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 […]
Lea másMonthly Archives: February 2022


Horsepower of a very different kind was on display at the Santa Barbara Polo Club when four newly imported Bentley Flying Spur hybrid cars were trucked up from the O’Gara Coach Company in Westlake for three days for members to test drive. The 536 horsepower cars, which have a top speed of 177 mph, run […]
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Few things have been more terrifying in the world of streaming fictional TV than House of Cards and the inexorable march of Francis Underwood toward the American presidency without regard for any person, place, or thing in his path – except perhaps later in the same series when his wife Claire ascended to the office. […]
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“What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours,” Dinah Washington sang in 1959. “What a difference a day made, and the difference is you.” Washington, of course, was singing about romantic love. But for Santa Barbara’s Community Counseling and Education Center (CCEC), one day can make a huge difference in others’ lives too. One […]
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Joel Murray has been in the “bullpen” for the long-running improv TV series Whose Line Is It Anyway? for almost a decade, but the actor and youngest brother of Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray has never actually appeared on an episode. But Murray has had many memorable moments elsewhere on television, including on Mad Men […]
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SOhO’s schedule this week showcases a bunch of Santa Barbara-based acts covering a huge swath of genres. Soul Majestic, which seamlessly segues from roots reggae to R&B and folk-rock, headlines on Friday, February 19, followed the next night by M.O.B. Quintet, an all-star ensemble that performs an eclectic blend of Euro-Brazil progressive jazz and fusion […]
Lea másMontecito Bank & Trust reported that total assets grew $398.62 million, an increase of 20.41% during the 12-month period, to $2.35 billion for the year ending 12/31/2021. Strong deposit growth of $401.15 million or 23.15% year-over-year, pushed year-end deposit totals to $2.13 billion. Loan growth declined $143.4 million or 10.88% year-over-year due to Payroll Protection […]
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Last week at a well-attended Montecito community meeting regarding the 101 freeway widening project through Montecito, reps from the project reported that sound walls that had been proposed in the Montecito portion have been removed due to flooding concerns. The project is in initial planning review with the County of Santa Barbara as part of […]
Lea másWe can’t solve important local problems unless we get better at recognizing what we do and don’t know. That includes acknowledging when our conclusions may be unsupported and when we need to look beyond our own experiences to understand the experiences of others. Consider, for example, discussions about dual language immersion (DLI) programs, in which […]
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International violinist Joshua Bell was at the top of his game when he performed at the Granada, marking the glorious return of UCSB Arts & Lectures classical shows to the venerable venue, which celebrates its centenary in two years’ time. With a career spanning almost four decades, Grammy Award-winning Bell, 54, has performed with virtually […]
Lea másFor one of the longer months of the year, January came and went quickly it seemed. Many lovely days, a bit of good winter surf, and some big estate sales in Montecito as well. So far, this year we are seeing the same low available housing inventory as in months past and at the same […]
Lea másI have friends who proudly say they shut out following the news. They find it depressing. I have another friend who is on top of everything in the news. Why should we follow the news? Democracy requires participation. And participation requires informed understanding. My friend who is on top of the news does not attend […]
Lea másKimberly Battle-Walters Denu, a stalwart of Christian higher education, takes over Westmont’s academic programs as the new provost beginning August 1. “We’re grateful to hire Kim Denu, a gifted leader, global scholar, and a recognized educator with 25 years of executive leadership experience in Christian higher education,” says President Gayle D. Beebe. “Deeply committed to […]
Lea másIn sorrow we announce that Louise Levine died peacefully in her Rivera home on January 22, 2022. She was born to Jared and Dorothy (Larson) Darlington in Patterson, New Jersey, on August 13, 1946. She grew up in Ramsey, New Jersey, graduated from Ramsey High School, attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, for two […]
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A class-action lawsuit was filed in late January by former employees at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore against Montecito resident Ty Warner and his hotel company. The lawsuit notes that at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, 450 employees of the resort were furloughed, with hotel operators not being forthcoming about when […]
Lea másRandall VanderMey, Westmont professor of English, says that after four decades of resisting photography, he now uses this art form to write and share poetry with a completely new audience. He describes his approach at a Westmont Downtown Lecture, “Photography and Poetry: Against My Will,” on Thursday, February 17, at 5:30 pm at the Community […]
Lea másWithin 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 […]
Lea másA friend who was about to turn 50, knowing that I’m in my late 80s, asked me what advice I might have for a person reaching that milestone. I had to tell him that I thought all such “landmarks” artificial and insignificant, being based on our arbitrary counting in tens, which in turn derives from […]
Lea másFifteen years ago, gripped by the idea of initiating a dig into my peoples’ past, I flew straight to the very big and famous (in genealogical circles) Family History Library in Salt Lake City. My plan was to spend a few days immersed in productive research and come away with a nicely-plumped-out family tree full […]
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When the Los Angeles Rams take the field against the Cincinnati Bengals at the $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium in the Big Orange on Sunday, Santa Barbara producer David Bolton, director of the California Missions Foundation, will be handling the live international Spanish language broadcast for Fox Sports for the seventh consecutive year. David’s company, Cultural […]
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