Sometimes just 24 hours is all you need to get refreshed and relaxed. Santa Ynez in above Santa Barbara, near Solvang, and it’s a beautiful wine region filled with rolling hills and rustic country. We’ve been coming to this area for over 30 years, and it’s a quick 2 hour trip that always leaves me wanting more. This is one place I could definitely finish my years in. We belong to 4 wine clubs here, so quarterly trips are a great excuse for a quick escape!

I wanted to also use the opportunity to get some urban sketching in while we were there. I’m trying to practice quickly sketching and painting a scene, but I still get caught up in the details and proportion, which inevitably slows me down.

We had a spectacular dinner Friday night Petros in Los Olivos, and I sadly didn’t document any part of it. It was a beautiful setting and the food, ambiance and service were spectacular.

After dinner we stopped by Lost Chord Guitars in Solvang, a live music venue we found several trips ago. Terry Lawless was performing - check out his resume, he’s played with some of the biggest names in music, most notably U2, but his skills are stunning and it was a fun way to end the night.

We started our 2nd day at Folded Hills Farmstead & Winery - and there is so much drawing inspiration here! I just finished a little class on rustic barns, and the lessons for a corrugated steel roof will definitely come in handy for this scene! They run a completely sustainable farm and vineyard here, and I was very interested in the low residual sugar and no-carb wines they were producing. It was a beautiful place.

We finished our wine pick ups and spent some time at our favorite places. 24 hours is all you need, I’m telling you!