I live on the coast in Central California and also spend quite a bit of time in San Francisco. I like the alternation/juxtaposition between country and city. I gather up scenes from these locales and draw them until they're ingrained in my muscle memory. These drawings / sketches are frequently final works in themselves (e.g. pastel on big paper) or lead to more extended works on canvas.
I also listen to music while I work and that helps to bring a rhythmic quality to the effort. I use dynamic gestures throughout the process and the resultant work often contains hieroglyphic record of sessions along the way. The end product can be representational, abstract, or somewhere in between. What matters most to me is freshness and energy in the final product.