Laguna looks forward to summer

Suzie Harrison

The hardest part of summer in a sport like Laguna just may be

narrowing down all the options.

The beach, shopping, mountain biking, sailing, diving, surfing,

skateboarding, gardening, creating, tanning, basketball, shopping,

entertainment, dinning, barbecues, pool parties, in-line skating,

running, hiking, diving, swimming, art festivals, outdoor concerts,

kayaking and volleyball are a mere portion of Laguna’s happenings.

Another is sitting back, pondering plans and then finding out what

other people are up to. It’s not hard to image this question and answer

dating back as far as Laguna’s 75 years.

So why not find out what some fellow Lagunans will be up to this

summer?

There’s the traveling kind, like Bolton Colburn.

“I am going camping,” he said. “I missed my summer vacation last year,

so I am really looking forward to getting out in nature, probably in

Oregon.”

There are those who keep things close to work, like Laguna Beach

Unified School Supt. Theresa Daem

“From July 7-14 I am going to Harvard for a workshop,” she said. “Our

board has been wonderfully supportive.”

Also headed back East for similar reasons is Arts Commissioner Jan

Sattler.

“I’ll be teaching for two weeks at the University of Connecticut in

July for a conference for teachers all over the world to foster

school-wide enrichment,” Sattler said.

But her plans certainly don’t end there.

“In Laguna I’ll swim in the ocean with my friends every day,” she

said.

She will also give tours of art in public places, which is a two-hour,

two-mile tour through Laguna.

Sattler’s focus on home is popular, not surprising given that tourists

from all over put Laguna on their must-do lists.

“I love working in the yard and garden for hours,” said Anne Morris,

of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce . “It gives me peace of mind. I

also enjoy walking on the beach with my husband.”

The beach, too, is a popular choice.

“When I am away from my perfect job of playing with dogs all day,

which means working a lot because summer is my busiest time of the year,

I’ll be hanging out at Main Beach by the volleyball and also hiking in

our hills with the dogs,” said Stephanie Marshall, a lifelong Laguna

resident.

“I’ll be trying to go to the beach as much as possible and I’ll also

be taking a vacation to Hawaii and working,” said Allison Ahfeldt.

And, of course, there is the Pageant of the Masters and Festival of

Arts.

“I have the pleasure of spending my whole summer with 140 of the most

talented artists in Southern California, over 500 dedicated volunteers,

hundreds of professional Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters

employees and nine hard-working Festival of Arts board members,” said

Festival spokeswoman Sharbie Higuchi.

Then there are those who can’t quite narrow down what they will be

doing.

“I’ll continue to work on my remodel,” said Kathy Conway. “But we’ll

also be going to out home in South Palm Springs.”

Sgt. Jason Kravetz of the Laguna Beach Police Department is planning

“lots of trips.”

“I am going to Europe next week and Orlando later in the summer,” he

said. “Summertime is usually a busy time for us so typically you get

short vacations with longer two-week vacations during the winter.

“I’ll also be tearing down my house and rebuilding it. It was

originally built in 1925.”

Resident Anne Wood will be found where she’s needed.

“I’ll be staying in Laguna Beach most of the time volunteering where

they need me and I’ll also be putting in time at the Sawdust,” she said.

“When I can get away I am going to go to Sonoma County to the redwoods

on the Russian River.”

And Vic Hillstead is planning a trip to a spot not unlike where he

lives.

“I am very fortunate because we’re going to Maui,” he said. “I am

taking my whole family, my lovely wife and my three daughters to

celebrate my twin daughters’ high school graduation.”