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| CONTENTS
SLO LIFE
magazine
October/November 2012
8 | Publisher’s Message
10 | Info
12 | Notes
14 | Timeline
16 | Q&A
18 | Places
24
20 | Meet Your Neighbor
24 | The Way We Live
28 | SLO City Real Estate
30 | SLO County Real Estate
32 | No Place Like Home
34 | Choose Your Adventure
36 | To Your Health
20
38 | Alternative Health
42 | Music
44 | Special Feature
46 | Arts
48 | Recipe
50 34
50 | After Hours
52 | Community Calendar
6 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 7
| PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
Underoos and
World Peace
Seriously, can there possibly be anything better than Underoos?
When I was a kid they were all the rage, and I am happy to report that they are making a comeback.
My three-year-old son, Harrison, has recently discovered what I have known most of my life: Underoos have
secret powers. Since discovering this fact for himself, he pretty much wears nothing else.
And, which Underoos you choose to wear says a lot about
who you are (I’m surprised that a pop-psychology book was
never written, “My Underoos, My Identity”). Harrison has
chosen Spider-Man and loves to climb and jump off of just
about everything in the house. Plus, he has learned how to
shoot webs from his wrists (he makes an “L” shape sticking
out his thumb and forefinger). But, most of all, he is busy
looking after the safety of our neighbors.
The interesting thing about Underoos is that there really
are no bad guy Underoos. To clarify, from the Star Wars
collection they have Darth Vader, but we all know he
became a good guy after he finally took off his mask. And
there was Boba Fett, who was a bounty hunter, but he was
just so amazingly cool that the Underoos executives had no
choice but to make an exception.
In this season of politics and elections and propositions,
I would like to propose mandatory adult Underoos for
everyone. That’s right. And I want to be The Flash. Can
you imagine how the world would change if we all wore
Underoos? I mean, you cannot help but step up your
game when you are a superhero under your street clothes.
The world would be a better place as millions of Wonder
Women and Supermen strode off to work each day
answering to the higher calling of their Fruit of the Looms.
We would be constantly looking out for each other and
ethical decisions would be a snap. Imagine if Jeffrey Skilling at Enron had been wearing Green Lantern Underoos
under his custom Italian suit? Obviously there have been some people who have been wearing theirs already. The
guy who safely landed his commercial jet in the Hudson River comes to mind—rumor has it he was sporting
Captain America ‘roos.
Clearly, we, as a community, have some big issues ahead of us including one brewing in the waters off of Diablo
Canyon [see “Seismic Testing” on page 44] as well as Proposition 37, which is bound to have an effect, one way
or another locally [see “GMOs” on page 38], but I am completely confident (well, at least as confident as I can be
because, as of this writing I have not yet received my government-issued Underoos) that, if we can call on our best
selves, even if it means squeezing into colorful, old school “tighty-whities,” it will mean good things for all of us.
I would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to all of the people who had a hand in producing this
issue of SLO LIFE Magazine. And, to our advertisers, thank you for making it all possible.
Live the SLO Life!
Tom Franciskovich
tom@slolifemagazine.com
8 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 9
| INFO
We want to hear from you!
Have some comments or feedback about something you’ve
read here? Or, do you have something on your mind that you
think everyone should know about? Let us know! To have
your letter to the editor considered for publication in the
“Notes” section, please email it to notes@slolifemagazine.com.
Be sure to include your full name and city. And, it’s best to
keep it to 250 words or less.
Promote your business!
So many of the stories we publish
come from our readers’ great
leads. We are always looking for
interesting homes to profile (see
“The Way We Live” on page 24),
have a recipe that your friends and
family love? Share it with us! To
get an idea, check out “Recipe”
on page 48. Is there a band we
should know about? Something
we should investigate? Go to
slolifemagazine.com and click
“Share Your Story.”
buy
local
Tell us your story!
Subscribe!
Our advertisers get great results and
we would like to tell you about it, but
first we want to know about you and
the objectives of your business. Call
us at (805) 543-8600 to talk with
our publisher, Tom, about different
advertising programs—we have
something for every sized budget. Or,
go to slolifemagazine.com/advertise
We can send you a complete media
kit and loads of testimonials from
happy advertisers.
Ready to live the SLO Life all year long? Be sure
to go to slolifemagazine.com/subscribe. It’s just
$12 for the year. And don’t forget to set your
friends and family up with a subscription, too. It’s
the gift that keeps on giving!
SLO LIFE
magazine
4251 S. HIGUERA STREET, SUITE 800
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401
SLOLIFEMAGAZINE.COM
info@slolifemagazine.com
(805) 543-8600 • (805) 456-1677 fax
PUBLISHER
Tom Franciskovich
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Sheryl Disher
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jeanette Trompeter
Paden Hughes
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Chris Bersbach
Elliott Johnson
Lance Kinney
Katie Osekowsky
CONTRIBUTIONS
Submit your story ideas, events, recipes
and announcements by visiting us
online at slolifemagazine.com
Contributions chosen for publication
may be edited for clarity and space
limitations.
ADVERTISING
If you would like to advertise, please
contact Tom Franciskovich by phone
at (805) 543-8600 or by email at
tom@slolifemagazine.com
NOTE
The opinions expressed within these
pages do not necessarily reflect those
of SLO LIFE Magazine. No part of this
publication may be reproduced in whole
or in part without the expressed written
permission of the publisher.
CIRCULATION, COVERAGE AND
ADVERTISING RATES
Complete details regarding circulation,
coverage and advertising rates, space,
sizes and similar information are
available to prospective advertisers.
Please call or email for a media kit.
Closing date is 30 days before date of
issue.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
notes@slolifemagazine.com
4251 S. Higuera Street, Suite 800
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Letters chosen for publication may be
edited for clarity and space limitations.
10 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 11
| nOTES
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12 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
HOMELESS FEEDBACK
The article about homelessness in the last issue
(“Understanding Homelessness in San Luis
Obispo”) struck a chord with many of you.
Clearly this is a big issue, but nearly all of the
readers we heard from seem conflicted in a
similar way. On one hand, there appears to be a
deep compassion for those that genuinely need
help, but on the other hand, there exists a lot
of frustration for those that do not necessarily
want to change their situation (identified in the
article as the “will-nots”). Thank you to all of
you that wrote in. Below is just a sampling of
what we heard…
Dear SLO LIFE,
Thank you for the insightful and informative
article regarding the homeless situation in San
Luis Obispo. Most compassionate citizens
wish to aid and assist the “have-nots” and “cannots”
as described by the author in the article.
The frustration many have with the proposed
plan for the new Homeless Shelter building is
in regard to the “will-nots”, who are distorting
the homeless numbers and taxing the already
thin resources designated for those in need.
I often eat lunch at Mitchell Park as it is
close to my office in San Luis Obispo. Many
willfully homeless congregate in the park and
I have personally witnessed multiple episodes
of drinking, drug use, and belligerence in the
proximity of children playing at the park. You
can barely walk a block in downtown San Luis
Obispo without passing a 20 something yearold
homeless male with a dog, a cell phone
and a sign and wonder if this is a condition or
a chosen lifestyle. I hope the decision makers
in San Luis Obispo work with the Police in
considering all of the facts about the homeless
issue before turning what was supposed to be a
safety net for those in need into a hammock.
Sincerely,
Andrew Wright
San Luis Obispo
Dear SLO LIFE,
The article on homelessness in the August/
September issue was interesting to me and
brought back memories of my career at Social
Security. When Social Security acquired
the aged, blind and disabled (renamed
Supplemental Security Income or SSI)
programs from the Department of Social
Services in 1974, we discovered an entirely new
type of beneficiary. It is true that there was
(and probably still is) a west coast homeless
route. Back then it began in Washington and
moved up and down the coast to San Diego
depending on the season of the year.
The article mentions homeless receiving
‘social security’ a couple of times. To receive
retirement, survivor or disability as a social
security benefit, one must have FICA
earnings to qualify. To receive SSI, one must
meet financial requirements and disability
requirements if under age 65. More likely,
the homeless are receiving other benefits from
social services.
Susan Crosson
Dear SLO LIFE,
Your story on homelessness clarified the issue
for me for the first time ever. In the 23 years
I have lived here, this is something that has
always puzzled me especially in recent years,
where many of the homeless do not appear to
be simply down on their luck. It’s something
I have struggled with because I do consider
myself a very compassionate person and my
heart hurts for those that are truly in need. I
can’t begin to imagine what that must be like
to not have a roof over your head. That makes it
all the more confusing when you see people out
there who are of sound mind and body taking
up resources for those that really do need
it. Not to mention that it can be somewhat
scary and intimidating by some of these folks
who are quite aggressive in asking for money.
Anyway, I wanted to say thank you for bringing
some understanding to such a confusing
subject. I just wanted to offer some feedback.
Carol
San Luis Obispo
BIG BIRD!
Dear SLO LIFE,
You are never too young to start birding!
Bird Watching at Port Hartford Pier
Tom Slater
Slater Photography
ANYTHING FOR A LAUGH
Dear SLO LIFE,
I just finished reading the Publisher’s Message
in SLO LIFE about the treadmill desk. It
made me laugh because I had often thought
of putting together the same sort of thing
for myself when I was primarily working in
an office. I had originally heard that Donald
Rumsfeld had something similar set up, and
that’s how I got the idea. Glad I didn’t go to
the trouble of actually trying it now that I
read how difficult it was to actually put it into
practice! Thanks for the laugh :)
Cindy Dobyns
Shell Beach
ALSO SWEET
Dear SLO LIFE,
Adore the magazine. Thanks for the article on
“Splenda” --- I tell everyone I know about it.
Also, I have just published my autobiography
“Linda Allsoh” - all true and on Amazon.com.
I would love the chance to share my story from
moving from Iowa to California. Lots to say to
help others who have been in my situation and
need to get out.
Linda Kay Stillwell
San Luis Obispo
GOTTA HAVE IT
Dear SLO LIFE,
I have just finished reading your current issue
(Aug/Sept) and would like to know how I can
get a copy of the picture of Montana de Oro
shore line taken by Elliot Johnson?
We often take family and friends there and
walk the trails shown and it would be great to
have this fantastic viewpoint hanging in our
home. Please let me know who to contact or
where I might be able to purchase a copy.
Thanks,
Herb Klein
Atascadero
Thanks for your inquiry, Herb—we have
heard from quite a few readers about that
shot wondering where they can purchase
a copy, so we figured there are probably
many more who would like to know. The
photo was taken by Elliott Johnson, who is
a professional photographer based in Los
Osos. His number is (805) 550-2380 and his
email is elliott@elliottjohnson.com. Be sure
to tell him we say “hello.” SLO LIFE
GETTING THE WORD OUT
Dear SLO LIFE,
I was wondering what your policies are
for advertising events on your community
calendar. We have monthly restoration
parties at our Nature Preserve and this
winter is going to be especially critical that
we have a high turnout, because we have
3000 plants to put in. It’s a favorite for the
community – getting the word out is the key.
