The Maker's Son

 

Nearby Los Alamos doesn't cease to amaze with its growing assortment of gourmet restaurants. We tried The Maker's Son for the first time and enjoyed an interesting assortment of inspired offerings. Next door was a beautiful bed & breakfast (see below).

Succulent Café

 

A decent and generous portion of eggs Benedict was had for breakfast at Succulent Café in Solvang. There was no danger of leaving hungry.

Good Seed revisited

 

A fine cappucino and other accompaniments.

Vinland Hotel

A relatively new hotel in Solvang that expands the town's noteworthy foray into "Scandinavian modern" design. For our purposes it was a good value. Perhaps the best part is the way the hotel is perched above Hans Christian Andersen Park, which is full of birds, deer and other wildlife.

Valentine's chocolates...

 

...the way the Mrs. likes them.

Cold Spring Tavern revisited

This was our second visit; the first was in 2019. The place was as charming and unique as I remembered. The food didn't knock our socks off, but I gave them a pass due to the remote location. Mrs. was a little less satisfied than I was. 

a

bluffs

The Carpinteria Bluffs are always a nice place to visit but this Valentine's Day visit was especially action-packed with wildflowers, seal pups , boats and trains.

Café Boku revisited

 

Revisited for Valentine's Day breakfast. Twelve Tesla chargers! I didn't even notice them the first time. My electric car education continues...

whale watching without whales

On the plus side the weather and the scenery were good and there were nice views of Anacapa Island (above), Ventura and Santa Cruz Island (below), and a smattering of bottlenose dolphins.

 

peregrine falcon

 

We tried our luck at whale watching. It wasn't a good day for whales at all but at the outset of the voyage this peregrine falcon seen feasting on something atop a nearby mast was pointed out to us. Not sure if I had ever seen one before, so added it to my life bird list.

Café Boku

 

The next day we tried Café Boku in Ojai for the first time. The concept is brilliant and will probably become more widespread. The idea is that while your electric car is charging, you can enjoy an extremely healthy meal or relax with a beverage on the spacious indoor-outdoor grounds. We had lunch and lingered for hours. I'm reminded of those combination coffeehouse / laundromats that you see from time to time - smart and creative! Plus it's right off the bike path, making it even more earth-friendly.

Moon Thai

We were on something of a culinary roll that first week of February. The day after Hakane we struck gold at Moon Thai. By only getting tofu with the pad Thai and extra veggies instead with the broccoli stir fry, we had just the right balance of tofu, noodles and veggies.

Hakane Sushi

 

It had been a long time since we had lunch at Hakane Sushi in Ojai. It was a nice post-hike, post-dentist repast, with tempura and miso soup especially hitting the spot for me.

Shelf Road

Sometimes while your wife is getting dental work, you walk the entire length of Shelf Road and back with a Wilson Point detour. Above, Wilson Point.

white pelicans?

 

The ones we usually see are brown.

V.R.P.

 

Sometimes when it's green out you head directly for the Ventura River Preserve. This was the day of the famous jazz improv river crossing, which was unusually scenic. Actually the whole hike was unusually scenic, due to the recent rains.