Taking the Long Road Home: A Vaccine Journey and the Road to Dominion A day trip to Santa Maria: encounters with the good, the bad, the ugly, and more on re-entering the human race.
By Leslie Westbrook   |   May 27, 2021

My “first outside adventure” in a year (a trip to L.A. to visit my hermetically sealed mom on display for her 90th birthday doesn’t count) was on February 20, 2021.  My fellow community activist, board member, and civically minded neighbor John Nicoli texted me a message: “You still looking for a shot?” he wrote, “Available […]

Haunted House? Wullbrandt Spoils the Myth!
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 29, 2021

Last month, I wrote about The Big Yellow House – now the big white house – which evoked lot of reads and plenty of memories for many people. In one of our early morning Facebook Messenger chats, Wullbrandt texted me photos of one of the old Green Gables restaurant (pre-Big Yellow House) jackets he wore, […]

 

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More from Montecito

On a Final Note
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 29, 2021

A true Montecito treasure, Brad Bartholomay (November 29, 1949-December 23, 2020) went on to greener pastures in the sky a few months ago. I meant to note his passing, but was waiting for word from his beautiful daughter (Fiesta flower-girl-turned-architect) Schuyler Leigh Johnson, who I do believe got caught up in the whirlwind of grief, […]

Bert’s Birthday!
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 29, 2021

Belated birthday greetings to Bert at the Summerland Post Office. We appreciate you!

The Oak Group: Artist Activists
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 29, 2021

Summerland boasts an array of natural beauty. The sea is the most obvious asset, but gently rolling hills dotted with wild mustard, when rains and Mother Nature have cooperated, and other spots beckon nature lovers and wildlife, including Brandt’s cormorants, which I will get to in a moment. The landscape has long lured artists with […]

Out With the Old Locks, in With the New ‘Do
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 15, 2021

What’s the first thing you want (or wanted) to do after getting vaccinated? Hug somebody? A trip (who’d a thunk it?) to the dentist? A trip – any kind of trip? I’m down for all of that as well as aching for a massage and/or a chiropractic adjustment. (Reminder to self: Call Charlie Bissell in […]

Do What Teddy Does! (Follow the Leader)
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 15, 2021

What a delight it was to meet the Ru family at the Summerland Fire Station on a recent Sunday afternoon where the rather precocious and terribly adorable two-and-a-half-year-old, Teddy Firestone Ru, was practicing his firefighting skills with great aplomb under the kind guidance of Interim Summerland-Carpinteria Fire Captain Johan Nilsson. He handled the hose with […]

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  • The Farmer + The Flea
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   March 26, 2021

    On the last Sunday of every month, the Summerland Post Office parking lot on Lillie Avenue fills up with a cornucopia of flea market and food vendors. Even volunteers from CALM (Child Abuse Listening and Mediation) are onsite to raise funds and awareness of the nonprofit. While parking may be a challenge – “It’s a […]

    Love, Anyone?
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   February 4, 2021

    We can’t think of a sweeter Valentine’s gift than the one from generous Summerland resident and philanthropist Nora McNeely Hurley and her husband, Michael Hurley. Summerland School’s very tired tennis courts will be undergoing a complete renovation thanks to a two-year grant from the Manitou Fund. Nora McNeely Hurley is a Trustee and Chief Programming […]

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    At Home With Lou
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   January 28, 2021

    It’s no surprise that Lou Cannon does a pretty good imitation of President Ronald Reagan. After all, he covered Reagan from his governorship in California to his time in the White House through to his final days, writing five books about California’s former governor and president, including President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, among […]

    The Year That Stopped… and Began Again: A Song of Hope
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   January 14, 2021

    Looking over my 2020 Filofax calendar (yes, I still use one of those) and reviewing the past year, it’s not nearly as full as previous years. 2020 stated out well enough: it went from meeting friends at Tharios’ Kitchen and Field + Fort, Sunday brunches at El Encanto, Miramar, Four Seasons Biltmore for an Edible […]

    The Squeaky Wheel Method
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   December 31, 2020

    Suzy “Squeaky Wheel” Cawthon has spent eight long years on a long and winding road of a dream that began with Fran Davis, the “founding mother” of an effort to re-imagine and enhance Lookout Park. The idea was to move the camp host from its perch and a primo spot to the upper end of […]

    A Great Cap to an Otherwise Strange Year
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   December 31, 2020

    My great Aunt Betty laughed when I bought my house in Summerland in the early 1980s. She told me that her husband, my great uncle Heywood, used to work on those wells when they lived in Summerland in the 1930s. Little did I know at the time that the very oil wells he worked on […]

    Santa Barbara’s Wonder Woman
    By Leslie Westbrook   |   December 24, 2020

    Hannah-Beth Jackson may have run out of time as State Senator, but she never ran out of the fierce will that got her to Sacramento. She looks back on a legacy of fighting for disaster relief and equal rights for all. Q. Which superhero do you visualize yourself as? A. “I love Wonder Woman – […]

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