Holly Sletteland
Morro Bay
Sounds like a great event, Holly. We don’t
have a set policy for placing events in the
community calendar, but we try to do a
good job of recommending just a few to
our readers. Please send us some additional
information and we will see what we can do.
SLO LIFE
OOPS, WE DID IT AGAIN
Dear SLO LIFE,
Would you please stop telling everybody
about all the little secrets around here?
Seriously - my favorite thing in the world is
to go to the Lido Restaurant after work on
Thursday nights to have myself a cold beer
and watch Three Martini Lunch. Since your
article came out the place is packed! And I
never get my favorite seat anymore. Just pipe
down and keep it to yourself already!!
James
Arroyo Grande
NICE WORK
We failed to properly credit Chris Bersbach
for the amazing photography in the “Meet
Your Neighbor” feature including the cover
shot in last issue. Although Chris is currently
away on his honeymoon, we would like to say
“thank you” and job well done. And, congrats
and best wishes on tying the knot! SLO LIFE
Would you like to have your letter published?
notes@slolifemagazine.com
facebook.com/slolifemagazine
slolifemagazine.com/feedback
Letters may be edited for content and clarity. To be considered for publication your letter must
include your name, city, state, phone number or email address (for confirmation purposes).
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 13
| TIMELINE
Protestors gathered at Cal Poly, the location of the
only Chick-fil-A outlet in SLO County to hold a
“kiss in.” The fast food chain’s president, Dan Cathy,
who had made controversial statements regarding
gay marriage failed to show up at the protest
prompting some to call him “Chikin.”
By a unanimous decision, SLO
County Supervisors denied
Excelaron’s application to build
a dozen oil wells in the Huasna
Valley. As the vote was tallied,
the chamber erupted with the
emotional cheers and highfives
of local residents who had
banned together to send the
multinational energy company
packing.
Arguing that it violates the
California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA), a group
called “Save the Plastic Bag
Coalition” sues SLO County
over its ordinance banning
the use of plastic bags in
grocery stores, which had
been scheduled to take effect
on October 1st. As of this
writing, Superior Court Judge
Charles Crandall has yet to
answer the question: “Will
that be paper or plastic?”
August 10
August 23
August 3
August 22
August 30
This summer’s “Whale-a-palooza” reached a crescendo as
visitors and national media descend on Avila Beach to catch
a rare glimpse of our friends from the deep. Concerned about
whale safety, the NOAA issues a warning to bystanders
requiring them to remain at least 100 yards away, prompting
one seismic testing protestor to respond: “Seriously? We can’t
get near the whales, but you are going to allow them to be
blasted to Kingdom Come?”
In a settlement with the SLO Homeless Alliance, the
City Council agrees to dismiss all tickets written for
illegal overnight car camping during this year. City
Attorney Christine Dietrick explained that it was just
too expensive to continue hiring outside lawyers (the
tab was $120,000 at the time) and that she and her staff
did not have enough time to do the work themselves.
City Council has vowed to find alternatives to prevent
overnight car camping.
14 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
A 77-year-old father and his
36-year-old son count their lucky
stars as the single engine plane
they had been flying to British
Columbia for their annual fishing
trip lost power and crashed off the
coast of Cambria. The pair waited for
two hours in heavy seas until a Coast Guard helicopter
gave them a lift. As their pontoon plane sank to the
bottom they were notified that they would have to pay
to retrieve it because it’s in a marine sanctuary. Figuring
fishing the plane out was going to cost quite a lot, they
denied medical assistance, rented a compact car and
headed to Wal-Mart to buy some dry clothes.
PG&E receives another in a series
of approvals in its steady march
toward seismic testing off the
shores of Diablo Canyon, scheduled
to begin November 1st. This time,
the Public Utilities Commission
(PUC), approves PG&E’s request
to pass off the cost of the test to
local rate payers—all $64 million of
it will be paid by its customers.
September 6
September 10
September 15
September 9
September 13
Before the sun came up, someone saw
something that didn’t look quite right
on a remote beach about 12 miles
north of Hearst Castle: it was a bunch
of fast-moving guys carrying large
packages from a boat to an RV parked on
Highway 1. One phone call was all it took
for a massive law enforcement response
that included planes and helicopters.
At the end of the day, 3,000 pounds of
marijuana with a street value estimated
at $4.5 million had been seized and 20
smugglers were in federal custody.
Trial begins for SLO
Firefighter, John Ryan
Mason, who fought Los
Osos furniture maker
Jory Brigham in Pappy
MacGregor’s men’s room
following a wedding
reception. Brigham’s injuries
were likened to a car crash
victim by the prosecution as
he suffered 17 facial fractures
including a broken nose and
jaw and was left
unconscious
by Mason, who
had no
wounds.
A rodeo clown at the Creston
Classic Rodeo makes racist
comments involving Michelle
Obama while addressing the
crowd on the public address
system prompting executives
at the rodeo headquarters to
consider using a mime next year.
SLO LIFE
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 15
| Q&A
Kara Woodruff Blakeslee
During her time with the American Land Conservancy, she played a key role in the Hearst Ranch Conservation Project,
which prevents any future development on all of the 82,000 acres surrounding Hearst Castle. In 2005, after years of
work on the project, she became vice president of the financial planning firm, Blakeslee & Blakeslee, at a time when her
husband’s political career was starting to take off. Today, she strives for balance in a hectic life that includes a full-time
career, raising two daughters, and volunteer fundraising for the Wild Cherry Canyon project. We stopped by one morning
to see how things were going…
Thanks for meeting with us today,
Kara. By the way, that’s a great
photo there behind your desk.
That picture is taken at San
Simeon Point. After the Hearst
Ranch project was successfully
completed, Sunset Magazine did
an article and they needed a tour
around the property, so I brought
my daughter who is now a junior
at SLO High School. We toured
around the property and we were
standing there and he took our
picture, I did not know he was
taking it. And then we walked
away and he took it again without
us, and that picture without us ran
in the magazine. But then after
the fact, the photographer, sent it
to me to say, “Thanks for the day.”
It’s a very important picture to me
because my daughter is there and
we’re out at San Simeon Point
looking over to Hearst Ranch.
I love it. It has a lot of personal
significance. My older daughter
really lived through Hearst Ranch
and my younger daughter, who
is in fourth grade now, has lived
through Wild Cherry Canyon. I
kind of define projects by which
daughter had to go through all of
the public hearings. [laughter]
Why conservation?
I grew up in San Diego. From the
time I remember my earliest days
to the time I left high school, I saw
such an enormous change right
there in my backyard. The open
fields where I used to play literally
are now high-rises. When I came
to Cal Poly I was so impressed by
the fact that when you drove out
to Morro Bay at night, it was all
dark. And I loved that feeling of
darkness at night when it wasn’t
flooded by artificial light. And, I
think when I started contemplating
what my career would be, a good
part of the reason I went to law
school was that I wanted to prevent
unbridled, unplanned development
from occurring in places that I love.
So, what did you do?
Prior to working at the Nature
Conservancy, I was in a 35-story
office building in the financial
district of San Francisco practicing
corporate law in the environmental
land use field. A year later I found
myself working in downtown
Guadalupe, on the Guadalupe-
Nipomo Dunes, in a little, tiny
shoebox office and I could not have
been happier. And, my salary went
down significantly, too. [laughter]
But, I loved it, every minute of it.
It was quite a change and exactly
the change I was looking for. I’ve
never been a big city gal. And,
so working in Guadalupe, being
surrounded by wonderful people,
spending a lot of time out on the
dunes which are just so beautiful
and peaceful and calm, I love them.
There are some incredible botanical
resources and wildlife there, too.
Can you give us some background
on Wild Cherry Canyon?
I started working on the project in
1999 and it has been a series of
successes and obstacles along the
way. At this point we are very close
to completing the project, and
yet getting it past that last hurdle
has been very challenging. It’s
a $21 million deal and if we are
successful we will protect 4,000
acres which would be added to
Montana de Oro. And, one of the
truly wonderful aspects of this
project is that it completes the
connection between Avila Beach
and Montana de Oro. So, if we
acquire the property it will go to
the State, and you will be able to
wake up in the morning, maybe
have breakfast in Avila, walk
twenty-some miles, camp if you
want to, but you could continue on
and have dinner in Morro Bay; and
not see any cars along the way. It
would be fabulous.
These conservation projects must
really benefit by the fact that you
are married to a state senator.
There have been times when
Sam’s position as an elected
official has actually worked
against the project. And, the
most glaring example was
when Arnold Schwarzenegger
was the governor. We had the
project very much put together
as a package and it was set to go
before the Public Works Board,
which would have been the final
approval. But, right on the eve
of the scheduling of that agenda
item, the governor killed the
project. And, we were told very
directly by people who talked
to the governor’s staff that the
reason was that the governor
was dissatisfied with Sam’s vote
on the budget. So, as a way of
punishing Sam, he took it out on
the project, although those two
things were only connected by the
fact that Sam and I are married.
So, it felt extremely frustrating, to
say the least.
These projects go on for years
and years. How do you keep
pushing forward?
There’s an old Calvin Coolidge
quote about persistence that
I keep on my computer. It’s a
pretty long one, but I will go
ahead and read it to you. I just
love it. It is probably his most
famous quote. Here goes…
“Nothing in the world can
take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more
common than unsuccessful men
with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a
proverb. Education will not; the
world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination
alone are omnipotent. The slogan
‘Press on’ has solved and always
will solve the problems of the
human race.” Like many others,
I have certainly faced a number
of personal and professional
challenges, but what can you do?
You get up, it’s a new day and
press on! [laughter]
SLO LIFE
16 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 17
| PLACES
AVILA
18 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
BEACH
Known for some of the best and consistently warm weather in the world, south facing Avila Beach is uniquely sheltered by a series
of geological improbabilities. And, it is very rarely the subject of a dramatic storm photograph such as this one. But winter stuck
around well into April this year giving Avila-based professional photographer and self-described “storm lover,” Lance Kinney, a
unique opportunity to capture his hometown in a different light. Standing on rain-soaked Dog Beach, facing the Cal Poly Pier
(the Avila Pier is in the background) just before 6:30 in the morning Kinney took five shots in rapid succession, the first two were
underexposed, the third was as-is, and the last two were overexposed. Then, blending them together in a technique called “HDR”
(high dynamic range) he developed what you see here, a sharply contrasting and true-to-life reproduction of the real thing. “I love it
when I get a local image that people don’t immediately recognize,” explains Kinney. “It’s interesting how people project themselves
into the photo, but this one is different, even many locals are surprised to learn that this was taken right here in Avila.” SLO LIFE
Do you have an amazing photo to share? Email it to places@slolifemagazine.com
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 19
| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
Adam
Stowe
In this installment of our “Meet Your
Neighbor” series, SLO LIFE Magazine
sits down for a conversation with Adam
Stowe. Born in San Luis Obispo and
raised in Los Osos, he has had a lifelong
passion for sports, especially baseball. He
went off to the University of Michigan but
graduated from Cal Poly. He and his wife,
Lauren, a speech therapist, moved to New
Orleans a week before Hurricane Katrina
arrived. Together they have a three-year-old
daughter, Quinzi, and live a stone’s throw
from Sinsheimer Stadium in the same
family house that Stowe did at that age.
