On Summerland’s Western Fringe

I parked in front of Sandpiper Liquor, one of the last vestiges of funkiness on Summerland’s main drag, which has undergone a wave of gentrification in recent years. The store reminds me of how my hometown of Huntington Beach used to be, before so much of Main Street got rebuilt as a generic strip mall. Someone once told me that Sandpiper’s proprietor also owns the building, protection against it getting the boot, but of course change may nonetheless come for it one day, too.

My objective was to explore the area west of Evans Avenue, where Summerland’s street grid—which already has some holes in it—looks totally frayed, at least in comparison to the tidier eastern edge.

The day was beautiful, which meant I was at risk of getting hot by the end, so I started by heading up Evans Avenue, toward the route’s highest elevations. While much of Summerland has been painted white, there remains a fondness for pastels, as we’ll see elsewhere, too….

I always feel for eucalyptus trees that get butchered. They look like bones.

Scamp is a word we don’t use enough.

And while I’m not sure the DIY “Whitney” sign is all that useful, it does add homespun charm.

The highlight—and lowlight—of this stretch was a decapitated swan where Evans Avenue turns into Calle Culebra. How awesome that the homeowner just left it there after what I assume was an accident. And yet it also reminded me of Roald Dahl’s brutal short story, “The Swan,” which has stuck with me ever since I read it at far too young of an age. That is not a recommendation.

Calle Culebra is steeper, but there are some great houses to distract you. I was wondering why the street was named after a small island off Puerto Rico, only to learn that “culebra” is Spanish for snake. The street’s sinuous shape was surely a factor.

Occasionally, people accompany me on these walks, but one reason I like to do them alone is because I get to free associate—to Roald Dahl, for instance, or in the case of this massive chain, photographer Herb Ritts.

The “hidden driveway” sign reminded me of how signs in New Zealand say “concealed drive,” which struck me as off—it’s not as if someone purposely kept them from view. “Hidden” has the same problem, and yet I can’t think of anything apter.

And then I was singing “Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning” from Cowboy Junkies’ The Caution Horses album. I’ve always thought Taylor Swift should cover it.

The owner of 2202 Calle Culebra has plans to build a house there (to the extent that there’s a there there at all).

At the end of Calle Culebra is a trailhead for what the Montecito Trails Foundation calls Calle Culebra Trail. Back when I walked Ortega Ridge, I could see it from Ortega Ranch Road. This time I actively explored it—not all the way, but far enough to smell the delicious pines and admire the view back toward Summerland.

Loved the nasturtiums! Hated the ivy. It’s evil—look at how it’s insinuating itself along the fence. I’ll spare you the rest of the rant.

As per usual, I noticed different things on the walk back down—such as how these houses on Whitney Avenue are neatly stacked and what appears to be a vacant lot at the bottom of Calle Culebra. It’s part of 2160 Ortega Ranch Lane, way to the west.

I had told myself that I’d concentrate on what’s west of Evans Avenue, but the stub of Whitney Avenue was irresistible, and I probably skipped it when I walked Whitney Avenue back in 2019. There are more fun house-paint choices—the purple really matches the echium—and a homeowner who made the most of his driveway by extending it into the street. Could the goal be to discourage people from parking in the cul-de-sac?

Now that the Big Yellow House isn’t all that yellow, perhaps the sign should be moved to the home below. Also on Evans Avenue: impressive stonework—including the chimney.

A few years ago, the previous owner of 2242 Banner Avenue, with whom I’m friends, invited me to take a look at the property before putting it on the market. The only advice I could think of was to update the street numbers: “Make it look like something you’d see on Instagram,” I said. A minor suggestion, but not a terrible one—first impressions and all that.

The house next door has a preppy pink door, or maybe the whale weathervane is just giving me Vineyard Vines vibes.

Speaking of which, here are other weather vanes from around the area….

I would’ve been amused by the homemade sign on Banner Avenue even without the Superman uniform.

I can’t see a Jet Ski without thinking of Lizzo’s Instagram post after Trump lost to Biden in 2020.

The mustard was in bloom, to spectacular effect. Another Montecito Trails Foundation trail runs from Banner Avenue to Ortega Ridge Road, at least according to the sign and the MTF’s map—but the trail is grown over and I was not about to risk a snakebite.

2190 Banner Avenue, a 1963 house on four acres, sits at the west end of Banner Avenue. The owner paid just $1.05 million in 2011.

On Google Maps, Varley Street looks it continues through to Pierpont Avenue, at least for pedestrians, but it didn’t seem that way to me, and I didn’t push it. (Also note how Google labels the street to the south as both Lillie Avenue and Sears Street.)

Here’s what the other part of Varley looks like, as approached via Lillie/Sears. I walked most of the way down, until I felt like I was at risk of trespassing.

As an avid collector of botanical detritus, I’m in no position to judge this person. However, I can’t condone decorating the dashboard, too.

The former home of Mary Suding Antiques, 2240 Lillie Avenue, appeared to be undergoing a paint test. A very sweet ride was parked nearby.

At 2211 Lillie Avenue, on the market for $3.2 million, the parking area is above the house, with an amazing view. And there’s an avocado tree right at the street that must tempt the neighbors. The owner needs one of those “Avocado theft is a crime” signs—as do I, and if you have an extra one, I’ll pay good money for it.

