As county public works employees scramble to repair CEMEX’s broken water line, Davenport residents are hoping the water keeps flowing. The snafu forced the Davenport Sanitation District—and the 100 households it counts as customers—to switch from San Vicente Creek, its normal source, to nearby Mill Creek.
“We expect, and we hope, that the lines will be repaired before Mill Creek runs out and before water has to be trucked in,” says District 1 County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty.
CEMEX, a multibillion-dollar company, is trying to avoid footing the estimated $220,000 bill, and the county legally isn’t allowed to cover the cost, prompting concern that the expense could eventually fall to the people of Davenport, a federally recognized low-income community home to many farmworkers and retirees. Paying nearly $4,000 a year, they already have some of the highest water and sanitation bills in the state.
Coonerty won’t say if county staff are pursuing legal action, but stresses they’ll “use every avenue” they can.
Andy Schiffrin, an analyst for Coonerty, says the situation’s a little complicated because, technically, it isn’t 100 percent clear who owns the pipe infrastructure—or the water rights, for that matter—and is therefore responsible for the problem. The odd thing, though, is that CEMEX claims to own both, and has been trying to sell those rights for millions of dollars. If the district owned the infrastructure, it could have gotten FEMA money for the repairs, since the breaks happened during this winter’s torrential storms, says Schiffrin, a former Santa Cruz water commissioner. “Normally the water purveyor has the rights to the water and owns the infrastructure, so this is an unusual situation,” he says.
Another looming question is what to make of CEMEX’s complicated relationship with Davenport, which formed at the same time as the plant more than 100years ago. The plant changed hands a few times, but 30-year resident Ann Parker remembers the thick, soot-like grey dust—coating her car, roof and clothesline. She recalls the chromium 6 scare and the constant noise, too, from the factory and trucks. “When they backed up, they would go, ‘beep, beep, beep.’ They were running all over the place,” she says.
But CEMEX also made generous donations every year to Davenport’s Pacific Elementary, and it still leases land for the town’s fire station at $1 a year. County Fire Chief Ian Larkin says his department’s always had “a great relationship” with the Mexico-based company.
More recently, though, CEMEX was at the center of controversy locally for its reluctance to comply with a Coastal Commission order to halt unpermitted sand mining near Marina—the last coastal mine in the state. It finallyreached an agreement last month to wrap that up in three years.
In Davenport these days, they’ve almost become “an absentee landlord,” says county spokesperson Jason Hoppin. Still, the county’s economic development leaders are studying options to reuse the site—a pivot that would presumably involve CEMEX selling its land. Multi-year partnerships and collaborations created a reliable working relationship.
What will it mean for future efforts if the foundation comes crumbling down? JACOB PIERCE
GATHER ROUND
Who says summer camp is just for kids?
A new series of workshops tackling issues like militarization, racism and poverty is targeting anyone and everyone, ages 15 and up. Militarism may not seem like any everyday issue for some people, but Drew Glover, programs coordinator for the Resource Center for Nonviolence, believes local law enforcement has shown signs trending toward increased militarization—like when Santa Cruz Police participated in a Department of Homeland Security raid in February, with officers showing up in armored vehicles and busting down doors, as flash bangs went off and a helicopter circled the skies.
Glover, who plans on running for Santa Cruz City Council again in 2018, says sometimes the best way for anyone who feels disenfranchised to take action is through nonviolent protest. Summer Nonviolence Camp runs from July 27-31, and Glover says 20 spots are still available. It isn’t so much an outdoor experience as a crash course in social justice. CALVIN MEN
It’s not exactly the Bard, but the 2017 season of Santa Cruz Shakespeare gets off to a ripping start with The 39 Steps. Based on an adventure novel by John Buchan, famously made into Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1935 chase thriller movie, the story gets another makeover in director Paul Mullins’ uproarious production—long on sly wit, short on logic, and absolutely irresistible.
This 2005 stage adaptation by English playwright Patrick Barlow is an exercise in comic audacity. All the parts are played by a cast of four—three men and one woman—in a variety of costumes, accents, and disguises. Barlow takes his inspiration mostly from the movie (especially in the ’30s period setting), and nudge-nudge, wink-wink references to Hitchcock and his oeuvre pop up throughout. You don’t have to know the film to enjoy the play, but those familiar with the Hitchcock version will get a special kick out of the sheer chutzpah of this interpretation.
At its center is Richard Hannay (Brian Smolin), a bored young man puttering around his London flat one evening who decides to distract himself by “doing something mindless and utterly useless—I’ll go to the theater!” It’s the first step on the road to disaster. At a music hall performance by a mentalist called Mr. Memory (Allen Gilmore) and his partner/handler (Mike Ryan), Hannay meets Annabella (Grace Rao), a sexy dame with a ripe German accent, who begs to come home with him.
