Orchids & Strawberries on the Oxnard Plain

Leaving Santa Barbara, we followed Route 101 back south. Today, the highway was a bit less congested than on our way north on Friday. So, we stopped at several road-side attractions just because we had some extra time. Our favorite were the orchids at the Gallup & Stribling Orchid Farm in Carpinteria. They offered some […]
Fess Parker, Gainey, and a Late-Night Walk on the Beach

Part 3 of the Series: Wines of Santa Barbara Leaving Curtis Winery, we followed Zaca Station Road back to the east and onto Foxen Canyon Road. There, we located the Fess Parker winery. Obviously founded by none other than Fess Parker of television and movie Daniel Boone fame. More recently, he became the owner of […]
Firestone Vineyards & Curtis Winery

Part 2 of the Series: Wines of Santa Barbara In this article, we’ll get settled into our Santa Barbara hotel on the coast and head out to explore Firestone Vineyards and Curtis Winery in Los Olivos! (This page may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure about affiliate links here.) Santa Barbara at Last After a […]
Santa Barbara Winter Escape

Part 1 of the Series: Wines of Santa Barbara I return to California fairly often, mostly to the northern regions. The trips are even more pleasing when I can escape Illinois and its winter chill. But it has been many years since I have had the pleasure of returning to southern California, a place I […]
Final Dinner in Sonoma, Sausalito, Memories

Sonoma Memories Route 101 and Rohnert Park were not far away, and we both smiled at the memories recently created in Sonoma County. Thanks much to all the wineries we visited, including the special visit to the winery at Sonoma-Cutrer, and to Beth Ghashghai for the tour, tasting and knowledge imparted to us there. Thanks […]
Tastings at St Francis Winery & Santa Rosa

Part 2 in our Series: Wine Tasting in Sonoma Valley Inspired by some fabulous wine dinners that we attended in the Midwest, we traveled north of San Francisco to Sonoma. Join us as we visit vineyards and taste the wines first-hand, learning more about the process of winemaking! In this leg of our journey, we’re […]
Mission Ranch, Joullian Winery & The Village Corner

Part 4 of the Series: Pismo to Carmel: One Taste at a Time Join us as we travel from Pismo Beach to Carmel-by-the-Sea tasting good food, wines and stopping at sights along the scenic California coast! In this leg of our journey, we’re exploring some of the the wineries, shops and restaurants of Carmel, including […]
San Simeon, PCH & Piedras Blancas Rookery

Part 3 of the Series: Pismo to Carmel: One Taste at a Time Join us as we travel from Pismo Beach to Carmel-by-the-Sea tasting good food, wines and stopping at sights along the scenic California coast! In this leg of our journey, we’ll leave Paso Robles behind and head for the coast. We’ll travel north […]
San Luis Obispo & the Vineyards of Paso Robles

Pismo to Carmel: One Taste at a Time – Part 2 Join us as we travel from Pismo Beach to Carmel-by-the-Sea tasting good food, wines and stopping at sights along the scenic coast of California! On this leg of our journey, we’ll continue on from San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles tasting wines as we […]
Pismo Beach, Avila Quiet & Frank Lloyd Wright

Part I of the Series – Pismo to Carmel: One Taste at a Time Much like the “one cannot appreciate the true value of a sunrise until one has waited in darkness” philosophy, there is nothing quite like a brutal winter in the Midwest to make one more appreciative of the warmth of a late […]