Tag archives: local people
What’s an ancient, mindful practice people have engaged in all throughout time to help focus on the present, relax, and unwind when the threads of life get knotted? Correct: Embroidery! In past generations, the traditional sewing-art was a common, peaceful, and pleasant pastime most females knew how to do. The slow, meditative, and artistic stitching […]
“I was twelve years old when I decided I needed to change the world.” Olivia Seltzer, an 18-year-old Santa Barbara local, was shocked and scared by the results of the 2016 election and by what that meant for her and her peers. While attending Santa Barbara Junior High, many of Seltzer’s friends came from families […]
I reconnected with showbiz vets James Widdoes and Tim Matheson on the passing of Ivan Reitman, the prolific director and producer and founder of the wildly successful production company The Montecito Picture Company. All four of us (including Reitman) are connected through the National Lampoon, a magazine where I was once editor but which has […]
Sometimes you just want flowers. Not for a holiday. Not for a birthday. Not for a wedding – just because. Why? Because flowers are pretty! Who doesn’t love a bright bouquet sitting on your table or by your bed at night? And Annie Gray is a Montecito mom who knows a thing or two about […]
Within seconds after arriving at the Montecito Farmers’ Market, the delicate, sweet smell of lavender wafts up to the noses of Friday morning patrons. The aroma pervades the market and leads the shopper to the last stand in the far corner: June Bloom Lavender. Melissa Broughton, known as the “Lavender Lady” by locals, stands over […]
Santa Barbara Schools Superintendent Super Intends to Get the Job Done Some jobs are just plain hard. Hard because no matter what choices you make, some people are bound to be disappointed. I sometimes felt that way when I served on the Montecito Union School District Board, because everyone wants what’s best for their children, […]
Montecito boy scout Salvador Hernandez, a senior at Santa Barbara High School, is pursuing the highest advancement award the Boy Scouts of America offers to Scouts: the Eagle Scout Award. Hernandez’ Eagle Service Project is a series of five blood drives in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Montecito; Hernandez has spent the last several months planning […]
Luca James Rintoul rang in the New Year with his parents at exactly 12 am on January 1, weighing in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches long, and is the first child of Cortney Hebert-Rintoul and Joel Rintoul. He was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with both his dad and grandmother, Sandie, […]
Whether Miramar Beach and Montecito or the University of Montana in Missoula, 22-year-old Will Borghesani is here to tell us that each new destination has its own special qualities and charm. The MUS, Marymount, and Cate alum is now a final-year college student with sights on law school. But before he takes the plunge into […]
D. William (Bill) Wagner, 78, passed December 7, 2021, at home in Santa Barbara, surrounded by his wife and sons. Bill was born to Earl and Lois Wagner in Dixon, Illinois, and raised in Sterling, Illinois. A lifelong love of language and people led him from consecutive statewide debate championships for Illinois in 1960 and […]
A good teacher can be the difference between a great year and a not-so-great one. This is the tried-and-true knowledge that every student understands. In this week’s letter, 23-year-old Nathan Alvarez reflects on the path, people, and programs that encouraged his career in science. Since finding his true north, a fascination with the world of engineering, […]
I’ve known Mollie Ahlstrand for more than 30 years. Her high-end Italian restaurant on Coast Village Road was there for more than 25 of those years. But, the fires, the floods, the debris flow, and other disasters took their toll and she moved her place to Santa Barbara three years ago, only to run into […]
As the world of computers and scientific technology leaps forward, the phrase “machine learning” becomes more buzz-y than ever. In layspeak, machine learning describes the collaboration between human and machine — we set parameters while letting the machine find patterns in the data. But as any good data scientist knows, we can set all the […]
I’m tired of this right brain, left brain nonsense. First, we have to address that this “creative self” and “logical self” segregation is a complete fiction. But it’s doubly misguided when used as propaganda in the wildly artificial arts-science divide; humanities scholars must be analytical, and science people must be creative. Here to serve as […]
The Montecito community sadly lost one of its greatest Benevolent Godfathers (and there are a few running around here) in Bob Short. A force to be reckoned with, Bob left a great legacy for Montecito. You may not have known him – or known him well – so we want to take a moment and […]
Bob Short, an icon and pillar of the Montecito community, passed this week. While we all adjust to the news, we will be visiting with his friends and family in the coming days to do a much longer piece on his remarkable life and significant contributions to Montecito next week. But, for now, please know […]
It is a truth universally acknowledged that those in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a Montecito property with an ocean view – to paraphrase ever so slightly. What our friend Ms. Austen said with irony, Mack Ellis does not. Having gained perspective since leaving for college, Mack’s letter contrasts the […]
This week, we’re hearing from a recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music, 23-year-old Jules Bartling. I’ll admit, it’s quite difficult for me to picture Jules as an adult. The last time we saw each other, we were probably nine and 12 years old, in the MUS auditorium, rehearsing for that season’s play — […]
Though it is sometimes difficult to stand out in Montecito’s competitive landscape, Cayley Boyd rises to the challenge, fully embodying what it means to be a high achiever. Cayley is an accomplished athlete, musician, and businessperson who has spent her more recent years navigating the nail-biting corporate jungle of New York City. But Cayley’s resumé […]
During the years 1928 and 1929, Dr. Alister MacKenzie headed up the design and construction of the Cypress Point Club, as well as The Valley Club of Montecito, five years before his final masterpiece: Augusta National, upon which he collaborated with golf-world legend Bobby Jones. Anyone who has been in the men’s locker room at […]
