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A couple of years ago our friends Christa and Eric and their two kids moved from LA up to the Central Coast where Christa grew up. Christa dreamed of moving back to the Central coast with her family by the time she turned 40, and they did it! They have two kids that they are home schooling, lots of guests coming and going, and tons of projects happening all the time.

Home of Eric Pfleeger and Christa Renee in Arroyo Grande, CA,
Christa washing herbs from the garden. Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020
Kitchen of Eric Pfleeger and Christa Renee in Arroyo Grande, CA
Christa and Eric renovated their entire house after moving in.
They did the design work themselves using Pinterest for inspiration.
Oscar and Wesley shot by Christa Renee

Oscar and Wesley getting ready for school, copyright Christa Renee

Eric and Christa's sheep, copyright Christa Renee

Lonely Palm Ranch sheep, copyright Christa Renee

We’ve gone up to visit them a few times a year since they moved and it’s been incredible to see all the work they’ve done since they moved in. The ranch is an amazing place for their kids to grow up. Spending time in nature, learning responsibility doing ranch chores and incorporating their lives into their home school curriculum.

Wesley working on the ranch, copyright Christa Renee

Wesley working on the ranch, copyright Christa Renee

Home of Eric Pfleeger and Christa Renee in Arroyo Grande, CA,

Frittatas are a regular family meal, made from fresh organic eggs laid by the hens on the ranch.

One of Christa's homemade Frittatas, Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

One of Christa’s homemade Frittatas, Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

Eric Pfleeger making coffee in his kitchen in Arroyo Grande, CA

Before moving from LA Eric and Christa opened Collage Coffee , with their partner Kevin. They sold their share in the business, but Eric is still pretty serious about coffee and makes a spectacular cappuccino for the guests who come by.

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The view from above the valley, Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

Beyond redoing the house, renovating the tack room on their barn and painting, they created a studio for Eric in the garage where he is hand silkscreening calendars and art for friends and clients. Last year they planted lots of fruit trees and are now working on their vegetable & flower gardens… Oh I forgot the sheep and lots of other stuff… It’s alot!!

Eric Pfleeger and Christa Renee at home in Arroyo Grande, CA, co

Eric and Christa with their favorite months from the Lonely Palm 2020 Calendar. Copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2020

Eric Pfleeger and Christa Renee at home in Arroyo Grande, CA, coYou can follow along on their journey on instagram where Christa documents her family and the ranch in a beautiful way that is honest and beautifully photographed. Check out Christa’s work here – she’s a lifestyle photographer and commercial director.

See more of my work on my website & my instagram feed.

This month I visited Sunnylands Estate and Visitor center. It was a memorable day, touring the estate, which was the former home of Leonore and Walter Annenberg, and hanging out in incredible Visitor’s center and gardens.

The first three images are from the Visitor’s Center garden, which was designed by Landscape Architect James Burnett who, “used Vincent van Gogh’s Olive Trees of 1889 as inspiration for this masterpiece view of the Center’s unique gardens.

Burnett carefully crafted nine acres of desert, designing 1.25 miles of walking paths that meander through more than 70 species of native and arid-adapted plants from North and South America, Africa, and the Mediterranean area. The gardens were carefully conceived to appear different in every season with variations that create a memorable sensory experience.

The bottom 6 images were taken in the garden of the Sunnyland’s estate. The estate was designed by architect  A. Quincy Jones, and is a jewel box of Hollywood Regency architecture, filled with their original period furnishings, artwork and many historical artifacts from their private and public lives.
Sunnylands Visitor's Center, copyright Diana Koenigsberg 2016sunny-cactus-horizontalcactus-pondagam_poolsunnylands_v3a4863sunny-chandeliersquiggle-sculpture_v3a4842_v3a4838_reventrance_v3a4816