In short order, the mystery woman is dead in his flat. The police suspect him, the sinister men who were following her are now following him, and Hannay is on the run. All he knows is she was trying to convey secret information about an international spy ring to a colleague in the wilds of Scotland, so he grabs a map and takes the train north, hoping to sort it all out before the police can arrest him for murder.
But who cares about the plot? All the fun is in the playing. Smolin, who won hearts and cracked funny bones in the title role of The Liar a couple of seasons back, plays only one character, and his Hannay anchors the show with his determination to be a good sport, his insinuating double-takes, and his acrobatic dexterity. (It’s a riot when he limbo-slides out of an armchair from under a dead body.) The subtle ways he preens while running in place onstage as police bulletins describe him in ever more flattering terms is also very funny.
Rao is also terrific as the three principal women—Annabella, the femme fatale, Pamela, an innocent Scottish lass married to a parsimonious old farmer, and Margaret, an angry blonde who winds up handcuffed to Hannay in his trek across the Scottish moors. She and Smolin get a lot of comic mileage out of those cuffs, trying to go over, no, under, no, around a wooden style out in the country, or traversing a bog — played by Ryan.
Ryan and Gilmore (their parts are called Clown 1 and Clown 2), play everybody else, and they’re both hilarious. Gilmore is especially memorable as the ferociously self-abnegating farmer saying grace, or an ancient staffer at a political rally attempting to set up a podium. Ryan brings down the house in the rally scene as an elderly speaker with a miniscule voice. A lot of the biggest laughs come from the Clowns missing their cues, or struggling to change costumes fast enough—like their virtuoso duet on a train platform, playing three parts simultaneously by feverishly switching hats.
Scenic designers Annie Smart and Justine Law’s rolling staircase set cleverly adapts to every locale, from music hall to train station to manor house. Special kudos are due to properties designer/master M Woods for transforming objects like crates, chairs, and a ladder into a train, a car, a railroad trestle, and the Scottish Highlands. (One door frame on wheels is particularly ingenious.) B. Modern’s period costumes are deft and impeccable.
Clearly, everyone involved in this production is having a high old time, and the audience can’t help but be swept along.
The Santa Cruz Shakespeare production of ‘The 39 Steps’ plays through Sept. 3 at the Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park. For ticket info, call 460-6399, or visit santacruzshakespeare.org/tickets.
Calico is generally thought of as being a printed cotton fabric or a multi-colored animal. Calico the Band, on the other hand, is short for California Country—and this band delivers. With a Los Angeles-by-way-of-Bakersfield sound that draws from the Byrds, Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield and even Fleetwood Mac, this duo, comprising Kirsten Proffit and Manda Mosher, crafts harmony-rich, catchy tunes that feel familiar and fresh. And by tipping a hat to the state’s rich country tradition, the women take the modern Southern California country-rock movement to exciting places. CJ
It’s hard to pin down any one genre in the music of local six-piece Pan Dulce. The band’s CD Baby page uses words like “ska,” “reggae,” “funk rock,” “party music,” and “Lana Del Rey.” It’s all true, even the bit about melancholy dream-pop à la Del Rey. It’s a true blending of normally ill-fitted ingredients whipped together to create something that you can dance and cry along to with equal intensity. The group headlines Moe’s Alley with Sacramento reggae band Zuhg, and San Jose cumbia band Corazón Salvaje. AARON CARNES
Since her 2008 debut, The Strong One, Etana (Swahili for “the strong one”) has become one of the biggest female vocals in reggae music. Born outside of Kingston, Jamaica in August Town, Etana moved to South Florida with her family when she was nine. During her college years, she began experimenting with music and found her voice soon after. As an adult, she moved back to Jamaica, where she was picked up by VP Records, the world’s largest distributor of reggae music. Nine years later, with four albums under her belt, Etana’s powerfully sultry voice continues to deliver irie praise to the hearts of audiences worldwide. MAT WEIR
In Jamaica, roots reggae is a powerful tool, the voice of the oppressed. It’s precisely for this reason that the music has lasted so long, and spread far beyond its home country. The rebellious spirit of giving voice to the voiceless has stayed with the music, as is the case with Thomas Mapfumo, a Zimbabwe artist who has mixed the Jamaican grooves with the traditional mbira music he grew up with. He uses the music as a vehicle for civil rights advocacy for the people of Zimbabwe. He’s been making powerful protest music since the late ’70s. Nowadays, he lives in exile and uses music to comment on global corruption in government. AC
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door. 427-2227.
