Maria Gutzeit | Beginning with the End in Mind

Recently I got the chance to see “Poverty, Inc.” (povertyinc.org, available for streaming.) In the season of giving, it was quite eye-opening. A winner of over 60 film festival awards,

Maria Gutzeit | Road Trips and Coming Home

As I write this, I’m channeling my inner vampire, avoiding direct sun at all costs, as the summer heat once again bakes the Santa Clarita Valley. Even as many of

Maria Gutzeit: Growing the next generation

Who doesn’t tear up at Harry Chapin’s original version of the song “Cat’s in the Cradle?” “My child arrived just the other day. He came to the world in the

Maria Gutzeit: Happiness doesn’t come in a box

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” These classic

Maria Gutzeit: Wildfires and political whims

In June we arrived to choking smoke at the start of a long-anticipated two-week vacation to Utah and Arizona. In Dixie National Forest, the Brian Head Fire was growing exponentially.

Maria Gutzeit: Wealth of open spaces

I play in the dirt. Anything outdoors is A-OK with me. So I may be a bit biased when gushing about our great public recreational opportunities, like the Newhall Pass