A Bellosguardo Affair
By Richard Mineards   |   October 3, 2023

I was last at Bellosguardo, the 24-acre oceanfront estate owned by the late copper heiress Huguette Clark, who died in 2011 at the age of 104, for a megabuck fundraising gala five years ago, so it was nice to return to the magnificent aerie when the Bellosguardo Foundation, with assistance from the Santa Barbara Historical […]

Gerry on the Brush
By Richard Mineards   |   September 26, 2023

Fans of top American trial lawyer Gerry Spence, 94, got a rare chance to see his works of art at his 24-acre estate on Romero Canyon Road. Gerry, the author of 17 books, is a member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and has never lost a criminal case before a jury as a […]

 

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A Grand Garden Opening for The Steward
By Richard Mineards   |   September 26, 2023

Our Eden by the Beach’s latest hotel, The Steward, is a charming and historical gem on nearly five acres with 87 one-bedroom suites. The Tribute Portfolio by Marriott, described as “a modern hideaway rooted in horticulture,” dates back to the 1860s when the charming Goleta estate was the Victorian home of pioneer horticulturist Joseph Sexton, […]

A Seasonal Start
By Richard Mineards   |   September 26, 2023

Camerata Pacifica launched its 34th season in fine style at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall with works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Elgar. Musical lovers turned out in force to see the chamber music group founded by Irishman Adrian Spence at the age of 25, with an inaugural performance at the Lobero as the Bach Camerata. […]

What’s the Cost of Happiness?
By Richard Mineards   |   September 26, 2023

Santa Barbara, not surprisingly, is the most expensive city to be happy in the U.S. An Australian-based money exchange service, S Money, has ranked the most costly cities in America based on data from a 2018 Purdue University study on the relationship between happiness and income to find the price of happiness in every metropolis. […]

Hoorah for the Heroes
By Richard Mineards   |   September 19, 2023

A record crowd of nearly 300 guests turned out at the Rosewood Miramar for the 11th Heroes of Hospice lunch, raising around $200,000 for the nonprofit that celebrates its half century next year. The event’s theme Celebrating Those We Love and their ongoing impact in our lives, was emceed by Jesse Brisendine, a longtime volunteer, […]

A Purr-fect Evening
By Richard Mineards   |   September 19, 2023

Santa Barbara Humane, founded in 1887 and the fourth-oldest animal welfare organization in the United States, went to the doge when it held its first-ever gala An Evening in Venice at the Hilton, attracting 267 guests and raising more than $250,000. The beastly bash, designed by local party planner Rebecca Gigandet and chaired by Susan […]

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  • Symphony’s Season Kick Off
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 19, 2023

    Veteran maestro Nir Kabaretti, who has conducted the Santa Barbara Symphony for 18 years, took center stage at the Lobero when promoting the orchestra’s 71st season for more than 600 guests, who quaffed champagne and noshed on canapés on the Lovelace Esplanade outside the theater beforehand. The new season, which kicks off at the Granada […]

    Remembering Paul
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 19, 2023

    It has been almost 10 years since Santa Barbara’s Paul Walker died in a tragic car accident, but the pain of his passing still impacts his younger actor brother Cody just days before what would have been his 50th birthday. The Fast & Furious star died in 2013 aged 40 after a Porsche he was […]

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    A Chukk’ing Good Time
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 12, 2023

    Social gridlock reigned at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when it hosted the 114-year-old NetJets Pacific Coast Open with more than 3,000 spectators watching the hotly contested match, with both teams attempting to gain a hat trick. Farmers & Merchants Bank, which won the trophy in 2017 and 2019 under captain Dan Walker, was up […]

    “All’s Fair” in Love and Tecolote
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 12, 2023

    A bevy of bibliophiles descended on Tecolote, the upper village literary gem, when retired corporate attorney David Gersh hosted a launch bash for his latest art mystery, All’s Fair, featuring Jonathan Benjamin Franklin. It is one of eight books that Montecito resident David, a Harvard Law School graduate, has written. His last tome, published in […]

    Art in the Cabana
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 12, 2023

    Funk Zone dynamic interior design duo Steve and Caroline Thompson held a double celebration at Cabana Home when they celebrated the opening of the new West Coast boutique of the historic wallpaper and furniture maker Thibaut and a new exhibition of art works by Chris Trueman, presented by Los Angeles dealer Edward Cella. Thibaut, which […]

    This Book Speaks Volumes
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 12, 2023

    Oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau, 85, and his partner Nancy Marr met in Maui in 1985, living there for 11 years before moving to our Eden by the Beach in 1992. “I lived with my family on the island for 22 years and have many friends who have been devastated by the Lahaina Fire,” says Nan. To […]

    More Help to Maui
    By Richard Mineards   |   September 12, 2023

    In other Maui news, former TV talk-show titan Oprah Winfrey, 69, has teamed up with actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, 51, in committing $10 million to make direct payments to the Hawaiian island of Maui devastated by wildfires. The People’s Fund of Maui will give $1,200 to adults not being able to return to their […]

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