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Big Sur is rugged, majestic, breathtaking, and awe inspiring, but it is never more beautiful than in the Spring. The grass is green from the winter rains, and poppies and wild flowers bloom with abandon up and down the coast.
Here is a pictorial trip from two magical weeks spent in this slice of heaven. Photos are my own or taken by my talented daughter, Kelsey Burns.
I have shared this recipe before, but I believe with warmer weather on the way, it should be shared again. It’s that good! I served these to friends this past weekend and the next day one friend wrote : “I know what those cocktails should be called; KILLER! The color is totally appropriate!
Just remember, I warned you!
I found this recipe in Food & Wine magazine. Chef Dean Fearing created this drink which is a best seller at his wife Lynae’s popular Dallas restaurant Shinsei. “The sweet-tart blood orange flavor intensifies the margarita-ness of it. ” (I think the tequila may have something to do with that too!) I halved the recipe for a smaller gathering…
Blood Orange Margaritas
Ingredients:
Instructions:
I get asked on a daily basis, “how is Montecito doing?” The short answer is, they are working hard and moving forward but there is still so much to do. The cost of digging out the mud for one home can be upwards of $200,000! Unfortunately, insurance does not often cover it. Then, there is the difficult job of finding contractors who will remove the mud. Enter the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade. It was conceived over the kitchen table by Abe Powell and Tom Cole which they started with their own personal funds. Costs per week are $25,000 for equipment, storage, food, porta-potties, and more to keep the hundreds of volunteers going. They have done so much already but there is so much more to do.
My dear friend Connie Smith who has volunteered with the Bucket Brigade passed on this letter to me:
Friends, I had a great picture and because I am so not tech, I accidentally deleted it…but imagine homes covered in mud, whole neighborhoods. Covering yards, oozing through rooms, gardens and precious belongings, tragic, completely overwhelming. Unimaginable. And who will help you “dig out”? Can you afford the resources?
Then see a crew of volunteers, shovels, gloves and masks, wheel barrows and a spirit to act. They are shoveling your yard, sorting your home, clearing your garage. All on a volunteer basis. Boots on the ground, organized, delegated, allowing privacy for homeowners but hard at work. Cleared through legal channels to be there and do what needs to be done.
But there may be a halt to the hundreds of volunteers doing this essential work because of lack of funds for the minimal support needed. Everything helps, 20, 25, 30, or add zeroes…
Please go to santabarbarabucketbrigade.org Please do what you can. It is tax deductible. And share. I am reaching far and wide because this is so essential and neighbor to neighbor.
Last Saturday of digging was a spirit experience…hard work, shovel in hands and duct tape for blisters, but when a child’s bike was cleared? And his dad said, “he will be so happy to see that.” Tears in my eyes. They are there still.
Love Healing Resilience
Connie
It has been a rough winter in Santa Barbara. From the Thomas Fire to the mudslides, everything has been turned upside down. We have not had rain since the slide and with warmer than normal temperatures, it certainly doesn’t feel like winter. Although it is only the beginning of February, I was feeling the need for a bit of color and to lighten things up both aesthetically and emotionally. Continue reading
Too much rain, too fast, and too soon. I can not believe I am sharing another disaster in our community on the heels of the Thomas Fire. On Tuesday January 9th, at around 3:45am, unprecedented heavy rain fell at almost an inch per hour and caused the recently burned mountainside to give way. It sent a torrent of mud, boulders, and debris careening through many parts of Montecito, a suburb of Santa Barbara. Experts estimate the damage lies over a 30 square mile area. As of this writing, 17 lives have been lost and over 600 homes destroyed or badly damaged. It is overwhelming. Our main artery from North to South, the scenic Highway 101 is closed down in both directions, stranding many. Continue reading
