Tag Archives: Santa Barbara

Wilder Than I Thought

I stood daydreaming with my back to the river when a loud slap broke from behind me, the sound of something smacking the surface of the water. It was pushing toward 100 degrees and I had just climbed out of … Continue reading

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A Treasure Hunt For Chumash Pictographs and the Vicious Protector

A mural in Lompoc, Santa Barbara County depicting a seaside Chumash village scene. Little of what Bill said made reasonable sense. He stood on the other side of his termite infested, dry-rotted, wobbly fence, which was missing slats and had … Continue reading

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Gabe Surfing Sandbar, Hurricane Marie 8-27-14

Gabe Venturelli making it look easy. Good to see a friend, a Santa Barbara local, getting it like not many people do. In the middle of summer, no less. Pacific love. “Look at this shot of Sandbar yesterday,” my wife … Continue reading

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Barger Canyon Arch

Looking through Barger Arch toward Santa Barbara. A coast live oak tree obscured for most of my life this frontside feature of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Arroyo Burro Trail, which cuts the mountainside nearby, was one of the first trails … Continue reading

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Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: A California Blood Sport (1800s)

This post is the first entry in a series of four: Second: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Recollections of Jacinto Damien Reyes (1880) Third: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Lassoing Grizzlies (1904) Fourth: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Sport … Continue reading

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