Today, he is three years into his tenure as
General Manager of San Luis Obispo Blues
Baseball, where he has been engineering a
remarkable turnaround of the organization,
which just a few years ago was on the brink
of shutting its doors. For two years running
the Blues have finished in first place and
this year they played in the World Series in
Wichita, Kansas.
Here is his story…
So, Adam, where do you get your passion for the game?
Some of my earliest memories are of attending sporting events with
my father. My dad was a baseball player. He played Triple-A ball
before he decided that he needed to support a family, so he went back
and got his Ph.D. in physics and became a professor at Cal Poly. He
loves baseball and comes out to the park all the time. He and my mom
were a host family this year and had a Blues player living with them at
their house. They even ran the concession stand a couple of years back.
They volunteered to run it, but they’ll never volunteer to do that again.
[laughter] Long hours and terrible pay. I won’t let them work at the
concession stand again. I love them to death for doing that, but that was
more than anyone can ask.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a baseball player or a fireman. I was always an organizer,
though. From the time I was probably five-years-old I was organizing
neighborhood baseball games or soccer games or whatever you wanted to
do that day. I was always the one making the phone calls and making sure
everyone was coming and had rides. At one of the local neighborhood
baseball games I organized, I must have been ten-years-old, someone had
fouled off a pitch and I went to retrieve it and found that the baseball
had gone straight into a beehive. All of a sudden a thousand angry bees
are charging at me. I look down and my sweater is just covered in bees.
Somehow I managed to take it off and throw it down on the street
without being stung. But all of the other kids that were out there with me
that day got stung, and they were all banned from playing baseball with
me for a couple of weeks. It was torture.
20 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
Tell us about your family.
I think I am the luckiest guy alive because I don’t think that any other
woman in the world would put up with someone who puts in so many
hours for something that pays so little. It just happens that she’s a sports
fan and understands my drive. It wouldn’t even be enjoyable without her.
If I didn’t get to share all of our successes and problems I don’t think
it would mean half as much to me. We have a beautiful three-year-old
daughter, Quinzi, which is Lauren’s mother’s maiden name. She loves to
go to Blues games. When I get up in the morning on the day the Blues
are playing I wake her up by saying, “Hey, Quinnie, what day is it?” And
she says, “Game day!” She’s got her own Blues hat and she walks in the
stadium very proudly. She’s adorable. I guess I’ll give her a couple more
years before I make her my official ticket taker. Lauren and I originally
met in San Luis when she was a travelling speech therapist, which I find
a little bit ironic because my mom was also a speech therapist. But, by the
time that we really started talking, her assignment was up and she moved
back East. We continued talking more and more and the relationship
developed and we decided that one of us needed to move or we needed
to call it off. So, she decided to move with the stipulation being that in a
few years, when it was time for her to go off to school, I would go with
her. A few years later she wanted to get her Ph.D. from Tulane because
they were doing the kind of research she wanted. We went down there
for a weekend and put an offer on a house. She went down and closed the
sale and started decorating and moving in. Then a week later Hurricane
Katrina hit. She had to evacuate. Our house was flooded and whatever
wasn’t damaged was stolen. She was in Northern Louisiana for four
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| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR
or five days before being able to fly back here. We spent the next six
months flying between San Luis and New Orleans trying to fix our new
house. I hate talking about it because so many people were so much less
fortunate than us.
You lived in New Orleans for four years. What was that like for you?
I had done the whole corporate marketing thing, it was great, but it just
wasn’t for me. You can only get so excited about selling widgets. When I
got down there I contacted athletic directors all over the area. I talked to
LSU, Tulane, University of New Orleans, Alabama, and on and on. They
all said the same thing, “You have great business experience but nothing
in athletics. Our advice to you is to get some experience… volunteer, take
tickets, pick up trash after the game. It doesn’t matter, just get your foot in
the door.” So, the University of New Orleans needed an intern in sports
marketing promotions. I started as a volunteer there with my first task
being to promote women’s basketball. Two months later they fired their
director of marketing and hired me. I held that position for a couple of
years and then moved up to the president of their athletic foundation. I
was their chief fundraiser.
What brought you back to SLO?
Once we found out that Lauren was pregnant we decided that we didn’t
want to raise our child in New Orleans. We literally picked up when she
was eight months pregnant, packed up our whole house and moved cross
country with two U-Hauls and two cars in tow. [laughter] But, we were
trying to figure out how it was going to be possible, financially, to come
back. She could work as a speech therapist. There is a lot of need for
speech therapy out there right now, but she couldn’t do it full-time because
we had a newborn. I contacted Cal Poly, they were very interested but in a
budget freeze. Cuesta didn’t really have a spot in their athletics department
for my position. I contacted the Blues and my timing was great because
they had just decided that week that they didn’t know anything about sales
and marketing and that they needed to hire somebody. So, I flew back and
checked out a Blues game and they asked me what I needed to be paid
and I told them and they said, “Ummm, yeah… we can’t afford that.” So
I said, “What can you afford?” A few days later they called me to say that
they had come up with a creative idea where one of their sponsors, Ultrex
Business Products, and the Blues would each offer me a part-time job to
make one full-time position. So, in that first year I was splitting time, six
months at Ultrex and six months with the Blues.
Tell us about the Blues.
It’s collegiate summer ball. The way the NCAA works is that, most of
the preseason is spent by their coaches finding their players places to play
during the summer. By NCAA rule, coaches can only have organized
practices or coach their kids for so many hours during the course of the
year. But, they also want them to stay active during the summer and the
kids want to improve their skills so they’ll look to farm them out to teams
like us. Because we have amateur athletes we can’t pay them, so we find
them local host families who give them a room. They play against teams
from all over California, even Las Vegas. Our team is made up of kids
from around the country, we have kids from Kentucky, and Texas, and
Villanova, Washington, all over the place. Nationwide, there are about
400 collegiate teams during the summer with about 40 leagues. So, within
those leagues there are probably 200 legitimate college teams represented.
Our league, the California Collegiate League, or CCL, is currently made
up of five teams and it’s considered probably one of the top five leagues
in the country, behind Cape Code and the Alaskan League it’s probably
number three or four.
The Blues have had a colorful history, particularly in the past five years
or so. Can you give us some background?
Oh, wow. I’m not sure I can do that justice honestly. I really just have
secondhand information. I don’t know the specifics, but I can give you
the order. It started off with Tim Golden. He took a failing product
and turned it into a viable entity in San Luis Obispo. He eventually ran
into financial trouble and brought in an outside investor. That investor,
Joe Vergara, dumped a ton of money into the Blues. A lot of which, in
retrospect, probably wasn’t spent exactly wisely. As money kept being
invested it wasn’t coming back so they brought in another partner, Stevie
Mac, who ended up, to the best of my knowledge, being mostly a con
man. When he went to jail the team nearly folded. Joe said, “I have no
more money, I can’t pay anymore.” Stevie Mac was in jail. They were going
under and the coaches were looking at each other a couple of weeks before
the season and saying, “Are we even going to try to do this?” And they
decided that if they could raise enough money to get through the first few
weeks of the season that they could then figure out a way to foot the bill
for the remainder. That’s when they approached Jim Galusha, who was an
ex-sports agent and the owner of Silverado Stages. The coaches pitched
him on the idea of funding it and he said, “Sure. I’ll do that.” That year, the
2009 season, they got through. The next year they brought me on.
Anything stand out for you as you began your tenure?
One of my very first games with the Blues this ambulance rolls up and
I didn’t even know that someone was hurt. I kind of got panicked and
started running around asking, “Who’s hurt, who’s hurt?” And they said
one of the players is hurt; he separated his shoulder. And, I said, “What,
we called an ambulance for that?” And they said, “No, the ambulance is
for the trainer.” And, I said, “What are you talking about?” He said, “Well,
she took one look at the player’s shoulder and said, ‘I think I am going
to pass out,’ and I thought she was kidding but then she really passed
out.” Apparently, one of the coaches caught her but then someone called
the ambulance because the trainer had passed out looking at a separated
shoulder. I thought to myself, “Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?” I
don’t think she’s in that line of work anymore. [laughter]
What’s new with you as GM?
One of the first things I asked when coming on board was, “Have you
ever considered becoming a non-profit?” I thought it would be a great
benefit to the organization, most importantly it would allow donors to
make tax-deductible donations. Last year was the first time we officially
became a 501(c)(3). We would not have been able to send our team to the
World Series in Witchita this year without our non-profit status. We had
an anonymous donor come forward and because of our non-profit status
he was willing to fund up to $15,000 for the trip. Beyond that, I have had
this picture in my mind for how to run a clean, family baseball program
here in San Luis since, I don’t know, probably college. And, it has taken
me three years to get to the point that I consider a baseline. A lot of it
was recovery and I have had a lot of help along the way. But, number one,
I want it to be family entertainment; number two, I want to provide the
players the opportunity to play against top-level competition; and number
three, I wanted to make best use of the most underutilized resource on the
22 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
Central Coast, Cal Poly, by starting a thorough internship program where
they actually “learn by doing” like their motto says. I think we are finally
where I would like to start. I mean, I think the year before I came on
their annual attendance was 7,000. This last season it was 22,000, so it has
basically tripled in three years. But that’s our starting point.
What comes next?
This is where I can really start to get creative. Now that we are basically
breaking even I can try things. We’ve thrown so much against the wall
some of it was bound to stick. I really want to give it a minor league feel. I
want it to be interactive with the crowd and the staff and the players. The
last thing I want is a separation between the field and the fans. I want it
to be sort of one big neighborhood barbeque with a baseball game going
on at the same time. I want to have more fireworks shows, I want to do
more special events at the ballpark, I want to have more theme nights. I
want to get more involved in the community. I want to have more local
non-profits come out to games. You know, I’d like to team up with local
non-profits to do fundraisers all year long. I’d like to give back to the city
every year to make improvements to Sinsheimer Stadium. The city does
an amazing job of keeping that facility going during the summer. It is so
highly used and it is a picturesque facility. I mean, I really don’t think we
could ask for anything better. I really want the Blues to be a communitydriven
team. And that is where I see us going and all of my efforts will
be directed toward that end. My latest marketing idea is, you know those
Napa Auto Parts trucks that drive around town? They’ve got those Napa
baseball caps on top. I am so getting one of those! Do you know where I
can get one of those? I want to put a Blues hat on my car. Actually, I could
probably just buy one from Napa, paint it myself and put it on my car.
