Santa Ynez Births

Meadow frolic
Originally uploaded by scampion

Santa Ynez is a virtual nursery in the spring. In the equestrian facilities, we see long-legged foals. Cattle ranches feature calves. Usually they're more tranquil than the three in this photo, but this bunch sure looks like they're having fun.

Woodstock Ranch leases the grazing rights to its common areas. Now it's a second home to steers who munch the wild grass and enjoy the panoramic views. Clearing the land with cows is a truly green approach. The rancher pays for the right to have his cows roam and get fat on the native plants.

There's a company a few miles away that leases goats to remove grass and scrub. In that case, the economics are reversed. Usually owners of land with difficult terrain pay for the goats to be delivered and act as environmentally correct weed eaters.

Regardless of the dollar flow, grazing animals can be a great example of energy conservation.

Santa Ynez Springtime

Arabian Mare and Foal
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/25559798@N08/

Santa Ynez bursts with life in the spring. My favorite new creatures are foals. Here's a picture of an Arab mare and her baby.

This morning I drove past Magali Farms which is about five minutes away from Ridgeline Ranch. It's a large equestrian facility specializing in thoroughbreds.

I stopped by a broad green pasture, mesmerized by the tranquil scene. There must have been twenty mares and foals enjoying the morning air. The mares were grazing lush green grass and the foals, basking in the sun, slept beside them. One little colt was standing on long, spindly legs nursing while his mother munched her greens. Such a beautiful serene view!

Back in the Saddle Again in Santa Ynez

Woman on horseback, Katoomba, Kitch & Co.
Originally uploaded by Blue Mountains Library

Santa Ynez Valley certainly looks beautiful after spending weeks in Los Angeles with a sick relative. The tranquility of Ridgeline Ranch is more than welcome after the buzz of the city.

Of course, Ridgeline Ranch is especially peaceful because of its location adjacent to UCSB's Sedgwick Reserve. One of a handful of homes neighboring this 6,000 natural preserve, Ridgeline Ranch is a rare property with its seclusion and panoramic views.

Santa Ynez Conversation

Santa Ynez and its natural beauty sparks many conversations. If I could put bubbles over these pictures, I imagine Anke saying, "Wow! Lupine smells good - just like sweet peas!" Fritz replies, "I don't care. I just want some water. When is she going to be done taking our pictures?"

Anke is right. Lupine does smell like sweet peas. Cinch's pasture is thick with lupine. When I walk past it the fragrance perfumes the air. It's wonderful to be so close to the shops in Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Solvang and still live in the middle of fields of wildflowers. And we're only thirty minutes from Santa Barbara!

It feels like I live within reach of civilization's fingertips in a tranquil post at the edge of the wilderness. Ridgeline Ranch is a rare property indeed!

Santa Ynez Views

Santa Ynez views are generally pastoral - no nighttime vistas of sparkling city lights here! But even in the context of rural scenery there are variations.

I visited a gorgeous home in Ballard Canyon Friday. The area is a favorite of bicyclists because of the winding steep hills. In fact, this year the Amegen Tour of California time trial included this route as did the Solvang Century. From the top of Ballard Canyon the view includes Los Olivos and Solvang almost all the way to Buellton. The scenery is reminiscent of the Hudson Valley School of Art - pastoral with humans and nature coexisting peacefully. The rolling pastures were typically separated by white fences. The hilltops were crowned with homes and barns. I'd say at least 75% of the view was green, and it was all beautiful.

The panoramic vista from Ridgeline Ranch is virtually all wilderness. As I look north toward Grass Mountain and Figueroa Mountain, I see no buildings. I suspect this absence contributes to the sense of tranquility and seclusion that I feel here.

One is no better than the other. It's a matter of personal taste. But I like the idea that because my view is protected wilderness, it will remain that way. That's part of what makes this a rare property.

Santa Ynez Flora - part 3

Santa Ynez has so many different wildflowers I feel justified in devoting at least one more posting to them.

I guess it's easy to tell I love nature. That's one reason why this green house built with energy conservation in mind appealed so much to me. But the overriding reason was the house's location with its panoramic view. tranquility and sense of seclusion. Ridgeline Ranch is my retreat. I didn't buy it as a retirement home, but I can't imagine anywhere better to "retire" to.

