Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

The Santa Barbara Airbus trip to visit the Bruce Munro Sensorio Field of Light installation in Paso Robles was stunning and brought big kudos from the 39 Santa Barbara area residents in attendance.

In these challenging covid-19 times, along with the huge rise in gasoline costs, taking the Santa Barbara Airbus seemed an easy peasy way to visit Bruce Munro’s exciting installation located a few hours up the central coast from my home, and when I discovered they had one seat left I seized the opportunity to take this day trip which left Goleta at 3:00, traveled up Hwy 101 with beautiful ocean views, stopped in Pizmo Beach for dinner at a fabulous restaurant and arrived at the installation in Paso Robles at 7:00, as the sun began to set.

Delicious plates enjoyed at Ada's Fish House in Pizmo Beach, photos B. Carroll

The drive, with all travelers wearing masks, was pleasant as guest

enjoyed making introductions and chatting before arriving in Pizmo Beach for a dinner stop. I had selected and made a reservation at Ada’s Fish House in advance. David, our excellent driver, dropped us off a few blocks from Ada’s, which was the ideal choice to enjoy a pre-event dinner on the go. The service was outstanding. The menu is overflowing with superb seafood items, including one of the best chowders ever, oysters Rockefeller, a rich lobster mac casserole, and divine Keylime cheesecake all paired with a glass of Fred Brander wine. www.adasfishouse.com.

Back on the bus we arrived on schedule at the Sensorio event site where we walked separated through a security check and then walked to the entrance site where food trucks, bathrooms with many hand sanitation stations were available in a bench-filled park surrounded by a protective light wall where guests could then enter the walking path through the artistic installations. Our group arrived in daylight at 7pm and began our walk through the Field of Light toward the new Tower installation.

I opted to be seated in the VIP area at the top of the hill with an overview of the installation and watch the lights illuminate as darkness approached. Within a few hours the entire field was filled with magical color and a huge moon could be seen above. It was so blissfully quiet, only a soft lull of the voices of walkers on the path could be heard.

I highly recommend the VIP ticket which is not only a comfortable seating area with fire pits and an excellent view, but also has a wine bar with a few menu bites, as well as a separate bathroom. It was unseasonably warm during my visit, but it can get cool so bring something warm to wear as the sun goes down. Also note that this is a walking installation and for seniors with any difficulty walking it might be a problem; seating in VIP area would be advised for them. See www.Sensorio.com for details.

The new Towers of Light installation features a collection of towers in bold colors located just beyond the Field of Light and they are stunning. Additional exhibitions of Bruce Munro include Fireflies, Dorothy House, Bradford on Avon, UK, opening September 2021; Field of Light, Chichester Cathedral, UK, opening November 2021; Salisbury Cathedral, 800^th Anniversary Spirit and Endeavor Exhibition; and Bruce Munro Tropical Light, Darwin, Australia.

British artist Bruce Munro is best known for immersive large-scale light-based installations inspired largely by his interest in shared human experience. Recording ideas and images in sketchbooks has been his practice for over 30 years. By this means he has captured his responses to stimuli such as stimuli in music, literature, science, and the world around him for reference, reflection, and subject matter. This tendency has been combined with a liking for components and an inventive urge to reuse, couples with career training in manufacture of light. As a result, Munro produces both monumental temporary experimental artworks as well as intimate story-pieces. Please visit: https://www.brucemunro.co.uk/about/ for his curriculum vitae and history.

We departed the event area at 9:00 pm and arrived home in Santa Barbara at 11:00 pm tired but elated by the beauty of the Sensorio Field of Light experience. I fully intend to go back in 2022 to again experience this breathtakingly beautiful and blissful installation and stay for a weekend to investigate the community of Paso Robles which offers a nice collection of boutique hotels, restaurants, wineries and a variety of local seasonal events to enjoy. Perhaps another super dinner at Ada's in Pizmo on the way up. For information visit www.pasorobleschamber.com/visit. For future Santa Barbara Airbus day trips visit www.sbairbus.com.