There are 27 binoculared people walking along a path—chattering, rattling and clattering—seemingly sure to scare the locals. Suddenly, as if on cue, a pair of small creatures takes wing from a nearby live oak and fly toward the people, landing nearly at the feet of the crowd and striking a pose. About five inches long, [...]
Dogs, horses, and other domestic pets that have not lived fairy tale lives can still find happy endings under the watchful eye of C.C. Beaudette-Wellman, a proverbial animal fairy godmother. The founder of Happy Endings Animal Rescue Sanctuary (H.E.A.R.S.) in Santa Ynez, Beaudette-Wellman has made it her mission to care for domestic cast-offs—animal victims who [...]
Business Profile Buellton dentist Adam Haws, DDS, recalls watching his father, Karl, working at his dental practice in Santa Barbara. “He always came home happy. In fact, after 55 years he still practices two days a week. I don’t think he’ll ever retire,” says Haws. Voted the “Best Dentist in the Santa Ynez Valley” in [...]
COVER STORY Richard and June Christensen The lucky individuals who live in the Santa Ynez Valley share a profound kinship with the land and a strong bond with their community. From the Danes who founded Solvang in 1911 to locals helping a neighbor in need, the people of the Valley have always taken care of each [...]
Business Profile At the end of Industrial Way in Buellton lies a restaurant that is, well, not the least bit industrial. Connected—quite literally—to Terravant Wine Company, Avant Tapas and Wine is more aptly described as a gastronomical work of art that pays homage to all the homegrown food and drink the Santa Ynez Valley has [...]
Not everyone is fortunate to know his or her career path at the ripe old age of 17. But when Doug King put on his first pair of eye glasses, looked out the window, and discovered he could see individual leaves on the trees outside, he decided then and there that he wanted to bring [...]
Flea and tick season is upon us! These tiny little creatures Mother Nature created can cause a tremendous amount of problems for both our pets and the people that live with them. In today’s society dogs and cats are members of the family and reside closely with us in our homes, sometimes even as close as in [...]
The Toads of Figueroa As winter turns into spring I never know where my next article will come from. My neighbor, who lives about four miles from me, called to say she had frogs procreating in her pond and if I hurried I could watch them. I couldn’t leave at that moment so she took [...]
Yes, it is a little funny to hold a traditionally German celebration in a Danish community like Solvang. However, organizers of the second annual Oktoberfest use the event as a way to raise funds for the Solvang Festival Theater and to honor local breweries—and Danish Solvang is all about supporting the local community. “We were [...]
His Royal Highness the Prince Consort of Denmark paid a royal visit to Solvang on June 11 to commemorate Solvang’s centennial. “The first time I came to Solvang was 35 years ago, almost to the day,” Prince Henrik said. “It gives me great pleasure to be here again, with the sun and the wind, where [...]
