Summer is definitely approaching, and squash of all types are appearing on many tables at the Farmers' Market, this beautiful Saturday morning.  The Peacock family outdid themselves with their artistic displays of squash varieties.  The rounded ones look like happy yellow machine gears. Wishing you all a delightful Saturday, Cheers, Ron & Alexandra WATCH VIDEOS-  Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites  Personal Branding Case Studies   Company Branding Case Studies  About Language of Luxury - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY -   GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT!   Linked In, Facebook, Active Rain Follow Us on Twitter: LuxuryMarketing 05/19/2012

Our Farmers' Market on Tuesdays is held downtown Santa Barbara on State Street in the afternoons between 4-7PM..  Four blocks are cordoned off and no cars are allowed.  Musicians and street entertainers gather to serenade the crowds.  These gorgeous artichokes stood out ifrom all the other vegetables, Ron and I can easily share one and be perfectly sated. WATCH VIDEOS-  Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites  Personal Branding Case Studies   Company Branding Case Studies  About Language of Luxury - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY -   GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT!   Linked In, Facebook, Active Rain Follow Us on Twitter: LuxuryMarketing 05/15/2012

      Home : Blogs : Santa Barbara/Montecito Real Estate by Kathleen Barnato, Realtor : All Things Santa Barbara and Montecito     inShare Summer Camps for Kids in Santa Barbara (edit/delete) Summer Camps for Kids in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara is a great local for parents due to the wide variety of summer camps for kids. There are a plethora of options available to suit any child's interest.                 There are plenty of summer camps in Santa Barbara for active minded kids. For example, the Montecito YMCA Summer Day Camp offers one or two week sessions for kids and is full of fun activities that includes beach visits, sports, and bowling. In addition, the UCSB Summer Day Camp has several different camps with activities that include basketball, volleyball, and surfing and kayakin... 04/23/2012

Here are some basic information you may find helpful to improve your credit profile. Understanding your credit history and how your scores are determined is essential financial knowledge. Additional information may be found on www.annualcreditreport.com A person’s payment history is the most influential factor (accounting for 35%) when determining a credit score. • Paying bills on time is by far the most important. • If you are currently behind, it is crucial to make the account current and keep it that way. Recent late payments will have a greater (negative) impact, but with time they will be less influential.   Read more: http://allthingssantabarbara.com/2012/04/19/improve-your-credit/ 04/21/2012

One of my favorite colors is purple.  As we passed by this farmer's stand at the Saturday market in Santa Barbara, I was struck by the beauty and the color of this cauliflower.  When I put my phone next to it, my cover matched it perfectly.  The gray-green leaves are perfect and emphasize the color. Mother Nature's palette is always perfect! Happy Saturday! Cheers, Ron & Alexandra WATCH VIDEOS-  Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites  Personal Branding Case Studies   Company Branding Case Studies  About Language of Luxury - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY -   GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT!   Linked In, Facebook, Active Rain Follow Us on Twitter: LuxuryMarketing 04/14/2012

Gorgeous Redwood Deck by Delicious Decors, Santa Barbara  When your daughter is getting married and you need a deck to host over 50 people for the wedding reception, what do you do? Call Delicious Decors! We built this deck on 9 levels to accomodate the slope.  To make sure everything was going to be safe for over 50 people dancing we added more posts and cross braces to the framing.   The deck was originally built in the 70:s and had weathered well. It was a good constuction from the beginning and original plans still existed. However, the redwood decking was getting too dry and had started to break in some places. The posts were not of treated lumber and would have to be replaced, as well as all the joists. In the original plans the joist were set at 24 inches on center, so we upgrade... 03/09/2012

Last evening as we turned on the TV, we heard that Guy Fieri of the Food Network was going to visit a diner in Santa Barbara.  That caught our attention.  So we suffered through what seemed to be interminable commercials and found out he was reviewing Norton's for their famous pastrami.  We had driven by it many times on our way to the FedEX store.  So we watched Guy eating pastrami with local Santa Barbara celebriites and everyone was praising the pastrami...Could it be we wondered, that we have a deli that serves pastrami and rivals our favorite place in Beverly Hills? So today, we went on a mission to answer the question .  We opted for the location closest to our home, it is bascially a stand, unlike the original which is a deli cafe.  This is Norton;s second location and it is sit... 02/25/2012

