Note: Though we’ve printed quarterly issues since 1999, we’ve digitized from the current issue back to Spring 2008. Older issues have not been digitized for display on our site.
Horse Training in her DNA
Amber Giorgi tells about raising and training horses and about growing up on a cattle ranch. Many times when we think of horse-training, we assume that the confinement of an arena is where it all takes place. However, it is in riding your horse out into the countryside and away from the confinement of an… Continue Reading
The World of Karamia Designs
From Moscow to Los Angeles, from the Bay Area to the Santa Ynez Valley, Karina Rizzo is a woman on the move. Having fled the political turmoil of Soviet Russia in the early nineties, and paid her dues as a city dweller, Karina has found that the relaxed environment of the Santa Ynez Valley nurtures… Continue Reading
Louis Lucas & Royce Lewellen-Wine
Thirty-odd years ago, the Santa Maria Wine and Food Society welcomed new member Louis Lucas, a grape grower who was about to jump-start Santa Barbara County’s viticultural scene. Over a meal and several glasses of wine, Lucas chatted with Royce Lewellen, a Solvang judge with a penchant for community service, and the pair launched what would… Continue Reading
From Solvang to Beijing
It’s no surprise that the physical beauty of the Santa Ynez Valley attracts celebrities looking to escape the limelight. They often find the accoutrerments of fame and fortune—superficiality, social hierarchy, snobbery—are surprisingly absent here, as if the Valley enfolds residents so protectively they are free to be themselves. If they gain local recognition, it’s normally… Continue Reading
Creation Station
After successful careers in the medical field, Patrick and Dawn Farrier took the unlikely step of filling a converted, ’70s-era bowling alley in Buellton with an array of goodies for people who love to sew. Initially driven by a simple desire to make new friends, they launched a creative revolution that reaches well beyond the boundaries… Continue Reading
Happy Beginnings, Happy Endings
When I was four years old and living on Calzada Road in Santa Ynez, I saw a baby bird that had fallen out of the nest, picked it up and went crying to my mother for help. Being the devoted animal lover she is, she agreed to help, but the nest was way up in… Continue Reading
From Figueroa Mtn Autumn is Toyon season.
The Toyon is also known as the California holly and Christmas berry. PHOTO, Cheryl Morris: Toyon berries, top, usually ripen by Thanksgiving and can be seen all through the Christmas season. The flowers, below, are a favorite with bees. Though a tempting decoration, Toyon is protected by state law. Fall is a great time on… Continue Reading
The Honen Runs Again
Solvang’s Honen Thrives under the Care of the Orona Family. As the decades unspool, new buildings crowd the streets of Solvang, sometimes obscuring local history under signboards and sale items. One family, however, celebrates the region’s past by plying those same streets in a remarkable Danish conveyance known as a Honen. Pulled by two Belgian… Continue Reading
Doggy Design and Kitty Couture in Santa Ynez
This item will be replaced with an actual story when someone gets around to it! Hopefully, no one will see this little message and by then most of the stories will be posted for everyone to see. Continue Reading
Chef Maili Halme Brocke
From the one-room schoolhouse in Ballard to the patios and parlors of Montecito’s glitterati, Maili Halme Brocke has traveled a winding road of hard work and well-deserved opportunities. Today, she channels her culinary talents into a prosperous catering business, while deftly cultivating her children’s well-being and future success through the simple magic of home-schooling. “My… Continue Reading