Month: June 2006

Pick It Up

Mt. Egypt’s Perspectives (out now): When Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips put skateboarding songwriter Travis Graves under his wing – as did Willie Nelson later – we should have expected Graves’s Mt. Egypt project would be tight, memorable, and glorious. His tour with Band of Horses hits L.A.’s the Echo on June 30 and S.F.’s the Independent on July 1.

Spotlight On…Portico Gallery

“Highest quality is the most important,” said Portico Gallery Fine Art owner Jordan Pope. With clients ranging from weekend tourists to longtime residents, Pope keeps her five-year-old Montecito gallery stocked with original works from nationally known, living artists, taking great care to select artwork from the most premiere shows around the country. Five of the featured artists – John Budicin, Jacobus, J. Le Grue, Michael Obermeyer, and Pope, herself a painter – submitted work to the juried show Oil Painters of America, which only includes 2,000 artists in the entire United States. Five from one gallery is rare.

GOLETA’S FIRST FILIBUSTER

On the first day of hearings on an environmental analysis of Goleta’s Draft General Plan, the most consistent message from citizens was that they need more time to study it, despite already being allotted more than the 30-day legal requisite.

TOP-SECRET ROCKETS:

The skies over northern Santa Barbara County lit up with some spectacular tell-tale contrails of a missile launch earlier this week after a top-secret Vandenberg Air Force Base operation.

Grow Your Own

Making Lemonade, Salads, and Pesto from Your Garden

“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” A tall glass of freshly squeezed lemonade can bring the familiar taste of summer to any picnic or meal. This year seems to have blessed us with a bumper crop of lemons, so if you have a tree or two in your home orchard, you may be looking for ways to use the surplus. Nothing could be simpler than adding water and sugar to that pucker-inducing juice for a refreshing beverage.

Ice Cream Quiz

Ice Cream Quiz

Citizen’s Alert

Thu., June 29
Restorative Resources: Thom Allena presents “Transforming Conflict into an Opportunity for Growth.” 1-4pm. Nonprofit Support Center, 5638 Hollister Ave., Goleta. Call 681-1040.
Fire Exit: Assemblymember Pedro Nava and the Montecito Association host a Town Hall meeting to discuss Sycamore Canyon Road closures with CalTrans representatives. 6-7:30pm. El Montecito Presbyterian Church, 1455 E. Valley Rd. Call 564-1649.

GANG SWEEPS:

In response to escalating gang violence, Santa Barbara city police conducted searches on the homes of 29 suspected gang members early Tuesday morning.

COUCH-BURNERS WILL PAY:

Last year in June, the Isla Vista Foot Patrol gave out one ticket for couch-burning. This year, as the time for wild, school’s-out street celebrations approached, the patrol donned plainclothes uniforms and handed out 18 couch-burning citations.