SLO LIFE Aug/Sep 2013

SLO LIFE 

magazine 

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NOW! 

ON THE 

RISE 

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PARADISE 

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slolifemagazine.com 

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MEET TINA SWITHIN 

blogging, thriving, and lemonade 

SLO LIFE Magazine aug/sep 2013 | 1

2 | SLO LIFE Magazine aug/sep 2013


Thank You 

Woods 

Humane 

Society 

would like 

to thank 

everyone 

who helped 

make 

“Under the 

Big Top” 

such a huge 

success! 

TOP DOGS 

Jones Goodell 

Mission Community Bank 

CAT’S MEOWS 

ASPCA 

Oso Libre 

FIDO’S FRIENDS 

First American Title 

Rabobank 

TRUE COMPANIONS 

Auzco 

Central Coast Wealth Management 

Cloud Star 

Meathead Movers 

Parker Wealth Advisory Services 

R. E. Wacker Associates 

STAGING SPONSORS 

Bill Gaines Audio 

Taylor Rental 

San Luis Sourdough 

Helmholz Consulting Inc. 

TRUE COMPANION - 

PREMIUM TABLE HOSTS 

Carol and Vic Ascrizzi 

Mary and Tony Bianco 

Carlen and Jim Eckford 

Jaime Juarez 

Karen Morgan and Bob 

Wagoner 

Sharon and Dennis Schneider 

Lucia and Paul Vanderheyden 

TABLE HOSTS 

Jimmy apRoberts 

Ann Cruikshanks 

Kevin Dye 

Brigitte and Bruce Falkenhagen 

Cindy Green and John Thomas 

Dan and Mona Lloyd 

Helen and John Meyers 

Simone Michel 

Diane and Marty Moroski 

Kristen and Bud Postil 

Patti and Robbie Robbins 

Wiggle Waggle Table 

Dwyne Willis and Steve Bland 

WINE HOSTS 

Vina Robles 

Ancient Peaks 

August Ridge Vineyards 

Cass Vineyard & Winery 

Chamisal Vineyards 

CaliPaso Winery 

Jada Vineyard & Winery 

Opolo Vineyards 

Tolosa 

Scuplterra Winery & Sculpture 

Garden 

BEER HOST 

Einhorn Beer 

DESSERT HOSTS 

Stacy Gregory 

Mona Lloyd 

Litton’s Bakery - Litton’s Direct To You 

Maegen Loring 

EVENING 

ENTERTAINMENT 

Suspended Motion Aerial Artists 

Daniel Gross and the Fantastic 

Street Clowns 

The Tipsy Gypsies 

Gymnasts: Loren Haran, 

Emily Tobin, Sidney Veneris, 

Emily Whitehead 

Master of 

Ceremonies 

Tim Haldeman 

Organizing 

Committee 

Dwyne Willis, Chair 

Carol and Vic Ascrizzi 

Steve Bland 

Sharon Connors 

Carlen and Jim Eckford 

Cindy Green 

Jaime Juarez 

Karen Morgan 

Alexis Okumura 

Erin Steed 

Sharon and Dennis Schneider 

Auction Committee 

Steve Bland 

Cindy Green 

Vicki Ramos 

Debbie Lewis 

Sharon Connors 

Jaime Juarez 

Arlene Sackman 

Meaghan Maurer 

Graphic Design 

Committee 

Nicholas Baines Jeffrey 

Lori Lerian 

Stacy Williams 

Special Thanks 

We greatly appreciate the 

generosity of the businesses 

and indiviuals who donated 

to our live and silent auctions 

and Bower’s Bashes. Without 

their support the benefit 

would not have achieved its 

great success. Please see a 

complete listing at 

www.woodshumane.org 

woodshumane.org . find us on facebook 




Hey, look at us! 

WE’RE MOVING! 

Come visit us at our new location, 

just around the corner! 

770 Capitolio Way . San Luis Obispo . 805 549 0100 


| CONTENTS 


magazine 

August/September 2013 

10 PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 

12 INFO 

14 IN BOX 

16 TIMELINE 

58 

18 Q&A 

20 VIEW 

42 

22 

26 

22 MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR 

26 DWELLING 

32 SLO CITY REAL ESTATE 

34 SLO COUNTY REAL ESTATE 

36 NO PLACE LIKE HOME 

38 WHAT’S HOT NOW 

40 INSPIRATION 

42 MUSIC 

44 SPECIAL FEATURE 

48 ON THE RISE 

50 COMMUNITY 

54 DISCOVER 

56 HEALTH 

58 KITCHEN 

60 HAPPENINGS 


INTERIORS LANDSCAPES DESIGN CONSTRUCTION 

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LIFE Magazine aug/sep 2013 | 9

| PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 

A few weeks ago the phone rang. 

On the other end of the line was a local businessman who asked if we could meet in his office first 

thing the next morning to discuss advertising. “Sure, I’ll see you there,” I said. After sitting down 

with him to talk about his marketing objectives, I began to realize that he was in a very unique 

business that served a non-local clientele and was unlikely to benefit by advertising with us. “I would love to work with 

you, but, frankly, I am not really sure how this will help grow your company,” I shared. But he pressed, “Please go on— 

what are your rates?” 

What happened next was truly one of the most remarkable and touching moments of my career so far. After revealing 

the rate for one of the display ad sizes he reached over the desk and tapped his index finger on the magazine. “Okay, 

I’ll take that one. But, it’s not for me.” Responding to my bewidlered expression, he went on to explain, “I want you to 

choose someone who needs a boost and give it to them. And, promise me that you will not tell them I was the one who 

had paid for the ad space. That’s very important, and it will have to be a condition of our agreement.” 

“Okay... but why are you doing this?” I asked skeptically. Looking up from the check he had been writing, he launched 

into a ten-minute-long discourse about how much he loved our community, and how it had supported him and his 

business through thick and thin over the years, and how much he believed in the magazine and wanted to support us, 

too. He said, “Now I can help you, and you can help somebody who needs a boost.” 

There was that word again, “boost.” 

He continued on, “I help you, you help them, they will help somebody else. It all goes around and comes back a 

hundredfold, you watch.” 

I left that meeting with my head spinning and the newfound responsibility to make a phone call. Who did I know 

that could use a boost? Although there were so many worthy choices, one in particular came to mind. I picked up the 

phone, mindful of my duty to not reveal their benefactor, I said, “You’re not going to believe this, but I have some 

really great news for you today…” 

We are fortunate that our area has had so much national recognition for being “The Happiest Place” and “The Best of 

This and That,” but these designations fail to tell the whole story—that our beautiful Central Coast would be nothing 

without its people. At this time, I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who continues to provide our 

boost. To those who had a hand in producing this issue of SLO LIFE Magazine, and especially to our advertisers and 

subscribers, I say, “Thank you.” We would not be able to do it without your help, nor would we want to. 

Live the SLO Life! 

Boostin’ Business 

Tom Franciskovich 

tom@slolifemagazine.com 



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12 | SLO LIFE Magazine aug/sep 2013 

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 “In Box” section, please email it 

to info@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! 

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, you can log on to 

slolifemagazine.com/advertise and we can 

send you a complete media kit and loads 

of testimonials from happy advertisers. 

Tell us your 

story! 

So many of the stories we publish come 

from our readers’ great leads. We are 

always looking for interesting homes to 

profile (see “Dwelling” on page 26), have 

a recipe that your friends and family love? 

Share it with us! To get an idea, check out 

“Kitchen” on page 58. Is there a band we 

should know about? Something we should 

investigate? Go to slolifemagazine.com 

and click “Share Your Story.” 

Subscribe! 

Ready to live the SLO Life all year 

long? It’s quick and easy! Just log on to 

slolifemagazine.com/subscribe. It’s just 

$20 for the year. And don’t forget to 

set your friends and family up with 

a subscription, too. It’s the gift that 


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 

Jonathan David 

Steve E. Miller 

Trevor Povah 

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 

info@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.

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| SLO LIFE IN BOX 

You said it... 

Recent Falls, Forgetting to take 

Medications?? Are you noticing 

changes in your loved one? 

Elder Placements guides you through 

the difficult decision making process. 

After our evaluation, we take you 

to tour the appropriate facility that 

will give your parent the care and 

quality of life they deserve. 

Whether it’s Assisted Living, Alzheimer 

Dementia Care or Independent Living, 

we do the legwork for you at NO COST. 

Nicole Pazdan, CSA 

>> Reaction to Rick 

Local entrepreneurs buzzed about Rick 

Stollmeyer in the last issue. “It’s amazing 

that the whole thing started in a garage out 

in the Arbors,” said one. But, mostly readers 

focused on one passage: “He said we should 

get a partner, then told us there’s ‘a hundred 

different ways the relationship will fail,’… 

what’s up with that?” To that question we 

replied, “Therein lies the magic.” 

>> Leaf blowers 

92 

of you support a ban on leaf blowers 

% 

>> What the frack? 

Dear SLO LIFE, 

I think fracking is a really important issue, so 

I hope it is okay that I sent this out to you. 

Please have a look at the petition currently 

on credoaction.com & send it out to your 

readers on the central coast who want to keep 

it pristine here :) 

Thank you! 

Kristina DellaGatta 

>> Thanks, Kristina, this really opened our 

eyes and we decided to look into it further. 

Please turn to page 44 to find out what we 

learned about fracking on the Central Coast. 

>> Help Wanted 


The Literacy Council has two tutor trainings 

coming up in the next couple of months. The 

first is scheduled for Saturdays August 17 & 

24 and the next one will be held Saturdays 

September 14 & 21. We hold the trainings 

in the 3rd floor conference room of the SLO 

County Library. They begin at 9:00am and end 

at about 3:30pm. There is a $25.00 registration 

fee that helps out with materials costs. After 

they complete the training, our tutors work oneon-one 

with adults 16 or older. Our learners 

are both speakers of English as a first language 

and speakers of English as a second language 

and each one sets his or her individual literacy 

learning goals. I’m sure some of your readers 

would be perfect tutor candidates and we do 

need people throughout SLO County. Anything 

you can do to help us get the word out would be 

very much appreciated. 

Thank you, 

Bernadette Bernardi 

Executive Director 

The Literacy Council 

bernadette@sloliteracy.org 

Contact us today for FREE placement assistance. 

(805) 546-8777 

elderplacementprofessionals.com 


8were 

against 

banning 

them 

%

>> Shout Out 

We would like to give a 

SLO LIFE Shout Out to 

our cover photographer, 

Chris Bersbach, who 

continues to raise the bar 

each issue. As much as 

we’d like to keep him all 

to ourselves, Bersbach, 

pictured here setting up his 

vintage camera, is available 

to do all different types of 

photography. He can be 

reached at 805-448-2841. 

Tell him we say, “Hi!” 

THE RIGHT 

BAG IS ALL 

YOU NEED 

>> Request for Proposals 


On behalf of Leadership Class XXI, I wanted 

to let you know that an RFP is now available at 

http://leadershipslo.org/cm/Class21RFP.html 

for local artists to help us replace the current 

exhibit at the Hall of Counties in the State 

Capitol building in Sacramento. $15,000 has 

been allocated and proposals should be submitted 

electronically in PDF form no later than 5pm 

C 

August 15 to leadershipsloxxi@gmail.com 

Thank you, 

M 

Rachel Carscaden 

Y 

CM 

>> We decided to research Leadership SLO 

a bit in this issue. Learn more about its Legacy MY 

Projects by turning to page 50. 

