Picture-Perfect Weekend
When I was growing up Sunday drives were a major feature of our family life. We would pile into the car—my father, mother, brother Jimmy, little sister Dianne and me— and head out. Sometimes it was to visit my great aunts in Los Angeles but often it was to visit places north of Ventura with Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez valley as favorites. A tour of the charming town of Solvang, a replica of a Danish village right out of Hans Christian Andersen and a visit to the Mission Santa Ines followed by an early dinner at Andersen's Pea Soup restaurant in Buellton made for a near perfect outing.
Dianne and Jim strolling in Solvang
Grotto of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Mission Santa Ines
Over a recent weekend in an extended celebration of my birthday, Jeff and I flew out to Los Angeles to meet Dianne and her fiancé Jim for trip to the Central Coast, now a far more sophisticated destination than it was in the 1960's. Danish flags still fly in Solvang but in addition to delicious pastries there are tasting rooms for wine and olive oil. While the pea soup restaurant closed last January, there are wonderful farm to table restaurants and more tasting rooms in Los Olivos. Vineyards now cover the hillsides and the well-regarded wineries of the Santa Rita Hills welcome visitors.
The Wine Merchant in Los Olivos, wonderful farm to table food and the setting for scenes in the movie “Sideways”.
Vineyards basking in the sunlight.
After all the recent rains, the region never looked more beautiful. The hills and valley were lushly green, the wild patches of bright California poppies demanded our attention and wisteria draped awnings and porticos across the countryside. Even getting lost when there was no wi-fi for the GPS in our phones wasn’t too terrible when the scenery was so lovely.
Wild California poppies.
An ideal spot for a tasting under the pergola at the Melville Winery.
Dianne and I shared old memories, reminiscing about those long ago drives. And we made new ones with Jeff and Jim, as we explored one of our favorite places with our favorite people.