Sandy’s art show and some tourista elements around Santa Maria.
August 9
I drove up to Santa Maria today with mostly-all of Sandy’s art in my trunk. And here I am at the McKeon-Phillips Winery and Gallery with the guys who are hanging her show.
Ardison, the owner of the winery, designed the layout and by the time Sandy and Roger got there it was basically done. Sandy asked for a few changes and then, voila! a wonderful art show, ready for your viewing pleasure.
Here’s Ardison, with his art on the opposite wall, and the lovely and charming Monica, who runs the wine tasting.
Then we had a very good lunch in the little town of Orcutt. This wine country area is pretty trendy these days, full of food and wine emporia.
After lunch we rested and then met for dinner. I’m seeing a pattern here of eat rest eat rest eat. Sounds great, no?
August 10
We met back at the winery this morning. Imagine my surprise when ! arrived yesterday at the winery where Sandy’s art show would be hung and yes this is the place.
It does work well inside – there are a few shots from the first day. Here are folk who dropped by for the wine tasting.
We put together the last bits for the show which included getting the tags up and preparing the display baskets with the unframed work.
Then Roger went to the hotel to do work and Sandy and I went for a little outing. Wow.
We drove into Lompoc, out to the sea, and back…
Just a couple miles out of the way and we are here at La Purisima Mission State Historic Park.
It was very interesting but not so wheelchair friendly. I got Sandy out a ways but then the path got too soft so I left her sitting there(!) and trotted up ahead to snap a few pix.
And another.
Then we went back to our hotels for a little rest before the reception started.
Open for business!
This shot is from early on but very soon the place was entirely packed. It was a lovely event with hors d’oeuvres and matching wine tasting.
August 11
I headed back from Santa Maria today taking a slow easy meanderingly route. This is wine country after all.
A roadside stop. Ostrich Land!
I didn’t spend the four bucks to go stand on the platform to watch these guys up close(r) and I’m sure they get really close if you spend the extra buck for Food. This picture was fun enough.
Then on through Solvang, still exactly the same as ever it was it seemed to me on a slow procession through town, followed by a nice stop at the Santa Ynez Mission.
And the main church.
“The church was originally constructed in 1804, and although several major earthquakes hit, it survived them. The mission church was badly damaged during the 1812 earthquake, but repairs were made. With multiple restoration efforts, Santa Ynez’s original adobe chapel still stands in the quadrangle today.”
I took another break in the reeally small town of Santa Ynez. It’s very much worth a pass-through because it still has the feeling of the kind of place you’re thinking of when you think of this area.
Lake Cachuma, along highway 154. There is a state park here for camping and a boat dock for daytrippers. On this day it was full to the rafters so I’ll check it out again another day.
I’ll be home soon and then I’ll have to go to bed very early since I Will Not eat dinner. Last night, on the way back to the hotel, we’d only eaten the hors d’oeuvres, so I stopped off at a 7-11 for a snack and they had my all time favorite ice cream my mind went blank and I bought a pint and then I ate the whole thing. I’ve felt queasy ever since! Serves Me Right.