CY 

CMY 

K 

>> Rocktastic 

Thank you to Brad Daane, who in addition 

to handling the bass for local band Truth 

About Seafood, is also a mighty fine 

photographer. Recently, he took this 

panoramic shot toward the end of their 

Concerts in the Plaza show last month. The 

Concert series produced by the Downtown 

Association never disappoints as can be seen 

with all of the happy faces in the crowd here… 

Please send your comments to info@slolifemagazine.com 

Follow SLO LIFE on Facebook: Visit facebook.com/slolifemagazine 

Visit us online at slolifemagazine.com 

The sign of the horns means different 

things to different people, but in the 

context of a rock concert it can be 

interpreted in only one way: heavy metal! 

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 authentication purposes). 

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Magazine aug/sep 2013 | 15

| TIMELINE 

Equal parts disgusting and awesome, Bubble 

Gum Alley in downtown SLO is in the running to 

be named the “8th Wonder of the World” by the same outfit that 

apparently picked the Seven Wonders—VirtualTourist.com. The 

“ABC” experts at the Chamber of Commerce estimate there are 1.7 

million pieces of “already been chewed” gum stuck to the walls of the 

70-foot-long alleyway. Those interested in voting for Bubble Gum 

Alley should visit virtualtourist.com/8thwonder before September 30. 

We shall protect the 

lives and property of the 

citizens and visitors of 

our City from the adverse 

effects of fires, medical 

emergencies and other 

dangers caused by man 

or nature. We shall fulfill 

our mission with Courtesy 

& Service by motivated, 

productive individuals 

who value their 

profession, co-workers 

and the community they 

proudly serve. 

-City 

of San Luis Obispo 

Fire Department Website 

SLO firefighter, John Ryan Mason, who pummeled Los Osos resident 

Jory Brigham in the restroom at Pappy MacGregor’s Bar in 2011 is 

reinstated by Fire Chief Charlie Hines. Protestors converge on City 

Hall expressing shock that Mason, also an EMT, had violated the 

firefighter’s code of ethics by leaving Brigham alone, bleeding and 

unconscious on the bathroom floor. Hines, who called the decision his 

most difficult in 38 years of service, later gave notice that he will be 

retiring on September 10th leaving someone else to deal with Mason. 

Animal rights advocates line up to pressure Morro Bay City 

Council to deny the Morro Bay Aquarium renewal of its lease 

on The Embarcadero. The space will become available to other 

interested businesses and any facility proposing to house animals 

must be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 

Upon hearing the news, seals housed in the 50-year-old 

establishment could be heard barking with joy. 

After a long special election 

to fill the seat vacated 

by Andrew Carter, SLO 

Planning Commissioner 

Carlyn Christianson 

emerges victorious with 

48% of the vote. The 

campaign, which was 

marked by a long succession 

of candidates dropping out 

finally ended up as a choice 

between Christianson and 

Paul Brown (Don Hedrick, 

the third candidate, received 

2.5% of the vote). [Get 

to know Christianson by 

turning to page 18] 

SLO County Supervisor, 

Paul Teixeira, passes away 

unexpectedly at 57 of a heart 

attack. The longtime Nipomo 

resident is remembered 

fondly for his steady hand and 

honorable service. The loss 

of the “lovable big galoot,” 

as he was affectionately 

known, sets up an interesting 

situation for filling his seat. 

Teixiera had been a reliable 

conservative vote along with 

Debbie Arnold and Frank 

Mecham on the five member 

board. But, now Governor 

Jerry Brown will be naming 

his replacement which will 

likely tip the balance in a 

progressive direction with 

Bruce Gibson and Adam Hill. 

june 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 


Bees invade the Fremont Theater in San Luis 

Obispo just in time to disrupt Festival Mozaic 

and SLO International Film Festival’s screening 

of the documentary “Following the Ninth: In 

the Footsteps of Beethoven’s Final Symphony.” 

When our reporter finally stopped a particularly 

busy worker bee to question him about the 

situation, he remarked: “What can I say? We’re 

huge bee-thoven fans!” 

Facing a severe 

water shortage, 

Paso Robles taps 

its share of Lake 

Nacimiento for 

the first time. 

The water 

is being 

pumped 

from the lake into the Salinas 

riverbed to counteract the 

drought this year. By allowing 

it to simply drain into the city’s 

existing wells below the sandy 

riverbed, only about 25% of the 

water will make its way into the 

drinking supply. Since the end 

of June nearly 50 million gallons 

have been diverted from the lake 

to the river, which is expected 

to partially counteract the 

exceptionally dry year. 

Shawn Stamback of San Luis Obispo 

is very nearly swallowed whole by a 

humpback whale while snorkeling at Avila 

Beach. Video shot from the boat during the 

incident is posted on YouTube and receives 

millions of views within 24 hours of the 

incident. The clip, which is titled “Whales 

almost eat divers,” shows Stamback did, 

in fact, come extremely close to being 

the lunch special. See it for yourself at: 

youtube.com/watch?v=OUt7wK919mk 

Grover Beach Mayor, Debbie 

Peterson, kicks up quite a lot 

of dust of her own by going off 

on a solo effort to repeal the 

Oceano Dunes dust control 

regulation known as Rule 

1001. The rule was established 

after a multi-year study and 

a vote by the 12 member Air 

Pollution Control District 

(APCD) board in November, 

2011. Peterson, who has 

been on that board since 

January made an ill-conceived 

comment on the The Dave 

Congalton Radio Show when, 

in response to Congalton’s 

comment about the health 

consequences for people dying 

on the Nipomo Mesa as a 

result of dust inhalation, she 

said, “They’re not dying fast 

enough.” Peterson’s colleagues on the city council, who do not support a repeal 

of Rule 1001, are now contemplating removing her from the APCD board. 

After more than 20 years of controversy, the 

Dalidio property in San Luis Obispo is likely to 

renew its status as a battleground pitting business 

interests against open space advocates once again. 

Clint Pearce of Madonna Enterprises and Gary 

Grossman of Coastal Community Builders reveal 

that they are in escrow on the $19.7 million, 131- 

acre ranch and are in the preliminary stages of 

proposing a new development which they expect to 

be a combination of residential, commercial, retail, 

farming, and a hotel. If Pearce and Grossman 

have their way, the land bracketed by Madonna 

Road, LOVR, and Highway 101 may be used for 

something other than growing cilantro. 

july 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 



| Q&A 

Carlyn Christianson 

Fresh from a win in the San Luis Obispo City Council special election, 

Carlyn Christianson met with us one afternoon recently to dish on 

everything from local land use issues to the current state of her love life... 

Congratulations on your win, 

Carlyn. Does that make you 

one-for-one, undefeated? 

I’m actually one-for-two. I ran 

for Cuesta College Board of 

Trustees in 1996 and lost. I 

learned back then that I really 

don’t like campaigning—I don’t. 

I’m very happy with the outcome 

of the recent election, of course. 

Very honored. I still don’t like 

campaigning. But, doing a job well 

and working hard are not always 

the same as liking something. 

You’ve been active in local land 

use issues for years. How did you 

get involved? 

I was working for Planned 

Parenthood and found that the 

workers there couldn’t find places 

to live. And I began to find also 

that those that could, were unable 

to afford health care because their 

housing costs were so high. But, in 

order to balance the open spaces 

that we all cherish with affordable 

housing, I found that you have 

to build in the city. That means 

smart growth and really good 

urban design. That means going 

up and going smaller. Mixed use 

and granny units. There are all 

kinds of things that can be done 

to incrementally add housing 

units. It doesn’t solve the problem, 

but it starts to help. And Cal Poly 

has been getting a lot better about 

building on-campus housing for 

its students. 

Okay, that makes sense. Let’s talk 

about your childhood. 

We moved a lot. I lived in Japan for 

nearly a year in 1963 and I lived 

in Germany for a year in 1961 as 

a first grader. And, then I lived in 

Germany again for a couple of 

years in junior high school, sixth 

and seventh grade. My dad was a 

nuclear engineer for General 

Electric. He helped build nuclear 

power plants. We lived all over 

the place, but San Jose was our 

home base. 

What about college? 

I started at UC Santa Cruz but it 

was just too touchy-feely for me, 

so I transferred to Davis where 

I created my own major called 

Women in American Society. I was 

one of the first Women’s Studies 

majors in the UC System. I then 

went to Hastings Law School 

in San Francisco and when I 

graduated—much to my parents’ 

horror—I moved to Telluride, 

Colorado to become a ski bum 

even though I don’t ski because I’m 

afraid of heights! [laughter] I had 

gone to see a total solar eclipse in 

the Winter of ’79 in the mountains 

of Montana. I had never been to 

the Rockies before. I had been 

to the Alps but it was just 

stunning, I just loved them. I love 

the mountains. 

Speaking of mountains, are the 

problems we face today just too 

big to solve? 

This is the way I look at it: 

depending on the problem, there 

isn’t a final “one-stop-shop” 

solution. But, there’s always 

something you can work on. 

Any issues that are big—like air 

quality, homelessness, housing— 

just because it may be seen as a 

big, huge issue that’s never going 

to get solved, doesn’t mean you 

shouldn’t do something about 

it and do whatever you can 

do. That’s my philosophy. It’s 

tempting to go, “Ahhhhh, we 

can’t do anything about it!” But 

really, the older you get and the 

more you do this stuff, the more 

you realize that, you know, if we 

just keep plugging away you do 

get somewhere that is different 

than where you were before. And, 

so you have to just keep trying. 

We’ve heard that you are a 

regular at the Yoga Centre. 

That is true. When Jeff, my 

partner, died unexpectedly in 

late-2010 that was a very hard 

time for me, obviously. I started 

going to yoga to have a physical 

activity. I couldn’t run anymore 

because of my knees, so I chose 

yoga not only for that reason—I 

like doing it because it is very 

good for you physically—but, 

also it’s very good for calming 

and centering. I like the group. 

It was nice to make new friends. 

So, the whole thing was very 

appealing to me. I’m just 

someone that thinks very clearly 

after physical exercise and yoga 

has become a spiritually and 

emotionally satisfying thing for 

me, as well. 

What don’t we know about 

you? Come on, Carlyn, give us 

something good! 

Hmm… that’s a tough question. I 

really can’t think of anything else. 

I’m pretty much an open book 

after the campaign. But, oh, okay, 

here’s something for you... if there’s 

anybody out there that wants to go 

out on a date, I’m a very strongminded 

but fun person! [laughter] 

My friends keep telling me that 

I need to mention that I’m single 

whenever I am interviewed so that 

all of you in the press can help get 

the word out for me. So there you 

go, there’s your scoop! SLO LIFE 


Make your friends 

happy… 

Have a good “listening” summer! 

Call us today for your consultation 

805541-1790 

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Helping You Hear The Things You Love 


| VIEW 

Back Roads 

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE E. MILLER 

Connecting two of the world’s most iconic granite formations—Morro 

Rock in the Pacific and Half Dome in Yosemite Valley—much of 

Highway 41 is nothing more than a two-lane country road. Although 

it does widen into a full-fledged freeway for a stretch through Fresno, 

travelers are treated to hairpin turns and natural wonders on either end. 

Here, local photographer Steve E. Miller sets up alongside a remote 

stretch of road halfway between Atascadero and Shandon. And, with 

his trusty Canon digital SLR resting on a tripod at dusk, he sets it for 

a thirty-second exposure, just long enough to capture the taillights of a 

car passing by but too slow and with not enough light to pick up the car 

itself. According to Miller, the shot took “a bit of experimentation and a 

lot of patience,” but the end result, as you can see here, was well worth it. 


