Kevin Merrill/On the Farm | Posted: Sunday, May 6, 2007 12:00 am
Last weekend/s warm temperatures remind us that summer is just around the corner. We did get some badly needed rain the week before 7 just a little too late to help the cattlemen and the dry-land hay growers this season.
Our grapevines basked in the warm weather, and you could almost see them grow over the weekend. We are irrigating far earlier than normal, but the vines are off to a good start.
We had a busy weekend at home, with several birthday parties to attend with the kids as well as the culmination of Tee Ball season, which began in March. Karen and I hosted a barbecue for the team in the early summerlike evening Saturday.
Sunday, I attended Mass at the San Ramon Chapel in Sisquoc, where I was an invited guest of my assistant, Carlos Guzman, and his family to help celebrate his daughter Xochitl/s (pronounced Soshi/s) first Holy Communion.
Xochitl and my friends Dana and Chris Hammel/s little boy, Garrison, were the only two receiving Communion that day in the historic chapel.
After the service ended, we were treated to a small reception just outside the chapel. There was a strong, cooling breeze coming from the west as I looked out over the Sisquoc River and the fields of vegetables and green vines marching off toward Santa Maria.
The oak-covered hills were giving up their last hint of green, and the dry needle grass swayed gently as the breeze made its way up Foxen Canyon.
As the families gathered for pictures, I returned to my pickup and started home.
I went down Foxen Canyon Road to Sisquoc and turned down Palmer Canyon; there were no other cars on the road. I passed two bicycle riders enjoying the rural countryside.
It took me back to when we used to ride our bikes around the Valley when we were growing up.
I think we used to wait for the hottest day of the year to go for a bike ride. It always seemed like a good idea when we were sitting under the shade of the huge Chinese elm trees around our house. We would never take any water with us. We would get the idea and just go.
Usually we went up Alamo Pintado Road toward Los Olivos. Sometimes we would go down Baseline and head east. I think we went toward Los Olivos more because we knew Montanaro/s store would be open and we could get something cold to drink there.
Montanaro/s 7 or the Los Olivos Market, as it was officially called 7 was our favorite place to get a cold drink. Alice and Arthur Montanaro owned and ran the store with their son, Stanley.
Most of the time, Alice would be behind the counter in her blue apron, tending the cash register.
The cold drinks were stored in a big walk-in cooler, which was previously used to hang meat. I can still hear Alice telling us “now you boys don/t stay in the cooler too long or you/re going to catch a cold.C
After riding in the heat for a few hours with nothing to drink, we could not wait to get into that cooler and have a soda. Most of the time, Alice would have to come into the cooler and get us out.
Occasionally, Montanaro/s would be closed, and we would have to ride up to Los Olivos to get a drink.
We would go over to Downs/ store in the middle of town, where we would get a Coke out of the cooler sitting by the left side of the door as you entered the store.
We did not know the Downs as well. I can remember two older ladies running the store when we used to stop in for a cold drink. Los Olivos was much quieter then.
Prosper Carricaburu ran the Arco station across the street from the Downs/ store. None of the hotels or restaurants that line the streets today was there then.
I remember riding with my grandfather Sam to get the mail in Los Olivos. Amanda Meisgeier was the postmaster there for many years. Sahms Dairy was southeast of the post office, and there were not too many houses along the road leading into town, as I recall.
I remember going to see Leland Stonebarger with my grandfather. Leland drilled a new well for us when I was very small.
Occasionally, we would drop off a heater to be repaired at Bennett/s repair shop across the street from the gas station, right next to where Sothebys real estate office is now.
Carl Sides/ hardware store was just down the street from Bennett/s to the west.
I have lots of memories of Los Olivos I/ll share in another column one of these days.
I hope you are able to relax and enjoy the beautiful springtime weather we been having along the Central Coast. If you go on a bike ride, be sure to take along a bottle or two of chilled Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County to enjoy with a picnic along one of our many scenic country roads.
Kevin Merrill is a vineyard manager with Mesa Vineyard Management in Santa Maria. He is president of the Central Coast Wine Growers/ Association and a board member for the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau. He can be reached at kmerrill@mesavineyard.com.
May 6, 2007