Santa Barbara has one of the most beautiful climates for playing the game of golf year-round. We enjoy lots of sunshine and only the mildest ocean breezes. There are several public and private courses in the area to suit just about any style of play and budget.   If you are new to the game and are looking for a course that is a little less crowded and has  mostly wide open fairways, Ocean Meadows is a good option. Located in Goleta, it is a nine hole course with decent greens. It has a relaxed atmosphere and the pro and staff are very accommodating.  If you are looking for an 18 hole course that is more challenging, look no further than the Santa Barbara Golf Course (formerly known as Muni). This is a popular course so be ready to keep up with the pace of play. The layout has some stee... 01/24/2012

When most people think about tastings in the Santa Barbara area, they naturally think about wine. However, there are several micro-breweries in the area that make beer tasting another great option! In Carpinteria, there is Island Brewing Company. Beer is all they do and they do it well. They have a hardy selection of beers with such favorites as their Island Blonde and their Jubilee Ale. In Santa Barbara, the Brew House offers an full menu of tasty meals to compliment their own brew or any number of international selections. Additionally, on Santa Barbara's Eastside, you can visit Telegraph Brewing or in Goleta, a favorite stop is the Hollister Brewing Company.  HBC has a full service restaurant with plenty of flat screen TV's for the sports enthusiast. So, if wine is not really your t... 01/24/2012

This picture was taken at the Santa Barbara Zoo, this guy is not really sticking out his tongue at us.  The zoo sells  a cup of food that visitors can feed the giraffe and this picture captured him reaching for the food! 11/16/2011

It is pepper season once again.  They are beautiful to look at and add heat to many foods. Every stand had some variety of heat to offer!   And, there is one of hottest ones of them all, the habanero! - WATCH VIDEOS-  Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites  Personal Branding Case Studies   Company Branding Case Studies  About Language of Luxury - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY -   GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT!   Linked In, Facebook, Active Rain Follow Us on Twitter: LuxuryMarketing 10/29/2011

This morning at the Farmers Market in Santa Barbara, we bought mussels (at $4 a pound) that are harvested just a mile offshore.  It is wonderful to have them again as for many years the waters were too polluted,  As I stood in line waitiing in line for my turn, everone was giving recipes on how to cook them.  Since these lovelies were picked early this morning, they can be cooked with very little liquid, a couple cloves a garlic, a touch of saffron, a bit of herbes de provence, and a jigger of wine. For dessert we bought some seacoast strawberries that are at they prime now, They are grown in the fields close to the ocean and they are cooled at night by the sea breezes.  They are small, juicy and very sweet, and no additional sugar is necessary...perhaps a dollop of whipped cream or a ... 10/29/2011

      For more information on this and other events, http://allthingssantabarbara.com/2011/10/21/art-walk-for-kids-and-adults-santa-barbara/ 10/21/2011

Please join  Surfrider Santa Barbara chapter, tonight, October 20 for our chapter mixer and general interest meeting! Mike Lunsford, president of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, will speak on the future of southern Santa Barbara County’s landfall near Tajiguas Canyon on the Gaviota Coast.   2981 Cliff Drive Should conversion technology (CT), which shows promise for reducing the volume of our area’s waste stream while simultaneously producing energy, be implemented at Tajiguas? What are the technical, economic and environmental impacts of CT? What role does recycling currently play in reducing our dependence on the landfill? Can we recycle more than we already are? Join us to hear answers to these questions and more – 7:00 pm at the Watershed Resource Center, 2981 Cliff Drive. In addition... 10/20/2011

