MacKenzie Park allows respite from stay-at-home order, at a distance

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - There is one uncrowded spot where you can sit and stay for a spell, strike up a conversation and enjoy the fresh air.

"It's great to get out of the house, my god!"

Karl Halbach said he enjoyed chatting with another local couple Monday afternoon at MacKenzie Park, not far from his home.

All three said they were happy to put the stay-at-home mandate on hold temporarily and practice physical distancing during a quick trip to the park's dog run off upper State Street.

"It's an easy thing to do," Halbach said. "Everybody spreads out and the dogs run amuck and it's not a problem."

Signs are posted as a reminder.

It was hard to tell who needed to get out more: Ozzie, Halbach's Wheaten Terrior, or Chica, the couple's German Shepherd.

"I think especially for us working from home, our dog especially needs a little bit of time to get out and exercise and get all her energy out so she's not constantly bothering us while we're trying to work on the computer," said Nick Bertrando, Chica's owner.

Touching the communal latch on the green gate was admittedly the biggest challenge.

"I think everyone is pretty good about washing their hands," Bertrando said.

"When you get back in the car you grab the Purell and clean up," Halbach said.

Within minutes of our stop, a man with a Golden Retriever and two teens with a fluffy pup joined the party -- at the appropriate distance.

The small gathering gave passersby a hopeful sign that the dog days of Summer are somewhere in our future.