Feed the Eyes, Fuel the Soul

Everything is better with friends and family. Even the most mundane daily moments instantly become celebratory occasions, reasons to raise a glass and share a laugh. While I revel in the solitary meditation of our usual Hummingbird Ranch visits, the addition of others offers the opportunity to share the unique magic of its misty mornings and moonless, starstruck nights, the lunchtime brays of the neighborhood donkey that makes us chuckle, and the eerie, silence shattering warnings of the screech owls that make us jump.

This particular holiday weekend, our kids and their sweethearts are visiting, staying in an adjacent trailer. Every morning we all cram into the Mesa Ridge for coffee and Ina Garten reruns. We shake the sleep from our bones, and speculate whether or not Ina and Jeffrey are secret swingers. It’s something we would never do at home, but feels normal and natural here.

There are many things do in the Central Coast so we have to be very choosy with limited time. Always on the agenda is wine tasting at Castoro Cellars. This time everyone played disc golf beforehand on the winery’s exquisite 18-hole course. It wends and winds through the grapevines, up and down hills, finally ending with a one-in-a-million shot through the hollow of an upside down tree.

A new adventure for me was hiking Madonna peak in SLO, up the street from Emma’s old hood in college. After a relentless steep beginning, the narrow path criss-crossed its way up the mountain, shaded by the leafy canopies of massive eucalyptus trees.

The best times at the ranch, however, are spent chilling under the pepper tree…

…and walking around the property.

The resounding finale of this special weekend was Easter Sunday. We grilled a couple tri tips and other goodies, and toasted to our blessings with delicious wine from Fableist.

But the most fun happened when the sun went down, and the whiskey and s’mores came out!

The ranch tells a different story for everyone, and it’s never the same story twice. Wyatt’s lovely and talented gf, Olivia, chronicled the whole weekend on her TikTok, which you can see here OliviaRosen11.

Hummingbird Ranch continues to deliver - spiritually, emotionally, physically - I’m excited to share her wonder with all those eager to take the adventure!