••• I went to the open house at 401 Cielito Road ($2.995 million) this weekend; the property has real appeal, including an idyllic dining pavilion with an oak tree poking through the roof. But for the life of me, I can’t figure out why the developer only put a tub (and no shower) in the main guest bathroom, and it might have been worth replacing what I hope were markers for pet graves in the backyard. (The house has gone pending.)
••• Bright Eyes plays the Santa Barbara Bowl on May 24.
••• The One Hour Martinizing dry cleaners in the Montecito Country Mart has changed its name to Montecito Cleaners, and its sister shops have also been renamed (State Street One Hour Cleaners and Turnpike One Hour Cleaners). A staffer explained that the owner is dropping the Martinizing franchise because the company wanted access to all of the customers’ data.
••• The rain forecast for last Saturday proved to be mostly a bust, but up in the hills above Montecito, we got a substantial amount of hail. I shot slow-motion video that’s pretty dramatic.
••• On March 14, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will offer a Forest Bathing class for $35: “Certified Forest Therapy Guide Carrie Drevenstedt will offer a series of invitations to guide you in finding your own way of immersing yourself in the natural world.” It reminds me of that old joke about golf (“a good walk spoiled”), but then again, anything that gets people outside is worthwhile.
••• Two recent sales of note: Midcentury-Hawaiian-ish 808 Riven Rock Road (below) closed for $5.05 million, way down from its $6 million listing price. And the spec renovation at 904 Skyview Drive closed for $4.485 million, having been listed first at $5.2 million and subsequently cut to $4.795 million.
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