That would be awesome to have a little Blues car driving around town!
Well, the Blues are going places. Reflect on your recent trip to the
World Series for a moment, what goes through your mind...
I have been humbled by the amount of support from the community.
People truly want to see the Blues succeed. Some people may be
hesitant and not confident yet, based on the recent history, but people
are trying. These are still challenging times and people are coming
forward to help out whether it is volunteering or being a new sponsor.
I’m amazed. And it actually makes me prouder to be a member of
this community to see all of these different people coming forward to
help. We have an incredible manager and recruiter in Chal Fanning.
Jim Galusha and his wife, Sharron, have been wonderful. They have
allowed me an amazing amount of leeway. I was very fortunate from
the get-go that they put a lot of trust in me and allowed me to try
things. Some of which failed, some of which worked. But, because of
that, we are now back to where we should be. I’m just thankful they
put their faith in me.
It really seems that you have gone full circle in so many ways.
That’s true. My family and I are now living in the house that I was born
in. My grandmother lived there, my great grandfather lived there. So, I
have had many Christmases in that house with great memories of my
grandparents and family already. Then after college I lived there again with
a bunch of buddies. I made the Ox for the Blues in that backyard, then
when we came back from New Orleans—I’m there again. So this is the
third time I have lived there. It’s awesome, I mean, my daughter is now
in my old room where I was when I was her age. I can’t imagine anything
better. I get to have my parents and my wife and daughter at a Blues game.
It doesn’t get any better than that. I get to sit next to my dad, and instead
of him worrying about how many hotdogs need to be on the grill, he talks
to me about how this batter needs to be more aggressive or that fielder
needs to get in front of the ball. It’s ideal. It’s a true family business, from
grandparents to grandkids.
Adam, it has been great talking with you and we wish you much success
in the coming season.
Thank you, anytime and Go Blues! SLO LIFE
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 23
| THE WAY WE LIVE
PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT JOHNSON
24 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
HiP HabitaT
It was a Thai restaurant in Pismo Beach that brought Tricia Hamachai to San Luis
Obispo. In 2003 her father, who was looking to “semi-retire” on the Central Coast
decided to start a restaurant. Demand was stronger than expected and the first-time
restaurateur became overwhelmed and needed help, so Hamachai took a leave of
absence from her employer, a Los Angeles-based architectural firm, to give him a hand.
After a few months away, Hamachai began to realize just how much she loved
architecture and missed the creativity needed to contribute to the renaissance taking
place in downtown Los Angeles where she had specialized in “adaptive reuse” projects.
“We would take a dilapidated, old, rundown 1920’s vintage high-rise, for example, and
repurpose the upper stories as loft space and the lower level as retail,” she explains.
BEFORE AND AFTER
above CURB APPEAL
The use of Ipe wood and corrugated
metal combined with a drought-tolerant
landscape work to bring the Hamachi-
Wiseman home up-to-date.
top left MODERN STYLING
Lime green walls, sophisticated
furnishings and a metal stair rail create a
relaxed, contemporary living space.
bottom left INDUSTRIAL CHIC
Stainless steel appliances and backsplash,
sleek cabinet handles and a concrete
slab countertop make up a beautifully
modern kitchen.
The restaurant had found solid footing and Hamachai returned to the hustle and bustle
of the big city, but after her time in Pismo Beach something had changed in her and
she had persistent thoughts about the Central Coast that she could not seem to shake.
The trips north became more and more frequent, but it was when her daughter, Jade,
was set to start preschool that things started to click. Hamachai kept an open mind
and started to speculate that “maybe this is where my path is taking me.” A series of
serendipitous events then unfolded, which included the establishment of a remote
working relationship with her firm that allows for the best of both worlds—she now
commutes to Los Angeles once a week to see clients.
When the time came in 2007 for Hamachai and her husband, Jason Wiseman, a selfemployed
internet marketing specialist, to buy a home they searched for a small scale
rehab project. “We wanted a home that had good bones and we found this one, which
was originally built in the seventies and was ready for a remodel,” recalls Hamachai,
who likens the project to a micro version of what she does in downtown Los Angeles. “I
believe in wasting no space because you can really do a lot in small spaces.”
The couple started by opening up the interior, mostly by removing the existing
low profile walls and installing industrial looking steel rails which allowed for an
abundance of light. The brightness allowed for darker flooring, mostly bamboo (their
young son, Xavier, finds it perfectly suited for launching stomp rockets down the
hallway). Attention to detail is apparent in the kitchen where full-extension drawers,
an “appliance garage” and a vent hood are hidden behind cabinet doors. The childrens’
bedrooms closet doors also function as giant blackboards, and a cozy reading nook is
found tucked beneath the stairs.
Outside, the split-level home underwent a dramatic transformation when it was covered
with Ipe wood, which is a renewable hardwood that is resistant to fire, termites, and dry
rot. Add two-tons of corrugated metal to the exterior and it can be difficult to know
whether you are in a cutting edge, downtown Los Angeles loft or in a 1970’s-era singlefamily
home in Sinsheimer —Hamachai would say that it’s the best of both worlds.
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 25
| THE WAY WE LIVE
INSPIRED DESIGN
Trading half walls for open metal railing and increasing window
sizes throughout the home work seamlessly to create a bright,
spacious environment.
MODERN MAKEOVER
This once basic bathroom now shines
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26 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 27
| SLO CITY REAL ESTATE
by the numbers
laguna
lake
tank
farm
cal poly
area
country
club
foothill
blvd
johnson
ave
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
Total Homes Sold
Average Asking Price
Average Selling Price
Sales Price as a % of Asking Price
Average # of Days on the Market
*Comparing 1/1/11 - 9/20/11 to 1/1/12 - 9/20/12
YTD 2011
37
495,904
478,189
96.30
117
YTD 2011
22
624,032
608,795
97.63
92
YTD 2011
15
551,727
527,166
95.20
107
YTD 2011
18
903,456
849,444
94.87
121
YTD 2011
24
674,702
604,263
92.89
98
YTD 2011
26
540,953
516,480
95.86
55
YTD 2011
32
544,281
518,331
95.46
92
YTD 2012
37
566,124
556,824
98.16
72
YTD 2012
24
576,963
563,605
97.61
57
YTD 2012
19
519,953
495,881
95.36
47
YTD 2012
11
815,455
785,772
96.58
158
YTD 2012
36
593,008
579,241
98.27
62
YTD 2012
39
524,029
518,719
99.21
30
YTD 2012
42
611,702
594,114
98.34
67
+/-
0.00%
14.16%
16.44%
1.86%
-38.46%
+/-
9.09%
-7.54%
-7.42%
-0.02%
-38.04%
+/-
26.66%
-5.76%
-5.93%
0.16%
-56.07%
+/-
-38.89%
-9.74%
-7.49%
1.71%
30.58%
+/-
50.00%
-12.11%
- 4.14%
5.38%
-36.73%
downtown
+/-
50.00%
-3.13%
0.43%
3.35%
-45.45%
+/-
31.25%
12.39%
14.62%
2.88%
-27.17%
SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS
®
SLO LIFE
28 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 29
| SLO COUNTY REAL ESTATE
by the numbers
REGION
NUMBER OF
HOMES SOLD
AVERAGE DAYS ON
MARKET
MEDIAN SELLING
PRICE
YTD
2011
YTD
2012
YTD
2011
YTD
2012
YTD
2011
YTD
2012
Arroyo Grande
219
240
106
105
456,000
455,000
Atascadero
222
232
93
100
300,000
320,500
Avila Beach
9
10
70
241
735,000
580,000
Cambria/San Simeon
92
111
129
109
462,000
480,000
Cayucos
35
44
200
149
645,000
633,000
Creston
5
10
90
239
331,000
434,500
Grover Beach
71
80
78
105
300,000
311,000
Los Osos
77
142
104
80
309,000
320,075
Morro Bay
102
85
116
118
405,500
397,000
Wealth
ManageM ent
Nipomo
160
183
117
91
340,500
400,000
InvESTMEnT RETIREMEnT InSuRAnCE
Oceano
48
37
84
97
249,500
231,000
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Pismo Beach
Paso (Inside City Limits)
77
310
77
294
127
95
120
83
560,000
302,000
570,000
317,000
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30 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
Paso (North 46 - East 101)
Paso (North 46 - West 101)
Paso (South 46 - East 101)
San Luis Obispo
Santa Margarita
Templeton
Countywide
72
68
62
203
14
72
1,918
50
76
57
262
19
88
2,097
*Comparing 1/1/11 - 9/20/11 to 1/1/12 - 9/20/12
110
127
84
106
92
107
110
85
120
147
67
64
95
97
225,000
243,500
281,600
535,000
272,200
484,500
360,000
224,000
334,750
325,000
529,500
272,100
412,500
385,000
SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS ®
SLO LIFE
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805.547.7010
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Reservoir
Canyon Trail
BY JEANETTE TROMPETER, KSBY NEWS
We are surrounded by beautiful mountains,
hills, and canyons. It’s always amazing to me,
no matter how much you hike, there always
seems to be uncharted territory to explore.
It’s just another reason, There’s No Place
Like Home.
Just beyond the city limits of San Luis
Obispo toward the bottom of the Cuesta
Grade, you’ll find this little escape off
Reservoir Canyon Road. There’s just
something about waterfalls. Big or
small; they capture your attention with
their soothing serenade. “It feels kind of
Edenistic,” says Bryan Quigley of San Luis
Obispo, who comes here often with his son.
And this waterfall is barely a few hundred
yards off the highway over the Cuesta Grade.
“It feels good! You know with the water and
the moisture and the green and the sun and
knowing where it’s tucked in this little place.
It’s just, it’s amazing!” exclaims Quigley.
And if the waterfall isn’t enough to get you
off the highway, maybe the cave will be.
Behind the cascading waters an adventure
awaits. Depending on what time of year you
go, you may want to bring your mud boots if
you plan on exploring all 70 feet of the cave
that tunnels into the rocky mountain. “It
kinda looked like a gold mine,” said Jayleen
Quigley of San Luis Obispo. “It looked
like, it looked like a train tunnel,” added
exploring partner for the morning, Oak
Emmons. “I was thinking Sasquatch went in
there,” Jayleen continued as they shared the
tale of their adventure.
And once you’ve conquered the cave, and
frolicked in the falls, there is that mountain
to climb. It’s about 6.5 miles to the top and
back, and well worth every step. Because,
as is the case with so many hikes along the
Central Coast, the scenery changes around
every corner. “It’s one of the gems of San
Luis Obispo,” proclaims Kevin Toque, who
hadn’t been in a while, but wonders why he
doesn’t come more often. “I normally go over
to Montana de Oro or Pismo or something,
but for SLO this is such a cool hike to look
out over the valley.”
