The Home Page | Cute Cottages and Local Landmark Lore

Credit: Karen Spechler

Wonderful Realtor and musician Karen Spechler is on a hiking and biking tour of Ireland, and — luckily for us — she is sharing photos along her way. The adorable cottage above is on the island of Inishmore off the western coast. Look closely to see its mini-me in the upper right corner. So cute! I hear that she’s heading south to County Cork soon for the next phase of her adventure. Hopefully, Karen will keep these grand photos and stories coming!

Speaking of adventures, I took advantage of last week’s three-day weekend to get outside as much as possible. Have you seen Lake Cachuma lately? We hiked the short Sweetwater Trail around part of the lake near the dam. The water level is so high that you can see spots where the trail used to be that are now underwater! On Saturday, we hiked the Aliso Canyon Loop Trail near the Sage Hill campground off of Paradise Road. So many butterflies, so many flowers, and a super-sweet 360-degree view from the top, part of which is shown above.

Girls pose on the steps of the St. Vincent DePaul orphanage on De La Vina street in a still from the silent film referred to as “Beppo” during its production by the American Film Manufacturing Company. The film was shot in Santa Barbara, California, but the production company was based in Chicago, Illinois. | Photo: Chicago History Museum, ICHi-183731

When I visited my son John and daughter-in-law Natalie in Chicago last month, we had a fun small-world story. Natalie works at the Chicago History Museum as Rights & Reproductions Coordinator, helping people find all sorts of images from the museum’s vast collections. During my visit, she mentioned that she was helping someone locate historic photos taken in Santa Barbara. Turns out, the photos were taken at the original St. Vincent’s orphanage for Beppo, a silent movie made by the Flying A Studios in 1914. We talked about the rise and fall of the Flying A, their roots in Chicago, and their heyday in Santa Barbara. The former orphanage is a two-story building built in 1874 and is still standing in my neighborhood at 925 De la Vina Street. Scout and I often enjoy the front lawn when we pass by on our walks. The article about Beppo published on Independent.com, giving us an even smaller world story — and the children in the photos an extension of their legacy.

On June 7, the Pearl Chase Society offers the latest in their Kellam de Forest speaker series when architects Cass Ensberg and Leslie Colasse will bring their collective backgrounds to present “New Perspectives in Santa Barbara History” at 5:30 p.m. at the Alhecama Theatre (215 E. Canon Perdido St). The presentation is free; donations are always appreciated. To reserve your seat, call (805) 961-3938.

Wishing you a happy first week of June. Make sure you pick up this week’s issue of the Independent, with awesome coverage of our annual Indy Awards honoring local theater, and check out the house on our real estate cover: It’s a sweet home for sale from Monica Lenches, located at 1263 Las Palmas Drive, and open today from 1-4 p.m.

PS: If you want even more cute pet pix — and possibly another photo of Scout — be on the lookout this coming Thursday, June 6, for a special Pets & Animals–themed issue, which will include the winner of our Fido’s Photo Contest and more surprises. As shown above, Scout plans to get outside again today. However you choose to spend it, enjoy your Sunday!