Santa Barbara.
I was living in New York City, very specifically in Manhattan on West End Avenue. The cachet that address carried had no real significance to me at that time. I was very busy being a teenager with my attention consumed with those challenges.
My parents told my 10-year-old brother and me that my father was offered a job in Santa Barbara at the university, and they would be flying out to see about it and check it out.
Santa Barbara was in California, and California meant only one thing to my brother and me: Disneyland! If we moved to California, we could go to Disneyland! Having watched Disney’s Wonderful World of Color for some years, we were enamored of all it represented.
I had my own agenda on why we should move to Santa Barbara. Suffice to say, that was the first time Santa Barbara came across my personal radar.
Places represent the various moments in our lives, and Santa Barbara has ebbed and flowed through mine for lo these many years. This website invites you to the love affair I have with this city, warts and all.
The particular Santa Barbara I once knew is long gone. Yet I am still madly in love with its enduring qualities, as well as its current restaurants and shops and the general ambiance it exudes.
Jody’s Santa Barbara is intended to be my perspective, and love, of this unique city, which I freely share with all who visit.
I would be delighted to hear how Santa Barbara may have touched your life, whether you left it years ago, just passed through for a fleeting time, came to visit and never left, or grew up here from day one.
Enjoy!
Jody Lynn Perry
Nice seeing and talking with you. Please keep me posted on your accomplishments.
Thanks for stopping by, Matt. It was great meeting you, too.
Jody
Hi Jody,
Now….you’ve reminded me I need to return to Santa Barbara to visit! I have a new album (1 day old!) I need to promote with some gigs. Maybe you can direct me to some SB venues I could book.
Congrat’s on your site……
Best,
Ron Ely
http://www.ronely.com http://www.myspace.com/ronely
I would love to see you, Ron. And I would be happy to help you promote your album if I can.
I’m looking for bookstores Jody, especially large independant and totally cool ones. Thanks for sharing SB with me, both in person and on your blog.
Glad you liked, Chana. Love sharing this city!
Jody
Super awesome ma! keep them coming. great blog/website. i’ll pass this on.
Rock ‘n’ Roll, honey!
Hi Jody! I knew you must be up to something as I hadn’t heard from you in awhile!
I still haven’t made it up to SB to go to the dog beach – will let you know.
Love Barbara
Looking forward to getting together on the dog beach. Keep visiting the site for new posts.
As a fellow lover of Santa Barbara, I like the direction of your blog. So far I’m enjoying it quite a bit. Keep up the good work!
There is definitely more to come, Calla. Keep checking back and enjoying!
What a fantastic invitation to a life changing city. Better, more appropriate words have never been said.
CHEERS JODY KUHALA….
Your Texas sister!
‘Life changing city’–I like that, Shaughn!
Hi Jody,
This looks interesting. I have spent time there when I was traveling on the road back in the ’80s. It is a lovely place. Thanks for inviting me.
Love, Jim
‘Tis a lovely place! Thanks for stopping by, Jim.
Jody … I love your passion for Santa Barbara and the time you spent there with your dear father and mother (my great friend) and the times we visited you … and you us … the dear old days. I still have chills thinking of the very special Weintraub family ensconsed in that historic Santa Barbara house. We visited many times and also left our RV for your enjoyment which you took full advantage of. I always wanted you to be a member of our family (or us of yours) and we did join to some extent. I wish you everything your enormous creativity can encompass. I’m sure your site will rise to the stars.
Oh Enid, thank you for this. You helped make my Santa Barbara what it is, and as well, I have wonderful memories of the week we spent in your beach house and your playing the mandolin. I’m looking forward to rising to the stars, and I’ll take your good thoughts with me.
Hi Jody,
Congrats for the launch, enjoyed reading about your move to California. All of the years that I spent I never made it to SANTA BARBARA, and if I did I just don’t remeber it. Say hi to the family.
Ina
So good to hear from you, Ina! I said ‘hi,’ and am passing the same to your brood.
Maybe next time you’re in California you can scoot up to Santa Barbara for a visit.
My Dear Jody,
My work as a landscaper has taken me to the “Californian Riviera” many times, but my greatest opportunity to give to your wonderful city, annually, is our participation in the the Fourth of July Parade. For five years the Gold Coast Pipe Band has marched down State Street and reveled in the delights of Santa Barbara on this great day.
With affinity, I am yours,
Alastair Boase
Hi Alistair!
The 4th of July parade is such fun; I will make a point of looking for you next year.
Let me know next time you’re up here.
What a great new website, Jody!! We, too, love Santa Barbara, and were there for a quick day trip over the summer, after spending the night at the Cliff House Inn just North of Ventura. If you get a chance to stop there and try their restaurant, they make a fabulous Cioppino seafood stew that’s worth the drive. But then again, why drive anywhere when you live in Santa Barbara???? Take Care!
Larry and Pam
Hi Larry and Pam! So glad you liked my website. Good Cioppino might be worth a drive–I’ll check it out one of these times.
Hi Jody,
I finally made it here to your site. Hmmmm, Santa Barbara, what can I say……I/my family came here when I was five and I never left. I think that says it all!. Nice site, glad you love your ring!. Laurie
And am I ever glad you never left! Your jewelry is an homage to beauty and splendor, and the ring is truly representative of mine and my husband’s enduring marriage. It is a living symbol of a marriage-in-progress.
Congratulations on your new venue! I look forward to reading more about Santa Barbara. I’ve been through there once but I see I did not do it justice.
Hi Jody,
Enjoyed reading the others comments and your replies. I recognized some of those names I must say.
Love, Jim
Send more mutual friends to visit! And keep coming back, as I’m adding more each week.
Jody
A friend of mine told me about your site a long time ago I never had the time to come and check it out and honestly I lost the address so when I was looking in the search engine was hard to find you but I am here and guess what is a goldmine for me. Thank you.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving this site, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Thanks for that awesome posting. It saved MUCH time