••• The construction notice outside the Big Yellow House building at 108 Pierpont Avenue in Summerland, which changed hands in March, says it will next be used as a studio and gallery, but that’s only a small fraction of the story. “It’s a complete passion project,” says artist and interior designer Dara Kay Barker. “The Big Yellow House Artelier will be a community makers art space that will have artisan programming for adults and kids, along with a gallery space showcasing art related to the programming and by the artisan teachers. The idea is that it takes years to master artisan skills, and I want our kids to understand that process and have one place where we live in an atmosphere of growth and creativity. I want us all to have a community place where we can learn how to make handmade beautiful items. Conceptually, it’s a bit like Godmothers, but for the arts.”
••• “Behind our office at 559 San Ysidro Road in the Upper Village is a gate that connects the property to the Upper Village shops, including Montecito Village Grocery, the post office, Pane e Vino, and several other favorites,” emailed K. “For years, locals regularly used the gate as a convenient pedestrian shortcut between the two areas. About a year and a half ago, the gate was closed and locked. I’ve asked around, including our property manager and building owner, but nobody seems to know why it was closed or whether it will ever reopen. Do you happen to know the story behind it?” The merchants I spoke with are pretty sure it’s related to the frustration that Valley Improvement Company, owner of the Montecito Village shopping center, had with patrons of RH Firehouse Grill parking there when it opened in December 2024, even though anyone parking at 559 San Ysidro could just walk down the street to the restaurant. I tried confirming the reasoning with Valley Improvement, but I didn’t hear back. Hopefully, the management will see that the porousness is beneficial to the community and, even more so, to the businesses. P.S. There’s another gate, by Wunderkind in the San Ysidro Village shopping center, that seems less likely to get reopened because the benefits to people parking and cutting through are more obvious.
••• From July 3 to August 17, the 1880 Union Hotel in Los Alamos—primarily a wedding/event venue—is allowing individual room bookings Thursdays through Sundays. As in many places in the Santa Ynez Valley, there’s a two-night minimum.
••• “What’s the purpose of the cut-out section at the end of Stearns Wharf?” asked D. “You can look over the railing into the water but it’s dark, and you can’t see anything you wouldn’t already see by looking off the side.” Waterfront director Mike Wiltshire had this to say—if anyone knows more, please chime in. UPDATE: “When I was a kid it was the best sea star viewing spot,” says J. “The pilings used to be covered in colorful starfish.”
I’m not entirely sure. I’ve been told in the past that it helps alleviate stress during large swells, as that span of the seaward finger takes the largest swell, but I’ve never fully understood that reasoning. People mainly use it as a safe space to look down under the wharf to the pier structure below. There were historically no rails around the rest of the outer wharf, making this a little safer for kids.
••• Opening June 26 at Sullivan Goss: paintings by Nicole Strasburg. Below: “Sea Level Rising.”
••• I finally crossed walking E. Camino Cielo off my list. The drive up Gibraltar Road is long but scenic, and the reward is amazing views in all directions (including of Gibraltar Dam).
At certain spots, you walk along a ridge that drops away on both sides.
Only a few cars passed by during the hour I was up there, which made for a meditative experience. Don’t get too lost in the moment, though: I thought I would hear any car coming toward me, but if it was around a hillside, I didn’t until it was right up on me.
And the plant life was certainly different than in the front country. All in all, I definitely recommend it when you’re in the mood for something different.
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