Hello fellow Avilones. It's February, the days are finally getting longer, and we baseball fans anxiously await the beginning of spring training come early March. The Avila Beach Community Foundation is gearing up for another busy year - one that includes the return of the Live Well Symposium, which we anticipate will occur in early May. The "Symposium", headed up by Avila Beach healthy living expert Julian Varela, will feature a number of local presenters on a variety of topics geared toward things we can do to live healthier, happier and perhaps longer. Details will be forthcoming in the March edition of this publication.
I would like to share with you an experience that occurred during a recent vacation in Hawaii, on the lovely island of Maui. My wife and I have been there numerous times over the past two decades, and haven't seen very many changes - at least on the south and west ends of the island. The area closest to the airport, on the other hand, very much reminds me of the commercial growth experienced in San Luis Obispo. It seems that ALL of the box stores have arrived, along with franchise eateries and other retailers recognizable to everyone. Fortunately for visitors to Maui, this congregated area is away from the myriad visitor highlights that remain an attraction.
The "recent experience" I refer to above took place in Lahaina Town, which is a hospitality, retailer and water activities hub that draws tons of tourists each day. Lahaina somewhat reminds me of a larger scale Avila Beach during our summer high season, and on other unseasonably warm days such as that occurred on Martin Luther King Day just past when the temperature was close to 80 degrees. What happened to us in Lahaina somewhat shocked the senses. On this particular day, four of us headed into town excited to enjoy a whale watching excursion, and were greatly challenged to find a place to park near the harbor. Circling and circling but seeing none, we had to venture into the adjoining residential neighborhood in hopes of finding something along the streets. About three blocks in, we found a spot in front of an apartment building, behind another car and well clear of the driveway. Easy in and easy out, so we thought. The whale watch trip was delightful on a perfect day replete with calm waters and abundant ocean mammals. Upon return to the harbor, we jumped off the boat and headed back to our car. Much to our dismay, strategically placed against the vehicle's back bumper was a huge boulder that had to weigh at least 200 lbs. And in front of our car was another parked about three inches tight. Clearly, a message was being sent by some local(s) attempting to discourage public parking on "their" street. They even left some visible scratches on our back bumper to add insult to injury. Stunned more than annoyed, two of us with great effort managed to roll the boulder back far enough to allow sufficient space to leave the curb.
Driving away, I thought about the parking difficulties in Avila Beach - particularly on the residential streets that become an alternative to scouring the commercial zones or pay-to-park lot. While I have not heard any stories of boulders being used to send a message, I am aware of orange cones or other blockades being employed by some to prevent legal parking in front of their homes. I know it's a touchy subject, and one with no apparent easy answers. But our Lahaina experience makes me wonder what if the car parked was not ours, but that of a more elderly and frail couple lacking the strength to move two hundred pounds. I believe that we here in Avila are more civil and thoughtful than our counterparts in Lahaina. Avila parking issues continue to be a topic of great debate and will surface again come the looming tourist season. I hope fruitful discussions and viable solutions arise in the very near future.
Those of you who regularly read this column know that I strive to be informative of things going on in Avila, and of other issues that may be of interest. With the vast number of seniors who call Avila Beach their home in mind, I attended for the first time a meeting of the SLO County Commission on Aging. This Commission serves as a networking opportunity for area senior services providers and is open to the public. The "keynote" speaker that day was Morro Bay resident Gari Cave, who is a Senior Assembly member of the California State Senior Legislature. At January's meeting I learned things that both worry and comfort me - worried about the overwhelming number of issues faced by the elderly, and comforted by the fact that resources and help are available. I don't have the space to summarize all that was shared at the meeting, but I do encourage you to "google" SLO County Commission on Aging to read about the local organization, and visit www.4csl.org to read about the state agency. Both serve as valuable advocates for the aging population and their caregivers. That's it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
I would like to share with you an experience that occurred during a recent vacation in Hawaii, on the lovely island of Maui. My wife and I have been there numerous times over the past two decades, and haven't seen very many changes - at least on the south and west ends of the island. The area closest to the airport, on the other hand, very much reminds me of the commercial growth experienced in San Luis Obispo. It seems that ALL of the box stores have arrived, along with franchise eateries and other retailers recognizable to everyone. Fortunately for visitors to Maui, this congregated area is away from the myriad visitor highlights that remain an attraction.
The "recent experience" I refer to above took place in Lahaina Town, which is a hospitality, retailer and water activities hub that draws tons of tourists each day. Lahaina somewhat reminds me of a larger scale Avila Beach during our summer high season, and on other unseasonably warm days such as that occurred on Martin Luther King Day just past when the temperature was close to 80 degrees. What happened to us in Lahaina somewhat shocked the senses. On this particular day, four of us headed into town excited to enjoy a whale watching excursion, and were greatly challenged to find a place to park near the harbor. Circling and circling but seeing none, we had to venture into the adjoining residential neighborhood in hopes of finding something along the streets. About three blocks in, we found a spot in front of an apartment building, behind another car and well clear of the driveway. Easy in and easy out, so we thought. The whale watch trip was delightful on a perfect day replete with calm waters and abundant ocean mammals. Upon return to the harbor, we jumped off the boat and headed back to our car. Much to our dismay, strategically placed against the vehicle's back bumper was a huge boulder that had to weigh at least 200 lbs. And in front of our car was another parked about three inches tight. Clearly, a message was being sent by some local(s) attempting to discourage public parking on "their" street. They even left some visible scratches on our back bumper to add insult to injury. Stunned more than annoyed, two of us with great effort managed to roll the boulder back far enough to allow sufficient space to leave the curb.
Driving away, I thought about the parking difficulties in Avila Beach - particularly on the residential streets that become an alternative to scouring the commercial zones or pay-to-park lot. While I have not heard any stories of boulders being used to send a message, I am aware of orange cones or other blockades being employed by some to prevent legal parking in front of their homes. I know it's a touchy subject, and one with no apparent easy answers. But our Lahaina experience makes me wonder what if the car parked was not ours, but that of a more elderly and frail couple lacking the strength to move two hundred pounds. I believe that we here in Avila are more civil and thoughtful than our counterparts in Lahaina. Avila parking issues continue to be a topic of great debate and will surface again come the looming tourist season. I hope fruitful discussions and viable solutions arise in the very near future.
Those of you who regularly read this column know that I strive to be informative of things going on in Avila, and of other issues that may be of interest. With the vast number of seniors who call Avila Beach their home in mind, I attended for the first time a meeting of the SLO County Commission on Aging. This Commission serves as a networking opportunity for area senior services providers and is open to the public. The "keynote" speaker that day was Morro Bay resident Gari Cave, who is a Senior Assembly member of the California State Senior Legislature. At January's meeting I learned things that both worry and comfort me - worried about the overwhelming number of issues faced by the elderly, and comforted by the fact that resources and help are available. I don't have the space to summarize all that was shared at the meeting, but I do encourage you to "google" SLO County Commission on Aging to read about the local organization, and visit www.4csl.org to read about the state agency. Both serve as valuable advocates for the aging population and their caregivers. That's it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach!
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