Santa Barbara County Courthouse

while walking in town we "discovered" the 

Santa Barbara County Courthouse

(this is only a small portion of the entire complex)

it's a working building

built in the late 1920's

 after the earthquake of 1925 destroyed the previous building,

it is one of the finest examples of 

Spanish-Andalusian architecture in the United States.

these photos do not so it justice, it's truly stunning

the tile work and the frescos are breathtaking

along the 144 stairs to the top of the clocktower

you can see the workings of the clock

only recently exposed (behind glass) for display.

with an appointment 

you can get a private, up-close and personal tour.

from the clock tower observation deck

the gardens on the back-side of the building

Sibling Torture

when the younger sister

 comes to visit

she gets sent up a tree with a picker.

but her 20 minutes of strong leg and arm work

lead to this!

and her Chicago kitchen 

(she has already returned to the cold midwest)

now has some avocado deliciousness.

plus we think she enjoyed herself

(just a little)

More Tacos!
(and a little culture)

Santa Barbara has an area called 

the Funk Zone

that's situated between 

the end of State St, the railroad tracks and the 101 freeway

just north of the oceanfront and beach.

it's a combination of warehouses, retail 

and tasting rooms for numerous Santa Barbara County wineries.

there are a few restaurants in the zone, one being

 Mony's Taqueria

 which is not only delicious but family run 

and the owners are SOOOOO super nice and friendly.

that, in and of itself, is reason to return

but.......

we would also rate the tacos totally top notch!

authentic, delicious and inexpensive.

$1.75/taco

fish, shrimp, pork, beef or veggie

and house made pistachio salsa (among others)

yum!

and their menu includes more than just tacos.

we followed a quick and easy meal (served with so many smiles)

with a visit to the 

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

and their exhibit of five centuries of Italian art 

on loan from the Glasgow Museum.

inspiring.

culture!

Garden Progress!

 the day it was planted

one month later

dinner last night

lettuce, kale, spinach, oranges, avocados

all from the garden

mature oranges and blossoms at the same time

(the scent is unbelievable)

the lemons are almost ready

(we'll bring some home)

the orange and avocado trees with new drip irrigation

8 yards of mulch. 

the city of Santa Barbara

delivers mulch for free 

to encourage water conservation

(there was some hot, active composting going on,

smelled like silage! neighbors really think we're hicks now)

the newly mulched "orchard"

(with the dead orange tree removed in the foreground)

who needs a lawn mower

when you can stake-out your French Bulldog?

(he really was eating grass)

oh....there is a neighbor with chickens

we can hear the hens cackle a few times a day.

I'm thinking of ordering chicks....

Malibu Hike

we went for an overnight back to Westlake

and were taken for a drive on the famous Mulholland (Dr) Hwy
I always think of Twin Peaks when I hear the name

the motorcycle drivers were absolutely insane 

with their driving on this switchback, windy road.

many times we were repeatedly passed

around curves and the motorcyclist's

 knees were inches from the macadam

all of this tense, white-knuckling 

was a preview for a gorgeous hike in 

Malibu Creek State Park

Daisy was ready!

the little man, being elderly like he is,

stayed home for this one

someone's going to get hurt....

notice the little body of water

at the base of that mountain,

it reminded us of a Roman bath

the trails were lined with 

hedges of wild sage

most as tall as we were.

we stuffed our pockets with it....

on our way out of the canyon we stopped at 

Malibu Seafood 

for a snack of fried clam strips

(we couldn't resist)

and a fresh striped bass for dinner

 we stuffed it 

with parsley and lemons from the tree in the yard

(and the sage from our pockets)

 between Christopher making an

apple crostata

and Laura mixing her famous cocktails

(gin, beet juice, fresh squeezed orange and thyme)

and the fish cooking on the grill...

(despite looking mangled, he was delicious)

...there was time for dancing

and after a good night's rest

we took another hike

just out the back door.

and this time with the little man.

The Hood

some of you have asked what the neighborhood looks like.

here are few examples

(it was awkward walking around taking photos of other people's houses

 without looking like I was casing the entire place.....)

I believe the neighborhood was started in the mid 1930's.

there are a few really wonderful things about it:

every house is different

there are no street lights

there are lots of mature trees 

there are more hedges than fences

it's quiet

except for

the plethora of tree frogs that do their peeping and croaking all night long

we can walk to the grocery store

and the post office

and the vet

and Japanese and Mexican 

and with an additional 10 minutes of walking

there's Macy's

and Trader Joes

oh,

and liquor