SATURDAY 7/15
COUNTRY
JESSE DANIEL & THE SLOW LEARNERS
Playing a mix of original songs and country classics, Jesse Daniel and the Slow Learners embodies the punk rock ethos, jamming out what they want, when they want. You might even hear a country-fried cover of your favorite punk classic wedged in-between Haggard or Jennings. Daniel released his debut solo EP, American Unknown, in December 2016, which features the singer/songwriter playing all of the recorded instruments. This weekend’s show is a benefit for True North Tattoo, with a raffle for participants to win prizes like gift certificates for new ink. MW
A self-described “junkbox blues” duo, Hillstomp is like no other band I can think of—unless you go back to the good ol’ days of Doo Rag, with its upturned cardboard boxes and vocals run through vacuum parts. Hillstomp takes a similar approach, with drummer John Johnson playing buckets, a barbecue lid and various cans, while slide guitarist Henry Christian wails away on his six-string, crafting dirty, raw, irresistible blues riffs that bring the junkbox sound home. On Saturday, Johnson and Christian are joined by local roots outfit the Naked Bootleggers and others for what promises to be a rafter-rattling affair. CJ
A throwback to the golden age of jazz vocals, Jane Monheit is one of the great voices of our time. Known for a pitch-perfect delivery that spans styles with ease, Monheit breathes new life into standards and pulls back into the spotlight a genre that once epitomized pop music. For the “Ella Fitzgerald Songbook Sessions,” Monheit pays tribute to one of the defining artists of all time, and honors one of her own primary influences. As Monheit puts it, “What I really got from Ella is her warmth, her charm, the joy she puts in her music. Ella showed us that it can be about total joy.” CJ
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $35/adv, $45/door. 427-2227.
MONDAY 7/17
ROCK
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
One of the best bands—with one of the best names—in current rock music returns to the Catalyst after seven long, excruciating years. Led by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age fame, the Eagles of Death Metal is a non-stop rock ’n’ roll party band that delights audiences with tongue-in-cheek songs and onstage antics. More recently, the Eagles gained media attention when they were playing the Le Bataclan in Paris on November 13, 2015, during the horrific terrorist attacks that took place there. The band recently revisited the attacks and documented their return to Paris in the Colin Hanks documentary, Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends). MW
Remember when Reel Big Fish were on MTV with a tongue-in-cheek ska-punk hit single about a band selling out by signing a major record deal? So many things in that sentence sound about as old as “pagers” and “TV Guide,” and yet Reel Big Fish’s popularity hasn’t waned. Earlier this year, Thrillist ran an article positing that ska was “coming back,” citing Reel Big Fish’s success as proof. What they didn’t understand is that the smart-alecky Orange County ska-punk ensemble has spent the last two decades packing clubs around the world with eager skanking kids on an annual basis. They’re not back. They haven’t gone anywhere. AC
An emerging star in the jazz world, pianist Ben Rosenblum has been accused of possessing the “hands of a diamond cutter” and “caressing [music] with the reverence it merits.” High praise for an artist still in his early 20s, but Rosenblum has a long history with music—and jazz in particular. Born and raised in New York City, and a graduate of the Juilliard School, he received numerous awards for his compositions and musicianship before he was even out of his teens. Rosenblum’s current trio includes Monterey-raised Bay Area star Kanoa Mendenhall on bass and New York City’s Ben Zweig on drums.
INFO: 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 427-2227. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.
Patrick Maguire can’t remember a time in his life when he wasn’t surrounded by music. He’s one of 33 first cousins—30 of them, he says, play music. This is true of his parents, uncles and aunts as well. Family jams were not uncommon. He was inspired by the talent and broad-ranging musical interests of his family members.
“My mother has a voice like Alison Krauss. She has stage fright, so she never really took it on to do it professionally,” Maguire says. “She exposed me to everything from bluegrass to oldies to blues to rock ’n’ roll.”
Originally from Maine, and then living in Colorado as a sales executive, Maguire decided to move to Santa Cruz in 2012 to pursue his dreams as a musician. While he’d been playing his whole life, it wasn’t until 2010, at the age of 30, that he wrote his first song. He wanted more.
“The goal and the dream has always been to play music, and it was one I didn’t think was going to happen throughout my 20s,” Maguire says. “It’s been nothing but amazing so far. It’s really been just learn on the fly.”
A big reason he chose this as his new home in the first place was because two of his musical cousins—Joe and Brian Gibeault—live here and play in local rock ’n’ roll outfit Thanks Buddy. He started with covers, and it’s only been this year that he’s pursued a solo career as a singer-songwriter. He’s been featured on KPIG, headlined Moe’s Alley, and is now playing a show at Don Quixote’s. Santa Cruz, it seems, has been very receptive to his intoxicating blend of Americana and laid-back folk music and sweet soul.