20 | SLO LIFE Magazine aug/sep Do you 2013have an amazing photo to share? Email it to info@slolifemagazine.com


| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR 

T ina 

Swithin 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS BERSBACH 

In this installment of our “Meet Your Neighbor” series, SLO LIFE Magazine 

sits down for a conversation with Tina Swithin. Following her divorce, 

she faced a highly contentious custody struggle while acting as her own 

attorney in Family Court. She began to share her experiences during the 

proceedings through her blog, “One Mom’s Battle.” And last year, after 

receiving international recognition for her blog, she wrote a book called 

“Divorcing a Narcissist—One Mom’s Battle,” a gripping, first-person 

account of her struggle to retain custody of her children. Aside from 

gaining notoriety as an expert in the matter, Swithin also works with a 

local marketing firm to promote tourism to the area, and writes travel 

features for the Huffington Post. She has two young girls, Makena and 

Kailani, and she recently married Glenn Simpson. Here is her story... 

We like to take it from the top, Tina. Where 

are you from? 

I moved here from Chicago with my dad 

when I was ten-years-old. My mom was 17 

and my dad was 19 when I was born. I grew 

up in Arroyo Grande. It was a big change. I 

remember being really bored in school because 

the schools in Chicago were ahead. I was like, 

“I’ve done all of this last year!” So, it was a 

big change, but I loved it. I had a really rocky 

childhood. My biological mother suffered from 

bipolar disorder and chose to self-medicate 

with drugs and alcohol. My dad did the best 

he could, but he was a very young father. We 

moved around a lot. My dad struggled with 

alcohol when I was little. And, so yeah, it 

definitely wasn’t the best childhood. 

How did you cope? 

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I 

started my first business when I was 14, in high 

school. I made chocolate lollipops. We had a 

friend who owned a restaurant, so I would go in 

there and they would let me use their kitchen. 

I would make them there and then sell them 

at Doc Burnstein’s. A couple of the local hotels 

had them for sale, too. And then, when I was 

19, I started a pet sitting business. I ended up 

with 13 employees. I did that from the time I 

was 19 to 26, when I was married. So, I kind 

of bypassed college. I mean, I took classes at 

Cuesta, but mostly business-related classes. 

Even at Arroyo Grande High School I took a 

marketing class from my favorite teacher, Mr. 

Brewster. I just knew that was the direction I 

wanted to go. 

So, was your blog started as a business venture? 

No, not at all. I started the blog really with the 

intention of giving my friends and family a 

place to go and check in to see how things were 

going. Then one day, I was doing some work at 

home and I had the Today Show on. I never 

watch TV, but I just happened to have it on the 

day they had Christie Brinkley come in for an 

interview about her divorce from her husband, 

Peter Cook, a diagnosed malignant narcissist. 

As Matt Lauer continued to challenge her and 

convey his skepticism, she finally said to him, 

“Google ‘divorcing a narcissist.’” That morning I 

watched as my blog took off across the internet. 

It went from having a 100 views a month to 30,000. 

>> 


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Wow. 

I ended up connecting with Christie. She 

read my blog, and I didn’t know that. She 

had her assistant contact me and we went 

down to LA to meet with her. The way 

my husband, Glenn, described it was that 

there were several people backstage to meet 

Christie, but he said, “Christie was there to 

meet you!” She just lit up and said, “Thank 

you so much for sharing your story. It’s so 

important that you keep talking and helping 

people so they don’t feel alone.” A couple 

of weeks after that I said to myself, “I need 

to put this into a book format,” because I 

thought I could reach so many more people. 

So, I started last April just writing a few 

things every night after the girls went to 

bed. And six months later I had a book. 

I read your book and it kept me up really 

late one night, which is when my wife 

walked out to the living room and asked, 

“What are you doing?” You should have 

seen the look she gave me when I told her 

I was reading “Divorcing a Narcissist.” 

[laughter] But, seriously, what has writing 

done for your life? 

Writing the book was a truly cathartic 

experience and did more for me than four 

years of counseling was able to achieve. It 

was, by far, the most healing thing I have 

been able to do. I felt like I had huge closure. 

I got it all out. It’s resonated with people all 

over the world. I’m to the point where I can’t 

answer all of the emails I get about the book. 

There was a lady from Ireland who sent me 

an email recently and her subject line read, 

“You saved my life today.” She went on to 

tell me how she was gone, done, and just felt 

that she could not go on another day. She 

told me that the book inspired her, had given 

her hope, and reignited a spark in her. And 

she was going to keep fighting. It’s really 

overwhelming at times because I’m thinking, 

“I’m just this little ol’ person!” But, I have 

people contacting me to say, “I want to come 

to California to meet you.” It’s kind of weird, 

but it’s good. It makes me feel that I’d go 

through it again––I don’t know if I would put 

my daughters through it again––but I would 

do it again to connect with people the way I 

have and give people hope. 

Has there been any negative feedback? 

No, if anything it has inspired people to act. 

There is a woman in Santa Barbara who is a 

doctor who recently read my book and sent 

me an email at 6am the next morning saying, 

“I have literally been awake all night reading 

your book and I can’t believe it. You’ve just 

explained my marriage, my divorce, all of it. 

I felt so alone before this. I connected with 

your story. I want to help you.” She hired an 

attorney for me. I’ve been doing this on my 

own for four years. It’s been like having a 

part-time job acting as my own attorney. So 

she reached out to her friend who is the DA 

in Santa Barbara to get a recommendation 


for an attorney up here, and paid a retainer 

for me to finally have my own attorney. 

But, you had been doing great as your own 

attorney. I found myself pumping my first 

and saying, “Go, Tina!” when reading the 

GPS tracking device courtroom scene. 

Yes, my ex-husband was caught lying to the 

judge. Although there is really no such thing 

as perjury in Family Court, judges do not 

like to be lied to. When I suspected he was 

not being straight about where he was taking 

the girls on the weekends it frightened me. 

I gave my daughters a cell phone that had 

been enabled with GPS tracking. It gave me 

a report of their location every hour on the 

hour and I had printouts. As he was telling 

the judge in elaborate detail where he had 

taken the girls, I waited until he was done 

and then presented evidence to the contrary. 

I knew my only chance of proving that he 

was a liar was to catch him in the act—in the 

lie. The judge called for a 15 minute recess 

and came back to announce that there would 

be sanctions. I was awarded full legal and 

physical custody and it also ended the girls’ 

overnight visits with him. 

You and your ex-husband ran separate 

businesses, which both fell apart along with 

the marriage. What became of your childcare 

services business, SLO County Sitters? 

In the beginning, it took everything in me 

to stay here where so many bridges had been 

burned. I was like, “Yes, I was married to him; 

but, no, I am not the same person.” And guilt 

by association, and all of that. Luckily it’s a 

really great community and people have been 

very supportive. People told me, “This is your 

home. Don’t leave.” I reached out to a lot of 

people who were owed an apology, even if 

it wasn’t my doing. But, I felt that for those 

people that had a bad experience through 

my ex-husband’s business dealings needed 

to hear from me. I just said, “I’m here, I 

apologize.” And, then when my own business 

went under, that was really, really hard. That 

wasn’t just a business to me, that was my third 

child. I put my heart into that, more than 

anything else in my life. To have that fail... we 

lost everything. I mean, everything was gone. 

And to know that I had let people down who 

I knew were depending on me for childcare. 

I was emailing clients to say, “I will come to 

your house to personally babysit your kids.” 

You have such an incredibly inspiring 

“lemons to lemonade” story. Do you ever 

speak publicly to share it with others? 

Public speaking is one of my fears that I 

need to get over. It’s just never been my 

thing. I was just hypnotized for it. I don’t 

know if worked––I haven’t given a speech 

yet! [laughter] I was approached by the 

Today Show about my book a few months 

ago, and one of the questions they asked me 

was, “How comfortable are you on camera?” 

And, I said, “Not at all!” Anyway, I had a two 

hour hypnosis session. He had something 

Excerpt from “Divorcing a 

Narcissist—One Mom’s Battle” 

The fear for my life intensified. I 

called my local women’s shelter. 

It was by far the most humbling 

phone call that I had ever made. 

This was the very place that I had 

volunteered every year during 

Thanksgiving and Christmas. I 

packed two sleepy, pajama-clad 

little girls into my car, and we 

met an intake counselor at a hotel 

parking lot. After she assessed 

our situation, we followed her to 

a hidden residence in town where 

we stayed. 

Driving to the shelter was surreal. 

My legs were shaking so badly 

that I could barely keep my foot 

on the gas pedal. How did my 

life come to this? I thought I was 

making the right choices. I had 

married someone who appeared 

stable and successful by every 

sense of the word. He was smart, 

he went to a good college and 

his parents had been married for 

thirty years. Nine short months 

ago I was living in a brand new 

home in a gated community. 

Today, I was taking my children 

to a stay in a women’s shelter. 

”

hanging from the ceiling and he told me 

to watch that while he was counting down 

backwards. I remember the whole thing and 

it was the most relaxed I had ever been in my 

entire life. But, it was almost like a counseling 

session. He went back and talked about 

childhood things and where you may have 

been stumped in life. It was kind of weird, 

but really cool. 

Swithin’s daughters 

Makena and Kailani 

Swithin with her 

husband, Glenn 

Speaking of weird-but-cool, I understand 

you have a great first date story. 

[laughter] Yes, as a matter of fact, I do! Glenn 

was married for 16 years and has three boys. 

He had been through a divorce two years 

before mine started. For the first six months 

we just had a really solid friendship and I 

didn’t introduce him to the girls. He’s been 

a park ranger for the county for 23 years. 

He’s now the supervising ranger at Lopez 

Lake. We got married in April. So, our first 

date was at The Porch in Santa Margarita. 

It was the first and only date I had been 

on since my split. We had a great visit and 

said our goodbyes. Then Glenn broke all 

of the rules of dating when he called me 

two hours afterward to say, “Do you want 

to have lunch?” [laughter] Since I just had 

eaten lunch, we agreed to meet again that 

day for another coffee. Those two coffee dates 

were the beginning of a wonderful, magical 

friendship based on mutual respect and 

adoration. I felt alive like I had not felt in a 

long time. 

You’ve been through the ringer, Tina. How 

do you reconcile all of this? 

It starts with taking personal responsibility for 

the situation that you are in. It would be easy 

for me to sit here and blame everyone else 

and say that I’m a victim. I’m not a victim, I 

don’t ever want to be a victim. I’m a survivor. 

I’ve learned. I’m moving forward in a positive 

way and I want to help others. I’ve got 

another couple of books in the works. And 

I’m working with someone here locally who is 

a computer programmer to help me create a 

Yelp-like website for the Family Court system 

so that people can review and rate attorneys, 

social workers, child welfare services, judges, 

mediators, everybody who has a hand in the 

Family Court system. That way people can 

share their experiences and rate them. It will 

just put a huge spotlight on Family Court. 

You’ve gained a lot of wisdom through it all. 

What can you share with us? 

I think that is one of the things that has been 

the biggest lesson for me. I grew up in a very 

humble upbringing and didn’t have a lot of 

things. And then it was sort of like rags to 

riches and then back again. But, it is really 

true. Money really does not make you happy. 

That is one of the most true things that has 

ever been said. I’m living in a home that is a 

quarter of the size that I was in before and 

I’m happier now than I have ever been in my 

life with a little 1,000-square-foot house and 

an old Volvo. But, you know, life is good. 



| DWELLING 

Modern Paradise 

26 PHOTOGRAPHY | SLO LIFE Magazine BY aug/sep TREVOR 2013POVAH

“ 

We wanted to 

protect and preserve 

the trees—that was 

first in our minds. 

