About Us

Our Story

We are Sash and Catherine Matsumoto, and this project has been a long time in the making. We are excited to share our little piece of the world with family, friends, and visitors who appreciate the beauty of the land and the joy of creating something meaningful.

Our story began in the early 1980s when we met at the Los Angeles Flower Market. Sash was a wholesale florist and managing partner of San Elijo Growers, while Catherine worked alongside her family at La Mirada Florist. We married in January 1986, welcomed our son that December, and completed our family with three daughters, born two years apart, by May 1992.

On April 14, 1997, we arrived in Vista and began putting down roots on A Little Bit Of Land. Over the years, this property has grown alongside our family, shaped by hard work, new ideas, and a shared love of the outdoors. What started as a place to call home has become an ongoing project and a vision for the future—a place where we can cultivate the land, welcome others, and build a lasting legacy.

Sash attended California State University, Los Angeles, majoring in Finance, and has built a successful career as a real estate appraiser serving San Diego and South Riverside counties. He is hardworking, dependable, and always willing to lend a hand when another project finds its way onto the list. Whether he is on his tractor or helping to bring another idea to life, he is an essential part of everything we do.

Catherine has always balanced a love of the land with a love of learning. A first-generation college graduate, she is a proud alumna of Palomar College, California State University San Marcos, San Diego State University, and Capella University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Education specializing in post-secondary and adult learning. After a rewarding career in academia, including more than two decades teaching communication and speech, Catherine retired in May of 2026 and is looking forward to a new chapter with more time for the farm, family, and the creative pursuits she treasures, including quilting, crocheting, and crafting. She remains the researcher, planner, and documentarian behind many of our projects—always looking for another way to learn, create, and bring an idea to life.

2026 has brought some exciting new beginnings. With Catherine's retirement, we are dedicating more time and energy to the farm and the projects we have envisioned for years. We opened Casa Colibri Vista, our Airbnb on A Little Bit of Land, creating an opportunity to share the peaceful setting and natural beauty of our property with guests. We are also replanting our lavender fields and have added 200 Arbequina olive trees, laying the groundwork for the next stage of our farm's growth.

Catherine also plans to bring her background in organizational communication to the farm in a new way. After years of helping students develop communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, she looks forward to welcoming organizations to A Little Bit of Land for hands-on workshops and team-building experiences. The farm offers a natural setting for stepping away from the everyday workplace, strengthening connections, and discovering new ways to work together. We are calling these experiences “Dig-Ins,” and we look forward to sharing more about them in 2027.

For us, this land is about more than growing plants or creating places to stay. It is about family, hard work, creativity, and the satisfaction of watching something grow over time. We are grateful for the opportunity to share what we are building and hope that everyone who visits finds a little beauty, inspiration, and connection here.

Welcome to our field of dreams. We are glad you are here.