Santa Barbara

Cafe Luna, Summerland, CA... where Nicole and I ordered coffee number two of the day.

This week one of my best buds from Winchester/UVA arrived for a visit.  Nicole has been here since Wednesday and I could not be more thrilled.  We spent Thursday cleaning house for Kenneth's arrival and goofing off around Tehachapi.  Today, we hopped in the car and drove the two and a half hours to Santa Barbara, California, also known as the American Riviera.  Nicole is a big fan of the television show Psych and I am a huge fan of wine, sun, and surf.  In addition, Santa Barbara is known for its beautiful Spanish/Moor style architecture and cool balmy ocean climate.  


I booked a day and night for Moose and Dixie at the dog farm and Nicole and I packed up the car and ourselves and hit the road bright and early at seven this morning.  Our first stop was a winery overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Summerland, a few miles south of Santa Barbara.  We got there before ten and they didn't start pouring the vino until eleven so we had some time to kill.  We grabbed coffee number two at this adorable cafe and then took a leisurely walk to the beach to see the ocean.  Nicole had never seen the Pacific and neither one of us had actually been in the ocean.  News flash: the Pacific Ocean is cold cold cold and DIRTY.  After a nice walk on the beach, Nicole and I tasted wines and went antique shopping.  The wine was a little disappointing but enough to put us in a good mood and get us psyched for the day.

First time in the Pacific

We traveled on to Santa Barbara.  Our first stop in town was the courthouse, which is featured prominently in the show Psych.  The courthouse has some beautiful architecture as well as the most colorful tiles from Tunisia lining the halls.  We met a lovely and large family that was attending a civil wedding in the court yard and met Len, the docent, who directed us to lunch on State Street.  State Street is Santa Barbara's main drag with bars, restaurants, and high end shopping.  We had lunch at an outdoor cafe before proceeding to the Franciscan mission.

Wine tasting at Summerland Winery

Santa Barbara Courthouse

Tunisian tiles in the courthouse

The mission sits on a bluff overlooking the city and the ocean.  Franciscans built the mission in the late eighteenth century and it is one of ten built by the church in the state of California.  We overpaid to take the self guided tour and then took a scenic drive past million dollar homes on sheer cliffs overlooking the city.  We had an early bird dinner and then hit the road to return back to Tehachapi.  Nicole drove home and literally thought she saw a police car every mile on the highway.  I managed to stay awake for the whole car ride, a miracle.  Santa Barbara is truly beautiful and so different from the high desert surrounding Tehachapi.  Today reminded me how lucky I am to be living in California with the opportunity for so much travel.  While I am sure Kenneth and I will not make California our home after life in the military, its not too shabby for right now.

Santa Barbara Mission built in 1786 and named for Saint Barbara, saint of munitions shipping.

Friar Emily at the Mission