It’s a moderate climb for the most part, but
there are times when the steps get steep. “It’s
a really good aerobic workout going up,” said
Virginia Jensen of Los Osos, who shares that
she hikes this trail fairly often. It’s a little
trek, but when you get to the top it’s worth
it. And if you plan ahead, you can avoid
retracing your steps on the way back down
by leaving a car on the other side.
Give yourself at least a couple of hours to
complete the journey. And I recommend
scheduling extra time to take it all in once
you hit the top.
“Think of how many people drive by this
highway and have no idea that this little
spot is just so easy!” says Quigley. And it’s
all right in our own backyard offering more
proof, There’s No Place Like Home. SLO LIFE
Jeanette Trompeter, KSBY News anchor and
reporter, hosts the “No Place Like Home” series
every Tuesday evening at 6pm.
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 33
| CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
Bob Jones Trail
WRITTEN BY PADEN HUGHES
city to the sea
34 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
I think it comes with the territory to evaluate your “greenness”
when you hail from the Central Coast. One of my personal
challenges as a local to San Luis Obispo is to get outside more
and find transportation alternatives to my car. I rely too much on
my CR-V to get me from A to B. But, if you’re like me, and you
are ready to dedicate a few hours to getting out to see the beauty
around, keep the car parked.
By the time the weekend rolls around I get the urge to hear the
calming sound of waves, lay out and enjoy the sunshine. But this
time, I’ll be getting to the beach on a different set of wheels.
Do you remember how old you were the first time you rode a
bike? Teetering back and forth insecurely in the beginning, and
increasingly becoming confident enough to speed down hills and
race your friends. It was magic! For me it still is... aside from the
moments you inhale a hideous amount of exhaust from those less
excited about alternative transportation.
That is why I crave bike paths away from the red lights, merging
lanes and drivers who are rocking out to Def Leppard or updating
their Facebook status as they careen past you.
This Saturday I decided to go on my favorite bike ride in San Luis
Obispo. My choice may surprise more serious members of the
cycling community.
There are a wonderful number of bike trails and routes locals will
recommend. When asked for my personal favorite, I would have
to say biking through SLO to Avila via the Bob Jones Trail. It’s by
no means a hard route, but it is a fairly long one for a recreational
biker. Plus the trail rewards you with panoramic views of the
sparkling blue ocean swells, warm sunshine and sounds of happy
tourists playing in the water with their children.
For those wanting to avoid the road hazards I hinted at above,
perhaps it may be worth the drive through town, at least until
you get to Johnson Ranch on Ontario Road. You can take South
Higuera until you go under Highway 101. Once there, avoid the
ramp that intends to spit you out onto Highway 101 and turn
right instead. From here you can park, gear up, and bike alongside
the highway from a much more secure roadway that dips up and
down, winding its way toward Avila. If you would like to start the
Bob Jones Trail from the beginning, which I recommend, negotiate
crossing San Luis Bay Drive carefully, and then continue down
Ontario Road until you come to the park and ride, which marks
the start of the trail to the right.
Through the canopy of large oaks, along a slow river, I coast, I
climb, I veer right or left, and breeze through the beauty around
me. This 2.84-mile pathway is paved and winds past San Luis Bay
Estates and the Avila Bay Club recreational area. From there the
trail snakes through the golf course, up and over the bridge and
alongside the town of Avila. If you want to hit the beach, you can
turn left into the town. Or you can continue on headed for the
piers further away and enjoy cycling along the curve of the bay.
Fall is such a beautiful time of year in San Luis Obispo, the sun is
still warm but the air can have a slight crispness to it that makes it
perfect for riding. I hope you venture out and give Bob Jones Trail
a try. It’s well worth the effort. SLO LIFE
Arriving safely...
1. If you are going to bike on public roads, know your road signals so drivers know your intentions.
2. If you are biking in a group, do not bike more than two deep.
3. Avoid listening to music or talking on the phone during the trek, it could prevent you from hearing what is coming up from behind
you or around the next bend.
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 35
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You can get more out of that spin class, run, or lap swim by alternating short bouts of high-intensity
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boosts body fuel, strength, and stamina—while then letting yourself recover and prepare for the next
tough interval.
The trend toward interval training isn’t new for seasoned athletes, but the technique is gaining
popularity among general fitness buffs looking for big gains in a short amount of time.
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According to the American College of Sports Medicine, not only are more calories burned in short,
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Evidence shows that with high-intensity interval training, participants can increase their maximum
aerobic capacity—how well their body uses oxygen for energy at their greatest heart rate—more
than those who participate in a continuous exercise program, such as going for more than a
20-minute run, bike, or swim at a steady, moderate pace. The more oxygen your body can convert
to energy, the stronger and faster you become. As your body adapts to the stress of interval training,
your fitness level improves along with your muscle function.
Doing bursts of hard exercise not only improves cardiovascular fitness but also the body’s ability to
burn fat, even during low or moderate-intensity workouts according to a 2007 study published in the
Journal of Applied Physiology. Eight women in their early twenties cycled for ten sets of four minutes
of hard riding, followed by two minutes of rest. Over two weeks they completed seven interval
workouts. After interval training, the amount of fat burned in an hour of continuous moderate
cycling increased by 36 percent, said Jason Talanian, the lead author of the study and an exercise
scientist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Cardiovascular fitness—the ability of the
heart and lungs to supply oxygen to working muscles—improved by 13 percent.
And, it didn’t matter how fit the subjects were before. Borderline sedentary subjects and the college
athletes had similar increases in fitness and fat burning. “Even when interval training was added on
top of other exercise they were doing, they still saw a significant improvement,” clarifies Talanian.
why we like it...
An advantage to interval training is that it allows athletes to spend more time doing high-intensity
activity than they could in a single sustained effort. “The rest period in interval training gives the
body time to remove some of the waste products of working muscles,” explains Barry Franklin, the
director of the cardiac rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at the William Beaumont Hospital in
Royal Oak, Michigan.
To go hard, the body must use new muscle fibers. Once these recent recruits are trained, they are
available to burn fuel even during easy-does-it workouts. “Any form of exercise that recruits new
muscle fibers is going to enhance the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates and fat,” points out
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University of Texas at Austin.
“Interval training also stimulates change in mitochondria, where fuel
is converted to energy, causing them to burn fat first—even during
low and moderate-intensity workouts,” adds Talanian.
Improved fat burning means endurance athletes can go further before
tapping into carbohydrate stores. It is also welcome news to anyone
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Unfortunately, many people aren’t active enough to keep muscles
healthy. At the sedentary extreme, one result can be what Dr. Coyle
calls “metabolic stalling”—carbohydrates in the form of blood glucose
and fat particles in the form of triglycerides sit in the blood. That, he
suspects, could be a contributing factor to metabolic syndrome, which
is the combination of obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and
elevated triglycerides that act as the perfect storm, increasing the risk
of heart disease and diabetes.
By recruiting new muscle fibers and increasing the body’s ability
to use fuel, interval training could potentially lower the risk of
metabolic syndrome.
Interval training does amount to hard work, but the sessions can be
short. Best of all, this workout leaves little time for boredom.
getting started...
There is no single accepted formula for the ratio between hard work
and a moderate pace or resting. In fact, many coaches recommend
varying the duration of activity and rest.
But some general guidelines apply. The high-intensity phase should
be long and strenuous enough that a person is out of breath—
typically one to four minutes of exercise at 80 to 85 percent of their
maximum heart rate. Recovery periods should not last long enough
for their pulse to return to its resting rate.
Also people should remember to adequately warm-up before the first
interval. Coaches advise that, ideally, people should not do interval
work on consecutive days. More than 24 hours between such taxing
sessions will allow the body to recover and help you avoid burnout.
Your best bet is to consult a personal trainer prior to designing an
interval training program. SLO LIFE
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 37
| ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
GMOs
engineering profits and why you should care about prop. 37
You could say it is human nature to desire efficiency and improvement.
And when it comes to factory farming the end goal is, by definition, an
efficient, abundant crop. This brings us to the increasingly hot topic of
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). The term GMO refers to a
living organism whose genetic code has been altered in order to give it
characteristics that it does not have naturally. Scientists can now transfer
genes between species that otherwise would be incapable of mating, for
example, a goat and a spider. This is called transgenic technology and has
been used in over 40 species of plants for food and fibers. In crops, the
technology has generally been used to incorporate genes that are intended
to enhance resistance to insecticides, herbicides or pesticides, enhance
drought tolerance, encourage higher yields or promote the ability to plant
more in a smaller area. Little is known about the long-term effects of such
manipulations on both humans and the environment. And while some see
GMOs as the way to the future, others believe that scientists have gone
too far in tinkering with the essence of life.
“
”
...nearly 70% of processed foods on
supermarket shelves—from soda to
soup, crackers to condiments—contain
genetically engineered ingredients.
According to the Center for Food Safety, 85% of US corn is genetically
engineered (or, GE, which is synonymous with GMO), as are 91%
of soybeans and 88% of cotton (cottonseed oil is often used in food
products). GE sugar beets were introduced in 2008, and within the
first year, 90% of the sugar beets grown in the US were genetically
engineered—now that number is up to 95%. It has been estimated that
nearly 70% of processed foods on supermarket shelves—from soda to
soup, crackers to condiments —contain genetically engineered ingredients.
The most popular herbicide-tolerant GMOs are Monsanto Company’s
“Roundup Ready” crops, which are engineered to be resistant to the
company’s own flagship glyphosate herbicide, Roundup. This enables
growers to use large quantities of Roundup on their fields, which will kill
everything except the genetically modified crop. Monsanto at one time
claimed that Roundup was biodegradable, but this was later proven false.
According to RP Siegel of the watchdog website Triple Pundit, Roundup
is among the top three causes of pesticide-related illness among farm and
landscape workers in California, and the New York Attorney General has
required them to remove “environmentally friendly” from the label.
Impact on Farmers
There have been many arguments justifying the incorporation of GMOs
into the food supply. However, one of the main issues debated is the
uncontrollable cross-pollination, known as “out-crossing,” by means of
wind, insect pollination, or other transfer. According to the World Health
Organization, this is a very real risk, which can radically alter entire
ecosystems if the hybrid plants thrive.
While non-GMO and organic farmers may take every preventive measure
to stop GMO contamination of their crops, cross-pollination and drift
from other farms is out of their control. There is a legitimate concern
that non-GMO farmers will be punished due to GMO proliferation.
Since the new genes have been patented, if they spread to other non-
GMO commercial fields and that farmer selects the modified plants
for subsequent planting, then the patent holder has the right to control
the use of those crops. Yes, you read that right. If a farmer downwind
38 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
is using GMO seeds, and they happen to go up in the air and pollinate
a neighbor’s non-GMO crops, the patent owner can now own those
crops—as was the ruling in Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser.