” 

For Paul Neuwald and his wife, Mindy Brooks, 

the whole thing started with the trees. “We 

wanted to protect and preserve the trees—that 

was first in our minds,” Neuwald shares from 

the back deck. So, when the couple sat down 

with their architect, Bill Isaman, priority 

number one was to respect the many oaks 

dotting the two-and-a-half acre property at 

750 Camino Obispo in Arroyo Grande. Beyond 

those instructions, they wanted to make the 

home as environmentally-friendly as possible. 

But, that left a lot of questions about style. 

“Bill asked us to tear out photos from 

magazines that we liked, and to bring him 

samples of textures and other things. He wanted 

to get an idea for our tastes,” shares Brooks. 

The pair began to hone in on what it was they 

wanted, which resulted in a huge pile of photos 

and a request for three things: first, a focus on 

nature; second, meld inside and outside; and, 

third, low-maintenance. With the couple’s 

wishes now clear, Isaman set out to design their 

dream home. 

In February of 2010, the couple, who has spent 

their careers in the biotech industry, came 

down to visit the Central Coast from Martinez, 

where they lived in the Bay Area. They found 

the property, which sits on a hill just south of 

Talley Farms at the edge of Arroyo Grande, on 

a Friday night and made the offer to purchase 

the following Monday morning. With the 

land secured, the designing and building was 

“surprisingly smooth.” The three bedroom, 

two-and-a-half bath home was completed and 

ready for move-in last September. And the Las 

Ventanas development, a 3,000 acre tract, with 

plans for about 40 homes, was ready for its 

newest neighbors. 

The home features a modest master bedroom 

with a decidedly immodest walk-in closet, 

which is large enough to allow for vaulted 

ceilings and plenty of room to dress for the 

day. The couple sheepishly confesses that they 

“just wanted all of their stuff out of site.” 

Additionally, creative use of Sorgham husks 

makes for an interesting design and textural 

element in several places throughout the home. 

The master bathroom boasts an open shower, 

something they noted in their travels to Central 

and South America. And, strand bamboo floors 

run throughout, making for lots of slipping and 

sliding for their cats, Ranger and Tonto. 

A home office for Neuwald, who remains active 

in biotech as a consultant, provides sweeping 

hillside views. And a guest room lies in wait for 

the couple’s grandkids who live in Fort Collins, 

Colorado. The solar panels provide all the 

electricity they need and there are ceiling fans 

in every room. Also, the hot tub runs on solar 

and the heat pump provides warmth for an extra 

cold day. But, there are not too many cold days, 

nor hot days because with the smart design and 

a focus on combining outside and inside, most 

days are just right. 

>> 


1 

3 

2 

Environment by Design 

1 | STRUCTURAL SUPPORT 

As with most of his designs, Isaman 

began with his trademark “spine wall,” 

which is the primary load-bearing 

structure bisecting the home, running 

from the outside, through the kitchen 

and back out again. The spine wall is 

covered by limestone bricks, giving it 

a distinctive waterfall effect. Resting 

perpendicularly on the spine wall are 

massive Alaskan cedar beams, which 

allow for maximum openness giving the 

home a spacious and airy feel. 

2 | OUTSIDE INFLUENCE 

Strand bamboo and stone flooring 

work to further incorporate an outdoor 

landscape within the walls of the home. 


3 | BREEZY DESIGN 

The actual placement of the windows 

is, perhaps, the most environmentallyfriendly 

aspect of the house. Wellconceived 

design of both high and 

low windows with automatic openers 

allows for the warm air, higher up into 

the vaulted ceilings to flow out, while 

bringing in cooler air down below to 

complete the cycle. When walking 

through the hallway a gentle churn of 

fresh afternoon air blowing in from the 

ocean is apparent. 

4 | PANORAMIC VIEW 

There were challenges along the way for 

Isaman and builder Robbins|Reed Inc., 

particularly with the corner windows 

that the couple favored. And while 

substituting traditional structures 

at the corners of the home for plate 

glass required creative design and 

ingenuity, the unobstructed views 

of the surrounding oaks makes it all 

worthwhile. 

>> 

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5 | WARM SOLUTION 

The floating fireplace is a conversation piece but 

also an important energy saver, as warmth from 

the bottom radiates the floor below and efficiently 

heats the home. 

6 | BEAUTIFUL WASTE 

Waste sorghum husks, a grass that is used to 

brew gluten-free beer among other things, finds 

a second life here as an interior design element 

that inspires as well as it insulates. 

7 | MODERN INFLUENCE 

Steel cable railing supports the sleek, 

minimalistic design by allowing for plenty of 

light and airflow to pass from room-to-room 

and contributes to the modern look of the home. 

8 | CLIMATE CONTROL 

Not only are the many ceiling fans a key part of 

the interior design, they also serve as an important 

climate controlling component. During the winter 

they help circulate the warm air from the fireplace 

and during the summer they complement the many 

natural breezeways. 

9 

9 | FOCAL POINT 

The suspended pots and pans are out of the way, 

but the hanging pot rack serves as a statement piece 

contrasting the clean lines of this kitchen. 

10 

10 | SUBTLE STYLING 

Energy efficient appliances that are careful to not 

steal the spotlight are hidden away, out of view. 

It was also important to the couple that, not only 

were the appliances thrifty with their energy use, 

but also quiet as well. SLO LIFE 


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| 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 































*Comparing 1/1/12 — 7/20/12 to 1/1/13 — 7/20/13 

2012 

30 

559,120 

542,250 

97.28 

76 

2012 

17 

569,276 

555,852 

97.54 

69 

2012 

16 

510,513 

488,421 

95.55 

47 

2012 

10 

772,000 

745,850 

96.76 

165 

2012 

21 

564,238 

552,805 

98.19 

55 

2012 

28 

501,441 

498,524 

99.70 

35 

2012 

29 

580,034 

568,289 

98.30 

68 

2013 

33 

549,980 

540,590 

98.35 

55 


14 

694,543 

698,028 

100.50 

16 


21 

585,667 

575,476 

98.64 

25 


10 

906,400 

891,150 

98.36 

75 


24 

598,881 

578,125 

96.62 

57 


27 

627,293 

618,070 

98.53 

45 


28 

594,804 

589,272 

98.95 

26 

+/- 

16.67% 

-1.63% 

-0.31% 

1.07% 

-27.63% 

+/- 

-17.65% 

22.00% 

25.58% 

2.96% 

-76.81% 

+/- 

31.25% 

14.72% 

17.82% 

3.09% 

-46.81% 

+/- 

0.00% 

17.41% 

19.48% 

1.60% 

-54.55% 

+/- 

14.29% 

6.14% 

4.58% 

-1.57% 

3.64% 

downtown 

+/- 

-3.57% 

25.10% 

23.98% 

-1.17% 

28.57% 

+/- 

-3.45% 

2.55% 

3.69% 

0.65% 

-61.76% 

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS 

® 



Ask me how using the new 

Statewide Multiple Listing 

Service will help you. 

I am one of the few Realtors 

that can give you that edge. 

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU’RE 

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GETTING AWAY TO. 

For the best Real Estate 

Search Site look here. 

Bruce Freeberg • Realtor # 01771947 

444 Higuera Street, 3rd Floor • San Luis Obispo • CA 93401 

(805) 748-0161 • www.BruceFreeberg.com 


| SLO COUNTY REAL ESTATE 

WEALTH 

MANAGEMENT 

INVESTMENT RETIREMENT INSURANCE 

Risk Management | Estate Planning 

Accumulation | Taxation | Business 

Planning | Retirement Planning 

by the numbers 

REGION 

NUMBER OF 

HOMES SOLD 

AVERAGE DAYS ON 

MARKET 

MEDIAN SELLING 

PRICE 

Can you retire? 

Give us a call for a 

free review of your 

Retirement Income Plan. 

Arroyo Grande 

Atascadero 

2012 

259 

260 


260 

284 

2012 

126 

102 


91 

68 

2012 

385,065 

295,200 


419,000 

341,500 

David S. Nilsen 

President & Chief Financial Advisor 

Avila Beach 

24 

20 

141 

45 

489,500 

685,750 

1301 Chorro Street, Suite A 

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 

805.541.6500 

ObispoWealthManagement.com 

David Nilsen is a Registered Representative and Investment Advisor Representative with/and offers 

securities and advisory services through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, 

a Registered Investment Advisor, Insurance Lic. #0B50436. Fixed Insurance products and services 

offered by Obispo Wealth Management are separate and unrelated to Commonwealth. 

Cambria/San Simeon 

Cayucos 

Creston 

Grover Beach 

130 

40 

11 

98 

136 

30 

9 

109 

158 

169 

348 

119 

123 

136 

157 

63 

406,250 

575,000 

385,000 

296,500 

387,750 

537,500 

345,000 

327,000 

Los Osos 

141 

132 

99 

67 

292,500 

324,250 

Morro Bay 

98 

112 

167 

86 

360,000 

398,500 

Nipomo 

163 

173 

107 

95 

349,000 

410,000 

Oceano 

46 

57 

120 

134 

206,000 

237,000 

Pismo Beach 

83 

118 

125 

139 

535,000 

567,500 

Paso (Inside City Limits) 

284 

319 

96 

69 

289,500 

333,000 

Paso (North 46 - East 101) 

56 

49 

161 

101 

225,500 

250,100 

Paso (North 46 - West 101) 

101 

94 

120 

137 

249,000 

257,500 

Paso (South 46 - East 101) 

53 

58 

182 

102 

270,000 

362,000 

San Luis Obispo 

324 

354 

90 

74 

449,500 

504,500 

Santa Margarita 

25 

16 

157 

77 

232,000 

310,000 

Templeton 

81 

87 

101 

134 

375,000 

405,000 


Countywide 

2,277 2,417 

*Comparing 1/1/12 — 7/20/12 to 1/1/13 — 7/20/13 

118 90 335,000 376,000 

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS ® 

SLO LIFE

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| NO PLACE LIKE HOME 

Jesse James Townsend and Haddie Stella Tal 

Madonna Inn Trail Rides 

BY JEANETTE TROMPETER, KSBY NEWS 

You have probably seen it hundreds of times, 

maybe even thousands if your commute takes 

you past the Madonna Inn. We’re talking about 

that big beautiful mountain called Cerro San Luis. 

Maybe you have even hiked up the hill to the 

peak. Well that journey got a bit easier a while 

ago. And it offers up a whole new perspective 

of how there really is No Place Like Home. 

It is as iconic a representation of San Luis 

Obispo as the Inn that sits below it. There is a 

reason the image of Cerro San Luis is plastered 

on most postcards, pamphlets and pictures 

aimed at luring tourists to SLO Town. It is 

spectacular, even from the ground. 

It is even more so if you hoof it up the hill 

toward the top, and that is exactly what you can 

now do seven days a week without much effort. 

The Madonna Inn started offering horseback 

trail rides to guests by special arrangement last 

summer. This summer it is a full-time operation 

and you don’t have to be a guest to take 

advantage of the opportunity. “We have about 

20 trail horses and we can easily accommodate 

a group of about 15 riders at a time,” says head 

wrangler, Haddie Stella Tal. 

Tal has led rides all over the country, but says 

there is no doubt that there is not a prettier 

place to do so than right here. “There’s just so 

much to see. You get the ocean, you have the 

beautiful Laguna Lake and this mountain to 

ride on,” she says. “It’s like horse heaven.” 

And while you may be familiar with the 

trails that wind their way up and around the 

mountain that hikers, cyclists and athletes of 

all kinds use daily, the route you take up on 

these journeys doesn’t intersect with those. And 

the journey happens at a lazy, leisurely pace. 

