Hobnobbing went to the land of foursomes, mulligans, and holes-in-one on Monday, July 11, at the Santa Maria Country Club.
The inaugural Daniel Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament was held to honor the memory of the senior airman from Vandenberg who lost his life in Afghanistan, doing his job as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician.
Johnson had been involved with the Big Brother-Big Sister program of the Family Service Agency, which received the proceeds of the event.
The $150-a-ticket tournament was organized and mostly coordinated by the Harlow family. Lee Harlow was Dan’s father-in-law, while Kristen Harlow was married to Dan.
Jim Johnson, Airman Johnson’s father, came from Wisconsin. He told me that several months before, Dan’s mother and he had gone to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for a ceremony that commemorated Dan’s sacrifice in Afghanistan. The EOD group built a wall on which they list the names of those EOD experts who gave their lives in the line of duty.
Johnson also said that, this coming September, a similar golf tournament will be held in Wisconsin to benefit a camp where Dan had been both a camper and a counselor.
A highlight of the day was the appearance of an EOD truck from Vandenberg. They demonstrated the kind of mechanical robot that assists EOD techs in doing their job. Hazmat suits worn by EOD folks weigh more than 80 pounds, so, to conserve energy, the technicians use a Segway (those scooter-like personal transporters with two big wheels), which was also on display.
Country club golf pro Mike Valdez said that the 120 golfers who signed up represented an unusually high number for an inaugural golf tournament.
Hobnobbing in the Vineyards
Hobnobbing went to Addamo Vineyards’ annual Red Carpet Wine Club party for members on Saturday afternoon, July 23.
The duo of dynamo Addamos, David and Miz Liz (who runs Addamo Bistro in Old Orcutt), put together an interesting, off-beat wine club event that combined the power of networking with thinking outside the box—not to mention very good wine and very good food.
Along with the Syrah, Riesling, and Pinot Noir, Wine Club members got to sample the most divine offerings from The Willows and Root 246 restaurants.
The Willows, of course, is the high-end restaurant at the Chumash Casino, and Root 246 is the eatery in Solvang’s Hotel Corque, also owned by the Chumash.
The fettuccini with pesto sauce, butterscotch pudding, ceviche on taco rounds, and chicken with apple bourbon sauce were awesome—a foodie’s heaven.
Splash Café from Pismo Beach served its world-famous clam chowder and a terrific tomato tart. Orcutt’s Windy City Bakery offered up sweets, including my favorite macaroons.
This was a real cock-a-doodle kick: Trends Hair Salon accepted Liz’s invitation to have a booth at the event. Trends was doing a nice business selling skinny rooster feathers (yes, rooster feathers) for hair ornaments. Trends was selling the feather extensions, beloved by les femmes who want to be in the fashion forefront, for about one-third less than the usual salon price.
Sally Hernandez and Tracey Winikoff of the Therapeutic Massage booth gave complimentary arm massages to a long line of blissful recipients.Our state assembly rep Katcho Achadjian stopped by to schmooze.
If you want to hob nob, e-mail mailto:helenthom232@yahoo.com
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 4, 2011.