The customary practices of farmers to save, reuse, share and develop plant
varieties comes into direct conflict with the bottom line of agricultural
biotechnology corporations like Monsanto Company. In fact, customers
who buy patented transgenic seeds from Monsanto must sign a contract
not to save or sell the seeds from their harvest.
Monsanto has received a backlash as a group of 83 farmers representing
non-GMO seed producers are filing suit against the company in an effort
to get them to stop suing farmers. The plaintiffs in the suit are led by
the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and their
complaint is aimed at Monsanto’s so-called “seed police,” whose tactics
include suing farmers for patent infringement any time pollen or seeds
from a farm growing GMO plants nearby drift onto their land, as was
featured in the film Food Inc. The group is being represented pro-bono
by the Public Patent Foundation, an organization that “represents the
public interest against undeserved patents and unsound patent policy.”
They claim that Monsanto has filed 144 lawsuits against farmers between
1997 and 2010, and that they investigate some 500 farms each year. The
group presented their opening arguments at the US District Court in
Manhattan in February 2012 as some 200 supporters rallied outside.
OSGATA President, Jim Gerritsen, an organic farmer from Maine, said,
“We want nothing to do with Monsanto. We don’t want their seed. We
don’t want their technology. We don’t want their contamination.”
Impact on the Environment
Another concern with out-crossing is the depletion of crop diversity
resulting in resistant “super-weeds” and “super-pests.” As many critics
have long maintained, the proliferation of genetically modified crops
would eventually lead to the proliferation of herbicide-resistant superweeds,
such as pigweed, which is exactly what has happened. Despite the
initial assurances that less herbicides and pesticides would be needed, the
increase of GMO crops and the super-weeds that accompany them has
led to an increase of 318 million more pounds of herbicides and pesticides
used in the past 14 years.
In response to the appearance of these super-weeds that are resistant
to their best-selling weed killer Roundup, Monsanto submitted an
application to the USDA, which is poised for approval, for permission to
sell a new seed that is resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D, a key ingredient in
Agent Orange. A review of 2,4-D appearing in the January 2012 issue of
BioScience written by David Mortensen, and a team of scientists from Penn
State, Montana State, and the University of New Hampshire, describes
the effects on agriculture from an over-reliance on glyphosate (patented
and sold by Monsanto as Roundup) and an overuse of genetically modified
seeds. It also discusses at length the risks of using new seeds that “stack”
resistance to various pesticides into one genetically engineered package.
What these scientists conclude is that with so many weeds resistant to
glyphosate already, it will not take long for them to develop resistance to
2,4-D as well. According to the study’s authors, almost half of the nearly
40 species of weeds that are already resistant to two pesticides have arisen
since 2005 (that is, since the Roundup Ready era began). In short, the
crisis 2,4-D is promising to head off, is already here.
But, that’s not the only problem with 2,4-D. It has a strong link to cancer
and a much greater tendency to drift in the wind (and thus contaminate
(continued on page 40)
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| ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
(continued from page 38)
nearby fields and waterways)—problems that the development of the less
toxic, less volatile glyphosate was supposed to have solved.
There is, however, an alternative—and one that does not require a total
transition to organic agriculture. Mortensen and his team describe in
detail a practice called Integrated Weed Management (IWM). Like its
sibling, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), IWM does involve the use
of chemical pesticides. But it is a judicious use that can act as a last resort
rather than a first line of defense. As the paper states:
IWM integrates tactics, such as crop rotation, cover crops, competitive crop
cultivars, the judicious use of tillage, and targeted herbicide application, to
reduce weed populations and selection pressures that drive the evolution of
resistant weeds.
It is designed for large-scale production agriculture and would likely
increase farmer profits since farmers would get the benefit of reduced seed
and pesticide costs and no real loss of productivity.
Impact on Health
Regardless of what the FDA says about GMOs, there are many people
who are concerned that these foods have not been sufficiently tested to
guarantee their safety. And they might have good reason for thinking
so. Several studies have already suggested that existing GE foods might
present a health risk. For example, The International Journal of Biological
Sciences showed evidence in their 2009 study that Monsanto’s Bt corn—
engineered to kill the larvae of beetles, such as the corn rootworm—causes
organ damage in lab animals. In 2011, doctors at Sherbrooke University
Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood of 93% of pregnant
women tested, 80% of umbilical blood in their babies and 67% of nonpregnant
women. What’s more, according to a June 2012 article published
in the Digital Journal by Anne Sewell, a new resistant strain of rootworm
or “super-bug” is emerging as a direct result of Bt corn.
Then there is the 2002 Japanese study in Cell Structure and Function,
which showed that GE soybeans can alter mice on the cellular level—an
indication that genetically modified material survives digestion and is
active in animals that consume it. Monsanto’s position according to its
company website is that:
There is no need to test the safety of DNA introduced into GM crops. DNA
(and resulting RNA) is present in almost all foods … DNA is non-toxic and
the presence of DNA, in and of itself, presents no hazard … So long as the
introduced protein is determined to be safe, food from GM crops determined to
be substantially equivalent is not expected to pose any health risks.
However, a recent study, performed by researchers at China’s Nanjing
University and published in the journal Cell Research, found that a form
of genetic material—called microRNA—from conventional rice survived
the human digestive process and proceeded to affect cholesterol function
in humans. This is a powerful finding because the Chinese study happens
to involve exactly the kind of genetic material—microRNA—that biotech
companies hope to use in their next generation of genetically modified foods.
Today’s GMOs are almost entirely based on adding new genes to crops
like corn, soy, sugar beets, and cotton in order to alter the way the plants
function. And, even then, new functions are mostly limited to making
plants either able to tolerate herbicides or to produce their own. But if
biotechnology companies are successful in their efforts, there may soon be
genetically modified foods that use microRNA—simply put, snippets of
RNA whose potency were only discovered around a decade ago—to target
and block the function of specific genes in pests.Thus the news that plant
microRNA can survive digestion and affect human systems brings into
question the wisdom of pursuing this kind of technology in food.
As explained by Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist for the Union of
Concerned Scientists and expert in genetically modified foods, microRNA
technology is an area that biotech companies are actively pursuing.
40 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
Monsanto itself has a whole web page devoted to the technology, which
they call “RNA interference.” Gurian-Sherman notes that the Chinese
study—though requiring confirmation and follow-up research—raises
“an initial red flag.” It calls into question “any general statement that
[microRNA] technology would be inherently safe,” he adds. He observes
that humans and insects share a surprising amount of DNA material—
evolution favors reusing and recycling genes, even among creatures as
different as insects and humans. If this research bears out, then it is
entirely possible that microRNA meant to target a specific insect gene
will also have an effect—possibly unpredictable—in humans. This is
especially true because, for technology like this to work as a pesticide,
the microRNA must be present in high levels in the plant, which makes
it even more likely the genetic material will make it all the way into the
human gut. Dr. Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at Consumers Union
agrees that the study “showed that the microRNA not only survived
digestion [in humans] but also was taken up and moved to other parts of
the body where a specific impact was noted.”
Gurian-Sherman also pointed out that microRNA techology poses an
even greater environmental risk. There are many beneficial insects, such as
various beetle species, that are closely related to crop pests and can coexist
in the same field. It is therefore difficult to imagine being able to find a
gene to target in a pest that will not also hurt their beneficial cousins.
So where does this new research leave us? It suggests that, given the
possibility of affecting humans and other bystander species, microRNAbased
technology would require unimaginably high safety standards. And
neither the biotech industry nor federal regulators have really shown an
appetite for that kind of rigorous testing. According to a 2007 Report of
the Subcommittee on Science and Technology, the FDA does not have
the capacity to ensure the safety of food for the nation. The report states,
“FDA’s inability to keep up with scientific advances means that American
lives are at risk.”
Impact on the Future
There is a ballot initiative up for vote next month here in California,
Proposition 37, which would require all GMO foods to be labeled.
Biotech executives have admitted that the financial impact of this would
be devastating to companies like Monsanto, considering that 70% of
all foods on US grocery shelves now contain genetically engineered
ingredients. The proposition would also prohibit the common practice
of labeling genetically engineered foods as “natural” or “all natural.” The
biotech industry is not about to let this pass without a fight—Monsanto,
the Farm Bureau, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and corporate
agribusiness are raising millions of dollars in an effort to defeat the
California ballot initiative, just like they did a decade ago in Oregon.
At that time a faction of corporations, including Monsanto, DuPont,
General Mills Inc. and H.J. Heinz, calling themselves the “Coalition
Against the Costly Labeling Law,” outspent the pro-labeling group 30
to 1 and successfully defeated the initiative with a campaign that told
voters labeling genetically engineered foods was unnecessary and would
raise food prices (sound familiar?). They did it again in the state of
Washington in April, where, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, campaign
contributions to three of the eight politicians on the Senate Agriculture
Committee (Democrat Brian Hatfield and Republicans Jim Honeyford
and Mark Schoesler) guaranteed the bill’s demise in committee. Right
now the biotech industry is also working to defeat similar GE-labeling
bills in Vermont, Hawaii, and Connecticut. According to the Union of
Concerned Scientists, Monsanto spent $8 million on their lobbying efforts
in 2010 alone and gave more than $400,000 in political contributions.
Monsanto also spent $120 million on advertising to convince consumers
that genetically engineered foods are safe. Americans have been slow to take
up the GMO debate, which has raged across Europe and elsewhere for several
years. Some 15 countries now require food labeling for GMOs and 30 have
significant restrictions placed on GMOs. SLO LIFE
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 41
| MUSIC
ZONGO
All Stars
PHOTO BY DEAN SULLIVAN
The type of music that Zongo All Stars plays is so unique that they have come up with
their own name for it: “Cali-Cubano.” Drawing inspiration from an Afro-Caribbean
sound, the band infuses it with its own brand of laid-back Central Coast vibe. Then they
shake, mix and blend it together as something that can only be described as up-tempo
beach party dance music.
Everything centers around the drums, then throw in the congas and timbales and
you are only just scratching the surface. The eclectic group of seven adds bass, guitar,
trumpet, saxophones, flutes, among other things, and, of course, steel drums to delight
the senses. This is music that you can feel as much as you can hear.
The band members have been making music together for twenty years under various
names, most recognizably Mozaic, a popular Central Coast Afro-Funk band in the
early 90’s that included six of the current seven players. But, as life pulled the band
members in different directions Mozaic broke up. Dylan Johnson and Jacob Odell
both left to attend the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Jennings Jacobsen went on
to tour professionally with Rock Steady Possee and then with Damon Castillo Band.
Justin Perkins left to play with various bands while Andrew Wise and Paul Irving
worked together to develop over fifty of Wise’s original compositions.