“We do a two-hour ride that actually goes to 

the very top of the mountain,” Tal says. “Even 

people who’ve been here locally who have 

actually hiked to the top say it’s completely 

different when you’re on a horse.” 

You really do feel like you are out on the 

range, with familiar vistas providing the only 

proof that you are, in fact, right in your own 

backyard. “We have a resident family of about 

15 deer that kind of meander around and we 

can ride through them, and lots of roadrunners 

and some bobcats,” says Tal. “Sometimes we 

might see a coyote.” 

I know what you are thinking. Heading up a 

mountain on a horse can be a bit intimidating 

for novices, but Tal’s got you covered even if 

you’ve never saddled-up before. “It doesn’t 

matter if you’ve ridden a thousand times or 

never. We’ll get a horse to fit you.” 

Most people opt for the hour-long ride, but 

if you are having fun, and you’re feeling a 

little adventurous, go ahead and book the 

two-hour tour. Either way, you will likely 

feel mighty grateful by the time you loop 

down over Lopez Lake and head for home. 

Because there’s no place like it, and it’s 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 WHAT’S HOT NOW 

SPECIAL GUEST 

Welcome your guests in style with the Comfort 

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seven sizes, from cot to king, a full-length mattress, 

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KEEP COOL 

Inspire envy at your next backyard 

barbeque with this authentic Corona 

cooler made in Mexico and imported 

directly by Luna Rustica. Fully 

insulated and self-draining. The 60 

bottle capacity will keep your guests 

happy and your party in full swing. 

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haute 

FINDS! 

FARM TO TABLE 

This whimsical lazy susan by Sticks is crafted from 

birch wood, woodburned, and then hand-painted 

making each piece unique and all its own. There are 

multiple designs and utilitarian, artisan items to choose 

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777 Higuera Street 


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SWEET DREAMS 

Pinch me, I must me dreaming! These 

sheet sets are woven from 100% bamboo 

viscose. They’re 300 thread count, but feel 

more like 1,000 thread count pima cotton. 

And they come in eight wonderful colors, 

from twin to California King. Soft on the 

skin and easy on the earth, bamboo is like 

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getting out of bed in the morning... 

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WINNING DESIGN 

Emerald, the Color of the Year 2013, is 

described as lively, radiant, lush… a color 

of elegance and beauty that enhances 

our sense of well-being, balance and 

harmony. Baxter Moerman designed and 

built this elegantly simple ring featuring 

a bright green 0.90 carat Colombian 

emerald. The 18K white ring shank is 

lovingly engraved by hand to achieve this 

attractive repeating pattern. This piece 

captures the one-of-a-kind beauty every 

woman deserves. 

$1,660.00 // Baxter Moerman Jewelry 

1118 Morro Street, San Luis Obispo 

(805) 801-9117 // baxtermoerman.com 

THIRST QUENCHER 

The cool older brother of the original S’well 

you know and love. He’s taller, he’s been 

working out, and the ladies swoon when they 

catch sight of him. Holds 25oz/750ml of your 

favorite drink and keeps your beverage cold 

for 24 hours and hot for 12. Even better, this 

S’well bottle has been designed to hold the 

contents of a bottle of wine, great for summer 

picnics and dining al fresco! 

$45.00 // Assets 

853 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo 

(805) 781-0119 // sloassets.com 

IT’S RIVETING 

Kicking off the fall fashion season, Hammitt marries 

down-to-earth West Coast style with luxe leathers 

and fine detailing like real suede lining, easy-access 

cell phone pockets and custom designer hardware. 

Designer Tony Drockton will be appearing in-person at 

Ian Saude for an August 31st trunk show during Cork 

Couture—an evening to benefit Jack’s Helping Hand. 

$175 to $1250 // Ian Saude // 1003 Osos Street, 

San Luis Obispo // (805) 784-0967 // iansaude.com 

NATURAL BEAUTY 

Handcrafted “Heart Wings” butterfly 

and sterling silver pendants and 

earrings come in dazzling colors and 

are beautifully iridescent. No butterflies 

are harmed and are gathered only after 

dying naturally from tropical butterfly 

farms. This is a rainforest “sustainable 

use” activity that helps preserve 

wild butterfly populations, provide 

needed income for farmers, and save 

rainforests by creating economic 

viability without cutting them down. 

Environmental beauty at its best. 

$45.00 - $65.00 // Turn To Nature 

786 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo 

(805) 540-3395 // turntonature.com 

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE 

Made from 100% natural palm fiber grown sustainably on the warm coasts 

of Mexico, the Tula Beach Hat is perfect company for lounge chairs and 

frisbees. The lightweight material cleans easily, dries quickly and even 

floats! All Tula hats have the 50+ UPF rating —the highest possible for sun 

protective gear. So many styles to choose from, you’ll want more than one! 

$35.00 // Apropos // 1022 Morro Street, San Luis Obispo 

840 11th Street, Paso Robles // (805) 784-0664 // shopapropos.com 

CLOSE SHAVE 

Super Close Shave Formula by Baxter of California is fortified 

with antiseptic tea tree oil, witch hazel, skin soothing and 

softening peppermint, menthol, and marine elements. The rich 

cream provides an ultra-thin cushion between your skin and your 

razor, without clogging the blade. And it makes your skin feel oh 

so smooth. Perfect for the man who’s more than ordinary... 

$16.00 // Jules D. // 672 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo 

(805) 781-0722 // jules-d.com SLO LIFE 


| INSPIRATION 

CASA TURNS 

TWENTY! 

the story behind the celebration 

It takes enormous effort from a whole lot 

dedicated people to make a non-profit 

organization viable over the long haul. But, it 

also requires the audacity of just one person to 

bring it to life in the first place. Such is the case 

with CASA of San Luis Obispo County as it 

celebrates its twentieth birthday this year. 

When local businesswoman Susan 

Polk and her husband Jim first became 

foster parents here in the mid-1980’s, 

they realized that things would be 

much easier if they could talk with 

other foster parents. How nice would 

it be to trade tips and share stories and 

perhaps commiserate once in awhile? 

They checked in with the courts and 

the Department of Social Services, but 

as Polk shares, “They just would not 

budge when we asked for information 

about other families, and they were 

unable to understand how it would 

benefit everyone.” Polk then decided to 

start up the Foster Parent Association 

locally, an organization which facilitates 

connection among local families. As 

the Polk Family grew, so did their 

participation in the association. It was 

not long before Polk was attending 

seminars and workshops, learning all 

that she could about foster care. 

A few years prior, David Soukup, a rather 

innovative Seattle-based Juvenile Court judge 

observed that the children appearing before him 

needed advocates. So many of them had parents 

who were incapable of making decisions for their 

kids, or had new foster parents who, frankly, 

did not know the children well enough yet to 

understand their needs—which meant that they 

often fell through the proverbial cracks in the 

system. The judge then designed a program for 

volunteers to attend court hearings to speak up 

for and advocate on the behalf of these children. 

That person, who was recognized by the court 

as the child’s representative became known as a 

CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocate. 

During the mid-80’s, a San Luis Obispo 

County grand jury commissioned a report citing 

the need for representation of local children 

stuck in the Juvenile Court, or Dependency 

Court as it is known here. 


As the saying goes, if you want to get something 

done, find a busy person to make it happen. 

So, Polk set out to start a CASA program 

locally. She began by writing a grant to secure 

funds. A total of $20,000 was awarded as seed 

money by another organization. Next she 

hired an attorney, Mary Harris, to help set up 

a legitimate 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 

Lastly came the recruitment of Terri Clarke, a 

marriage and family therapist as well as Carol 

Mathews, a Cuesta College staff member. The 

start-up team then tackled the “mountains of 

paperwork” which were generated as part of 

the process and the continual “chipping away” 

finally resulted in the birth of CASA of San 

Luis Obispo County. That first year, 1993, 

debuted with 18 trained volunteers who served 

18 children—since then, over 2,000 kids have 

had a CASA here locally. 

Today the organization is guided by the steady 

hand of Teresa Tardiff, who received her CASA 

training in Santa Barbara around the same 

time Polk was signing her name on the start-up 

documents back at home. A few years later 

Tardiff found herself moving up the coast to 

begin her work with CASA of San Luis Obispo 

County. The organization now has close to one 

hundred volunteers, or CASA’s. Each CASA 

is assigned one child, or a group of sibling 

children and puts in, on average, about 15 hours 

per month; but, depending on the individual 

CASA and the needs of the children, it can be 

more (some CASA’s attend their child’s parentteacher 

conferences, for example). And, by law, 

each one of those CASA’s must be 

supervised by a full-time staff person 

with each staff person overseeing no 

more than 30 CASA’s. Currently there 

are a total of four supervisors, three 

full-time and one part-time. 

The biggest challenges faced by the 

organization, according to Tardiff, 

come down to the need for more 

funding so that more supervisors can 

be hired as well as the need for more 

CASA volunteers. The new CASA’s 

go through 30 hours of training before 

being assigned to advocate for their 

first child and the organization has to 

be careful to maintain its 30 to 1 ratio 

of volunteers to supervisors, which 

makes it a delicate balancing act. But, 

the need is there. Currently, there are 

approximately 550 children in the 

Dependency Court system in San Luis 

Obispo County and CASA is able to 

provide services to about 150 of them. 

To a CASA the work is highly rewarding, as 

they are able to make a direct impact on the 

lives of children. And, Tardiff lights up when she 

reports that “many of [the foster children] have 

now returned to become CASA’s themselves, 

including Sonja Polk [Meet Your Neighbor, 

Apr/May 2013], who Susan and Jim Polk took 

in as a foster child but have since adopted.” 

Today, Sonja spends much of her free time 

serving as a spokesperson for the organization, 

which has come a long way since the days when 

she was first introduced to a CASA of her own. 


To donate to CASA of SLO County or 

inquire about becoming a volunteer CASA, 

please call them at (805) 541-6542.

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| MUSIC 

THE RAGGED JUBILEE 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN DAVID 

Arroyo Grande-based band, The Ragged Jubilee, loves to tell the 

story of their very first gig on their first tour. Their excitement was 

electric when they stopped at a Costco to pick up all of the rations 

they would need for their 17-day road trip. The van was loaded 

and the energy was palpable. First stop, Kimo’s in San Francisco’s 

Nob Hill neighborhood. The once-gay-bar-turned-music-venue 

on Polk Street drew “twenty or so people” to the show. The small 

crowd didn’t diminish the mood—they were now a touring band! 

But, the positive vibe faded as their songs echoed through 

the cavernous hall. It was bad enough that the club manager 

discovered that one of their members was underaged, somewhere 

around 17, but when their drummer at the time ended up in a 

fistfight with one of the patrons, they knew the gig was over. The 

unceremonious ending to the show led to a random traverse of 

San Francisco in the middle of the night with no place to sleep. 

While completely lost in the city, the band met a girl named Kat. 

She invited them to crash at her place, but warned that she owned 

a particularly territorial dog. By the time the morning sun made an 

appearance, the bandmates had consumed every bit of their Costco 

provisions and their bedding had been “marked” by Kat’s dog. 

Despite the fact that they had no food, no bedding, and nowhere 

to stay, they could not have been happier—they were on tour and 

still had 16 shows left. 

