another epoch day along the central coast

the next morning we were up and at 'em bright and early.  of course, we made sure we had time to stop at starbucks first for some caffeine, and this also meant that the dogs got to share a puppuccino.

as expected, there was zero traffic on our way up to paso, and we pulled into epoch winery right on time.  the hub and i came here the last time we were up in this area, and it was crazy to think it'd been a full four years since that visit.  the construction we'd noticed that time was all done and the new building looked beautiful - modern and rustic.  too bad we couldn't really go inside because...well, you know.  but it was a nice mild morning, not too hot yet, and so it was really nice outside.

here, though, they didn't have anything to munch on besides some prepackaged breadsticks.  oh well.

once we were done we hit up a second winery - zenaida cellars, a small 35-acre winery that was just beautiful and serene.  the gentleman who greeted us was friendly, really helpful and very generous with his tasting pours.

it was a lovely place to hang out for an hour or so, with a white wine that everyone enjoyed (including me!).  the old lady was a happy camper, and so were teddy and cocoa. the bean had fallen asleep in the car and opted not to sit with us, but i think she was also probably a little tired of watching everyone sipping wine.  i couldn't help but feel a little bad, but then again she was enjoying torturing us with the k-pop music the whole time.

we stopped for lunch somewhere that i've already forgotten the name of because it was so stinking hot we were sweating it out on the patio the whole time.  the only thing i really remember was that this is where we discovered that teddy likes radishes.  so weird.

later that evening, we decided to try leaving the dogs in the bungalow and walk to nearby state street for dinner.  they seemed okay when we left (stevie joined them too, but i took this before he arrived).

and we headed to loquita for some tapas and cocktails.

because we were seated outside and it was dark, the lighting definitely didn't allow for photos of the food.  not that my photography skills ever do it any justice anyway, but at least i can tell you that if you're ever in santa barbara and want something good for dinner, loquita is a great choice.  everything we ate was delicious and the service was great, with all staff and servers masked up and tables spaced out for social distancing.

except that towards the end of our meal, the hub got a call from the hotel complaining that the dogs were barking like crazy.  oops.  so while the hub and the bean stayed behind to take care of the check, the three of us scampered off as fast as we could back to the hotel.  the special friend got there first with his mile-long legs, and when the old lady and i caught up with him he just rolled his eyes and said that when he got there it was quiet and the dogs were happily curled up together taking a nap.

still, it was a lesson learned - dogs go everywhere with us from now on.  heh.