Awesome Photos

What is it about Santa Ynez that makes one want to have a picnic of fine wine and cheese and relax in the perfect fuzzy warmth of  vineyards and sunshine?  Well, if you’ve been there, you know damn well what it is.  Nestled about 40 minutes Northeast of  Santa Barbara is one of the most special places known to vino connoisseurs and wilderness lovers alike.    Santa Ynez is wine country so beautiful it makes you wonder why you don’t just sell everything and learn to stomp grapes. Why you could take it a step further and contact a local realtor to see if  Neverland Ranch has been sold yet!  (Why not? Prices are still down in the housing market, you know. It’s a good time to buy!)

But seriously, if you want to come up this way and have a romantic getaway, you could stop in Los Olivos and let the wife shop for a little while in some of the cutest shops known to modern man.  She will love you for this!!!  This is the place that the brilliant and hilarious movie “Sideways” was filmed with on of my fave actors; Paul Giamatti. (Rent this if you don’t think you’ll be making the trek to Santa Ynez anytime soon and then at least you’ll get why I love it so much here.)

In these parts, it’s often sunny and clear-skied so waiting for contras can often be time-consuming.  Once I picked out my spot, I had to visit it a few times before I got what you see here.  This was shot from a place called Happy Canyon (love that name!) and  overlooks a private vineyard.

Wine, cheese, romance, clear skies, sun, nature, more wine…  If any of these things interest you, I’m telling you, you must come to Santa Ynez.