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.
Calling all uppity women! If you’re looking for a role model on how to defy the rules and live the life you choose, look no further than Gertrude Bell. Born into a genteel English Victorian family, she carved out her own destiny as historian, traveler, mountain-climber, archeologist, map-maker, author, intelligence operator, and renowned expert on the peoples and politics of the area we now call the Middle East. In her day—the turn of the last century, through World War I and its aftermath—she was known as “the female Lawrence of Arabia.”
The story of Gertrude Lowthian Bell is told in fascinating terms in Letters From Baghdad. Co-directed by Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum, this documentary relies on a lifetime of letters and journal entries in which Bell tells her own story as she lived it, with her own words spoken by the film’s co-producer, Tilda Swinton. The filmmakers also present a treasure trove of Bell’s own photographs, snapped during her adventures to exotic locales like the Alps, Tehran, Babylon, Damascus, and Constantinople (among many other places).
In addition to Bell’s personal photographs, the filmmakers use lots of newsreel footage from the era, along with still photos of Bell and her circle. These were mostly British politicians and governors stationed in the area (many of them refer to Bell as their “right-hand man”), among whom Bell established a reputation for her vast experience with the peoples, cultures, and even the language of “Arabia”—and with whom she helped shape the political realities of the region after WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Bell emerges as a strong-minded woman constantly tilting against convention and expectation. After taking a First in History in her class at Oxford, she’s shipped off to “the East” by her stepmother, in hopes that exposure to foreign society “might help to get rid of her Oxford-y manner.” (Actors portraying Bell’s various friends, family, and colleagues, filmed in black-and-white, are “interviewed” on screen, speaking words written about Bell by those who knew her.)
After a broken engagement and much more travel, Bell writes a book about Syria, expressing her opposition to the Ottoman Empire. Determined to “penetrate Arabia” by making maps and studying artifacts, Bell lands in Cairo in 1915, working in Intelligence with T. E. Lawrence and archeologist David Hogarth. She was “a wonderful person,” to quote Lawrence in one of the faux interviews. “Not very much like a woman,” he adds. Finding much more common ground with the men in the British diplomatic and political circles she moves in than with their wives, Bell writes to her father back home about how she would have liked the convenience of a wife to keep house for her.
Valued for her extensive knowledge of “inter-tribal relationships,” Bell’s influence reaches its zenith when she’s enlisted to help divide postwar “Arabia” between the British, the French, and the Turks. As explained in the film’s prologue, “The stage was set a century ago for the wars and sectarianism now tearing apart the Middle East.” It becomes Bell’s dubious task to go against four thousand years of history and tradition to try to draw Iraq on a map as a new “political state.”
Ultimately, Bell is disillusioned by the failure after the war to establish an autonomous Arabian state of Mesopotamia; instead, Britain chooses to continue its occupation of the region. (They don’t call themselves conquerors, but “liberators”—and, boy, does that sound familiar.) The Brits’ general cluelessness about governing the region, coupled with their relentless profiteering, is further complicated by the presence of Standard Oil, rearing its reptilian head in collusion with disgruntled Arab rebels in hopes of wresting away oil rights for the U.S.
The thorny issue of how to govern Iraq (and who has the right to do it) continues to play out on the world stage. Letters From Baghdad does not presume to offer any solutions. But it does offer an impressive portrait of a singular woman of her own—or any other—time.
LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD
*** (out of four)
Featuring the voice of Tilda Swinton. A documentary by Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbuhl. A Vitagraph Films release. Not rated. 95 minutes.
If a Santa Cruz native and second-generation Italian tells me with absolute conviction that he knows where to get the best calamari in town, it’s in my best interest to at least check it out.
Which is how I find myself sitting at a plastic table at Aldo’s on the west side of the Santa Cruz Harbor, watching the July sun glint off of dozens of gleaming hulls, the marine layer hardly a whisper at the edge of a bluebird sky. My beer is cold, the server is charming, and I occasionally make eye contact with a sea lion shyly swimming between the boats.
While the iconic restaurant at the harbor mouth is being remodeled and the seawall underneath it repaired, Aldo’s continues to host guests just 500 meters north of the original location on an outdoor waterfront lawn between B and D docks. Just steps from the water, there really isn’t a bad seat on the patio. And after a thorough investigation, I can assure you that they definitely know their way around a plate of fried squid.
Calamari, like pizza, burgers and other comfort foods, is a dish that has a tendency to stoke passionate and unresolvable arguments about its ideal preparation. You may disagree, but I want plenty of tentacles. I want an ample amount of crunchy batter to coat tender, never-rubbery squid without sliding off. I will alternate between the cocktail and the tartar sauce, and if you don’t like lemon, then you might as well get your own plate.
