usually when i’m staying in a vacation rental i stock up on provisions at the market, but this time i decided to forego a market run, and instead eat out when i get hungry. really, it’s just an excuse to return to mesa verde, a delicious plant-based restaurant on the mesa in santa barbara. i mentioned it when i was here for a week last november.
blueberry chipotle salsa, cacao-enhanced black beans, caramelized onions, heirloom tomatoes, a rainbow of radishes, sumac, and pickled jalapeño-onion slaw. so good!
today i ordered the jackfruit street tacos because
A. i’ve been wanting to try jackfruit
B. i saw them being delivered to someone else and i almost snatched one off the tray as the server walked by
last night i had a flatbread pizza with roasted brussel sprouts, charred greens, onions and cashew “cheese”. oyvey!
okay well i had to have dessert didn’t i?
another treasure:
baklava with pomegranate molasses, “ice cream”, pistachios, sumac powder (lemony). good food + good inspiration for cooking ideas. i came back to my storybook lane and ordered a bottle of pomegranate molasses (tart & lemony) and some sumac powder. thinking both will be good on savory dishes.
i love being so close to the mission. not only is it a cinematic experience when i pass it on the drive home from the beach at night. but i can hear the deep timbre of the bells floating up through the hills. so romantic!
at dawn the beach is a mirror reflecting the sky. i walked on and on because there was an extremely low tide. everything is lovely and clear.
it’s my favorite time to walk. few people are out. the air is cold and fresh.
everything is bright.
and new.
each thing arranges itself before me. 
beach music.
a poem.
here comes the sun.
i feel exhilarated.
intensely alive.
the sand, rocks, sea grass, tide pools. everything.
so heartbreakingly beautiful.
after an hour or so i left the beach and drove through the hills.
i stopped for refreshments at pierre la fond for a delectable cinnamon roll and coffee.
they have a small courtyard perfect for journal writing and people watching.
montecito has some quirky characters and most of them seem to congregate here in the mornings.
i stopped at the sheffield reservoir park high in the hills and meandered around.
then i stumbled across skofield park which has a creek running through it.
by the time i arrived back at the carriage house at 10 am i’d walked in 3 different locations.
santa barbara is casting her usual spell on me.
my little kitchen with the fun windows…
thanks for tagging along with me dear readers. right now as i type this the scent of wisteria is drifting through the open window in my bedroom. i just went outside and looked up into the clear black sky. the stars shine brighter here than in LA. it is blissfully quiet. i can hear nightbirds and other wild things rustling in the hedgerow.
goodnight. xo.
I am totally with you about retiring in SB. I went to UCSB, fell in love with Santa Barbara and the man I would later marry. We exchanged our vows at San Roque Church. I dream about going back there to live. The train ride there from Los Angeles was the best. There are so many spots in Santa Barbara that feel as though you are the only one to know of their beautiful existence.
i would love to take that train someday!
What a lovely, tranquil post. The food! I felt more relaxed just seeing your photos, reading your words. It isn’t all “fresh hell” all the time, is it. Enjoy your visit. You clearly are. xo
Wow. Soooooo nice. Thank you for taking us along.
Each natural assemblage on the beach is a little work of art. And the flowers – glory! I’ve told you before (probably several times) how much I admire you for taking yourself on these vacations. It all looks wonderful!
getting any closer to finding a place to land?
Southern CA was in the mix, but at this point, it looks like NY state. If it was CA, it would have been in Murrietta (sp?) until I could figure something else out.
Another gorgeous getaway. You sure can pick ’em Ms. Moss. Thoroughly enjoyed the photos. Love the little library, from the previous post.
yes, wasn’t it charming? i saw an elderly woman out tending to it this morning…
Don’t forget Rocky Nook Park. It’s really small but beautiful since everything is green right now. You drive right past it when you go left past the Mission. It’s just before the Natural History Museum on the right.
i keep driving past it. i will stop!
Thank you for taking me on your magnificent day. It’s wonderful being a voyaging with you
thanks jud 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful tour of your day! Here we have a new six inches of snow and drizzle falling on top!
Santa Barbara is one of the most relaxing and beautiful places on the west coast……..as a young girl growing up on the central coast of California (SLO) I remember always saying to my parents as we drove through Santa Barbara that someday I want to live there…….I am still waiting to move there! It’s a lot longer drive from Oklahoma……I do try and visit at least once a year on our annual girls trip in the fall! Can’t wait
an annual girl’s trip! sounds wonderful!
Yes. Santa Barbara. The Mission. Just, yes.
my thoughts exactly
Magnificent photos very poetic
why thank you!
Beautiful images!!!!
Stunningly beautiful! You’ve inspired me to visit Santa Barbara area soon.
it’ll be here waiting for you!
The food and the beach look divine! I am putting Santa Barbara on my list of places to visit (especially in the winter time!). Today’s sleet and snow are a bad April Fool’s joke (I am also in Upstate NY). Thank you for the beautiful pix.
you’ll love it! winter is such a nice time to visit.
Thank you for a beautiful bit of California. I feel as if I’d been to the beach, too.
Thank you, Mary Ann
Simply transporting!
“Heartbreakingly beautiful” So true. So perfectly SoCa.
This morning in Upstate NY there is snow falling, and the geese are calling, coming back North to nest.
Also, I wanted to tell you re: sumac~ The sumac tree is considered a weed tree here, because it suckers and seeds relentlessly, BUT you can make what’s called Indian Lemonade from the berries. Kind of like hibiscus tea, bit lighter in taste. Funny, huh? Such a refreshing drink from a nuisance weed. The Google will provide more info.
And it is the first tree to change color in late summer, letting me know I have survived another one 🙂
Thank you for sharing so much beauty with all of us,
Kath.
thanks for sharing that info. i do remember having one in a community garden once. a v. pretty weed and quite tall (treelike) if my memory serves
What a “mahr va lous” post today. When I lived in San Diego, just a hop skip and a jump from the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, I decided to make it my “mission” to visit them all, (The Franciscan ones anyway). I did a pretty good job of it and managed over the years to get to most. The Mission in Santa Barbara is definitely the MOST imposing of them all. And the beach……. ah yes….. I was lucky enough to live in Puerto Rico for three years (p
or tres años), overlooking the Caribbean and visited the various beaches a couple of times a week…. Each beach had its own personality and “shell offerings.” I have been fortunate to live in so many amazing places. And your posts take me to even more……………….
puerto rico…mmmm sounds nice! i’ve never been. so true about the beaches having different gifts to offer
Sigh – it’s all delicious and gives me shivers of glad to be aliveness. Sending you love from Bonnie Scotland today – where I am also very glad to be alive. xox, MAM
oh you are traveling lots and lots lately jane. how good. how right!