Fast forward ten years and Johnson had returned to the Central Coast from New
York where he had received his masters degree in jazz studies at SUNY Purchase
Conservatory of Music. Wise and Irving invited him to lunch to welcome him back
and talk soon turned to forming a new band. By the time the trio had calculated
the tip for their meal all available napkins had been excitedly scribbled on and there
was a palpable excitement for what was to come. Odell and Perkins received calls
immediately afterward. They were both in. Drummer Sean Sullivan (he was replaced
later by Jacobsen) was recruited and John Lee, a multi-instrumentalist with a masters
degree in Latin Jazz rounded out the new band.
The group quickly gelled and in 2007 Zongo All Stars made its debut at the Baywood
Park Oktoberfest. By all accounts, the crowd went nuts for the new and unusual sound,
which set off a string of gigs that continues to this day. SLO LIFE
bottom row (left to right) Justin Perkins (percussion,
steel drums), Paul Irving (trumpet), Jennings Jacobsen
(drums), John Lee (tenor/bari saxes, flute, percussion)
top row (left to right) Dylan Johnson (bass), Jacob Odell
(guitar), and Andrew Wise (vocals, alto sax, flute)
42 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
MUSIC VIDEO
Coming soon... go to slolifemagazine.com and click
on “See our Commercials” to watch “How SLO Can
You Go?” written and performed by Zongo All Stars.
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 43
| SPECIAL FEATURE
SEISMIC TESTING
BY TOM FRANCISKOVICH
Early one morning this summer, the fog was hanging around and the seas
were calm, so I decided to take a cruise around Avila Bay on my stand-up
paddleboard. Far off in the distance, I would guess it was about a halfmile
or so, I spotted a pair of humpback whales breaching the surface,
spraying plumes of water vapor into the air, lifting their massive tails out
and then back in. This continued for a while as they kept a steady pace,
swimming toward the rock jetty at Port San Luis. I started paddling out
for a closer look and, after a while, I was within about 100 yards of them.
As I stood there marveling at how a 40-ton animal could be so graceful, I
was mostly thinking about how lucky we were to live in such an amazing
place that we could hang out with whales before breakfast. I continued to
take it all in when I realized that it had been a while since my new friends
had surfaced. I wondered where they would pop up next. As I scanned
the horizon thinking they may now be out of range, a wall of gray
barnacle-speckled mass rose out of the water ten feet in front of me and
seemed to eclipse the sun. My knees buckled, my stomach dropped, and
my heart pounded. The pair exhaled and gracefully disappeared, swimming
directly below my board; the shifting water seemed to pull me along with
them. It was one of the most unique and incredible experiences of my life.
And, it got me thinking…
• • •
Despite much initial controversy, since construction started in 1968
Diablo Canyon has been a good neighbor. The nuclear power plant has
generated mostly carbon-less electricity, provided a huge amount of
property tax, employed friends and family, sponsored local sports teams,
and on and on. It would be fair to say that a lot of goodwill has been
created between Diablo Canyon and the community since its inception.
But, perceptions began to change on March 11th of last year when a
massive earthquake erupted off the coast of Japan. The resulting tsunami
with its surging seawater, as high as 130 feet in some cases, sped toward
Japanese nuclear reactors, which had been strategically built on its
coastline to use the cold ocean water to cool their cores. Three reactors
suffered meltdowns and at least three experienced explosions. In the days
that followed uncertainty reigned and it was not inconceivable that Japan,
as we knew it, could have disappeared under a mushroom cloud.
The aftermath caused much handwringing and introspection here as
policymakers turned their attention inward to America’s aging nuclear
infrastructure, and at the top of the list was Diablo Canyon, one of two
California reactors, which is perched atop the Hosgri fault (this was
discovered after it was built). Later, in 2008, a second active fault was
found running along the shoreline. Considering what happened in Japan,
it would be logical to want to know more about the risks presented
by these faults. It would make sense then to employ whatever means
necessary to attempt to predict the likelihood that those faults would
generate an earthquake. So, AB 42, a bill sponsored by San Luis Obispobased
State Senator, Sam Blakeslee, which requires PG&E to conduct
seismic testing, became law. PG&E has since sought permits to begin
testing along a 90-mile stretch of water off the shores of Diablo Canyon
beginning next month.
Originally developed in the 1920’s, seismic testing has been used primarily
for two purposes: first, to locate oil and natural gas reserves for which it
has proved incredibly effective; and, second, to analyze and map fault lines
(some claim it is also able to actually predict earthquakes, but that has
proved dubious at best). Although the sophistication of the equipment
44 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
used has evolved considerably, it is still based on the same relatively
basic science: create massive shockwaves capable of reaching miles below
the seafloor and then use sensitive listening equipment to receive the
reverberations of those sound waves as they bounce back. The result is a
three-dimensional map of whatever is below the Earth’s crust.
While basic in its science, the resulting aftermath has been much more
complicated and it seems that everywhere seismic testing has gone
controversy has followed. It has been argued, although unsuccessfully,
that by agitating and blasting a known active fault line with powerful
shock waves, it may artificially trigger an earthquake. By definition,
a fault is a point where two tectonic plates intersect; they exist under
tremendous force that is constantly seeking release—any disturbance to
this homeostasis could potentially cause a sudden and dramatic slippage
or shift, also known as an earthquake.
‘‘
Their focus has been on the damage
that may be done to the marine wildlife
as a 240-foot ship tows a quarter-mile
array of eighteen 250 decibel “air
cannons” that send out blasts every
twenty seconds, twenty-four hours
a day for 42 days straight.
But, it is not earthquakes that local opposition groups such as Stop the
Diablo Canyon Seismic Testing has been worrying about. Their focus has
been on the damage that may be done to the marine wildlife as a 240-foot
ship tows a quarter-mile array of eighteen 250 decibel “air cannons” that
send out blasts every twenty seconds, twenty-four hours a day for 42 days
straight. How loud is 250 decibels? To put it in perspective, each unit of
measurement is ten times louder than the last one, so 2 decibels is louder
by a factor of ten than 1 decibel and so on. A gunshot measures 133
decibels, 164 decibels is like being inside a jet engine, eardrums burst at
195 decibels, at 202 decibels the sound waves become lethal to humans,
and a nuclear bomb generates 278 decibels. Would opponents then be
correct by asserting that PG&E would be effectively carpet bombing a
sensitive marine habitat that includes the protected Point Buchon State
Marine Reserve with sound waves strong enough to instantly kill a human
being and is approaching the energy blast created by a nuclear warhead?
The size and scope of the proposed seismic test is unprecedented and
would, at least according to California Fish and Game Commissioner,
Richard Rogers, “cleanse the Point Buchon State Marine Reserve of all
living marine organisms.”
An article earlier this year in Scientific American, attempts to answer
the question as to why a massive number of dolphins (at the time of its
publication the count stood at 2,800) had washed up dead on remote
Peruvian beaches. The article quoted local veterinarian, Carlos Yaipén,
who is also the founder of Lima-based Scientific Organization for the
Conservation of Aquatic Animals (ORCA). The article stated that “All of
the 20 or so animals Yaipén has examined showed middle-ear hemorrhage
and fracture of the ear’s periotic bone, lung lesions and bubbles in the
blood. To him, that suggests that a major acoustic impact caused injury,
but not immediate death.” Although the article goes on to offer different
hypotheses for the dolphin die-off, including toxins that may have been
present in the water, only one seems plausible in that it is consistent with
the injuries sustained: seismic testing by a petroleum company believed to
be searching for oil deposits in the area.
© Reuters
Dolphin carcasses washed ashore along a remote Peruvian beach.
Anticipating the effect testing may have on the local fishing industry,
PG&E has offered $1.2 million as compensation for the loss of revenues
during November and December. Giovanni DeGarimore, who owns and
operates Giovanni’s Fish Market & Galley in Morro Bay says, “Initially,
when I first heard about this, I took a somewhat self-centered position
and it all came down to how much will PG&E be compensating me?
But, the more educated I became on the subject the more I realized how
much bigger this is than me. And, I’m not a political activist type, but at
some point you have to stand up for what you believe in.” In many ways
DeGarimore is at the center of Morro Bay’s fishing industry. In addition
to selling fish in his market, he is also in the business of unloading the
daily catch from commercial fishing vessels as well as selling fuel to the
fisherman who almost never lack an opinion. “It’s been really refreshing
to see the fisherman go from saying, ‘How much can we get from PG&E’
to saying, ‘Hey, we don’t want this it all, I don’t care how much you pay us.
This is bad; really, really bad.’ We’re not just looking at total devastation
of the mammals, but also the fish and who knows if it ever comes back.
And all this for what? So, PG&E can get a new map to renew their
license for another 20 years?” It’s worth noting that the cost of seismic
testing is estimated at $64 million, which PG&E will be charging to their
customers—you and me—in order to cover the expense.
While policymakers’ intentions appear to be noble—looking after the
safety of Central Coast residents—it is not entirely clear how the results of
seismic testing would achieve that goal. Just how do highly detailed threedimensional
maps of the area’s spider web of fault lines change anything
currently taking place at Diablo Canyon? There is nothing that can be
done to, say, add steel bracing to shore up a fault line here or fill in with
cement a fault line over there. Eventually they will produce an earthquake.
That’s just what faults do and there is nothing that can be done to stop it.
And it is unclear how the information we gain by doing the testing, which
may or may not—depending on who you ask—come at a great cost to
our sensitive local marine ecosystem, would mitigate the disaster resulting
from a massive earthquake. It would be one thing if seismic testing was
able to forecast earthquakes. For example, if by doing this we knew that
next summer the Hosgri fault would produce somewhere between a 7.0
and 8.0 earthquake, then that would certainly change the equation, but
predicting earthquakes with seismic testing has long been debunked—it
just doesn’t work. Any way we slice it, for better or worse, we are left with
an aging nuclear power plant resting upon a hotbed of seismic activity
perched on the side of an ocean cliff. Besides, no amount of retrofitting, it
seems, could have prevented the Japanese meltdowns resulting from what
turned out to be a 9.0 earthquake. Realizing this reality, Japan last month
announced that it is phasing out all 50 of its nuclear reactors by 2040.
Although seismic testing is on schedule to begin next month, there is
still one big hurdle to clear: the California Coastal Commission. The
group will be hearing the issue in Oceanside on October 10th and it
appears they may be leaning toward approving the project, as they gave
PG&E the green light to install six seismic monitoring devices on the
seafloor near Diablo Canyon in April.
• • •
Maritime lore is rich with a history of harrowing shipwrecks and sailor
survival stories. Many of them feature a friendly sea mammal, typically
a dolphin or a whale showing the way to safety or providing a lift to
someone in dire need, often just before death. In those instances sailors
describe a unique bond and a method of communicating between species
that is difficult to comprehend, and probably impossible unless it is within
the context of some extreme emergency or crises. After briefly interacting
with the humpbacks myself this summer, I can begin to see how there
may not be as much separating us as we may believe. Although I likely
encountered the whales early on in their visit to Avila Beach—probably
just as they entered the bay—so many of us were able to have our breath
taken away by these majestic creatures who paid us a very special visit this
summer. But, maybe, they were here for a reason. Maybe they were trying
to tell us something. SLO LIFE
Want to know how you can weigh in on seismic testing?
