••• I hear that after Manning Park ranger Doug Norton likely retires in the spring—after more than four decades, most of which time he has lived there, too—the county is considering not having a ranger reside at the Montecito park. That’s bad news for the park in general and for people who live within earshot.
••• This Thursday, The Yes Store opens for the holiday season at the Paseo Nuevo mall. “Santa Barbara’s original artists’ pop-up gift gallery has become a Santa Barbara tradition since it first opened in 1968. […] The Yes Store offers one-stop shopping for arts, crafts, custom fine jewelry, fused & blown glass, graphics & photography, ceramics & woodworking, clothing, leather & so much more at the co-op shop like no other. Join us as we celebrate the joy of providing you with custom hand-made one-of-a-kind gifts for yourself and your loved ones.” It closes on December 24.
••• At the Vons in Montecito, I was sorry to see that the bin for recycling plastic bags has been removed. (The one outside the Albertsons in Carp disappeared many months ago; Albertsons owns Vons.) Vons didn’t respond about whether it might return. I’ve reached out to the California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery to whether the law requiring the bins has changed.
••• While we’re on the subject of Vons: What is the point of this scale if it’s not accurate?
••• The Hyatt Centric hotel across from East Beach is undergoing renovations. The website makes it sound like the hotel is still open: “While noise and guest impact will be minimal, some hotel facilities will be relocated or unavailable during this time. The swimming pool and lounge deck will be closed from September 30th, 2019 to January 15, 2020. The StayFit Fitness Center will be closed from October 27th to December 15th. Additionally, lunch and dinner service in our restaurants is suspended. Breakfast is still available.” Walking by, however, I thought it looked totally closed, at least for a while, and no one answered the phone. The hotel changed ownership in July of 2018.
Greetings Erik,
A friend in Wisconsin called this morning and mentioned my name appearing on your site. And having been a part of this community for so long, I feel definite mixed emotions about retiring. County management of the park seems to be of two minds these days, regarding the resident ranger program, so I would encourage those with any opinions to let them be known. The County Parks Commission would be an appropriate venue for any input. It’s been a privilege to be a member of our community!