The view back down Lillie/Sears is pretty great. (Imagine what Summerland must have been like before the freeway.) Lillie/Sears becomes one-way just past Pierpont Avenue, and when I looked at the area later on Google Maps—trying to figure out how traffic flows on these streets—I was delighted to discover a geodesic dome–like structure at 2176 Lillie Avenue.

The midcentury buildings and vintage wagon definitely give a throwback feel to this stretch of the street.

Yet another Montecito Trails Foundation trail, this one called Sears Trail, links Lillie/Sears with a spur off Ortega Ridge Road. You get a pleasant view down toward town, along with a good look at the Banksyesque artwork outside 226 Ortega Ridge Road. The red balloon is the globe of a light fixture, and I presume it can be illuminated—possibly, but not necessarily, in a way that would call to mind “Roxanne” or “Red Light Special.” (The free association never stops.)

Nearby, a larger-than-life rabbit statue towers over the ice plant. I’m not making fun of it, because we have a smaller rabbit statue in our backyard. It came with the house and we never bothered to move or remove it.

I spent most of my time on Hardinge Avenue wondering how it’s pronounced: Harding, like the president? Har-dinge, to rhyme with hinge? Hardingy, like thingy-dingy? Don’t tell me. Beyond that question, there were nesting swallows, pops of light blue, and a house, next to the post office, that apparently dates from 1900.

Those of us of a certain age will remember how the Big Yellow House restaurant used to weigh patrons under 10 years old to determine how much they’d pay. Just try that nowadays!

The Summerland post office is a wonderful relic in so many ways. The mural on the retaining wall gets props for including the wartier part of the town’s history.

I hope there’s never a memorial marker that says I died while I was looking at pug videos on instagram.

I can’t resist a community bulletin board like the one in the post office parking lot. Three bucks to iron a shirt seems like a good deal to me, but then I have no idea how to iron and I’m not learning now. Years ago, when my husband and I were getting ready for something, I pointed out that my shirt was wrinkled. “It’s part of your brand,” he replied.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Bye.

The Summerland Antique Collective was closed, or I would’ve popped inside. Two of the best gifts I’ve ever given Adam—a copper watering can and a gorgeous marble mortar and pestle—are from there. And they were on sale! The sidewalk ends not soon past the store, so I crossed to the other side. The decriminalization of jaywalking remains one of my favorite legal advances.

I’ve never paid the Summerland Inn much attention—it looks OK from a distance, but the sign planted by the side of the road tells another tale. As do the Yelp and Tripadvisor reviews.

This is a face, right? I was weighing the matter when I spotted something even better…

…a snaggletooth fence! Don’t ever change, Summerland.

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Walk With Me…

Downtown Santa Barbara
• Downtown and a Little to the Left
• The Gritty Glamour of the Funk Zone
• The Upper Upper East Is Busting Out All Over
• The Presidio: In the Footsteps of Old Santa Barbara
• Brinkerhoff, Bradley, and Beyond
• Mixing Business and Pleasure in East Beach
• It’s Only Milpas Street (But I Like It)
• The Haley Corridor Is Keeping It Real
• The Small Pleasures of Bungalow Haven
• Is There a Better Neighborhood for a Stroll Than West Beach?
• E. Canon Perdido, One of Downtown’s Best Strolling Streets

Eastside
• Where the Eastside Meets the Lower Riviera

Oak Park / Samarkand
• The Side Streets and Alleyways of Upper Oak Park
• The Small-Town Charms of Samarkand

The Riviera
• The Ferrelo-Garcia Loop
• Scaling the Heights of Las Alturas
• High on the Lower Riviera

Eucalyptus Hill
• On the Golden Slope of Eucalyptus Hill
• Climbing the Back of Eucalyptus Hill

San Roque
• Amid the Saints of South San Roque
• Voyage to the Heart of the San Roque Spider Web

TV Hill / The Mesa
• Higher Education on the Mesa
• The Metamorphosis of East Mesa
↓↓↓ The Highs and Lows of Harbor Hills
• Walking in Circles in Alta Mesa
• West Mesa Is Still Funky After All These Years
• A Close-Up Look at TV Hill

Hidden Valley / Yankee Farm / Campanil
• Campanil is a Neighborhood in Flux
• An Aimless Wander Through Hidden Valley
• The Unvarnished Appeal of Yankee Farm

Hope Ranch / Hope Ranch Annex / Etc.
• A Country Stroll on El Sueno Road

Montecito
• A Relatively Modest Montecito Enclave
• Strolling Under a Canopy of Oaks
• Out and Back on Ortega Ridge
• The Heart of Montecito Is in Coast Village
• Quintessential Montecito at Butterfly Beach
• Once Upon a Time in the Hedgerow
• Where Montecito Gets Down to Business
• In the Heart of the Golden Quadrangle
• Up, Down, and All Around Montecito’s Pepper Hill
• Montecito’s Prestigious Picacho Lane
• School House Road and Camphor Place

Summerland / Carpinteria
• A Stroll in the Summerland Countryside
• Admiring the Backsides of Beachfront Houses on Padaro Lane
• Whitney Avenue in Summerland

Goleta / Isla Vista
• In the Shadow of Magnolia Center
• A Tough Nut to Crack in Goleta
• Where the Streets Have Full Names
• The Past Is Still Present in Old Town Goleta
• Social Distancing Made Easy at UCSB

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