Greetings, fellow Avilones. Sitting at my computer on this day during the middle of January, I can't help but think of our Central Coast sister town of Santa Barbara, whose residents and businesses suffered catastrophic structural damage and tragic loss of life during the recent mudslides that followed history-making wildfires. One can only imagine something like that happening in SLO County, or in particular the Avila Beach area. Is there really any type of effective safety measures and preparedness that can help a community like ours avoid what our southern neighbors have experienced? We certainly have post-event reactive agencies in place, such as the Red Cross and County Office of Emergency Services. Individually we can only plan ahead and be prepared to hunker down or evacuate if Mother Nature comes calling. How many of us are really ready?
On a brighter side, I hope many of you had the opportunity to read the January 4-11 issue of New Times, which featured a cover and wonderful story about one of our community icons - Archie McLaren. Some of us only know Archie as the guy who owns the colorfully painted house on the hill with a gorgeous ocean view. Others of us know Archie for his three decades of organizing the highly acclaimed Central Coast Wine Classic. And the truly fortunate of us got to know Archie on a more personal level. I fall somewhere in between, having first met Archie many years ago when the non-profit agency I ran was selected as one of the Central Coast Wine Classic charitable beneficiaries, and again a few years later when I was with a different non-profit. As a several times Wine Classic volunteer, I experienced a truly amazing and well-organized event that quickly gained west coast (and beyond) fame. During its run, the "Classic" not only brought acclaim to Central Coast wines, but Archie made sure that the bounties realized were shared with numerous charitable organizations in SLO and Santa Barbara Counties - to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. I won't even attempt to tell Archie's full story as it appeared in New Times, but I do encourage you to track down the article online and learn more about Archie.
Good news for those of you who missed the Foundation's Avila Beach Storyteller's Night last October, and even for those who did attend. It took a while to produce, but our videographer has completed and placed on the Foundation's website videos of each of the evening's storytellers. As I mentioned in previous columns, our storytellers shared a wide-range of topical tales depicting life in the earlier years of Avila Beach - some as far back as the 1940s and 1950s. Each story is roughly five minutes in length, and can be viewed individually. Or, if you have about one hour to spare and a bowl of popcorn to enjoy, you can view them all in one sitting. Visit www.avilabeachfoundation.org and look for the links on our homepage.
You Avila News online readers will receive this notice in time, and hopefully so print copy readers as well. Two events that may be of interest to you are coming up soon. I've learned that on March 15th at 6:00p.m., the Harbor Commission is hosting a gathering/open house for "stakeholders" interested in the future of the Avila Pier. For more information visit the Harbor Commission at www.portsanluis.com. The other event is February 8th at 6:30p.m., the group Concerned Citizens of Avila Beach is hosting "An evening with Fire Chief Paul Lee" at the Avila Beach Community Center. For more information visit their website at www.concernedcitizens4avila.org.
While neither I nor the Avila Beach Community Foundation are in the business of, well, promoting businesses, I do on occasion come in contact with a vendor or service that I feel provided a product that could prove helpful for other Avilones. A couple weeks back my wife got tired of fighting with her laptop and reached out to Five Cities Computer Repair, owned and operated by Nick Salazar. Nick responded promptly, made a house call, solved the problem, charged a very reasonable fee and even programmed the new remote control I acquired for my television months ago but couldn't figure out. Nick has helped a few other San Luis Bay Estates residents, but does not seem to be much of a self-promoter - instead focusing on his technical skills. If you are looking for a courteous and friendly tech professional, I recommend Five Cities Computer Repair.
That's it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
On a brighter side, I hope many of you had the opportunity to read the January 4-11 issue of New Times, which featured a cover and wonderful story about one of our community icons - Archie McLaren. Some of us only know Archie as the guy who owns the colorfully painted house on the hill with a gorgeous ocean view. Others of us know Archie for his three decades of organizing the highly acclaimed Central Coast Wine Classic. And the truly fortunate of us got to know Archie on a more personal level. I fall somewhere in between, having first met Archie many years ago when the non-profit agency I ran was selected as one of the Central Coast Wine Classic charitable beneficiaries, and again a few years later when I was with a different non-profit. As a several times Wine Classic volunteer, I experienced a truly amazing and well-organized event that quickly gained west coast (and beyond) fame. During its run, the "Classic" not only brought acclaim to Central Coast wines, but Archie made sure that the bounties realized were shared with numerous charitable organizations in SLO and Santa Barbara Counties - to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. I won't even attempt to tell Archie's full story as it appeared in New Times, but I do encourage you to track down the article online and learn more about Archie.
Good news for those of you who missed the Foundation's Avila Beach Storyteller's Night last October, and even for those who did attend. It took a while to produce, but our videographer has completed and placed on the Foundation's website videos of each of the evening's storytellers. As I mentioned in previous columns, our storytellers shared a wide-range of topical tales depicting life in the earlier years of Avila Beach - some as far back as the 1940s and 1950s. Each story is roughly five minutes in length, and can be viewed individually. Or, if you have about one hour to spare and a bowl of popcorn to enjoy, you can view them all in one sitting. Visit www.avilabeachfoundation.org and look for the links on our homepage.
You Avila News online readers will receive this notice in time, and hopefully so print copy readers as well. Two events that may be of interest to you are coming up soon. I've learned that on March 15th at 6:00p.m., the Harbor Commission is hosting a gathering/open house for "stakeholders" interested in the future of the Avila Pier. For more information visit the Harbor Commission at www.portsanluis.com. The other event is February 8th at 6:30p.m., the group Concerned Citizens of Avila Beach is hosting "An evening with Fire Chief Paul Lee" at the Avila Beach Community Center. For more information visit their website at www.concernedcitizens4avila.org.
While neither I nor the Avila Beach Community Foundation are in the business of, well, promoting businesses, I do on occasion come in contact with a vendor or service that I feel provided a product that could prove helpful for other Avilones. A couple weeks back my wife got tired of fighting with her laptop and reached out to Five Cities Computer Repair, owned and operated by Nick Salazar. Nick responded promptly, made a house call, solved the problem, charged a very reasonable fee and even programmed the new remote control I acquired for my television months ago but couldn't figure out. Nick has helped a few other San Luis Bay Estates residents, but does not seem to be much of a self-promoter - instead focusing on his technical skills. If you are looking for a courteous and friendly tech professional, I recommend Five Cities Computer Repair.
That's it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
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