Shannon met us at reception of the Canary at 0845 and ferried us to the Farmer's Market ... just a couple of blocks away. Here I met with chef Brandon Hughes - who cooks at the best restaurant in Santa Barbara - Bouchon. Everything in the market is local - from fish to lamb, from carrots to walnuts, from olive oil to herbs. The place was PACKED! We nibbled on enormous blackberries and tasted fabulous oils ... we then headed to the restaurant itself where we cooked the signature dish ... duck breast with sugatash (!) ... it was not sufferin' ... it was lovely!
Another highlight was Laura (GM of hotel) popping in to say bye-bye ... sad & sweet ...
From there we ventured all the way to the Ampelos vineyard in Lompoc - 40 minutes drive away. Here we met with Peter Work - a Dane - who has been producing fine wines for 7 years now. With his wife Rebecca (& pups - Eros & Bacchus & kitten - 'stache), they have turned 82 acres of virtual scrub into one of the finest vineyards in Southern California. We drank and made merry ... it was an excellent afternoon.
Peter and Rebecca have great stories ... all of which are in the show ... but my personal favourite ... Bear the pooch - who was rescued ... and didn't talk for a year as he was abused ... now he laughs and giggles and is thoroughly loved! That makes me happy! Bear is just gorgeous!
In the evening we popped back into Bouchon for dinner ... I had escargots ... & tuna. Yum.
I have loved my stay at Canary ... and sad to leave ... tomorrow is another day though ... exciting!
Song of the Day: Shoot the Dog - George Michael
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2atW0VVGU
Weather: Hot!hot!hot!
chef brandon hughes at the farmer's market
at bouchon eating duck
they protest against Iran
a black widow spider
'stache
bear, bacchus & eros
bear
bacchus
peter work
with bear
bacchus asleep 