Back to flowers.

Here's a field of lupine with Grass Mountain in the back. You should be able to see swaths of orange on the mountain which are fields of California poppy.

And here's a closer view of poppies:

Santa Ynez Flora - part two

Santa Ynez has such a wonderful variety of wildflowers I could fill a week of posts about them! Unfortunately, distracted by finishing my post yesterday morning, I forgot to bring my camera to the wildflower lecture/hike. So my promise of a photo of a mariposa lily is being fulfilled by an image from flickr.com.

However, Ridgeline Ranch has an incredible bounty of wildflowers itself. I think this is due, in equal parts, to its proximity to the Sedgwick Reserve, and to the large flat area on the eastern boundary of this rare property this is never subjected to cattle grazing . That area is protected from the road and the view of other Woodstock homes by the ridge on one side and Sedgwick's facing ridge on the other. Ultimate seclusion. A writer friend of mine lusts after the space as a retreat, wanting to build an office there so his creativy will blossom in the tranquility and serenity. Some have suggested that we use it for its vineyard potential but I'm glad we've let it stay wild.

Butterfly Mariposa Lily
Originally uploaded by NatureShutterbug

Back to blossoms, here are a just few of the flowers (in addition to the lupine and poppy I've already shown you) I found on my hike this morning on Ridgeline Ranch. I'm not adept enough at blogging to get more pictures in this post.


Top to bottom:


Filaree, an invasive non-native, imported as a high protein source for grazing cattle. Too much can cause a horse to founder.

Buttercup, a native

Blue Dick, a native. The bulb root of this plant was roasted by Chumash Indians and used as food.

Viola, a native. Also known as johnny jump up or yellow violet.

Santa Ynez Flora

Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria biflora) is a species of plant nativ
Originally uploaded by mikebaird

Santa Ynez has an amazing variety of flora and fauna. This morning we had a class on wildflowers for docents and docents in training at the Sedgwick Reserve.

It's easy to understand why Duke Sedgwick longed to buy this property for years. It was only after oil was discovered on his smaller parcel at Corral de Quati to the west was he able to afford what was then called Rancho La Laguna de San Francisco.

Duke was an artist - excelling as a sculptor - and a writer. He cherished the tranquility and seclusion the ranch afforded. He desired to leave the ranch which he described as a "large area of pristine beauty" to UCSB to "create a conjunction of land and learning."

With almost 6,000 acres, the Reserve itself has an incredible assortment of both flora and fauna. Unfortunately, as with much of California, even this rare property has been invaded by non-native plants. Some panoramic views include swaths of bright yellow which is mustard, a plant introduced by the Spanish as they explored Calfornia. Legend has it that the Spanish padres sprinkled mustard seed as they walked from one mission to the next so the flowers would reveal the route the following year.

However, the chocolate lily shown here is a true native. Its name comes from the color - not the scent as is the case with another lily. Other natives includes the Mariposa lily which is a lovely white with pink markings. I'll try to put up an image of that.

This is just a quick note. I'm off to dinner with my friend Doris Banchik, the best real estate agent in the Valley. She works for Sotheby's.

Santa Ynez Swimming Hole

Santa Ynez has many informal swimming holes in addition to the terrific pool at the YMCA. Fritz and Anke happen to favor the horse trough on Live Oak Road in Woodstock Ranch. Here's a picture of them going for a swim - which is what prompted yesterday's trip to the groomer!

Woodstock has several of these troughs to accomodate residents who trail ride. I see riders on these trails almost every day. Not many of the second home folks who use their property as a retreat keep horse here, but lots of the full time residents do and have extensive equestrian facilities.

My nearby neighbors have Peruvian Paso Finos, Missouri Trotters and Icelandic horses. My old guy Cinch is a quarter horse who is enjoying his retirement from cutting competitions. Cutting is a cowboy sport based on the horse and rider's skill in cutting (or separating) a cow out from the herd. The horse is the skilled part of the equation. The rider's job is mostly staying out of the horse's way and in the saddle.

Some of the homes in Woodstock are in flat areas and others, like mine, are on ridges. Trails give the flatlanders a chance to appreciate the panoramic views from the highground. Only a handful of parcels abut the Sedgwick Reserve, and Ridgeline Ranch is a rare property having seculsion, tranquility and vistas over thousands of acres.