And I have to say, my friend was right. The calamari at Aldo’s is some of the best I’ve had in Santa Cruz in the decade that I’ve lived here. Given this historic family’s reputation, I can’t say that I’m at all surprised. Knowing that these squid were caught in the bay, while most other seafood available by the water is shipped from other locales, makes the experience that much more satisfying. But honestly, although I may have been drawn to this feature by the main attraction—the “best calamari in Santa Cruz”—as I look out on the peaceful harbor, a sunburn beginning to pink the back of my neck as I fantasize what I would call the sailboat I’ll one day own, a lot has to be said for the supporting cast.
After a few attempts to meet up with Garrett Bowlus of Albatross Ridge, I finally got to his tasting room in Carmel. My old school friend from England, Una, was staying for a couple of weeks, and I always love to take house guests wine tasting to show off the exceptional wines of Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
Albatross Ridge is named after winemaker Garrett’s great-grandfather William Hawley Bowlus’ Albatross gliders, which he used to fly off the ridgetops of Monterey’s coast back in the 1930s. Albatross Ridge’s impressive labels depict a glider and a figure touching a wing—in a tribute, I’m sure, to famed engineer William Hawley Bowlus, whose pioneering sailplanes are now in the Smithsonian.
I took a bottle of Albatross Ridge Rosé Pinot Noir ($40) to one of my favorite places to dine, Imura Japanese Restaurant in Watsonville, as I felt it would pair well with their delicious sushi and sashimi. We had young family guests staying with us from Omaha, Nebraska, and they were drawn to the meat dishes offered by Imura.
After a round of Japanese sake, served in delightful little cups, our attentive server Shanice cracked open the sparkling Rosé, which comes with delightful tart fruit flavors and lots of fizz—a splendid pairing with all of the mouthwatering sushi we ordered. The bottle comes with an easy-off beer-cap top.
“Produced in limited quantities using the méthode ancestrale, our sparkling Pétillant Naturel Rosé is sourced from just seven distinct rows of Pinot Noir at our estate,” says winemaker Garrett Bowlus. And this estate just happens to be in an ideal spot—on a steep and rocky Carmel Valley ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Carmel Bay.
The Albatross Ridge tasting room is on Mission Street between Ocean and 7th avenues, Carmel-by-the-Sea. Open daily from 1 p.m. Visit albatrossridge.com for more info.
Passport Day
The next Passport day, when many wineries are open to the public for a complimentary tasting—providing you have a Passport from the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association—is Saturday, July 15. Check the website at scmwa.com for more information on Passport events. Passports can also be purchased at wineries.
“When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.” — Henny Youngman
Summertime and reading is a classic combination, and Santa Cruz is one of the best spots on the planet to stake out a bit of sand and dig into a good book. But there’s another literary pairing that’s just as timeless. Anyone in a book club knows what I’m talking about: booze. While I won’t go as far as William Faulkner, who famously said, “Pouring out liquor is like burning books,” I believe a page-turner and a good stiff drink is what summer is all about. Ask Ernest Hemingway, who put the daiquiri on the literary map and gave drinkers a great piece of advice he probably never followed: “Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
The list of famous and accomplished authors who liked a drink or two or 10 is long. Chalk it up to inner demons or inner muses—most likely both—but the tipple is such a well established part of literary history that it’s become a trope. When asked if he drank, Stephen King replied, “Of course—I just said I was a writer.” Dorothy Parker still has namesake cocktails served in bars from Soho to São Paulo. Visit Faulkner’s grave in Oxford, Mississippi, and you’ll probably find a bottle of his favorite whiskey, Jack Daniels, left in tribute. If you’ve read Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, you know it isn’t Wheaties, it’s martinis. Ian Fleming was an ardent fan of the martini; in fact, he placed one into 007’s hands so often that a tongue-in-cheek study by the British Medical Journal found that the spy drank 65-92 units of vodka a week. It gives a whole new meaning to “shaken, not stirred.”
Like all faithful, bickering partners, books and booze have a checkered past. For a powerful look at the corrosive price of this sometimes terrible marriage, read Olivia Laing’s insightful, sympathetic book, The Trip to Echo Springs, On Writers and Drinking. The title refers to an obscure line from a Tennessee Williams play that means a trip to the liquor cabinet. Through the troubled careers of luminaries like F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver, she dispels any romantic notions about drunken reverie and creative genius.
But when the marriage is good, it’s a beautiful thing. Within reason, alcohol can enhance a good story, especially for readers, who are essentially guests at the literary salon. What guest doesn’t appreciate a good cocktail? Just as beer livens up the barbecue and wine turns us into critics at the art opening (preference for wine has been scientifically correlated to a higher IQ, which in turn may be correlated to a higher sense of self-importance), they also open our minds to insight. And snacks!
