93401, San Luis Obispo

May 9, 2010 by postmarkhere 1 Comment

Rows of pinot noir

Dear ——–,

(This postcard is, admittedly, arriving late. Apologies.)

In our room at the Apple Farm, a rose-patterned armchair sat in front of rose-patterned wallpaper, next to the canopy bed with rose-patterned valences. I can’t say I seek out quaint country inns, but the audacious density of prints was impressive. As I looked at the ceramic roses on the knobs of the cabinets, I got to thinking about how natural it would be for people who are at home all the time to want to embroider the couch cushions and put their favorite patterns on every object in their living space. While modernists might think this decoration fussy, it could say to others, “This home is loved.” Perhaps that’s why modernists love clean lines — they don’t have to take the time to embellish it. On our way out of San Luis Obispo, Leah arranged for everyone to go wine tasting in the Edna Valley. We drove past rows of neatly arranged vines of pinot noir grapes and stopped at Chamisal Vineyards. Bryan took a liking to their crisp Stainless Chardonnay, which is aged in stainless steel rather than oak and tastes brighter and tarter than the vanilla-hued, popcorn-finish chardonnays that are aged in oak. Later that afternoon we couldn’t resist stopping by Summerland and stocking up on some more pinot noir.