Santa Ynez Scenery

Santa Ynez has such gorgeous weather today (mid-70s), I decided to go for a ride while Fritz and Anke were at the groomers. I picked up a Cachuma Chicken sandwich at Los Olivos Grocery and headed up Figueroa Mountain. Wildflowers blanket the roadside, and the panoramic view from the top is spectacular. Although the area is now mostly protected wilderness, a few homes were built in the last century. Some are second homes, some are retirement homes. A few homes, like ours, were built to converse energy and qualify as "green construction." These are rare properties. 

Unfortunately, I'd depleted the battery in my camera by the time I got to the top so I'll share with you a shot of Grass Mountain, also in the same mountain range. You'll notice orange splotches on the mountainside which are masses of California poppies. Spectacular!

For a number of years, Lance Armstrong and his team trained on Figueroa Mountain for the Tour de France. The Santa Ynez Valley is full of biking enthusiasts. The Amgen Tour of California has held its time trials in Solvang the last two years. There are also events for amateur riders - albeit serious amateurs. The Solvang Century (100 miles) was held last month.

While these events are interesting, I'm glad that none are scheduled - or will ever be scheduled - in Woodstock Ranch. My home is on a relatively short (1.5 mile) road that deadends so we have very, very little traffic and no noise. The tranquility and seclusion is marvelous.

Santa Ynez Tranquility

One of my favorite times of the day is morning when I sit on my patio with a mug of coffee. The panoramic view of the Sedgwick is so serene. I feel as if I'm on a retreat.

The deep silence is broken only by the call of birds. Until I left the buzz of the city and moved here, I could barely tell one bird from another. Now I know their names as well as their migratory patterns. The arrival of the red-breasted house sparrows and bright lesser goldfinch tell me Spring has arrived. The yellow-billed magpie stays with us all year because its habitat is quite limited. I must admit that with their raucous squawk and flashing black and white wings they are my favorite.

As I watch the house sparrows build their nests out of twigs and bits of lichen, I think how right it is that this house was built according to exacting green standards. It feels organic, like part of the surroundings on this rare parcel adjacent to the Sedgwick Reserve.

Although we had thought of taking advantage of the vineyard potential of the large flat area abutting the Sedgwick, I'm glad we didn't. I love walking down the old ranch road and picking wildflowers that blanket this parcel. There is a riot of yellow violets, lupine, poppies and more that I can't name.

It's hard to believe that this tranquil retreat is only ten minutes from Santa Ynez, 15 minutes from Solvang and 30 minutes from Santa Barbara.

Santa Ynez Serenity

My dogs (Anke on the left and Fritz on the right) and I went for a walk this afternoon. Here's a view of them on a rise opposite Ridgeline Ranch with the Ranch and its major view behind them. If you click on this picture or any of the others in this blog, the photo will be enlarged to fill your screen - demonstrating in detail what handsome animals these two are!

The temperature was perfect today and we trekked around Woodstock Ranch. Santa Ynez has several residential areas. We live in Woodstock Ranch, a collection of approximately one hundred 20-acre parcels, many of which have superb equestrian facilities. Several of the owners originally purchased their ranches as second homes and now live in them full time during their retirement.

Ridgeline Ranch has a large pasture facing Live Oak Road on the western edge of the property and a large flat area on the eastern edge where it abuts Sedgwick Natural Reserve owned by UCSB. (The Live Oak pasture is shown below in the Wildflowers Galore photo.) The flat area adjacent to the Sedgwick has vineyard potential or could be the site of a barn or an arena.

Sedgwick encompasses almost 6,000 acres or more than nine square miles! Check out the Reserve at http://nrs.ucop.edu/Sedgwick.htm. Ridgeline Ranch is a rare property because few parcels abut the Sedgwick. I always feel that Ridgeline Ranch is like an oceanfront home except, in this case, it fronts pristine California foothills offering a panoramic view and ultimate tranquility and seclusion. And not many oceanfront homes are built with a similar concern for the environment. Our home on Ridgeline Ranch is a green building and received expedited permitted from Santa Barbara county because it was so eco-friendly.