Sun in San Diego and Solvang - Part Two

After I finished up work in San Diego we headed up north for a weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley. Although  traffic was horrendous, it also happened to be the opening day of the Del Mar fair in San Diego, we eventually made our way to a lovely little cottage that I had rented for the weekend. I found it on VBRO.com, as all of the hotels in the area were sold out or way too expensive. It is a great website that allows access to vacation rentals directly to the owners and cutting out those pesky middlemen. I found an adorable cottage on a working horse ranch, that also happened to be attached to a barn. It included a small kitchen, living room area, a bathroom, and a small bedroom. A perfect size for the three of us and the owners were so sweet!

Our Neighbors for the Weekend

Our first morning there, we were woken by the "neighs" of one of our neighbors. We decided to spend the morning in Solvang and get breakfast at a spot known for their danish pancakes. After a delectable breakfast, we wondered around town and browsed the various storefronts. Even got Baby J a new sun hat! 

Some people may think that the Danish-themed town as kitschy or too touristy, but D and I love it! The town reminds me of Europe and I love the friendly "small-town" feel of the area. As we were sauntering around town, we spotted an older gentleman sitting on a bench that looked oddly familiar. The gentleman looked up at us and asked D if he would take a picture of him and his friend. D took a picture of the pair and we started walking on the street again. D turned to me and said "Do you know who that was?!" I nodded and we both said at the same time "Martin Sheen!!" We considered going back and asking to take a picture with J, but decided to leave him alone. He was very friendly and was kind of cool running in to him at a random street in Solvang.

J and his new hat!

The weather heated up pretty quickly and reached 90 degrees by 11 am, so we decided to take shelter in the air conditioning of our car and to drive to a couple local wineries. We weren't sure what the protocol would be with bringing a baby to a winery, but, to our surprise, everyone just fawned all over him. J was a trooper and dutifully smiled at most of the strangers who came up to him and tried to hold his hand or tickle his foot. 

On our way home to the cottage, we stopped at a local organic grocery store and picked up supplies to make cold sandwiches. Once we had finished our dinner, we decided to walk around the ranch and say hello to our neighbors. J got a little excited during the walk and his dinner had a reappearance, but that didn't stop him from having a ball!  

We left the cottage on Sunday morning and headed back home to LA. We had so much fun and I think our first family vacation was a big success! Hopefully we can turn this trip into an annual tradition!!  We'll be back soon Solvang!