A Guest Rancher Speaks...
By Kristin Fast
We recently had the joy and privilege to introduce our dear friends to the wonder that is Hummingbird Ranch. Please enjoy Kristin’s contribution as Guest Rancher.
It’s taken almost a week for me to pen this guest post because despite many many many MANY starts and even some completed efforts, I could not nail down exactly what it was I was trying to convey… 46th times the charm!
We set sail four hours later than intended, but that’s okay because an early morning would have had us driving in the dark and we would have missed this Superbloom moment at the 57 & Ball.
Hummingbird Ranch is a mere 4.5 hours away from Laguna. We pass a lot of Outlet Malls (which look interesting) and some off-theme restaurants (which look suspicious), but I’m the designated Passenger Princess so we only stop once and it’s not to buy discounted Nikes.
Things were looking a little gloomy at one point and I was beginning to panic because that’s a brand new windshield you’re looking at, and the nice folks at Safelight very much STRESS not using the windshield wipers for a full 24 hours and this was only hour 19ish… spoiler alert: nothing happened.
I feel a little proprietary about the Salem Cruiselite. It’s the second time we’ve stayed in her and quite frankly, she’s a delight. Pulling up to the Ranch and seeing her all set up and waiting for us gave me an incredible sense of coming home which bodes, shall we say, not well for Jenn and Chad as one day they might putter up and be surprised to see me already there…
Then these two were reunited, while this one gave them the side eye…
We spent the afternoon soaking in the early Spring sun under the magnificent Pepper Tree. The quiet found in those moments, when the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing is unparalleled.
I don’t live a particularly hectic life yet am still surrounded by chaos. Be it the constant neighborhood construction, traffic to rival a major metropolis, or just the general stress of living through what my children call, “the stupidest timeline,” I am, unknowingly, wound UP. And these moments - and this is what I’m having a hard time describing - when I’m sitting with my dog, and listening to my friends chatter, and the sun is on my face… I start to slip into a level of contentment which actually startles me. Not dissimilar to catching yourself from falling asleep in class, but in this case, I literally surprise myself with how quickly and fully I relax in this space.
The neighbor’s horse understands.
There are many beautiful places in the world but beauty and serenity are not the same, and there is an intangible quality to the spirit of the Ranch.
After a restorative afternoon of watching the dogs tumble themselves into knots, we headed out to Santa Margarita for dinner at the most charming of spots, The Range. Now, I know it’s easy to get swept up in superlatives when on vacation because everything is new and interesting and the unfamiliar is charming but honestly, the food was superb and the staff charming.
First of all, it’s rude they look this cute in our cheaters & next, I covet Chad’s shirt.
The weekend was, as all weekends away with friends should be, full of laughter, too many drinks and too much food. There may have been matching hats purchased, there were definitely cases of wine purchased and Hugh might have had to sleep on the bunk beds because the dogs like their space.
A tale from two wineries including but not limited to aesthetically wrapped Jenny’s special sandwiches, a shot at writing our own Fable (look for, “When the Dogs Drive Home” coming to an updated Aesop’s near you) and a member of the tasting room staff who moved us to tears while simultaneously teaching us about exhaling to really taste the final notes in a 2020 Primotivo.
IMO “white hat” really carried the Soda Crackers but I may have been swayed by his whole vibe. We didn’t dance because none of us can two step (YouTube tutorials are about to change that sad fact) and didn’t want to humiliate ourselves on a dance floor dominated by ladies of a certain age who still like fringe, tall boots, and can boogie like the dickens.
This moment brought to you by Rusty, telling us what can only be termed as “effective” ghost stories.
To paraphrase Kevin Kelly’s famous line, “a friend with a ranch is better than owning a ranch” and I try to remind myself of this fact as we detour by a property for sale on our way out town. But I’ll be honest, while I am besotted with the area and hope to return soon (hint/wink/nudge), it’s Hummingbird Ranch itself which beckons.
Jenn and Chad have poured love and thoughtful energy into the property. They’ve cut back the weeds, and cleared out the dreck. The gates are open to the neighboring cattle and the horses next door know who have apples in their pockets. They’re more than owners, they’re stewards, and have created, in a relatively short time, 40 acres of paradise.