We were happy to learn that the old Mesa Verde vegetarian restaurant in Santa Barbara's Mesa neighborhood has reopened as Masala Spice, serving authentic Indian cuisine. It's a great fit for that interesting space.
Monday, March 2, 2026
S.B. Museum of Natural History
Among the other highlights of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History were this beautiful and impressively crafted Chumash basket (above) and the suspended California Condor in flight (below). The California Condor is North America's largest bird.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
blue whale skeleton
In case anyone forgot, the famous blue whale skeleton at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is real. Above is a photo I took in 2020; below are the ones I took recently in 2026.
peculiar forms
Banana yogurt is so rare these days, I'll take it in whatever peculiar form it comes.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Friday, February 27, 2026
garden flowers, part 2
As is often the case, the African (Fynbos) Garden was probably the most colorful. The term "fynbos" is comparable to our "chaparral" - both California and South Africa having a similar mediterranean climate.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Puya
When I first saw Puya chilensis back in 2017 at the Adelaide Botanic Garden in Australia, it was the most exotic plant I had ever seen. Little did I know that the Chilean section of my local botanical garden would one day be a Puya hotspot. Seen here is Puya coerulea, which I have blogged about previously.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
VBG Feb. 2026
While not in "superbloom" mode, the Ventura Botanical Gardens had quite a few flowers due to the rains. It also looked like they are planting a bunch of Washingtonia fan palms.
Monday, February 23, 2026
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
The Bird Way
Read this book twice. Actually the author had success with an earlier book - "The Genius of Birds" - and this was the follow up. As is sometimes the case with follow up books, it was good but... reviews suggest it was maybe not as good as the original. I may or may not read that one. This one had some fascinating material, but - unless you happen to be a bird researcher - the lengthy discourse was occasionally tiresome.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Monday, February 16, 2026
bite-sized chunks
This book I got for my birthday exceeded my expectations. Not only are "bite-sized chunks" better digested (and therefore better remembered), but the authors managed to include a wealth of interesting, overlooked details. Example: the Mayflower intended to land in the northern part of the Virginia Colony (present day New York City) but were blown off course to Cape Cod. Took me over 60 years to learn that.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Alessia revisited, part 2
For the coffee-and-pastry segment of our meal we had the good sense to relocate outside. The sun warmed us up in just the right way and a good time was had by all. The coffee and pastries were good quality, as would be expected from an authentic European-style bakery.
Alessia revisted
We thought for Valentine's Day it would be nice to revisit Alessia in Santa Barbara which we had discovered the year before. At the time it seemed to be the overlooked gem next to the overly-popular Handlebar Coffee. It's no longer overlooked; in fact it was jam-packed with gaggles of gabbing women. Nevertheless the lunch fare - which we had not tried before - was very good.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Canon Perdido Street
A street with a great name with a lot of history behind it. It translates to "lost cannon" but actually refers to a stolen cannon in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. The full story is told here:
Douglas Family Preserve 2026
It had been a long time since we took these trails. Conditions were excellent.
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