If you’re inclined to bend the elbow while you turn the pages, Bookshop Santa Cruz is ready to meet you halfway with their Books and Brews Summer Series. It’s designed to lure literary-minded locals to some of the best breweries and taprooms in town, with the promise of books, games, discussions, and the golden nectar that brings them all together—craft beer. For our summer reading guide, we’ve taken that idea and run with it, imagining a book/drink pairing for some of this summer’s top lit events. As for me, time to hit the hammock and crack open War and Peace. This year I’m going to finish it. No, really. But first, I feel thirsty …
Pale Ales and Deep Insights
Jaimal Yogis, July 14
The clean, malty finish of Corralitos Blonde Ale flows well with the ocean sense of Jaimal Yogis’ All Our Waves Are Water: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride, which follows him from the Himalayas to Jerusalem to San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, where he finds “that the perfect ride may well be the one we are on right now” (see sidebar, page 22). You can grab a copy of his book when he appears at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Friday. 7 p.m., Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.
Favorite Books vs. Favorite Beers
Books and Brews’ Lit-Hops, July 27
The cool concept for this 21st century beer hall is a wall of 70 self-pour taps filled with beers, wines and ciders from all over the world. In keeping with the mood of abundance, more than a dozen favorite reads from booksellers will be paired with beers to match their mood. A couple of personal suggestions: pair Discretion Brewery’s strong Good Faith ale with George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo, a novel about love, loss, the afterlife and the human condition. And try Lúpulo’s English Bitter, Little Lies, with Maile Meloy’s novel, Do Not Become Alarmed. The possibilities are endless, but keep in mind that you could drive your friends and family crazy. I speak from experience. 7 p.m., Pour Taproom, 110 Cooper St., Suite 100B, Santa Cruz. $16 ticket includes one free book and 20 percent off your food and drinks. Non-ticketed attendees still welcome.
‘Here I Am’ for IPA
Jonathan Safran Foer, July 12
Author Jonathan Safran
Humble Sea Brewery’s Mankini IPA—bold, brave, and all up front—goes perfectly with Jonathan Safran Foer’s Here I Am, an inventive, hard-hitting story of a fragile family in a moment of personal and global crisis, who must confront and become who they really are. Foer is appearing in Santa Cruz at an offsite, ticketed Bookshop Santa Cruz event. 7 p.m., Santa Cruz High School, 415 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz. Ticket packages are $19.98 and include two tickets to the event and one copy of ‘Here I Am’ in paperback.
Stout Revolutionaries
Race To Revolution: Hamilton Edition, Aug. 7
Lúpulo Beer House cultivates relationships with small brewers and specializes in beers that are hard to come by. The workshop feel here harkens back to alehouses of old, where you ducked in to drink a pint and wrestle with ideas. As a nod to history buffs, lovers of the musical Hamilton, and our proud national heritage of beer-soaked political debate, this Books and Brews event at Lúpulo will feature literature about the fantastic and sometimes forgotten founders of our imperfect union. It will also test your founding American trivia skills in the hotly competitive yet highly good-natured Race to Revolution game. Did you know that George Washington kept a beer recipe in his notebook? That random fact may or may not help you, but know this: when swag bags, bragging rights, and liberty are at stake, Americans have shown that we can rise, stumble, and hold forth to the occasion. Doing it all in the company of fellow revolutionaries with a beer in hand just makes it more fun. 7 p.m., Lúpulo Beer House, 223 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz. $5 ticket includes entry to play the Race to Revolution game, $5 off coupon for Bookshop purchases at the event, and 50 percent off your founding drink.
Pilsner-Stained Love Letters
Community Read: ‘Everyone Brave is Forgiven’ by Chris Cleave, at New Bohemia Brewing Company, Aug. 21
Named after the old kingdom of Bohemia in central Europe, New Bohemia Brewing Company is a great place to drink a Vienna Lager like Velvet Revolution and discuss a book about WWII. You didn’t think you’d coast through this series without actually reading a book, did you? That’s why we’re here, people. Oh yeah, and the beer. Luckily, Chris Cleave’s brilliant novel, Everyone Brave is Forgiven, is well worth your time. His grandparents’ love letters serve as inspiration for historical fiction that drops you into the heart of WWII. From London to France to Malta, the stories of characters who serve, falter, fall in love, and challenge injustice is smart, witty, and chilling. It reminds us how far and wide punishment spread beyond the Jews during WWII. Anyone “different” was marginalized and targeted. Those lessons still resonate today. Fire up your literary insights and dip into the meaty (not to mention thirsty) conversation. 7 p.m., New Bohemia Brewing Company, 1030 41st Ave., Santa Cruz. 50 percent off your first beer with a copy of ‘Everyone Brave is Forgiven.’
