The Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County political organization on Sunday presented its Woman of the Year award to Montecito Journal editor Gwyn Lurie, whose acceptance speech included a stinging rebuke of feminist groups for their muted response to the Oct. 7 Hamas strike on Israel. “Dem Women” is the most – perhaps the only […]
“Put the hen in a Dutch Oven. Brown her in butter for 1 minute. If you have a piano in the kitchen, play ‘The Minute Waltz’ 12 times. Add a little water. Put on the lid and let simmer. When you have finished playing half ‘The Dance of the Hours,’ dragging it slightly, you’re ready […]
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After a tour in Vietnam, I remained on active duty with an assignment to the Army Combat Development and Experimentation Command, which was tasked with testing new concepts and equipment at Fort Ord. I didn’t spend much time “back home.” Therefore, instead of being confronted by hostile civilians and old friends who did not serve […]
We have been getting several phone calls, emails, and questions regarding the decision to pull the six Ring Nets out of three canyons above Montecito. This week has been an extremely critical one for TPRC’s project. We are proud to be a part of a community that rose to the occasion to keep our community […]
More than a year ago, in “sleepy” Santa Barbara, long before Hamas ever slaughtered 1,400 innocents at a peace festival or Israel retaliated, a special group of Central Coast locals were incubating a project that could just very well help with this mess. Maybe a lot of messes. Ironically, we may owe a debt of […]
Regarding the “Ring Nets” installed in the canyons above Montecito in response to the disastrous mudslide of January 9, 2018: As the Executive Director of an environmental organization in Santa Barbara, I joined the Board of The Project for Resilient Communities (TPRC) to watch the proceedings from an environmental point of view. The Ring Nets […]
Dear TPRC Supporters, I want to update you on “the Nets” and our progress, and challenges, as we rapidly approach the termination of our five-year emergency permits on December 21. We have given the county a deadline of next week to commit to the nets becoming a permanent part of the Flood Control System. First, […]
An unsightly gate was recently installed at the trailhead to Hot Springs Canyon with the given reason that the trail should be closed on days of high fire danger for safety reasons. This is the same canyon that was closed several months ago after heavy rains and where the authorities imposed draconian penalties of possible […]
I recently enjoyed a Sunday evening Broadway Cruise onboard Hiroko Benko’s Condor Express whale-watching vessel here in Santa Barbara. The event featured two young singers – soprano Anikka Abbott and baritone Nicholas Ehlen – who sang classic numbers (accompanied by pianist Renée Hamaty) from a variety of Broadway musicals. The songs featured were such hits […]
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Traffic circles sound so British, don’t they. I feel like folk in Downton Abbey period garb should be milling around, with an occasional ‘ahooga’ horn barreling into the Olive Mill. Thanks for your softly-wrapped skepticism/wariness about the new “fixes.” I was an outspoken critic when the idea first surfaced and maintained a wary and concerned […]
Pat McElroy is the executive director of The Project for Resilient Communities(TPRC), and his recent MJ article was both moving and telling. It spoke to what intellectual curiosity, determination, and private citizens can do when they engage. Now, I don’t know Pat, but I do know co-founder Brett Matthews from another, more eastern-centric life, which […]
Gwyn Lurie Reflects on What We’ve Gained and Lost with Our New Roundabouts Let me start by saying I’m not anti-progress. But driving through Montecito’s recent road “improvements,” I have to admit to some feelings of nostalgia… and loss. For those not aware of the origin of our new roundabouts bookending Coast Village Road, and […]
“So I promise that I’m not going to build a trail that has landslides.” – Montecito Trails Foundation representative to CRAHTAC, 11/14/22 How soon promises are broken… We can’t predict when weather will cause damage to trails, but thanks to highly trained agency staff such as geologists, we are given insight to the types of […]
I came to Casa Dorinda in October 2020, in the middle of Covid. Despite the uncertainties and hurdles presented by the pandemic, I was thrilled at the prospect of moving here. As a single woman with no living relatives in this country, I had been exploring senior living communities for several years. Unlike many Casa […]
