Cover Story
Phantom arboritions
They can lurk in the shadows of the great coastal redwood. Thriving in the dark and damp, and lying tucked away among the massive trunks of redwoods, they are easily overlooked by the casual passerby. In many ways, the elusive and enigmatic albino redwood lives up to its nickname “Ghost Tree.” The ghosts, while not…
Cougars & Mustangs
Sometimes, during my infrequent breaks between texting, Facebooking, or any other sedentary exercise that shrouds itself under the guise of social activity, I think that maybe I should get out in the physical realm and expand my horizons. If you sometimes think along these same lines, you’ll have a multitude of possibilities to make good…
Passing glances
The work of computer technician-turned-artist Steven Boothe and the premise of Peter Lovenheim’s book In the Neighborhood have so much in common, it’s a relief they found each other: Boothe’s photography exhibit “found in passing” is currently on display at Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library, in conjunction with Lovenheim’s In the Neighborhood being named the 2012…
Phantom menace!
It’s Saturday, Jan. 28, at 11:30 a.m. when I arrive at 672 Higuera St., where artists have been arriving since 8 a.m. to pay $25 to enter up to three pieces in a juried art show. The space, nestled between Tom’s Toys and West End Coffee, is chalk full of art: paintings stacked against walls,…
A smattering of applause
Attending the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s opening weekend with the intention of generating some sort of conclusive report is a fool’s errand at best. There are simply too many films to see in four days—not counting the panels and parties and tribute events honoring Viola Davis and Christopher Plummer. So I didn’t try to…
Clubs
BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every…
Taken by Storm
“Hey, my vagina is eight miles wide, absolutely everyone can come inside, if you’re ever frightened just run and hide, my vagina is eight miles wide.” Those are the lyrics of “Eight Miles Wide,” and you should put this [internet?] down, load up YouTube, and type in “Storm Large Eight Miles Wide.” Go on. I’ll…
Saucelito Canyon 2010 Zinfandel Estate Arroyo Grande Valley
I loved this elegant Zinfandel (I can’t remember the last time I described a Central Coast Zinfandel as elegant) at first sip. An amazing blend of red and black berries with notes of briary boysenberry, it’s a wine that’s exemplary on its own or a great choice for the table. Pair it with a great…
Palmina 2010 Arneis Santa Ynez Valley Honea Vineyard
This lovely, elegant white wine by winemaker Steve Clifton is a great choice for an aperitif, or for pairing with raw or cooked fish. Pale in color and quite dry, it offers fragrant notes of sweet pear, honey, and minerals lifted by highlights of citrus. But it’s tasty enough to stand up to bolder foods…
Experience matters
I was quite impressed while tasting through two Center of Effort (COE) and Effort 2009 Pinot Noirs with winemaker Nathan Carlson. The quality of both wines was hardly surprising; they showcase the quality of the Edna Valley wine growing region. Carlson, who’s passionate about winemaking, makes COE wines where they’re grown at the estate vineyard…
Food to get you through … the break-up
“It’s over.” Maybe the words were said in a text, or a tweet, or maybe they weren’t said at all, but the fact remains: Your relationship is kaput. Whether it was a girlfriend of five years or that person who only calls after 10:55 p.m., you’re looking to cut a swath through that depression that…
Music for the masses
Local musician Chase Hall recently opined in this very section of the paper that a lack of “critical thinking” among fans and artists in San Luis Obispo contributes to what he sees as a lackluster music scene. More critical thinking, he claims, could lead to a better experience for both artists and attendees. As a…
An appeal for saving the eucalyptus
I woke at 3:30 a.m. with thoughts of the trees in Sweet Springs. Aroused in the middle of the night, I wondered why I care about the eucalyptus trees—these non-native trees, an invasive species. I’m told they’ve been there 80 years or more. I’ve only been here 10 years and not yet that age. I,…
I’d like to call someone in my own country
“[We] will send you a notice within 45 days advising you of the price increase,” the woman replied for the third time! I asked, “if the price increase is effective on Feb. 15, it is already Jan. 30, and no notice has been received yet, how is it possible I will have a 45-day advanced…
Current candidates should focus on preventing World War III
During this election year of 2012, I wonder if the Republican candidates or our President Obama know about the threat of nuclear war when it comes to Israel’s protection? I will not stand for nuclear war to happen, because of the peace stand I have as a Christian. There is one song from Sheila Walsh’s…
Paso leaders have run the city into the ground
This Paso Robles council has gotten us into this mess by following App, voting in his recommendations and cuts in programs and services. The council’s No. 1 priority is to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens. If/when there is a vote of no confidence in the Paso Robles chief of police,…
