LEFT, RIGHT, and CENTER of TOWN

The LEFT, RIGHT and CENTER portions of our WSB mural are blocked in and getting attention to detail while the top sky portion is missing 3 more Pelicans. The Panizzon Family now have festive beach blankets that remind me of magic carpets. Palm trees are beginning to peek over the lifeguard tower and more people are beginning to populate the beach. Visitors from near and far continue to populate the sidewalk and the area we now call "world's safest parking spot". One onlooker said he was sitting having a meal in "Nutbelly" a few doors up on Linden Ave, and said the mural looks like a "Jumbotron"... which I took as flattering like almost all of the comments. lol!

Standing on the far left of the mural with me is my friend Haile from Oxaca Fresh, a block down Linden Ave.

 

 On the right stands the very beautiful Abdulla Family out on an evening stroll. 

And in the center of the mural is the image borrowed from Virgil Cooper's postcard from the 70's which I am pointing out to Boys and Girls Club Director, Rich Medel who was a couple years ahead of me in school.

Somehow the Carpinteria High School yearbook continues to creep into the story.

 I've mentioned before, mural committee member Slivia Echeveria was the 1969 Chismahoo editor. Suzie (Christie) Panizzon, who is in the center of the mural, was my co-editor in 1970. Today Mr. Romero showed up carrying a 1941 Carpinteria High yearbook called El Rincon at the time. He was in school with my Dad Ernest and they proudly served our country during the same time. I believe my Dad, eager to answer his country's call during time of war,  joined the Navy before graduation ceremonies but was eventually given his Carp High Diploma.  "Johnny" Romero and I stood in the morning sun on Wullbrandt Way going page by page refreshing our memories with old photos of people from what seems like Carpinteria's distant past. The book was published 10 years before I was born so many of the students were adults by the time I knew of them.
One photo was of "J. Wullbrandt".... We agreed it had to be Joe, my Dad's cousin ( I call "Uncle Joe")  the welder who's shop on Linden for many years 1/2 way to the beach is legendary.

As is his wife, perennial Republican Delegate and my Aunt, Emily Wullbrandt caught here wearing white and blue and to the LEFT of me!!!

Yet in a family tradition her daughter, my cousin Jill is in RED and seen here holding her invitation to the mural dedication ceremony being planned by Carpinteria Beautiful on Friday, April 6th at 4 PM.
PLEASE COME!!!!
Many people have done sweet things for us as we paint. Sandwiches from Marla and chocolates from Robitaille's for the "starving artists".
Of course I can't post photos of every wonderful person who wanders down Wullbrandt Way, but...

Nancy, Cuyler and Catalina were more than happy to pose for this blog...Hi Ladies!

So I mentioned the "party" planned for April 6th. This is the first of several events planned by Carpinteria Beautiful for Carpinteria Beautiful Month. The group's annual newsletter will be appearing as an insert in the local paper and will have details, grab one when they come out! Stefanie Harrington is working on a piece for it highlighting our mural. I caught her here, interviewing our celebrated local Architect Andy Neumann who's offices are inside the building our mural is on and who is responsible for much of the beauty in our downtown area. Andy was supportive of our mural from the start and gave an eloquent speech to the Architectural Review Board for which I remain grateful. His creative and thoughtful nature compels him to shoot candid shots of the mural and email them to me. His sharp and discriminate eye and cell phone camera has produced better photos than I.
I close tonight with a couple that arrived as I am submitting this post:

 

5 photos by Andy