Jonathan Franzen’s Feminist Literary Cocktails
Read & Rights Literary Fundraiser for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Aug. 27
For those of you more inclined toward cocktails, this fundraiser is your event. It has something for everyone: a great cause, a vintage feminist literature collection, a performance from The Handmaid’s Tale by Jewel Theatre Company, and much more. But beyond the satisfaction of giving to an extremely important at-risk health care provider, your reward for donating is admission to the Literary Refreshment Lounge, where Jonathan Franzen will be available to mix you a feminist literary cocktail of his own creation. Will it taste good? Hopefully. Will it be wickedly clever? Undoubtedly. Or maybe you’d rather Laurie King serve you a glass of red wine. Sherlock Holmes would approve. Authors Lisa MacKenzie and Karen Joy Fowler round out the bartending staff, ready to put their own spin on your literary libations. Your job is to show Planned Parenthood some love and belly up to the bar. 4-6 p.m., Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Tickets are available on a $15–$50 sliding scale. Note: All are welcome to attend this event—only the Literary Refreshment Lounge requires a ticket. George and Gail Michaelis-Ow will match donations up to $10,000.
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
Book Swap at Beer Thirty, Sept. 5
Wish a fond farewell to summer crowds by raising a Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Ale and sharing your literary passions with other readers. Beer Thirty is a return to abundance, with 30 rotating taps, 300-plus bottles, and a beer garden. There’s nothing better than to wax on about your favorite books, right? Or is that just me? In any case, this old-fashioned book swap gives my fellow enthusiasts permission, along with 90 seconds each (they know us well, they have a timer) to gush about our best and brightest discoveries. Even better, it gives organized book geeks a chance to take notes. Bring your dog if you like, a book that you love, and give it away (the book, not the dog). In return, you get to leave with a new gem. 7 p.m., Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, 2504 S. Main St., Soquel. You must bring a book to participate in this event.
Non-Alcoholic (You Know, For Kids!)
Author Amy Ettinger
Put Your Trust in Ice Cream
Amy Ettinger, July 17
When liquor won’t do, the Penny Ice Creamery’s Blueberry Black Licorice ice cream is a very good substitute. Amy Ettinger’s book Sweet Spot: An Ice Cream Binge Across America explores the history, characters, turf wars, and intriguing flavor combinations behind America’s favorite sweet treat. She’ll be at Bookshop Santa Cruz to discuss the delectable details, and Mission Hill Creamery will be providing the ice cream. What’s not to love? 7 p.m., Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free.
Shirley Temples at the Park
Outdoor Storytime with Billie Harris, July 19 and Aug. 20
For those of you whose kids did not go to robotics, dinosaur, or spy camp (yes, non-parents, these exist), bring the next generation out to the park, where the inimitable actress, bon vivant, and superior storyteller Billie Harris will be at Bookshop’s reading benches to continue her long love affair with reading stories to children. Drink-wise, Shirley Temples go perfectly with Green Eggs and Ham. For grownups, cold brew coffee, fruit smoothies, green tea, and the ever popular H20 go with all manner of the written word. 10 a.m., Garfield Park, 634 Almar Ave., Santa Cruz. Also 4 p.m. on Aug. 20at San Lorenzo Park, 137 Dakota Ave., Santa Cruz.
There is a quote from the book Labors of Hercules that explains the task given to Hercules (humanity) during the month of Cancer. Hercules represents humanity (the World Disciple), living on Earth, encountering life experiences, given tasks and being (often severely) tested. For the Cancer task, the Fourth Labor, Hercules must make a choice. He must develop discernment and wisdom that leads to Right Choice. And then he must demonstrate and follow the “obedience of the heart.” This particular task is important to understand. The present world situation is demanding that we, too, have discernment and wisdom to make a Right Choice. It determines our future.
From the Fourth Labor of Hercules (Cancer), “The Great One, within Shamballa, spoke to the Teacher: ‘Where is the son of man (Sanskrit for the “thinkers,” all of humanity)?, who is the Son of God? How fares he, how is he being tested and with what service is he engaged?’ The Teacher said, ‘The third great test (Gemini) provided much teaching. He ponders and reflects upon it.’
“The Great One said to the Teacher, ‘Provide him now with a test that evokes his wisest choice. Send him to labor in a field where he must decide which voice, of all the many voices, will arouse the obedience of his heart. Provide a test of great simplicity on the outer plane, yet a test, which awakens, interiorly, the fullness of his wisdom and the rightness of his power to choose. Let him now proceed with the fourth test.’”
