meadow – chartopia

Hale Park, Montecito

“Ah so you have finally taken me to Chartopia,” she said gazing up at the eucalyptus tree.

“Indeed I have,” I replied with a smirk.

I woke up my friend, Lily, early on Saturday morning. I offered her some coffee as a nice gesture for terribly waking her up before noon . She declined my coffee offer, and I told her I had somewhere to take her. I drove, got out of the car, and jumped over the stone wall that opens up into Hale Park, also known (to me) as Chartopia.

As you can see, I call this park Chartopia like the name of my blog. It is what actually gave me the inspiration to start blogging about the places around me as I feel this park represents how beautiful the world can be. This place is untouched, and you don’t get much of that anymore as the industrialization of the world is becoming more prominent. It is like they feel the need to fill every square inch of Earth with cement or man-made structures! What surprises me is that I barely spot any people whenever I am there, and I go there a lot. Where am I after school? The park. On weekends? The park.

This is because I can go and sit and just stare at lovely, purple flowers, or lay in the middle of a wild grass field with a book. I feel like a kid, and I think that is what makes me so happy. People need places to go to be alone, or a place they feel comfortable at where they can reconnect with themselves. For me, I feel most comfortable in nature, and I think many people would agree. I feel like metaphorically “The Queen of the Woods” whenever I go to Hale Park because I have the place to myself, and it is my happy spot. It is Chartopia! As a teenager who is loaded up with school, homework, AP tests, and stress, it is so important to take a break and enjoy the beautiful parks, mountains, and/or beaches that surround us. Lily loved the park and I brought some more of my friends there this morning… we had a really great time!

Nature is a place worth spending time in. Happy almost Earth Day!

Much Love and Peace,

Charlotte

Hammond’s Beach

After some rain, the meadow at Hammond’s Beach has changed from brown weeds, an optimist would call it “gold”, into a lush green landscape. I was surprised that a small amount of rain can make the greenery come alive again after such a long drought in Santa Barbara. People think the drought it over, but hate to break it, but it is not. It will take the amount of time that got us into this drought, which was a few years, to get back to the normal water levels with sufficient rain.

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Enough with the drought, Hammond’s is still a beautiful place whether the meadow is dead or not. It is a popular place for people, mostly locals, to be because it’s more secluded than close by areas like Butterfly Beach. Butterfly is great to and it is a place where you run into a lot of people. Comparing Butterfly and Hammond’s, I would consider Butterfly Beach to be the “scene” and Hammond’s as the more “low-key” area. This is because in order to get to Hammond’s especially in high-tide days, you have to climb over some rocks dividing Butterfly and Hammond’s. Or, you can walk the train tracks and there is a path that veers off to the right. That way is hard to find, but basically if you are walk from Coast Village Road toward the beach, you will see the train tracks. Turn left onto the train tracks and follow it for a few hundred feet until you see an uphill dirt trail on the right side. You will walk past so walls with graffiti that says in pink and black “SB Locals,” then the path will release you into the meadow of Hammond’s Beach. Bring a towel, water, and snacks because Hammond’s is a great place to hang out all day.
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I think I love this place so much because I have many memories of being at Hammond’s. I have lived in Santa Barbara my whole life, so I have been going to this beach for awhile now. I feel like when you grow up, the places you go to change like in elementary school it consisted of Girsh Park, then in middle school it was Paseo Nuevo, and now it is probably Lizard’s mouth or my house because school makes me tired. But through all these times I would and still frequently go to Hammond’s with my family or my friends. A good memory I have of this place is when it was in middles school. It was a full moon, so my friends and I thought it was a good idea to sneak out to the beach in the middle of the night and jump in the ocean. I still remember how cold it was. So, so, so cold. We didn’t think it through that we had to walk a mile back to the house in wet clothes. We survived, but it was maybe the funniest, and possibly stupidest things I have done.

I love Hammond’s beach because 1) it is more private than other beaches in SB, meaning less people 2) the green meadow edges up to the sand and ocean, making it a unique place 3) a killer view of the sunset.

I recommend going if you want a good beach to go to:)

Much Love and Peace,

Charlotte Wall

chartopia

Tag: meadow

Queen of The Woods

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