Don’t waste more of our money on this case
Thanks for the article on Deputy D.A. Craig Van Rooyen (“D.A. dismisses Doobie Dozen defendants—for now,” Jan. 19). Here is a guy willing to waste hundreds of thousands of public money to further his own career as a so-called tough-on-crime D.A. It has nothing to do with the marijuana and everything to do with his…
Donald Archer, Cambria artist preparing for a studio sale
NEW TIMES How long have you been working in the same studio? ARCHER It’s our house; my wife [fellow artist Lori Slater] and I have lived here for 20 years, and we’ve been doing the studio sale for 16 years. NEW TIMES How is it normally received? Is it successful? ARCHER It varies. It’s been…
Play ball
My favorite activity of all time—better than playing hide and seek with blind orphans, better than tickling puppies until they giggle rainbows—is tossing back a six-pack of Red Bull and playing a few rounds of 20 Questions. It’s like basketball, but with less exercise and fewer jockstraps. Or chess with fewer brain cells. The key…
A change of Atmodsphere
It’s no secret that SLO’s streets can harbor some rather offensive smells stemming from late-night bar crawls.The wonderful earthy and fresh-laundry-infused scent that pours out from Atmodsphere’s doors is the perfect antidote. It’s the type of smell you want to crawl inside of and live in forever. But even if the scent doesn’t draw you…
The price of civility
Last summer, San Luis Obispo County’s Human Resources Director Tami Douglas-Schatz held a secret meeting in closed session with the county Board of Supervisors to deliver a message: The Civil Service Commission is out of control. There was no follow-up report of what was said at the meeting and, indeed, the five members of the…
Pismo Beach expansion postponed
The latest round in the fight over the future of the City of Pismo Beach ended in a tie last month, and it remains to be seen who will have the advantage when the conflict resumes. A county regulatory board postponed making a decision at its Jan. 19 meeting on whether to allow the latest…
Lucia Mar breaks ground on New Tech High
Officials from the Lucia Mar Unified School District joined Pacific Gas & Electric to break ground on the new Central Coast New Tech High School on Jan. 26. With construction now underway, district officials hope to open the school to about 150 students on Aug. 16. Once finished, New Tech High will occupy new and…
Commission finalizes PG&E Diablo denial
State regulators have agreed with a Dec. 21 decision by a San Francisco-based administrative law judge to deny Pacific Gas & Electric’s request to use $85 million in customer revenues to relicense the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. On Feb. 1, the California Public Utilities Commission concurred with administrative Judge Robert Barnett’s decision that the…
A menacing animal ordinance is on the way
San Luis Obispo County could soon be tightening the screws on people who improperly keep menacing or aggressive animals. On Feb. 7, SLO County supervisors are scheduled to introduce an ordinance that, if passed at a later date, could penalize people who don’t properly confine animals that are so aggressive their behavior might be a…
County Planning Commission suggests redefining recreation
County planners are beginning to get a clearer picture for how they should deal with a slew of outdoor activities that seem to have baffled most county officials. On Jan. 26, the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission voted 4-1 on a recommendation to allow county planners to make case-by-case decisions on such projects as…
First Solar closes deal, furloughs workers
First Solar finalized a deal to sell off its 550-megawatt Topaz Solar Farm in eastern San Luis Obispo County and furloughed nearly half of its workforce due to engineering problems with the project, all in the same month. With the closing of a deal, famed billionaire Warren Buffet now officially owns a small piece of…
Misdemeanor charges dropped in Glitters trial
A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge dropped a set of misdemeanor charges against a local jewelry store employee accused of buying and attempting to sell two stolen pieces of jewelry without a proper license. Prosecutors allege that William McBurney, 57, a sales associate at the SLO-based All That Glitters, knowingly accepted a diamond…
Questions linger in Santa Maria police shooting
As the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department continued its investigation into the shooting death of a Santa Maria police officer by a fellow officer, more details trickled out about the incident that made national headlines. Officer Albert Covarrubias, Jr., a four-year veteran of the department under investigation for an alleged “inappropriate and explicit” sexual relationship…
What would be the worst thing to find in the trunk of your car?
Lilia Mendez student “Food that I’ve totally forgotten about.” Ana Lopez student “Dirty clothes.” Tessa Paneri student “A bunch of rotten eggs.” Charlie Lanini fisherman “Yesterday’s lunch.”
