The dream of rural living that Jeanne Walker once shared with her husband became hers to fulfill alone in the aftermath of tragedy, and she is legendary among all who know her for her one-woman industry, creativity, and inspiring resilience. In this interview Jeanne spoke about her years at the Hollister Ranch, her new life at Sea Ranch, and the wisdom she has accrued in the course of her journey. Her thoughts on grief, learning, and wonder are eloquent and profound.
A well known surfer from the Malibu days of the 1960s, Ray earned the nickname "The Enforcer" for the way he steered younger surfers from drugs and trouble and stopped conflict in its tracks. He continued surfing and exploring throughout his life, including California, Hawaii, Tahiti, and Nova Scotia, and formed enduring friendships everywhere he went. “Think of a good life,” he said, “Think of yourself becoming something.” Ray did exactly that.
A beloved physician in the Santa Ynez Valley, the legendary Dr. Netzer was also instrumental in the creation of the Family School, Friendship House, Country Medical Clinic, and the Side Street Café. Then, at an age when most people think about retiring, he moved to a remote village along the Amazon in Bolivia and founded the Rio Beni Health Project. Lou spoke to students and teachers at Dunn Middle School in 2001, shortly before he was diagnosed with the cancer that was to claim his life on October 10, 2002.
Jean Jacoby has a reserved, soft-spoken demeanor, but possesses an admirable kind of strength and self-acceptance. A child of the Depression, she has early memories of sledding down the deserted streets of Jamestown, New York on winter nights. She met her husband Dick at St. Lawrence University, and they have been a team ever since, working, traveling, raising two children, and now living in Lompoc. In this interview, she muses about the value of friendship, the sense of freedom and autonomy she still feels on a bicycle, and her gratitude for a fortunate life.
We visited Sally Jones at the Pork Palace, her Gaviota homestead. Sally beams with pride and joy as she reminisces about life with her husband George and their four sons here and in the Santa Ynez Valley. “I was a homemaker,” she says, “and I worked hard at it, and it was a joy.” In later years she found pleasure and solace in walking, and most recently in painting and drawing.
Susan Brooks remembers her mother telling her, “It’s a big world out there, Susie. You should live and experience it.” And she certainly has. A self-described surfer girl who grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley, she started college at the age of fifteen and went on to a PhD in biochemistry and a career in cancer diagnosis. Now retired, she’s a naturalist and an artist who has never ceased to explore, learn, and appreciate.
An artist, builder, surfer, and friend who has lived for decades at the Hollister Ranch, Kit Cossart offered reflections about what it means to live in this remarkable part of the world. He talked about his early adventures surfing beyond the gate of Bixby Ranch, the paintings and sculptures he creates, and the faith that is his source of strength
A math and science teacher at Dunn School in Los Olivos, California, Donna is one of those people who seem able to do anything. But when a horrific automobile accident left her paralyzed at the age of sixteen, she was told she would never walk again, and the life she has led since defies all the odds. Hers is an extraordinary story of determination and faith.
An inventor since childhood, Richard Cunningham’s irrepressible spirit and stunning creativity have led him through colorful adventures involving airplanes, motorcycles, bicycles, horses, journalism, bad guitar playing, and plenty of pain and ecstasy in the great outdoors.