The joy for their craft is most apparent in frontman, Ethan Burns, 

who started writing music at just 11-years-old. “It’s constant,” he 

says, “I always keep a notepad with me and I’m always thinking 

about words and music and how they go together, new ways of 

saying things.” Burns grew up listening to blues and soul and his 

influence on the band is clear. Their sound has been likened to 

a 1950’s Chicago-style, including a hint of gospel, with similar 

traces found in the music of The Dead Weather, Otis Redding, 

and, even Neil Young. Their soulful roots are most apparent in 

their song Like a River where Burns’ throaty, raspy voice parlays a 

compelling urgency with incredible feeling which connects with a 

unique musical combination that includes an organ. The result is a 

rhythmic, almost hypnotic repetition which slowly accelerates and 

reaches its crescendo with the the chorus that repeats, “I just want 

to love you / I just want to love you / and hold you in my arms.” 

The band holds residency at Harvelle’s, Santa Monica’s iconic 

music venue, and can be seen playing there nearly once a week. 

Live shows featuring original music from their two albums, 

American Moan and In the Valley can also be found filling up 

venues such as The Del Monte Speakeasy in Venice and The Echo 

in LA. A two-week-long end of summer tour is up next and the 

band has dates scheduled in Sacramento, Grass Valley, Arcata, 

Salem, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and, oh yeah, 

San Francisco… but don’t worry, The Ragged Jubilee has come 

a long way since those early days. And, as Chandler Haynes, the 

band’s bass guitar player shares with a laugh, “After that first 

experience, we said, ‘Okay, we got it out of our system. Let’s never 

let that happen again.’” And in case you were wondering, they’ve 

already lined up a place to stay. SLO LIFE 


You can listen to Like a River and several other songs from 

The Ragged Jubilee by visiting reverbnation.com/theraggedjubilee 

left to right 

Phillip Wahl (drums/banjo/organ/vocals) 

Ethan Burns (guitar/harmonica/lead vocals) 

Austin I’Anson (electric guitar/vocals) 

Chandler Haynes (bass guitar/sitar/vocals) 


| SPECIAL FEATURE 

Fracking 

It 

BY TOM FRANCISKOVICH 

turns out that the Central Coast sits 

atop the mother of all shale oil fields. 

What does that mean for our future? 


Ifirst heard that funny sounding word, 

“fracking,” a couple of years ago 

and, aside from a very rudimentary 

understanding, I really did not know 

much about it until recently. And, the 

more I dug into the issue the more I 

realized how important it is because, 

as it turns out, there is much more to 

the Central Coast than its beautiful 

coastlines and scenic landscapes. Deep 

beneath its golden, vineyard-filled rolling hills 

and its distinctive oak-pocked volcanic plugs 

rests the country’s largest domestic shale oil 

field: The Monterey Shale. Currently, multinational 

oil companies are lining up for a piece 

of the action in anticipation of one of the 

largest economic booms of all time, bringing 

jobs and wealth and tax revenue to our area 

unlike anything we have ever seen. And the 

whole thing got me thinking… 

When President George W. Bush boldly 

declared in his 2006 State of the Union address 

that, “America is addicted to oil,” the news 

came as a surprise to no one. Bush was just one 

in a long line of presidents who recognized 

the unsustainable path of our country’s energy 

demands. But unlike President Jimmy Carter, 

who installed solar panels on the White House 

and admonished Americans to turn down their 

thermostats while addressing them in a cardigan 

sweater during the depth of winter, Bush, 

instead of trying to reduce demand, found a way 

to increase supply. 

The technique for oil and natural gas extraction, 

known as hydraulic fracturing—“fracking” for 

short—was first developed in 1947. But, it was 

expensive and cumbersome and not all that 

effective. Plus we had a willing trading partner 

in OPEC and oil was cheap and there was 

plenty of it. The nascent fracking technology sat 

in oil executives’ file cabinets for years in favor 

of the low-hanging fruit, such as off-shore wells 

and small-scale drilling on private property. 

But, mostly, the guys in the Middle East kept 

selling us the stuff and we kept driving our 

kids to soccer practice in 6,000 pound SUV’s, 

and life was good. While policymakers and 

presidents had been wringing their hands 

over the precariousness of our situation, the 

American public had long forgotten about the 

gas rationing of 1973 that came as a result of 

OPEC’s oil embargo. 

When President Bush made his remarks in 

2006, oil prices had been holding relatively 

steady at around $65 per barrel, but his 

declaration of dependence marked the 

beginning of its ascent to a peak of $147.50 

during the summer of 2008 (it is around $105 

per barrel currently). Skyrocketing prices 

combined with mounting evidence that the 

Saudis were funding Al Qaeda made domestic 

exploration a top priority. The exuberant chants 

of “Drill, Baby, Drill!” could be heard from the 

2008 Republican National Convention on the 

floor of the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, 

Minnesota and captured the hearts and minds 

of many Americans. Politician after politician 

made the case that our national security was 

at stake and we now had the ability to get the 

black gold that lay just below our feet. Although, 

curiously, no one used that word—fracking. 

The concept is rather simple. Hydraulic 

fracturing requires drilling a hole far down into 

a bed of shale rock to liberate what is called 

“tight oil” in the industry (the same technique 

can also be used to extract natural gas). The well 

goes straight down below the drinking water 

supply where it makes a sharp 90 degree turn 

and runs horizontally into the thick layer of 

shale. A mixture of water, sand, and chemicals 

called the “fracking fluid” are then blasted into 

the rock at approximately 4,200 gallons per 

second effectively creating tiny fissures in the 

shale (less than 1mm thick). The sand finds its 

way into the cracks to hold them open allowing 

the oil to seep out. It is then pumped up to the 

top and put into a truck for a trip to the refinery. 

So what’s the problem? For starters, it takes 3 

to 8 million gallons of water for the average 

well to extract its oil. But, with oil at over $100 

per barrel the math is easy: buy the water for a 

penny and sell the oil for a dollar. 

The real problem, aside from the massive 

amounts of wasted water, are the chemicals 

found in the fracking fluid—there are 

approximately 40,000 gallons of unnamed and 

unknown chemicals used per fracking site. And 

those chemicals, as it turns out, are considered 

proprietary and are protected by the Trade 

Secrets Act, the same law that allows Colonel 

Sanders to keep us in the dark about his chicken 

recipe. The Colonel does tell us that he uses “11 

herbs and spices” however, which is much more 

than we know about fracking fluid. Despite 

the fact that the oil executives have been 

chicken when it comes to sharing their original 

recipes, it has been found that, historically, the 


Do you see fracking as a boom or a bust? Do you want it here on the Central Coast? Email us at 

info@slolifemagazine.com and be sure to tell the people who can do something about it right now. 

San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors: 

Franck Mecham (805) 781-4491 

fmecham@co.slo.ca.us 

Bruce Gibson (805) 781-4338 

bgibson@co.slo.ca.us 

Adam Hill (805) 781-4336 

ahill@co.slo.ca.us 

Debbie Arnold (805) 781-4339 

darnold@co.slo.ca.us 

most common chemical used in fracking is 

methanol. And, this is where things get really 

interesting. Methanol becomes methane during 

the fracking process. Methane is the leading 

cause of global warming, the worst of the 

greenhouse gases that climate change deniers 

refer to dismissively as “cow farts.” 

Interestingly, the San Joaquin Valley, where 

cow farts are commonplace, has seen a rise in 

fracking opposition coming from an unlikely 

coalition of farmers and environmentalists who 

view a dwindling water supply as the common 

rallying point. Opponents also point out that, in 

addition to the water that is diverted from crops 

and the toxic chemicals that pollute the ground, 

methane gas is also naturally abundant in 

shale rock. So, with each barrel of oil we pump 

out of the ground we are also liberating some 

unknown numbers of cubic tons of greenhouse 

gases into the atmosphere. It may not be exactly 

like Tom’s Shoes “One for One,” but it is some 

ratio that is sending us further toward a point 

of no return. Incidentally, it is the methane 

gases that are trapped in northern tundras that 

worry climate scientists the most: as the weather 

warms, the ice melts releasing more methane 

into the atmosphere, which further accelerates 

the process. Additionally, methane gas has 

made its way into the drinking water supplies of 

communities near fracking operations, as stories 

of water coming out of the tap and catching 

on fire are commonplace. According to one 

independent study, methane concentrations 

were found to be 17 times higher in drinking 

water wells near fracking sites. 

All of this brings us back to our home here 

on the Central Coast, a special part of our 

Creator’s Kingdom or a pure accident of 

geology, depending on your own belief system. 

Regardless of how it came to be, the same 

landscape that you and I and thousands of 

visitors cherish is now being viewed by oil 

executives with dollar signs in their eyes. 

Because below our feet sits the mother lode 

of all shale formations, the 1,750 square miles 

known as The Monterey Shale, which the US 

Government estimates to contain 15.4 billion 

barrels of recoverable oil. Our corner of the 

territory technically sits on the Santa Maria 

Basin within the The Santos Shale, and it is 

some of the most fertile ground within the span 


that stretches from the Los Angeles area along 

the Southern and Central Coasts and through 

the San Joaquin Valley. 

The Central Coast could experience an 

economic boom unlike anything we have ever 

seen in our lifetimes. If our open spaces and 

private landowners were to allow fracking to 

reach its fullest potential, it is estimated by a 

recent University of Southern California study 

that it would create 2.8 million jobs statewide 

by 2020 and increase tax revenues for state and 

local governments by $4.5 billion per year. Just 

imagine how that rising tide would lift all of 

our boats? The economy would be white-hot 

and opportunity would be endless. Besides, who 

needs all those tourists anyway? And this is 

not just pie-in-the-sky, there is a precedent for 

all of this; for example, the Bakken formation 

in North Dakota. With less than half of the 

estimated recoverable oil compared to our 

Monterey Shale, fracking Bakken has made 

North Dakota a state that now leads the country 

in just about every economic measurement. 

Times are good, business is booming, and 

everyone benefits. At least for now. 

Examining a more mature operation in the 

Appalachian Basin of Western Pennsylvania 

paints a somewhat different, although 

sometimes conflicted picture. Drilling and 

mining are not new to the area and The 

Marcellus Shale has been fracked for years now. 

Recently, a preliminary study funded by the 

US Department of Energy found that fracking 

has not effected the drinking water there (the 

EPA expects to release its study late next year). 

This came as news to many residents in the area 

who have helped propel the subversive song My 

Water’s on Fire Tonight, to millions of internet 

views with its catchy chorus, “What the frack is 

going on with all this fracking going on?” And, 

since fracking enjoys almost no regulation plus 

unique protections under the Uniform Trade 

Secrets Act, while also being excused from 

the Safe Drinking Water Act (President Bush 

omitted frackers in 2005), it may be a long while 

before Western Pennsylvanians, and the rest of 

us, do actually know what the frack is going on. 

Regardless of how you feel about fracking, 

from an economic standpoint it is working. 

And many economists give domestic oil and 

gas exploration and production much credit in 

helping our country pull through the worst of 

the Great Recession. And, most astonishing 

of all, because of fracking, the International 

Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the United 

States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s 

largest oil producer by 2017. That means that 

the energy independence that our policymakers 

have been fretting about for generations is now 

within our reach, and it didn’t require that we 

all buy Toyota Priuses and Teslas. Yet, the IEA’s 

report continues by chiding the developed 

world by suggesting that we are “failing to do 

enough to improve energy efficiency… if those 

efficiencies were tapped, total energy demand 

between now and 2035 could be halved, without 

any decline in living standards.” 

All of this leaves you and I with a decision to 

make. How do we feel about fracking right here 

on the Central Coast? Is it a boom or a bust? 

Up to this point, hydraulic fracturing has not 

been practiced in San Luis Obispo County. 

