenheit 451, baby.

Handsome Geezer

Andrea calls Zach's plaid pants his Geezer Pants.

We have to emphasize how good they make him look by pairing them with his "Handsome Devil" t-shirt.

Ride 'em, Cowboy!

Zach loves his little riding horse, which makes all kinds of sounds as he bounces up and down on it.

For a long time, I would make it sound off by throwing a ball at it from across the room.

Now, Zach walks up to it with a ball, hits it to make it start it's songs and sounds, and then mounts up and goes crazy.

Getting Into Your Work

Here Zach demonstrates the proper way to get "into" your work.

Our AC broke down on a weekend, and we pulled a dirty fan out of the basement, which had to be taken apart and cleaned prior to use. Zach loved the tools and getting inside the fan.

Here he is demonstrating the proper hold for a Phillips Screwdriver.

Swimming Lessons

Zach took his first swimming lessons, called Seahorses for some reason.

Except for how cold it was the first week of June, he really loved it.

Especially the slide.

New Garden Plots

I'm working on converting the dirt clogged river rock in the courtyard into new garden plots.

Cuppy totally approves. She thinks the new plot emphasizes her sleek physique as well as her sense of feng shui (notice how she aligns herself with the bricks).

Powell Gardens Water Trough

We took Zach out to the new Harvest Garden portion of Powell Gardens on June 5th.

He loved the pump and the windmill emptying water into the big cedar water trough.

Of course, he loves anything to do with water.

Guy's Night Out In the Ditch

We all went to Shane's house for a guy's night on June 11th. At the end of the evening, Aaron tried to explore the moisture content of the ditch across the street while demonstrating his 4WD prowess with his new truck.

It's official. When you mire your new 4WD vehicle, you are officially an off-roader.

Shane demonstrates the barefoot, cigar in mouth two step while helping to yank the truck out of the ditch. It's good to get stuck at a house where the homeowner has a loader in the driveway. It keeps towing costs down.