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12
summer
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CONTENTS
18
Publisher's Note
The Montecito Coast is this issue’s theme, as we explore the not-so-distant
Channel Islands by kayak, walk along the storied shores of Butterfly, Biltmore,
Hammonds and Miramar Beaches, and talk with renowned naturalist
cinematographer Mike deGruy and former world champion surfer Shaun
Tomson, both of whom now call Montecito home.
22
Caving
The Channel Islands off our coast have been called “The Galapagos
Islands of the North,” and for good reason. Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and
Anacapa are reachable via local charters, or by simply running out there
on one’s own craft, as Chuck Graham, who visits the islands regularly in
his kayak, does. It’s “one of the best ways to explore this beginner-friendly
environment of tranquil coves, knobby rocky spires and hordes of sea
caves,” he writes.
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Fashion and Fame
She called herself “an enemy of the average,” and Montecito’s much-
married would-be opera diva Madame Ganna Walska was certainly that,
and her legacy rests upon an uncanny ability to collect and display plant
life. Lynn Kirst suggests Ms Walska’s sense of clothing and jewelry design also
set her apart from other women of her era, but that those attributes may
have been “borrowed.”
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Observations
It’s almost never called “The Montecito Coast,” but the mile and a half of
sea and sand that hugs our shore has been the center of Montecito life for
over 150 years. “Taking a walk along this shoreline at low tide,” writes James
Buckley, “is not only one of the best ways to view many of Montecito’s most
cherished institutions, but it can also spur an understanding of why we love
it so.”
50
In the Past
When the Chumash held dominion over what is now Miramar Beach, it
was “the place of the wood ticks.” After the Californios arrived, it became
Rancheria San Bernardino, before settling down into Josiah Doulton’s
Ocean View Farm, and finally his and Emmeline Doulton’s Miramar Hotel.
61
Landmarks
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church is as familiar to Montecito residents as,
say, Rockefeller Center or Central Park is to New Yorkers, but to anyone just
stumbling upon this handsome edifice, it can come as a complete – and
extremely pleasant – surprise. Now, after 75 years, what many need to
remember is this Ross Montgomery-designed Pueblo Revival masterpiece
was paid for by parishioners Clara and Mary Cudahy and Elizabeth Nelson.
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Cover:
Kayaker explores Scorpion Rock Cave located
on the southeast end of Santa Cruz Island as
family of California brown pelicans look on