I've been visiting my grandparents here in Buellton, California since I was a tiny little girl with blond hair, but I guess my familiarity with the place dulled my sensitivity to just how beautiful it is here. My grandparents and aunt and uncle live in two lovely houses, built in the typical southern california style: reddish-orange roofs, terra cotta (ok, not really..but it looks like it) walls, and surrounded by very exotic, tropical looking plants that my grandma tends daily.
They're tucked up in the rolling hills, only a few minutes away from the town, and only about 10 more from the bigger tourist attraction, Solvang, but their house is secluded enough that they're frequently visited by all varieties of wild animals. For instance, my grandpa is jokingly referred to by close family members, as the 'Great White Hunter' after his encounter with a wild pig. He got the pig, but the gun got him, and one of the cousin's baptism pictures features grandpa with several bruises and a big white bandage on his forehead. ;) Coyotes can be heard in the growing dusk and Grandma fights a constant battle with the deer over her beloved rose bushes. Tiny lizards sun themselves on the black top and are often terrorized by all visiting children (many of them are without tails...the lizards..well i guess the children are without tails too ;). There are even bobcat pawprints crossing the driveway. It's unusual to have so much nature surrounding a house and still be within reach of civilization. I don't know what makes me appreciate it so much this visit, but even after touring Europe and living in or visiting almost every state in the country, I still think this place holds its own.
I've been visiting my grandparents here in Buellton, California since I was a tiny little girl with blond hair, but I guess my familiarity with the place dulled my sensitivity to just how beautiful it is here. My grandparents and aunt and uncle live in two lovely houses, built in the typical southern california style: reddish-orange roofs, terra cotta (ok, not really..but it looks like it) walls, and surrounded by very exotic, tropical looking plants that my grandma tends daily. 
They're tucked up in the rolling hills, only a few minutes away from the town, and only about 10 more from the bigger tourist attraction, Solvang, but their house is secluded enough that they're frequently visited by all varieties of wild animals. For instance, my grandpa is jokingly referred to by close family members, as the 'Great White Hunter' after his encounter with a wild pig. He got the pig, but the gun got him, and one of the cousin's baptism pictures features grandpa with several bruises and a big white bandage on his forehead. ;) Coyotes can be heard in the growing dusk and Grandma fights a constant battle with the deer over her beloved rose bushes. Tiny lizards sun themselves on the black top and are often terrorized by all visiting children (many of them are without tails...the lizards..well i guess the children are without tails too ;). There are even bobcat pawprints crossing the driveway. It's unusual to have so much nature surrounding a house and still be within reach of civilization. I don't know what makes me appreciate it so much this visit, but even after touring Europe and living in or visiting almost every state in the country, I still think this place holds its own.
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