Saturday, July 22, as Sun enters Leo, we (Hercules) begin the Fifth Labor (test).
ARIES: Throughout the year, great changes will occur. Your outlook on life will be concerned with freedom, especially how you express and conduct yourself. Breaking from the past will also occur. You will be like Snow White, “awakened” from a deep sleep. The awakening will happen through unexpected and interesting events. Break this gently to people who care about you so, as you change, they are not surprised. Cherish each surprising moment.
TAURUS: Unusual events happen particularly with your health. You might find unexpected difficulties almost every day affecting your well-being. How to handle these is to adapt to the realization that all patterns in your life are altering, including health. Perform daily tasks with deep awareness lest a spider or snake bite you. These are symbols for change. Have homeopaths and essential oils nearby.
GEMINI: Your friendships and social life begin to shift. You meet new and unusual people, encounter new ideas, consider group life more seriously. You study uncommon lifestyles and listen to alternative news. The idea of being free and free-spirited is long overdue. Vesta, the asteroid of “self as found object” is in Gemini. You must make a Vesta box. Find a box; fill it with treasures that represent your true self. You discover you are a lamp unto yourself.
CANCER: Talents and gifts you didn’t know existed within you are emerging and this will be a discovery both exciting and unexpected. You embark upon several new studies, directions and adventures. People consider you as someone who knows a lot about lots of things. You surprise everyone. They think of you as unconventional and studious. This is good. A new life story begins.
LEO: It’s possible you’ll be traveling soon, if you’re not already. Travel will be curious, unexpected, out of the ordinary. The journey will not be what you planned. You will meet unusual people who help you see life in completely different ways. Nothing traditional seems available, even though you long for this. Everything unconventional seems to know your name. Adapt. Your heart is stirred.
VIRGO: Unexpected events or happenings occur with shared resources of finances and money investments, taxes or loans. At first this doesn’t make sense. Then as time goes by it does. Allow yourself to realize that the pleasures you pursue and things you like do cost money. For some reason, you’ll feel you cannot depend anymore on your usual sources. Uncertainty results. You will find new paths and new resources and new people.
LIBRA: Some things in your relations with others, with close associates and intimates become surprising. Should you feel limitations, loss of freedom or resistance from others, you will shake it off immediately. It may be difficult to rely on anyone. If this occurs, be the ‘reliable one’ for others. Breaking free from things doesn’t mean you need to be cruel. Be gentle and kind—always, everywhere, with everyone. Isn’t kindness the Dalai Lama’s religion?
SCORPIO: Create new routines that include all things healthy. Each day you may find yourself disrupted. Everything becomes non-traditional and unconventional. This includes your health and vitality, which you need to pay attention to. Restlessness means a new rhythm is needed. You may work non-stop at times, then work not at all other times. Alternative healing benefits your health. Slow down. Prana breathe.
SAGITTARIUS: Know that more and more you will begin to express yourself in unconventionally creative ways. You will become even more so the “out of the ordinary” friend. Children (especially), non-conformists and oddballs will love you. There will be sudden occurrences in your love life. Previous inhibitions fall away. You become freer, spontaneous, even eccentric (more so). Everything you didn’t like falls away. You become light-hearted and playful. You’re happy.
CAPRICORN: Home is in a state of change and fluctuations. Things feel disruptive and erratic. There is movement in, out, here, there. This is good. It means no crystallizations or rigidity can occur. Life is speeding up. Sometimes you feel if you move too fast you’ll make a wrong turn. You feel tested, needing to approach the home situation in new ways. Sometimes you feel free. Sometimes you miss someone far away. Boredom isn’t in your vocabulary.
AQUARIUS: There’s a need for exposure to new worlds, new people, new lands and geographic areas. New opportunities come forth to express yourself and your gifts. You like to be with the people in the marketplace. Here you feel alive, in contact, love is released, people know and rely upon your expertise. You try to make contact with family, siblings, relatives. Your personal appearance changes. Your shell cracks.
PISCES: Over the next weeks and months, notice your values changing. All previous thoughts and desires disappear like cumulus clouds. New values and new endeavors emerge. A surrender to the present reality comes forth. There may be a sense of limitation, or a profound transformation that takes place concerning friends and/or associates. Unusual circumstances will bring about a different use of resources. All resources are to be used to build community. Study herbs and holy oils.
If a Santa Cruz native and second-generation Italian tells me with absolute conviction that he knows where to get the best calamari in town, it’s in my best interest to at least check it out.
Which is how I find myself sitting at a plastic table at Aldo’s on the west side of the Santa Cruz Harbor, watching the...