This morning at the Farmers Market in Santa Barbara, there was a mound of odd looking fruit that was surrounded by many.  It was JUJUBE, the fruit and not the movie candy,one of the ladies told me.  They taste like apples have a stone (similar to an olive) and when dried are similar in taste to dates. - WATCH VIDEOS-  Buzz-Worthy Luxury Real Estate Websites  Personal Branding Case Studies   Company Branding Case Studies  About Language of Luxury - JOIN THE LOL COMMUNTIY -   GET FLUENT. GET AFFLUENT!   Linked In, Facebook, Active Rain Follow Us on Twitter: LuxuryMarketing 10/15/2011

Last Tuesday, we decided to check out Tupelo's restaurant.  We had noticed it last Sunday on our jaunt through town and they had a long line.  The folks in liine told us that it was worth the wait, and breakfast and lunch were great there.   So, we stopped in and had a great lunch.  The food combines Southern cooking with California fresh.  The restaurant is run by two sisters.  One of the sisters studied culinary art in the South, so her influence is felt with fried green tomatoes and fried pickles.  There are biscuits of course, fried chicken and waffles with chicken.  The California influence is felt in the lovely salads.  The decor is country, pleasant and is simple.  The service was great, and we are looking forward to our next visit. Happy Sunday, Cheers Ron & Alexandra - WATCH V... 10/09/2011

This morning a new sign greeted us at the Farmers Market.  It read "SHRIMP TODAY"!  At $5 a pound they are irresistible.  Our weekend guest will be delighted with our dinner menu as will our cats who will be watching every move as we peel these delectable beauties, (don't worry, we will share and that is wyhy we buy an extra 1/2 pound for them.) Most shrimp sold today comes in frozen.  In October, shrimping season begins in Santa Barbara and lasts for a few months.  The shrimp come from the clear and clean waters of the Santa Barbara Channel.  They are now plentiful, so that we can share them with our dolphins who can easily go through 80 lbs a day...  They are very tasty, and easy to cook, 3 minutes in boiling water!  They do not need any seasoning, drawn butter or our favorite which ... 10/08/2011

Foothill School is located between Patterson and Turnpike off of Cathedral Oaks in Santa Barbara. Foothill Elementary's 2011 Academic Performance Index (API) Score was 917 compared to 916 for last year.  The API score ranges from 200 to 1000, with 800 as the statewide goal for all schools. As far as home sale prices, we've seen prices drop nearly 35% from the high in 2006/2007. Currently, we have condos in the district from the mid $300,000's to Single Family Homes north of $1MM.  We've recently seen a bank-owned home sell for $485K. Please see the following link for all the homes currently for sale in the Foothill Elementary attendance area:   www.foothillschoolhomes.com   Additionally, you can see more one-click home searches on our website, www.miresrealestate.com. For a customized n... 09/28/2011

We were in town a few days ago and as we rounded the corner we saw a new store selling artisan chocolates.  Their motto "Chocolate is Happiness"  Just what we needed for that occasional special treat and gift!  Of course, we were only too happy to sample these wonderful bits of happiness. Here is the store's mission as expressed in their web site, "We invite you to join us in experiencing the richness, deliciousness, and decadence of the finest French artisan chocolates.  At Chocolate Opulence, we believe that chocolate is truly an experience, meant to be savored and appreciated in delight! Our chocolates encourage the palate to seek depth, texture and intense flavorful satisfaction that you can experience nowhere else!" We are delighted that they chose to open their second location is... 09/22/2011

  Stephanie Young is the Santa Barbara realtor that Makes Things Happen!    We, at Delicious Decors,  have worked with Stephanie on several occasions in the past few years and what strikes me most about Stephanie is her ability to Make Things Happen and all with a smile on her face!    A second generation Realtor, Stephanie was born and raised in Santa Barbara. After graduating from UCSB, Stephanie got her real estate license and joined her mom, Marie Sue Parsons, working at Coldwell Banker.    Selling your house? Stephanie takes the bull by the reins to get your home ready for sale!    Paint ✔ New Carpet ✔ Staging ✔ Ready to market! Stephanie is on the forefront of internet marketing using virtual videos and video tours, professional photos, blogging and posting about Your property on ... 09/02/2011