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Inter-Club Outbound Santa Barbara Exchange
The first evening was spent getting acquainted with our hosts and talking about the events of the week. On the first full day we had lunch at the Gourmet Dinning Room of the Santa Barbara City College. The dinner was prepared and served by the culinary department of the college, such good food and excellent service. We could look out on the ocean and with the sun¹s rays flashing on the surf, imagine we were at an expensive jewelry store perusing the pearls. The Mayor was there to greet us and we awarded her with a letter from our Mayor and a key to the city. Leaving the luncheon we boarded the trolley for a tour of the city and a final stop at the famous Mission. What fun we had Thursday morning as we gathered at the Court House to participate in a "Mock Trial." This activity is used with high school students to introduce them to the procedures of the court. All of the participants were members of our party, ambassadors or hosts. There were scripts for each actor except for the jury. Fran Kess was selected as the Defense Attorney and Chuck Godwin was the Prosecuting Attorney. After the presentation of evidence, the jury retired to deliberate and upon return, ruled in favor of the Prosecutor-sorry about that Fran. This evening a number of us went to the musical "1776." Friday we traveled to Solvang, the Danish Community, with our hosts providing the transportation instead of chartering a bus gave us the freedom to pick and choose and to stop where we wanted. Stops were made at several wineries, the Carriage Museum, Mini Horse Farm and Cold Springs Tavern. It was a beautiful day with the temperatures in the lower 70's. Saturday, John and Charlotte Luethje, Elaine Mehling and Vernon Riensche boarded a boat for whale watching, no whales, but hundreds of porpoises dived around the bow of the ship, an interesting sight. Some ambassadors strolled along the beach and through the business district. The heart of the city had many reminders of Santa Barbara¹s colorful past: old adobes with quiet couryards, streets named for historical figues, and picturesque Mediterranean-style architecture inspired by the city¹s Spanish history. In the evening there was a pizza party at a lovely home on a hill overlooking the city. Sunday was a free day and many of us attended church with our hosts. A walk along the beach in the afternoon to view the arts and crafts show displaying works by local artists was an interesting diversion. Some of the ambassadors took their hosts out for dinner after church. Monday came too soon and the last day of our stay. The day was free to mingle with our hosts and that evening we attended a Western Style Bar-B-Que Farewell Dinner at the San Vicente Club House. A scrumptous buffet dinner, picture taking, sing along and presentations by the Santa Barbara Exchange Director, the Club President and yours truly. A number of ambassadors took the invitation to speak a few positive words on their experiences. Early Tuesday afternoon we boarded the plane for a very smooth ride home. As we all know, it's great to travel, but always good to get home. Unfortunately several of our ambassadors were ill with colds and the flu. Fran Kess and Don Crosier went a step further and contracted pneumonia, but all doing fine now. |
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eaving the cold weather of Lincoln was a happy event for 28 ambasssadors as they boarded their plane to Santa Barbara with a 4-hour stop over in Denver. We explored the nooks and crannies of the airport and after a bumpy ride we landed in Santa Barbara where the Friendship Force hosts were massed at the gate with a large banner declaring who they were. It only took a few minutes to secure luggage and to meet our hosts and homeward bound for an enjoyable 7-day stay. The Santa Barbara Club provided us with marvelous experiences. They were so friendly and accomodating. We have exended an invitation to them to visit us in the year 2000.