And, as policymakers struggle to keep up with 

the rapid pace of exploration, the law is unclear 

about whether local governments have the 

ability to ban fracking. One thing is for sure, 

however, oil companies must secure a permit to 

drill a new well and the Board of Supervisors 

has the final say in that regard. So, if fracking 

is to be either prevented or encouraged here, it 

will likely happen on the county level. Because 

once the permits are granted, oil companies are 

pretty much free to frack at will. But, if recent 

history is any guide, Big Oil may be in for a 

Big Fight when it comes to the Central Coast. 

Such was the case with the band of neighbors 

in the Huasna Valley who beat back Excelaron’s 

permit application to drill eight oil wells on 

private land. In an indication of what is at stake, 

two days after the supervisors, who bowed to 

pressure from the Huasnaites, voted to deny 

its permit, the multi-national energy company 

filed a $6.24 billion (that’s billion with a “b”) 

against the county (the case was later tossed 

by a Superior Court judge). That may be just a 

warning shot, however, as The Monterey Shale 

represents a cool $16 trillion. But, as it turn out, 

the road leading to oil executive nirvana passes 

right through the San Luis Obispo Board of 

Supervisors—and if the Huasna Valley skirmish 

has taught us anything, it’s that our political 

leaders are listening. SLO LIFE

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| ON THE RISE 

Emma Phillips 

As part of SLO High’s Class of ‘13, she is now Ivy League-bound. With prestigious scholarships in tow, Phillips will 

be settling into her dorm room at Brown University this fall in Rhode Island where her future continues to look bright. 

What have you been up to this summer? I packed up all my fancy clothes to be a junior counselor at Girls 

State at Claremont Mckenna, and then to attend the GE-Reagan Scholars Retreat in Simi Valley, before I 

finally went off to Stanford where I interned at the Martin Luther King Jr. Institute. A lot of blouses and 

pencil skirts were required for those activities. A lot. 

What is noteworthy about you? Noteworthy? That is a very generous assumption. What a humbling 

statement. I have received some scholarships, including the Coca-Cola and PG&E Bright Minds, but it 

is really the generosity of those corporations which is noteworthy. I think that I was quick to dismiss huge 

companies as anti-the-little-guy. Yet, they sure have altered my thinking. 

What sort of extra-curricular activities are you involved in? My absolute favorite has 

been working as an instructor with Project Surf Camp. And plunging into the Pacific with 

disabled children may sound like a recipe for disaster, but to see the grin on a child’s face 

as he rides his first wave is indescribable. It led me to serve as a teacher’s assistant in the 

special education department, volunteer with Special Olympics, Special Education Prom, 

and the Central Coast Autism Spectrum. I just may have found my passion. 

What are your interests and hobbies? I am a serial hair donator, and have donated 36 

inches in the past five years. I can wiggle my ears, and frequently do. I love the idea of 

permaculture, and our front yard is currently producing tomatoes and artichokes which 

make me proud. Biking is a favorite of mine, as is backpacking and I trekked the John 

Muir Trail to Mt. Whitney last year. The natural beauty was brilliant. 

What is your favorite memory of all time? Last summer I met President Obama. 

It was just so impossible to fathom and out of this world. Quite honestly, if there 

weren’t pictures to prove it, I don’t know that I would believe it happened. When 

he walked in the room, it was the most surreal moment. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully in the Peace Corps. I am very 

eager to explore, experience the dirt of other lands, breathe foreign air. I am just generally 

antsy, and am propelled by an insatiable drive to go places and do things, and it sure would 

be grand to help a few people along the way. 

What is it that you look forward to most? Right now, I am most looking forward to 

venturing to South Korea with 49 other Americans in August with the Cultural International 

Educational Exchange. I really wanted to go to North Korea, but as we are not on the best 

terms, I figured I’d settle for South. 

What is something that not many people know about you? This past year I have begun to 

share a part of me which I previously hid at all costs. I struggled with childhood epilepsy. I’m 

sharing this now because I hope that someone who is battling something, in any capacity, might 

look to me, not as a role model, but as proof that setbacks are just that, and they are not the end. So 

to anyone who has been labeled as inept, lesser, incompetent, or has to work twice as hard simply to 

level the playing field—keep on keeping on. SLO LIFE 

48 | SLO LIFE Magazine Know aug/sep a student 2013on the rise? Introduce us at slolifemagazine.com/share

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| COMMUNITY 

Building a Better Tomorrow 

Leadership SLO Legacy Projects 

“ 

I knew in my heart 

that this was going 

to be one of the 

most important 

things we did. 

- Dave Garth 

former SLO Chamber of 

Commerce president/CEO 


Like most things of enduring value, Leadership 

SLO did not simply materialize out of thin 

air. There were a lot of fits and starts and 

bumps in the road during its formation in 

the late 1980’s. But, as Dave Garth, former 

SLO Chamber of Commerce president/CEO, 

recalls, “I knew in my heart that this was 

going to be one of the most important 

things we did.” 

The importance that Garth identified prior to 

its inception was the ongoing, legacy aspect of 

the program, which culminates in a handson 

community project chosen by the class 

graduates. According to Sandi Sigurdson, the 

executive director of the Leadership program, 

the purpose of the Legacy Project, as it 

has come to be known, is to achieve three 

objectives: Give class members a real world 

opportunity to use their new leadership skills 

and strengthen their bond with other class 

members; leave a long-lasting, positive benefit 

to the community; and, increase long-term 

viability of the program. 

The Leadership program begins each year as 

a new class of 36 people, who are carefully 

selected by a panel of alumni to represent a 

broad cross-section of the county, convene at 

the Wonder Valley retreat for three days of 

intensive training and bonding exercises. The 

class then reassembles on a monthly basis 

for day-long programming onsite at various 

county locations. Each one of those days 

carries a theme designed to expose the class 

to one particular aspect of the community. 

For example, this year, Class XXII was 

hosted by the Performing Arts Center on Cal 

Poly’s campus for its “Arts & Culture Day” 

and “Media Day” was held at KSBY-TV’s 

studios. Throughout the year, wineries, small 

manufacturers, and halls of government each 

take their turn in the spotlight with their 

corresponding day. Those visits are led by 

locals at the top of those particular fields. 

Students are told early on that they will be 

asked to come up with their own Legacy 

Project, a process Garth describes as “perhaps 

the most difficult part of the program—getting 

agreement on what to do.” Over the years, 

Leadership Legacy Projects have touched the 

community in many different ways, usually 

reflecting the unique character of each class. 

The first Legacy Project was officially 

completed by Class IV, as the first three 

classes were consumed with fundraising and 

recruitment to ensure that the Leadership 

SLO program would survive through its 

infancy. Turn the page to find out what other 

classes have done. >>

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1995 

Class IV - provided thousands of hours of community service around the 

county and created database of other potential projects. 

Legacy Projects 

Through the Years 

1996 

1997 

Class V - built the first wall at Wonder Valley, which has become an 

important metaphor during the retreat as students are tasked with getting 

everyone over the 15-foot monstrosity—with no ropes or equipment! 

Class VI - created an endowment that funded the Leadership Scholarship 

program over the subsequent five years. 

1998 

Class VII - printed Leadership SLO t-shirts and sold them as a fundraiser 

for the program. 

1999 

Class VIII - produced a video about the program for the purpose of 

soliciting corporate sponsors. 

2000 

Class IX - coordinated the first Leadership Alumni Mixer and the first 

alumni award. 

“ 

Never doubt that 

a small group 

2001 

2002 

Class X - refurbished a rundown Victorian home in San Luis Obispo that 

was used to house those rehabilitating from drug abuse programs. 

Class XI - established the Leadership SLO Endowment Fund and held 

several fundraisers to seed the account. 

of thoughtful, 

committed people 

2003 

Class XII - reconstructed the obstacle wall originally built by Class V in 

Wonder Valley. 

can change the 

world. Indeed, it is 

2004 

Class XIII - collected and donated books to several organizations, including 

the Prado Day Center; they also published a children’s coloring book whose 

sales were donated to the library for new book purchases. 

the only thing that 

ever has. 

2005 

Class XIV - planted trees at the Damon Garcia Sports Complex; helped 

with the construction of Santa’s House in Mission Plaza; and coordinated a 

leadership day for high school students at Hearst Castle. 

- Margaret Mead 

2006 

Class XV - restored the Healing Garden at Transitions Mental Health’s 

Growing Grounds off of Johnson Avenue, and built a gazebo and three 

benches there, as well. 

2007 

Class XVI - revamped the landscaping and cleaned-up the entrance to the 

Tiny Tigers preschool at San Luis Obispo High School. 

2008 

Class XVII - worked on the Johnson Ranch trail by taking part in its 

construction as well as developing the interpretive signage. 

Leadership Class XXIII is 

now accepting applications 

for its 2014 program. To 

apply or learn more, visit 

leadershipslo.org. 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

Class XVIII - collaborated with San Luis Obispo’s three Rotary Clubs to 

establish and enhance community gardens. 

Class XIX - created an outdoor classroom environment for the toddlers at 

the Child Development Center, a child abuse intervention, prevention, and 

treatment program for families. 

Class XX - built a human sundial at the SLO Botanical Gardens, visitors to 

the sundial can tell the time by where the shadow is cast. 

Class XXI - is creating a new display for San Luis Obispo County in the 

“Hall of Counties” at the State Capitol building in Sacramento. 



Class XXII - although the plan has not been finalized, they are proposing to 

clean-up, landscape, and finish the City’s master plan at Sinsheimer Park. 


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| DISCOVER 

Throwing 

a date night 

BY PADEN HUGHES 

A 

couple of weeks ago my husband 

surprised me with what we call a “wild 

card date night”—an evening out doing 

something new—by taking me to throw 

pottery. It’s rare for me to truly love 

things I’m not good at, but art is that one 

exception. I was thrilled with the prospect 

and impressed with his willingness to risk 

it and try something out of the ordinary. 

So off we went to Anam Cre’, a local, laid 

back pottery studio located in downtown 

San Luis Obispo’s Creamery. This quaint 

space makes you feel like you walked 

into an art studio that never sleeps. It’s 

always evolving with the people and art 

pieces that come in and out; every one 

contributing in their own way to the vibe 

of the studio, whether with an incredible 

sculpture or smear of clay on the floor. 

It’s the kind of place you don’t feel that 

you have to be an expert to join in and be 

welcomed, which was good for us. 

For those wondering about throwing 

pottery and what it entails, it’s a two-stage 

process. The first time you go, your goal is 

to sculpt the clay. The second time you go, 

you paint/glaze your art. After both stages 

your pieces are fired in a kiln (a stone 

oven that looks related to a pizza oven). 

So, for the partner who is looking to get 

credit for two nights of creativity, this is 

for you. 

Owner, Shevon Sullivan, guides you 

through selecting your medium, the 

type of clay you will be working with, 

and teaches you how to knead it. Then 

you head to the wheel and embark on a 

journey of concentration, applied pressure, 

and enjoyment. 

Had we simply chosen to make platters 

or small cups, we may have needed less 

attention, but as it was, we came wanting 

to make beer steins that resembled 

Spike’s friendship beer mug, you know, 


the giant ceramic steins that hold four 

liters of beer? 

Why not? We thought if we were going 

to throw pottery, we might as well 

maximize the experience. 

Sullivan graciously informed us that to 

throw something that big as beginners 

was ambitious and likely to end in a 

warped condition. To her credit she was 

not far off the mark. 

