Having lived in Santa Barbara most of my life, I'd like to tell you about the "SBSW" (Santa Barbara Seven Wonders). If you're in town, a visit to any of the seven will be an unforgettable experience.

ASTRONOMER--If you' re interested in astronomy, this gentleman has a planetarium in his basement. His hobby includes an astronomy library, movies and equipment including a Questar telescope with attachments for Beaulieu and Topcon cameras (1200mm lens) .He built a 16" reflector telescope (the mirror was part of the 200" Palomar lens) and this has now been donated to the city and is housed in an observatory at the Santa Barbara Museum of Arts and Natural History.

ELECTRONICS You’ve heard of dancing fountains? Well these dance to color! Hooked to an organ color-sound outfit, the colors change according to the music tempo. How about waterfalls in the front yard--over eight feet high. Would you believe three 8-track, 4-channel sound systems with over 1,000 tapes/records? Not to mention , color TV's, one of which built especially for him by RCA (RCA 2000) hooked to a Sony U-matic color video cassette recorder/player.

 MODEL RAILROADER-Located in Santa Barbara is one of the largest private model railroads in the world. With 1,200 feet of track in a 60' x 20' room, everything in this O-gauge.layout was built by hand including twenty five locomotives, 100 cars, twenty automatic switches, 100 houses, waterfalls, sunrise-sunset, etc. Or you can take a ride around the hillside on the diesel train (hauls twenty people with one-half mile of track). His collection also includes steam engines, S-guage,, 00 Gauge, N Gauge and Z Gauge (1mm to ft) .Come take a ride on the "Dodd Dam Railroad! " (Or how about a twenty square foot room slot car layout! )

 CURATOR- I guess that's as good a name as any for this man who collects everything from antiques to Playboy centerfolds (he has everyone!). His library also includes National Geographic bound volumes from 1914 to date. Have you ever seen a hair wreath? one hundred and fifty years ago,it took his great grandmother a lifetime to make this wreath--all the flowers,petals,and stems are entirely made of hair wound around fine wire. Another interesting item is a hand made cell-violin, played in Lincoln’s inauguration by his great uncle. Pick a subject and he has something to show you in that category!

Have you ever met an EYE SURGEON who is also an ELECTRICIAN, CARPENTER and PLUMBER on the side? With no outside help (except his wife who did the painting/ plastering) this Doctor has built four homes in Santa Barbara including the 5,000 square foot, two-storey home he now lives in. He has a complete shop in the basement with thousands of tools and machines. He is still practicing medicine (has been an Ophthalmologist since 1926) in his office now located in his home where he has his own optical shop and can make glasses within two hours after testing your eyes!