Friday, March 23, 2012

Gumby at Shark's Cove


Tide was low today so I jumped at the chance to view retro aerosol art at Shark’s Cove, a small bay nestled between Montecito and Summerland coastlines. I've walked here a few times before and now the creeping changes of erosion have become even more evident. Colors once vibrant are now chipping to reveal the gray concrete seawall, soon these graffiti relics will be ancient history forever. Rapidly disappearing images include a 1968 California black and gold license plate and a once dapper Pink Panther. Who painted these? Where's Pokey? And why did they choose to immortalize these particular images? We may never know the real story.




Sunday, March 11, 2012

Taj Mahal Carpinteria


You just can't miss the white "Taj Mahal" house behind the old Santa Claus Lane Candy Kitchen. Santa is long gone but this compound of middle eastern style homes keeps expanding. A nice low tide gave me ample time to walk around the coastline and better view this intriguing architecture up close. Easily seen as a landmark from the 101 fwy, boat, plane, or distant beach shore, this mansion always leaves me wondering... who lives there?

Aerial view
Photo by John Wiley