SAAB, SAAB: Sniff, sniff. It’s goodby time...

SAAB, SAAB: Sniff, sniff. It’s goodby time for Ventura’s Mercedes/Saab dealer after nearly 10 years at the Ventura Auto Center. . . . But while his fellow dealers are sad to see him go, (D7C) McDonald Motor Co. owner Ed McDonald and wife Pat are hardly crying. . . . They’re heading off in their Mercedes for the East Coast and parts unknown. “We’re going to play,” said Pat McDonald, company controller. “We’ll just see what comes up.”

MOUNTAIN’S PEEK: For a snapshot-sized peek of such sights and hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains as spectacular Sandstone Peak, check out the new guide “Mountains to Ocean.” . . . The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area sells the book for $12.95, featuring sketches, photos and descriptions. . . . Said Assistant Supt. Scott Erickson: “It’s a good pocket book to put in your pack.” Call (818) 587-1036 for a copy.

GONE NATIVE: The Girl Scouts sell cookies to raise money, schoolchildren sell magazine subscriptions or candy, and the California Native Plant Society sells . . . what else? Why, native plants, of course. The sale to raise funds for the nonprofit, educational outfit is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 14 in the Ventura High School parking lot. And there’s a free lupine seedling with every purchase. . . . Said coordinator and botanist Jackie Bowland: “The natives are drought-tolerant and insect-resistant and they draw butterflies and birds. And they’re quite beautiful.”

RESERVED REFUGE: One area where native plants are in their element is the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge north of Fillmore, where endangered California condor chicks are reared. . . . In fact, Oct. 8 begins the first ever National Wildlife Refuge Week to call attention to Hopper and 501 other such areas in the country. . . . But unlike most other refuges, Hopper is closed to the public to protect the condors. Said biologist Marguerite Hills: “A lot of people just like knowing that there are areas that are left wild.”