Contact the California Coastal Commission before their
meeting on October 10th to voice your opinion.
California Coastal Commission
Energy & Ocean Resources
Cassidy Teufel
45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000
San Francisco CA 94105
(415) 904-5502
(415) 904-5400 fax
c.teufel@coastal.ca.gov
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 45
| ARTS
John Ramos
Nestled smartly in an impossibly enchanted grove
of gnarled, twisting oak trees in the hills above Los
Osos, it is difficult to imagine a more conducive
setting for John Ramos to perfect his craft. “I really
don’t want to classify myself,” Ramos explains while
sipping a hot cup of coffee on a sundrenched porch
overlooking the oaks one recent morning. “But, my
work does have an enduring theme: ocean, surfing,
Mexico, wish-I-was-there landscapes, Jimmy Buffett,
nostalgia.” Jimmy Buffett, yes, but also Jack Johnson
and Donavon Frankenreiter, who happens to be
Ramos’ son-in-law.
After operating an art gallery in downtown San
Luis Obispo for 11 years, Ramos and his wife,
Donna, learned in 2003 that the building they were
occupying would have to be closed for earthquake
retrofitting. Ramos turned to his wife and suggested a
wild idea, “Rather than start over in a new space, let’s just pack it up and move to Mexico.” The couple found Lareto, in Baja where they bought a 100-yearold
gallery that they operated for nearly five years. The environment was rich with colorful subjects and the experience full of inspiration for Ramos, who
captured the laid-back local vibe with soft oil paints. Today, the couple is back in their Los Osos studio—which includes a “by appointment only” gallery
for visitors—where they stay busy shipping out prints to customers nationwide. Ramos, who is somewhat camera shy and clearly most at ease while
discussing his art, observes that, “I’m not really into aggrandizing myself. I let my work speak for itself; they are the emissaries that I send out to the world.”
above KILLERS surf spot
north of Cayucos
far left THE SECRET SPOT
foggy eucalyptus grove along
the coast of Montana de Oro
near left THE SEGO PALM
FLOWER commissioned
painting for a cancer
research fundraiser
below STAR-EY NIGHT
nod to Van Gough from the
perspective of Ramos’ studio
46 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
For a Thriving, Sustainable San Luis Obispo
Vote Jan Marx for Mayor
www.janmarx.com
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 47
| RECIPE
SLO Roastin’
With fall upon us our cravings are for all things comfort food. We’re sharing two of our
favorite recipes that are sure to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. We recommend
using locally grown, organic produce and free-range poultry whenever possible.
PASTA WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SAGE AND TOASTED PECANS
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
16 ounces pasta
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 medium onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
48 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss butternut squash with onions, garlic cloves, sea salt, fresh
ground pepper and olive oil.
3. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes until
butternut squash is golden. Add pecans to baking tray for the
last 5 minutes to toast.
4. Meanwhile, cook pasta per package directions and drain. Toss
roasted vegetables into pasta. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil,
fresh chopped sage and sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese.
*
What we love!
If you haven’t tried quinoa pasta, you’ve been missing out—not only is it nutritious and delicious, it’s also gluten free.
CENTRAL COAST FARMERS’ HARVESTS
DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS
SLO ROASTED CHICKEN
4 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
fresh ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, halved
1 lemon, halved
2 whole chickens (aprox. 4lbs each)
Fresh Picked & Locally Grown
Pesticide Free Produce
Weekly or Bi-weekly Delivery
No Contract Required
1. Remove giblets and neck from chickens and rinse cavity.
2. In a small bowl, mix together herbs and spices.
3. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture.
4. Place half of an onion and half of a lemon into the cavity of each chicken.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
7. Place chickens side-by-side in roasting pan and bake uncovered for 5 hours
to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees.
8. Let the chickens rest for 10 minutes before carving.
*try this!
Save the left over carcass from your
chicken to make a delicious broth.
Simply place bones in a large pot or
dutch oven with an onion, carrot,
celery stalk, bay leaf, garlic clove,
tablespoon of apple cider vinegar,
sea salt, fresh ground pepper and
enough water to cover (aprox. 8
cups). Simmer for about an hour
and strain. Once cooled, refrigerate
or freeze broth for later use.
Have a recipe to share? Go to slolifemagazine.com to tell us about it.
SLO LIFE
SERVING
San Luis Obispo | Avila | Los Osos
Five Cities | Nipomo
sloveg.com
805.709.2780
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 49
| AFTER HOURS
mike roberts
PHOTO BY KATIE OSEKOWSKY
A little more than two years ago, local photographer and videographer Mike Roberts was invited to video something that he was told would
“blow his mind.” He set up his equipment and waited until a pack of longboarders came whizzing by at about 35-miles-per-hour. Wearing
special gloves made of leather and hard plastic they dragged their hands on the ground while negotiating a turn ahead. The video turned out so
well that the company, who had sponsored one of the riders, sent Roberts a board of his own. A few weeks later he mustered the courage to try
it himself and has been hooked ever since. In this photo Roberts is somewhere in the Huasna Valley. Asked what he was thinking about, he says
“That’s what I love about it. Everything leaves my mind and I am just totally in the flow. All of my attention is pulled to staying on the board;
my mind is completely clear of anything else.” In light of the exploding popularity of downhill skateboarding in recent years, the International
Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) strongly encourages safe practices, such as wearing full gear and a helmet and using spotters. Roberts, who
has had his share of injuries and near misses, says he will not even skate to his neighborhood market without wearing a helmet. SLO LIFE
50 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
What do you do after work? Tell us about it at slolifemagazine.com
SCENIC LANDSCAPE and DESIGN
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Dine with us:
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Alfresco Dining on our Patio • Romantic Dining Room
VIP Dining Packages • Bar and Lounge
Private Events from 10-100 Guests
Gift Cards available to redeem Resort Wide all year long
www.sycamoresprings.com | 805-595-7302
1215 Avila Beach Drive | San Luis Obispo
SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 51
HappiestCi t yi ntheUSA
| COMMUNITY CALENDAR
C A L I F O R N I A
San Luis Obispo Gift Baskets
805•544•4449
1027 B Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo
Plein Air Festival
Oct 1 - 7
San Luis Obispo County
sloma.org
The nation’s top plein air artists are selected to venture outdoors to paint the unspoiled landscapes,
seascapes and cityscapes of San Luis Obispo County. Come discover the talent and techniques behind
this exciting art phenomenon called plein air. Watch over the shoulder of a world-class artist while
a painting comes to life before your eyes. Wander the lovely backroads and find artists capturing a
scenic vista on canvas. Share the anticipation of being the first to view the juried exhibition on Friday
night. Experience the excitement of the Quick Draw on Saturday morning when the artists have two
hours to create a painting in the downtown area near the Museum of Art. Watch live auction of the
Quick Draw painting in the Mission Plaza amphitheater Saturday afternoon.
scanning • digital restoration • in-house printing
photo finishing • darkroom supplies • passport photos
805 543-4025 • photoshopslo.com
Passport to the Arts
October 6
Downtown San Luis Obispo
Presenting the best
in professional
entertainment at the
Performing Arts Center!
WWW.CALPOLYARTS.ORG
The Central Coast Center for Arts Education at Cal Poly, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art and
ARTS Obispo (the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council) have joined forces to entice families to
come downtown to experience the arts for free throughout the city center. Beginning at the Museum
of Art at the Mission Plaza families will receive a passport in which children can get the signatures
or stamps of performers at several sites, as well as a reusable bag of information about upcoming arts
events, lessons and performance information for the year.
The Best Man
October 12 – November 4
SLO Little Theatre
slolittletheatre.org
The Best Man puts you in the front row of one of
the most heated, vicious presidential campaigns ever
imagined. William Russell, is a wit and scholar with
high liberal principles. Joseph Cantwell is a ruthless and
hard-driving young man, a dirty fighter who will let no
scruples stand in the way of his ambitions. On the eve of
the convention, Cantwell got ahold of papers indicating
that his rival once suffered from a mental breakdown,
which he cannot wait to use in order to destroy his
opponent. This Tony Award-winning play set the bar
for all political thrillers. Don’t miss it.
52 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
SLO LIFE
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local telephone reception service for businesses large and small.
Having important business calls answered professionally around
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 53
| COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Hot Shaves • Cold Beer • ESPN • Quality Service
Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm
1351 Monterey Street . San Luis Obispo
(805)783-2887 . clippersbarber.com
Bravo SLO!
October 21
10:00am – 4:00pm
Christopher Cohan Center
pacslo.org
Back by popular demand, the Performing Arts Center is offering a preview of its upcoming season
at BravoSLO, a free performing arts showcase. In addition to enjoying instrumental and choral
ensembles, dance groups, film shorts, and the Forbes Pipe Organ, attendees will be eligible to
win from a fantastic assortment of door prizes and receive complimentary coffee and pastries.
BravoSLO is a fantastic, free community arts event that has something for everyone.
Mud Mash
October 27 – 28
Laguna Lake
mudmash.com
Dog Training • Premium Daycare • Boarding • Grooming
FIRST DAY OF DAYCARE FREE!
173 Buckley Road • San Luis Obispo
(805) 596-0112
thousandhillspetresort.com
Shalimar
iNDiaN rESTaUraNT
Lunch Buffet
Mon - Sat 11:30am - 3:00pm $8.99
Monday Dinner Buffet
5:00pm - 10:00pm $9.99
Sunday Brunch
$9.99
2115 Broad Street, SlO
805.781.0766 | shalimarslo.com
54 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
Tougher than the tough ones, and more fun than the fun ones: the All Out Way! The Mud Mash
is a 5k and 10k mud run with dirty obstacles, wall climbs, lake scramble, hay bales, slip and slide
and, of course, a huge, nasty mud pit. Not to mention some tough trails that will be even tougher
when you’re wet and muddy! A portion of Mud Mash proceeds benefit SLO County’s Special
Olympics who are dedicated to providing year-round sports training and athletic competition to
more than 2.25 million people with intellectual disabilities worldwide.
Cal Poly Symphony Fall Concert
November 18
3:00pm
Christopher Cohan Center
pacslo.org
The Cal Poly Symphony kicks off its season with music inspired by—and interpreted
through—visual art. The centerpiece of the concert features a collaboration with Sky Bergman,
an internationally exhibited and published photographer who serves as the chair of Cal Poly’s
Art and Design Department. Bergman will re-interpret Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an
Exhibition” with her own images of people and cultures across the globe. Mussorgsky’s music itself
was inspired by illustrations by the composer’s friend, Viktor Hartmann.
SLO LIFE
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SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012 | 55
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56 | SLO LIFE Magazine oct/nov 2012
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