Ignoring her advice, we doubled the 

clay quota and started in on the steins 

with gusto. It was incredible to see how 

quickly the combination of pressure, 

water and wheel turning creates a shape 

that can be so easily manipulated. The 

humor of our night came after my 

husband continued to thin the walls 

of his would-be-stein only to watch 

it crumble. Twice he went back to the 

kneading table, accompanied by our 

combined laughter. Thankfully, Sullivan 

thrives on redemption projects like ours 

and helped us craft what we fondly 

describe as steins, but anyone else would 

assume to be large vases. 

We came back on a second date to finalize 

the glazes and paint on the finishing 

touches. Looking at our artwork lined up 

next to incredible designs and sculptures 

was a little humbling, but like proud 

parents of kindergarten art, we smiled at 

our finished product. 

The humor, the freshness of the experience 

and the memory we have was well worth 

the $20 per person charge for two hours 

of creativity. Anam Cre’ hosts adult 

pottery open time several evenings a week 

from 6:30 to 8:30pm and Sullivan lets you 

BYOW (bring your own wine). So if it 

has been a while, or if you’ve never tried, 

give throwing a shot. 

Check out 

our beer steins, 

or vases, or, uh, 

pencil holders...

1. Choose your medium 

There’s low-fire or high-fire clays, and 

they warrant different results. Low-fire 

clays are great for bright colors and 

detailed decoration. But they’re not good 

in water, so if you do go for low-fire clay, 

get a glaze that you know will seal. Highfire 

clays aren’t so great with bright colors, 

but they’re sturdy, waterproof, and can be 

texturized easily. Glazes may move when 

fired, so detailed images could get blurred. 

2. Pick your place 

Put the clay on the center of the wheel 

head. The easiest way to do this is by 

tossing the clay with some force on the 

center. 

3. Find your center 

Centering the clay means that its outer 

edges spin perfectly smooth with no 

bumps or wobbles. There are different 

ways of doing this… so don’t be afraid to 

ask for help. 

Why do they call it throwing ? 

With a little research we discovered the origins of 

“throwing” pottery. According to those more well-read 

than us, the Old English word “thrawan” from which “to 

throw” comes, means “to twist or turn.” Going back even 

farther, the Indo-European root “ter” means “to rub, rub 

by twisting, twist, turn.” The German word “drehen,” a 

direct relative of “to throw,” means “turn” and is used in 

German for throwing. Because the activity of forming 

pots on the wheel has not changed since Old English 

times, the word throw has retained its original meaning 

in the language of pottery but, as we all know, it has 

developed a completely different meaning today. 

4. Open up 

Once the clay is centered, it is time to 

open it. To start, you need to make a hole 

in the center. To do this, start by moving 

your finger across the top of the clay in a 

straight line. This is so you find the exact 

center. If the hole is not started in the 

exact middle, the clay will begin to wobble 

and you will have to re-center it. Seriously, 

it’s alright to seek out instruction. 

5. Don’t supress, compress 

After you have created an opening the bottom 

will need to be compressed. To do this 

you can either use a wooden rib to take out 

all of the uncentered clay from the bottom 

or you can slowly smooth it out with your 

fingers. The former method will create a 

flat bottom. Okay, there’s a lot more to it 

than this... so, just ask for help already! 



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less is not only associated with avoiding 

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2 

TRY SOME TULSI 

Known as holy basil, this herb has 

been used in Ayurvedic medicine for 

thousands of years (mystics believed 

it fostered personal growth and 

enlightenment). Usually sipped in tea or 

taken in supplement form, tulsi is full 

of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory 

properties. Even better, tulsi also lowers 

cortisol, the hormone associated with 

stress and belly fat.

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| SLO LIFE KITCHEN 

seared scallops 

Fresh crisp delights like seared scallops served over a bed of 

baby spinach and arugula with a citrus vinaigrette help us stretch 

out the relaxing feel of our long, warm Central Coast summer. 


PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS 

Scallops are quick-cooking, sweet, tender, 

mild, and delectable. While we serve 

ours over a bed of greens they are equally 

delicious tossed with pasta, or served as a 

first course with lemon wedges. 

1 to 1 1/4 pounds sea scallops 

2 tablespoons grape seed oil 

Course sea salt 

Finely ground white pepper 

1. Before cooking, remove the abductor 

muscle from the side of each scallop (some 

scallops are sold with the muscle already 

removed). Rinse them under cold water and 

pat dry—surface moisture impedes browning. 

2. Salt and pepper the scallops. 

3. Add the oil to a preheated 12 to 14-inch 

sauté pan on medium-high heat. 

4. Once the oil begins to smoke, carefully 

add the scallops, making sure they are not 

touching each other. 

5. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until they 

are light brown. Gently move the scallops a 

bit to be sure they don’t stick. 

6. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch 

golden crust on each side while still being 

translucent in the center. Serves four. 

* 

Preheating the pan before adding the 

oil prevents the oil from becoming 

gummy or causing the scallops to stick. 

The reason we use grape seed oil is 

because of its high smoking point. 

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CITRUS VINAIGRETTE 

While we’re only making enough dressing 

for four plates, it takes no longer to mix a 

big batch, so feel free to double the recipe. 

And, it means tomorrow night’s salad will 

be ready in minutes. 

1 grapefruit 

1 orange 

Baby spinach 

Arugula 

1/2 cup pecans, chopped 

2 tablespoon olive oil 

2 tablespoon chopped chives 

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Peel half of each piece of fruit for the 

salad, separating each slice and removing 

the white/clear casing. Reserve the other 

half of each fruit to use for the dressing. 

2. Whisk together juice from half the 

grapefruit and half the orange, olive oil, 

vinegar, salt and pepper. Add chives and stir. 

Set aside. 

3. In a large bowl dress and toss the baby 

spinach and arugula. Arrange four plates of 

salad. Add citrus, pecans, and scallops. 

* 

The vitamin C in citrus fruit enhances 

the absorption of iron in food. 


SERVING 

San Luis Obispo | Avila | Los Osos 

Five Cities | Nipomo 

sloveg.com 

805.709.2780 


| HAPPENINGS 

I Care International Benefit 

August 10 

Avila Bay Athletic Club & Spa 

icareinternational.org 

Join us for dinner, wine, dancing and a silent auction benefitting I Care International. I 

Care’s goal is to help others improve their quality of life by providing the gift of better 

vision and health. From the little boy who smiles because now he sees the clouds in the 

sky, to the older lady who cries because now she can sew and have an income, I Care 

International is changing lives one by one. 


Saturday, September 21 

Laguna Lake Park 

8:30am - 3K & 5K 

10:00am - Kids Fun Run 

REGISTER TODAY! 

800.272.3900 | alz.org/walk 

Dancin’ 2013 


Chistopher Cohan Center 

pacslo.org 

Enjoy an entertaining afternoon brought to you 

by Academy of Dance. The exciting annual school 

performance will showcase the wide variety of the 

students’ skills and techniques. 

Dog Training • Premium Daycare • Boarding • Grooming 

FIRST DAY OF DAYCARE FREE! 

173 Buckley Road • San Luis Obispo 

(805) 596-0112 

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1027 B Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo 

scanning • digital restoration • in-house printing 

photo finishing • darkroom supplies • passport photos 

805 543-4025 • photoshopslo.com 


Broadway by the Sea 


Chapman Estate, Shell Beach 

operaslo.org 

Celebrate summer with an outdoor concert featuring the voices of OperaSLO’s best singers 

performing the music of Broadway and more at the Chapman Estate By The Sea. The gorgeous 

seaside home is one of the most stunning and exclusive locations on the Central Coast. Arrive 

early, picnic with friends, bid on silent auction treasures, stroll the gardens, observe plein air 

painters and marvel at the breathtaking views from this historic estate in Shell Beach.

Enter Code: 

SLOLIFE 

Discount $25 

excludes Hill Climb 

SAN LUIS OBISPO SYMPHONY 

MICHAEL NOWAK · MUSIC DIRECTOR 

PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY PRESENTS 

FEATURING 

Café Musique 

The Cuesta 

Chamber Singers 

GIL STORK 

MASTER OF CEREMONIES 

PARTY TABLES START 

AT $30 PER PERSON 

LAWN SEATING $15 

KIDS 12 & UNDER FREE! 

LABOR DAY WEEKEND 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st 

AVILA BEACH GOLF RESORT 

GATES OPEN AT 2:30 PM • CONCERT AT 4 PM 

CALL 543-3533 · SLOSYMPHONY.COM 


| HAPPENINGS 

PRESENTING THE BEST 

VARIETY OF PROFESSIONAL 

ENTERTAINMENT 

AT THE PAC ! 

CALPOLYARTS.ORG 

Pops by the Sea 

September 1 

Avila Beach Golf Resort 

slosymphony.com 

Bring a rousing close to your summer with an afternoon of sensational music by the sea! 

It kicks off with a musical flashback to the 1980’s when Michael Jackson was thrilling and 

girls just wanted to have fun! Featured artist, Café Musique—an extraordinary quintet that 

presents a rich mixture of styles including gypsy, tango, classical and folk —combines powerful 

vocals with soaring violin and driving accordion. You will be treated to an exotic and exciting 

sonic journey around the world. A booming rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812” featuring the 

Cuesta Chamber Singers under the direction of John Knutson will close the program. 

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 

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 

Incorruptible 

September 6 – 29 

SLO Little Theatre 

slolittletheatre.org 

Welcome to Priseaux, France, circa 1250 

A.D. The river flooded again last week. The 

chandler’s shop just burned to the ground. 

Nobody’s heard of the wheelbarrow yet. And 

St. Foy, the patron of the local monastery, 

hasn’t worked a miracle in thirteen years. 

In other words, the Dark Ages still look 

pretty dark. All eyes turn to the Pope, whose 

promised visit will surely encourage other 

pilgrims to make the trek and restore the 

abbey to its former glory. That is, until a rival 

church claims to possess the relics of St. 

Foy—and “their” bones are working miracles. 

All seems lost until the destitute monks take 

a lesson from a larcenous one-eyed minstrel, 

who teaches them an outrageous new way to 

pay old debts. 

Business Portraits :: Product :: Headshots 

Commercial :: Editorial 

San Luis Obispo Home Show 

September 21 - 22 

Alex Madonna Expo Center 

slohomeimprovement.com 

805.448.2841 

www.christopherbersbach.com 


The San Luis Obispo Home Show ensures that you have all of the resources 

you need to make your home beautiful, no matter what your style or budget. 

The free show offers resources, tips, seminars and ideas on building, decorating, 

and organizing your home. 


merry maids Relax. It’s Done.® 

ALL WORK 

and 

NO PLAY 

makes for a 

dull day! 

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your time 

and let 

Merry 

Maids 

make 

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house 

shine! 

Receive 

$50.00 OFF 

when you mention 

this SLO LIFE Ad! 

*New Clients Only 

(805) 542-9400 

285 Prado Road, Suite A | San Luis Obispo 

805.542.9400 | merrymaids.com | merrymaidsofslo@yahoo.com 


HAVEN PROPERTIES 

A PAYNE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION 

“Our EXCLUSIVE affiliation with LUXURY REAL ESTATE enables HAVEN PROPERTIES 

to market and reach all corners of North America and the Globe. From local 

vineyard estates to coastal masterpieces, HAVEN PROPERTIES offers professional 

expertise and marketing tools to sell or find your dream home.” 

– Gavin Payne, Owner 

Local Ownership | Local Knowledge | Global Reach 

EXCLUSIVE AFFILIATION 


1212 Marsh Street | San Luis Obispo, California 93401 

office 805.592.2050 | inquiries@havenslo.com 

HavenSLO.com

SLO LIFE Aug/Sep 2013

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