Dogs Really Are Man's Best Friend

My friend and I decided to do a last minted road trip.  My only requirement, was that I had to be able to take the hound.  I've been traveling so much lately my four legged best buddy has spent more time in a kennel than at home with me.   For a quick getaway we wanted something close, no more than a 2-3 hour drive.  We settled on Santa Ynez area and found a great pet friendly Marriott in the area.   It's amazing how relaxing just getting a couple hours outside of town can be.  This was no major adventure, but a great trip none the less.  

It was nice to walk around Solvang, with the hound in tow. So many places were dog friendly, Lucy Grace felt very welcome and loved all the attention she got!  After a couple of hours walking around the quaint little town of Solvang, it was time to head to Dierberg for a little anniversary party.   My friend is a wine club member there, so we got to taste for free and spent the afternoon, sitting on the lawn, listening to music and chowing down on some wood-fired pizza.  The pizza was made www.fireandwinecatering.com and it was delicious!   What a great way to spend a Saturday. 

We followed this chill Saturday afternoon with dinner at Sides Hardware and Shoes.  Lucy Grace was thrilled to see she wasn't the only hound out on the patio.   She got to meet some new four legged friends and so did we.    All in all a nice relaxing weekend, made all the better by sharing not only with one of my good friends, but with my best buddy, the amazing Lucy Grace!

The Traveling Hillbilly Makes Wine?

The Traveling Hillbilly was offered the chance to work (volunteer) at a ranch in Santa Ynez for a couple of days and see first- hand what goes in the wine making process.   First, I could have not had a more beautiful day for the drive up.   The 2 ½ drive from Los Angeles was absolutely beautiful.  Blue skies above, clear blue waters on the left and beautiful mountains on the right, all made for a truly scenic drive.  Plus it was about 70 degrees and with minimal traffic, the drive went quickly.

I arrived at the ranch and it is quite charming.   As I park and get out of my car, I see an older gentleman and ask if Mike is around.  He says, follow me.  It turns out, he’s Mike’s dad and the one who bought the ranch over 30 years ago.   It started at as a horse and cattle ranch and they started planting grapes about 10 years ago.    He’s 89 years old and is quite the charmer!

After settling in, Mike starts giving me some background on the process and teaching me some of the terminology.  It’s a lot to take in but all very interesting.  We do a quick tour of the vineyard and he explains the different theories about planting the vines.   There is a reason or theory for everything from how far apart to plant the vines, to what the right length of each vine should be.   He tells me there’s a common saying, “there are a 1,000 decisions in making a bottle of wine” and I believe it.   Given all the work that goes into making one bottle of wine, it’s amazing every bottle isn’t at least $100 each.