Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, who created enduring comic strip Bloom County, is parting with his longtime home in the Santa Barbara area; the five-bedroom home hit the market last month and is in pending status at the time of writing.

The acreage is a significant portion of the narrative here; the estate’s 25 acres of grounds make for fulfilling wandering, and the hilltop location allows for breathtaking ocean views from virtually any spot on the property. The house is built into a hillside, and blossoms into three levels as the gradient sharply falls away toward the Pacific.

The Pulitzer Prize-winner has owned the property since 1997, and had the Southwestern- and modern-inspired house custom built. Interior living spaces measure 6,063 sq. ft. The living style emerges from both rustic and refined design elements — reclaimed wood, a chevron stick ceiling for the former, strident lines and steel framed windows the latter — and as a result the home offers residents warmth and cleanness of line. More eclectic touches include the kitchen’s backsplash, which recalls Moroccan motifs, and the raw timber of the living room fireplace.

Amenities include a master bedroom with electronically controlled shades and a home theater. The property’s accommodations are augmented with a writer’s cabin and a guest house.