I just got back the other day from a week spent in Santa Barbara. I haven’t been there in several years and was a bit bummed to see that State Street is looking more and more like an even-more-plastic-version of Orange County.
I also paid a visit to the Santa Barbara Surf Shop and what a great shop it is! It’s a great surf shop for having all of the gear a surfer needs to the amazing collection of historic surfboards that are hanging all over this huge shop. Man, looking at the old, balsa Yater’s was worth the visit alone. Reynolds Yater is one of the last great shapers from the golden era of surfing. If you’re ever in town, even if you don’t surf you should stop in and check it out because anyone with any amount of soul would definitely appreciate the art and craftsmanship that goes into his boards.
Oh, the last thing about State Street. I saw a white rat riding on the back of a calico cat, who was riding on the back of a dog as they were being walked up and down State Street. I know that sounded a trifle “Dr. Seuss” but it’s what I saw. In all of my travels half around this globe thus far I had never seen anything quite like that before.